The rest of Saturday was exactly what Hutch had needed. It was normal. He hung out with Ren as if he were just another teenager, and the rest of the day, his stress and worries were pushed aside. Even when he filled Ren in on everything that was happening, from his run in with Brett on New Year's Eve, and Casimir's trip to Utah, to the rumors being spread at his new school, he found it to be relieving. It was as if telling his story somehow made it, all-the-more real.
Ren turned out be a massive help with his English, given that his spelling and punctuation were atrocious. Twenty years of habitual mistakes wasn't doing him any favors and contributed to the most obvious of problems. But after three hours of steady studying, Hutch lead Ren back down to the kitchen, in order to start dinner, because despite his friend being over, his duties were not something he was willing to neglect.
Ren had taken up a spot at the dining room table, and was going over some math, while Hutch was busy with the preparations at the island, when Clara appeared, having arrived home from her day at the Tower.
"Welcome home," Hutch remarked as she came around the corner, files under her arm as she dug through her purse, barely paying attention.
"Hey," she replied, sounding frustrated and exhausted, briefly glancing up.
"Hey ya!" Ren piped up from the dining room, waving enthusiastically towards her.
"Ren! Hey!" she responded, immediately ignoring what she had been trying to find to give him her attention.
It seemed to Hutch that something about his presence, had managed to brighten her mood.
"Sorry. I didn't see you there. My focus was," she pointed in Hutch's direction, and swung her arm towards the living room, "more in that direction. Let me take care of this, and I'll be right back."
Clara's cheeks were bright red as she abruptly turned, and quickened her pace, vanishing around the corner and up the stairs.
"I could have sworn I told her you were going to be here today."
"It's okay," Ren replied, an oddly dreamy look in his eyes. "She's still beautiful, even if she doesn't notice me."
Hutch couldn't help but smile. He knew that feeling all too well. It was the same feeling he'd experienced for years, as he'd adore and admire Kahlala at a distance, and he felt for his friend, knowing that just like him, Ren would never take a chance on his own.
"Ask her," he said, as he went back to slicing the onion on the cutting board.
"Ask her what?" Ren questioned curiously, closing the textbook, and joining Hutch at the island.
"To the winter formal. It's next weekend, isn't it?"
"You know I can't do that," Ren replied as he sat on the barstool and leaned down against the counter.
"Yes, I believe you actually can."
"Okay, yes, I could, but what's the point? She'd just say no. I mean look at her; she is so far out of my league; we aren't even playing the same game. That's not even touching at the age difference, financial stability, the fact that I live in a trailer park, and have no way of showing her a proper good time. I'd be insane if I thought for a moment, that someone like her would have any interest in going out for a fast-food burger dinner followed by a lame high schooler's dance, while being driven around by my grandpa."
"You'll never know unless you ask."
"I'm not asking. At best, she says no, and nothing about the rest of my time here gets awkward. Fat chance of that happening, and at worst, she says yes, and Casimir ruins my life for insulting his daughter because I thought I was good enough for her. Scratch that," he said, throwing up his hands. "Worst case, she says yes, and the night turned out to be a complete disaster. We both know he'd kill me. I'm betting there are bodies buried all over these woods of people who got on Casimir's bad side."
"Actually, he just puts the bodies down in the cellar under the second barn for his pet plants to devour," Clara remarked with a giggle from the hallway.
She had let down her hair and changed into a pair of fuzzy leggings and a grey, knee length sweater dress, that looked far more comfortable than the business dress she'd come home in.
Ren gave Hutch a quick death glare, before turning his attention to Clara. "Sorry, I didn't mean to imply…"
"No, no. Don't be sorry. He can be intimidating. I get it."
"To be honest, that is my fault," Hutch admitted, "Ren knows about my past with Cas. And I may have been less than flattering with my description."
"Your father is his super villain," Ren stated before turning to Hutch and giving him a 'you deserved it' grin.
"Oh! You know? You know, know?" Clara asked, exchanging glances between them.
"Yes?" Ren questioned, narrowing his eyes, "I think I know."
"Yes, he knows," Hutch clarified as he swept the chopped onions into a bowl, "At least a general overview."
Clara moaned and covered her face with her hand. "My father is not a super villain. Hutch is an idiot. He had my father entirely wrong. He's nothing like the King I'm certain he told you about."
"She's right. About Cas, anyways."
"Ehhh," Ren warbled as he bobbed his head and scratched his chin, "she's not wrong about you either."
"Ha, ha," Hutch snickered.
"Wait, you agree with me?" Clara seemed a touched surprised, her eyes following Hutch as he made his way to the fridge.
"I do. About Cas. I don't know the man who was King Salvador. I don't know where he is, or who he was," Hutch explained as he grabbed a can of ginger ale and a bottle of sparkling water from the fridge. "But I know that the man your father is today, is not him." Returning to the island, he set the can in front of Ren and the bottle in front of Clara. "He may have lied about his name back when I first met him, and for good enough reason, but the more I get to know him now, the more certain I am that he is the same man who I knew as Cascel. And while he was my best friend on Illimev, Ren here, is my best friend on Earth. We've known each other since we were toddlers."
"I have no idea what's happening right now," Ren muttered, with a shake of his head, his cheeks turning red, "But can we please not talk about our childhoods?"
"Nonsense. I'm betting the two of you have some great stories to share," Clara responded, cracking open the bottle of water and taking a drink.
"Oh, we do, and I don't even have to go back that far. Just recently, in fact, Ren asked me advice on how to ask a girl to a dance."
"Hutch!" Ren shouted, practically jumping out of his chair.
"Take it easy, Ren," Clara said, setting her hand on his shoulder. "No need to be embarrassed. That fear of rejection can be a tough thing to push through. There's a lot to consider. You have to weigh the pros and cons. Decide if the outcome is even worth the fuss. Make certain that the risk is worth the reward. I hope Hutch gave you some good advice."
"His advice was terrible," he stated, bluntly. "His advice was to 'just ask her.' Which doesn't, in any way, address any of my concerns, or refute anything I had to say."
"My advice isn't terrible. It's completely sound, and I'll prove it," Hutch said, turning to Clara. "Hypothetically, Clara, Ren would like to ask you to his winter formal."
Ren's face went white as a ghost as his jaw dropped opened, and his spirit slipped out.
"However, he's afraid you're going to say no for a variety of valid reasons. I think, you not really knowing him was the largest of his concerns, but there was the age gap, and some worries over the fact that he comes from a different walk of life."
"Fair enough. Those are some pretty valid concerns, especially since he doesn't know me all that well either," Clara remarked, as she straightened her back and focused her attention on Hutch. "But the only way he's going to get to know me better is if he takes the time to try. As for my age, I'm 20. My birthday's November 3rd. So, while it might be a bit awkward if we dated, this is just a dance. He's over thinking it. I haven't been out of high school for so long that I've forgotten how much fun a dance can be when you're with someone whose company you enjoy. Lastly, I really, sincerely hope, that he very quickly realizes, that I'm not that shallow. Although, that may just come with time, since as we've already established, he doesn't know me all that well."
"Then if he found the courage to ask you, would you say yes?"
Clara took a drink of her water, and when she was finished, she licked off her lips and screwed the cap back on the bottle, setting it onto the counter. "You know what, I probably would. I'd have to give him credit for finding the courage to ask me in the first place. And given our previous interactions, which I could have sworn were proof enough that I think the two of us get along and would have fun getting to know each other better, hypothetically, I would say yes. Sorry, Ren, but Hutch has proven his point. His advice is sound. Stop over thinking the small stuff. This is a dance, not a lifetime commitment."
"You would go to a dance with me?" Ren blurted out once his spirit reentered his body.
Clara smiled, her cheeks warming through. "Are you asking me or is this still hypothetical?"
"Depends if your answer would change," he replied, swallowing back his fear.
"It wouldn't," she replied, "I think it would be fun to go to a dance with you. When is it?"
"Oh, it's umm, it's next Saturday, 6 to 9, in my high school's gym," he replied, lowering his head. "I wish I could tell you that I'd pick you up and take you out to dinner first, but my situation doesn't really allow for that."
"Understandable, but on the upside, you get to enjoy the perks of having an older date. I'll drive, but you are going to have to sit through dinner with me first. I'm not going to a dance hungry. I've done that before, and I can't begin to tell you the mistake that was."
"Absolutely. You can take us wherever you want to go, since you'll be the one driving."
Ren was wearing a silly grin as he looked up at Clara, as if he couldn't quite believe that the moment was really happening. As they continued to chat making plans for the following weekend, Hutch continued to work on dinner, happy that his intuition hadn't steered him wrong. While he wasn't entirely certain that Clara was going to say yes, due to her own hang-ups, he also knew that there was no possibility at all, if Ren never asked. All he needed was a little push, and Hutch was more than pleased that he'd been the one to give it.