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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.
18 Weeks of Twoey - 86. Week Thirteen Tuesday, November 25, 2014: Alex Moves In
When someone is out of your life and you’ll never see or talk to them again, it’s sort of like they’re dead.
“The Love Song of Jonny Valentine” - Teddy Wayne
***
Twoey
I had just finished breakfast and was checking my backpack, to make sure I had everything, when the doorbell rang. I heard Mom open it and say, “Well, good morning Erik! What brings you here so early?”
I quickly stashed everything and ran out into the foyer just as I heard him say, “I'm driving Twoey to school. I'll be here every morning from now on.” I froze, stunned.
“Hi Erik ...um ...you never told me any of this. How can you do it anyway? Doesn't your mom need her car?”
“Yep.” He had a big grin on his face.
“OK ...I'm officially confused.”
“Well, yesterday was my birthday. The day I got the two greatest presents a 17 year old can receive.”
With that, he opened the door and pointed. There, in the driveway, was a couple year old black Mustang.
“Holy shit! ...oops, sorry Mom ...I didn't know it was your birthday! Damn ...I'd have got you a present.”
Erik Broke into his handsome smile.
“You did. You got me the other greatest present: a perfect boyfriend.”
That did it! In about one second, I was in his arms and sharing a loving kiss. Then, I remembered Mom. I also remembered I had pointedly not told her, but only because I knew Erik wasn't out. I think that's why I didn't. So I grabbed his hand and swung around, giving her a 1000 Watt smile.
“Hey Mom! Erik and I are boyfriends.” I think she forgave me cuz she gave Erik a huge hug.
We hopped into his car as I texted Gary, saying I had a ride to school today. I'll have to figure some way to tell him without telling him, if you know what I mean.
“So, how do you like it?”
“It's fantastic and sexy, just like you. Um ...but the back seat is awfully small.” I gave him a bashful smile.
“Doesn't matter. I told you, you're not back seat material.”
He glanced over at me with a pretty cocky look on his face.
And that's how it began.
Erik and Twoey. Twoey and Erik.
Sam
Deena visited me at my locker this morning.
“No one is telling me anything! I want to know about David.”
I brought her up-to-date on his condition. While I was doing that, she rubbed my back a little. Then she had her gray eyes focused on mine.
“Do you know why he was riding his bike way over on Teasdale Street, on a Saturday morning?”
I never doubted that Deena was smart. Not for one minute. But she just revealed a frightening new layer of intelligence to me! I knew I could not even begin to lie to her. She'd read it in one second. If I'm to have any future with her, and I want one, then this is a test. She's doubly clever. I love it! Anyway, I had to answer. I'd waited long enough and I could tell the delay was causing her to expect a lie.
“Yes.”
She did not expect that. She smiled at me. Then Deena said something I didn't expect.
“You can't tell me though, right?”
“No.”
“That's OK, Sam. You're a good friend and can be trusted. You just proved it to me.”
Then she kissed me and left. “See you later Sam!”
I stood there, speechless. I think I passed the test.
Alex
“Yep! That's exactly what he said. Nothing lights up his face like a visit from me. Twoey wants to be my friend and he has all but given me his blessings to go after David.”
Randy looked like somebody just took away his birthday.
“Hey Randy, it's OK! You can screw up once in a while. It makes you more human, even if it's not what you’d like to be.” I was really putting it to him after all the days of him giving me shit. This was fun!
He gave me a sour look. “Well, don't count your chickens ...he's not your boyfriend yet.”
I put a dumb blond look on my face and added a little Southern accent.
“Why Randy Foels! I do declare! You don't even seem happy for me ...your very best friend!” I batted my eyes.
He just peered at me, smirked, and then went to back to his homework.
I visited David right after school, before any other of his friends got there. I gave him a really long and obviously not Platonic kiss. He took a big gasp of breath, when I broke it, and smiled.
“Well, hello to you too Alex!”
There had been one thing bothering me, just a little. The little green monster inside of me simply had to get it out and onto the table.
“So David, I've been here every day and haven't seen Deena. What gives with that? I thought maybe you guys were a thing.”
“Deena Hart? What on Earth made you think I was going with Deena?”
“Well, weren't you supposed to take her to the Thanksgiving Dance?”
“Yes but that's not ...oh ...hehe ...God no! I mean I like Deena, she's a friend, but the dance thing ended up really being me just trying to get her and my friend Sam to notice each other. Don't you dare ever tell either of them! Deena would make this beating seem like Kindergarten recess and Sam would think of something even far worse to do to me! That was the whole problem, I convinced Twoey to ask Sam to take Lanni because Twoey didn't think he'd be healed by then and I figured with Deena going with me and since Lanni and Deena were best friends then Sam and Deena would be exposed to each other and I just knew they'd hit it off, but when I got abducted and beaten and Twoey was healed enough by then, Twoey went back to taking Lanni and Sam switched and took Deena and according to Twoey, who was in on it all – remember, well according to Twoey, it worked and Sam and Deena seem to really be hitting it off ...um did you even follow all that?”
I was one inch away from rolling on the floor in laughter.
“David, do yourself a favor. Never try to explain stuff like that. You were not created for romantic intrigue.”
Then I couldn't help it. I broke out laughing so hard, David was soon laughing right along with me.
“Honestly, you're right. It didn't start out as complicated, but one thing happened after another and then ...well at least Sam and Deena seem to have found each other ...and that's really all that counts.” And then he took a big breath like, Whew, I'm glad to be done with that!
He's so cute, I love him to pieces. Which, now there is no Deena to worry about ...haha!
I went up to him and looked into those baby blues. I was on his right side and took his hand into both of mine, then leaned over to meet his lips. We held a gentle kiss and then it got a little steamier as I dropped his hand and brought my right hand behind his head, pushing it into the kiss so my tongue was in as deep as I could get it. After we broke the kiss, I stroked my fingers across his face.
“I'm falling so totally in love with you ...it's scary.”
“I think I know how you feel. I've never been in love with a girl before, but this feels right. I miss it when you're not here and I never get tired of you when you are. We don't have any trouble talking about anything and I've already told you stuff I've never told anybody before. Is that love Alex? Kiss me again?”
We were going at it pretty good when a voice pulled us apart.
“Is this part of the service around here? Who are you and why hasn't my best friend mentioned you to me before?”
I looked up to see a really cute, thin guy with braces and bright brown eyes walk into the room. David blushed really red and said, “Um ...Alex, this is my best friend, Gary.”
Hmmm ...that's odd, I had thought Twoey was his best friend. But later he told me he and Gary go back to before he can even remember. They are as close as friends can get and only live a few houses from each other.
Gary wasn't done with David just yet though.
“Well? Speak up. Where have you been hiding this beautiful creature? In your attic? Your basement? Tommy's room? Please say it was Tommy's room ...the little shit needs more experience with girls.”
If I hadn't been used to the wise talk between my two older brothers, and even between Randy and me, I might have been put off by some of his remarks. But I could smell the ball-busting, and Gary was a pro!
He didn't even pause for breath. “Never mind! ...There's nothing your sneaky, lying mind can come up with to get you out of this, so I'll have a pleasant conversation with Alex. You can leave the room, please ...oh ...hehe ...I guess you can't leave, can you? Well then, just lay there and prepare to be embarrassed!”
I like Gary.
“So Alex sweetie. I can call you that since it looks like you're gonna be my sister-in-law. Exactly how did this asshole convince you he was worthy of even a smooch, let alone the attempted seduction I witnessed?”
David piped up. “Garrrrry, be careful! Alex is smart …lots smarter than you. I don't want to witness a castration in this room while I can't even run out and puke.”
I almost felt like sitting down and enjoying the show. But I knew Gary was really curious as to how I suddenly popped up after 15 years ...hehe.
“Gary, it's like this. Easy, actually.” Then I simply knew he was going to say something nasty so I pointed at David, without even looking at him and said, “You! Shut Up. You've done enough damage already.”
“Now Gary, as I was trying to explain, a couple of weeks ago when David was transferred into my social class, my friend Randy and I decided to try and make him welcome. You know how shy he is. One thing led to another, group assignments, running into him a couple of times at Kory's, taking him out to the rink when he was depressed. Things just happened between us. I like him and he likes me. I don't know much about him outside of school and he doesn't know much about me either, so we're trying to get to know each other a little.”
“I noticed!” But he had a neat smile on his face.
Then he said, “Well that explains a lot because these last couple of weeks he's been sort of out of communication with his friends, to put the nicest possible spin on it. I'm glad his life wasn't all anger and depression ...now that I've met you, I can see it wasn't.”
“Gary don't you have to go on a date with Mel now or something?”
David was being pissy. Suddenly I made the connection.
“Mel Hopkins, the swimmer?” Gary smiled and nodded.
“I know Mel! We're friends. Oh ...you're her swimmer boyfriend!”
Gary blushed. David groaned.
“Not another coincidence.”
Then he yelled.
“I hate coincidences!!!”
David
I had some time to reflect today. Reflect about Twoey. Reflect about what used to be us. And you know what? I’m an idiot.
Why do I have this feeling of loss, this emptiness, this sudden subtraction of something? Did I expect he would always be there, frozen in the hope that whatever he thought we had, would turn into what he wanted? The real question is, why was I so comfortable with that situation? Looking at it from Twoey’s perspective, it must have been long, slow torture. So why do I feel this way? Shouldn’t I be happy? Happy for my friend and happy I no longer need to torment myself?
The fact I’m not happy has to be telling me something. It must be a clue about myself. I’m beginning to feel I don’t really know myself. Liz exposed some little hole in my wallpaper when she described things I couldn’t, but should have, remembered. It’s when something inside me began picking at that wallpaper. A large piece came off when my father disclosed Burch was somehow in my life when I was young.
There was a time our family was happy. Another piece falls off, tumbling to the floor. Gary stripped off a huge piece, explaining we were not best friends from before the time I can remember. Why is there a before the time I can remember? I suddenly don’t know who I am. I need to do something about it too.
In other news, Gary met Alex today. He’s treating her like my girlfriend. Do I want Alex for a girlfriend? I guess the real question should be, do I have the kind of feelings one should have to want her for a girlfriend? I like Alex. I respect her intelligence. Will her greeting kisses replace Twoey’s? Will there be more? Should there be more? I know she is falling for me. She even told me so today. Am I falling for her? Have I answered that question by even asking it?
I wouldn’t be settling to have her as a girlfriend. There is no other I can think of who would be better, so I’m not settling. I’m definitely not settling. No, not settling. I think I have feelings for Alex. Maybe I should not put a potential relationship under such microscopic analysis. After all, I don’t even know who I am. How can I expect to know how this relationship should feel? I mean, it’s definitely not like with Kathy. Kathy, who I apparently knew and crushed on, as a little boy. Another piece of wallpaper stripped off.
I’m standing in the debris of my life.
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