I stood in the long line during lunch the next day. I held cash in my left hand while looking through my phone in my right hand. It was getting close to class, but luckily it was my free period, so I wasn’t going to be late for anything important. The line began moving faster the closer it got to class time, and I was next in line. The bell rang and the rest of the line disbanded. 

“Do you have a class?” The woman at the table asked.

“No, I have a free period,” I responded.

“Come quick then, we can’t sell during classes,” she said and motioned for me to come up. 

I did. I showed her my school ID and she wrote my name down next to the ticket number she was selling me. 

“Alright, here’s your ticket,” she said and handed me the piece of paper. 

I grabbed it and stood still for a second. 

“Can I buy my friend their ticket?” I asked out of nowhere.

“Do you have their full name?”

“Lemme get it,” I said and pulled up Facebook. I looked up Parker and found his name. “It’s Parker Willis,” I said and smiled. I really didn’t pay attention to his full name until now, and I liked his last name. 

“What grade?”

“Senior,” I answered. “He was a transfer student.”

“Alrighty,” the woman said and nodded her head. She handed me the ticket and I handed her the spare cash I had. “Make sure he uses this ticket, and not yours.”

“Will do, thank you.”

“Of course, take care,” she said as I walked away. 

I held both the tickets. I couldn’t help but smile, but was afraid of how it would play out next. Parker wasn’t expecting me to get him a ticket. He wasn’t expecting to go at all, but I want him to have the option despite what my friends think.

The final bell rang and school was over. I stood out front with Parker’s ticket in my hand and I rocked back and forth in my converse. I watched the crowd of people filing out of the front door in search of him. It took over ten minutes before I found him.

“Parker!” I shouted and he instantly shot his attention to me. I waved and he waved back. Then, he approached me.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“Don’t get upset,” I said. 

“Why?” He said, his tone dropping suddenly and he glared at me.

“I got you this,” I said and whipped out my hand with the ticket. 

“No, you didn’t -”

“I want to give you the option to go if you want to. I know, I know, you don’t like handouts,” I sighed and held up my hands.

“Your friends -”

“Can fuck off,” I muttered and gritted my teeth. “I want to hang out with you there as well. You don’t have to come with us, but we can meet each other there. If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to. Don’t worry about it. Keep the ticket for a fun memory or something,” I smiled at him as my heart beat fast. It was pounding in my ears like I had run a marathon without a break. 

“Alright,” Parker sighed and slipped the ticket into his pocket. “I’ll let you know,” he said and pulled out a smoke. 

“Hope to see you there,” I said and waved. I walked away. Expect him not to come, don’t get your hopes too high, I told myself despite the excitement gushing through my veins.