Diary of a Teenage Taxidermist by K. A. Merikan Page B

practice again, and he wondered whether he should watch Derek like a good almost-boyfriend would, or call his mom to pick him up. He’d finish the drawing first though. The little rat wore a letter jacket and rolled around with a football. Ethan was almost done with the sketch when he heard loud thumping coming from the stairs. One glance was enough to lighten up his day. Rob was there. Still in those tight and dirty pants, in a too-large long-sleeve, he was walking toward Ethan with a red box in hand.
    “What are you doing here?” he asked once they were at comfortable hearing distance.
    Ethan grinned at him. “You know, ogling the cheerleaders.” His heart melted at how much attention Rob was giving him. Even after Chris had told Rob in class that Ethan wasn’t his responsibility, Rob had just shrugged it off and helped Ethan finish that soup.
    “Oh, yeah, was Derek bothering you?” asked Rob, taking up Derek’s former place. Rob was so much bigger in comparison that it made Ethan want to crawl into his embrace. His body heat rose in direct consequence to Rob’s proximity.
    “Not really, no. He was actually nice.” Ethan slid a few inches closer, wanting to smell him. And no, Robert hasn’t showered yet, which made him smell spicier and bolder. Rawr.
    “I’m surprised. He’s a bit... “ Robert shrugged and opened the box, revealing a selection of wonderful sliders in sesame seed buns.
    “These look so nice!” Ethan took the opportunity to lean closer for a peek into the box.
    “You can have some,” said Rob, picking up a small bottle. “Add some sauce if you like. And as for Derek, he’s a bit... batshit. Yeah, I think that’s the word.”
    “He invited me to prom. Should I be scared?” Ethan laughed and grabbed one of the buns.
    Robert frowned, his face going from sunny to cloudy within a split second. “What?”
    “I know. It’s a bit weird, ‘cause he’s never talked to me before. He offered me a contact to someone who does prosthetics. I mean… what’s up with that?” Ethan started chewing on his slider.
    Rob squeezed some of the brown sauce onto the tiny burger and closed the bun. “I thought he didn’t want to get a boyfriend until after college.”
    “Yeah, he told me it has to be a chaste date. But I didn’t even think I’d be going so it’s still a step up.”
    Robert cleared his throat. “So what, are you going to date him now?” He bit into the slider, slicing it in half with those healthy white teeth.
    Ethan squinted, watching him for the longest moment, cogs slowly turning in his head. “Would that be a problem?”
    Robert shoved the rest of the burger in, effectively shutting himself up for several seconds. He shrugged with a deep, bad frown.
    Ethan snorted and had another bite. “Well, good. I don’t know. He left me his number and stuff, and said we’ll talk through the details. You think he’ll want me to wear an eye patch matching his tux?”
    “But... you guys have nothing in common. He’d bore you to tears,” mumbled Rob, with his mouth still full.
    “I don’t really know him, so I can’t be sure. Maybe if my parents knew he was this good boy, they’d let me date him?”
    “Would the good Christian boy be cool with dating a guy who’s fucking another guy at the same time?”
    Ethan stopped chewing, feeling a flush rush up to his face. He hated how quickly it showed on his pale skin. He looked down to his sketchbook. There had been no time to process any of this yet.
    Rob assembled his second slider and raised it to his mouth. “You like the food?”
    “It’s lovely,” Ethan uttered. “Thanks. The beef’s really nice.” From being friendless to having actual interactions with two different guys was such a big difference he didn’t know how to juggle it.
    “And the avocado? It’s in those thin slices, it just melts in your mouth, doesn’t it?” Robert gave Ethan a small smile and bit into the second slider.
    “Yeah, I like trying new