by CJ Adler
I smile at the friend I've known all my life, taking the time to appreciate all our bittersweet memories together. “Bells, even if we're worlds apart, I'll still find a way to stay in contact with you. This isn't the end, you looney tune, and it certainly isn't goodbye.”
“Hey, drowned rat,” a nasal voice calls out to me, interrupting our moment.
Bell pats my arm and leaves my side in order to say goodbye to her cheerleader girls.
I cross my arms over my chest, my defense systems up. “What do you want?”
Melinda rolls her eyes at my attitude before closing her eyes as if finding it within herself to say something to me. Eventually, she opens her eyes and stares at me as if contemplating whether to say what's on her mind or not.
I tap my foot impatiently.
She finally decides to come out with it. “Just wanted to say, before I go, that I'm…” She trails off all too eagerly before reluctantly continuing, “I'm sorry.”
Perplexed and completely caught off guard, I raise my eyebrows in surprise, doing a double-take. “Excuse me?”
Did I hear correctly or was that the sound of the world ending?
“I'm not saying it again, Lawson!” She huffs. “You're alright,” she says after having first gathered herself. “I hope that you get everything you've always wanted out of life.”
She isn't as terrible as she wants everyone to believe.
I grin, choosing not to milk this, not when I know what it took for her to say all that. I leap forward and tackle her into a hug instead. “You too, Mel, you too,” I say before she pushes me away, a frown on her face as she tries to hide the smile creeping in on her lips.
“Refrain from hugging me or calling me 'Mel',” she lectures as I stifle a laugh. “Try to control yourself. My gosh. Loser.” She flips her hair over her shoulder before walking off to say goodbye to the rest of her kazillion bijillion friends.
It feels good to leave school on a high note. I've even managed to put my past with Melinda behind me. It's a good thing too, I don't want to leave knowing that I have enemies. Other than that, high school life has been okay, for the most part anyway.
I don't want to have any regrets and I know that if I don't speak to Mason, I'm going to have regrets. I glance around in search of him, only to come up short. He's nowhere in sight. He's not with Laiken, his old football team or the popular crowd. That can only mean one thing, he's not here.
I feel a strong arm come cascading down around my shoulders before I'm drawn into the toned side of Jay himself. I smile up at him with pride, all the more happy to see him. “Hey there, Mr. Overachiever.” I wink playfully, referring to the fact that he was declared science valedictorian.
Before Jay can say anything, someone interjects. “He is quite the bright one, isn't he?”
“Principal P!” I exclaim in excitement upon seeing him. I can't help it, I really do look up to the guy. He's a wonderful human but I sure as hell won't ever admit that to his face.
Principal P nods at me, his usual stern expression still in place, and turns to address Jay. “Young man, you're incredibly gifted in science. I'll admit, I was worried about you in the beginning. You're a kid who prefers his space and solitude. You prefer fading out rather than standing out or getting involved. I thought that that would be your downfall but you proved otherwise. You made a real comeback. Excellent results in everything. Color me impressed.”
Jay's one of those naturally smart people, except he's low-key about it. In fact, he's one of those people you can't help but envy. He excels in everything he does. It's just the way he's wired. Everything he has achieved, he's rightfully earned.
“Thanks,” Jay replies humbly, always going straight down the noble, honorable path. He never owns up to his successes. It's one of the many things I love about him: his modesty. He'll never take the credit he deserves.
“What do you plan on doing one day, son?” Principal P asks Jay with a look of inquiry sprawled across his expression.
P is clearly expecting a lot from Jay. I don't blame him. I honestly believe that Jay's going to make a name for himself in the world someday. He's already made a name for himself in my world.
I find myself listening intently to the conversation. Jay's my boyfriend and I don't even know what he wants to do one day. He once tried discussing the future with me but I shut him down. It's not that I didn't want to talk about it with him, it's because I was afraid, still am. I shy away from my future while Jay is courageous enough to not only face his but embrace it with open arms.
Jay shrugs nonchalantly. “I've always believed that life's too short to stay in one place,” he answers casually. “But if I had to choose a career, I'd want to be a doctor.”
His answer surprises me. That was the last answer I'd expected to hear from him.
“Wonderful!” Principal P enthuses. “You certainly have the brains for it. You'll make money fast.”
Jay nods absentmindedly. “Thanks.” He breathes out quietly as if in deep thought. “But it's not only that. It's not just about knowledge or money — not that I care much for money — it goes more about compassion.”
“True,” Principal P agrees, thinking twice about it.
“I want to leave my mark as someone who gave a damn,” Jay opens up and shares his vision with us.
“That's beautiful,” I say quietly, admiring his heart once again.
“I can't stand by and watch someone else get hurt. I have to help. I've been that way since a kid.”
“I've seen that,” Principal P gestures to me as if implying something. “You did the same for Ms. Lawson over here when Mr. Monty was giving her a hard time. You landed a lot of detentions because of the fights.”
“What?” I question, now lost.
“Granted, I don't support school fights, Mr. Taylor,” Principal P pauses before continuing, “but, I don't condone bullying either.”
Jay immediately shakes his head at Principal P as if to squash the topic.
Principal P picks up on it and raises an eyebrow. “You mean to tell me that she doesn't know?”
Jay shakes his head.
“What's going on?” I frown. I know Jay well enough to know that he won't tell me, no matter how much I bug him about it. When he's adamant about something, there's no changing his mind.
“Nothing, Ms. Lawson,” Principal P covers for Jay before changing the subject. “I hate to disclose such information for fear of you overreacting, but I have to say this much, I'm proud of you, Ms. Lawson. Con—”
I clap my hands in excitement, purposely overreacting. “Whoo! You finally admitted to being proud of me! Yeah! Bestest day ever!”
Principal P merely shakes his head at me, failing to hide his amusement. “Congratulations on passing, seems I did you right by assigning Mills and Montry as your personal tutors. Well done…Aqueela.” He emphasizes my name, knowing full well how happy he just made me. I've always wanted him to call me by my first name.
I beam up at him. “Thanks, Principal Long.”
“It's Peter,” he corrects with a warm smile intact. “I hate to say it but I might just miss you, Peter.”
“I suppose it's possible that I might, possibly…” he stretches out the word, “miss you too,” he concludes. “Who will keep me on my toes? It might get boring around here without you and your nonsense projects. You've always loved stirring the pot.”
I sure do.
I grin. “I'm sure you'll find a way to survive, Peter. There has to be more
Aqueelas starting high school next year,” I tease, finding enjoyment in his reaction. “Please no.” Principal P breathes out in panic. “Don't get me wrong, you're a great kid, but the world could do with less Aqueelas.”
“Understandable.” I nod. I've been told that more than once.
Jay grins down at me as a result. “Don't worry, you're the one and only, Aqueela,” he reassures me before adding softly, “my one and only.”
My heart hammers in my chest. I sta
nd on my tippy-toes and reach up to kiss his cheek.
“So,” P interrupts, “what are your plans, Ms. Lawson?”
“I don't have any plans,” I admit. “I go wherever life leads me.”
***
“Who's ready to partaaay?!” Benley shouts to the cheering crowds before downing a shot in much enthusiasm. The crowds applaud him and he smirks, satisfied with the attention. Being the party animal that he is, he gets behind the DJ to start up some tunes.
Bells arranged an after-party at a club in order to celebrate the end of school. All of our usual friends have obviously been invited, including BoyBand over here.
“Get up there, Jay!” Benley hollers, encouraging Jay to take the stage.
“You got this, Cool Guy Jay!” Blubber calls to him too.
Jay glances down at me and shakes his head. “These guys.” He breathes out in irritation. “I told them beforehand that I'm not doing it.”
I pout at him. “Oh, come on! It's a party, loosen up,” I suggest. “Just go already!” I exclaim, giving him a push in the direction of the stage.
Jay reluctantly obeys as he gets up on stage and takes the microphone from Troy's hand (Troy's MC because he wants to hog all the spotlight). “Be warned, I'm a little rusty,” Jay says into the microphone as the crowds call out his name in exhilaration.
I watch as he takes a run-up before leaping off of the stage, doing a backflip in the air before landing in front of the hoard of people with precision and accuracy. The crowds go wild in praise. Troy, jealous of all the attention Jay's getting, tries to follow suit.
“Troy, don't!” I shout to him in warning but my voice only falls on deaf ears.
Jay sees it coming too because he holds his hands up in warning. “Woah, Troy, I've trained in freerunning for years, you can't just expect to be able to do it first—”
“Out of my way, BroJay! I'm going to one-up you first time, sucker! It's Troy's time to shine!” Troy shouts over Jay before doing his own run-up, the crowds cheering him on in the way they'd been doing for Jay.
I wince when he jumps from stage and attempts to do a single flip, only to make it halfway before falling flat on his back.
“Oh, freak,” Bells comments in worry.
Benley instantly stops the music and everyone stops dancing. The club falls into silence when Troy fails to move. We all hold our breaths in concern and anticipation as we wait for him to recover; that's if he does recover.
Jay makes a move to help Troy but Troy suddenly shoves him away and jumps back up to his feet. His back clicks in the process. “Next time!” he shouts at the top of his lungs into the deafening silence. The crowds immediately start cheering again, going berserk. Troy takes in all of them shouting his name with pride.
I roll my eyes. Typical of Troy. He'll do anything, even almost breaking his back, to have the attention of absolutely everyone in the room.
When I explained to Jay the story of how Troy burnt down the tree house, Jay, surprisingly enough, was not furious in the way that I'd expected him to be. He merely took it as a sign that it was time for Oog move out.
“Aqueela?” Nancy calls. “Don't you want a drink?”
I shake my head. “Nah, I'll pass. I'd like to actually remember this night.”
I'm done getting wasted.
“I sure as hell don't,” Nancy shrugs before downing her drink.
“Sprinkle, look!” Simo comes sprinting to me at full speed, almost running straight into me, finding it difficult to stop.
“What is it, Simo?” I ask, curious.
“I hate you. I've never hated someone as much as I hate you.” Blubber, appearing out of nowhere, as always, gives me a deathly glare for no apparent reason.
How Blubber got into a club at his age, I will never know.
“Sprinkle!” Simo shouts in an effort to get my attention again. Once he sees that he has my full attention, he motions down to the giant rock on his finger— no, literally, it's a garden rock placed on a ring.
“What is that?” I question, confused. I have a feeling I know where this is going but I don't want to assume anything just yet.
“He's engaged.” Blubber begins slapping me in a fit of fury, except, his hits are nothing but ticklish. I merely place my hand on his forehead and shove him away like the dung beetle he is. “This is your fault!”
“Blubber's mom ask Simo to marry her.” Simo blushes as he glances down at the literal stone on his finger. He lets out a very high-pitched giggle as if thinking back to the moment Mrs. Blubber got down on one knee and proposed to him. Had I not been watching him, I'd think it was Bells who had just giggled like that.
“Congrats, Sims!” I pat his back in excitement. “You're getting married!” I glance over at Blubber next. “I guess you should start calling Simo 'father' now,” I joke.
I quickly run over to Troy and whisper the news into his ear. A massive grin makes its way onto his lips as a result. “Everyone! Listen up!” Troy shouts. “My good pal, forgot his name, got engaged!”
People, mostly the drunk kind, shout out in happiness upon hearing the news.
“No way,” Jay murmurs as if he just cannot believe that our little Simo will be tying the knot in a couple of months.
“A round of drinks on my good man…Grey Ferrot!” Troy shouts out impulsively, giving way under the peer pressure.
“Whoo!” The crowds yell in joy upon hearing Troy's lie. Grey, close by, swears aloud. “I'm going to kill him!”
I leave Simo be and tug Blubber aside, sensing his mood. “Look, I think we can relate on the whole father ordeal,” I say, feeling sympathy for the kid.
“I think there's a lot more that we can relate on, sweet-cheeks,” Blubber smirks up at me, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.
He makes it difficult to be civil with him.
I ignore his comment and continue. “I know it's hard to accept it but Simo loves your mom and your mom loves him. Let it happen. It doesn't mean to say that Simo will ever take the place of your father,” I say quietly, hoping to get through to him.
“Enough with the mushy-gushy stuff,” Blubber retorts, a smile on his face, his fury leaving him. “Is it just me or is there a lot of guys in this club? I can't find any females to hit on.”
I roll my eyes at him before actually looking around, only to see that he's right. I shrug. “Beats me,” I say, choosing not to look into it any further.
“So, funny story guys…” Bell trails off with a sheepish look to her blue- green eyes upon overhearing my talk with Blubber. “I accidentally booked the after- party at a gay club.”
“So?” I shrug carelessly. “You should probably let BoyBand over there know though,” I advise.
Benley is currently sitting on a bar chair being chatted up by, what I presume to be, a gay guy. Ben grins and nods at the guy before the guy buys him a drink. Benley happily obliges by taking the drink and downing it.
Bell narrows her eyes at him. “The jerk already knows. I told him first. He's pretending to be gay so guys can buy him drinks. He's taking advantage of them.”
Typical Benley. He enjoys manipulating people if it means he can get alcohol out of it.
“And those two up on stage?” I ask Bells, motioning with my eyes to Troy and Max dancing with gay guys, possibly unaware of it all.
Bells nods. “I did. They think it's awesome. Didn't really make any difference to them. They're now competing to see who gets hit on the most.”
I laugh at that, expecting nothing less from those two.
“Do you have any idea how frustrating this is for me?” Bells rants on. “I haven't been hit on once yet my brother and boyfriend are constantly getting hit on.”
“Are you seriously jealous right now?” I ask and then burst out laughing when she doesn't answer.
“It's not funny!” she barks at me. “I'm not used to this.”
“What about Grey and Jay? Did you update them on this?” I interrogate further.
Bell bit
es her lips before shaking her head. “I thought I'd let you handle them. They scare me.”
“Let's let them find out on their own,” I suggest, grinning to myself in delight.
I leave Bell's side and make my way to Benley. He's busy drinking out of an alcohol bottle. I shock him by hitting the bottle upward, the bottle slamming against his mouth and the contents dripping onto his shirt.
“What the hell, Aqueela?!” He gasps in surprise as he begins to wipe frantically at his clothes.
I glance over at the guy beside him. “Don't let him fool you, he's not gay.”
“How do you know?” Benley shoots back at me, slurring his words. “For all you know, I could still be coming to terms with who I really am.”
I give him a flat look, in turn.
“I could still be struggling with my sexuality…” I zone out as he goes on lying.
Is he really going down this road?
I tune back in a few seconds later to hear the end of it:
“Therefore, I'm gay. I'm gay, Aqueela!” He stands up proudly as if believing his own lie. “I'm Benley MacAllister and I'm gay,” he confirms deceitfully, enjoying the crowd's applause.
Apparently, he is going down this road. Unbelievable!
“No.” I shake my head, forcing him to sit back down. “You're Benley MacAllister and you're a liar.” I scoff, outing him in front of the dude who just bought him a drink. “You're also an alcoholic.”
The man beside him scowls and grabs the drink back from Benley, shaking his head as he stalks off.
Benley angles his head to the side before giving me a look as if to say that this is all my fault. “Nice going, Aqueela, real nice going.”