Chapter Twenty-One- My Best Friend’s Glee

“You’re going to the cinema with him?”

I let out a loud groan, banging my head off the cafeteria table in feigned frustration. “I knew you’d act like this!”

“Oh, come on!” he protested. “From what you’ve told me of the whole encounter, he’s well into you! Defending you…”

“Yeah, to what looked like his girlfriend!” I retorted.

“Who’s got a girlfriend?”

“Danny,” I told Dougie as he sat down at our table.

“Did he actually say they were dating?” Harry pressed.

I rolled my eyes, “No, but they way she was pawing at him was kind of a hint, and he didn’t deny it when I implied it.”

“Well, he’s not exactly on the same intellectual wavelength as you,” Dougie pointed out. “Then again, few people are. Maybe he didn’t pick up on the implication.”

I frowned at him, “I thought you didn’t like Danny.”

He held up his hands in mock surrender, “Just saying.”

“Why don’t you like him?” Harry asked his boyfriend curiously. I choked on my apple juice. I knew one reason why Dougie didn’t like Danny. I just hoped he had another.

“I just hate how hard he tries to be popular,” Dougie said with a careless shrug as I composed myself. “Anyone can see that he doesn’t fit in with that group, and anyone else would have accepted that by now and backed off. But he’s still there.”

“Well, we’re not all stunningly popular like you’ve always been,” Harry reprimanded him. “When some people get a chance at it, they grab it with both hands.”

“Whereas we-” I motioned to Harry and myself. “-chose to back out of it before we were absorbed.”

“You had a chance to be popular?”

“I’ve always had the option,” I remarked. “Why d’you think so many people know me? I just always chose to avoid that crowd.”

“Plus, a lot of the ‘populars’ are depressingly thick,” Harry added. He leaned over to peck Dougie on the lips fondly, “You excluded.”

“Most of the time,” Dougie agreed with a cheeky grin.

I laughed, “You look at them, and you wonder how I would’ve fitted in.”

“Anyway, back to topic,” Harry demanded. “If you don’t know whether he likes you or not, find out tonight.”

I pulled a face, “How?”

“What’s tonight?” Dougie piped up.

“Danny asked Tom to the cinema,” Harry explained. “And I think it’s because he likes him, but the stubborn boy here thinks-”

“Knows,” I corrected. “He has a girlfriend, and he’s straight.”

“How do you know?!”

“Well, what do you want me to do?” I asked him in resignation. “Snog him and see how he deals with it?!”

“No, but drop sly hint-”

I snorted, “Oh, right… Sly hints… ‘Could you ever fancy a boy, Danny?’ ‘Could you ever fancy me?’ ‘Wanna neck to see how it feels?’”