Something Unexpected - 21. Chapter 21

"Hey what's your hurry?" Marcus asked me as I pushed past him. "I came early."

           

"More time to get drunk off my ass." I answered, but I stopped when he grabbed my hand.

           

"You're pissed." He stated turning me around.

           

"Got that right." I huffed shaking his hand from mine.

           

"You and Laura fighting again?" Marcus asked carefully.

           

"Yes." I answered, "We might as well go back inside since you came early."

           

"I'm sorry, I just didn't know how long it normally takes you to get ready." Marcus apologized following me into the house and sitting on the couch beside me.

           

"It's okay I'm just tired of people telling me what to do." I responded.

           

"Well, you have a nice living room." He remarked after a short pause. He had been looking everywhere else in the room except at me.

           

"Yeah, well it is a living room isn't it?" I asked lightly. "Why are you so nervous, are you expecting something?"

           

"No, I'm not expecting something." He answered grinning awkwardly at me. "I just don't want to fuck up."

           

"Fuck up what?" I asked, amused at how uncomfortable he had become.

           

"Nothing." Marcus answered quickly.

           

"Marcus we're just going to a party." I offered, "Nothing special about that."

           

"Yeah, nothing special." Marcus responded then glanced down at his watch. "Well let's get you drunk off your ass, like you said."

           

"Okay." I responded, laughing slightly. "As long as you do it with me."

           

"Sure thing, Andy." Marcus responded sarcastically. I thought I had disappointed him somehow, or upset him; but I didn't want to push the thought. I wanted to forget it.

           

"Where is the party?" I asked getting into the car with him.

           

"The same place it always is." Marcus responded. Then he realized that I couldn't know where that was. "Um, at Devon Jefferson's house. He's loaded."

           

"Oh." I responded. I was getting a little nervous. I remembered how packed it had been the last time. "I can't believe there are that many gay guys at our school."

           

"There aren't, Andy. Most of the people who will be at the party don't go to our school." Marcus responded laughing. "Most of them are from the inner city schools, silly."

           

"Fuck off Marcus." I responded lightly. "I'm just nervous."

           

"You'll be okay. It isn't like you're hiding or anything." Marcus responded putting his hand on my thigh squeezing it gently. "If you're confident, no one is going to hassle you."

           

"Yeah, that's comforting." I responded, shaking my head.

           

"Do you not want to go?" Marcus asked slowing down the car.

           

"Yeah I wanna go." I answered nodding. "I just remember all of the shit it caused the last time I went to this kind of party."

           

"Well, you're new to this school but you're quickly becoming the main topic." Marcus responded, "There are a lot of guys that are going to want to get with you."

           

"There's nothing special about me." I answered, "I'll be glad when everyone else sees that too."

           

"Yeah, well that's you. What they see is some cute-ass guy that plays a great game of basketball and who happens to be just finding out what he is." Marcus explained, "So you're a breath of fresh air."

           

 

"Oh, well, I guess I'm just going to have to disappoint people." I stated, smiling. "So you think I'm a cute-ass guy?"

           

"Well, um, hey look we're here." Marcus stammered blushing slightly. "Lets get this thing going."

           

"Okay." I agreed with amusement. "I know you think I'm hot. It doesn't matter if you say it or not."

           

"Yeah, okay, know-it-all." Marcus countered ruffling my hair. "Get your hot ass out of the car."

           

"You messed up my hair you creep." I snapped, looking at my hair through the rear view mirror.

           

"Well it isn't like anyone is going to be looking at your hair." Marcus countered. I turned to find him staring down at my ass.

           

"Get your perverted eyes off my ass." I ordered backing out of the car. "Does it look okay?"

           

"Your ass?" Marcus asked smiling.

           

"No, my hair." I answered, laughing slightly. "Pervert."

           

"That looks good too." Marcus responded, "Can we go in now?"

           

"Yeah." I answered and we walked up the sidewalk and into the house. We had gotten there early even though we had waited awhile before leaving my house. Again, people were looking at me, some a little more surprised than others. I saw Luke carrying a drink to someone he was with. A fast dance song was blaring, but I was too nervous to pay attention. It was just a noise to me.

           

"You know, I'm proud of you." Marcus stated, loud enough for me to hear it over the music.

           

"Proud of me?" I asked, as he handed me a drink.

           

"Yeah. It took me a year or two after I found out that I was gay to come to one of these." Marcus explained. "It takes real courage to let yourself out like this."

           

"Really?" I answered, "You seem so confident."

           

"Yeah, now; but, back then, I was worse than you." Marcus replied.

           

"I'm not that bad." I countered weakly.

           

"Yeah, the deer-in-the-headlights look only works for a few people; but I think you're starting to pull it off." Marcus joked.

           

"Fuck you." I snapped back, slapping him on the arm. "Asshole."

           

"Yeah, well, I'm just letting you know that you look scared. And you have no reason to be." Marcus explained rubbing his arm.

           

Another guy walked up and stood next to me, subtly pushing Marcus out of the way, "Hey, I'm Tony." he greeted me, "Chandler told me to look after you."

           

"Oh, I don't need looking after." I countered frowning. "I came here with Marcus."

           

"And that's the reason why he wants you looked after." Tony countered, crossing his arms. Tony was a muscled up guy who looked to be about twenty years old, if not older. He was light skinned with dyed blonde hair and his eyes were a weird green color that looked fake.

           

"Hey look, Tony, I think you need to go back to where ever you came from and leave us alone." Marcus snapped, grabbing my hand protectively.

           

"I will, if Andy comes with me." Tony responded, looking over at me. "Andy, you may be some loose piece of ass that jumps from guy to guy, but Chandler does know what's best for you."

           

"Jumps from guy to guy?" I asked in annoyance. "I don't know if Chandler told you this or not, but he was the one who cheated on me."

           

"Yeah, he did; but you said you wanted to try again with him and now you're here with this dumb-ass." Tony countered, smiling. "You know he just wants you because Chandler turned him down."

           

"That's not true, fucker." Marcus snapped getting into Tony's face. "Get the fuck out of here."

           

"Tony, tell Chandler that I can make my own decisions and that I don't need a babysitter." I ordered, shaking my head. I noticed Tony grab his cell phone and dial a number. He had called Chandler.

           

"Yeah, he told me that he didn't need a babysitter." Tony stated looking over at me smugly while talking to Chandler. "I'll tell him."

           

"Let me talk to him." I ordered taking the phone from Tony not giving him a chance to tell me what Chandler wanted him to.

           

"Chandler, if you thought I needed to be looked after you should have gone to class and not gotten your sorry ass grounded." I snapped, causing Marcus to smile. "Now tell Tony to fuck off. I'll see you at school."

           

"Well see, you don't need protecting after all." Marcus joked, "You're hot when you're mad."

           

"Marcus, if you touch him, I will find out and I will kick your ass." Tony threatened hanging up the cell phone.

           

"You know what? Go be Chandler's bitch somewhere else." Marcus snapped. Tony smiled, then nodded at me and left.

           

"I don't know what's gotten into people." I huffed, taking a drink of Marcus's beer. "Do I look weak or something?"

           

"No, it's just that you're probably the youngest person here." Marcus answered, taking the beer back from me. "I'll get you one for yourself."

           

"Am I really, like, the youngest person to come to one of these?" I asked looking around at the people here.

           

"Well, other than Chandler when he started coming to these, you are the youngest." Marcus answered shrugging. "Its no big deal though."

           

"Yeah, but then why is everyone making it like that?" I asked as he handed me a drink.

           

"Its only because people know you already. You're not just some random face in the crowd." Marcus sighed, "You're the new basketball star that the school paper is going to write about soon."

           

"Really?" I asked I hadn't heard anything about the school paper. I didn't know there was one. "They'll keep all of this out of it right?"

           

"Well, I would think so or they'd hear it from Coach." Marcus replied, "I'm not a star -- I'm barely on the team -- but you're the next big thing in this school, if you don't fuck it all up."

           

"Is what I'm doing right now fucking it all up?" I asked, starting to feel like I had been wrong all this time.

           

"Well, if it is, then I'm going down with you." Marcus joked, clanking his bottle to mine.

           

"You're so cheesy." I joked, smiling. "I'm glad you've accepted me and aren't trying to change me."

           

"Well, if anybody gives you shit about what you're doing, just know that they're too scared to do it themselves." Marcus stated, putting his arm around my shoulders. "So stop thinking that you're doing something wrong and lets have some fun."

           

"I don't dance." I said when I realized that Marcus was dragging me into the crowd of guys and a few girls who were dancing. Actually, they weren't really dancing, just jumping or touching other people. It was mostly an excuse to get close to a complete stranger and grope them for a song or two, then move on. I didn't want to be in the middle of anything like that.

           

"Neither do I, but today we're going to try." Marcus countered.

           

I tried getting out of his grasp.

           

"Stop blushing and start dancing."

           

"It's not really dancing really." I countered looking around. "More like a G-rated orgy."

           

"Only for a little bit, then we can go sit down and talk." Marcus pleaded, smiling.

           

"No," I responded shaking my head, "I don't dance."

           

"One song at least." Marcus urged, then started bopping his head in time with the music and moving my arms so that it looked like I was dancing.

           

"Fine, since I don't think I have a choice." I sighed. But I was surprised when Marcus pulled me into his body so our hips started hitting together. "That's not dancing, Marcus, that's humping."

           

"It's to music, Andy, so that means it's dancing." Marcus countered tightening the grip he had on my waist. Unless I wanted to make a scene, he had control of me. My body had to move with his no matter what I wanted it to do. I felt that people were looking at me but I was too afraid to turn around to catch them. I just looked at Marcus, trying to read the expression on his face. I couldn't understand what Tony said about him wanting to get into my pants to get back at Chandler. I hadn't really known Marcus at all before Chandler and I had broken it off; but he was on the basketball team and that's how we got to where we were today.

           

"Alright Marcus, keep the hands out from underneath my clothes." I ordered, laughing, as I felt warm, almost sweaty, hands run up the back of my shirt.

           

"Sorry." Marcus apologized, returning his hands back to my waist. "This is kinda hot."

           

"Hot?" I asked skeptically. "Well being in the middle of this mess of people it is kind of getting warm."

           

"That's not what I meant and you know it." Marcus countered in a voice that I hadn't heard from him.

           

"It's just sort of hard to think it's hot when I know I have over fifty people looking at me." I huffed, "God, how long is this song?"

           

"Well, you were so preoccupied with yourself we sort of started a new song about a minute ago." Marcus answered taking my hand and walking me out of the dancing crowd.

           

"Oh," I said, shrugging and looking around. "I'm sorry. I'm not very good at this whole openly gay thing."

           

"Well, it's not that you're good or bad, Andy, it's that you're too worried about these people -- who are just like you -- and what they are gonna say later." Marcus countered, "But that's okay."

           

"If you say so." I muttered, feeling bad that Marcus wasn't having as good a time as he wanted. "Could you get us some more drinks?"

           

"Alcoholic?" Marcus asked, letting go of my hand for what felt like the first time the whole night.

           

"That's what we're here for." I answered, smiling. Then he left me to go get the drinks. I didn't turn to look around at the people. I expected Tony to pop out of nowhere to tell me how bad a person I was, or to kidnap me and take me back to Chandler while Marcus was away. Part of me did feel bad about coming when I knew Chandler wasn't going to be here. What I had thought I wanted before wasn't really true right now. I was becoming a confused wreck. It seemed that dating and love was too far over my head for me to be able to comprehend what was right and what was wrong. I was beginning to think I was being selfish, only wanting what I thought felt good at the moment.

           

"Here you go." Marcus said, returning with two bottles of beer.

           

"Thanks." I offered, then smiled and started downing my drink until, finally, I had to stop to breathe.

           

"Slow down Andy." Marcus ordered gently, pulling my arm down so that I couldn't finish the last bit that I had left. "Are you okay?"

           

"I don't know, Marcus." I replied, frowning. "I don't know whether what I'm doing right now is right or wrong."

           

"It's only right or wrong based on the way you feel about it." Marcus offered shrugging. "If you're with Chandler and think something is happening between us then that's wrong."

           

"No, then. I'm not with Chandler." I countered shaking my head.

           

"Then is there something happening between you and me?" Marcus asked a little hopefully.

           

"I don't think so." I answered then watched as his face fell. "I mean we started this night knowing that we were going as friends, nothing else."

           

"I know, Andy." Marcus stated quickly. "What do you want to do now?"

           

"I don't know. This music is giving me a headache, though." I answered. Then he took my hand and led me down a quiet hallway into one of the bedroom. "Marcus, this is a bedroom."

           

"Think of it as a quiet place. You can trust me." Marcus offered, smiling. "I did bring us a few more beers, though."

           

"Oh, I don't think I want a third one." I stated, as I sat down on the neatly made bed.

           

"I want to kiss you." Marcus whispered looking down at his beer bottle in his hand.

           

"You what?" I asked before I could stop myself.

           

"You heard me, Andy." Marcus countered, "I know the rules. I just want to kiss you."

           

"But Marcus..." I started but trailed off, not knowing what to say next. I knew that a bedroom wasn't really a safe quiet place. "I don't think we should."

           

"Why not?" Marcus asked looking up at me.

           

"Because I might like it." I answered then had to look away.

           

"And what's wrong with liking it?" Marcus asked putting his beer bottle on the nightstand and turning so he could face me with his back resting on the headboard of the bed.

           

"Because I can't like it." I answered in a low voice.

           

"Because of Chandler?" Marcus asked, sounding a little annoyed. "He doesn't deserve you."

           

"And why do you think that you do?" I asked quickly looking up at him. "I'm not very special; and I may not be what you really want either."

           

"I'm just saying that he cheated on you." Marcus answered. Then he grabbed his beer bottle and finished off what was left in it before tossing it on the floor and opening another one.

           

"Yeah, but he cheated on me with you." I snapped, glaring at him. "So I don't think you have the right to say he doesn't deserve me."

           

"So you do like him don't you?" Marcus asked after a short pause.

           

"I don't know." I answered flatly.

           

"Give me a straight forward answer, Andy." Marcus ordered gently, turning my head to where he could see my face.

           

"Yes, I like Chandler." I stated.

           

He took his hand off my face. "Well then, I guess I'll see you at school." Marcus responded frowning.

           

"What?" I asked, "You can't leave right now! Not in the middle of this."

           

"Oh, I think its through, Andy. There isn't anything else to say." Marcus snapped standing up.

           

"We agreed that we were friends, Marcus. You're being stupid." I countered, crossing my arms. "I can't help it that I can't get over Chandler and move on to you -- just because it benefits you."

           

"Fuck you, Andy." Marcus snapped, "When are you going to realize that Chandler will just use you? You'll become this little piece for him; but it'll be too late by then."

           

"Too late for what?" I asked carefully.

           

"Too late for you and me." Marcus sighed looking at me frustrated.

           

"You're going to college next year Marcus. Our lives aren't closely tied together." I offered, reaching out to rub Marcus's arm, but he pushed my hand away.

           

"Don't." Marcus ordered. "Don't give me shit. That's not even the real reason."

           

"It is the real reason." I countered looking up at the ceiling. "I think I want that third beer now."

           

"I'm sorry, Andy, but I gotta go." Marcus stated after handing me the beer that I had asked for. He shrugged me off when I tried to stop him from getting off the bed. I tried following him so that I wouldn't be left behind there by myself, but I lost him.

           

"Shit." I hissed walking outside and watching Marcus speed off towards his house. I dialed Laura's number but only got her voice message. "Fuck, Laura, how am I supposed to call you when you have your phone off?"

           

"Hey." Some guy greeted from behind me that I hadn't noticed after walking outside.

           

"Uh hey." I responded after jumping slightly.

           

"Do you need a ride home?" He asked grabbing his car keys from his pants pocket.

           

"Are you serious?" I asked blinking a few times. "I don't even know you."

           

"I'm Jess." He responded offering his hand for me to shake.

           

"Well I still don't know you and I'm not getting in a car with you either." I countered shaking his hand.

           

"Suite yourself." Jess offered looking away. I walked past him back into the house. I felt cramped in here with all these people I didn't know. I looked briefly around for Luke, knowing that he was at least in my gym class, but I couldn't see him. I dialed Laura's number again but I didn't get her. Then I walked back into the bedroom Marcus and I had been in so that no one would notice that Marcus was no longer with me.

           

"God Marcus you're an ass." I hissed closing the door behind me. I walked over to sit on the bed. Then the door opened and Jess walked in and closed it behind him.

           

"Get out of here." I muttered

           

"You know, I thought you were cute so I followed you in here." Jess stated, looking around the room. "This is a nice room."

           

"I told you to leave." I snapped, dialing Chandler's number.

           

"Who you calling?" Jess asked as he noticed what I was doing. He started walking towards me. "I don't think you're going to be leaving anytime soon."

           

"How old are you?" I asked getting scared. "I'm only 14 leave me alone."

           

"Hang up the phone before I take it from you." Jess ordered pointing to the phone in my hand. I could hear Chandler speaking on the other end, but I was too scared to raise the phone to my face.

           

"Chandler help!" I screamed, hoping he heard me. Jess jumped on top of me, grabbed my phone and slammed it to the ground, shattering it to pieces.

"I told you to hang it up! Now you've pissed me off." Jess snapped. I knew I had made a big mistake.