Not made for each other - 26. Friends with Secrets-II

span>I’m back with a new chapter. Enjoy 

Chapter 26: Friends with Secrets-II

At around nine, I left the library and headed towards Carol’s place. I always carry a spare key to Carol’s place in my wallet, so I didn’t need to knock or ring the doorbell. I opened the door and then shut it once I was inside. I started walking towards the living room. As soon as I got there, I gasped at the scene in front of me.

On the couch I saw a half-naked Carol who was sprawled all over an equally half-naked Mich. Carol was busy assaulting Mich’s breasts with her mouth, and her hands were roaming around somewhere under Mich’s skirt while Mich was moaning in pleasure and appreciation.

“This is not happening,” I tried to convince myself and then chuckled in disbelief. When Carol and Mich finally saw me, they fumbled on the couch searching for their clothes. I immediately turned around to give them some privacy. “This is so not happening.”

“What the fuck are you doing here?!’ Carol sounded pissed off.

“I thought I’d spend the night with my friend. I had no idea you would be busy tonight,” I explained, rubbing my hand over my forehead. My head was spinning now.

“We’re done,” Carol said as she nervously glanced over at Mich.

I turned around slowly. They were properly clothed, but their demeanor, their messed up hair, their shaky breaths, their swollen lips, and the numerous hickeys on their necks were enough to depict what was going on in here a minute ago.

“So this is your way to have a girl’s day out.” There was no trace of judgment in my tone.

“It’s not what it looks like.” Carol started to justify herself and I couldn’t hold back my laugh. This was the third time I was listening to that line ‘it’s not what it looks like’ in a single day. I guess it was either a hickey-day today or a surprise-the-shit-out-of-your-friend day. I was still laughing hard. “Have you gone mad?” Carol probably thought I had lost my mind.

“I need a break. I need to sleep. We’ll talk about it tomorrow.” Once my laugh stopped, I began climbing up the stairs towards Carol’s room.

“Zune?” I knew what Mich was worried about.

I didn’t bother to turn back but responded right away. “Don’t worry girls; I won’t disclose a single detail about your girl’s day out to anyone. Good night.”

I entered Carol’s room and locked the door behind me. Let the bitch sleep on the couch tonight. I hope she enjoys that couch tonight as much as she was enjoying being on it a few minutes ago. I chuckled and surrendered myself to Carol’s comfy bed. My mind was exhausted; it didn’t take but a moment to fall asleep. I slept like a log the whole night.

***

The next morning Carol came to me and told me what actually happened between her and Michelle. She revealed that her Uncle Matt informed her that Daryl wanted to meet with her one last time. She decided to end this chapter of her life once and for all and agreed to meet him. Similarly, Michelle wanted to meet her ex, Mila, for the last time to make her peace with their whole break-up, so both of them made up their minds to accompany each other.

They went to see Daryl in prison yesterday, which left Carol feeling overwhelmed, and then they visited Mila, who came to meet them with her new girlfriend, which turned Mich into a cornball. Later, they moped around the city and got a few drinks on their way back to Carol’s house. They were already emotionally unstable; a few drinks, the closed confines of Carol’s living room, and the sudden proximity to each other worked as a fuel, and sparks shot out between them. One thing led to another, and they ended up the way I found them on the couch.

I didn’t ask or say anything about this whole chapter in Carol’s life because it was something she needed to figure out on her own, but I was determined to talk about it with her in the presence of Jake and Steph, at our secret spot tonight.

I texted Ed to bring my bag to college as the books I needed for today were in there. Then I got a text from Jake informing us that he won’t be able to attend any of his classes today, and he would let us know about it tonight at our secret spot.

Carol and I left for college, and we picked up Steph on our way. Every other minute they were both giving me that look that said, ‘don’t-you-dare-to-say-a-word-about-what-you-saw-yesterday’. I rolled my eyes and mentally brushed off their presence around me.

When I got to school I found that Ed had left my bag with one of my classmates.

***

When I arrived at our usual table during lunch, I found Ed sitting there alone. No one else seemed to be around. Where the hell was everyone?

I walked cautiously towards Ed and sat across from him, looking everywhere but at him. We sat there for more than thirty minutes…in utter silence. It meant we were back to ignoring each other. It was damn convenient and excruciating at the same time. It was like we were in detention. We had many fights before but nothing which could have left such a serious impact on our friendship. If anyone would have asked me the reason behind this fiasco between us, I wouldn’t have an appropriate answer, because honestly, I didn’t know. Maybe it was Alisha, or maybe it was my irrational behavior, or maybe it was Ed’s stupidity; I had no fucking clue.

I was the first one to leave the table. I had no class after lunch today, so I texted Carol that I was going to the library and would meet her, Steph, and Jake at our usual spot around seven.

I spent the rest of my day peacefully among the ancient books.

***

At five minutes past seven I arrived at the secluded park which was our secret spot for our Friday meetings. Jake, Steph, and Carol were already there.

Like every Friday, Steph brought mats and blankets, and Carol fetched some booze while Jake got us sandwiches, and as usual, I was empty-handed.

“Where the hell were you guys today? None of you showed up at lunch. You guys could have dropped me a message.” I couldn’t hold back the hint of an accusation in my tone.

“I…had that tutoring job a bit early today,” Steph croaked.

I chuckled. “Seriously?”

“And I had to take care of something urgent.” Carol avoided my gaze.

I was amazed with their blunt lies. “Are you kidding me?” I snorted and sat down on the mat beside Jake.

“What’s going on in here?” Jake asked glancing at each one of us.

“Ask them,” I replied, eyeing Steph and then Carol.

Jake furrowed his brows in anticipation. “Steph? Carol? What is Zune talking about?”

Carol took a deep breath. “I went to meet Daryl yesterday for the last time. Mich also wanted to see Mila and so she could get over her once and for all. We decided to accompany each other. We were both pretty shaken up when we were done with Daryl and Mila, so we had a few drinks on our way back to my house.”

“And?” Jake pressed.

“And then we ended up having a full-fledged make-out session until Zune came in out of nowhere,” Carol finished, staring at me with contempt.

“You had sex with Mich?!” Steph sounded worried. “You know what she’s going through, and you still did something with her?” Here began the blaming game.

“Oh hello, it was not sex; we just made out, and I never forced anything on her. One thing led to another and it happened on its own, not that I regret it.” Carol seemed damn sure about what she was saying.

“What do you mean you don’t regret it?” Steph asked further.

“It means, dumbass, I liked it. I liked it pretty much. If you want to know the details, I liked kissing the hell out of her. I liked sucking her tits. I liked the way she shuddered when my hand traveled down her hips. I liked—”

Steph showed his hand to her, palm out. “No graphic details please.”

“So you want to date her now?” Jake asked with a bit of uncertainty in his voice.

“Definitely. I couldn’t think of anything else but invading her mouth with mine, and once I thought about it last night I figured out that I’ve liked her for quite a few months now. She’s intelligent. She could stand up against me, as opposed to you guys who are afraid of me. She has a way to get through to me. Her chubbiness adds to her cuteness and for me she’s just beautiful. And that she’s an even better kisser is a bonus.”

“It’s a lot to take in,” Steph confessed. “Are you sure about it?”

Carol shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. “I wouldn’t have said those things unless I was sure, duh!”

“I mean, you were straight until yesterday, and now all of a sudden you’re bisexual?” Steph sounded confused.

“Pretty much. Look, guys, I never believed in labels. I have never felt anything for girls before, but what I felt for Mich yesterday was unique. I realized that her presence around me gives me that tingling feeling which makes me smile involuntarily. Her touch makes me feel like every nerve in my body is on Viagra.” Carol and her big mouth were the epitome of shamelessness, this was more than enough information to send a sane person into the abyss of coma.

“You do know that you sound disgusting, don’t you?” I asked forcing a faux smile on my face.

“That’s me, you guys.” Carol flashed her promiscuous smile.

“Did you talk about this whole dating-Mich scenario with Mich?” Jake asked narrowing his gaze.

Carol reclined on the mat with her hands behind her head. “Yeah, I talked about it with her during lunch; that’s why we were not at our usual table today.”

“What did she say?” Steph seemed afraid to hear her next words.

“She’ll think about it and tell me before this coming weekend, though I can bet she’s gonna say yes.” Carol appeared pretty confident.

I rolled over on the mat on my stomach and propped up my elbows, staring at Carol. “And you’re so sure because?”

“Because I see the way she looks at me. I know the things my touch does to her. I can feel the happiness radiate through her when I’m around her,” she explained, lost in her wonderland.

Steph smirked and shook his head. “You have it bad, Carol. Now I’m more worried about you than Mich.” We all laughed softly.

I eyed Steph who, all of a sudden, seemed tense. He glanced at me, I rose my left brow exaggeratedly, and he nodded letting out a long breath. “I need to tell you guys something too.” He had everyone’s attention.

“What is it, Steph? Did you wet your pants last night?” Carol joked. Jake poked her arm to shut her up. She winced a bit but finally decided to curb her comments.

“I…I have no tutoring job. I was lying this whole time when I told you I was tutoring some guy.” Steph exhaled a shaky breath and continued in a timid voice. “I’ve been sleeping with Kev for the past nine months.”

Carol’s eyes bulged out. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

Jake was just staring at him in awe. “How? Why? When? Are you…are you guys in a relationship? And why the hell didn’t you ever tell us about it?”

“The night Zune told Kev that he didn’t love him anymore, Kev got drunk and came to my house to apologize for what he did to me. I lashed out at him and then he kissed me. We had sex that night for the very first time.”

“But you told me you threw him out of your house?” I asked remembering Steph’s words.

Steph looked down. “I threw him out of my house…after the sex thing.”

“What happened after that night?” Jake asked rubbing his hand over his face.

“The next day I went to Kev’s house to tell him that what happened last night was just a big mistake, and it’s never going to happen again, but somehow we ended up having sex again. Both of us liked it, so we came to an agreement. We decided to continue to have sex but with no strings attached, and that’s what we have been doing for the past nine months. We thought we’d keep it a secret, but yesterday Zune saw me at Kev’s place and figured everything out.”

“Where were you today at lunch?” I asked dubiously.

“I was at Kev’s,” Steph replied blinking rapidly.

“And what were you doing there?” Carol asked knowing very well the answer to her question.

“Doing what I’ve been doing there for the last nine months.” Steph looked ashamed, and Carol seemed miffed.

“If you want all the sweet talking, then Zune and Jake are there for you, but you know I won’t do that, so let me be blunt: Kev was your first love. Years later when you saw him, you realized that in spite of the fact that he betrayed you in the past, you still had feelings for that asshole.” Steph opened his mouth to probably deny her allegation, but Carol didn’t let him interrupt. “And don’t you dare deny that.” Steph immediately closed his mouth, and Carol continued with her analysis. “Those feelings strengthened when you had sex with him again. You wanted to stop yourself, but you couldn’t resist the closeness with the person you like; you wanted him in any way possible, and the only way he was ready to give himself to you was physically, so you took it. You know pretty well that this complicated, emotional shit you’ve weaved around yourself is gonna hurt you in the end because Kev’s still hung up on Zune; for him it’s just sex, but for you, it’s way more than that. Now, it’s up to you whether you want to get out of this situation or end up hurt once again.” When Carol finally finished with her words of wisdom, Steph was ready to cry. “And now, it’s time for Jake and Zune’s sweet talks.” Jake and I glared at Carol, who shrugged and busied herself with eating one of the sandwiches.

I put my hand on Steph’s shaking one. “You can’t get weak here, Steph. You’ve got to be strong.”

“Zune’s right, Steph. You have to be strong because you need to make some tough decisions,” Jake added.

“What decisions?” Steph seemed lost.

“Decisions that will make sure you don’t end up hurt this time,” I answered. He mused over my words for a few moments and then nodded.

“Okay, it’s my turn now.” Jake was sounding excited and happy all of a sudden. Steph, Carol, and I exchanged confused glances. “Everyone, sit properly. I have to tell you guys something really important.” The four of us sat with our legs folded underneath us.

“Don’t tell me you are fucking with that Jeremy guy.” Carol and her wild imagination.

“God, no!” Jake appeared offended, but the expression faded away as soon as he smiled again. “I met Ron’s parents today.”

“What?!”

“What?!”

“What?!” Carol, Steph, and I shouted all at once.

“Yeah. Actually they called me this morning and told me that they wanted to meet me. I jotted down the place and met them there. Jeremy was with them. I didn’t know what magic stick he flicked at them or what spell he cast, but this morning they seemed like completely different people to me. They were asking me to forgive them, which would lift the burden off their conscience that has made their life hell. They were embarrassed for not allowing me to attend Ron’s funeral. They were ashamed at the way they kicked out their own son for something Ron had no control over. They were feeling guilty for not talking to Ron for years. They were sorry that they failed their son. They wanted to meet me months ago but could never muster up the courage to face me. Then Jeremy met them and talked about me. and they finally decided to contact me. It was all so surreal.”

“Indeed.” I couldn’t agree more. Perhaps, that’s why Jer met with that detective, to find out about Ron’s parents.

The beaming smile never wavered off Jake’s face as he continued to babble about his meeting with Ron’s parents. “They came with me to visit our apartment. We talked about Ron’s childhood, his memories, and the time he spent with his family and me. They wanted me to visit Ron’s grave because they believe that Ron could never ever rest in peace knowing that his own parents, who never understood him during his lifetime, took away the opportunity for the love of his life to say a last goodbye. I promised them that I’d pay my respect and love to Ron’s grave. Then they said their goodbyes; Ron’s mother even hugged me and instructed me not to be a stranger. Without Jeremy, none of that would have been possible, so after Ron’s parents left I took Jeremy with me, bought Ron’s favorite flowers and visited his grave. While Jer was outside the cemetery the whole time, I was at Ron’s grave the rest of the day talking to him, cursing him, fighting with him for leaving me alone and telling him how much I love him and miss him. I felt like he was somewhere near me. I never felt this content since…since Ron died.”

Carol, Steph, and I hugged him together.

“We love you,” I said.

Steph kissed Jake’s forehead. “And we’re so proud of you.”

Carol rocked us back and forth as we were still clinging to each other. “And we’re always there for you.”

We all smiled and stared at the starry sky. After a while, we had a few sandwiches and a shot of tequila each, and then the four of us snuggled together under the blanket.

“I think now you owe Jeremy a date,” I reminded Jake.

Jake chuckled. “I guess I do.”

“He’s a nice guy,” Steph added.

“I’ll let him take me out on a date because he has actually earned it, not because he’s nice. This date is nothing but a token of my thanks to him for what he did for me.” Jake explained this without hesitation. None of us said anything else on this topic.

It was getting late, so we silently began to pack up our things.

“We talked about everyone today, except you and Ed,” Carol pointed out, breaking the serene silence while picking up the rest of alcohol.

“That’s because there’s nothing to talk about.” I tried to brush off the topic and grabbed the blanket from the ground to fold it up.

Steph rolled up the mats. “Are you guys still not talking?”

“Nope,” I answered in a whisper.

Jake took care of the remaining sandwiches and put them back in the food basket. “Are you guys still fighting?”

“Apparently.” I was not in the mood to explain further. The three of them melodramatically turned towards me at the same time and shook their heads. I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help myself from smiling. “You guys know that looked uber-creepy.” They all grinned.

We dumped the junk littered around in the trashbag and stuffed that with our other things in Carol’s car, and Carol drove us to our homes.

***

No one was home when I got back. I found three slips stuck to the refrigerator door.

The first slip was from Mom: I have a night shift and will be home in morning. Ed, there’s pasta in the fridge, and Zune, condoms are in the bottom drawer of my nightstand. Love youJ

I laughed softly. “Mom,” I whispered to myself.

The second slip was in Becca’s writing: Spending the night at Bradley’s and will be back in the morning. Ed and Zune, don’t sleep without having your food. Love youJ

The third slip belonged to Ed: I’m going out with my friends and will be home before ten.

I decided to wait for Ed so that at least we could be around each other even if it would be in utter silence. Sighing, I got comfortable on the couch and switched on the television. It was playing re-runs of Suits. I had recently begun to watch this television series. I was not a big fan of it, but I still watched it only because of Donna Paulsen; she’s my favorite television character ever. She’s intelligent, witty, sarcastic, loyal, and metaphorically possessed uncanny psychic abilities. She knew everything about everyone.

I watched it while waiting for Ed, and I had no idea I dozed off. I woke up when I heard someone pounding on the front door. I looked around. The clock was flashing twelve-sixteen. It must be Ed. Why the hell was he so late? The television was still on. I turned it off and walked to the door. “Hold on. Hold on. I’m coming.”

I opened the door and found Jeremy holding a drunken Ed. Ed was swaying back and forth, but Jeremy’s strong grip didn’t let him fall; Jeremy had one hand around his waist and another on his shoulder to hold him still. “What the hell happened?” I asked, eyeing them in worry as I stepped aside to let them in.

“He got drunk, that’s what happened. We tried to stop him, but he kept drinking. He talks a helluva lot when he’s drunk,” Jer began to explain while, much to Jer’s resistance, Ed freed himself from Jer’s hold and stumbled inside. Ed was staggered into the living room, heading towards the stairs. His legs were shaky as he walked upstairs, and he tripped over his foot but somehow managed not to fall with the help of the railing. I ran towards him to help; as I placed my hands around him to steady him, he shrugged my hands off him. Helplessly I stepped back. I couldn’t do anything except watch him struggle. Once he made it to his bedroom, I sighed in relief. I turned around to find Jeremy still in the living room.

“I don’t know what got into him today, but he seemed really upset about something.” The way Jer said that I knew he was telling me ‘he seemed really upset about you’. “I have to go; Mich and Kev are waiting for me outside.” I nodded. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Jer.” He pressed his lips together and turned around to leave. “Jer?”

He stopped on his way and turned around to look at me. “Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

Jer smiled. “He’s like a bro, so no worries.” He took a few steps back, but his eyes were still on me. “Zune, I don’t know what’s going on between you and Ed, but I know one thing for sure: the way the both of you are dodging each other and avoiding talking about the big elephant in the room, you will never know what you guys are missing.” With that, he turned around and left, leaving me in a turmoil of perplexed emotions.

TBC.

Author's Note : Please tell me what you all think about this chapter. Your opinion, your views really matters to me and helps me to improve 

  Bignick, Silentdreamer, Drew Espinosa, Skinnydragon, Gregg, Lilansui, Dariyo, Bagnios, Dynoreads, Lynash31, Swscratch, Patrickjason, Kdgladwell and all my readers for following, liking, reviewing and reading my story 

span style="font-size:1.3em;line-height:1.3em;">And biggest    to LISA