twenty eight | what is love

[strike_you_out]

[Rather than read the assigned acts of Romiette and Juleo, or whatever it was called, Slugger is finding every imaginable reason to procrastinate. He discovers that knocking icicles off the roof and shoveling the driveway are good excuses for wasting time, though he finishes both a bit too quickly. After the last of the snow has been shoveled from the driveway, he turns to empty the mailbox and idly flips through its contents piece by piece.

There's nothing remarkable in the mail today, only a few envelopes, a post card, and a magazine. The magazine, at least, he could mutilate later for fun. On the back cover is an ad featuring the title "Young Love" in which a little girl is pictured kissing the cheek of a little boy. Slugger pauses. Young love? Dropping the snow shovel, he looks up, wide-eyed and silent as if stricken with a sudden realization.]


Phone

[Slugger gives the telephone a long and apprehensive stare before he dares to pick it up. Holding it to his ear, he opens his mouth to speak... then quickly hangs up. Several deep breaths later he tries again, this time with more success.]


Hi.


What do you do when--

[He briefly freezes up, near horrified at what he's about to admit.]


...when you think you love a girl?

Comments

[Filtered]

[strike_you_out]

[Quietly] Yeah.

So I should tell her.

[Filtered]

[ceasetoexist]

Yes.

God. The fact that you two like each other is apparently obvious to everyone but the two of you.

[Filtered]

[strike_you_out]

[But he didn't know it was 'love'. Slugger doesn't say this for fear of sounding too stupid. He also doesn't mention the weird guilty feeling he has at receiving encouragement for feeling like this.]

What do I say?

[Filtered]

[ceasetoexist]

What, do I look like I understand love, ugly?




Tell her you like her. Maybe not just that but...maybe tell her how she makes you feel. I dunno.

Just say what feels right.

[Filtered]

[strike_you_out]

It feels weird. Do I tell her that?

[Filtered]

[ceasetoexist]

I don't know!

I don't know, okay? I just-

Maybe it is. The important thing isn't how you tell her or exactly what you say, I think. It's just....

You need to, okay? You need to.

[Filtered]

[strike_you_out]

[Pause.]

Are you okay?

[Filtered]

[ceasetoexist]

I'm fine. It's nothing, okay? Sorry. I'm fine.

Look. I don't really know what you're supposed to say to her. Like, I dunno if there are rules or something.

...Maybe start with a poem or something. Like girls like crap like that right?

[Filtered]

[strike_you_out]

[But-- Why does it have to be poems? He sucks at poems.]

Can it be a picture?

[Filtered]

[ceasetoexist]

Sure. I don't see why not.

Just....do what you think feels right, about it.

[Filtered]

[strike_you_out]

Okay. Yeah. [He takes in an audible breath, and then...] Thanks, Pokey.

[Filtered]

[ceasetoexist]

Yeah. It's nothing.

Good luck Slugger.





Tell me how it goes, alright?

[Filtered]

[strike_you_out]

I will... if it goes well.

[Filtered]

[ceasetoexist]

It will.

I promise.

[Filtered]

[strike_you_out]

[Aw, Pokey. Cut it out.]

Sure you're okay?

[Filtered]

[ceasetoexist]

No my brain exploded and I'm clearly talking with my heart. I guess something must be wrong, otherwise you wouldn't waste my time asking me twice.

I'm fine, stupid.

[Filtered]

[strike_you_out]

[Slugger has a feeling he knows what this is about, or more specifically, who this is about.]

Your chance could still come again.

[Filtered]

[ceasetoexist]

.........

What?

I have no clue what you're talking about.

[Yeah. Time to play dumb.]

Stop being dumb, stupid.

What other advice have you gotten for this anyway? I'm sure there's some that's good for a laugh.

[Filtered]

[strike_you_out]

[Fine, be that way. And here we shall assume Pokey is the last one Slugger spoke to on the phone.]

Mr. Liebert said to get her flowers. Two people said to kiss her. You and someone else said to tell her. One said something gross. Another said "condom"...?

[Filtered]

[ceasetoexist]

[Okay yes good. Now that we're away from that line of discussion, we can talk about something else.]

.....Condom?

[He's heard that word before. But he has just as much of an idea as what it is as you do. So you can both feel free to puzzle over that.]

[Filtered]

[strike_you_out]

Yeah. I don't know.

[As long as it isn't a poem.]

[Filtered]

[ceasetoexist]

Like I've heard it's "protection", but I dunno from what. Sounds dumb anyway.

What was the gross thing you were told to do?

[Filtered]

[strike_you_out]

[LONG PAUSE.]




[Finally, he mumbles.] Stick my tongue down her throat.

Re: [Filtered]

[ceasetoexist]

[There's a long pause on Pokey's end too, as if he's trying to comprehend what you just told him, and failing miserably.]



Aw sick. She would totally kill you if you did that! What kind of advice is that?

[His voice is a mix between amusement and a discomforted disgust.]

[Filtered]

[strike_you_out]

You think?

...

Do humans really do that?