a round about way

It had snowed again, and Cory made his rounds with his snow shovel and had ended up at Roger's.

"I swear this Swiss Miss mocha cappuccino is just hot chocolate," Cory said handing him over a mug of it. They were in his kitchen and Roger had been working on a box covered in silver duct tape to weather the elements as a cat box for a stray that came up at night to the patio wanting food. As of yet, Roger hadn't been able to touch it.

"Anything hot sounds good to me," Cory just said as he drank at the mixture. Cory stared at the box that Roger was fixing up.

"So are you going to bring this kitten inside?" Cory didn't think Roger's dad liked pets.

"Maybe.' He was putting on the finishing touches. He had the dry cat food already in a plastic bowl. "I gave it wet food last night. But I made one move and he was out of there. Guess I'll have to love T. I. from a far.

"What if its a girl?" Cory bit into a sugar cookie that was left over from a tin of Christmas cookies perfect for dunking in hot chocolate.

"Still T.I., you know how I feel about his music."

Cory almost choked on his cookie. He wasn't sure he was that crazy about his music. It was OK but recently he was in to Leadbelly and other blues.

"Listen, what are you doing Sunday afternoon?" Roger brought up the matinee then.

"I'm not sure." Cory really didn't want to see the political film that Roger had been talking up ages. "I think its my great Aunt's birthday."

"Do you have to go?"

"Yeah, all my Mom's sisters will be there. They've been planning it forever. They're going to make this album, professionally done. And there's this photo shoot."

"That sucks," Roger didn't like hearing that. "I need you to go."

"Why?" Cory looked at him thinking he was rather demanding.

"I'm not sure. I don't mean to sound conceited or anything, but I think this guy likes me."

"Oh really?" Cory couldn't wait to hear this. Cory couldn't help but smile.

"I'm serious." Roger slapped him on the leg then as they were sitting there at the kitchen table.

"Ow."

"He said I should be the poster boy for the Diversity club." Roger sighed.

"Well, maybe he means it. He likes the way you do things." Cory shrugged.

"Doubt it." He began to fidget.

"You get worried over the slightest things," Cory took his hand then. "Do I know him?"

"Mitch, he's in my art class."

Cory couldn't picture anyone in his art class other than the mean Goth girl and she left at Christmas to move to Minnesota to go to art school.

"I don't like him. I have to do something."

"Then ask around. Maybe Eric's not doing anything."

"Oh, right, like that would work. You know, how he is." Roger was looking at him that he needed to think of someone else.

"Well, Kyle is way busy, and I know he would if he could. He'd be your date and proud of it." Cory told him.

"Poor Kyle." Roger looked at the bottom of Cory's empty cup. He took it to the sink.

"Does it help to tell you I'll have an awful time at that birthday party," Cory said even though, he thought it would be worse going to the movie with him, but he'd never tell.

"No."

Roger went back to his cat box. It was time to put it out on the patio.