There were four vehicles currently parked on Asa's aunt and uncle's driveway. The old Ford, a motorcycle, a pink bike... and a typical married couple's minivan.

Asa's aunt and uncle were home.

He must've forgotten to tell me when he asked me to come to his place, or purposely didn't tell me because I would've ran for the hills instead. Imagine facing an actual adult with part of Asa's genes set. Terrifying.

The door opened before I could ring the bell. A woman who didn't look like Asa stared down at me.

She had a friendly face; round and with a wider chin than Asa's, which was more narrow and sharp. On the bridge of her nose rested a set of square glasses, and together with the bun in her hair she somehow reminded me of a school teacher. The good kind.

If only she didn't regard me with clear suspicion, which made me nervously smile.

"Hello ma'am," I said, sticking out my hand for a handshake. "I'm Gabriel Hill. I'm here for, uh, Asa."

"I know," the woman replied. She shook my hand for like a millisecond. "I'm Mrs. Jennings. Come in."

I had half expected her to not invited me inside. She didn't seem to want me here, and Asa's uncle, Mr. Jennings, was even worse.

"Gabriel's here," Mrs. Jennings announced when we walked into the living room.

"Good," Mr. Jennings said. He slowly looked up at me with a blank expression.

Unlike Mrs. Jennings, he did look like Asa. Well, like an older version of him with greying hair, a bit more chub, and a fuller face like people tended to get as they aged. He still had the sharp eyes, though. And the sharp tongue.

"I was starting to wonder if you were going stand in our driveway all afternoon."

"Yeah, well, no, I uh," I sputtered, cheeks heating up.

Mr. Jennings stood. "Want some tea, Gabriel?"

Sure, if you don't poison it. I coughed. "Yeah, thanks."

Mr. Jennings disappeared into the kitchen, and right after there was thundering noise on the stairs. Cindy came running into the living room, sliding to a halt on her socks in front of me.

At least someone was happy to see me. Cindy grinned broadly.

"Gabe!" she called out. Apparently, I'd been upgraded to nickname level of familiarity now. "Oh my God, I so, so want to come with you and Asa tonight. Kick all of their asses! Make videos!"

Cindy turned to her mom before I could reply. "Please, Mom? Can I please go? I promise I'll put the dishes in the dishwasher for a month!"

"That's already your chore to begin with," Mrs. Jennings replied with a stern look over her the rim of her glasses. "We already discussed this. You're too young and it's far past your bedtime."

Cindy pouted, and Mrs. Jennings turned to me.

"Well, go on. Sit down," she said, gesturing at a chair.

Of course, I did as told, gingerly lowering myself on the edge of the chair. I didn't want to sit, though. I wanted Asa to hurry up and come downstairs already. What the hell was he doing anyway? Where was he?

"Uhm, where is Asa?" I asked Cindy.

"Oh, he's still in the bathroom." Cindy shrugged, seemingly oblivious about how awkward this situation was, especially when Mr. Jennnings came back with the tea and sat next to his wife.

It looked like a damn job interview, with Mr. and Mrs. Jennings sitting on the couch in front of me. Cindy, the last friendly presence, darted out of the room. Who knows where she was going.

"So, you're a gamer?" Mrs. Jennings asked, taking a sip of her tea.

When I picked mine up, I realised it was already drinking temperature and took a sip for my dry throat, too.

"Yeah, just a little," I lied, grateful that Cindy had left.

She'd kept her word about not saying anything so far, but I estimated she would've been restlessly wriggling by now, trying to keep her mouth shut, if she'd been in the room.

"That's good," Mr. Jennings said flatly. "You're from Asa's class?"

"No," I shook my head. "I'm actually a year below him. I'm a bit younger."

Mr. Jennings crossed his arms. "How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"Asa returned to high school after working about a year," Mrs. Jennings said.

It sounded like a warning. I already knew, of course. I realised Asa had to a little older than the other students, around nineteen. I had to feign I didn't know.

"Aha," came out of my mouth, for lack of another response.

"So, you're not in the same class. How come you two met?" Mrs. Jennings asked.

Oh, no reason. I just give him money to sit with me. "Uh, well..."

With Asa's aunt and uncle staring at me, I drew a major blank. My eyes went to the door, pleading for Asa to hurry up and come downstairs.

"I, uh, don't really remember."

"I see," Mr. Jennings said, taking another sip of his tea.

They didn't believe me. Parents usually loved me because they thought of me as a shy, proper boy. Asa's aunt and uncle were a tough crowd. They looked at me like I was up to something, or somehow tried to trick them. Not a look I was used to receiving.

Thankfully, Asa decided to come downstairs and relieve me from my suffering. His footsteps were slower and heavier than Cindy's, but finally he arrived.

Asa and his aunt and uncle exchanged a glance, silently communicating something I didn't understand. I did, however, understand it wasn't positive.

"Gabriel," Asa said, catching me by surprise and making a jolt go down my spine. "We should get going immediately."

"Have fun. Don't be home too late," Mrs. Jennings warned him.

Asa didn't reply.

"It, uh, was nice meeting you," I politely told Asa's aunt and uncle, before proverbially running with my tail between my legs, hurrying after Asa who was already halfway outside.

"Wait in the car for a moment," he told me.

"Okay," I quickly agreed, but he didn't hear me. Just as fast as Asa had stepped outside, he was inside again.

I left the car door open, trying to peer inside the house through the half-open front door. I instantly regretted my curiosity when I heard voices. Agitated voices coming from inside. I couldn't make out what they were saying but I'd never heard Asa raise his voice before. Given how his aunt and uncle acted before, it couldn't be good.

I pulled the car door shut. When Asa came out a few moments later and shifted himself into the driver's seat, I pretended I didn't hear anything.

Like I could ask him what that was all about.

Asa started the car, and I pretended I was very interested in something on my phone's screen as we took off.

What if I was getting Asa in more trouble by going, though? For whatever reason his aunt and uncle didn't like me, and I wasn't even that convinced about going to the gaming night. Maybe this was all just a terrible, terrible idea.

"Uh, Asa." I cleared my throat. Asa indicated he was listening by slightly tilting his head.

"We don't have to go, you know," I offered. "I mean, if it's somehow a bad timing or--"

"They think we're going to have sex," Asa interrupted me.

I nearly choked on my own spit. Jesus Christ, that was blunt.

"What? Oh, I already wondered why they didn't seem to like me very much," I word vomited. "People my age don't, but parents usually like me. It's the no threat thing. No bad influence. Except being gay, I guess. Some people think that's a bad influence. I mean, but I'm sure your aunt and uncle don't think like that, though. I--"

I forced myself to stop talking when I realised Asa was driving with raised eyebrows. There was a beginning of a smile tugging up the corners of his lips. It only made me more nervous.

"They don't approve of, uh, you know?" I asked.

Asa shrugged. "They don't hate gay people."

Great, that meant it was personal. They just purely disliked me, because they thought Asa wanted to sleep with me.

"That's..." I mumbled, I laughing nervously, and shaking my head to myself.

"That's what?"

Asa glanced at me. Why, at all the moments I wanted him to reply he didn't and when I wanted him to let my accidental babbling to myself go, he didn't? He could sense weakness and zoomed in on it.

I gulped. My throat was already paper dry again, despite drinking tea at Asa's house.

"That's laughable." I paused, before hastily amending my words when Asa's eyebrows rose."I mean, like not your aunt and uncle they're not laughable. Not at all. Just the idea that you would do anything. With someone like me, right."

Asa followed his pattern. When I wanted him to reply, like right now, he didn't.

Why did I open my mouth? Why did the perfect response only come to me when it was too late? 'That's unfortunate, that they don't like me.' or 'that's a shame.' All viable and acceptable answers. Way better than the one I used.

Asa drove onto the school parking lot, taking the best parking space, which was usually reserved for the principal. He stopped the car and switched the engine off. The car lights died, and we were left in the dimly lit car.

Asa turned his head to face me. His eyes slowly traveled down my body, then up again until he met my gaze.

"Who knows if I would," he finally broke the silence. " If you win against Rolf tonight."