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“You sure you’re not tryin’ to shag me?” Bren asked as he pushed the door to the hallway open.

“Cast list, bro! You forget?”

Bren snorted. Arlo had made them spend their free period in front of the bulletin board in case Mrs. Lovell put the list up early. It was a good thing he’d looked so cute with his face scrunched up in anxious excitement, or Bren might have taken offense when he refused to spend the break in the fly gallery.

“You’ve met A.J., right?” Bren sighed.

“How are the two of you doing anyway?”

“Why? What’ve you heard?”

It hadn’t taken more than a couple of days for Bren to clock that their relationship was common knowledge, but most people were either unbothered or muttered behind their hands about it.

“It’s really cool that the two of you are just, like, out and stuff. Can’t be easy.”

A pang that he liked to ignore rattled around in Bren’s gut. Would they be out if it wasn’t for the fact that A.J. had taken the plunge back in grade nine? Between that and how last Christmas had gone, he’d never really had the chance to make that call on his own.

“Uh, cheers?”

“Let me know if anyone gives you two any trouble, eh? No point in being built like this if I don’t get to swing on people who deserve it.”

“Sounds like a lot of responsibility.”

Dustin shrugged and struck a superhero pose.

“It’s a good excuse to go back for second helpings.”

Bren interrupted their meeting of minds. Arlo was at the edge of a cluster of people standing in front of the bulletin board. Nat was there too, as delighted as he’d ever seen her. She leaned towards Arlo, who looked like he was equal parts ready to laugh and spiral.

“Bren!” He tugged at Bren’s elbow. “Nat’s being a dick.”

“Hey, I never said who you got. Just that I hope you don’t pass out when you find out.”

“See?” Arlo said, pulling him closer. “What the heck am I supposed to do with that?”

Nat laughed but it petered out when she saw Dustin. Arlo followed her gaze and a look of surprise flashed across his face before he attempted to smile.

“Oh. Hey, Dustin.”

“A to the J. Hope I’m not in the way. Tried to say I’d check the list after lunch, but Bren dragged me along,” he said with an overdramatic eyeroll. “So, who’d we get?”

Arlo opened his mouth but snapped it shut again. Bren thought he saw his eyes flicker to Nat before darting down to his shoes.

Either way, she picked up the fumble.

“I’m Bombalurina.” She cocked her thumb towards Arlo. “Sir sweats-a-lot didn’t want to check until his boyfriend turned up.”

“So you know who everyone got?” Dustin asked.

“I sure do.”

She held the last word longer than was normal and leaned towards him.

He tilted his head at her like a dog and she shrugged.

“OK, I feel like I’m gonna pass out. Can you go look for me, please?” A.J. said.

Bren didn’t need the forearm squeeze or the pleading puppy dog eyes that accompanied the words, but he appreciated them.