Happy New Year to all!
...
"My mom is always late," said Howard, sitting on the living room couch.
"It doesn't matter. We'll wait; it's still early," said Andrew, sitting on another couch.
The room fell silent. Howard and Leonard sat next to each other, while Andrew sat across from them, watching them intently.
Howard and Leonard started feeling uncomfortable with the silence and Andrew's inquisitive gaze.
"Are you guys seriously fifteen?" Andrew asked, breaking the silence.
"What?" Howard and Leonard responded, confused by the strange and sudden question.
"Your IDs, please," Andrew said, extending his hand with his palm open.
Howard and Leonard exchanged glances, unsure of what was going on. It was unusual to see Andrew so serious, so after hesitating for a moment, they handed over their IDs.
It was odd for him to suddenly doubt their age when he had previously acknowledged that they'd shared classes together.
Andrew took both IDs and examined them carefully. The names and birthdates matched. They were the same age as him.
'What kind of messed-up world have I transmigrated into?' Andrew wondered as he handed the IDs back to Leonard and Howard, who sighed in relief for some reason.
How many more characters from TV shows would he encounter in the future? Maybe he'd even run into movie characters. Who knew? Besides, there were some timeline changes, but there was nothing he could do to fix that.
"Did you guys have fun?" Andrew asked as he leaned back on the couch.
"Yes, it was great!" Howard and Leonard answered in unison.
At first, neither of them thought they would actually fit in with Andrew's group or the popular crowd. But after playing truth or dare, they grew closer to Reggie, Steve, and the other members of the football team.
They never expected the team to be so friendly to two nerds like them. This was thanks to Andrew, who had disciplined his friends from childhood not to become the stereotypical football bullies.
"That's good," Andrew said with a faint smile.
"What's it like to have a girlfriend?" Howard asked out of nowhere.
Leonard looked at his friend, shaking his head. He was clearly desperate to get a girlfriend or any kind of minimal female attention.
"It hasn't even been an hour since I started dating Veronica…" Andrew replied.
"Well, that's true…" Howard said, scratching his head. "But you must've had a girlfriend before, right?" he added.
'Girlfriend…' Andrew thought, his gaze momentarily distant. In that brief moment, an image of a smiling girl from his past life flashed through his mind.
"No. Veronica is the first girlfriend I've ever had," Andrew replied.
Howard and Leonard exchanged surprised glances. It was unusual for a quarterback who led his team to middle school championships two years in a row not to have a girlfriend. Still, they'd never heard rumors or seen him with any girl, so it seemed to be true.
"Now that I think about it, there was a rumor…" Leonard murmured to himself, but Andrew caught it.
"What rumor?" Andrew asked. Leonard froze, feeling nervous, as the rumor touched on a delicate topic.
"An irrelevant rumor," Howard interjected, trying to downplay it and steer the conversation away from an awkward situation.
"A rumor that I'm gay?" Andrew asked, though he already knew exactly what the rumor was about.
Leonard nodded slightly, relaxing when he noticed Andrew's calm expression.
Since his parents are a gay couple and he never had a girlfriend throughout middle school, it was normal for such rumors to start circulating. With his position as the starting quarterback and his popularity, it was strange that he hadn't had a girlfriend, even if the relationship was short-lived.
Haley had had many boyfriends, though most only lasted two weeks or less, and at most, they held hands or shared a quick kiss.
Andrew couldn't deny that the rumor bothered him a bit, especially since it had spread so much in his school. Damn gossiping teenagers.
Of course, he wasn't homophobic, but he was sure of his sexual orientation, which was heterosexual, so it was a little annoying that people were saying he was gay behind his back.
"Did you believe those rumors?" Andrew asked, a bit curious.
"I never thought about it too much," Leonard replied. Honestly, he didn't care if Andrew was straight or gay. He wasn't even his friend—just a classmate and a popular guy, very different from him.
"For me, the rumor was true," Howard said bluntly, though his tone held no rejection or disdain if Andrew had actually been gay.
"If I were you, I would've had countless girlfriends! It would've been extremely easy. Since when does one of the most popular girls declare herself?" Howard added enviously, still in disbelief about what had happened during the truth or dare just minutes ago.
Howard was someone who thought about girls most of the time and ways to get a girlfriend, which ultimately never worked out. If he were in Andrew's shoes, he could easily get a girlfriend and would be the happiest guy in the world.
"Don't associate me with him," Leonard said, distancing himself from Howard.
"If you're that desperate, the girls will notice instantly and will only see you as a servant to use," Andrew said.
"I'm not desperate!" Howard exclaimed.
"Really?" Leonard and Andrew asked.
"Well, maybe a little…" Howard admitted.
It wasn't his fault; he saw that everyone else had partners, kisses, even more than that, while he remained a virgin with no experience. He didn't want to fall behind and be mocked even more than he already had been.
"Come on, I'll show you that those rumors are wrong," Andrew said as he stood up from the couch and headed toward his room. Leonard and Howard followed, curious.
He took the key out of one of his pockets, unlocked the door, and opened it.
Howard and Leonard walked in and looked around, astonished by the room in front of them. They stared at the Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and other figures, unable to believe what their eyes were seeing.
Then their eyes moved to the posters hanging on the walls and then to the television with the Xbox. They also noticed the PC in the corner.
"Is this… is this your room?" Leonard asked, amazed.
"Yeah," Andrew replied, while searching for something under his bed.
"No way," Howard said, shaking his head.
Was he really in the room of Andrew, the popular marshal of his class? His own cave was very similar, the only difference being the football decoration.
"Isn't this your evil brother's room?" Howard asked, examining some limited edition X-Men comics in great condition.
As for Leonard, he was looking at all the games Andrew had for the Xbox. There were so many, even some he didn't have, which was saying a lot.
"Do you think just because I'm good at a sport, I wouldn't like geek stuff?" Andrew asked with a half-smile, as he opened a small box with a key and took out some kind of album.
Leonard and Howard exchanged glances, both unable to believe this discovery. It was even more surprising than when Veronica and Andrew started dating.
No one at school knew that Andrew was a geek and nerd like them! Learning this made them feel closer to Andrew. After all, he was someone who shared their interests, and being so popular, it felt like a strange kind of achievement.
"Look," Andrew said, slowly opening the album as if he were revealing a secret treasure. Inside the album were photos. All of one person, specifically a woman.
"Padmé Amidala," Leonard and Howard said in unison, recognizing the girl in the photos.
It was actress Natalie Portman, who played Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars movies (Episodes I-III).
The album contained photos of Natalie portraying Padmé. They were simply pictures from the films and some conferences the young actress attended where she was photographed. Andrew had found them online after an incessant search.
"Turn to the next page," Howard urged, wanting to keep seeing the beauty of Padmé Amidala. Leonard, beside him, nodded, and Andrew turned the page. He had a huge collection of photos.
"Padmé, the only person in the galaxy capable of making even a senator's outfit look sexy…" Howard said, looking at the photos. Leonard and Andrew nodded several times at his comment.
"Where did you get so many photos?" Leonard asked with a hint of envy. He was a big fan of Padmé. The best female character in Star Wars, in his opinion.
"On the internet, obviously. I searched for all of them when I had, uh... free time," Andrew replied with a strange smile. It was the first time he had shown this album to anyone.
Leonard and Howard nodded, so engrossed in the album that they looked like a group of teenage girls flipping through a movie idol magazine. Andrew handed the album to Leonard, who took it carefully as if handling a sacred object.
There were photos even he and Howard hadn't seen yet.
They kept turning the pages, getting more and more amazed like fools, until the album came to an end.
"Cool, right?" Andrew said as he closed the album. Now they knew he was heterosexual.
"Yeah, Padmé is the best!" Leonard nodded dreamily, imagining fictional scenarios where he was a Jedi protecting Padmé.
Damn Anakin for letting her die from sadness!
Howard made a dismissive sound at Leonard's statement, and along with Andrew, they looked at him with slightly furrowed brows.
"What?" Howard asked.
"What was that noise?" Andrew asked.
"The tssh?" Howard repeated the sound. "That was my way of expressing how absurd Leonard's statement was," he added.
"Abs... absurd?" Leonard repeated. "I forgot that you prefer Leia," he added with a slight sneer of disapproval.
"You prefer Leia? That woman with a blank face and outdated hairstyle?" Andrew said, unable to believe what he was hearing.
"Hey, show some respect for Princess Leia!" Howard yelled, offended.
"You only like Leia because of the gold bikini. I know where you hide the poster in your room. If your mom sees it, she'll give you a beating," Leonard said.
"I guess his loyalty is bought with a little skin," Andrew said with a disdainful expression.
"It's not about that, assholes!" Howard exclaimed, turning red as a tomato.
"It's about the character. Her backstory is way better than Padmé's. You guys just focus on Natalie Portman's pretty face and that she's almost our age. Admit it," he added, going on the offensive.
Leonard and Andrew's expressions darkened. Howard was right, but they'd never admit it!
Andrew, in his past life, was a huge fan of Padmé, but Natalie Portman was already a woman in her 40s, so he wasn't as big of a fan of her, since their ages were very different. But now, it's different.
Natalie Portman is only two years older than him! He doesn't know why, as she should be older, maybe in her mid-20s, but this timeline is different from his past life. Here, Howard and Leonard, who should be almost thirty years old by now, are only fifteen.
So, since they're almost the same age, he feels more connected and allows himself to get more carried away by Padmé's character. The same goes for Leonard.
"Without Padmé, there would be no Leia, no Luke, no Darth Vader. So there would be no Star Wars, end of discussion," concluded Andrew as he put the album back in its place, locking it up.
'This shameless!' Howard thought, about to continue the discussion, but two honks were heard. He looked out the window and saw his mom's car.
"It's time to go..." he said a little depressed. It was fun having a discussion with three people. It was always just him and Leonard. Adding Andrew brought a fresh vibe.
The three of them left the room in silence, heading towards the entrance of the house. Andrew opened the door, and Leonard and Howard stayed silent for a few seconds.
"It was fun. When will you have another gathering?" Leonard asked with some expectation.
"Probably not something like this again. The season is starting, and I need to focus on football," Andrew replied, although the truth was that parties weren't something he enjoyed much. He was somewhat forced to throw it by his parents.
"Oh... right. Well, we'll see each other at school, if we end up in any shared classes," Leonard said, a bit downcast.
"You can come over tomorrow if you want. Stay the night. We can watch the Star Wars saga and play video games," Andrew suggested.
Leonard and Howard immediately accepted, before Andrew could even think whether he'd be rejected or not.
"And by the way... keep everything you saw in my room a secret," he added with a friendly smile that scared Leonard and Howard.
After they left, Andrew went to sleep in a good mood. He never thought he would finally have two friends with whom to share his second and secret hobby. Plus, they were none other than Leonard and Howard, two geniuses and characters from a show he watched in his past life.
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