by Finn
It was nice to have finally let someone in, it was refreshing, and the stupid smile on my face didn’t fade. It remained as Blaire and I left my house, and it stayed plastered on my face as we drove to pick Andy and Leroy up.
This Saturday night game for us was an away game. Meaning that we had to drive forty-five minutes to, what I’ve been told is, a rival school. It had been a long drive. Made even longer by the fact that Leroy had called “shotgun”, and nothing ever seemed to go by quickly when he was around. Not anymore.
However, it didn’t change my mood, nor did the sly glances from Blaire I caught in the rear-view mirror. I was feeling great and continued to feel that way as we finally pulled up to the school of our opponents.
All there was left to do now was get through the night without making a fool out of myself with Leroy. Which I knew would be difficult, because within the eight years that we had known each other, I had embarrassed myself in front of him almost every single day. Sadly, this day was no exception.
“You’re meant to mind your head when getting out of the car, Pete.” Leroy’s soft voice drifted into my ears, followed by a silky chuckle, as I held the top of my head, wincing slightly in pain and closing my car door.
“Yes, thank you, Leroy. I’ll keep that in mind for next time,” I responded coolly, doing my best to not light up at the sound of his laugh or the sight of his smile.
The throbbing on the top of my head was helping.
“Good start, Pete,” Blaire whispered in my ear as she settled into a walk beside me, watching Andy and Leroy walk ahead of us into the unknown school grounds.
“What happened to teasing in private?” I shot back at her in a low whisper, checking to make sure the two boys ahead of us couldn’t hear.
“Whispering indicates that it is private. We don’t need to literally be locked behind a door together.”
“Ugh, whatever.” I went to speed up and catch up to Andy and Leroy, but Blaire caught my arm.
“What’s your game plan, Pete?”
“My game plan?” I asked, still keeping my voice low.
“Yeah, like, are you gonna try to find a hot guy from the rival school to take your mind of Leroy? It’ll be like Romeo and Juliet, except with two Romeos. Romeo and Romeo.”
“Okay, I think you’re taking the whole gay thing very well. So, thank you for that. But everything you said is a big no.”
“What, why?” Blaire pulled my arm again, and we came to a halt. I noticed Leroy look back at us and give a confused look, though continued with Andy.
“I’m… not interested in that. Yet. I mean, I want to, but—"
“Pete, I know.” Blaire chuckled. “Teasing, remember?”
“You’re annoying. And now we’ve been left behind.” I gave Blaire an uneven smile, and she stuck her tongue out at me, before grabbing my arm again and dragging me onward.
Since we had stopped to have a small chat, and Andy and Leroy had decided to wait up for us, the seats we ended up getting were non-existent. Though standing beside the bleachers among a crowd of other people wasn’t the worst, and the night was still filled with yelling and screaming.
Our team lost again, of course, but it was surprisingly close, and the conversation of the game carried on throughout the car trip back into town and maintained itself as I pulled into the parking lot of The Coffee House.
“No, no, no. Our defence wasn’t the problem, Leroy. We’ve had this discussion before,” Andy argued as he stepped out of my car after Leroy. They had both been sitting the back seat as Blaire was getting quite good at calling “shotgun”.
“Usually, it isn’t. But this game, our defence was terrible. If they had played how they usually do, we probably would have won,” Leroy fought back, and Andy let out a deep sigh.
“I’m on Leroy’s side,” I chipped in, ignored Blaire’s subtle teasing. “But not entirely.”
“Pete… what the fuck does that even mean?” Andy asked, making a rather flamboyant hand gesture.
“It means that the defence was terrible this game. Like, really bad compared to how they usually are. But, even if they played better, I don’t think we could have won.” I shrugged as I spoke and left Andy and Leroy to ponder quietly, while I continued to ignore Blaire.
“I guess…” Leroy muttered. “Our offence couldn’t score in an open field.”
“Maybe you should go back to the coach, Leroy. They may be looking for new players.” Andy gave Leroy a light punch on the shoulder, which got him a glare.
“Maybe we should change the subject?” I suggested as I noticed Leroy getting uncomfortable with where the conversation was going. It may not have seemed like it, but I had a feeling not making the team had hit Leroy harder than he was showing.
There was a murmur of agreement that circulated our group as we entered The Coffee House and took a seat in our regular spot. Almost instantly, Sam wandered up to our table, and I did my best not to stare at him too much.
“How are we all tonight?” Sam asked, smiling down at the four of us.
“Four out of ten,” Andy responded first, and Leroy shrugged and nodded as if he was agreeing.
“Don’t listen to the depressing two—we’re all good, thanks.” Blaire smiled up at Sam, who continued smiling back.
“Same as usual?” Sam’s gaze drifted over to me, and I could feel my face burning up, so I quickly turned toward the others.
“The usual?” I repeated Sam’s question and received three nods in return.
“Alright, too easy,” Sam said with a chuckle, not waiting for my response before heading back over to the counter.
“I’m gonna be so poor by the time I finish school.” Andy sighed, and Leroy draped his arm around him.
“Welcome to the club, buddy.”
“You know, we can do something cheaper than getting coffee all the time,” Blaire interjected and received three shocked looks in return.
“Blaire, do you have any idea of how horrible what you just said was?” Leroy asked with raised eyebrows.
“Yeah, Blaire. What the shit?” Andy chimed in, and Blaire looked at me with a slightly pleading look.
“Back me up?” she asked in a whisper, and I chuckled.
“I think I’m gonna side with the guys on this one.”
“Pfft, gay.”
The words must have slipped from Blaire’s mouth before she had time to stop them, as her eyes went wide, and her jaw dropped. I could see an apologetic look in her eyes and that she wanted to say sorry, but I just laughed.
“A sausage-fest of opinion.” I gestured to Andy and Leroy, who both let out a chuckle.
“Well, that’s one way to put it,” Andy stated, looking to his left at Sam, who was bringing our drinks over to the table.
“Enjoy!” Sam placed the four drinks on the table with a smile, and I smiled back.
“I’m sure we will.” Our eyes met for a moment as he straightened himself back up before he gave one more smile and turned around. As I turned away from him and toward the coffee in front of me, I caught a glimpse of Blaire giving me a side-eye, though I did my best to ignore her.
“Hey, Pete, did Andy get mad at you the other day for ruining Halo?” Leroy asked after a few moments of silence, and Andy let out a sigh.
“Pfft, I didn’t get mad at him.”
“You said you were going to, and I quote, ‘rip his head off’.”
“Well, I think I still have my head,” I said, touching my face to make sure.
“I just told him not to give his homework to you. ‘Cause he ruined game night.”
“How old are you?” Blaire asked with a chuckle.
“Old enough to be angry about it.” Andy pouted.
“If it makes you feel any better, I won’t do Pete’s homework anymore,” Leroy suggested, and now it was my turn to pout.
“That’s not fair!”
Leroy gave me an apologetic look before mouthing, ‘I’m not serious.’
“Oh, shit. Roy, we g
otta go,” Andy said, suddenly look at his phone, and Leroy nodded.
“Wait. Why?” I asked, looking from Andy to Leroy.
“Leroy is staying at mine tonight, and dad wants us home.”
“Oh, alright, let’s head off then.” As I went to get up, Blaire grabbed my arm.
“You two go ahead—we’ll just be a sec.” Blaire gestured at the two of us, and Andy and Leroy both raised their eyebrows.
“Uh, yeah, sure. We’ll go to the car,” Andy said, nodding at Leroy, who stayed quiet and got up.
“Here’s the keys.” I grabbed my car keys from my pocket and threw them at Andy.
“Let’s, uh, let’s go, Leroy.”
Leroy nodded at Andy again, though didn’t say anything, and they both slowly walked out of The Coffee House.
“I have a question,” I started, but Blaire cut me off.
“Shush, no, you don’t. Listen.” Blaire paused for a moment, before looking around The Coffee House, I assumed to see if Andy and Leroy had left. When she saw they were no longer inside, she continued. “The waiter, Simon.”
“Samuel,” I interject.
“Whatever. What do you think?”
“About the name? It’s alright.” Blaire slapped my arm and shook her head.
“No. The human that the name belongs to, you idiot.”
“Yeah… he’s definitely a human,” I responded, feeling my face start to burn up.
“This is the perfect opportunity to learn how to talk about guys. Plus, it may help with the Leroy thing.” Blaire leant back in her chair and crossed her arms as if she had just solved a complicated riddle, and I shook my head at her.
“I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I’m not interested.”
“I saw how you looked at…” Blaire trailed off, and I could tell that she was trying to remember the waiter's name again.
“Samuel!” I answered. “How can you keep forgetting?”
“Who cares what his name is. I saw you giving him the eye.”
“The eye?”
“Yes. The eye. Do you not know what that is?” Blaire questioned, tilting her head.
“I know what an eye is.” I gave her a small smile, and she rolled her eyes at me.
“I’m talking about the eye. The way you look at someone who you find attractive.” Blaire looked over at Sam, who was cleaning up behind the counter, before looking back at me. “Like the look you gave him.”
“I didn’t give him a look. I just… looked at him,” I defended as my eyes landed on Sam.
I didn’t have a crush on him. I mean, he was attractive, and he seemed sweet and friendly, but I didn’t like him in any romantic way. Though it could have been lust, I wasn’t too sure on what that felt like. I wasn’t too sure on what love felt like either, so what the hell did I know.
“You gave him the look, and you know it,” Blaire said, pulling my attention away from Sam.
I liked it better when I had forgotten about him.
“Can I just state that this is a pointless conversation, and you’re fuelling the ‘Blaire and Pete are dating’ fire.”
“How is this pointless? And who cares? let it burn.” Blaire shrugged and shot me a wink.
“It’s pointless because, one, there wasn’t a look. Two, I’m so far in the closet I’ve almost discovered Narnia. And Three… I forgot what I was going to say.”
“Okay, I get it. No pressure. Also, I’m sorry about the gay comment before.” Blaire stood up and held her hand out to me.
“It’s fine.” I took Blaire’s hand, and she pulled me to my feet. “You need to stop worrying about that crap.”
“I know, I know. I’ll do my best.”
We both wandered up to the counter, and Blaire paid for everyone’s coffee, all while stealing glances at me, while I tried to ignore her. The whole transaction was awkward, and I was glad when it was over, and Blaire and I made our way toward the exit.
“He does have a nice ass.” The words slipped out of my mouth just as we reached the door, and I felt Blaire’s hand slap against my chest.
“There it is!” she let out a laugh, and I could feel my face, once again, heating up.
“Shut up, and get in the car,” I mumbled, slipping into the driver’s seat.
“So…” Andy said as I started the car. He was sitting in the front passenger seat, and he looked at both Blaire and me as we entered the car.
“It’s your turn to pay for coffee next time, Andy,” I interjected before he could say anything else.
“Mhm, yep. No problem,” Andy mumbled, still looking from me to Blaire.
As I pulled out of the car park, I noticed Leroy was looking away from everybody and was unusually quiet. I turned to Andy to see if he could tell me why Leroy seemed closed off, but he just shook his head at me, as if telling me not to ask.
The rest of the car trip to Blaire’s house and then Andy’s house was short, as it always was, and after a round of goodnights, I was soon parked in my driveway, looking up at my house. Some of the lights were still on, and I knew once I was inside, I would have to face a barrage of questions about the game.
Sighing silently to myself, I killed my car’s engine and slipped out into the fresh night air, before making my way into the house, stopping in the hallway when I could hear the faint sound of our television. For a moment, I contemplated heading straight up to my bedroom and skipping a family conversation, but decided to head toward the living room, for no other reason than to let my family know I was home safe.
As I walked into the living room, however, I found that the only person in it, was Bradly, who was half hanging off the lounge, staring blankly at the television, which was playing a show in a different language.
“Huh, I didn’t know you could speak Russian,” I announced my presence, walking further into the room.
At my words, Bradly tilted his head slightly and watched as I walked around the lounge, keeping my eyes trained on him. He gave me a sarcastic smile before he spoke.
“It’s German, you uncultured swine. And I don’t speak it. Their accents soothe me.”
“The German accent soothes you?” I asked, sitting down on the end of the lounge, as Bradly hadn’t made any attempt to make room for me.
“What of it?” Bradly asked, turning his attention away from me again.
“Nothing,” I said quickly, before looking around the room again, checking that we were, in fact, alone. “Where’s mum and dad?”
“They went to bed a little bit ago. Apparently, they’re doing something tomorrow or something.”
“It’s a good thing you listen,” I joked, though all I got was a grunt in response. “Geez, sorry. Didn’t realise I walked in on a funeral. I’ll leave you to you.” As I went to get up, Bradly’s voice made me stay.
“I haven’t been sleeping.”
I turned back to look at him and saw that he was already looking at me, and he had changed his position on the lounge. He was no longer draped over the side, half hanging off it, but was sitting up straight.
“Have you tried not watching TV?” I asked, gesturing to the German show he had been watching.
“It’s not just tonight. I’m just finding it hard to sleep. Even when I do, it’s only for a few hours. If that.”
“I don’t see what you want me to do about that, Brad. I mean… do you need someone to cuddle?” I suggested, before quickly adding, “not me. But I’m sure you could hire someone. Like a hooker, but instead of sex, it’s just spooning.”
“Alright, I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to talk to you about this.” Bradly turned his attention back to the television, and I sat and watched him for a moment.
I knew what was bothering him, but I didn’t know if there was anything else I could say to help him. I had told him what I thought he should do about the audition on more than one occasion. As much as I hated to admit it, I wanted to be a supportive brother, and I wanted him to succeed, but I didn’t know what to say, or what to do to help.
<
br /> “Is it the audition thing?” I asked, knowing the answer, but unsure if he still wanted to talk about it.
“Doesn’t matter,” Bradly mumbled, and I had to stop myself from scoffing.
“Alright, then… goodnight.”
I got up from the lounge and gave one last look at Bradly before I walked out of the living room and through the rest of the house. After quickly making my way up the stairs, I soon found myself in my room, where I promptly slipped into some sweatpants. Just as I was about to get into bed, a soft knock came from my door.
“Uh, come in?” I asked though I wasn’t too sure on why I asked. One usually doesn’t do that when giving permission. Either way, my door slowly opened, and Bradly walked in.
“You could’ve got dressed,” he mumbled as he looked around my room.
“I have pants on, shut up,” I mumbled back, sitting down on my bed, and covering up my stomach rolls with a pillow. “What’s up?”
“Not much,” Bradly murmured walking further into my room and looking like he had no direction as to where he was going.
“I, too, wander into people’s rooms late at night for no reason,” I joked, and this time, I got a small smile in return.
“I’m anxious,” Bradly stated, and I nodded slowly.
“Yes, which is making it difficult for you to sleep.”
“Yep.”
“And it’s because of the dancing thing? No. It’s because you’re pregnant? Wait, no! You have herpes?”
“It’s because of the dancing thing,” Bradly said after he let out a soft chuckle and raised his eyebrows at me.
“So… you don’t have herpes?” I asked, tilting my head.
“No, Pete.”
“Huh.”
I watched as Bradly wander slowly around my room for a little bit longer before he grabbed my computer chair and took a seat in it, wheeling it slightly closer to my bed, where I was still sitting.
“I’m doing it,” Bradly said suddenly, and I nodded at his words. “I’m just… freaking out about it.”
“Yeah, I can tell.”
I paused for a moment and took in the sight of my brother. He was sitting almost directly under the light in my room, which was illuminating his entire face, and I could see that he wasn’t getting any sleep. His eyes looked blood-shot, and dark circles were starting to form under them. His skin seemed paler than usual, and all around, he just looked terrible.