My Geeky Boyfriend

Chapter Eleven

"I still can't believe I'm going to a party, like an actual party!"  

I would have smiled at Hawk's enthusiasm if he wasn't saying this for like the hundredth time tonight.  

"Hawk, if I hear the word 'party' one more time, I promise I'll let go of the steering wheel and jump out of this car."

 He pretended to zip his lips and throw the key away, earning a soft chuckle from me.  

"But why are you so excited about this party anyway? It's always the same thing - the drinks, the silly games, dancing, and lots of sex."

"Well, true, but there's also the people. I haven't been to a party before though, but I think what actually gives life to parties are the people; the adrenaline that comes with having fun with people your age, that's what makes the whole affair interesting. You could drink and play games on your own, but when you're doing it with others, it's much more fun."

I never thought about it like that; the people made it interesting.

 But to Hawk, I put on my best dramatic expression when I said, "wow, SpongeBob! Who knew you could be philosophical?"  

"Yeah, and I may or may not be excited about this party because Holland would be there."

 He chortled.

I feigned a hurt expression.

"I can't believe you're thinking of other girls already. Are you bored of me? Tell me!"  

That earned a hearty laugh from him, and it wasn't long before I joined in. 

We pulled into Tommy's house just then.

"Ok, Hawk, remember what I said earlier?"  

"That Kevin is an i***t," he offered, making me chuckle.  

"Yeah, that one's true too. But no, the other one."

"Oh. No drinking punch, it'll most likely be spiked."  

I smiled in satisfaction, "yes, that one."  

"Ok, got it," he said, even adding a mock salute.

"Alright then, let's go in."  

He nodded, eyes sparkling in excitement. We made our way in soon after, hands intertwined.  On getting in, we were welcomed by the usual party scene - blood pumping music, young, blooded teens dancing their hearts away, drinking, some couples making out. So, yeah, the usual party scene.  

"Hey, Peanut," Kevin cheered, making his way over to us, only to casually throw an arm around Hawk as though they've been best buds since forever.  

"Hawk, my man, I'm so glad you could make it."  

I thought Bryce was his man. Pfft, how could I forget? It was Kevin, every guy he talked to was his man. He was already inviting Hawk to their game of beer ping pong, and that was my cue to step in.  

"I don't know, Kevin, isn't it too early for that?"

"Oh, come on, Peanut, don't be such a spoilsport," he singsong.  

"I'm not," I huffed, but ended up giving in to Kevin's chants of "spoilsport." That boy could be so childish sometimes.  

"Fine. But don't make him do any stupid things, Kevin, I'm serious," I said, staring pointedly at him.  

"Of course, I won't."

But he had one of those sly faces on which screamed, 'hell yes, I would.'  

"Remember the punch thing, ok?" I whispered in Hawk's ear before leaning in to kiss his cheek.

He chuckled but nodded away. And that was Kevin's cue to lead him to where some guys were gathered, cheering themselves on. Boys. My friends caught sight of me just then, and soon, I was surrounded by three very pumped up girls, my worries about Hawk slowly disappearing to the back of my mind.

After dancing to what seemed like the hundredth song, I excused myself to get a drink. But on my way, I bumped into none other than...  

"Hey, B."

As a smile lit up his features, I found myself thinking of how nice his smile was.  

"Bryce."

"Wow! You're looking hot tonight." He complimented, genuine admiration radiating in his eyes.

I liked that I still had that effect on him.  

"Thanks," I said, flipping my hair in an exaggerated show of importance, earning a chortle from him. 

He opened his mouth to say something, but another voice beat him to it.

"Hey, you."

She tried to hide it, but her smile dimmed when she turned to me, saying, "hi, Stephanie."  

Of course, the extra happy smiles were meant for Bryce alone. I forced a tight lipped smile in return, and you don't know the effort it took to keep it on when she added, "sorry, I have to steal him for a minute. Do you mind?"  

"Yeah, go ahead. I have to get another drink anyway. Besides, not all of us like being clingy."  

Not giving her a chance to respond, I threw her a wink and walked away. She was probably taking him so they could go over their 'assignment.'  That sweet, little, scheming Ava. I was snapped out of my thoughts by an excited Kevin Bruce.

"Stephanie," he started, sounding out of breath.

"Your boyfriend is totally killing it."  

My boyfriend? Omg Hawk! I'd totally forgotten about him all this time.  

"Where is he?"

"In the kitchen," Kenny slurred. 

Uh oh. 

I rushed over to the kitchen. However, the sight that welcomed me when I arrived there, was one that left me struggling to keep my mouth from dropping open.  Hawk was standing on the kitchen table, a whole bunch of people gathered around him - all of them cheering as he did some...what the hell was that?  It was one of those things you wanted to unsee, but yet couldn't pull your eyes away from. 

When he was done with the really weird Dance moves, he announced, "and that's why I call it the Hawk duck."  

The Hawk what?  

"You duck, you come up, then right duck, left..."

Sure enough, he performed the routine as he explained, giggling in between, with his audience cheering him on.  

"Now, come on, let's do it together."  

And everyone really did join him in doing that weird Dance. Though I was worried about his drunken state, I couldn't help betraying a smile as I watched how carefree he seemed dancing on the kitchen table.  But that smile soon faded when I caught sight of a sheepish looking Kevin.  

"Kevin," I started, eyeing him down.  

"Alright, I may or may not have given him monster to drink."

 Ok, Stephanie, just try to relax and... screw it!  

"You gave him monster?" I roared, glaring daggers at Kevin who was looking anywhere but at me.

"How'd you think he'd be able to handle something like that?"  

Monster was what Kevin used in referring to his special combination of really strong alcoholic drinks. He had the alcohol tolerance of a camel, so it was no big deal for him. One time, I took a sip from a cup of his monster, and I felt my head go woozy immediately. No kidding, one cup of that thing could probably drive you crazy.  I could only imagine how much he must have given Hawk.  

"Look, B, I didn't think it'd have this effect on him and..."

"Kevin, please, I don't want to hear it," I snapped.

"Just help me get him down from there."  

He stared apologetically at me before proceeding to go over to the table. After much difficulty, he managed to convince Hawk to get down, after which he brought him over to me.  

"Stephanie!" Hawk cheered, as though he were seeing me for the first time in ages.

"You're here. You know, I behaved really, really, really, really..."  

Just when I was beginning to think another really was in tow, he added, "...well. I didn't take any punch, just monster, a whole lot of it. I did good, right?"  

Perhaps it was because of the proud look on his face which reminded me of a kid telling his mum of how he finished all his homework, but I found myself smiling.  

"Yes, really good. Now, let's get you out of here," I cooed, as I imagined one trying to appease a child would, only difference was that I was talking to my grown a*s 'boyfriend.'  

"But what about the Hawk duck?" He questioned as I placed his arm around me. 

How did he even come up with that name?

 I bit back a chuckle as I said, "I'm sure they've learnt it already."

Kevin steadied him into the car.

Thankfully, he was too busy counting his fingers, so he didn't put up a struggle.  

"Thanks," I said, making to go over to the other side of the car.  

"B, are you still mad at me? I'm really sorry, ok? I f****d up; I know. Just tell me what I can do to make it up to you."  

Any effort I'd been making to keep up my angry expression, immediately faded away in the face of the desperation in his eyes.

 "Anything?" I asked.

"Anything," he repeated.  My lips stretched into a sly grin at that.

"Ok, then. Five minutes twerk video of you."  

He chuckled heartily, reassuming his usual playful demeanor.

"No way. Two minutes."  

"Three. Final offer."  

"Fine," he sighed.  

"And you know I'll send it to the girls, right?" I singsong.  

"Meanie," he huffed, earning a chuckle from me. 

And just like that, all was good with us again. Over the years, one thing which we still didn't know how to do was to stay mad at each other. 

He returned to the party soon after, leaving me to slide into the car, next to Hawk.

"So, SpongeBob, where do you live?"  

He chortled in reply, laughing as though I said the world's funniest joke.

"Stephanie, you're so silly. Where else would I live? I live in a house."  

This was going to be hard. I sucked in a breath.

"Yes, Hawk, but where is your house?"  

"On my street."

He even added a duh expression as though saying, 'Jackson, this girl sure is slow.' I, however, was almost at my wits end. 

It's with the patience of a nun that I said, "of course. But where is your street?"  

"In my neighborhood," he remarked as though it was the most obvious thing in the world, before going back to counting his fingers. 

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I doubted I could do the latter because my tear glands hadn't worked in years now. And as for the former, I was too frustrated to even do it. 

I stared from Hawk to the steering wheel, contemplating my options which for the record, were practically non-existent. I had no idea where his house was, and I most definitely couldn't leave him at Tommy's house either. 

That left just one option - take him to my place.  

"Oooooooooh I wouuuuuullld nevvveeeer huuuuuuuurrrtt yooo..."

"Ok, let's buckle you up," I cut in quickly, stopping Hawk from his deafening shrieks which he considering to be singing. 

Never hurt you? My ears were hurting now.

I reached over and placed his seatbelt on him, stopping to stare at him after sensing that he was being oddly quiet. So far, he'd giggled like a hyena, talked about his Dance move, counted his toes and fingers loudly, sang even more loudly, but now he was just being awfully silent. 

When I did lift my head to stare at him, I found him grinning sheepishly at me. Knowing drunk Hawk, I wasn't sure that was a good thing. 

It was confirmed when I heard him say, "Stephanie Joseph, are you trying to seduce me?"

For a moment I didn't say anything, I just stared dumbfounded at him. Seduce him? Me? I? Myself? Myself? Ok, you get the drill.

"Of course not! I'm just putting your seat...you know what? This is crazy. I'm not explaining it," I huffed, choosing to start the car instead. 

A hearty laugh soon rang through my ears; and sure enough, it was Hawk.

"I was just teasing you. I know you'd never do something like that. You like Bryce, and I like Holland. Holland, oh sweet, sweet Holland."  

I swear, if he started to recite a poem about Holland, I would return to the party.

"You know, Stephanie, Holland is soooo beautiful, she's just so perfect. She's what I imagine pizza would look like if it had body parts."

"So, you think she looks like pizza?" I asked, struggling to hold back a laugh.  

"No, silly."

He laughed that giggly laugh of his again.

"She is so sweet, and so beautiful like those toppings, and you just can't help falling in love with her, just like how everybody loves Pizza."

A mental image of Hawk telling Holland that he thought she resembled a pizza, popped up in my head, and I couldn't stop the giggle that escaped my lips at the image. The sound of Hawk's voice snapped me out of the thought.

"But you're also really pretty, Stephanie."  

A smile was about to form on my face, but it stopped halfway when I heard him add, "but you look like pancakes."  

What? I was pancakes and Holland was pizza? Why couldn't I be pizza? Well, the joke's on him - try eating pizza for breakfast. 

I cringed at my pettiness.

Thankfully, Hawk went back to counting his toes, so I didn't get any more food comparisons for a while. Well, until...

"Do you think I look like a weasel?"  

Not knowing what to say, I found myself chortling instead.

"Why would you even ask that?"  

"Because I think I look like my dad's brother, Uncle Bob, and my mum says Uncle Bob looks like a weasel."  

"Well, that's...interesting."

He simply shrugged in reply.

"But it's pretty funny you know - I'm a hawk who looks like weasel," he giggled to himself, resting his head on the car window.  

"Oh, come on, I'm sure you don't look like a weasel. Besides, everyone loves weasels..." I trailed off at the sound of gentle snoring from beside me.

He had fallen asleep resting on the car window. For some reason, the sight brought a smile to my face.  He looked so peaceful and serene, like a child.  Hawk Gary Moose, you sure are something. 

I used one hand to pull his jacket tighter over his body before speeding into the night.

Your boyfriend has his arms around you, holding you tightly as he lands on the bed with you on top of him. Sounds romantic, right? Wrong! 

I was dying here.

After we arrived at my place, I had to struggle to get Hawk up the stairs. That boy might look lanky, but he sure got some weight. If I wasn't so used to heels by now, I was certain the both of us would have toppled over the stairs given how much I was staggering as I made my way up with him. 

Finally arriving at the guest room, I dropped him on it only to find myself falling right on top of him, with him muttering incorrigible words; a small smile on his face as he wrapped his arms around me. Was he dreaming about Holland? I would have found it cute if I wasn't trapped in his arms, with my face pressed against his sweat and alcohol filled clothes. 

Walter came in just then. He was our long time butler.

"Thank goodness you're here, Walter. Please help me out here," I pleaded.  

"Of course, Miss Stephanie. I shall get to removing your constraints immediately," he said in that ever gentle voice of his.

In all the years I'd known him, I'd never heard it go even a notch louder. It was always so calm. 

Constraints?

I chuckled inwardly.

That was just Walter for you, always so diligent with his job. He never liked to give any room for dissatisfaction; he'd always strive to make sure everything was to one's taste. 

He managed to peel Hawk's hands off of me, and I was quick to get up from resting on him.

"Thanks, Walter."  

"No problem, Miss."  

That's another thing about Walter - the formalities, he never dropped them. I'd tried many times to get him to drop the miss, but my efforts had been as successful as fetching water in a basket.

"And please, could you help me, you know," I used my eyes to point at Hawk's form on the bed. But from the looks of it, Walter was obviously confused. Not like I blamed him.  

"Could you well..."

Why was I finding it hard to just come out with it?

"Could you change his clothes? It's just that the ones he has on are sweaty, and I think he might have spilled some drinks on them too."  

"Don't worry, Miss Stephanie, I'd get him changed and have his clothes washed and ready for him in the morning."  

"Thanks, Walter, you're the best!"  

I gave him a thumbs up, to which he smiled. I bid goodnight to him soon after, ready to go over to my bed and get the much needed sleep for tomorrow's 'thing,' but the ringing of a phone stopped me. 

Digging his hands into Hawk's pockets, Walter brought out his phone. He stared questioningly at me as though asking what to with it. So, I outstretched my hand, and getting my message, he handed it to me. 

The caller ID read: Dove.

Taking a small breath, I answered the call.

A chirpy voice immediately flooded my ears.  

"Hawk, you asshole, where the hell are you? You have no idea what's going on at home..."  

Home? That meant she must be Hawk's sister. I should have figured from her name, their parents sure loved birds. But what did she mean by what's going on at home? Could Hawk's parents be waiting up for him? 

I got my answer soon enough when she added, "I have to listen to them getting it on in the living room. And you know how mum moans. Hawk! Say something!"  

I shifted the phone away from my ear, scared that her voice would make it bleed. It seemed both siblings were determined to ruin my hearing tonight.

"It's never cool to hear to your parents do it," I offered.

There was a momentary silence from the other end, and then the sound of something like a bowl dropping to the ground.  

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry, please who am I speaking with?" She asked, her voice reducing notches lower, making it almost impossible to link her to the screeching girl from earlier.  

"Uh...I'm Hawk's girlfriend."

Since this was Hawk's sister, could it be counted as meeting his family? I smiled inwardly at the thought.  Loud coughing was what followed my statement, and I was beginning to grow worried.

"Hey, Dove, are you okay?"  

After a few more sputters, she managed to say, "yeah, sorry I just choked on my drink. But are you really Hawk's girlfriend?"  

"Yes."  

"Why?"  

I smiled to myself at her apparent utter disbelief. I had a feeling I was going to like this girl.

"I'm not sure I get you." I hoped I sounded as convincing as I tried to.  

"Sorry, I meant...when? I just didn't know my brother was dating," she explained, although I could still sense the underlying disbelief in her voice.  

"We just started dating. It's pretty new right now."

"Oh," she said. "So, where is Hawk now?"  

I proceeded to tell her about Hawk getting drunk and how I had to bring him to my place. By the time I was done, she was laughing.  

"Trust that punk to get drunk when he knows he can't handle it."

Despite what she said, I could sense she was fond of her brother. 

I simply chuckled in reply.

"Ok, then. Thanks, uh..." She trailed off shyly.  

"It's Stephanie," I offered.  

"Then thanks, Stephanie. I'm Dove. I know - my parents are obsessed with bird names." She chuckled, and I couldn't help joining in. 

We ended the call soon after. Yeah, I liked Hawk's sister. I cast a glance at Hawk who was snoring away, before leaving him to Walter's care. 

A yawn escaped my lips as I reached my room. I guessed I could finally get that much needed sleep for tomorrow's thing. I've had enough boyfriend drama for one night. 

And with that thought, I crashed on my bed, sleep overcoming me in no time.