Walking on the eggshells

3

Mason

Ten minutes into the party and I was ready to scream. Literally. Alex, Ben and Martin were having a good time with some girls on the couch, I was standing beside kitchen island thinking of leaving the party, I didn't want to take it anymore. Some horrible song was blasting through the speakers and my ears were screaming for mercy.

Byers didn't throw parties like this, the DJ she hired for the night was an amateur, when we walked inside the huge house songs that were playing were pretty good, I even had a feeling that I will have a good time at this place but of course, if only the Almighty upstairs agreed.

I couldn't even check my phone for messages because Alex there, who was now taking body shots off a girl's chest, which was very gross for two reasons, first, he was gay and that didn't quite look like it and second, the girl was wearing next to nothing and she was dry humping Martin seconds ago. It looked gross.

Martin was kissing a new barbie now, I wondered why STD didn't spread through kissing, that would've made things so hard for Martin. That guy sleeps with girls like taking breath, it was absolutely necessary for him.

And there was Ben lastly, he was drinking alcohol like he would die if he didn't, I was on my first bottle of beer whereas he was at maybe third or fourth, I was confused. The best thing was that I left my phone in the car, it was sarcasm. And I couldn't go and just get it because Alex had the keys, I don't know as to why he even snatched it from me at the entrance, it made no sense.

So now you know exactly what I was going through, the melancholy I was feeling in the morning and back in the car while driving home back from work was slowly fading away, I could feel it. But I also knew if I started thinking about Alex more, the boulder of feelings would crash right on my chest and there would be nothing I could do to help myself.

My legs were starting to get numb and I knew I had to walk if I didn't want them to freeze. With the bottle of beer in my hand I walked a little inside the living room, not completely in the middle, no. God forbid. But in the corner near the spiral staircase that led upstairs. A bunch of people were walking upstairs, just to humour myself and protect myself from seeing my love Alex taking body shots off an almost naked girl, I decided to go up.

The hallway on the first floor looked like a magnet that attracted two people, they were all humping and kissing each other against the wall, it looked so gross. I couldn't take it anymore. I felt the need to use the washroom, circling the rim of the bottle I found a room that no one was humping against, pushing the door open I directly headed for the bathroom.

I heard a boy yell something at me and also a loud shriek of a girl but I paid no mind to it. I knocked open the bathroom and headed for the toilet that was strangely on the right. I saw David helping a girl who couldn't seem to stop emptying her guts in the toilet bowl. David was holding her hair in a fist and she was holding the edge of the toilet.

"Man get me some tissues, I don't…" he kept on talking without looking at me, he was looking down at her in concern.

"And here I thought you were going to send me the History report I asked you." Narrowing my eyes, I mumbled.

David turned his neck, looking at me. He seemed confused at first, but then a big smile broke on his face, he grinned the smile reaching his eyes. I didn't know anyone would be that happy to see me. That was a first.

"Oh, Mason, I have sent you the report. Check your email." He frowned.

"My phone is in my car." I sighed. Nodding as David bent down to mumble something in the girl's ear. She giggled and nodded quickly.

"Of course...I'll be fine. Just send Sandra inside out on your way." She patted David's leg.

"Thanks honey." He kissed her temple, which I found absolutely unnecessary and turned on his left to wash his face and hands. With a bottle of beer in my hand I watched the scene unravel in front of me.

"Come on!" David was holding the door for me, I didn't even realise as to when he moved around the room. He was wiping his hands with tissues he pulled from the red box. Nodding as I turned to walk away from the bathroom, I saw the boy who yelled at me to get out of the room and the girl who shrieked out of embarrassment kissing each other, they were half naked, that wasn't the highlighted part, it was, they were naked in someone else's house.

"Sandra, she's calling you inside." David cleared his throat, the girl, who's name was as David said Sandra pulled away from the guy and jumped out of the bed. She walked past me, from the corner of my eyes I saw she kissed David on the cheeks, running inside the bathroom.

"Take them home, they aren't in the right position." David's voice changed, he looked pissed at the boy sitting on the bed, wearing jeans.

"Uh..sure….sure man." He nodded, gulping as he moved around the room searching for his shirt and keys. David draped his hand around my shoulder, walking out of the room.

"What was that?" I asked, there was a little less crowd in the hallway than before.

"What were you doing in the bathroom?" He asked, completely ignoring my question. Thinking David was tired from his road trip I answered.

"I wanted to use the toilet."

Without exchanging further words with me David pushed a drunk guy with a bottle of vodka in his hand on the other side of the room and opened the door walking inside.

"Go, I'll wait here." David pointed at the door, we assumed was the bathroom.

"Thanks."

David Harris wasn't this. My eyes widened. Either he was high on some illegal drug or he was just being sarcastic. He was talking too much today, he usually didn't. His talking usually includes 'yeah whatever, sure and yeah' all over again. He was acting like an offbeat.

I lowered my zipper down and peed, the bathroom was so well furnished and beautiful I wanted to settle down with a little whatever I had in my bedroom. There was a soft knock on the door just as I flushed, "inside!" I called out, the door opened and I saw David peeking through the small space between the door and wall.

"Are you done?" He raised his brow, nodding my head I tapped down the toilet seat heading to the basin to wash my hands. David slid inside the bathroom, he pulled some tissues and started wiping his shirt, he wet some tissue and rubbed on the stain again,

"What is that?" I pointed at the red stain on his yellow shirt.

"Ketchup, I was eating and it spilled when there was a speed bump." He groaned.

"So you came just before the party to the town?" I gasped.

"Yeah I was hoping I could see you…" he said without looking up in my eyes, I was beyond shocked.

"Me?" The shock in my voice was evident.

"And the guys." He said in a monotone, I don't know why it stung like a b***h.

"Oh. Okay." I threw the tissues in the pink dustbin that was beside the door on the way, David trailed behind me.

David and I went down and saw Martin in the middle of the dance floor, he was laughing with the girl on his arm, Alex was nowhere to be found neither was Ben.

"Ben's mum just texted, he came home in an Uber, his car is here." David groaned, the song that was blasting, it was so bizarre I wanted it to stop.

"Will you take Martin home, he came with Ben I think!" I shouted in David's ear, he smelled of strawberries, and the fact that I was acknowledging it was creepy. Moving away from him I raised my brow, asking if he heard what I said.

"Of course, let's go fetch Alex first." He mumbled.

David and I first sat Martin on the couch beside drunk girls and moved around the house for Alex. He wasn't in the living room or the kitchen, and the song was just not stopping, I glared at the ginger DJ, who seemed like he was having the best time amongst us.

"He isn't in the house, maybe we should check the patio!" David yelled, through the music. Nodding my head we marched in the living room for Martin, he had a bottle of old monk, sipping from it. David leaned down to take the bottle from his hand but he wouldn't give it, at last he put Martin on his shoulder in fireman style and we exited the house.

On the way I was only and only searching for Alex, my heart was literally leaping in my chest, we walked out of the door and down the steps, in the garden area, a bunch of teens were kissing around and dancing, red cups were all around and bottles of beer were scattered on the floor. I couldn't tell if I was walking on the ground or the garbage.

There he was. The relief that flooded all over my body was something I couldn't express, water washed over my face and it felt like I could now breathe. Alex was with a girl in the corner laughing, he wasn't wearing any shirt, and the stupid girl was gawking at him shamelessly.

"I found Alex, I'll be back!" Before my sentence was ever I was running to where Alex was. He turned to see me, laughing he pulled me in a hug.

"This...pru..pru...this is my bestt friend!" His words slurred and his body swayed in the motionless air. So much for warning me not to drink that much.

"Let's go, you're drunk." I mumbled, sternly I pulled him with me to the gates.

"But..wait..wait!" He laughed some more, thank God he listened to me, I was dragging him like a mother dragging her brat child. He was laughing behind me but I paid no mind to him. His behaviour was the same after every party, and if the party was at Martin's then there was no stopping Alex. He partied like crazies at Martin's.

"Alex, give me the keys.." I held my hand forward, he laughed more, David was waiting for us on the grass with Martin, he had kept Martin on the ground with his alcohol.

"I don't..have it." He frowned, sighing in partial frustration and partial exhaustion, I dipped my hand inside his pocket, it was empty, I checked all his pockets and didn't find my keys.

"s**t. What have you done, you idiot." Cursing under my breath I dragged him again to David, he was typing away something on the phone.

"Ready?" David raised his brows, shaking my head I sighed.

"What happened?"

"Alex lost my keys."

"Oh, I can give you guys a lift." He said. He sounded so nonchalant as if I didn't just lose my keys to my car.

"It's my car David, my phone is in the car." I bellowed. David bent down to pull Martin on his legs, his legs swayed.

"Ugh...do you really think someone will steal your car? Look around," he pointed with his thumb, "Everyone's drunk out of their minds, no one would even bother." He assured me.

"Fine, if anything happens to my car I'm coming after your rich ass." I rolled my eyes.

David, Martin and Alex along with me settled in the backseat, Martin had passed out and so was Alex, well almost. I was between them and it was so uncomfortable and quiet. David was a quiet person, he usually didn't speak much.

"How..how was your road trip?" Pushing my Alex's brown locks back from his forehead, I asked David.

"Nice. I threw up thrice and when we reached the campus I saw this bizarre thing that made me want to pull out my eyeballs."

"Really, what did you see? An unicorn?"

"What, no! Unicorns are beautiful and rare." David expressed as to how exactly he felt.

"And mythical, as a matter of fact." I added.

"Sure." He laughed, "But no, dude those older girls were kissing and greeting guys in junior year!"

"So?" I didn't know why it was a big deal, someone between them was bound to be older, so why not the girl?

"I can bet except Martin everyone is getting the desire down with their hands." He sighed.

"If you want to have s*x then you can, you play for school's team, you're handsome and have a nice physique, what else do these high-school girls want?" I argued.

"Your house is here." He announced, I was so lost it didn't even dawn on me. For a second I waited for him to answer my question, when he didn't I opened the door and pushed Alex out.

"A little help!" I grunted at David, he was looking at me through the mirror like a complete i***t.

"Sorry." He chuckled. David and I with great difficulty walked Alex up on the stairs, David shoved him against the wall as I opened the door.

"Why do you even put up with his sorry ass?" He chuckled, I know he didn't mean it like I was thinking he did, but it stung. Bad. Seriously I asked myself the same question, every once in a while.

"He's my best friend, how can I not?" Swallowing the light sob that threatened to push out of my throat, despite my efforts, I pushed open the door.

I urged an answer, until when was I going to use the same excuse that I've been using these four years, where did the line end, or was it never ending? Was I expected to live with this misery my whole life, the sheer anguish and heart rending was so much I could take. And just because he was my best friend it didn't mean I'd let myself up for the self destruction, I knew what exactly was my problem. I needed to get over him, soon. But how?

Inside my room, David helped me put Alex to bed, after he was done out of kindness I walked him to the door, he ran down the stairs to see his car unlocked, "Martin could've been kidnapped," he joked. I was so exhausted, but the effort he put to make me smile was everything. Despite my exhaustion I chuckled and waved at him until the car was in the view.

It was dark outside, quickly closing the door I walked inside the house. Quietly padding towards the kitchen I scanned for a note on the refrigerator from dad, there was a blue note stuck, it read,

'Aspirin and water is on the study table.'

Chuckling at the care I saw in the note I walked up to the bedroom, getting out of my clothes I slipped into my sweatpants and a white t-shirt, Alex was passed out on the bed like before. When I removed the comforter from his body, I let out a pitiful groan.

Alex's legs were spread out in such a way that he was covering half of my side of the bed, leaning on the bed I pushed his leg on his side and settled on the bed groaning. Alex was always like this, when we were young we cuddled a lot at sleepovers at night and in the morning we would laugh at each other thinking we spent our sleepovers like babe.

All the air in my lungs knocked out of me when his hand settled just above my abdomen, I swear my breathing stopped and my eyes moved down to the corner to see what was happening, he had turned to my side. I wanted to wake him up and tell him what he was doing but I couldn't. If I do that he wouldn't sleep all night. It was this weird thing he had about sleep.

I don't know for how long I took the torture, of his hand on my abdomen, as much as I adored him I didn't like the idea of his hand anywhere near my genitals, sounded as if I was taking advantage of his innocence. After what it felt like an eternity Alex turned on his side, now his back faced me. I let out a deep shuddering breath.

Tears stung my eyes, landing my both legs on the cold floor I walked out of the bedroom down in the kitchen. The house felt so dark and lonely just like my soul. Goosebumps rose on my skin thinking about it. Flicking the light on above the kitchen island I pulled the door of the fridge and took out the ice cream tub. Filling the white ceramic bowl I took the spoon and sat on the stool.

The golden light fell on the bowl of my ice cream, I played with it for a while, when I got bored I realised the ice cream was melted, clicking my tongue I raised the bowl to my lips, drinking from it.

"Mason." From the corner of my eyes I saw dad standing in the living room in a way that I could see him, he knew how much I disliked when someone startled me. Setting the bowl down on the island I watched him walk to me.

"It's going to be alright." He breathed.

"I've started to lose hope." I let out a humourless laugh.

"You're stronger than you think, I've seen you grow and turn into a handsome young boy, heartbreaks are not for you." Dad squeezed my shoulder.

"Why won't the pain go away then, when I know he's not right for me, we don't have a future as partners, he's my best friend! One day he will fall in love and marry someone and have kids, where would I be then? Looking from afar how happy he is, am I supposed to be happy because he is happy and it's not even with me." Tears ran down my cheek.

"You're going to find someone who will love you more than you love Alex, he will respect you, make you a better person, you will be so grateful then." He exhaled.

"If only." I pressed my lips together and stiffened the lump of emotions in my chest, yet again.

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