Seiji frowned, his particular frown of being imperiously disappointed that the world was failing him by making no sense.
“Do you wish for me to tell you something, or do you wish for me to shut up? Your requests strike me as contradictory.”
“Shut up!” Eugene hissed. “Some truly momentous gossip is unfolding right before our eyes!”
Nicholas knew Eugene enjoyed gossip. He looked around with interest to see what had caught his attention but saw only boys rioting excitedly over the fair to come.
Then he noticed the captain was here. Nicholas brightened. Harvard and Aiden were walking down the hall together, as they often did, but today they were holding hands.
One of Aiden’s fans stopped beside Eugene and clutched his arm. “Is it happening, do you think?” the Bon whispered. “Is it finally happening?”
“I don’t know, bro, but I think so, bro!”
Eugene over-bro’ed when he was excited.
Nicholas liked to see the Bons’ enthusiasm for fencing but found the specific target of their enthusiasm mysterious.
Aiden wasn’t that good a fencer. Why not support Seiji or the captain instead?
Someone gave a piercing whistle as Aiden and Harvard passed by. “Hello, gorgeous! What are you doing later?”
Aiden glanced around without much interest, accepting whistles as his due. Harvard was the one who actually responded to the whistle. His face clouded and he stepped back immediately, moving as though by instinct. His hand fell away from Aiden’s grasp.
Then a new idea seemed to strike their captain.
He stepped forward with a purposeful air, linked his fingers with Aiden’s, and tugged Aiden to his side. Aiden went easily, leaning close.
Eugene and the Bon made sounds like steaming kettles. Nicholas exchanged a questioning look with Seiji to see if he understood what was happening. Seiji gave him a tiny shake of the head.
Aiden was ignoring the crowd in the way Aiden did, taking for granted that he was being watched. All his attention seemed focused on Harvard.
Enlightenment descended upon Nicholas. “Oh, are Aiden and Harvard dating now?”
Harvard glanced again at Aiden, who nodded. Then Harvard nodded, too.
While light had only just dawned for Nicholas, Eugene’s eyes were glowing with unholy joy. “I must tell everyone!”
“Wait,” said Nicholas. “What about that Neil guy?”
Aiden’s green eyes narrowed. “Neil’s out,” he reported.
“Like, taken out?” Nicholas muttered.
Aiden proceeded: “Harvard made the excellent decision to upgrade blah, blah, blee, bloo…”
Aiden’s mouth kept moving, but Nicholas had not bought tickets to the Aiden Kane Is So Great Show. He refused to hear.
Harvard was nodding along indulgently. This kind of heroic patience was why Harvard was the captain, Nicholas supposed.
They wandered off toward the open doors, hand in hand, still smiling. The Bon was texting frantically. Nicholas caught a glimpse of many exclamation points and capital letters on the Bon’s screen.
“That’s good that Aiden and Harvard are dating,” Seiji decided.
Everyone exchanged surprised glances that Seiji had an opinion on this matter.
“If the captain is determined to date, and it seems he is, then he should choose someone who has at least some interest in fencing. My parents are a very devoted couple,” Seiji explained.
“Are they?” Nicholas felt unexpectedly touched. Seiji’s parents were together, and they loved each other.
That must have been nice for Seiji to grow up with.
“I understand that must be a surprise for you all, since you’ve met me, but my parents aren’t much like me,” Seiji continued. “They have very dedicated hearts. They say—how did they put it in that magazine feature?—that their personal partnership leads to more effective teamwork between them.”
Nicholas frowned. “Wait, and you think they’re not like you?”
“That’s what I said.”
“You and your lack of dedication to anything. That makes sense.”
Seiji nodded absently.
“I was being sarcastic, Seiji!”
“Were you?” Seiji made a face. “Why?” Before Nicholas could answer, Seiji gestured dismissively. “Never mind that. I can’t hang around making small talk all day. I have many things to do. Eugene, please remove Nicholas to the fair, thank you, goodbye.”
He walked off, a stern, remote presence among the joyful crowd. A guy hopping on one foot almost crashed into him. On reception of a chilling glance from Seiji, he decided to throw himself upon the floor instead.
Nicholas grinned watching it happen, then turned to Eugene.
“We’re going to the fair, then!”
Eugene seemed to be absorbed in a private, horrific vision, but he answered, “Looks like.”
“We can go into Kingstone and pick up Seiji’s watch, too.”
Nicholas thought it would be a fun evening. Before he went to get his blazer, he glanced back at Harvard and Aiden heading out the door.
“I honestly think the captain can do better,” Nicholas remarked.
The Bon tried to kick him. Nicholas dodged out of the way and ran laughing down the hall, the doors to Kings Row wide open and the sunlight of late afternoon spilling onto the stone floor.
20: HARVARD
It wasn’t a real date, so Harvard shouldn’t be nervous.
Somehow, he still was.
Probably, he told himself, he was nervous because this was his last chance at getting this dating thing right. He’d messed up with a girl, then messed up with a boy. From years of mapping out team strategy, Harvard knew how to pinpoint the recurring issue when a situation kept going wrong. Clearly when it came to dating, the problem was Harvard himself. Thank God Aiden had agreed to help him out.
He’d put on a button-down shirt, and then—in a panic—added cuff links. Dad said cuff links made an outfit look sharp, but old people made strange fashion choices. Harvard got worried looking at the cuff links, so he put on his leather jacket, but maybe the shirt and the jacket didn’t look right together.
Harvard made intense eye contact with the mirror, willing himself to be more reasonable. This was Aiden, who had seen Harvard wearing dinosaur footie pj’s. There was no possible way to impress him.
Aiden had called him cute yesterday. Obviously, Aiden had only said that to be a supportive friend, but it wouldn’t leave Harvard’s brain.
The door opened. Harvard started and knocked over the cuff link case.
Aiden was wearing a desperately clinging green cashmere sweater Harvard had never seen before. Harvard felt slightly uncomfortable about Aiden wearing a gift from one of his many pursuers on their date, but it would be outrageous to complain when Aiden was already doing him a huge favor.
“New sweater?” he asked in as neutral a voice as he could.
“Yeah, I just bought it,” said Aiden. “For our date?”
Harvard smiled. “You look—” began Harvard. “Um.”
Aiden knew how he looked.
“Amazing?” offered Aiden.
See, Aiden knew how good he looked. There was no need for Harvard to mention it.
“That’s good, paying attention to what your date wears. Next time you have a date with… Neil, comment on whatever it is he wears,” Aiden instructed.