Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 16:45:23 -0800 (PST)
From: Lusty <lustyville@yahoo.com>
Subject: The Science of Us-Part 28. Oblivious (Kyle)

     I got lost in my head before Nick interrupted my thoughts.

"I hope everything is okay with Drew."

     "So do I," I said.

     "Do you really?"

     "Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

     "You know how you feel about him."

     "But that doesn't mean I want him to be hurt. I may not like
him, but I don't hate him anymore."


     "You don't hate who?" Greta asked as she walked in with Paul
and Hope. I looked over at them, surprised they came, and
wondering why I hadn't spoken to any of them in so long. One day
I was spending a little time with Pat and the next day I was a
member of his group with my old friends on the periphery, barely
warranting a glance. Nick still talked to them, but even he
didn't talk to them as much as he once did. They used to be our
world and some where along the line they became pieces left over
from a previous life. I realized Greta was standing over me with
a worried expression. "I didn't think you would be here."


     "Where else would I be?" I asked curtly.


    "I didn't mean it like that. I meant. Never mind. I don't
know. I heard you were arrested."

     "I was." She must have heard the `drop it' tone in my voice
because she sat down on the bed and stroked Nick's cheek.

     "How have you been Nicky?"

    "I'm fine and I'm not contagious," he said, directing his
focus to Paul and Hope, who were standing near the door.

     "Sorry," they said in unison. They slowly walked in the
room. Paul sat in the seat on the other side of the bed and Hope
sat on the bed.

      "It's okay guys. I know I look bad," Nick told them.

    "Oh shush. You're still as cute as a button," Greta said
while she grabbed his nose.

     He pushed her hand away. "Nice to see you still can't keep
your hands to yourself," he joked.

     She blushed. "It's only with you."

     Everyone in the room knew that Greta had been in love with

Nick for years. When he hooked up with Britney, she finally got

it through her head that he was never going to like her that way

so she moved on, but her feelings for him didn't go away. She had

a boyfriend and even he knew that she would leave him in a

heartbeat if Nick asked her out.

     "Okay, that's enough flirting," I told them.

     "I'm not flirting," Nick protested.

       "Sure you're not." Nick kicked me in the shoulder.

     He grimaced and shouted, "Shit!"

     "Serves you right." I told him. My shoulder was stinging
from his toenails. "And somebody needs to cut that mess. I think
you stabbed me."

     "You're so mean," Greta quipped.

     "He kicked me!"

     "You were being an ass!" She rubbed Nick's chest. "Are you
okay?"

     "I'm fine," he said. He smiled at me and I couldn't stifle
my laughter.

     "I almost forgot how silly the two of you are."

     "Wow, Greta! Has it been that long?" Nick asked.

    "Yes," she said simply. "We used to hang out all the time
but now you guys are too good for us." She laughed but she
couldn't mask the bitterness in her voice.

     "Greta we didn't"

     "Don't worry about it Nicky. I know you've been busy making
new friends and Kyle has been busy having a boyfriend."

    I realized I hadn't spoken directly to any of them except
Matt since my sexual orientation was exposed. "I meant to tell
you in person," I blurted out. I looked at Paul and Hope. "I
meant to tell all of you in person."

     "It's okay. I figured you were gay a while ago," Greta said.

     "What? How?"

     "I'm not an idiot. I saw how you and Pat were together. I
thought you would at least tell me, but I guess that option was
taken away from you. I hope you didn't keep it from us because
you thought the rest of us were like Matt."

     "Matt's homophobic," Paul stated.

     "Matt's in denial," Hope said.

     That comment got everyone's attention. "In denial about
what?" I asked.

     "You don't think he overreacted to you being gay? Let's say
for the sake of argument that he doesn't like gay people. It
takes a lot more than not liking someone to attack them the way
he's attacked you since he found out. If you ask my opinion, I
think he's jealous."

     "Of what?"

     "Of you and Pat. I think he likes you more than he cares to
admit. When you started hanging out with Pat, Matt was constantly
talking about it. I personally got sick of hearing your name come
out of that boy's mouth."

      I laughed. "Yeah right, Matt hates my guts because he
secretly loves me. That makes perfect sense."

     "It's just crazy enough to be true," Nick said.

     "Oh, not you too! You were there yesterday morning. You saw

how he was and he was even angrier when I saw him later."

     "You never wondered why he was so angry?" Hope asked.

     "I'm gay. He's homophobic. I think that's enough ammo."

     "For Matt?"

     "Hope, let it go! You're wrong on this one. Matt is a
homophobe so me being gay is enough to push him over the edge."


     "Stop being sarcastic and take a second to seriously think
about it. Matt knows you can kick his ass, why would he start a
fight with you?"


     "Pride, revenge, hatred, take your pick."


     "I'm telling you"


    "Okay you two. This is my room and I hereby declare this
topic closed for discussion. I don't care what's wrong with
Matt."

    "Well your Majesty, what do you want to talk about?" Hope
asked.

     "For starters, shouldn't you guys be in school?"

    I glanced at my watch. "Yeah, you guys still have another
hour."

     "We went for the first half of the day, but then we decided
to skip and come see you," Greta said.

     "You could have done that after school," Nick told her.

     "School wasn't too much fun. Everyone was in a bad mood and
then the principal called us in to his office to talk about our
friendships with you guys. I told him I hadn't talked much to
either of you in the past month or so, but he still asked me a
lot of questions."

     "Questions about what?" I asked.

     "What type of people you were. If I thought you started any
of the fights yesterday. How long we've been friends. Why we
stopped hanging out. Things like that."

     "Why would he care?"

     "I think he wanted to get his facts straight about what went

on in the detention room yesterday."

     "Really?"

     "Yes, Kyle, really. We may have a new vice-principal soon."

     "What?"

     "He was trying to do a review of the incident but he seemed
eager to get any information to condemn his right hand man. I
don't know what's going on with that, but I think John Charleston
may have something to do with it."


     "John?"


    "He was in the office sitting in a chair all day. He was
there when Hope was called in this morning and when Paul and I
were called in this afternoon."

    Nick's room phone started ringing. "Who's calling you?" I
asked.

     "Probably my mother calling from the cafeteria. I swear that
woman is ridiculous." Greta handed him the phone. "Hello." He
smiled when he heard the voice. "Well speak of the devil! We were
just talking about" The person must have cut him off because he
stopped talking and his smile quickly left his face. "No, he's
not here. He went to check on Drew." I could tell the person on
the other end must have been frantic. "Drew called him so he
called him back." He paused. "I don't know, maybe thirty
minutes." He put his hand over the phone and asked me, "Pat's
been gone for about thirty minutes right?" I nodded my head.
"Okay, call me when you see him." Nick handed Greta the phone and
she hung it up.

     "What's going on?"

     "Something's really wrong with Drew. He talked to John and
now John is just as freaked out as Pat."

     I immediately began to worry about Pat. "Oh no, I hope
nothing's wrong. I should go call Pat and see if he's talked to
Drew."

     "You should," Nick agreed.

     I stood up and ran out of the room. I was down the hallway

and out the main door in a matter of seconds. I called Pat five

times, but he didn't answer and that only made me worry more. I

wondered if Drew's father had gone off on both of them and images

of my boyfriend being smacked around popped in my head. I

panicked and called John. He answered.

     "Pat?"

     "No, it's Kyle. Have you talked to Pat?"

     "I just left him a message."

     "What's going on? Why isn't he answering his phone?"

     "I don't know. I'm not there yet." John sounded angry.

     "Are you okay?"

     "It's been a long, long day and I have a feeling it's about
to get longer."


     I thought I heard sirens in the background. "Are you being
pulled over?"


     "They're trying to, but I have to stop for that to happen."


     "John, what the hell is wrong with you? Pull over! Why
aren't you stopping?"

     "I'll talk to you later." He hung up and I was left
wondering what in the world was going on at Drew's place.

     I stopped to take a few deep breaths and calm myself down. I
was on my way back in the building when someone tapped me on my
right shoulder. "Hey Kyle."

       "Hey Jeremy," I said as he fell in line next to me.

     "Look man, I'm sorry about what happened yesterday. I only
made the situation worse."

    "Don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault. I would have
fought with someone at some point yesterday."

     "I didn't help though."

     "Neither of us was thinking straight."

     "So how is Nick doing?"

     "He's doing much better. The doctor says he can go home
tomorrow."

    "That's good. I thought about stopping by to say hello."

     "You should. He'll be happy that other people thought about
him."

     "Okay. I'll stop by in a few minutes. I have to go see
someone first."

     "Tell your mother I said hello."

     "She's not working today."

     "Oh, I'm sorry. I just assumed."

     "It's okay. I'm here to finish a conversation with someone
and then I'll come down to talk to you for a minute."


     "Alright." I walked back to Nick's room and our old friends
were gone. His mother and my mother were sitting next to the bed.
"Where did everyone go?" I asked.


     "The mothers cleared the room," Nick explained.


     "Nick says Pat went to visit one of your other friends. Is
he coming back soon?" My mother's eyes were drilling a hole in to
me.


     "I'm not sure. I haven't talked to him since he left." She
kept staring at me but she didn't say a word. I knew she was
trying to read my mind. I didn't feel like sitting so I paced the
floor with a renewed feeling of worry.


    "Honey you're making me nervous. Sit down," she ordered.


       "Yes Mom." I sat down on the edge of Nick's bed and
nervously waited for Pat.


Lustyville 2006
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