Theo

Break

“Do you like me?”

    This again.  I shifted on my bed, phone pressed to my ear.  “We’re dating, Tania.”

    “But you never say it,” she whined.

    I glanced over at Phil, an earbud in as he worked on homework.  He wasn’t paying any attention but I was sure he could probably hear me.  “How many times can I say it?”

    She was making whiney noises on the other side of the line.  “We don’t even hang out that much anymore.  What did you even do today?  We should’ve done something.”

    “You had plans with Chelsea,” I muttered.  “Shopping.”

    “That was early in the day,” she snapped.

    I rolled my eyes.  This was getting annoying, this whole relationship thing.  If I didn’t text back fast enough, she called.  When she called, she was complaining about something I’d done or not done or needed to do.  If I didn’t answer the call, she jumped to the conclusion that I must be cheating.  It was tiring.  “You could come over and play video games.”

    “I can leave,” Phil immediately offered.  I knew he could hear me.

    “No,” I muttered, frowning.

    “No what?” Tania asked.

    “I was talking to Phil,” I said.

    “You’re always with Phil,” she whined.

    “And you’re always with Chelsea.”

    “No I’m not!  I didn’t even know you and Phil were friends until a few days ago.”

    “Well, now you know,” I muttered.

    “I don’t want to play video games.”  And the whining continues.

    “Then don’t come over,” I shrugged. Simple.

    “Theo,” Phil muttered, frowning at me.  He was shaking his head at me in disapproval.  It made me roll my eyes.  She was bitching at me but I was listening to Phil as he muttered, “I can go, it’s no big deal.  We’re not even doing anything, just homework.”

    “So?” I muttered back.

    “So spend some time with Tania,” he said, getting up.

    I shifted, agitated as he tucked his books into his bag, pulling it over his shoulder.  “Theo!  Are you still there?!”  Tania’s voice boomed through the room and Phil just shook his head, shooting me an apologetic look before breezing out of my room.

    s**t.  Take me with you, I thought, muttering, “Yeah, still here.  You can come over.”

. . .

Mom and Dad were off spending time together doing something, probably one of those dates again, and Violet was in her room, so when Tania got to the house, I just led her straight upstairs unhindered.

    “So this is your room,” she said, glancing around.

    We spent most of our time at her house since her parents are rarely home.  I’d been in her room a lot already but had yet to invite her into mine.  As she started touching stuff, picking up Phil’s manga and flipping through it curiously, I found myself feeling regret.  “You like this stuff?” she asked.

    I just quirked an eyebrow.  “Put it back.”

    She set it down, rolling her eyes.  “Sorry.”

    “What do you want to watch?” I wondered, pulling up Netflix on my TV.  It definitely wasn’t the widescreen downstairs but it was more private and Tania wasn’t the type to actually watch a movie anyway.  Every time I was at her house she wound up in my lap, bugging me for more kisses.

    “Scary movie,” she said.

    I picked “House of Wax”.  I actually like that movie but they’d just set up camp when her mouth was at my cheek.  Of course.  Turning, I pulled back as she tried to kiss me.  “Lip gloss.”  I grimaced.

    “You’re the only guy I’ve kissed that complains about it,” she grumbled.

    “Who else have you made out with?” I wondered.

    She grimaced.  “Does it matter?”

    Yes.  “I’m just curious.”

    She fidgeted a little, tucking her dark hair behind her ear.  She really was pretty.  Pretty and kind of annoying.  Bossy. Peeking over at me, I noticed her bite her lip.  It would be sexy if I didn’t know she was tasting that God awful lip gloss.  I hate her lip gloss.  “Just . . . Mac.”  She shrugged.

    Mac.  I grimaced.  “You dated Mac?”  Since when?

    She ducked her head.  “We didn’t date.  It was at a party.”

    Just like me.  At a party.  My eyes narrowed.  “Hm.”

    “What?” she snapped, defensive.

    “Nothing,” I shrugged, focusing back on the movie.

    “What so now you’re mad at me?” she pressed.

    “Nah.”  I wasn’t mad.  I wasn’t.  But now that she brought it up, I found myself feeling the same agitation I had when Phil left.  He shouldn’t have left.  She wouldn’t have come and I wouldn’t be stuck having pointless conversations.  He’d be finishing up his schoolwork and we’d probably wind up playing video games all night which sounded much better than watching or not watching a movie with Tania.

    “You are,” she pushed, tugging at my arm.

    “I’m not.”

    “You’re a terrible liar, Theodore.”

    Well, if she wanted me to get mad, this was the way.  “Chill, Tania.”

    “You don’t get to be upset and tell me to chill,” she snapped.  God.  Just watch the f*****g movie.  “Are you ignoring me?”  Yes and yet the pestering continues.  “Did you just roll your eyes?”

    Turning, I glared at her.  “Maybe you should go.”

    “Because I kissed your friend?” she demanded, getting loud.

    Too loud.  Violet would hear.  “No, because you keep talking.”  Poking, actually.  She kept poking at me.  Nagging me.  I don’t care for it.

    She gasped, glaring at me.  “Did you just tell me to shut up?!”

    “I said it nicer than that.”  I did.  Brownie points for being polite.

    She jumped up.  “I don’t have to take this just because you’re my boyfriend!”

    “Yeah,” I agreed.  “Let’s break up.”

    Tears filled her eyes.  I found myself looking up at her vacantly, wondering what she was playing at.  “But . . . you’re breaking up with me?”  She blinked rapidly, looking hurt.  Like I’d hurt her.  Hadn’t she been the one suggesting we break up in the first place?  I was just agreeing with her.  How the hell did this become my fault?  “Fine.  I’ll just go call up Mac and see what he’s doing!”

    I chuckled.  Yeah, there’s her true colors.  “Go ahead.”

    Her face turned red and she looked like she might start screaming and I started worrying I might have to literally throw her out of the house when a knock came at the door.  “Everything alright in here?” Mom opened my door, peeking in with a worried expression on her face.  Oh.  They must have come home.

    “Yeah,” I said, actually grateful for my mom’s nosiness for once.  “Tania was just leaving.”

    Tania shot me a nasty look, grabbing her purse before storming past my mom and down the steps.  Mom raised her eyebrows, giving me a shocked look.  “No girls in your room, Theo,” she muttered.  Then, “Everything okay?”

    “Yeah,” I muttered, getting up to the turn off the TV.  “I’m heading to Phil’s.”

. . .

I knocked but nobody answered.  Glancing up at his room, I knew he was home.  His bedroom light was on.  Frowning, I climbed in through the back window and thought about the last time I’d had to do this.  If Harrison was here . . . man, I really would put my hands on my best friend.  Even as I climbed the steps, straining to hear, I heard soft snores.  No Harrison then.  I relaxed as I walked into his room to find him slumped over his sheets, face pressed to his book.  He was drooling a little.  Ruffling his hair, I muttered, “Hey.”  He moaned as I scratched his head and the noise made me stop.  Pulling my hand back, I watched his eyes flutter, noticing how long his eyelashes were.  Even longer than Tania’s and she wore mascara.      “Hm?” he wondered, rolling onto his back and wiping his mouth.  “Theo?”             

    “We broke up,” I muttered, shoving my hands in my pockets.

    “Sorry,” he muttered, sitting and scratching his head.

    “I broke up with her,” I shrugged.

    He peeked up at me.  “Why?”

    “Too annoying.”  I sat down on his bed, scooting back so my back was against the wall.  “That and she kissed Mac.”

    “Damn,” he muttered, giving me an apologetic look.

    “Like, before she was with me,” I added, realizing how bad it probably sounded.

    “Oh,” he said.  “That’s better.”

    “Yeah.”

    He frowned.  “You’re not going to beat up Mac now, right?”

    I smiled.  “Nah.”  I would have if she’d kissed him while we were dating though.  I didn’t have to tell Phil that.  He knows me pretty well.

    “Good,” he sighed, glaring down at his wet textbook.

    “You have all weekend, Phil,” I said, watching him wipe the wet with his sleeve.

    “Saturday is over,” he muttered.

    We don’t have the same classes.  He’s in elevated courses loaded down with homework and tests.  I’m glad my classes aren’t that rigorous.  “Phil,” I muttered, pushing the book closed and setting it on his bedside table.  “Go to sleep.”

    “But—“

    “Sleep,” I said, taking in his tired expression.

    He chuckled.  “Maybe I should cut back on video games.”

    Yeah, it’s probably my fault he’s tired.  We stay up playing all night sometimes and I’m the one always suggesting it.  Getting up, I headed into the bathroom, grabbing the toothbrush I have here and watched as Phil stepped in after me, passing him the toothpaste after I was done.  We brushed in silence and I watched him spit and barely contain a yawn as he tried to keep brushing.  He rubbed his eye tiredly, continuing on like it was the hardest thing to do.  Slave labor over here.  I chuckled and he looked up at me, startled.

    Spitting, I muttered, “You’re really struggling over there.”

    He just frowned, scrubbing harder and I just rinsed off my toothbrush, watching him scrub with this unhappy look on his face.  Phil doesn’t like when I tease him about anything.  Getting grouchy, throwing a fit.  Mostly making these goofy faces.  It’s endearing, I think.

    When I moved around him, I felt him step forward, tensing a bit as my shoulder brushed against his back.  He was glaring down at the sink, pretending it didn’t bother him.  In the past week, I’d realized that my closeness always bothers him.  I’d also noticed that Harrison looks at me with more than just fear from roughing him up a little—there’s outright resentment in his eyes.  I’m pretty sure Harrison knows who Phil likes and touched him anyway.  Even now that boggled my mind.  Why touch somebody that’s got it bad for someone else?  Then again, why let somebody touch you if you’ve got it bad for somebody else?  I guess it goes both ways here.  No sense made on both sides.

    Tossing the spare pillow onto the floor, I wrapped myself in the comforter before taking up my spot on the floor.  Fluffing the pillow, I heard him turning off the light as he made his way to his room, climbing over his bed and turning the lamp off, shifting around under the blankets to get comfortable.

    “Night, Phil,” I muttered, knowing he wouldn’t say anything if I didn’t first.  He’s been kind of . . . petty like that lately.

    He sighed.  “Night.”