Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2007 22:32:55 +1000 (EST)
From: Dane Isaac <dane_isaac@yahoo.com.au>
Subject: What happened in Highschool Chapter 6

Hey guys! Here's the next one, hope you like it!
Its a bit more serious than the rest, i didnt mean it to be but it sort
of happened that way.
Anyway i love getting emails so any comments or suggestions please write
and i will try to write back!
Dane

What Happened in Highschool

Chapter 6

Yaz, Abby, Jay and Kurt came over to where we were all standing. Kurt's
face was entirely expressionless. That freaked me out a bit because Kurt
was an emotional kind of guy and he never tried to curtail it.
"Hey guys!" Yaz exclaimed as she smiled at everyone. Abby looked
between me and Aaron and then over at Kyle with raised eyebrows. I did
not want to know what was going on in that mind of hers.
"Hey!" Kyle grinned at everyone. There was a weird pause for a moment
then everyone started chatting.
It was a good day just hanging out with my friends. I kept catching
glances from both Aaron and Kurt. At one point Aaron whispered in my ear
about how sexy he thought my tattoo looked and I almost grabbed him.
It was lunch time when Kyle mentioned he better be making a move.
Everyone was feeling a bit peckish so we decided to head off.
After dropping Kyle off at his place I turned to Aaron with a sultry
smile. At least I hoped it was sultry.
"Your place or mine?"
"Yours." He was rather quick with his answer and I paused for a moment
wondering but just grinned. Reaching over I gripped his thigh, moving my
hand back and forth. He moaned quietly and gave me a look so filled with
lust that I was tempted to suggest that we just pull over rather than
wait to get to my place.
Mum was home when we got there and I sighed. We should have found
somewhere quiet to pull over.
I made us sandwiches instead and we retreated to my room. Aaron wrapped
his arms around me and instead of jumping each other madly we lay down on
my bed and watched a movie together. It was nice.


It was the next Saturday that things with Kurt reached boiling point.
Aaron had to stay at home that night because his mum and dad insisted. He
wasn't too pleased with that and apologized profusely on the phone.
I was watching a movie with mum when my phone rang. It was Kurt. An upset
sounding Kurt and despite the tension between us lately when he asked me
to come around to his place, I put that aside.
The thing about Kurt was that he had a shit home life. He usually spent a
lot of time at my place and lately he hadn't been doing that so I felt a
bit guilty.
I told mum I was going to see Kurt and she smiled faintly.
"Try not to hurt him too much Matt. Despite what he says to the
contrary, he is just looking for love and acceptance that those sorry
excuses for parents he has can't give him."
Instead of making a flippant reply like I would have in the past I
nodded. "Yeah, I'm starting to realize that."


Kurt was the only one home when I got there. He looked worse for wear and
passed me a bottle of Bacardi when I came in. Unsure, I took a swig and
held back from wincing. I hoped he had something to mix it with.
"Where are your parents?"
"Fuck if I know." Was the short reply and it occurred to me that a
quarter of the bottle was missing already.
Kurt went and got some orange juice and we sat drinking together in
silence. In the past this sort of silence wouldn't have been
uncomfortable and I wondered if I was the only one to feel the strain.
Finally Kurt started talking. "Mum started using again."
I winced. Shit. His mum had gone off the rails a few years ago when she
found out Kurt's dad was cheating on her. It had started with alcohol
but quickly progressed towards not so legal substances. She had been
forced into rehab after she had totaled her car.
"What happened?" I asked carefully.
Kurt picked up the bottle of spirits and took a massive swig. "Dad's
been fucking his secretary."
"Shit."
Kurt turned and stared at me, a haunted look in his eyes. "She should
just leave him but she can't! She's gunna get fired. What's worse is
that its ice, man. That shit is fucking deadly. She's been doing it for
awhile too but its starting to show."
I felt sick for him. There was a major ice craze in Melbourne. Ice is
crystal methamphetamine and it is low-grade gunk sold at cheap prices but
it had been killing quite a few people. The media had been drowning
recently in reports, documentaries and inquiries into the drug.
I didn't suggest talking to her because he had tried that before and got
slapped about.
We drank again in silence. I was starting to feel a bit drunk so I slowed
down but Kurt was swigging straight from the bottle.
Suddenly Kurt changed the topic. "You're my best friend Matt. You were
there when she did that shit before. I never told anyone else but you. I
love you"
Fuck. My heart started pounding and I had the urge to run. I didn't want
to have to deal with this.
Carefully I said. "You're my best friend too."
He smiled at me then suddenly burst out crying and sobbing. "What am I
going to do? She's gunna fucking kill herself!"
I hugged him and whispered softly to him as I had in the past. I'd be
there.
His sobbing finally subsided and he looked up into my eyes. The next
thing I knew his lips were pressed against mine. He pushed my lips open
and started kissing me. He tasted salty like tears. The kiss was nice but
that was it.
When he pulled away to gage my reaction I gave him a sad smile. He knew
then. Yanking back from me he jumped up.
"Why?"
I stood up too. "I'm so sorry Kurt! I just don't love you in that
way."
His pain hurt me and I knew nothing I could say would make him feel
better but I wasn't going to leave it like this.
"You love Aaron don't you?!" He screamed at me.
"What?" I was shocked. Did everyone know?
"I see the way you look at him! Why can't you love me?" He started
throwing the cushions off the couch at me and I figured I better grab him
before he started throwing things a bit more solid.
I jumped at him and wrestled him to the ground. Luckily we were similar
in size and he was a bit more drunk than me or it would have been a lot
harder. I had him pinned under me.
"Kurt! You can't make someone love you like that. It would be fake."
He stopped fighting and collapsed beneath me. "You're the only one who
really knows me. I just want you to love me."
I fought back tears. "I do, just not like that. Please Kurt, you're my
best friend. I don't want to lose you."
Kurt stared at me for a long time and I kept quiet. "I need you. Promise
you won't leave me?"
I nodded. "I promise. I'm sorry I haven't been around much lately but
I swear I'll take more time. I like hanging out."
Kurt smiled sadly. "Can we forget about this and still be friends?"
"Yes."
I called mum and said I would be staying the night.


The next morning I woke up on the couch to the sound of the front door
opening.
Kurt's mum stood there squinting at me. She looked like hell. Her face
was sallow and pasty and she had dark circles under her eyes. Fuck. Kurt
was right, she looked like a junkie.
"Hi Mrs. Mitchell." I said as I sat up. She just staggered past me
towards the rooms at the back of the house. It was then that I decided
that Kurt really needed to talk with someone who knew what they were
doing. I had to convince him to go and see a youth worker or something.
My phone started ringing soon after. It was Aaron.
"Hey Aaron."
"Hey^Åso your mum told me you were at Kurt's last night?"
Uhoh. "Yeah. He's going through some shit at the moment and needed to
talk."
There was a silence. Then "So am I going to see you today?"
I winced. "I've been a really bad friend to him recently so^Å"
"Right. Fine."
"No, don't be like that. Kurt knows about us ok? I'm his best friend,
I have been for years and I need to be there for him ok?" I waited
holding my breath.
There was a sigh. "I know. I'm being stupid and jealous. I just want to
spend time together."
I smiled. "Yeah. How about we go to your place after school tomorrow?"
"Not my place! I like yours better!"
I agreed and hung up soon after.

Kurt and me spent the day together watching movies and hanging out at the
shopping centre. It was good to spend time together and I forgot how much
I missed his quirky sense of humour. The tension between us was almost
non-existent and we didn't mention what was said again.
We did talk about his mum though and I very subtly brought up the idea
that he could see a youth councilor or something. As I knew he would,
Kurt dismissed the idea instantly. I knew I was going to have to try and
convince him.
I went to bed that night feeling better than I had in awhile. I hadn't
realized how much a rift between Kurt and me had plagued me.