The Tribuo - 17. part II, chapter 10

ANDREW

19:55

After I turned off my phone, I decided to walk to the gas station to get more cigarettes. I tried tying my shoelaces, but for some reason, it was really hard. So finally, I just tucked them in my sneakers and walked outside. It was really cold, but it felt nice. I walked to the end of my block when I slipped on the ice and fell down, face first, in the snow.

“Son of a bitch…” I muttered and tried getting up.

“You okay?” someone asked me in a tense voice. “Need help or something…? Ah, crap, I still don’t know your name…”

I managed to sit up.

“Oh, it’s you…” I hiccupped again. “Are you stalking me or something?”

“No, not you,” he answered immediately. “And not stalking,” he added in a second.

“Right…” I grunted after I failed to get up once again. “You are stalking…” Hiccup. “...Katie.”

“I am not stalking,” he sighed and grabbed my sleeve. “Get up… Jesus, are you drunk?”

“Why does everyone keep asking me that?” I frowned and grabbed onto his hand. Finally, I got up. “I am not…” Hiccup. “...drunk…”

“Where were you going?” he frowned.

“To the gas station,” I muttered. “I am out of smokes…”

“It’s closed,” he said. “It’s Christmas Eve. Everything is closed.”

“Ah, dammit…” I growled. “You right… Damn!”

“I have smokes,” he sighed. “You can have the whole pack. Come on, let’s get you home…”

I grumbled something and let go of his hand. Then I almost fell again.

“God,” he said with annoyance and grabbed my collar. “Just stay close, will you?”

I figured that he was right and just followed him silently.

“You remember where you live, right?” he asked and I snorted.

“Yeah… Right there,” I pointed towards my front door and he blinked.

“You left your door wide open? Oh, never mind…”

He dragged me up the steps on my front porch, and I pulled myself free and plopped down on the bench. I didn’t even care that the bench was covered in snow.

“Give me a cigarette,” I demanded.

He sighed and shut my front door before handing me a pack of Parliaments.

“What did you drink?” he asked after I lit one without setting myself on fire.

“Two glasses of Merlot…” I said thoughtfully, and he stared at me in disbelief.

“Two glasses of wine made you so wasted?!”

“No,” I said with dignity. “I also finished Captain Crunch…”

“Captain Crunch?” he muttered. “Isn’t that a cereal brand?”

“No, you dumbass,” I snorted at him. “Captain Morgan is a cereal brand…”

“Oh, right,” he nodded with a smirk. “Sorry, my bad. So why did you get plastered? Broke up with your girlfriend or something?”

“Yeah,” I laughed. “Except, that was a good thing… And I broke up with her…” Hiccup. “...three days ago… Or two? I don’t remember…”

“Huh,” he said.

“See,” I said with enthusiasm, waving my cigarette in the cold air. “I have this friend… Best friend… A girl, right?”

“Uh huh…” he said carefully. “Katie?”

“No,” I rolled my eyes. “Not Katie! By the way, I hope you two have a long and happy life together…”

“What?” he frowned. “Look, I told you…”

“Yeah, yeah…” I hiccupped again. It was getting annoying. “You don’t know her… That would mean she doesn’t know you, right?”

“Uh huh,” he said carefully, his eyes two very tense, blue slits by now.

I laughed and almost fell off the bench.

“Whatever,” I muttered. “If you don’t know each other, then… Ugh… Then why is she calling your sleep in her name?”

“What?” He muttered and I laughed again.

“Don’t worry… Ugh… She fell asleep on my couch one night… And she was calling your name… Anyway, back to my friend…” I looked at him. He seemed to be beyond confused right now. “See, I've known her since fifth grade, right? And then she comes over tonight and… Dammit, I hate these hiccups! Anyway… She… Is not a she… She is a… A he!!” I laughed again.

“Huh,” he said very thoughtfully. “Interesting…”

“I’d say,” I snorted and looked at him again. “Doesn’t freak you out?”

“Not really,” he shrugged. “I’ve been thinking about different things lately… You know what I realized? That if you really care about someone, then why does it matter what body they are in, right?”

“Huh?” I squinted my eyes at him. Partially because I was somewhat confused, but also because I was trying not to see doubles.

He shook his head.

“Well, even with your friend… I mean, she is still the same person, right? It doesn’t change who she is… Body is just a…” he shrugged. “A wrapper…”

Suddenly I remembered what Katie said yesterday.

“An intellectual diamond,” I muttered. “In a glamorous wrapper…”

He stared at me with huge eyes. I tried to snort, but I hiccupped instead.

“Don’t look at me like that,” I said finally. “Not my phrase… Katie said it about Number Six…”

“Katie…” he muttered. “Where is she now?”

“Home,” I said and narrowed my eyes. I felt really weird.

“Do you know how to get there?” he asked.

“Yeah…” I muttered and dropped my cigarette in the snow. “Oh, God…”

“What?”

“I think I am going to be… Oh, God…”

I pressed my hands against my mouth, got up, and pushed him out of the way. I ran inside the house and made it to the bathroom just in time.

21:45

I sat on my couch and tried thinking happy thoughts. My stomach wouldn’t let me do that. The guy from the park -- Matt, whatever -- sighed and said that he was going to make coffee.

“Ugh…” I said. “Fine…”

At least now, I wasn’t seeing doubles, and my head wasn’t spinning as badly as before. I was beyond nauseous though. Finally, I peeled myself off the couch and shuffled into the kitchen.

“Why are you even here?” I asked and he turned his head.

“Because I want you to tell me where Katie lives,” he said patiently.

“Ugh… What is it with you two? I mean, this whole thing is weird… First, you say you don’t know her… Then you almost drop dead after I repeat what she said… What the hell? Ugh…”

He turned away and looked at the coffeemaker.

“I don’t know,” he said finally.

I was about to say something else when someone rang the doorbell. I looked at the clock. Almost ten in the evening. Who the hell is that?

“Be right back…” I muttered and went to the door.

I opened it and felt even shittier than five minutes ago. It was Ellie.

“Hey…” she said quietly.

“What do you want…?” I grumbled.

“I just…” she cleared her throat. “Wanted to wish you a merry Christmas… And…”

“A Happy New Year,” I nodded. “Great. Go away now.”

“Andrew…” She bit her lip. “I wanted to make up… I was stupid, I am sorry!”

Ugh, why now? I just wanted to curl up in a ball and sleep for the next decade or so.

“Ellie,” I sighed. “Can’t we do it tomorrow or something? Now is not a good time…”

She walked inside as if she didn’t hear me at all.

“Andrew,” she whispered and pulled off her coat. “Look, I just wanted to…” and she ran her fingers down my chest.

I blinked when she started to slide her palm towards my belt. Are you freaking kidding me? Now? Really?! I felt dark anger rising inside me.

“Stop!” I said through my clenched teeth. “Get out… Please!”

“Andrew…” she didn’t make a slightest effort to stop.

“Hey, coffee is ready… Oh, sorry!”

Ellie’s hand flew away from my belt so quickly as if it was burning her.

“Who the hell are you?” she asked in a very tense voice.

“My boyfriend,” I said poisonously. “Now get out!”

Matt said something that resembled, “Umgrph…” behind my back, and I waved my hand at him, hoping that he would just shut up. Ellie stared at me, shifted her gaze to Matt, then back to me. Finally, she let out a disbelieving laughter.

“You are kidding me, right?”

“Do you want me to make out with him?” I asked darkly, and her eyes grew huge. “Didn’t think so. Go away now.”

She stared at me for several very long minutes. Then she grabbed her coat, pulled it on, and ran out of the front door.

“Well, that ought to do it…” I muttered.

“Ummm…” Matt said and I winced.

“Yeah, sorry about that… It’s just… If she didn't get the hell out of here, I would probably kill her or something…”

Suddenly, the smell of coffee made me even more nauseous, and I ran to the bathroom again.

23:45

We were sitting in my back yard and the smell of coffee did not bother me anymore. I carefully dragged on my cigarette.

“So,” I said. “I am not going to Katie’s place now, okay? Come over tomorrow morning, I’ll drive you… or you can follow me, whatever. What happened between you two anyway?”

He stubbornly shook his head.

“I think someone is at your front door again,” he said finally, and I frowned.

“Are you changing the subject…?” and then I heard the doorbell. Good God, I am a celebrity tonight!

I handed him my cigarette.

“Here, hold this. I’ll be right back.”

I made my way to the front door, and when I opened it, I just blinked. Okay, this is the strangest Christmas ever. Some guy was ringing my doorbell, his face beyond grave. And get this. He was wearing sunglasses. At eleven-freaking-fifty at night! He saw me and took a step backwards.

“Andrew,” he said finally, and I just stared at him.

“Who the hell are you?”

“I am…” he coughed. “I am Katie’s Uncle… She was worried about you…”

“Huh,” I said.

“Are you…” he coughed again. “Are you alone?”

“No,” I sighed. I had no idea how and why he thought that it was any of his business, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to go to bed. “My friend is here. You want to come in or something?”

“No,” he shook his head. “I don’t… Plus, your friend is probably…”

“He’s leaving soon,” I shrugged. “I am going to bed, I am tired. Tell Katie that I am sorry about earlier, okay?”

“Yeah,” he said softly. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” I nodded. “Thanks for stopping by. Oh, hey…” I remembered something. “Umm… Is it okay if I stop by tomorrow? With my friend? He… Umm…”

“What’s his name?” he asked as softly as before.

“Matt,” I said and the guy just chuckled at that. “So could we stop by tomorrow?”

“No,” he said simply.

“Huh?”

“Look… Katie was worrying about you. She also wanted to let you know that she was leaving. She wanted to say goodbye.”

“What?!” I asked incredulously.

“Yeah… Her parents decided that they couldn't be away from her for so long… It was kinda last minute notice. She made me promise that I would stop by your house. She tried calling you…”

“My phone is off…” I muttered. “She left? For Egypt or something?”

“Something like that,” he nodded. “Sorry…”

“God…” I said weakly. “I am such an idiot…”

“Probably,” he said with a shrug. “Well, merry Christmas. I have to go.”

“Yeah,” I muttered. “Same to you… Thanks for stopping by!”

He waved his hand and walked away.

…I stumbled into my back yard. Matt looked up and said:

“Your cigarette is all gone now.”

“Uh huh,” I said and sat down.

“What?” He frowned.

“Wanna know who it was?” I asked gloomily, and he shrugged.

“Umm, sure…?”

“Katie’s Uncle,” I said and he stared at me. “Yeah… Apparently, she tried calling me, but I turned my phone off… She left.”

“What?” he muttered.

“Yeah… Went to Egypt, to be with her parents… Jesus, this is…”

“What’s his name?” he demanded suddenly, and I blinked.

“What?”

“Her Uncle... Do you know his name?”

“Umm…” I tried to remember. Man, my head was starting to hurt more and more. “She talked on the phone with him once… I think…” I honestly tried to remember. Ugh, tomorrow is going to be one hell of a day… I am going to have the king of hangovers, it seemed.

I scratched my head.

“It was something like… Sam? No, hold on… Sid? Yeah, I think that’s it… Uncle Sid… No, wait, that’s not right…”

“Seth?” he muttered, and I looked at him with surprise.

“Yeah! That’s it! Uncle Seth… How’d you know?”

“I guessed,” he said and raced inside the house.

I followed him. He ran through the front door and looked around, his eyes wild.

“He left, dude,” I said softly.

And then he was swearing, and his eyes were suspiciously shiny.