Trick Me Once - 3. My Baby Just Wrote Me a Letter

Dear Patrick,

I hope you’re doing ok. I’m writing this letter hoping that you will read it all the way and think about my words. This is the only way I thought I’d be able to reach you, as I wasn’t sure you’d want to talk to me in person. As you may have guessed by now, this is Cody Henderson.

I cannot begin to tell you how sorry I am for how I treated you in high school, and for making things so bad that you had to leave. I want you to know that did not affect only you… I know I’d been an asshole, there’s no excuse. I’m truly sorry for being such an awful person to you, and I hope that someday you’ll be able to forgive me and talk to me again. Maybe one day we could even be friends, but I’ll understand if you don’t want that.

You probably don’t care, but I’d like to let you know that I’m a completely different person now. I stopped hanging around with the wrong people and I learned from my mistakes. I spent a lot of time thinking about everything, about you… As you probably know, we’re going to the same college, so I hope to see you around the campus. If you don’t want that, I won’t bother you.

Well, if you’ve made it all the way, I’d like to thank you for reading this and say that I hope I’ll get a chance to apologize to you in person. It would mean a lot to me. Below is my phone number, if you ever want to call or text.

Once again, I hope you’re doing well, and I wish you all the best.

“What the…” Trick thought, stunned after reading something he never expected to receive. Inside his head, he felt an internal struggle like never before. As soon as he saw Cody’s name, he wanted to tear the paper up and throw it, but he couldn’t resist reading it all the way. Every sentence kept him wanting to continue. He had to admit to himself that it felt good to read the letter – it sounded like a sincere apology. If only he got this three or four years ago, it would’ve made all the difference, but now… It was too late.

How could he be sure if it was really sincere or not? These are just words on a piece of paper. If he saw Cody telling him these words to his face, then he’d be able to judge if he was honest or not. Deep down, he really wanted to see Cody. He needed to talk to him and let him explain. He needed to hear the apology if he was to move on with his life.

On the other hand, he couldn’t bring himself to look at him. He was just too hurt and angry for so long, and he couldn’t let go of those feelings. He knew they were horrible feelings to have, but he couldn’t get rid of them. He couldn’t forgive Cody for bullying him, let alone for unknowingly breaking his heart. Ever.

Wondering whether he’s doing the right thing or not, he casually folded the letter, put it back in the envelope and threw it in the trash can.

“So, who’s it from?” Brad asked, looking away from the basketball game he was watching and turning to Trick. He saw him throw the letter away, but pretended he didn’t notice it.

“Oh… Uh, just my annoying cousin. Nothing important,” Trick replied, hoping that he sounded convincing enough, but knowing that he probably didn’t. At this point, he didn’t care. He didn’t want to discuss this with Brad, or anyone else for that matter, at least not yet. He had to go outside and clear his head.

”I’m gonna go out for a walk… I’ll probably stop by the supermarket, you need anything?” he asked casually, wanting to change the subject and leave as quickly as possible. As he was desperately trying to untangle his earphones so he’d have some music to listen to during his walk, he got progressively angrier. Finally, he just shoved them in his pocket and decided to deal with them once he got out.

“No, I’m fine,” Brad said, trying hard not to laugh.

“Ok, see ya later,” Trick replied and headed out.

Brad waited for a few seconds and then got up and went over to the trash can, looking at the envelope. He saw that Trick was genuinely upset when he read it, so he knew it wasn’t just some annoying relative, it had to be something more serious. He wanted to help his friend, but Trick obviously wasn’t ready to talk about it, whatever it was… Also, if he read the letter, it would be a huge invasion of privacy. Ugh, why isn’t there at least the sender’s address written on this thing…

--

The smell of freshly cut grass was all around Cody as he was mowing the grass in one of the city parks. He loved spending time there, surrounded by nature, breathing in fresh air and doing physical work. It was better than the gym.

A few months ago, when he started college, he took a part-time job as a groundskeeper in the Prescott Park, the largest park in the city. His job involved trimming hedges, mowing the grass, planting new plants and maintaining the park in general, and he loved all of it. He was studying landscaping, so this was a perfect fit for him. Now that he thought about it, he regretted not looking for a job like this while he was in high school. As a part-time job, it didn’t take up much of his time, and he enjoyed doing it.

This day, however, he couldn’t really enjoy himself as his mind kept reminding him about Trick and their recent encounter on campus. It’s been five days since he wrote him that letter, and still nothing. On the first day, he kept checking his phone every fifteen minutes to see if he’d get a reply, but nothing. Not even a text to tell him to leave him alone. The silence was even worse. Did he even read the letter? Cody knew he got it since he went there to drop it off in person, but did he actually open it and read it? Who knows…

That was his plan B, but if it didn’t work, what next? He didn’t have a plan C. He couldn’t just keep harassing the guy and forcing him to talk to him. Eventually, he’s going to have to stop trying and just accept that they will remain distant as always.

As he finished his shift for the day, he said goodbye to the other workers and headed home. He didn’t live in the dorms since his family had a house in the city. He wasn’t crazy about living with his parents and sister now that he started college, but at least he had fewer expenses this way.

Even though his sister Angela was two years younger than him, they got along great, especially now that his problematic high school days were over. She gave him a lot of grief back in the day when he was impossible to deal with. She didn’t take any crap from him, and since she was the younger child (and a girl), their parents usually sided with her. Also, she had the tendency to always be right. That used to annoy him a lot, but now he just accepted it and chuckled whenever she’d tell him ‘told you so’.

When he got home from the park, looking as if a rainy cloud had been hovering above him all day, Angela had a pretty good guess about what was going on.

“Still no word from him, huh?” she asked, worried for her big brother.

“No…” Cody said as he was getting out of his dirty work uniform.

“He’ll come around, you know. You just gotta be patient.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” he said, not sounding convinced at all.

“He just needs some time to realize that you’ve changed.”

“He doesn’t even wanna talk to me, so I don’t know how that’s ever gonna happen.” He sounded annoyed, but he knew he deserved it.

“You want me to talk to him?” Angela offered, knowing the answer is going to be negative. Still, she felt it was worth a shot. She just hated seeing her brother down like that.

“No, definitely not. I’m not gonna send people to intervene for me. If he doesn’t wanna talk to me, that’s it, I don’t want to bother him.”

“OK, just… try and get your mind off of him for a while. Come on, take a shower and then come and help me pick out an outfit for tonight.” She was already halfway up the stairs, heading to her room.

“Ugh, as if you need my help…”

“You’re my gay brother, if you’re not gonna help me pick out what to wear, what good are you then?” She winked at him and he couldn’t help but smile. She knew he didn’t have a clue about fashion (especially women’s), but she loved teasing him.

“Speaking of going out, you going to that college party tonight?”

“Yeah, I guess so…” Cody replied. For a moment, he totally forgot that was tonight. He had already made plans with some friends to go together, and he was looking forward to it. It would be his first college party, and he could definitely use a good, fun evening with friends to get his mind off of… other stuff. Have a few drinks, maybe meet some new people and get that first taste of partying college-style. Yep, it sounded like a good plan for that night.

--

“Come on, man, you’re not gonna spend the evening here alone, playing video games,” Brad said, annoyed at Trick’s lazy ass that didn’t want to move from the couch.

“Why not,” Trick replied, shrugging his shoulders.

“Ugh, don’t make me beg. Maybe the party will be fun, come on.”

“Have you met me? You know I don’t like going to parties,” Trick said, rolling his eyes. He didn’t want to go, it felt like a total waste of time. He could be in his room, listening to music at a normal volume level, working on his app or playing Diablo 2. He loved his old-school games. Also, the place is going to be packed with people he doesn’t know. He already knew how the evening was going to go: they’ll arrive and get a table, order beers and sit there for half an hour. He’s going to pretend to be having a good time for a while, and then he’ll start checking his phone every five minutes to see if enough time has passed so he can go back to the dorms.

“I know, but this is our first college party. Zoe and I will be there with you, and you know the three of us always have fun,” Brad said, his patience wearing thin. “Ok, look, can we just go, find a table, get a few drinks, and if you’re not having fun, you’re free to go. You don’t have to stay all night. Sounds good?”

“Ok, ok, if that’ll shut you up,” Trick couldn’t help but smile at him. He realized that Brad wanted them to go together because they were best friends, and he didn’t want to let him down. If that meant spending a few hours in a crowded place full of strangers, so be it, Brad would do the same and much more for him.

Saving his game and logging out, Trick got up to get changed, picking out a sexy white T-shirt, which was a great contrast to his black curly hair. He completed the look with dark skinny jeans and black shoes, looking hot in this simple, but sexy outfit. Brad also made sure he looked hot, with his fresh haircut, trimmed facial hair and a shirt that allowed him to show off his body. Zoe told him her roommate would be there, and he wanted to impress her.

Zoe came to pick them up around nine, and they headed out to the club where the party was taking place. So far, everything was going on just as he thought it would. They arrived rather early so they managed to find a table, ordered beers and just sat there, chilling. So far, so good. Music was a bit too loud for Trick’s taste, but he could manage it. Zoe’s roommate Catherine joined them after a while, and Brad immediately moved to sit next to her. Trick managed to ignore other people and found that he was actually having a good time, just sitting there and talking to his friends. He didn’t mind Catherine either. She seemed pretty nice and Brad seemed to like her. Zoe was talking too much, even more than usual. Two beers were enough to make her relax. She was funny when she was buzzed, and Trick was amused seeing her like that. He was slowly sipping on his one beer and wasn’t planning on drinking more. He didn’t like getting drunk and potentially embarrassing himself, he preferred being in control.

Overall, the evening was surprisingly fun and he was glad that he allowed Brad to talk him into coming with him. That is, until he turned and saw a group of guys sitting several tables away, talking and laughing loudly. One of the guys was Cody. Trick immediately thought that he was right, he shouldn’t have come here. Of course Cody was going to be here, why wouldn’t he? It’s a college party, and he’s a college student! If he had any brains he would’ve realized that and wouldn’t have come.

As he was sitting there, thinking about whether to leave or stay a little more, Cody turned and their eyes met for a second. He looked so handsome with his caramel-colored hair and in his tight blue T-shirt. He made a shy smile (which made him even cuter!) and waved at Trick, who just nodded in response, acknowledging him. It didn’t take long for Zoe to see what was going on.

“Is that Cody over there?” she asked, curious and surprised.

“Yeah,” Trick said, turning to Zoe. When he turned back, Cody was already up and walking toward them.

“Ok, let’s get this over with,” Trick said to himself.

A huge thanks to everyone for reading and commenting! And pls don't hate me for the cliffhanger