It made her heart hurt for him that he didn't have his mom. "Yeah, they are the best," she agreed softly. She grinned and rolled her eyes, because he was acting crazy. "Oh dear. What will we ever do?" She supposed that not many people looked for a tutor in art class. It was normally something that people did for fun. Even if they did look for a tutor, asking the quiet boy that had all the bad rumors floating around, and they didn't know well wasn't the one people were going to choose.

She sort of frowned at his C average. While there was nothing with getting average grades, she wouldn't want her grade to be so low. It made sense that he had never tried to tutor anyone. If he got pummeled at lot at home, she wouldn't want to add to that even if it was in play. She smirked as he bumped her playfully glad that he "appreciated" her imagery. She wasn't expecting such profuse compliments, and she couldn't help grinning ridiculously. "Thank you," she said, "I didn't think it was that good."

Since it was her first one, it was sort of special. At the same time it wasn't very well done, so she didn't really expect him to keep it. She decided she would hang it up somewhere her friends would see it. She couldn't hang it up around the house, so he supposed she would have to put it in her room where only her girl friends would see it. If people were going to see it, she would have preferred a wider audience, but it didn't really work anywhere else. She nodded a thank you, as they finished putting up things.

He walked off, and she realized it was probably to go get his hoodie. She went to go find her mother to tell her where they were going. After she gathered a few things together, she was ready to go. She was mildly amused as he sped up. At first she thought he might be trying to goad her into a race, but she realized he was trying to get to the door first, so he could open it for her. "Thanks," she smiled as she walked through. Sometimes she disliked it when boys did that.

Sometimes she couldn't tell if they were holding the door open for her, or if she took advantage of them opening the door. She nodded at what he said. She didn't have any full basketballs. She might have one flat one, so it was a good idea to go to his house to get some. She held her basketball under one arm. If she couldn't control the dribble, she didn't want to have to run after it. Besides there were car nearby, and she didn't want his basketball to get run over, flattened, and ruined.

She raised a brow, "You mean me? Yeah," she began to dribble the ball over to the hoop. "This may sound crazy, but I know three different variations on the game horse. Would you like to clarify how you want to play?" she asked him. She nodded and got ready to play. On her first throw, she had to try it both ways seeing which was less awkward. Use her broken arm to help guide the ball or do it one handed. She found that she needed to use her broken arm or the ball went so wide it was embarrassing.

She did crazy things, when she finally got the chance. She would try to throw a short a little behind the hoop, and she tried directly underneath it. Gently, she ribbed him for some of the shots he missed, but not to hard, because he would easily come up with a come back. She missed more than she got in. At the end, her ball soared into the net perfectly. It swooshed satisfyingly, as good as Eric's first shot. She told him that she was doing fine. It felt a little sore, but as a runner, she was used to more than a little uncomfort.

He was easy going, nice, and it had been fun hanging out with him. Even though she wasn't sure how much she would be able to confide in him, she had one person to talk to about things that she couldn't tell anyone else. She wasn't sure if she would be comfortable confiding in him everything. She was careful the people she told stuff. Some friends she confided in about certain things, but she wouldn't tell them other things. She would have to see what kind of things she could tell Eric.

She waved goodbye, as her parents came to pick her up. It was getting close to the time that Eric needed to be going home, and she didn't want to make him late. She waved as she drove away in the car. She was sitting on the couch watching tv, when she got a message around 9:30 at night. She lifted it up curious who it would be. She gave a little smile as it was Eric's number.

Soon she headed up to bed where she thought about all they had done. Gradually, she zonked out for the night.

~~~~~~~

She was meeting Eric at the roller skating rink. She realized with a little awkwardness that she would probably need his help putting on her skates. It would be like helping a little kid. Her mother dropped her off, and she headed inside. It was loud with music, and dark with glowing lights. She headed toward the rental place, and got her skates. She was wearing tenis shoes, so she didn't need to change into socks. She managed to put them on, after much shoving and patience, but now she looked around to ask for someoen to tie her shoes.

She sat there awkwardly for a moment, until her face brightened with a smile. Eric had come. "Hey!" she waved him over. "Sorry, but after you get your skates, could you help me tie mine? I don't think I can do it one handed." After he tied her skates, she carefully arose. They stepped into the rink, and she began to skate. It was something she had been doing for quite a while, and she knew how to skate well. Gradually, she picked up speed. "Wheeeeee!" she turned around and started skating backward so she could face Eric. She grabbed his hand, "Keep me from running into anyone," she instructed him.

(I'm not going to have him respond to the previous stuff, just so we can move on)

Kailey had invited Eric to go skating with her, and of course he'd agreed. He really enjoyed spending time with her, even doing things that he usually didn't do. He'd been skating before, so it wasn't something that he was new at, but it also wasn't something he enjoyed doing by himself, so he didn't come too often. He arrived there, and he glanced around looking for her. Maybe she wasn't here yet. He started to head over to get his skates, but his entire face lit up when he heard his name being called and looked to see Kai sitting there, waving him over.

He came over and stood beside her as she spoke. He chuckled. "Well hey!" he greeted. "Of course. Give me a second and I'll be right over." He walked over, got his skates, and ambled back over to Kai. He knelt down and quickly tied hers before putting on his own. He made sure to stay by her as she stood, just in case. Once in the rink, he went slower, a relaxed pace like he always did. She picked up pace and sped off, and he laughed.

She turned and came back to him, slipping her hand into his. He tried to keep his feelings to a minimum. Within the week they'd been spending time together, they rarely ever had any contact other than a playful nudge or highfive here and there. She instructed him to keep her from running into anyone, and so he nodded, giving her a teasing smile. "Yes ma'am." he said jokingly.

Spending more time with her had proved to him that she was a good person, and that his feelings for her were validated. He had a feeling she had to know by now that he liked her, he wasn't great at hiding emotions, but neither of them had said anything about it. He was still planning on asking her to prom, but he never thought about it around her just in case she heard something in his mind. He wanted that to be a surprise, for she had still been asking him and bugging him and his answer every time was the same. 'I'm thinking about it.'

Prom was a big gathering, essentially a big party, and typically that wasn't his scene. But it was also a symbol of romance, a lot of people that thought of high school love or anything like that thought of prom or homecoming. She knew already that he was a bit of a sucker for romance, and prom was kind of something he'd always wanted to go to despite it being a big gathering of people. Simply because of the love portion of it. It allowed you to spend time with someone that you liked. A lot of people went to prom because they looked forward to afterprom. Which he'd heard was fun, but a lot of those portion of people looked forward to after the afterprom. They couldn't wait to strip their clothes off and get into their date's pants.

That's what seemed to happen every year. Five or more couples came to school the next day with stories. He didn't like the thought of that, although he did listen to some of the guy's stories, simply because it was entertaining to listen to. He didn't want to go to prom with Kai simply for the possibility of having sex, he wanted to go with her because he liked her. She was his friend, and she wanted him to go, and she presented herself as a date. It would be the first time in his highschool years that he felt comfortable going, because he had a potential date. He'd always been too scared before to even drop any hints to anyone that he wanted to go, and he'd been an underclassman, which meant he had to be asked.

No one would have asked him anyway, not unless they were using him as a prop to make someone jealous, or using him as something to make fun of later on. So he'd always steered clear. But this year would be different.

It was fun, being here in the rink with her and skating around. It wasn't overly crowded like it was sometimes, but it wasn't empty either. "Thanks for inviting me to do this," he said to her. "It's kinda nice. Something that I don't do often."

Kai stood experimentally making sure that she would be able to skate. "Thanks again. I'm sure you'll be thankful, when I stop bossing you around and having you do things for me," she told him a little joking. She hoped he didn't mind, and she watched his face carefully that her words didn't hit any nerves. She always asked him, because she knew she couldn't do it without help. It might be assuming too much, and politeness might keep him from saying no. It would be a harsh backlash if he told her that he didn't like doing it, and most people would probably think that he was a mean person if he didn't help her.

She hoped he didn't do it, because he felt pressured even though there wasn't anything she could do to change things other than hang out with him less. She gave him a smile, "People have ran me over before, and I've run into people before, so I don't want to fall over backwards." He seemed to be a little more comfortable with her touch than he had been previously. She had been regularly asking him to go to prom, and he had never given her a definite answer.

At least he had never said no for sure. It was always the same answer. When she asked him was one of those times she pried into his mind. She was curious what he was thinking whenever she asked. If he thought she was acting desperate or clingy, she would have stopped. He seemed to have a neutral feel on it even in his head, so she had kept on trying. Even though she wanted him to feel like she wanted to go with him, she wanted to maintain a certain reputation.

She wasn't trying to go to prom for the romance aspect of it. She wanted to dance and have fun. She had been researching dance classes recently, and they would have to start one for it to be of any use for prom. Many people had gone to prom and soon became boyfriend and girlfriend. Would Eric expect that if they went to prom together? She had heard of lots of stories about couples after prom. She didn't approve of people laying around. It was something that should only be done with someone you felt love for.

While she didn't really plan on going out of her way to stop being a virgin, the only way a guy could convince her was if they were her boyfriend. While she hadn't drawn any definite lines, there was no way she'd let any guy do that. This was far from the reason she wanted to go to prom, and she wasn't sure if Eric knew that. She also wasn't sure if she needed to clarify things. She knew that some people took prom very seriously. They had to have that perfect date that they had been trying to ask.

They had to have the perfect dress. Some people were more casual and went there with a group of friends. Kai believed she would prefer going with a date. It just seemed like the right way to go. She wasn't sure why she was a little fixed on the idea. Her mind was drawn back to him. "Your welcome. It has been a while since I've been here. I wasn't sure if I could still do it," she told him. "I was wanting to tell you that I've been researching dance lessons. I don't want to be laughed at the first time I go to prom. Would you be interested in doing it with me?" she asked.

It had beena while, since she had brought it up, but she figured now was a good time. She turned around, so that she was skating forward, and managed to bump into someone who was entering the rink. "Oh...I am so sorry," she looked up realizing who it was. "Daniel! What are you doing here?" she asked. It was a tall lanky dark skinned boy about her age.

"Hey Kai. Me and some of my friends decided to come here and hang out. Want to join us?" Daniel invited her.

He turned and pointed at a variety mixed group of people. There was several boys and girls putting on their skates.
"I don't know. I'm here hanging out with Eric," she gestured to him beside her. "If you wouldn't mind Eric coming along, and if Eric wants to, we may join you in a moment," she told him.

She looked at Eric to see what his reaction was. If he really wanted to, he could communicate through thoughts.
"Oh sure," Daniel smiled at her, "You are both welcome to join us."

He got onto the skating rink and his friends joined him. A few of the guys started racing and the girls lagged behind together.

"What do you think?" she asked Eric.

"Bossing me around?" he repeated, giving her an affectionate but teasing look. "I don't think you're bossing me around. I'm just here to help." Once in the rink, she told him how people have run her over before, and he nodded. "Yeah I get that. Especially when the rink is crowded and the place is busy."

They skated for a little while hand in hand, but once she seemed to be steady enough he let go. Not rudely at all, it just seemed like the right thing to do. He didn't want to appear clingy or anything. Although he'd improved with touch over the past week, it was still something he needed to work on. He was fine with her touching him, he was comfortable around her, but at times it still made him nervous. Not only because he liked her, but because of his apprehensiveness.

She said that she'd been researching dance lessons, and he felt a small jolt of surprise. He was shocked enough to have stopped skating for a brief moment of time, but he quickly started up again. He wasn't mad at all, it had just taken him by surprise. He hadn't really thought she'd been serious about it. "I mean..." he trailed off for a bit, thinking. "I mean sure. If you want me to. It could be fun." He wasn't exactly super excited about it, but she did have a point. Dancing at prom wasn't really meant to be taken seriously, a lot of people just goofed around with it, but when it came to slow dancing...that was a bit more important. He didn't want to have two left feet there.

He kind of fell back behind her a little as he stopped, one of his laces coming loose. He bent down, tightening the laces back up, and looked up to see Kai bumping into someone. He skated over to her mid apology, and was surprised to learn that she knew who it was. Well, he wasn't exactly surprised, for she knew more people than he did. But he was relieved she knew who it was. Eric stood silently beside her as she spoke to Daniel. The boy said that he and a group of friends were here to hang out, and he invited her to come.

Eric couldn't describe the feeling he got as she said that she was hanging out with him. It was a bit of relief and pride, he thought. The fact that she didn't ditch him to hang out with someone much cooler, and someone she'd known for longer. She was willing to ask him first before just leaving. He caught her glance, and dipped his head shyly.

Thanks for not leaving me. he thought to her. He knew she would probably think him crazy, but he couldn't help it. He was so anxious all the time and had such low self esteem that he'd mentally prepared himself for her to ditch him, even though he knew deep down that she wouldn't. He probably sounded pathetic, but it was a real issue for him that he had to work on.

His gaze followed Daniel as he skated off and the group joined him. He was brought back to the real world as Kai's voice broke his thoughts. He turned to her, his chest fluttering nervously at the thought of interacting with more people than just her. But he didn't want to be the cause of her disappointment, and he didn't want to rip her away from her other friends. Even though he was scared to, and even though he wasn't totally up for it, he wasn't going to tell her no.

"I will if you will." he said simply, his voice coming out a bit more timid than he'd wanted it to. He was scared that he would get a lot of judgemental looks, or that they would speak to him kindly just because he was with Kailey. Like...fake kindness. But he wanted her to be happy, and he knew he needed to branch out more. This was a good start, a good practice run before prom. Sometimes his shyness and anxiety got the better of him, and he couldn't speak without fumbling around or crying. It was really bad sometimes, and he was ver glad that she was able to read minds.

Keep me with you? he thought to her, the expression on his face almost childlike. He was far more nervous than he should be, he knew that. But this was in a way a test of their friendship, and so far she was doing everything that no one else had ever done. She so far had stayed by his side instead of leaving the instant something better came along.

She didn't need it, and it was a little odd to see between those who weren't in a relationship. It was harder to skate holding someone's hand anyway. He was so surprised, that she felt the jolt from his mind. She wondered if perhaps she shouldn't have asked, but it was too late now. "We can always quit if you don't like it," she pointed out, hoping that would help reassure him. Was this pushing things too much. She wanted to go to prom with him, and they were just friends.

She now was asking him to take dance lessons, and he didn't seem super excited about prom anyway. "I've never learned any dances that need a partner. I've only learned the group party dances," she told him. She wasn't sure what they would learn, but she would prefer not to be winging it and watching other people dance. Besides it would be nice being able to dance smoothly and not having people stare because they looked out of place. She noticed some feelings emanating from Eric, and they were coming from him quite strongly.

Relief. Pride. She turned to look at him, and he dipped his head in a way that she would interpret as shy. She came over to his side and took one of his hand into his. "Your welcome," she said. She wasn't sure if there would ever be a time when she ran off, so she didn't want to start saying lies even if they weren't intentional. "I don't think I would ever run off and leave you for more than a few minutes, if we had the prior engagement, but who knows," she sort of shrugged. "We can continue to skate here. They look like a wild crowd. I may want to eat with them though," she looked at him for permission.

This crowd was more chill. A few of them might talk to Eric, but he would probably have to make the first move. Most of them found it easier to ignore them. "They are a really chill group, and they'll probably leave you alone, if you don't talk to them. If you want them to talk to you, you have to make the first move," she told him. She wasn't sure if that was a thing he wanted, but she wanted him to know that they weren't trying to be rude, if no one said anything to him.

The nicer onces would say hi and what's up every time they saw him. She was a little sad, because she could feel how much worry and anxiety he was feeling. Perhaps she shouldn't push things. It made her want to give him a hug, but she wasn't sure how he would feel about that. The expression on his face changed to child like, and she impulsively pulled him into a hug. She found that her mouth was close to his ear, "I don't want to make promises I can't keep. I'll stay with you for as long as we planned today as long as no greater power drags me away."

She hoped that was good enough for him. She hoped he knew that she meant it, but she felt the need to lighten the mood. "I've got to keep you with me. You're my special helper," she bumped him playfully. After a few more laps around, she was hungry and the group had gone to sit down and eat. There was a little pizza place inside the rink. "You okay with going to eat with them?" she asked him, as they started heading over. She was getting tired of skating and was about to leave after eating anyway.

"Of course I'm willing to help." he said. "You're my friend, and I would be a complete jerk if I didn't help you." He knew that he would always try and be there to help her, even when she was no longer handicapped. "Well maybe those people need to watch where they're going," he replied to her remark, grinning. He was partly kidding, but partially serious. For those who knew how to skate and were racing around, they at least needed to try and be mindful of who was around them.

"No, it's okay!" he said quickly, not wanting her to feel like she'd pushed it too far. "I'd be glad to take a dance class. I should probably learn anyway." He shrugged. "Just took me off guard is all. I didn't know you really wanted to do it." He smiled. "I haven't really taken the time to learn any dance, so it'll be good for me." he said, chuckling. "Ya know except for the Just Dance dances at your place." he added with an ornery grin.

She caught his glance as well and reached over, grabbing his hand again. He didn't know why it took him by surprise every single time she did it, but it really did. He always felt like an idiot too when his body gave that little shocked twitch. But he didn't want her to think that he was uncomfortable and pull away, so he grasped it just a little tighter so she wouldn't. He gave her a soft smile. "Thank you." he said quietly. "You know me, a nervous wreck twenty four seven." He gave a self depricating chuckle. "You sure?" he asked as she said they could just continue skating here. He didn't want to drag her down. He nodded as she said she would probably want to eat with them. He found it kind of amusing that she seemed to be asking him rather than telling, but in a way he was glad she did. "Okay, that's fine. As long as I can be with you."

She told him that they would more than likely leave him alone if he didn't talk to them, and if he wanted them to talk to him he would have to make the first move. The thought made him anxious, and he knew right away he wouldn't be engaging in any conversation with anyone other than Kailey. Not unless they asked him questions or spoke to him directly. He wouldn't be rude, but he knew it would be obvious to everyone that he was shy. At school, there were more kids, which meant more opinions, which meant more rumors. Being shy came across as being rude or secretive to a lot of people, and his struggles at home gave him outwardly scars that scared some people.

He was hoping a smaller group like this one would be able to see past a lot of the rumors they'd heard and see that he was just a shy, nervous, anxiety wridden ball of harmless fluff. Kai was able to see it, and even though she could read minds, he still had a feeling that she'd be able to tell anyway. She suddenly pulled him into a hug, and for a moment his body didn't know how to react. This was something he hadn't gotten since his mother's death almost four years ago. The feeling was so familiar yet so far away, and for a second he really felt like he could cry.

Finally, his tensed body relaxed and he was able to wrap his arms around her. He listened to the words she was saying, and then it REALLY made him want to cry. He found himself lowering his head to bury his face in her neck before she let go. He was glad she'd hugged him, because it did help him relax, and his anxiety had gone down for now. "Why do you have to be such a good friend?" he whispered, grinning as he blinked back the tears forming in his icy blue eyes. She teased him, and he giggled, thanking her, and the two spent some more time together before she finally asked if he was okay with going over and eating with the group.

"Yeah, we can." he said, giving her a smile.

"I wasn't sure. You did say it wasn't up your alley," she pointed out. She decided not to go on and on about how fun it would be. She didn't want to put extra pressure on him. "I am sure that Just Dance has improved your dancing skills," she teased with a quick grin. She could feel his surprise, but unless he removed his hand for now she wouldn't be the first one to move. "You are a nervous wreck in your sleep," her eyes widened in mock surprise. "I think I can avoid being dragged down for a little while, but if you start going down please let go," she told him.

She was amused and totally flattered what he said. Nobody had ever said anything that sweet to her before. No one had ever said they wanted to do something as long as they could spend time with her. It also surprised her. They had been friends for about a week. She realized that he didn’t have many friends, and his father must be hard to get along with. She was probably the only one who showed him any affection regularly. She would have to ask him about his other family members at another time.

She sort of heard his thoughts, and she didn’t mind him not trying. Groups often didn’t listen to the individuals, so it would be better if he tried in a group that might be more welcoming. “This might sound harsh, but I don’t think they’ll miss you talking. I don’t think it’ll make them think negatively or positively of you either,” she told him, not sure if this would relieve pressure or make him more uncomfortable. If she heard any rude thoughts toward him, because of that, she would tell him to talk to that person.

She thought at the very least they would see that Eric is harmless. There would certainly be no displays of violent temper or belligerence that would be expected from a fighter. Anybody even none mind readers should be able to see that Eric was relatively harmless. She felt him tense as she hugged him, but she hadn’t given him any warning. She hoped they didn’t fall over on their skates. She felt his arms come up around her, and she became attuned to his emotions. It made her want to cry too.

She smiled at him. Partly, she hoped it was because she was a nice person. Partly, because she could feel how sad so many people were. She wanted to help them if she could, but she didn't want to give him that explanation. She waved a hand at him, "I just like being awesome," she flippantly answered. She saw his eyes filled with tears, and she felt like she needed to make him laugh. They got in line and grabbed some pizza.

When they sat down by them, Daniel turned to greet them. One of the basketball players waved at Eric. They began talking about convening together and making a party. Daniel would be the host. They invited Eric and Kai. She would have to ask one of her parents, but first she looked at Eric questioningly. Would he want to go?

He grinned shyly. "Well it isn't, but I'm willing." he said. He giggled as she said Just Dance has improvedhis dancing skills. "Maybe." he said in response. She told him that he was a nervous wreck in his sleep and he laughed, not going to argue. She was completely right. He often suffered through stress dreams and awoke mid panic attack. He knew she was poking fun, but she didn't know how right she was.

He shrugged. "I'm used to it." he said. "I've been ignored by most people for several years now, it's nothing new. Nothing I can't handle." He made a mocking, goofy flexing gesture. "I'm a big boy, I can handle it." He couldn't believe that he'd lived so long without talking to her or even making an effort to get to know her before. She was everything he wanted in a girl and so much more, she just had so much to offer. She had special gift, but she didn't let that overcome her. She didn't let that control her ego.

She was kind, understanding, hilarious, sarcastic at all the right times, easy and fun to talk to, and mostly an all around good person. But the thing that attracted him to her most was that despite her ability...she was so....normal. He loved everything about her, and the more time he spent with her the more he wanted to tell her how he felt. He knew she was probably aware, but it still meant more if he opened up and told her himself.

But it had only been a week, and he just didn't know how she felt yet, and he wasn't ready for the letdown that would surely come after telling her. He wasn't ready to be rejected. He just wanted to have fun and good times with her as long as possible without the drama that surrounded relationships. He didn't want her to be with him and have to suffer any rumors that would surely tag along with it. Everywhere he went, there seemed to be a giant flag on his back that read,

MAKE FUN OF ME

He didn't know why, he was a nice person. He supposed it was because of his social anxiety and depression that seemed to come and go at random intervals. Perhaps it was because of his wounds that he randomly showed up to school with, or his constant solemn face in class or walking around the halls. Perhaps it was all of the above. But he knew he was a kind person to most, and now Kailey knew. And that seemed to him to be all that really mattered.

He went with her and grabbed some pizza, but once again not very much. He hadn't been really eating right lately, and he knew she would probably either scold him or question him about it later. But something just seemed wrong with him. He was losing weight, but not terribly bad, and he just wasn't eating as much as he should be.

But he did eat, and quietly listened to the conversation that was going on. He waved back at his team mate, glad to see at least someone in the group that he knew and was able to talk to without having too much anxiety. He did engage in some conversation, but not much, and he was able to shyly joke around with his basketball buddy, the two of them tossing little bits of trash back and forth at each other like little children who just wouldn't behave.

When the party was mentioned, all banter and play for Eric ceased. He turned his head in Daniel's direction, and his team mate hit him in the jaw with a rolled up paper straw cover. He barely flinched, not really even noticing that he'd done it. His anxiety started to build as he and Kai were invited, and he caught her questioning glance. His entire being was screaming to not go, to not do it, that it was just a trap, that they just wanted him to go so they could publicly humiliate him. But the practical side of his brain was telling him to go, to have fun, to spend time with Kai, to loosen up.

I'll go. he thought directly to her, giving her a discreet nod. His buddy threw a napkin wad at him, asking him if he was coming, and compelled to please everyone, he impulsively said,

"Yes." He knew he would go, he for sure had to now, but part of him was very nervous for the entire thing.

I'll go. he repeated, looking at her. Don't let me die. He gave her a small smile, then turned away, wadding up his napkin and tossing it at his other friend lightly.

"I am glad that you can handle it," she smirked a little. She noticed that he wasn't eating much. When she was with groups, sometimes she didn't eat as much. Listening or talking was distracting, and she tried not to be left out completely. She was glad that Eric at least knew one of them, and that he wasn't completely dependent on her for conversation. When she gave him the questioning look, she was surprised he didn't answer her question outloud, and instead used thoughts to communicate. She smiled at him trying to encourage him.

She leaned closer so she could speak to him without the others overhearing, "I'll do my best. You'll be fine. Remember. You're a big boy," she smirked a little. When she scooted closer to talk to him, she considered giving him a hug or something, but there were others watching. She wasn't sure if a hug would help or not, but they might get the wrong idea, and they didn't know the whole story and everything that was happening. She had no idea how bad social anxiety was. Even though she could hear thoughts, her own anxiety wasn't too bad. She knew that everyone was struggling to be nice, make a good impression, and impress other people.

~~~~

They entered Daniel's house, and he led the herd down into the basement. There was a tv, and there were a few games sitting around that could be played. There were board games, ping pong table, which could change to a pool table, and even a hockey table. They were going to eat pizza again for dinner. "Y'all can do whatever you want," Daniel told them. "Or," he smirked with a challenging look at each of them, "We can play some group games." Kai considered playing a one on one game before they played a group game, but it would be hard to regather everyone later.

Most of them responded with group games. Kai was here to sort of be part of the group, so she didn't challenge. She hoped that Eric would be okay. They all gathered around the sofa, and covered the place, so there were no seats left. She found a place where Eric could sit by her. It took a while for everyone to quiet down and be content with the seat that they had procured. There were some suggestions on what game should be played. Someone suggested seven minutes in heaven, and everyone else agreed.

Daniel looked around, "Does anyone not know how to play? Does anyone want to change the time limit?" They decided to change the time limit to two minutes for now. They didn't want to be waiting for what would feel like forever. Daniel elected one of the girls to explain the rules, but he did get up with a flourish and open a closet. "Here is the glorious heaven we will be using," he announced while there was a rise in the uproar around the couches.

"What should we use to decide who goes when?" There were some suggestions, and they either wanted to vote or spin a bottle. "Spin the bottle might be more interesting, but someone might be able to get out of doing it," someone mentioned. "Voting it is," Daniel made the executive decision. A guy and a girl sitting opposite each other were chosen first. While they were in the closet, everyone started trying to think of the next pair. They noticed Eric nervously sitting in the corner by Kai, and they considered picking on him.

They noted Kai was trying to comfort him by holding his hand, and they definitely marked him for at least coming up soon if not the next one. They decided to force Eric to release his shield. She would be going in with the other basketball player. After the two minutes were up, the two that had been in there exited, and she went in with the basketball player. She looked up at him not sure how this was going to work out. Since they didn't really know each other, he was more polite, and sort of waited to see what she would do.

She gave a smirk that he may or may not be able to see. "Thumb war?" she asked. It would be a little less awkward than standing there in silence. She didn't really want to kiss him. By the time the time was up, he had beaten her six times at thumb war. When they left, she went to go sit down by Eric, but she found that one of the girls had taken that seat. Apparently, she had managed to find one of the more comfortable seats, so the other person had wanted to steal it. Now she had to sit somewhere else. After a few more people went they picked Eric and Kai. She was nervous because she wasn't sure what to expect from Eric. When they were in the closet, she looked at him, waiting to see what would happen.

"Of course I'm willing to do it." he said. He paused for a second. "Well...kinda pressured, but still willing." His lilt was teasing, but he was being honest. He was pressured in the sense that he didn't want to hurt her feelings or ditch her, but he was still willing to give it a shot. It would be good for him.

At the table, she leaned in closer to him to speak, and he felt a strange shiver run down his spine as she whispered, her breath hitting his neck just slightly. Her words were comforting, and he grinned at her teasing remark, quoting his words back to him from earlier. "You're my protector," he whispered back, giggling. "Holding you up to that standard." He then turned to continue talking his his basketball friend, nerves creeping up on him for later that evening.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He walked into Daniel's house with Kai, glad to know that she would be by his side for at least most of the evening. Shockingly, his father had given permission for him to go. Well....as much permission as he was going to get. David was drunk, on the verge of passing out when Eric asked. He'd absent mindedly waved a hand and said, "Go on, get." Which translated in Eric's mind to "Yes." He had a feeling he'd get in trouble later, but right now that was the very least of his worries.

He followed the group down to the basement, sticking close to Kai like a nervous dog. This would be a good experience for him, he needed to branch out more and get used to the feel of being in a large group. After all, prom was coming up faster than he realized, and he needed to get used to this feeling of being cramped and closed in before then. The basement was nice, there was a tv, games, and tables of air hockey, pool, and ping pong. But somehow that made his anxiety worse.

He stood next to Kailey, so far having not said a single word. The expression on his face was like it always was, solemn, but it was evident in his bright eyes how nervous he was. He had the overwhelming feeling that nobody here liked him at all, even though Daniel had been nice and nobody else had even said anything remotely mean to him. But that's what social anxiety was, and boy did he have it. His thoughts were bombarded with things like,

Why is everyone looking at me?

No one here likes me.

Everyone hates me.

I'm the odd one out.

I'm too shy to be here.

I'm too weird.

Why did I agree to come?

I'm going to get picked on.

He listened to Daniel's words, but he wasn't able to break his gaze from the floor. He felt stone cold even though the room was plenty warm and he was wearing his favorite hoodie. Daniel spoke about group games, and another shot of anxiety and worry flared up.

No, no, no, no group games. That will single me out, I'll be the worst one here, no one likes me. The same thoughts continued to circle through his head as everyone voted yes to group games, and his stone cold body began to tremble ever so slightly. He wasn't even worried that Kai was probably hearing his thoughts, he was barely even aware that he was thinking.

They moved over to the couch, everyone swarming around and leaving next to no seating left. He was grateful that Kai had found a place where they could both sit, and he sat slowly down next to her, everyone seated so close that his shoulder and arm were pressed lightly against hers. Now that he was so close, she would be able to feel the trembling that was happening. He felt like a baby, but that's what anxiety did. It made him feel helpless.

He glanced over to her, wanting to give her some sort of sign that he was okay, but he couldn't even manage a smile. His gaze ended up looking more like a lost puppy who was standing out in the rain sopping wet and begging to be let inside somewhere warm and safe. His fingers were tapping quickly against his legs as everyone started suggessting games. At first it was simple games like Never Have I Ever, Two Truths and a Lie, Oh Shoot, Spoons, but soon someone started suggessting other party games. Like Cards Against Humanity, Spin the Bottle, and finally...7 Minutes in Heaven.

Eric felt his entire being just shift and tumble downhill as everyone started to agree, one by one, excitement rising. He hated this, he didn't want to play this at all, but he was too petrified to speak up and say anything. Besides, even if he did it wasn't like anyone would listen. They all wanted to play this, there was no changing that.

Daniel asked if there was anyone who didn't know how to play, and if the time limit should be changed. His stress and worry was minimalized just a little as the time limit went from 7 to 2 minutes. At least now there wasn't as much time to be alone in the closet. It was decided that people would vote who would be going in, and that scared him too. He didn't want to be trapped in a dark closet with a girl he didn't know for two minutes, being expected to kiss her.

A pair went in, and his knees started to bounce up and down with nerves on who was going to be next. He was zoned out, thoughts swarming in his mind, but they were sharply broken by the feel of Kai's hand slipping into his. All of his worry and anxiety shattered like glass for a split second, his brain recognizing the touch and knowing that it was Kailey. He turned to her, able to give her a small smile, and grasped her hand a little tighter, turning his gaze back to the floor.

His worry started to build up again, but it wasn't nearly as bad now as it was before, now that Kai was exerting some physical comfort. A touch as gentle as hers would calm anyone. Soon her name was voted, and his team mate, and again his worry flared. She was going to kiss somebody else, she was going to enjoy it, too. It would more than likely be her first kiss and it would be in a stupid game, it wouldn't mean anything. A first kiss was supposed to mean something, wasn't it?

Her handwas released from his, and he watched her disappear into the closet with another guy. His heart dropped into his stomach, and his pulled his knees to his chest. While Kai was in the closet, another girl had stolen her seat. He felt colder now than ever before, and he felt like pulling even further into himself.

Two minutes later, Kai came out of the closet, and just by her facial expression he couldn't judge whether she'd kissed him or not, but by his expression...he was going to guess no. But he wasn't sure, and because he wasn't sure, that was yet another thing to stress and worry over. He desperately wanted to get up, to go over to her and sit next to her and never leave her side. But he had to sit and watch as she found another place. A few more people went in, and then the thing he'd been dreading most was done. His name was voted.

Oh. My. Gosh. he thought, panic rising. No. No. I don't want to do it. I'm leaving. I'll leave. Screw this. But then another name was voted, and he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Kai was voted to go in with him. He decided that he didn't want to laugh OR cry. He wanted to scream. He wanted to scream and leave this party and never come out of his room again.

But he slowly got to his feet, no sign of any anxiety on his face at all, his solemn expression overriding it as it usually always did. Kai followed him in, the door shutting behind them. For a good ten seconds he just stood there, frozen in place with nerves.

"So..." he finally said, his voice soft. "What did you do? Did you kiss him? Did he kiss you? What did you do?" The questions just started leaving his mouth, his worry making him speak before thinking. "What do I do? What am I supposed to do? I..." he trailed off, leaning back against the wall and letting out a trembling sigh. "I'm sorry I'm like this." he whispered. "I'm so sorry, Kai."

There was a time limit here, he knew that. He knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to kiss her. But at the same time he didn't. What if he was bad at it? What if she shunned him? What if she liked the other guy's kiss better than his?

But if he didn't kiss her, there was the worries of did she want him to? Would he fail her expectation if he didn't? Or did she not care since it was just a game? Should he just relax and go with it? The seconds ticked by slowly, his heart thrumming in his chest.