~ * * ~
“Oh come on, Jack,” Shun complained. “You never take a break. Don’t you ever just want to have fun?”
“I have fun,” I contradicted absently as I vainly attempted to refocus my attention on the novel we’d been assigned to read for English.
“Yeah, right,” Shun said sarcastically “Letting my pop beat up on you every day…big fun.”
“It’s not so bad,” I shrugged. “If you hung around longer, I could keep beating up on you instead.”
“You wish,” Shun snorted. “I can lay you out any day of the week.”
“As long as it doesn’t cut into your social life,” I taunted closing the book and putting it away in my backpack.
Shun was apparently in no mood to study.
“Hey a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do,” Shun grinned roguishly.
“Man…right,” I smirked.
“So about Friday night…” Shun began hopefully.
“I told you, not interested,” I said shortly.
“But Ashley won’t go out with me if you don’t come with us,” Shun complained. “We’re talking head cheerleader Ashley Smith, Jack. You know I’ve been after her all semester. You gotta help me out here.”
“Find some other sucker to be her cousin’s date,” I frowned. “I’m not the only guy you know.”
“Ashley said it had to be you or no deal,” he explained. “Her cousin is some California beauty queen slash model something or other and she’s really tall so she only dates guys over six feet.”
“I’m not the only…” I began patiently.
“Okay, look,” Shun interrupted me then continued tentatively. “Ashley was flipping through our yearbook from last year showing it to Courtney, that’s her cousin, and for some reason when she saw your picture…well…”
“My picture wasn’t in last year’s yearbook,” I pointed out.
“Yeah, I know, or the year before or the year before that…you and your aversion to pictures,” Shun shook his head in disbelief, “but apparently there is a picture of you in one of the…what do you call those things where you stick a bunch of pictures together…?”
“Collages,” I supplied testily.
“So someone obviously got a picture of you without you realizing it,” he concluded. “You can see my dilemma. It’s you or nothing. You’ve gotta help me out here,” he finished, a slight pleading note entering his voice.
“What would I be expected to do,” I asked in resignation.
“Just show up,” Shun answered eagerly. “I’ll pay for everything, drive us there, and handle all the details.”
“What details?” I asked suspiciously.
“The food…”
“You’re paying for my food?” I asked skeptically.
“…the movie…that type of stuff,” he continued, ignoring my question.
“Movie,” I groaned.
The food part sounded good, I’d make sure he paid through the nose, but a movie…
“We’ll go see Star Wars,” he informed me. “It’s still playing at the downtown theatre.”
“Haven’t you already seen it like five times?” I asked wryly.
“It’s a good date movie,” he shrugged.
“Apparently,” I returned rolling my eyes. “Well, since we’re not getting any studying done, I vote we head down now.”
“So…are we good for Friday?” Shun asked cautiously.
“I guess,” I sighed heavily.
“It’ll be great, you’ll see,” Shun said happily thumping me on the back and moving quickly to the stairs. “You won’t regret it,” he threw over his shoulder.
“I already do,” I muttered under my breath before turning to follow him.