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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
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Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
The Tull Unification - 6. Chapter 6
div>This chapter returns us to Nick Coronach. As stated originally, this is an ongoing story from different points of view. I encourage you to start with 'Jack in the Green' to get a grasp on all characters.Thanks to Cole for editing and suggestions, without whom this story would be far worse off.
The Tull Unification: Nick Coronach
I walked along the crumbling sidewalk towards the school and allowed my mind to wander to Matt. Nothing was perfect, but he might be as close as it gets. I sometimes wonder, like I was right now, if he'd ruined any other guy for me. Not that I wanted to look elsewhere, but I was definitely feeling as though he was my better half in just about every way. For instance, when we started seeing one another he took things very slowly – partially from his poor experience with Peter, but also because I hadn't dated before. It was a level of caring that came from experience. True, he was only one boyfriend ahead of me, but I worried that he'd tire of me. A cool breeze kicked up; the mornings were still somewhat brisk.
A heavy horse and a tumbling sky, brewing heavy weather.
I glanced up at the leaden sky and agreed with Charlie; it did look like heavy weather. Charlie and I still traded barbs, although I was nearly certain it was my brain playing tricks on me. Of course, there was a kinder interpretation. Someone once told me that prayer was a wonderful way to reflect, that speaking to God was like having a chat session with yourself. In some ways, Charlie had stepped in for God and I shared my worries, my thoughts and my song lyrics with him.
Matt was a Tull fan, but not nearly as hard core as Charlie and I had been. Matt had quickly tired of our lyric game and, after I'd make a quote and wait expectantly, he would just smile and ask if that was a Tull line. I would stop then, as I felt that habit was getting old with him. In some ways it felt like I was fighting to keep Matt rather than simply enjoying his company and dating him. Not that I wasn't enjoying dating him. It's just that I spent an awful lot of time worrying that it would end.
I crossed the street and the grassy median to the school proper and spotted Matt standing with the new guy. Colin. My chest tightened just the slightest in worry and I appraised Colin as I closed the gap. He was nice enough looking, although he didn't dress to impress. He was quiet, not speaking in the GSA meetings, but Matt had taken him under his wing, or maybe pulling him under his wing would be more accurate; after all, Matt went to Colin not the other way around. Reasonably I knew it was to protect him from Peter, but my less reasonable side saw him as my replacement.
Colin had some cute dimples that appeared when he smiled. He'd done that while joining us for lunch, just small nervous smiles. He'd gotten comfortable with Matt – who wouldn't? – and now he was talking to him alone.
So why are you holding my hand tonight? I'm not intending to go far away.
I sighed. Yes, Charlie, I know. I stepped up and took heart from the spark in Matt's eyes as he caught sight of me.
“Babe,” he said before giving me a hug.
“Morning,” I said in return and pecked his lips. I glanced at Colin, so as not to be seen as rude, and nodded to him.
“Morning, Nick,” he said while bobbing his head.
“So, what were you two cooking up?” I asked diffidently.
“Colin has a stalker,” Matt said with a sigh.
“What?”
“Well, uh,” Colin stammered.
“Show him,” Matt suggested.
I glanced at Colin out of curiosity and he fumbled his phone out of his pocket. As he entered a password he tried to speak.
“I...well, I thought...it just didn't make sense to me...” He handed me the phone and I took it with curiosity. I read through the text and my eyes widened. I felt relief, stupidity and a healthy dose of guilt as my brain processed the text and its meaning. I glanced at Colin from the corner of my eye and noted that he was nervous – and then it occurred to me that, perhaps, my jealousy and insecurity about Matt might not be as cleverly disguised as I'd thought.
Stalker: 'Hey...there's 21 letters in the alphabet, right?'
Colin: 'No. There's 26, but I had to stop and count in my head.'
Stalker: 'Oh, I forgot U, R, A, Q, T.'
I couldn't help but smile a little. Sure, it was silly but kind of cute at the same time.
Colin: 'Cute, Matt. Keep it up and I'll tell Nick on you :-)'
Colin: 'I hope Nick didn't fall for that, you never did mention how you got him.'
Okay, Colin got a few points in my book.
Stalker: 'Did you mention you lost your phone today?'
Colin: 'No, I'd be too afraid.'
Colin: 'Matt, I haven't told you but I'm a foster child.'
Colin: 'My foster dad wants to adopt me. I'm not sure, but I think I want that too and don't want to upset him. I'm afraid if I'd lost the phone he'd think I was irresponsible and not want me.'
Oh, wow. I suddenly felt uncomfortable and could imagine what Colin felt like, watching me read the intimate details of his life.
Stalker: 'I don't think that would happen; people lose stuff all the time. Hell, they have a cell commercial out now that shows people dropping their phones in food, toilets...'
Colin: 'Yeah, maybe. I didn't want to be adopted, before. Now, I don't know...I just know I don't want to leave. Kind of scares me.'
Stalker: 'They'd be nuts to not want you.'
Colin: 'Matt, are you flirting again? I was serious about telling Nick.'
More guilt flooded me. Could I have been more wrong about Colin's intentions with Matt?
Stalker: 'I'm not Matt. You have a secret admirer, Colin.'
The upshot was that Colin had thought Matt had been texting him – and teasing him, maybe flirting - and had told him he'd tell me. Of course, that all came crashing down with the final lines of text, letting him know that the sender wasn't Matt. I glanced up at the number and noted it wasn't Matt's. Jesus! Like I needed further confirmation! Not only that, this was a deeply personal look at Colin – being a foster child and up for adoption. He'd just handed me his phone and didn't mind that I saw, that I knew. Jesus, I'm an asshole.
There's a beast upon my shoulder and a fiend upon my back.
I closed my eyes for a moment and cursed Charlie. But he was right, if I didn't get this green eyed monster out of my system I really would risk losing Matt.
“Do you recognize the number?” I asked Matt as I turned the screen to him.
“It kind of looks familiar,” he said and, with a quick glance at Colin to ensure he wasn't looking at him, Matt turned his head to me and shook it subtly.
“Well,” I said, “at least I know Colin isn't trying to steal you from me.”
“What? No!” Colin said and then punctuated his discomfiture by bobbling his phone and nearly dropping it to the sidewalk. “I'd never do that, you guys are my...friends.”
“Well, as your friends, we'll help you solve this,” I said. Mayhem, maybe. Shut up, Charlie.
We broke up and headed to our respective homerooms and I sat and thought on what might be running through Matt's mind. That shake of the head told me he knew something about that phone number. But why keep quiet if he knew who it was? That, I thought, was a good question. Could it be Peter's number? I tried to recall the details of the text and to decide if it seemed like Peter's style and dismissed it. Peter wasn't playful; he was forceful and obnoxious. I knew Peter had hit on Colin and, with my new knowledge, felt an additional ton of guilt hit me.
Things had been hard when Charlie died. It doesn't take a lot to put me back in his room having that final conversation; to feel that overwhelming sadness. Charlie put Matt and me together, pushed me out of the closet and when he died I lost the greatest friend I'd ever known. Frowning to myself, I also admitted he was the biggest pain in the ass I'd ever known. But, in the final equation, Charlie had loved me and I'd loved him.
I had people to help me with my loss. My parents were there, of course, and the shrink I saw. I didn't like to admit it, but the shrink had been a good thing. I even made peace with talking to Charlie because of the shrink. I had Matt's support and, by extension, the GSA's as well. Now I put myself in Colin's shoes. He wouldn’t have had the support I’d had. All his underpinning would have been stripped away. He’d have to have been living with the confusion and fear of possibly being adopted or being sent away. To make it worse, he had no one to help him through – no parents, no Charlie.
I felt as though a haze had lifted off my brain with the realization that I could be Colin's Charlie, that I could make a difference that might mean everything to him. This had the side benefit, it occurred to me, that I wouldn't obsess over losing Matt if I could put some energy into trying to be a good friend. I must know how to be a friend, otherwise why would Charlie have been such a good one to me?
Do you wonder if I really care for you?
No. I just sometimes wonder why you did, Charlie.
I set about trying to figure out the best way to help Colin, but progress was slow due to the teachers who wanted to, you know, teach. I got a few minutes at the end of each class and I kept a list on the inside of my notebook that I could add to as time allowed. Normally I'd have made notes on my phone but I'd been warned so many times during the course of the year about using it in school that I didn't want to risk having it taken away.
First, I needed to find out what Matt knew about that phone number. I mentally flipped through his friends but didn't see any connections. That and most of Matt's friends were girls. Wait, maybe Colin's stalker was a girl? Had Emily finally lost her shit and begun stalking a gay guy instead of just awkwardly hitting on one? Why did she do that anyway? Does she think she's practicing? Is it safe for her because she knows the outcome before she starts?
Wow, was I off track.
Second, I needed to let Colin know he could talk to me. I had initially thought Colin was letting me in willingly by showing me what was on his phone, but in retrospect he had handed me the information at Matt's prompting. I needed to show a little compassion for him and a little less paranoia that he was going to steal my boyfriend. This had to be more than just words, though. I had to spend some time with him and actually work at this friendship thing.
I got in line for lunch behind Matt and pushed my hands into the front pockets of his jeans. He leaned back and turned his head towards me.
“Babe.”
“That sounds so...possessive,” I replied.
“Is that a bad thing?” he asked.
“Not coming from you,” I replied.
“Mr. Coronach! Hands off!” I turned my head to see Coach McKinnon scowling at me. I pulled my hands back, reluctantly, but dragged my fingertips against him on my way out. Coach turned his scowl much farther down the line. “Miss Edmonds! Lips to yourself!”
“So what do you know about that number that was texting Colin?” I asked.
“I know the number, I just wanted to try and figure things out before I said anything to Colin.”
“Were you going to tell me?” I asked, a little petulantly.
“Well, yeah,” he said while bumping me. “I need an independent opinion.”
“Jesus, I just sounded like a jealous little bitch, didn't I?” I whined.
“Well, about that...” the conversation was cut short as we'd reached the servers and began placing our lunch orders. His last words were banging around in my head and I was working myself into a froth. As soon as we paid I fell in beside him and began to apologize as discreetly as I could. After all, I didn't want everyone to hear how paranoid and needy I was.
“Matt, I'm sorry. It's been on my mind a lot and I know it can't be easy dating a guy that is so freaking insecure...” I babbled. Matt pushed his way through the double doors to the outdoor tables and sat. I was still talking, but I had no idea what words I'd said as my mind was pounding out one thought: he's dumping you.
“Babe,” he said. That's all he had to say and I fell silent. I felt my face redden and I looked down at my food.
“You're dumping me. Aren't you?” I stated.
“Wow. That escalated fast,” Matt replied. I risked a glance at him only to find him chewing. Here I was freaking out about him – my perfect boyfriend – dumping me and he was eating his lunch?
“I know, I know. I'm aware I've got some...issues. But I...”
“Babe.”
“Matt, please, just...”
“Babe.”
“If I could just, you know...”
“I love you.”
“Matt I...you...”
“Yeah, I do.” He shrugged and covered one hand with the other and dangled his fork from his fingertips as he regarded me. “I know you're freaking out a little. Partly it's because we have a good thing. I would like it – a lot – if you trusted me more, though.”
“I trust you completely!” I replied without hesitation.
“Really?” he asked while raising an eyebrow. “How about this morning when you made that crack about Colin trying to steal me away from you?”
“Well...” I shifted uncomfortably. “He could make a play for you. Could have made one, I mean.”
“Okay, let's say – just for a second – that Colin wanted to date me. Just for a second!” Matt pointed at me. “In order for it to mean anything I'd have to say yes, don't you think?”
“I...well, yeah,” I said quietly. “I...I've been afraid that...I've been spending a lot of time thinking you might get tired of me.” Damn that was hard to say.
“Look, you and I are still figuring it all out. You and Charlie? You had Tull and that little game. I'm not as big into it, but then Tull isn't our thing. I don't know what our thing is yet, but that's cool. What I'm saying is,” he put his fork down and reached across the table to cover one of my hands, “relax. Give us some time to grow. You're a sweet guy, you're good looking and I know you care about me and other people. Give it some time, babe.”
“You're fucking amazing, you know that?” I replied.
“I know,” he smiled and pulled his hand back. I reached out quickly and took his hand which drew a wry grin from him. I wanted to say it but felt kind of overwhelmed, so I let my eyes do the talking for me.
We sat like that for a few frozen, delicate moments before Matt's eyes shifted and he grinned. “It's okay, Colin, you can sit.”
“It's okay, I can find another place. I don't want to interrupt...whatever this is.”
“Just telling my boyfriend I love him. I can do that anytime,” Matt said with a chuckle.
“Oh. Oh, I see. Well,” I heard Colin's shoes shuffling uncertainly. I turned to look at him over my shoulder and smiled.
“Come on, Colin, before Peter sees you all alone.”
“That's not funny,” Colin said with the smallest of smiles. He placed his tray on our table and sat, quickly followed by Emily and others of our circle. I decided to try and hang out with Colin after school, just to move this 'friend' thing forward. I needed to get to know him so I could see if I liked him, not just felt sorry for him. Trying to take this on objectively, with the reinforcement I now felt from Matt's words, I didn't think it would be hard to like Colin. Now, who could his secret admirer be?
Matt had a dentist appointment after school, so as lunch ended I made arrangements with Colin to meet after school. I waited out front with my pack slung on one shoulder. Why is it that the same pack gets so heavy after a while? It's as if it slowly gains in weight until it becomes unbearable and you have to move it to the other shoulder which starts the process all over again. I scanned the crowd for Colin, idly appreciating the prettier faces in the crowd. I took a deep breath, held it for just a moment and then let it out slowly. I felt so much better after Matt had talked to me. I think the upshot of that was that I need to talk to him more, that whole 'communication' thing people are always making such a big deal about.
I noticed Colin's hoodie first, something I thought he wore like armor from the rest of the school population. I noticed he'd put the hood down when he sat with us at lunch and, I imagined, if he was told to in class. But outside he wore it like a helmet. Or, maybe his head was cold. He waved at me as he approached, his smile broadened and his dimples became more pronounced.
“Hi, Nick.”
“Colin, how was class?” I asked while extending a fist for him to bump.
“It was,” he said as he tapped my fist with his. “So what's up?”
“Matt's got an appointment so I figured I could take some time to get to know our newest friend,” I replied and shrugged. “Besides, you may need protecting if your stalker shows up.”
“Uh,” Colin's face froze.
“I was kidding,” I said but paused, thinking out loud. “Although, I guess whoever it is must know you from school, right? I guess they could be on your bus.”
“Nick, not helping,” Colin replied flatly.
“Well...” I said with a smile, “It does if you need me here to watch your back.”
He twisted his mouth in an attempt to not laugh at me and muttered, “Point. There's my bus.”
“It's mine too, actually, when I choose to ride,” I said.
“Really? I've never seen you.”
“Sometimes I catch a ride in with my dad and I go to Matt's a lot after school, or there's this hangout we go to. It's not too far to walk home,” I replied.
We mounted the steps and settling in about halfway back. I was suddenly stuck with a lack of conversational topics that would be okay to have on the bus; my mind was dominated with a discussion about his status and the reasons that brought him there and his stalker.
“So...how did you and Matt meet?” Colin asked.
So, I told him about Charlie.
Let's go living in the past. Yeah, let's do that.
The bus doors wheezed shut behind us and Colin was goggling at me.
“He recorded you? Seriously?”
“Yeah. Charlie was more devil than he was angel, but there was enough angel in him that he mostly did the right thing.”
“The way he did it though...” Colin shook his head.
“Yeah, his methods kind of sucked, sometimes. But he was a good soul. He and I had this game – have you ever heard of Jethro Tull?”
“Yeah,” Colin replied, dragging out the word.
“Why do you say it like that?” I asked as I came to a stop. He turned to face me and cocked his head off to one side.
“It's just kind of a weird coincidence. That band seems to be involved in my life in the weirdest way.”
“What do you mean?” I asked and smiled widely as Colin blushed. He started to turn and I held him in place with just a touch to his arm. “Oh no, come on!”
“It's not that big a deal,” he said with a nervous laugh.
“Come on, I told you plenty. Give,” I said with a light poke.
“Well, there was this guy,” he began.
“The best stories start like this,” I said while rubbing my hands with glee – strictly for effect, mind you.
“His name was March.”
“Like March, The Mad Scientist?” I asked with far too much fan-boy enthusiasm.
“Actually, yeah. You know that song?”
“Please,” I said with a wave of my hand. “Continue.”
“Yeah...so, March was from this liberal kind of family. He was going to our school on a scholarship – it was something political, I don't know exactly why, but the school kind of had to take him. He was...”
“Wait, wait,” I pulled him to the curb and sat down, patting the concrete next to me. Colin sat with a curious expression on his face. “You're about to describe this hot guy, right? I want all the details. Like, don't just say he was hot. Tell me everything.”
“Are you like some kind of voyeur?” Colin asked.
“No, I don't travel much. Now, get on with the describing.”
With an uncertain frown and my hand making a hurry up motion, he started to talk. Then, as he started to describe March he stopped seeing me and was drawn into his own memory, his eyes taking on a faraway look.
“He was so different from the rest of us. Our school uniforms were worn identically, all our haircuts were short enough to not need a comb and our ties were knotted freshly every morning. But March had long hair – chin length – and it fell straight from the crown of his head. He used a clip on tie and, one time when it had fallen or was annoying him, he had tucked it in his pocket. Mr...well, it doesn't matter, but the teacher told him to put it on so he clipped it to the pocket of his button-up.”
I smiled at the wise guy response and the realization of how well that had gone over in such a straight laced environment.
“He had kind of gray-green eyes, I guess. A few zits on his face but he had this walk...”
“Yeah?” I prompted.
“It was just...I didn't realize it then, people talk about it now – that whole 'leg-gap' thing?”
“Yep, Matt has it. Two beautiful, fantastic long legs instead of thighs that rub together like sticks trying to start a fire.”
“Uh. Yeah, anyway,” Colin smiled at my enthusiasm. I think. “So he had this confident walk and I found myself just...watching him as he walked...anywhere.” His face colored just a bit in the cheeks and then he continued.
“It was the first time I could remember feeling that way. He was in the choir – well, we all were – and he sang pretty well. But he would put his headphones on after practice and sing to himself as he waited on the front steps for his ride. The songs were so...different from what I was used to. My parents had stuff that was very mellow, very...conservative. It had its moments, but what came out of his mouth...” He wet his lips, glanced at me and then back out to the road.
“He sang this song, 'Hunting Girl'? I had to look it up to make sure I'd heard him right but...it was about a blow job, right?”
“Well, it was about sex with this highborn lady, yeah. I mean, technically, she got head given to her not the other way around.”
“I was listening to him sing about sex and I was,” he moved his lips, perhaps hunting for the right word before blurting out, “it was just so freaking hot! My mind was on overload going from watching his butt in the hallways to thinking about full blown sex!”
Her standing over me on my knees underneath...underneath!
“I can understand that,” I nodded.
“I ended up talking to him about the band and loved it, just loved it.”
“So...what happened?”
He shrugged, “Nothing. The school managed to expel him for something and I didn't see him anymore. He was my first big crush, but in another sense my realization that I was gay came from Jethro Tull.”
“That's awesome. Matt and I are fans too, and of course I told you about Charlie and our game.”
“Yeah. Look, I have to get home, my dad...I mean, Mike will wonder what happened to me. I, uh...would you want to come over for a little bit?”
“Yeah, sure. So, listen,” I tried to come up with a decent way to ask about his situation. I wanted to be sensitive and not chase him off or overwhelm him. Maybe if I shared something personal, I could ask more of him? We had traded a bit, since I'd shared Charlie with him and he'd shared March. Maybe we could share things that went a little deeper.
“I still talk to Charlie,” I said softly.
“You mean, like, you go to his grave?” he asked.
“No. Just, in my head,” I said with a smile and pointing to my noggin. “I think up Tull lines for things, our game, and I can still hear him laugh. I talk to him about what's bothering me or...you know, stuff he would have liked.”
“You keep him close, like he's a part of you every day,” Colin said with certainty.
“Yeah. I don't think I can bear to let him go, entirely.”
“That's cool. I hope I have a friend like that, someday.”
“Yeah. Thing is,” I stopped and looked up at the house he was leading me to, the house where I'd had that last horrible conversation. Colin lived in Charlie's house.
“You okay?”
“Uh, yeah. Colin I think I'm going to have to do this another day,” I said, looking up and down the street – anywhere but at the house.
“Did I...say something?” Colin asked hesitantly.
So here's hoping you have faith in impossible schemes.
“No,” I said quietly as I brought my eyes around to look at the house again. For the millionth time I wondered if Charlie was all in my head or if he was out there in the ether working on my behalf. I turned my eyes to Colin's nervous expression and said, “This was Charlie's home.”
“Oh,” he said with eyes going wide. “I didn't know.”
“Yeah. It's weird.” The wind stirred and leaves swirled, tiny leaves from a dying bush. They fell like dry rain. I glanced at the sun and was seized by a song and said aloud – so Charlie and Colin could hear - “The rain wasn't made of water and the snow didn't have a place in the sun.”
Colin's brow wrinkled in thought and then he said, uncertainly, “So I slipped behind a rainbow?”
“Colin, Charlie would have approved of you. Can I meet your dad?”
“My...he's not. I mean...” Colin licked his lips.
“Colin,” I said as I placed a hand on his shoulder. “There is something, like, cosmic going on here. Charlie and I loved Tull. Matt is a fan and now here you are, not only a fan but Tull made you come out – at least to yourself. You live in Charlie's old house. Listen, is your dad a Tull fan?”
Colin's eyes widened, “Yeah.”
“Dude, it's like we're all being unified under Tull.” Is that you, Charlie? Are you responsible for this?
“That's kind of out there. I mean,” Colin looked down and spoke to his shoes. “I don't know if Mike really feels like he's going to want to keep me here.”
He slowly raised his eyes in response to my silence. I was trying to work out what to say, how to make my impression that this was all, somehow, ordained. Of course, I'd like to get that point across and not sound like I was a few fries short of a Happy Meal. Before I found something satisfactory to say the door opened and a man began to step through the door before jolting to a stop.
“Colin!” The man's hands pulled Colin in quickly for a hug that seemed to be born out of worry more than anything else. Holding Colin at arms length as quickly as he'd pulled him in the man continued. “Where have you been? It's not a meeting day, I was so worried! I called the bus company and I called the school...”
“I'm sorry. I was talking with...with a friend.” Colin said. The man seemed to realize I was there and relaxed his panicked hold on Colin.
“Oh. Oh!” He turned to give Colin an appraising glance. I wasn't stupid, I knew what that look meant.
“Hi, I'm Nick and I have a boyfriend named Matt. Colin and I really are just friends.”
The man's jaw hung for a moment before he laughed and Colin just blushed. He extended his hand, “I'm...”
“Colin's dad, I know,” I said shaking his hand and not allowing him the chance to call himself anything but Colin's dad. I felt his grip spasm on my hand. His eyes flashed to Colin and I knew, then, that what had registered to him was the idea that Colin told his friends that he was his dad. His face broke into a smile and I could swear there was a little mistiness in his eyes.
“Well, won't you come in, Nick?” he said and I followed Colin inside. I trailed my fingers around the doorframe knowing that, as soon as I was inside, things would be different. New furniture, new pictures on the wall.
Doesn't everyone have their own Rock Island?
Yes, they did, Charlie. I'd be your life raft out of here but you'd only drift right back to your Rock Island.
“So, tell me about this phone number,” I said. I balanced my cell in the crook of my shoulder while pretending to work on my math homework.
“Well, I recognized the number. I'm just a little conflicted about how to deal with it.”
I closed my book, this was far more interesting. “Do tell.”
“Well, you remember my friend Wyatt?”
“Um,” I thought about the people Matt had introduced me to and when I finally came up with Wyatt's face I felt my face frown. “That uptight guy? The one who got all defensive about – what? Peter or something, right?”
“Yeah, that's the one,” Matt confirmed.
“Wait. I thought he was straight?”
“Some people wear Crocs. Everyone makes mistakes.”
“Ha, very funny. For the record, I do not own a pair of Crocs,” I said while lifting the offending footwear from my closet and heading towards the garbage bin.
Anyway, I'm pretty sure Wyatt is in the closet. Remember when he brought Colin's phone to him at lunch the other day?”
“Yeah...”
“The text asked if he'd told his dad he'd lost his phone, remember? So it had to be someone from our table,” Matt reasoned.
“Shit, you think that's how he got Colin's number? You don't think he stole his phone just to get his number, do you? I mean, that's kind of romantic.” I hesitated, “In a creepy, stalker-like kind of way.”
“Well, it would be out of character for Wyatt to break a rule like that. But there is some circumstantial stuff to support my theory: like remember Colin saying Wyatt borrowed a pen from him?”
“No, although that's so fascinating I can't think why I wouldn't remember such witty repartee,” I replied while rolling my eyes.
“Well, normally I'd agree with you, wise guy,” Matt laughed. “But it makes more sense if you know Wyatt. He keeps spare bags of pens in his locker. He has a first aid kit. Granola bars and water. He is the very definition of being prepared. I think, though, he wasn't prepared for Colin. So, yeah, I think he's got the hots for our buddy.”
"But stealing his phone? That's kind of douchey.”
“True, can't argue that – if that's what he did. Either way, I think he tried to be slick with his 'secret admirer' act, but didn't expect Colin to drop that personal stuff on him.”
“Yeah. I wonder if he thinks that was a bad idea yet?”
“If I know Wyatt, he's paralyzed. He has no idea what to do now because you can't plan to step in shit like this. The zombie apocalypse? He's ready. Falling for Colin? Blew his mind.”
“So...should we tell Colin? Or should we talk to Wyatt?”
“Hmm.” Matt exhaled heavily into the phone and said slowly, “If we tell Colin, which we probably should just do so we're not, you know, hiding things from him...what does that do?”
“Well, our only solid piece of evidence is the phone number, right? Are you absolutely sure that's his number?” I asked while laying back on my bed.
I heard him moving and a door swinging on its hinges as he replied, “Yeah, I'm sure. Unless his folks took his phone away and, somehow, someone else in our school got his old number, it's him.”
“I just had a horrible thought,” I giggled. “What if it's Wyatt's mom or something?” Matt burst out laughing and I joined him. A hand hit my door, reminding me I was supposed to be doing my homework. I called out that I was getting back to it and moved back to my desk.
“I think we have to assume it's his. If I talk to Wyatt, I might be able to help him come up with a better game plan. What do you think Colin would do if we told him who was messaging him?”
“Well, I think I'd rather tell him. I got a really good vibe when I was with him and I don't want to shake his trust in us.”
“A good vibe? You were jealous of him this morning - accused him of trying to break us up. What gives?”
“Charlie,” I said simply. “He also lives in Charlie's old house. There is something big working here, Matt.”
“Okay.”
“Really, I'm serious.”
“If you think so,” he replied.
“Don't you believe me?” I asked softly.
“I think...well, I think there's a lot of things I don't know. Who am I to say that Charlie doesn't talk to you? I just hope you and I get as close as you and Charlie were.”
“It's different with us, Matt. Charlie was my friend and I loved him like a brother. I love you in a totally different way.”
“You love me?”
“Duh.”
“You never said it before. I'm...wow, this feels great. Better than great.”
It was during this tender moment that I heard a distinct noise, echoing off walls and bouncing through the speaker and into my ear. I pulled the phone back from my head, looking at it with a wrinkled nose and said, loudly, “Where are you?”
“Pooping.”
“Are you...Matt!”
“What?”
“Were you saying you felt great about pooping or me saying I love you?”
“Well...”
“Matt!”
“You, of course! Pooping feels good but you only get to hear your boyfriend say he loves you for the first time once.”
“If you say pooping one more time, I'm hanging up.”
“I'm sorry!” he said through his giggles, “If I'd known you were going to say it I'd have planned better.”
“I was saving saying that for a special occasion,” I sniffed.
“Like when I wasn't on the toilet?”
I hung up on his laughter. Jesus, is this what girls go through when they date guys?
Feedback is always welcome at dabeagle at dabeagle dot com
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
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