Call Me Milo

Chapter 4

The two return back to unload the truck of seemingly never-ending cardboard boxes. Dizzy grunts as he lifts one into his arms, the work beginning to strain him. Tucker does the same, feeling the weight weigh down on his delicate arms and bites his lip hard as he follows Dizzy into the storage room again.

Tucker places his box down beside Dizzy's and feels a warm liquid on his lip that tastes of iron and realizes he had caused it to bleed. Dizzy looks over, his eyes falling to Tucker's swollen lip and darts his own tongue across his lip as if he had been the one who was bleeding.

Tucker runs the back of his hand across his mouth, swiping at the blood that now marks his hand. He looks over at Dizzy who hadn't begun his walk back to the truck.

"If you're going to be this weak," Dizzy says, "then don't bother. You'll just be a burden."

Tucker clenches his fists together in anger. He's doing his best after all.

"I'm fine."

Dizzy breathes out. "You're doing this to buy another pair of glasses, aren't you?"

That hadn't been the sole reason why Tucker had gotten a job. He needed the spare money to save for when he had to make payments for college the next year.

"Somewhat," Tucker replies, looking down. But right now, his glasses are the priority.

"Chance already told me to replace them," Dizzy says. "So you can stop."

Tucker looks up at Dizzy who's emerald eyes appear a shade darker under his cap. Waiting for a response, Dizzy removes his hat and runs his hand through his curly hair, as it became unruly under the hat. As Tucker looks at him, he notices Dizzy's skin now has a tan and his lips are as full as he remembers.

As much as Tucker doesn't want to admit, Dizzy is attractive. He always was.

And that's probably one of the reasons why he had let Dizzy kiss him three years ago. Or so, that's what he tells himself. As far as he was concerned, Tucker just wanted to feel what Dizzy's lips would feel like against his. That was it. Of course, he could have never imagined that Dizzy would cut off all communication with him after the fated kiss. Or that Dizzy would become such a cruel guy.

Anyway, the two stare at each other in silence before Tucker speaks up again.

"I'm not going to quit," Tucker says as he turns back to return to unload the truck. "Just because you're telling me to."

Dizzy releases a loud sigh. "You should have found a job that actually suits you. Not this heavy lifting s**t that you struggle with."

Tucker turns around and despite himself, replies angrily to Dizzy. "I struggle with everything. And you're out of your mind if you think I'm going to give up now."

Dizzy's harsh remarks seem to light a spark up in Tucker as he refuses to quit something he is having difficulty with. Perhaps, he is trying to prove a point- that he can do the work if he puts his mind to it.

Hours go by, the time ticking away gradually when Fil, the boss, comes around to check on the boys. They've unloaded most of the truck by now and are equally as exhausted as the other. Their uniform shirts are soaked with sweat and Tucker swipes his forehead with the back of his hand to remove some of the perspiration. Dizzy removes his cap and his light hair is now damp with sweat as well.

Fil smiles at them. "You two have been working hard. How about a break?"

The boys gratefully take the break that Fil offers them and as he turns away, they collapse to the concrete floor. Tucker leans his back against a stack of boxes and Dizzy does the same, though across from Tucker.

"What time is it?"

Tucker is startled by Dizzy's voice for a second and looks down at his watch.

"12:53 am."

"f**k. One more hour," Dizzy says and pulls out a cigarette.

Their break ends as quickly as it began and they get back to work. By the time an hour passes, the two can barely feel their arms or their legs and are breathing heavily. Fil tells them to get some rest as they've been working diligently. Without a word to Dizzy, Tucker turns away to return to his car parked in the lot.

He opens his door and sliding half of his body inside, Tucker pauses when he hears a low voice say, "Hey."

Tucker peers outside of his car where Dizzy now stands, his hat pulled down, shielding his face as if ashamed to speak.

"Mind giving me a ride?"

Tucker feels his breath caught in his throat at the strange request. He wonders how Dizzy got to work in the first place. But what Tucker doesn't know is that Dizzy walked and the last time he walked home in the middle of the night, a group of students around his age jumped him and stole the little pocket money he had left. Though, not before beating him bloody.

Tucker pulls the rest of his body into the car and considers driving off without a second glance at Dizzy. However, the way Dizzy stood with his head down like that made it impossible for the kind-hearted Tucker to drive away.

"I'm not going to do anything to you," Dizzy says when Tucker doesn't speak. "I'm not about to walk home in the dead of night and I've got no money for the bus."

Tucker looks down at his hands and replies quietly, "You break my glasses and expect a ride from me?"

Dizzy's head hangs down as he replies. "Sorry. Forget I asked."

A few seconds of awkward tension pass.

"Why'd you do it?"

Dizzy finally lifts his head. "What?"

"You break all contact with me for three years, come back, and treat me like I'm nothing. Do you know how shitty that feels?" Tucker says, gritting his teeth and fights back tears.

Dizzy struggles to pull the words out of his mouth. He knows he can't tell Tucker the real reason he suddenly broke off the fifteen-year friendship after their kiss because he's ashamed of it himself. Honestly, Dizzy couldn't accept fact that he was gay since he knew that nobody else would. Surely, his father would go as far as to disown him. And who's to say what the other students at school would say, or worse, do to him?

"I needed a break, Tucker."

Tucker feels his heart race from hearing Dizzy say his name.

"From what?" Tucker asks quietly.

"From everyone. From you. From Chance," Dizzy replies. "From me."

You see, Dizzy was sick of himself. He couldn't stand it. How could he like another guy? Why did his childhood friend have such a significant place in his little heart?

"That doesn't excuse you from treating me like crap," Tucker says.

Dizzy removes his hat and combs through his curly hair with his fingers.

"Well, no. It doesn't," Dizzy says. "You're right. I'll leave you alone from now on."

But Tucker doesn't want that. The truth is, he missed Dizzy in those three years of lost communication. As unbearable as Dizzy is now, at least he's back.

"Get in."

Dizzy's emerald eyes widen before he drops his head, attempting to hide his smile, and slides into the passenger seat of the car. He then pulls off his shirt and flings it on the floor of the car.

The two boys ride in silence while Dizzy speaks every few minutes, only to provide directions to his home. Of course, Tucker already knows the address but doesn't want to admit this to his childhood friend. When they arrive, an older man with graying hair, worn-out clothes, and a beer bottle in his hand, sits outside of the eerie apartment complex. Dizzy curses to himself before he grabs his shirt and exits Tucker's car.

"Where the hell have you been?" the man yells and raises his hand in the air.

"Working," Dizzy replies, staring the man in the eyes.

The man brings his hand down and darts it through the air before connecting it with Dizzy's cheek. Dizzy feels the sting immediately after the man's hand comes in contact with his face and covers it with his own hand.

"Bullshit," the man says and raises his hand again. "You're going to tell me where the f**k you were or bare the consequences."

Dizzy spits on the ground. "Work-"

The man brings his hand down again but before he could do anything, Tucker instantly opens his car door and says, "Stop."

"Tucker," the man says and Tucker's eyes widen. He doesn't understand how the man knows his name. "It's been a while."

And that is when he recognizes the shrilling voice of Dizzy's abusive father, Josiah.