How Green Becomes Wood

Class went by smoothly. In the class where Emma and Alec shared, Emma deliberately moved to another seat, and she made sure Alec saw her. Alec sighed softly but said nothing else. It was what it was. Hopefully, things would calm down. He wasn't sure they'd ever be able to be friends with each other, but it would be nice if this awkwardness and slight hostility would end. She did look very nice today, he thought. Better than he did. He shook the self-conscious thought from his mind. Never mind that. It was school, not a beauty pageant.

Xander just straight-up ignored Emma. He didn't have time for these shenanigans.

Lunch time finally came around, and they headed for the cafeteria. Alec was feeling a lot more down now, the optimism of the morning having faded some, chipped away by the harsh oppression of school, but he was still trying his best to remain upbeat.
 
When Alec came in, Sloan and Milo were already there. Feeling clever and covert, after spotting Alec enter the cafeteria, he started fiddling with his camera, so he could get the photograph of his surprise without making it look like he was planning it.

Sloan just waited, and while Alec walked up, she glanced over to Xander, checking on the timing of their reveal.
 
Peter was just walking up to join them, and Becky was already there sitting near Sloan.

"Oh, hang on," Xander said, patting Alec's shoulder. "You dropped something. Behind you."

Alec frowned in confusion and turned around. Xander lengthened his stride and hurried over to Sloan and the others. "Now," he whispered, quickly pulling off his sweatshirt.
 
Once given the cue, Sloan took off her jacket and left it on the bench besides her, revealing her hand-bedazzled shirt. Milo, meanwhile, started quietly snapping his photographs, wanting to get the whole array of expressions.
 
Xander revealed his own hand-bedazzled shirt as well as the bedazzled belt. He'd taken care to tuck in his shirt so the belt was on display, and he'd clipped on his dangliest earrings earlier. It wasn't a lot, but it was far more than he normally had. Peter grabbed out of his backpack a massive grey scarf that looked like it was meant to be something draped over the shoulders of a swanky dress, not a teenager's school jacket. He'd also put on a pair of ostentatious black sunglasses with sparkles and gleaming things all over it. He'd struck a pose with his scarf and glasses, managing it right before Alec turned around. Becky was, of course, covered in head-to-toe sparkles, with rhinestones on the hems of her jeans, a sequined shirt, sparkles on her shoes, bangles on her wrists, and her scrunchy also sequined and glittery. She gleamed!

Alec turned around in time to see the last of the scramble as his friends finished. He stared at them in shock and confusion. "What are you guys doing?" he laughed incredulously, his eyes slowly lighting up in delight.
 
"Aw, you guys look fabulous!" Alec said, smiling as tears brimmed in his eyes. He cam forward to join them and looked at Xander's belt. "I was looking for that this morning."

"I think it fits pretty well. Don't you?" Xander asked.

Alec laugher and hugged him briefly before turning to Sloan. "What a great shirt you have!"
 
"It looks really good on you," Alec grinned. "And, Peter, is that...?"

"My mother's scarf?" Peter tried to give it an elegant swish as he replied, "Yes. Yes, it is. I had limited options, so now I have a confused but supportive mother."

Becky giggled. "You pull it off very well. Especially the sunglasses."

"Thank you," Peter grinned. "But it is really hard to see in them." He took them off and tried carefully balancing them on his head.

"You don't look different at all, Becky," Alec told her, grinning.

She laughed, and the pair had a semi-grapling hug.
 
"Probably tonight, yes, I'll tell her," Peter laughed.

"Peter, do you really not have a single sparkly thing in your wardrobe?" Alec asked.

"I have a shirt that is kind of shimmery, but that's it," Peter admitted.

Alec looked at Becky. "We should take him shopping."

"Absolutely!" Becky keened.

Alec looked between them all. "You all look brilliant. Just the way you are. Thanks, guys, for being... you." He smiled at Sloan. He had a feeling - not a strong one, but a little one - that this was her doing. He didn't think Xander would think to suggest something like this.
 
"Those old-school cameras make me think of like Christmas grab bags," Becky grinned. "You kind of have an idea of what you're getting, but you don't know if it's good until you open the bag! Or develop the photos in this case."

"Are you going to keep the belt?" Alec asked Xander, amused.

"Nah. You can have it back after school," Xander assured him.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top