Chapter 6. Fabled Confessions.
The next morning arrived, and Gavin felt utterly exhausted. His mind was foggy, and it took him a minute to remember he passed out at his desk. He reached over and shut off his alarm that was blaring in his ear Damn, it's too early for this crap.
One of his parents must have stopped in before going to bed and threw a blanket over him while he slept. He yawned and stretched his arms over his head. He leaned back and felt how tight and uncomfortable his back was from sleeping at his desk again. He stood up and winced as he bent down to grab a clean pair of jeans and a shirt from his dresser and went to take a quick shower.
When he came down, he found breakfast already cooked and it was his favorite. Eggs and waffles awaited him as his parents both left for work. He reheated them quickly and ate before running to catch the bus to Walker High. The tension could be felt on the bus as everyone focused on their books or whispered rushed questions to friends sitting nearby.
He found his usual seat next to his best friend Tessa Allesandra. A fellow senior, she appeared as stressed as he was. Her wavy brown hair was a disheveled mess thrown up in a quick bun. Her face was plain and make up free as she had some bags under her eyes when she looked up at his arrival next to her. Her exhaustion was evident in her eyes.
"Hey Tessa," Gavin said with a sigh as he sat next to her and pulled out a textbook to go over it while he could.
"Hey Gavin," Tessa responded, as she barely noticed his arrival. "I feel like I'm going to flunk this crap" she said in a grumble. "I mean who uses biology unless they go into a science field, for crying out loud?" she asked him in frustration.
Gavin laughed softly, before he hung his head and stared at his textbook. Mentally, he felt all kinds of burnt out after the last couple of weeks of cramming and studying nonstop. He felt like he'd forgotten how exciting senior year was supposed to be, all his free time out of school had been devoted to studying for the last few weeks.
Gavin heard his phone go off in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw that he had got a text from Erza. Hey buddy, good luck today. I know you will crush your finals, then I will take you out to celebrate! After he read that text, it put his mind at ease a little bit. At least Erza had faith in him for this week of hell. She had always been his biggest supporter. Every sports event, every milestone growing up, there were three constants in his life. His mother, his father, and his best friend, Erza. His heart warmed and he vowed that he wouldn't disappoint her.
With the words from the text in his mind, he powered through the day and tried to be as confident as he could. Manifest your own reality right? Mentally, though, he was exhausted. Four weeks of hard-core cramming, studying and testing had taken its toll on his weary mind.
The final bell rang out, and it was like a train horn going off in his mind. The pen was put down; the test was turned in and a sigh of relief came out of him. Finally, it's done and over with, he packed up his bag, emptied out his locker and tossed his schoolbooks in the recycling to be reused next year for those who couldn't afford brand-new books. For good or bad, he wouldn't have to take another test in this building again. He pulled out his phone and typed up a quick text message.
I just finished. I think I actually passed today! He sent back a text to Erza. Are you still picking me up from school? He typed up the quick text and walked his way through the hallways of excited students to finally be on summer break. The atmosphere was like night and day compared to this morning. Everyone was lively, talking, shouting, and being a normal kid. It was a pleasant change of atmosphere.
"Hey Gavin, now that you have passed and graduated, are you finally going to confess to Erza?" A voice from beside him startled him out of his thoughts and made him jump to see it was Tessa who stood there and looked as happy to be done with the exams as he was. She had a grin on her face and her hands on her hips as she asked her question.
Gavin went beat red in the face as he shoved her shoulder which caused her to stumble back and laugh. "Shut up. I don't know what you're talking about." Have I been that obvious that everyone sees it but Erza? He thought he had been more subtle with his affection for Erza. Apparently not.
Tessa grinned and laughed as she playfully bumped his shoulder with hers. "Oh please. The entire group knows how you've been head-over-heels for the girl ever since she started babysitting you. Half of us have a bet on you asking her out before the end of the week. Some think before summer is over." She teased him with a glint of mischief in her hazel brown eyes. She enjoyed teasing him. The way he got so riled up over the simplest things always made her laugh. Though, somewhere deep down she didn't want to admit, maybe she did it because she was jealous. Nah. That couldn't be.
Gavin didn't respond. She was always like this. Even though she had long ceased being paid to baby sit him, none of their friend group really understood how he could be actual friends with her. He didn't care about the rumors and whisperings from people. He knew what he felt in his heart, and that's what mattered to him.
He grumbled under his breath as he continued to make his way through the crowd and out the front doors. He looked around the sunny afternoon to try to find a black and red, off-road SUV waiting for him. He hoped she was already there, but sadly he couldn't spot the SUV. Suddenly, his phone dinged, and he opened it to see a text from her.
I'm down the street waiting in line, wanna head my way, and get out of here? Gavin perked instantly. She never failed to keep her word. She promised she would pick him up, and here she is. He grinned as he typed up a quick response and said his farewell to Tessa. She laughed before getting one last rib off. "Don't forget to shower before you ask her out, you idiot."
He went red in the face as he flipped her off as he walked down the street towards his awaiting ride. He opened the door to see a dazzling smile that made his day instantly better. She had on a black T-shirt with some local band design on and a blue pair of jeans. Her long wavy red hair was pulled back out of her face, and she had a pair of black sunglasses on.
"So, how'd it go?" She asked curiously as she pulled out of the traffic lane and drove away from the high school.
"Oh, it sucked and blew." Gavin responded, "But... I think I at least passed them all. Final grades won't be posted until Monday, they said," he informed her.
"Oh, so you don't even know if you passed, and you want me to take you out tonight. I don't remember that being part of our deal," she teased him playfully, her soft voice filled his ears. She had every intention of having their little date night tonight, but she felt like she had to tease him a little.
"Oh, come on, I'm almost one hundred percent sure I passed. Like 98.9%, doesn't that count?" He argued back. There was no way she would back out of this. He had been looking forward to it. She wouldn't really cancel it just because he didn't have the official grades yet, would she?
She paused for a moment and enjoyed the look of panic on Gavin's face before she gave in. She could never honestly tell him no, even when she babysat him. "Oh, fine I suppose. One restaurant and one movie night planned and ready to go." She finally gave in and cracked a broad grin. She knew, even if he had failed all his tests today, she was going to take him out no matter what tonight.
Gavin sat back in his seat with a small smile on his face. His heart was happy that he got to have his little "date night" with Erza. He didn't want to admit it, but Tessa was right. After she made the deal last night, he planned to confess to Erza if they went to dinner to celebrate the end of senior year. Sometimes things were worth the risk.
"So, what's for dinner then?" He asked, curious about what she had planned for them, and wondered what restaurant she would take them to.
"Hmm. I thought I'd bring you over and treat you to some home cooking. As for that, it's a surprise dude. You just have to wait to find out" she responded with a musical laugh.
The rest of the ride was a quiet trip. They chatted about random things, how the rest of the school day went, if he ate enough for lunch, how her "super-secret music project" with her friends Aria and Lyla was going. Eventually, they arrived at her parents' house. A massive 4-story building with a large yard and a wrap-around porch.
"Every time I see your house, I always think of how old-fashioned it looks compared to the new ones," Gavin commented. He always loved coming over here. Erza's house almost always a source of laughter and warmth for him over the years.
"Well, you know, my parents are both obsessed with early 20th century design work. I won't lie; it is a wonderfully cozy home." She responded as she parked in the driveway and turned off the SUV.
"Where's the rest of the family." Gavin had noticed the otherwise empty driveway and was curious.
"Oh, my parents are gone on a work trip for the weekend, so I'm watching the dog for them, and my eldest brother is away on a summer internship" she responded as she unlocked the door and Gavin followed dutifully.
"Oh, so we are alone tonight for dinner?" He had a slight blush that darkened his cheeks. All alone tonight, It's the perfect chance to admit to her.
"Yup, that means less cooking I have to do." She grinned as he shut the door behind him to the house. They walked down the hallway, past all the picture frames that seemed to show, every important or random moment in the siblings lives. Erza's family even had a few photos of Gavin framed and up on the wall. He smiled to himself. He might be blood to the O'Malleys, but he quickly became a wayward child to them.
"It still surprises me that your parents put those photos up." Gavin's voice was soft and filled with affection as he looked at them.
She looked over and noticed which ones he was talking about. "Yeah, I had them taken and put up to celebrate your big wins. My parents have long considered you as one of their own and love the idea of celebrating. You are like a bad fungus that grew on them." Her laughter was gentle and warm as she beamed at him.
"Hey!" He responded indignantly as he crossed his arms and tried to look offended. Erza turned to face him after she turned on the lights in the kitchen and smiled.
"What? "I'm innocent," she said before she turned around to pull ingredients out of the fridge.
"Innocent my butt," he grumbled as he moved into the kitchen to try to help. He stepped next to her as she began to pull random ingredients out from the fridge.
"Nuh uh!" She protested and smacked his hands away with her own slender hand. "You don't cook. This is your celebration," she said with enthusiasm as she pushed him to sit down at the table.
Gavin grumbled and surrendered to her orders. He never won any of their fights or arguments against her when her mind was set. "Yes ma'am," he responded dutifully. He recognized a lost cause when he saw one, and fighting against Erza, was one of those lost causes.
"Good boy" she said in a mock tone and patted the top of his head affectionately. She laughed as he swatted at her hands then walked back towards the counter and began to stir up some batter.
"So, what'd you decide to make then?" he asked her, as he watched her whip up the batter mix and pull out a few plates.
"My home-made waffles, eggs and bacon" she said with a cheeky grin. "Your favorite."
Gavin smiled. He didn't have the heart to tell her his parents had done that for him in the morning. Plus, he would never admit it within earshot of his mom, but Erza's was ten times better than his mom's cooking, he thought.
He sat there, and pleasantly awaited dinner while he played absentmindedly on his phone. He looked up to watch Erza every few seconds while she chatted away. He noticed the way she often cocked her hip and stood with most of her weight on one leg. He swallowed hard as he noticed the way her jeans cupped her rear a little too tightly while she moved about the kitchen. From time to time her shirt would ride up and reveal tantalizing bits of her smooth skin to his gaze.
"So, I've been thinking." He drew her attention as she plated the first couple of waffles and flipped the first batch of fried eggs. She looked up and raised an eyebrow as she waited for him to continue, "I think I want to go to school in Allario to learn magic."
Erza stopped what she was doing. Shocked to say the least, the smell of burning eggs pungent in her nose reminded her that she had to remove the eggs off the pan. She paused the cooking and turned around. "Allario, huh? That's an intense program; it's about two weeks away by car?" Her voice was soft and hesitant as she kept her gaze focused on the table in front of her.
Why is there this pain in my chest? Gone would be their daily hangouts. She wouldn't be able to spend every day in his company anymore. She didn't like that idea. Not one bit. I want him to chase his dreams, but, I never imagined he'd do it so far away.
Gavin looked up from his phone to see her reaction before he continued, "Yeah, I wanted to learn magic, and it's the most notorious school to learn from, and I got a letter of entrance to the practical test for admittance last night after you left." His voice was soft and gentle as he recalled reading that email before he passed out last night.
Erza walked over to stand beside him and placed his plate down in front of him before she walked back and grabbed her own and sat next to him. The bacon still sizzling on the plate as she took her seat.
"So, you're going to just ditch your old babysitter and look for fresh younger girls there, aren't you?" she said in a half-teasing voice. As she sat there next to him, she let her hair fall forward hiding her face as she said the words. She tried as hard as she could, but she couldn't keep the hurt from leaking into her voice.
Gavin dropped his fork and grabbed her hand before he thought better of it. He pushed her hair back to reveal her face as he forced her to look at him. "No, never, I never want to part with you. You are my best friend and I..." he stopped before he blurted out the truth. He wanted her to come with him, but didn't dare utter the words. His heartbeat frantically in his chest. Did he dare admit to her, here and now? Did he risk telling her he was in love with her? That he had been for years? Or did he just keep his mouth shut and let the moment pass? His blood raced, he felt hot, and his ears burned from embarrassment.
Erza's soft eyes perked up at the way he stopped, her heart fluttered slightly as a faint blush crept over her cheeks. She'd always known he had a crush on her growing up as she watched him. His dad teased her one day after Gavin was asleep when she went to leave. She didn't think he'd ever say anything about it. "And you what?" She pushed him, curious and slightly afraid to know what he was going to say.
Gavin swallowed hard before he took a deep breath and blurted it out quickly, "I wanted you to come with me, together." Holy shit, I actually said something. He could feel his cheeks burn red as he looked at her and awaited a response.
She sat there quietly, equally red in the face and shocked. "What do you mean by together?" Her voice barely above a whisper as she played around with her food.
Gavin let out a disbelieving scoff. "Here everyone's told me I've been obvious all these years. Erza... I like you, I've had a massive crush on you ever since that first day you walked into my house to watch me while my parents worked late that night," he blurted out, as he looked her dead in the eyes before he took a deep breath. His chest was tight and he was on edge, but he had to see this through. He felt her hand on his as she squeezed it softly, "When you walked in, I thought the same as I do now," he said as he paused to take a bite of waffles and allowed the food to distract him for a brief moment.
"Go on." Her whisper was quiet, but urgent; almost like a plea. "What did you think?" She held her breath, anxious for his response as she fidgeted in her chair.
"I thought you were the most beautiful girl alive. The second you walked in, and the light hit your hair… your eyes, they just… glowed. And that was it for me. I knew I was done. I'd do anything for you, Erza. Anything, if it meant I could keep that smile on your face." His words were barely above a whisper. He felt so much heat in his face that it felt like a sunburn.