I Am Not Uptight!

Dustin part 3

Josh didn’t know what happened. His mind had gone blank since Perry approached him. The next thing he knew, his back slightly hurt from where Dustin had pinched him, and he was sitting at the back of a sedan. He didn’t even know whose it was that they had entered, nor why their driver was a man in his early 20’s wearing large headphones with LED lights on them.

“I got an uber,” Dustin explained in a tired voice, finally sounding like himself again. He was slouched on the seat beside Josh, looking exhausted from the whole fiasco. “Don’t tell anyone you saw me there today and I won’t say that I saw you stalking your ex-boyfriend.”

Josh's eyes widened a bit, but he nodded before looking away towards the window. “Thanks,” he said, sounding as ashamed as he felt. “Really. Thanks for that.”

“Yeah,” Dustin sighed, placing his hands behind his head and closing his eyes. “We’re even now,”

The two were silent for a second as Dustin presumably slept and Josh stared blankly at the buildings they passed by. It was only after a while that it sunk into him what the other man had said.

“Hold on,” Josh turned to Dustin with a frown. “How did you know he was my ex?”

Without opening his eyes, Dustin took a deep breath and answered, “I heard Jane stopping Gary from setting you up with this guy called Marky Mark. So, I knew you’re gay or somewhere in that spectrum. Seeing you sneak around and panic just confirmed it. It wasn’t exactly a smooth-sailing covert operation in there, was it?”

Josh touched the back of his neck self-consciously. “Was I that obvious?” he muttered, making Dustin open his eyes and give him a look like he couldn’t believe he had just been asked such a ridiculous question.

“f**k, yes,” Dustin answered without hesitation, his honesty delivered quite a sting. “Good thing I’m a great actor and I just finished my shift when you decided to go all panic attack out there.”

“Sorry,” Josh said, and he really looked regretful that it made Dustin roll his eyes.

“It’s fine,” he sighed and waved a hand dismissively. “He seemed like a d**k anyway. If Jane saw him, she’d probably say he’s a Scorpio or some shit.”

“He is.”

“A Scorpio or some s**t?”

Josh thought about it for a second before answering. “Both, I guess.” He let out a bitter chuckle at the realization before it turned into a deep sigh. It was ridiculous. Perry, himself, him following Perry, and even the little skit that Dustin did. He didn’t even want to begin to think whether Perry or his friend believed them or not. All of it was just plain ridiculous that it made him rest the side of his head on the window and mutter to himself, “God. This is all so messed up.”

Dustin let out a small contemptuous exhale. “That’s a relationship for you.”

Josh weakly nodded in agreement. “Are you in one?” he asked, not really because he wanted to pry into the man's private life, but out of the momentum of the conversation.

Before he realized how it sounded, Dustin made a disgusted sound. “Psh. Never.”

Josh slightly turned his head to face Dustin, his curiosity now piqued. “Never,” he repeated, “as in never again or never have been in one?”

Dustin’s silence made the answer clear. Josh sat up, surprised. “Really?” he couldn’t help but say. “But I didn’t think that you’d—”

Dustin turned to glare at him. “’Cause I look like a womanizing jock? Save it.”

Josh blinked, for that really was how he viewed him. He had always seen Dustin as someone who seemed like he had a lot going for him—good-looking, tall, athletic. If they had been in college at the same time, Josh had to admit that he probably would have had a surface-level crush on the guy. Surely, the college crowd hadn’t changed that much and he didn’t do badly in the popularity department now.

“You really do,” Josh admitted, to which Dustin didn’t bother to respond. The kid simply crossed his arms in front of him and closed his eyes once more, although his eyebrows had become slightly knit. “Anyway, sorry if that’s too personal, and if this will be too… But, why are you working jobs?”

It was barely noticeable but Dustin’s jaw hardened for a second before he answered. “I’m saving up for the newest Play Station, so just let it go. Say a word of this to anyone and I’ll ruin your life.”

Josh nodded even though Dustin couldn’t see. The kid was six years younger than him, but he didn’t doubt his capability to make do on that threat. At that moment, exposing Dustin’s secret job was the last thing on his mind. He did, however, have one more inquiry. “Last question. Who’s Gareth McKinley the third?”

This, Dustin had no trouble answering. “Gary,” he simply said. Josh quietly made an “o” with his lips, then they remained silent for the rest of the trip home.

Dustin was in fact not saving up for a console as he had said. For the past month—which had seemed to drag on for so long—he had been working every job he could find for one reason only, and it wasn’t because he wanted a new game to add to his collection, nor to party like Daniel claimed. Oh, how he wished he was working his ass off for reasons as simple as those when he stared at the screen of his vibrating phone.

He was finally up in his room after his shift and unexpected “saving” of the new guy. He was tired from school, practice, and work, he wanted to take a bath, and he had to study for exams, but he knew he had to answer the call, so he did.

As soon as he clicked the green button, he didn’t even bother placing the device up to his ear. He went ahead and hissed, “How many times do I have to tell you? I don’t know where he is. I told you I’ll get your f*****g money in two months,” then he hung up and scrolled through his contacts.

Oh, how he really wished he were simply just saving up for a console.

For the tenth time that week, and probably the hundredth time that month, Dustin tried to call his friend, George, once again. As usual, nobody picked up on the first two tries. By the third, it was quickly hung up. He checked the messages between them once more—all were one-sided texts from him, never a reply from George. That stupid, double-faced, little s**t that got him knee-deep in trouble really had the gall to not even put his messages on “read”.

“f**k!” Dustin angrily cursed, almost throwing his phone to the wall until he realized at the last second that he didn’t need another expense. Instead, he grabbed a pillow sitting innocently on his bed and punched it a bunch of times until he finally had enough. Out of breath and out of energy, he lied on his bed and closed his eyes, only to remember a second later that he still had to study.

It was another sleepless night for him. Between accounting for his money and catching up on his studies, Dustin was barely permitted a minute to rest. When his alarm went off, his eyes were dead-tired, yet he turned it off and took a bath to prepare for another long day ahead. He didn’t even bother to dry his hair before grabbing his duffel bag and running down the stairs.

Much like how most mornings recently went, Josh had already cooked breakfast while Jane and Gary set the table. Wells was out of sight—probably still asleep since Dustin heard him come home at around 3 in the morning, having had done whatever crazy mafia s**t he was up to. Daniel, though, was already up and standing in the kitchen.

When Dustin walked in, Jane and Gary exchanged looks. Josh was too busy pouring coffee into cups in the kitchen, and Daniel barely cast him a glance while he helped Josh.

Jane stood close to Dustin beside the table, and placed the plates on the surface. “Are you okay?” she whispered, watching as Dustin made himself another sloppy sandwich to take away.

Dustin did a small nod then reached into his pocket. “Here,” he said as he placed a few bills in Jane’s hand to repay her for yesterday—money that he made from tips when he worked his shift at the restaurant.

“You don’t have to—” Jane was saying, when Dustin cut her off.

“I need to go. I’ll be late for class,” he said, when in reality, he was on his way to another low-paying gig.

Jane looked at the money she was given then at Dustin, then hesitantly placed them in her pocket. “Text me if you need anything,” she whispered, and he nodded.

Dustin made his way to the refrigerator to grab one of his energy drinks. With Daniel just a few steps away from him and with the events of last morning, the air in the kitchen was too heavy that Gary burst in and decided to ask, “Joshy, what should the missus and I buy at the groceries for dinner tonight?”

“Uh, actually I can't make dinner tonight. I have to go meet someone,” Josh replied, sounding a bit embarrassed.

Gary’s eyes went wide. “A date?”

“No. Uh. I have to pick up some things I left from, uh,” Josh averted his eyes from Dustin when he passed by to get to the door, “from where I lived before.”

Dustin knew that Josh meant “the ex-boyfriend he was stalking”, but he made no comment. Instead, he changed into his sneakers and announced, “I’m heading out,” before opening the front door. He was just about to close the door behind him when a foot stopped it.

“Dustin, look,” Daniel started. His cousin looked like he was about to apologize, but the time on his watch let him know he couldn’t spare another minute.

“I really am late,” Dustin said.

“Another time, then,” Daniel nodded, and Dustin regretfully went on his way.