Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2011 08:23:09 +0000 From: Tommy Evans Subject: Uriel and Jon: Growing Up Chapter 18 The days following thanksgiving were not very eventful. School got intense after that since we began to get ready for the tests before Christmas break. It was so intense that there would be times where I didn't see either Jon or Adrian for days at a time. But we took the tests and passed all of them. It was now December 20th and we were four days away from Christmas. I had done all my shopping already and had even wrapped all of them and hid them in my closet. I kind of went all out and bought both Adrian and Jon 6 presents each ranging from clothes to shoes to video games. I wanted it to be special. School had just gotten out and I was waiting for Adrian and Jon so we could go home. It was our typical Friday schedule where we went out to eat after school to catch up and stuff. When the jumped in the car they were both very excited for vacation and to finally spend some worry free time with me. "Jon dude I passed everything with flying colors so my mom is going to buy me a brand new tv" said Adrian. "Yeah lucky. I didn't pass everything that good. I mean I got B's and C's and I think ONE A" said Jon. I looked at him in a disapproving way, I noticed he looked down when I did that and then he kind of smiled in shame. "its okay dude. You'll do better next time okay" I told him. "Yeah of course." he smiled. "So we going to eat because I'm super hungry" said Adrian. "yeah, but watch it man. We have a lot of eating coming up" I said. He had dropped a few more pounds and was looking great so I didn't want him to lose his stride. Just then Jon looked at his phone and then looked at me. "Whats wrong?" I asked. "My mom just texted me. Guess we're going to Mexico for the next month" he said kind of sad. "MONTH?" asked Adrian confused. "yeah I don't know why. She said it was an emergency" he said. "Damn dude. So...no eating?" I asked. "No man. She wants me home to pack" Jon said kind of mad. "Okay dude chill. We'll figure something out." I told him. "No man. it's a month! What the fuck am I going to do for a month there?" "I don't know Jon but just calm down" I said as I held his little hand. "Yeah dude relax. Wait so you're going to miss the first week of back to school?" asked Adrian. "Yeah man. Can u take notes for me in the classes we might have together?" he asked. "Of course man. Do you know what the emergency is?" asked Adrian. "No man. She didn't tell me. Damn I don't want to go" he complained. "Listen Jon, its family. We're not going anywhere, I'm positive Adrian and I will both still be here when you come back" I told him. "I know I just don't want to be away for so long" he said as he started crying. "Come on man. Is that what 12 year old does?" asked Adrian. "No but when a 12 year old is mad he cries" he said. "Okay happy thoughts" I said as I turned the music up. We got quiet for the rest of the ride home and I dropped Adrian off first. Before he got out of the car he kind of hugged jon from the back seat and they did their hand shake. "Merry Christmas and happy new year. I'll miss you man" he told Jon. "Me too. And thanks. I'll find a way to call you guys okay" said Jon. "okay. Be good man" said Adrian as he got out of the car. "Hey aaron, can you drive me home please" said Jon. "Yeah dude no problem." I said. So we drove to his house and when we got there he slowly got out of the car. When we walked into the house his mom looked at his a little worried and then Jon ran up to his room. I let him go and I walked towards his mom. "How'd he take it?" she asked me. "Terrible. He's a wreck" I said. "I know poor baby. He still hasn't been able to spend this holiday with you." she said. "Its okay. I just want him to be fine. Is everything okay in Mexico?" I asked. "Its family trouble and his dad has to go on a very important business trip. I wish I could let him stay but a month is a little too long" "I understand. I hope everything turns out okay." "Thanks hon. I know you do. Can you go check on him please?" she asked. "yeah of course." I said as I headed upstairs. I went up to his room and found him sitting on his bed packing his things angrily. I closed the door and then hugged him. We fell on the bed. "Bro you're going to be fine" I told him "But I'm going to miss you" he said crying. "I'm going to miss you too. But the quicker you get ready the faster it all passes by" He looked at me and kissed me, then hugged me. "I'll really miss you man" he said in tears. "Hey, its vacation. Go have fun. Be a kid" I told him. "Okay. So...guess we can't have sex huh?" he asked. "No, just get packed ok" I said. "Okay okay" he said with a little smile. For the next 3 hours I helped him pack his suitcase and we joked about stuff and we also had talks about memories we've had and adventures we'd been through. We were looking forward to the summer and having a lot more fun. Since it was such a quick thing they had to get going from the house by 8pm and he only had 45 minutes to shower, eat something and get going. I decided to say bye now so he could have time to get going. "So bro I have to go. You need to shower and get ready." I said. "Okay. I'll miss you tons" he said. "I'll count down til you come back" I told him. "GOod I will too" he smiled. He looked around and when he saw no one was around he kissed me again and hugged me. "Be good okay" I said. "Promise" he smiled. "Merry Christmas and happy new year" I told him. "You too. I'll give you your present when I come back because I forgot. I was going to buy it today but, I ended up having to leave you know'" he said. "Don't worry we'll trade gifts when you get back" I said. "Okay then" he smiled. I gave him one more hug and then told him to go shower. I headed down the stairs without looking back because I knew that if I did, I'd end up going back to hold him and not letting go for a while. I said bye to his mom and his little brothers and wished them happy holidays and then I headed home. I don't know why I had bad feeling, but I did. I tried to push that to the back of my head just because I hate being negative about things. Once home I sat on my bed just thinking. Minutes later Adrian walked into my room and sat next to me. "Hard time?" he asked. "It just...came out of nowhere. We had plans to have so much fun on Christmas and new years...it just smacked me in the face" I said. "I know dude. I know. You going to be ok?" he asked. "O yeah. I mean its not like permanent move, its just a sudden thing." "Well, want to watch a movie or something?" "I guess. We need to kind of let this thing go for now" "Good idea." he said. We put in a good movie and just relaxed, or tried to relax on my part. It was a very long movie and we ended up falling asleep on the couch. When I woke up it was past 1 in the morning and Adrian was knocked out. I went downstairs real quick to get a drink of water. My mom was sitting the kitchen having a glass of milk. "So, how did you guys take the sudden trip?" she asked. "I miss him already" I said. "Aww honey. He'll be back in no time. Is Adrian asleep?" "Yeah we knocked out while watching a movie." "Well go get some rest. Vacation starts." she said with a smile. "Yeah, I guess" I said as I grabbed my water and headed up to my room. I found Adrian snuggled up on the couch and I carried him to my bed. He didn't move a muscle. After I got changed and washed my face and got ready for bed I helped him get of his clothes and into sleeping shorts and a shirt. He was so sleepy that I had to do most of the work for him. Once we were all changed and in bed nice and comfortable I dimmed my lights and hit the hay. ====================================================== Christmas day came a few days later and Adrian and I both woke up and gave each other our presents. It was still a warm feeling but we were still sad about Jon not being there. His mom and his sister spent the night too since my family had a part for Christmas eve. We didn't quite have a great time since we just ate and played games. He did love his presents I got him and I loved mine just because it was from him and I knew he took time to choose it. It was a shirt, cologne, and a picture of the three of us. "Thanks a lot man. I was kind of hoping we'd be waking up from a crazy sex night..." said Adrian as he looked at his presents. "I'm sure we would have had sex if jon was here" I smiled. "remember how he couldn't walk last time" Adrian joked. "Yeah, it was kind of funny." "Hey, what do you think he's doing right now?" "I don't know Adrian. I don't like to think about it because I get kind of down." "True. Hey, lets go downstairs and see what our family got us." "And santa. Can't forget santa" I said joking. We ended up getting many presents from "santa" and from our parents. It was silly that my parents still gave me santa gifts, but hey what can you do. We spent the rest of the day hanging with the family and playing card games and board games and eating lots of food. At the end of the night we sat there and looked at our gifts. I got a new laptop, he did too. I got stereo, he got a ipod, I got shoes and he got boots. And from my dad, we both got matching rolex watches. Then of course we got lots of shirts and sweaters and what not. But the rolex watches were the main attraction. We finished the night by watching classic Christmas movies and talking about the things we'd do once we were older. Then of course, we fell asleep watching tv. We spent the next few days playing our new games and hanging out at my house or going to the movies. Nothing crazy. By the time it was new years I knew something could happen. Last year, Uriel and Luis came over, even JR did. This year could be testy. Although I had seen Uriel a lot less thus far. I found myself getting ready for the big new years eve party at my house and realizing that this year was going to start of weird since I am happy with jon, we are talking, just not physically possible to be together. Although I had been a little worried since he still had not talked to us since he left. Grant it that it's only been 2 weeks, but still. I got dressed up real nice for this day. Since I was in a lot better shape I felt better about myself and I wore a nice dress shirt with nice pants and even a red tie. I have to say I looked really good for the family picture. At around 5pm Adrian showed up. We had planned to dress the same way just different colors and I was really surprised when I saw him wearing his dark silver shirt and red tie. He looked real good. "Damn you look spiffy" I told him. "you look hot" he smiled. "You think so?" I asked. "I know so" "Hey, you ready to party?" I asked. "You mean your actually going to party? Not spend the whole day sad because you're little shortie isn't here?" "Hey hey! No making fun of me. I'm in a fragile state" I smiled. "Sure. Hey when I was walking in Uriel walked in too. But he didn't come upstairs right away. He just stayed behind. I'm not sure why" "Well I'm sure he will find his way up here eventually" I said. I wasn't quite sure why he didn't come upstairs right away but I decided I would wait for a while. Soon enough I got a text from him letting me know he was here and I told him to come up to my room. I mean I kind of thought it was automatic for him to come looking for me up here but maybe he just didn't remember where my room was at...right. When he walked in I had a moment of flashbacks. It kind of took me by surprise. He looked very handsome in his purple shiny shirt and his gelled hair. Those rosy cheeks of his stood right out with the colors he wore. When he smiled at me I felt warm, just for a moment, and I felt okay. It was as if for that split second he was the same uriel I used to see years ago. The kid I grew up with. But then he spoke. His voice was changing for sure. Wasn't really all that different but I did notice the small tone changes. "Whats up" he said. "Not much. Just relaxing. Ready to party?" asked Adrian. "Well, I kind of wanted to go party with my cousins, but o well. Nothing wrong with spending new years with my buddy aaron" uriel smiled. "Gee thanks" I said. He walked over to me and we hit our knuckles together. That was our way of "hand shaking." "I like your shirt" I said. "Purple?" he asked confused. "Yeah its cute" joked Adrian. "Thanks..." uriel blushed. "I didn't take you for a purple kind of guy. But it really makes you look good" I said. "I always look good" Uriel smiled. "Right...I forgot your ego is the size of your...ass" I said. "My ass or Adrian's ass?" asked Uriel. "Well...that is true. Adrian's got a big ol ass. But no your ego is not that big" I said. "Well thanks...trying to drop some weight. But its not coming off my ass" laughed Adrian. "Its okay. It makes us who we are" Uriel said as he grabbed his gently and laughed a little. "Okay, enough ass talk. Lets go sit down and chill" I said. We followed each other to the heated tents outside and found a nice table with a good view of the dance floor. Once we sat down Uriel gave me that evil smirk he's known for. "SO, we going to drink this year?" he asked. "Uhh...I guess" said Adrian. "I don't know" I said. "Don't be a girl Aaron. Come on. Its new years. We're old enough to drink" complained Uriel. "No. You're only 14" I said. "Well, my mom said I could drink a little. Not to the point where I'm puking though" added Adrian. "She did?" I asked confused. "Yeah but only when I'm at family parties or with you aaron" he said. "that's sweet. Yeah my parents don't mind if im with them and as long I'm safe" said Uriel. "Well...great...we all have great parents..." I joked. "No, its just, natural. I mean they would rather we drank when we're with them under their control you know. To get it out of our system before we get older and party harder" said Adrian. "You have a point there" I agreed. With that said we popped open a bottle of red wine and munched on chips while we talked about sports and cars and how our year had been. As time passed by more guests seemed to arrive and people my age and their age joined our table naturally. I guess they just sit with the people they think they might get along with. I knew most of them since they had to be either family or close friends. "Anyway, where's Jon?" asked Uriel. "Vacation" I said. "o bummer." he said. He looked right through me though when he said that. I don't know what that meant. We got through the dinner without getting too intoxicated and we were all having a good time. The older guys at our table joined in on the drinking. The other younger guys didn't. I guess their parents weren't as liberal as Adrians mom and uriels parents. My parents didn't care anymore about what I drank since I was of age according to them. When the DJ took over we all brought the new year in while cheering and watching fireworks. He managed to kind of synchronize the fireworks with his lights and the music so it was kind of neat. Shortly after the lights were dimmed and the real party started. Music was blasting, people were having a good time, they were eating and drinking and of course dancing the new year in. All of us found our way to the dance floor for a while and I lost count of how many drinks we had until it hit us all at different times. I think it hit me first because I started to get real random and really happy. I went back to the table to kind of get myself together and grab a snack to fight the effects of the alcohol in my body. But when I sat down, I quickly started thinking about my shortie. What was he doing? How was he spending his new years? Was he okay? Was he lonely? Why didn't he try to get in touch with me at all? So many things came to my mind that I even started to get annoyed and kind of sad. that's when I decided to drink just a tad more. Eventually I had to go empty the tank and decided to go up to my room. I slowly made my way through the crowd and that's when I realized, I was drunk. Things were too blurry and I felt like I was walking sideways or something. It took me a while to get up to my room and once I was there I had to carefully run to my bathroom and sit down in order to pee and not make a mess. I looked at my time. 2am. Man. it's a new year, and I felt alone. Then I started to feel bad for myself. How could I have even let myself feel like this. I mean, I should have never even let that kid get so close to me. Its been problem after problem and heart break and just everything that comes along with bad relationships. And then I remembered, I loved him. So all this didn't matter. I just wanted to be with him. I felt myself starting to break down and then I felt that weird, angry, macho feeling I hate so much. I wanted to just have fun. I wanted to feel like I didn't depend on anyone. I got up, washed my hands, washed my face and went into my room. I saw uriel sitting on the couch. "Damn dude you took forever" he said. " o sorry" I said. "Well hold on let me pee" "Okay don't miss" "never do" "good" "unless u want to come help me aim...just in case" he giggled. "no thanks" "suit yourself." he said as he closed the door behind him. A few minutes later he walked out and just sat next to me on the couch. "So, guessing you're down because you're not with Jon right?" "Not too bad. I'm just drunk" I said. "how drunk?" "Well drunk enough to know I'm drunk but not too drunk to not know whats going on" "That's a good kind of drunk" he said. "Are you drinking a lot?" I asked. "Just as much as you. Adrian is wasted" "Damn how wasted." "He's passed out on your couch downstairs" "Damn already. What did you do?" "I gave him 5 shots..." "What Uriel you're going to kill the kid" "Dude we're Mexican. We deal with this stuff early in life" "ok let me go check on him" I said. For some reason the worrying about him being passed out shook me up and the drunk effect kind of wore off. I quickly went down the stairs and found him on the couch. He looked lost. He wasn't passed out, he was just lying there staring at me, wasted. Uriel was standing next to me just staring. "Should we take him upstairs?" he asked. "Probably. I hope I can carry him without falling" I said. I slowly picked Adrian up and put him on my shoulders. "what are you doing?" he managed to ask in his drunk state. "im taking you upstairs buddy" I answered. "Dude...but the party is down here" "Adrian you're drunk man. I have to take you to rest" I said. "Yeah Adrian. Your going to be sick" added Uriel. With that I slowly and carefully carried his smaller body up the stairs. "Man you're strong" said Uriel. "Yeah...thanks. He's also lighter than he looks" I said. "no he's normal" said uriel. "Aaron, can you take my pants off in your room. I want to sleep in boxers" said Adrian. "sure dude. Do you feel like puking at all?" I asked. "not anymore. I'm okay now" Once in my room I closed the door and told Uriel to go wait in the closet. "Why?" he asked. "Because you shouldn't see him in his boxers" I said. "O no that's okay I don't care. I'm drunk" said Adrian. "Just turn around uriel" I said. I put Adrian down and then I quickly helped him out of his pants. He giggled a little but then turned around under the covers and closed his eyes. "Man he's gone" said Uriel. "yeah, well...at least he got that out of his system and won't drink for a while" I said. "Yeah he's a good kid you know." said Uriel. "Yeah I know. Well now what?" I asked. "We just relax or we can go back to the party" "No dude...that would mean we drink more" "I want to drink more" "Why?" I asked. "Just for fun" he giggled. "well you can go down there I guess" I told him. I dimmed the lights and then went to sit on my couch. "Well...I could sit with you then" he smiled. But he didn't just sit with me. He sat on me with his legs around me. "what are you doing?" I asked. "Just..." he said but then he kissed me. For some reason I gave into his crazy action and we made out. I tasted him again. Even after the food, and the alcohol we've both consumed, the taste of him was still there. Its one of those things really complicated to explain but I could taste him and I could say I kind of missed that. I felt his boner poking my stomach and im sure he could feel mine on his bum. "O aaron lets fuck please" he said as he took some air. that's when Jon's face came to my mind. He would be pissed if he ever found out about this. I felt disgusted with myself. "No uriel we have to stop this. Its not right. Get off me please" I said. "What why?" "Its just...we promised we wouldn't" "Fuck promise. Lets fuck" he said as he pushed his ass on me more. "dude no please get off" I said. "fine I guess. But don't forget I still like you" "I wont dude. But we're friends just friends" I said. "Ok...fine. Lets go to sleep then?" he asked. "Where?" I asked. "here on the couch" "We don't fit" "yeah we do. We can spoon. Lets at least spoon and sleep" "Okay fine" I agreed. I mean its just spooning, not like its sex. He got up and turned the lights completely off and then came back to the couch. We got in position and I put my arm around his belly. "Like the old days huh?" he asked. "yeah just like the old days" "So dude I have to ask. Do you have sex a lot?" "NO man. I don't. its because I don't want to be all into sex all the time." "So what. Its good isn't it?" "yeah it feels great. But theres more to it than just doing it." "Yeah you're right. Hey, how many times have you fucked Adrian?" "None" "Bullshit. At least once. I know it" "No man. I thought we were going to sleep" "Okay okay I'll change the subject" "Okay good" "why are you hard?" he asked. "That's not changing the subject" "Yeah it is. And don't evade the question" "Cuz you're cute uriel. that's why. And your ass is on me" "Good" he said as he turned around and we started making out again. I couldn't stop him this time. We got carried away. Our make out session led to me sliding my hand behind his pants, under his boxers and...well yeah. Eventually both our pants came off. I instinctively pulled out my wallet and got a condom out. He stopped and looked at me. "a condom?" he asked. "Got to be safe man" I said. "Dude, im clean" "I don't want to risk this man ok." I said. "Okay sounds good" he said as he turned around. I got it on and then we got back to spooning, but he opened his ass for me. It took a bit of work since he wasn't lubed up, but eventually it plopped right in. "ahhh" he moaned. "shit" I said. "I haven't felt this for a long time" he said. We started to slowly fuck. This was different. It wasn't like it used to be. It was slow and I don't know if it was the alcohol or what, but it felt better. He felt so good. So warm. every time I pushed in he pushed back, and every time I pulled back he tried his best to push back and get back in. since this felt so different we only lasted about 5 minutes before I exploded and I was jerking him off while we fucked so I felt him cum. Luckily he had the front part of his boxers on so it got messy in there and not on the couch. When we stopped panting and finally caught our breath it hit me. I had crossed the line. Shame took over me. I quickly pulled out took the condom off pulled my boxers up and ran to the bathroom. I got rid of the evidence and then washed my hands face and brushed my teeth. I felt like shit. Why did I do that! I told myself I wouldn't and I lost control. I finally went back to the couch. Uriel was sitting there. He was in his boxers and he was smiling. "Feeling bad?" he asked. "Terrible" "dude, just don't tell him" "I have to. I promised" "He's going to get mad" "I know, but I have to" "Aaron, everyone cheats." "Its just, I know better. You do too. Why'd you let me" "Why'd u start" "I didn't start! You did!" I said angrily. "Well the deed has been done. So lets just sleep ok." "Yeah, I guess" I said angrily. I lied down on the couch and he did too. But I didn't exactly cuddle with him. Juts put my arm around him since we didn't have room and we fell asleep too fast to even get real cuddly. When morning hit, I felt even worse. I woke up with him in my arms. We were real close, our lips were almost touching. I just got up because just thinking about what I did sickened me. I went down to the kitchen and looked around at the aftermath. The cleaning crew was already working hard and my mom was walking around. "How was your night?" she asked. "It was good. Drank a lot...knocked out early" I said. "Learn anything?" she asked. "Plenty...hows dad?" "drunk." she answered bluntly. "Good party then" I smiled. "you okay hon?" "Yeah I'll be fine. Head ache." "How's Uriel? Hows Adrian?" "Uriel's sleeping but he gave Adrian too many shots." "Is he okay?" "Yeah...but I really gotta put an end to Uriel drinking so much. I mean he could have hurt Adrian or something" "Well, Adrian is a smart kid. I'm sure he still kind of knew what was going on. But if anything happens let me know" she said as she went upstairs. I drank 2 glasses of water and then grabbed 3 bottles of water for Adrian and uriel for when they woke up. I know they're going to be thirsty. I went back up to the room and lied down next to Adrian. Why didn't I sleep in the bed, that way I could have avoided the incident. Eventually he woke up. "Fuck...my head" he said. "Drink this" I said as I gave him water and an aspirin. "Dude...I think I got wasted" "I know you did...you wanted to dance around in your boxers in front of Uriel" "o...did I?" he asked. "no. I didn't let you" I said. "We didn't...did we?" he asked. "who?" "You and me?" "No. you were asleep." "O...I could have sworn I heard fucking noises and in my head I thought it was me. I could have been dreaming" he said confused. "Umm...so you're saying you wouldn't know if you fucked...you just heard the noises?" I asked. "I was pretty wasted" "Well you were dreaming" I said. "Wait...was I? or did you and..." he said very confused. I didn't say anything. "O my gosh. You did!" he said loudly. I had no clue how he even went to that conclusion. I needed to shut it down though. "No man. that's crazy" I said. "No dude. I know you guys had a thing before" "Dude come on...you know me" "That's why I know! He got you drunk enough didn't he?" "Dude...I fucked up" I finally broke down. "Aaron...seriously. Jon's gonna be pissed" "I don't think I'll tell him" "Are you serious! Then I will. Its what friends do" "Adrian. Come on man." "Aaron that's not cool. Did you at least use rubber?" "Yeah of course" "Umm...was it good" "FUcking amazing man" I said. "It was the alcohol probably. Shit man. Well...I don't know what to say. I have a head ache though so...whatever. Just...tell him when you think is right I guess" "Gee thanks for the help" I said. "anytime. And well...next me let me fuck with Uriel that way you stay out of trouble" he said with a smirk. "Great to know..." I said. Uriel didn't wake up until about 2 pm which is when his parents came to pick him up. He barely woke up to say bye and then ran out the door. I guess that made things a bit more weird, but with him gone I felt a tad better. I still felt terrible though. Once mostly everything was cleaned up and things were back to normal Adrian and I got ready for the day. We sat in the kitchen with my mom drinking some hot chocolate and talking about the party. "I should ground you guys for drinking that much" she said. "It was seriously Uriel pushing us. He's bad" said Adrian. "Yeah well you let him" said my mom. "We know better for next time though. Seriously" I said. "Yeah, the whole room is slowly spinning right now" added Adrian. "You guys are silly. Go watch tv or something. I need to get some work done around here and your dad wont be up for a while" she said. Adrian and I just lounged around after that. The couch became our best friend for the next few hours. We must have watched at least 3 movies and a few random shows, ate 2 pizzas and three jugs of juice. "I can't believe you were drunk enough to fuck man" he said. "Dude can we please not talk about it" I said. "Was it like insane fucking. Like face down ass up?" he asked. "No man! It was...just kinda spooning...and you know" "So it was tender sweet love making?" he asked. "No! it was...fucking...it was like 5 minutes man" I said. "So basically a one night stand hook up thing" "Yeah..." "Well...at least you can say that..." "Not going to help" I said worried. "damn well not going to lie, I'm jealous" "WHy?" "I haven't got any in like...forever" "Well maybe you should have slept with him then" I said. "I kind of wanted to. Just passed out before I could" he said shyly. "Just great...now you're being a sicko" "Aaron, just relax ok. I wont tell him. But I do suggest YOU tell him. What about Uriel. What are you going to do about that?" "Nothing. Just let it go" "you sure about that? Like he's just going to let it go?" "I'm sure he will. that's what always happens. We mess around, then we stop talking for a bit...and yeah" "You have some crazy cycles" "Yeah thanks..." I said. "So what now?" he asked. "Just...relax I guess. I don't want to do anything. I'm tired" I said. "dude...me too. And I have a hang over" "Well you learned your lesson" "ha...so did you" he smirked. The day slowly passed by. We didn't do a single thing. Just lounged around all day. When night time came around his mom finally made him go home. He was a bit worked up about leaving but then he realized it was time to go back home and back to reality. We said our goodbyes and then I was left all alone, with my shame. I went down to the gym to work out for an hour and to let my emotions go. I just had to. Nothing else cleared my mind. Why hadn't Jon talked to me at all? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A few days passed by and it was Saturday. I hadn't done much all winter break long. I did work a bit and then also hit the gym. But that's it. I spent almost all day with Adrian doing absolutely nothing. We enjoyed that though. After we ran or lifted weights we usually just sat around and watched movies and talked. It was pretty cool. But today was going to be boring. He was out with his mom visiting family being the new year an all. After lunch I sat in the office computer just looking at stuff online I wanted to buy and killing time. My phone rang and I figured it was my mother or my father, or possible Adrian, but when I looked at my phone I lit up. Jon was calling. "hello" I answered. "dude I'm back" he said. But something sounded weird. Then again it could be my guilt taking over. "Hey man. You didn't talk to me at all" "I know man. didn't find a way" "o okay. Well happy new year" "thanks. You too." "What time did you get here?" I asked. "Like at 10." he said. "So...are we going to hang out?" "Yeah I guess" "Okay what time?" "Later on. Sometime" "I guess just tell me then?" "Yeah I'll tell you" he said. "Okay then." "bye" he said kind of dry and borderline annoyed. What that heck? Did something happen again down there to change him or what? Damn I hated it when he did that. Its like he leaves me for a couple of days and he totally changes and then it takes him a little while to get back to how he used to be. Now I didn't know how to react or think. I paced around my room with my heart pumping. I pondered what he had done all that time and what mischief he got into. I realized I couldn't really put up with the waiting and pacing around wasn't helping. I did my work out routing and then took a shower. That killed about 2 hours. Then he texted me saying he was coming over. My heart started racing again. I couldn't wait to see him. I went down to the kitchen to open the back door and I saw him. He changed a bit. He was a little darker, due to the sun down in mexico. He was a little bit taller, and skinnier. A little. His hair was really short though, and he just looked different. Like his over all aura was weird. Not the same little boy. I guess he just looked, older. "hey..." I said as I opened the door. "Sup" he said. His voice had tweaked a little. Not a drastic change but I could hear a slight deepening. "so how was it?" I asked as I reached to give him a hug. He dodged it though and just closed the door behind him. "good" he answered simply. "You ok?" I asked. "yeah why?" he asked. "You...didn't hug me." "O...sorry" he said as he gave me a quick hug. "Umm...ok" I said confused. "Hey dude. Can we umm...be friends?" he asked. "Yeah we are" I said. I knew where this was going though. "No but I mean just friends" "You're doing the whole tough guy thing again?" I asked. "I just, think it's a little weird. Just like, for a bit. We can go back to normal soon" "How come you always change this when you go down there?" I asked. "I just, I don't know" he said as he looked away from me. I also noticed he left a lot of space between us. I felt him put up his invisible border again. "here we go" I said as I got angry and walked to the living room. I sat on the couch and he sat a good distance from me. "We're cool right?" he asked. "I guess..." "I mean I like being friends, I like being bros" "yeah I get you" I said. "I met someone" he said. My heart sunk. "o" was all I could say. "Not like that. Not a girl. A guy" he said. "O...even better" I said. "no not like that. I met this cool guy. He taught me about lots of stuff. We drove and shot things and drank beer and stuff" "Sounds...great" I said angry. "Well, I just you know, want to be normal" "Yeah...I understand" "Its not random. I always did. I just get confused all the time" "Yeah I know. You're only 12...it happens" "so I mean I guess if you really want you can do stuff with Adrian" "I don't know if I want to think about that stuff right now" I said. I kind of felt like crying or punching the wall, but I controlled myself. "o ok. Anyway, I'm going to the mall with my friends. I'll talk to you later alright man. Maybe we can go eat tomorrow" he said. "yeah sure" I said. By now I was crushed. Completely crushed. I guess telling him about Uriel wouldn't even matter now. "peace out" he said as we did our handshake. He walked out and I noticed his pants sagging and his butt hanging out, boxers on of course. He walked different. He was turning even more ghetto. When he left, my heart was pumping. I was completely destroyed, angry and just confused. As much as I wanted to follow him and shake him and tell him I loved him and that he couldn't just change his mind just like that, I knew I couldn't. he wouldn't even care. He was so set on being `normal'. I had to do something. I couldn't just hang in my house and go crazy thinking about this. I decided to go for a walk. I walked over to Adrian's house and just rang the doorbell. Maybe he'd be home by now. His mom opened the door. "Hey, is Adrian home?" I asked. "Hey hon. Yeah he's taking a nap. In his room." "Cool. Is it ok if I go up there?" I asked. "Of course. Are you ok?" she asked. "yeah, just tired." "O okay. I'll in my room if you need anything" she said. I went to Adrian's room and found him on his bed listening to music. "Hey" he jumped up surprised. "hey" I said. "Woah. Whats wrong?" he asked. He knew me that well. "uh...Jon" "What about him" "He...changed. went back to being `normal'. you know the ghetto one" "again? What why?" "No clue. He just said he wanted to be normal. He wanted to be friends. Just friends" "did you tell him about uriel?" "no. I didn't care anymore. I mean it wouldn't matter." "Do you think he found someone?" "he said he met a guy who taught him to drive and to shoot things. Probably drink and stuff. If he was trying to be normal he wouldn't do anything with that guy" "Or he did and doesn't want to tell you" "No. when he said it, I knew he was being honest. At least with that part of his explanation. As to his feelings, I don't know what to think about that" "Well...are you just going to give him time and see what happens?" "that's what I usually do. But now I don't know" "just give it time. Maybe he'll snap back to normal again" "he even said I could mess around with you if I wanted to" "Wow. He went that far?" "yeah. Has he even talked to you?" I asked. "Yeah for a bit. But he said he was going to the mall with some friends" "well...I guess this is him growing up. He said to me too, he wants space I can see that clearly" "yeah and well im sorry to have to hurt you even more, but I have bad news" "what up?" I asked. Nothing else could really compare to what Jon did at the moment. "we might move" he said. But this did compare. that's the last thing I needed. To lose Adrian too. "Dude but you just got here. Hasn't even been a year" "I know, its not going to be far. Like a 15 minute drive. My mom wants to be near our family and since sylvia went to college we don't need the space mom said" "I'd go crazy without you man" I said. "No dude. You can visit me anytime." "Well how long do you have until you know for sure" "Well mom said we have time. And its not even a sure thing" "My life sucks again" I said as I punched the bed. "Hey man. Chill. I wont just leave you behind" "Yeah thanks." "So...what now?" he asked. "Well I've gotten punched two times in the gut today so I'll just wait for the third one. Bad news comes in sets of 3 remember" I said. Then Adrian looked out his window and pointed out. "Theres number 3" he said. I looked outside. Jon was walking around with Oscar and 4 other very ghetto guys. They were walking in a group seemed like they were joking around and stuff. Jon looked over at my house and then oscar hit him in the back and jon looked away. But yes, there was number 3. This was bad. "wait. I have an idea. My window is kind of open. I'll guide Jon over here and talk to him while you listen" Adrian said as he jumped out of bed and ran out of the room. I didn't have time to think so I just stood by the window against the wall. I watched as Adrian ran out of the house and he yelled Jon's name. Jon looked back and then at his friends. He said something then he ran to Adrian. His friends just stood back waiting for him. Adrian did as he told me. He guided Jon towards the window, but kept him at a good distance so he wouldn't notice me. "Hey, um...what are you doing with them?" Adrian asked. "Hey, and uh just hanging" Jon answered. "Woah, your voice changed a little" "Yeah. I know." said Jon. "So does aaron know?" "No. but I told him I was going to be, normal." "O that's not good" said Adrian. "Well no. but I kind of have to. Its who I am" "Are you sure? Or that's how you think you should be" "I don't know I guess. Its how it should be" "So, you're our friend right. Not going to ditch us completely?" asked Adrian. "We're friends. I'll still hang with you and aaron. I just have others too" "You know he loves you right?" said Adrian. "yeah. He'll be ok." "Do you love him?" "No. but I have to go" he said very matter of fact. When I heard that, I felt it. I think he meant that no. "O okay. Have fun. don't do drugs" "dude, don't be acting all weird now ok. My friends think your weird already. Just like text me if u want to hang out and ill try to hang out" "okay then" said Adrian a little confused. "and tell Aaron not to get all sad and shit over this. We're still friends" "o yeah no biggie. Its just a broken heart. Nothing big" said Adrian with sarcasm. "That's gay. I'll talk to you later" said Jon as he quickly walked towards his friends. I guess that was it. For now at least. that's all it took for Jon to go back to his old ways. To follow in the path of the people he shouldn't be following. Adrian came back inside and as soon as he saw me he just hugged me. "I don't know how this is going to turn out, but just so you know, he didn't seem too sure about what he's doing. I think he cares, just doesn't want to be different" "Yeah I get it" I said. "Dude, you have me. I'm your friend. I wont change" he said. "Thanks its good to know" I said. "Well...I am." he said with a soft smile. But nothing could really help me right now. I felt like a fool. Played once again. I had to go home and just think to myself. "I got to go. But I'll see you tomorrow" I said. "Okay but if you need anything just tell me" he said. "sure" I answered as I got up and headed out. I took a stroll to the tree house. That seemed to be the spot to go to whenever I felt like this. I slowly made my way up the ladder and just sat up there for a while. I didn't know what to do. Not only did this happen out of nowhere, but it wasn't the first time. I guess I was more mad at myself for letting myself get into these kind of situations. Why couldn't I just fall for someone like Adrian. If theres anyone who wouldn't leave me, its him. Even if he did move, he would probably still try his hardest to see me frequently. I just couldn't deal with this again and not feel dumb. I heard someone climbing the tree house. I was pretty sure it was Adrian checking up on me. I saw a head pop up the door, it was Jon. I kind of froze. "hey" he said softly. "hey" "You doing alright?" he asked. "Yeah, you?" I asked. "Yeah man. You not like sad or depressed are you?" he asked. "No. just surprised. But no biggie" "good. Hey man, can I have some money?" "For?" "Going to the movies and my mom wont let me go. She wont give me money" "So you think I'll give you money?" "You're my bro. why wouldn't you?" "Jon why didn't she let you go?" "cuz she doesn't want me staying out late with them like I used to" "So...then don't stay out late." "I wont. So can I have some?" he asked. I knew it was not a good idea to let him have some. But part of me just wanted to test him. See how far he would go and see how much lying hes going to do to me this time. "Okay." I said. I gave him a 20. "Thanks bro" he said as he made the motion to do our hand shake. "No problem. Be good" I said. "Ok thanks" he said as he headed down the tree house. I wasn't going to start hating him for trying to be "normal" but at the same time I wasn't going to let him think we're going to be close and best friends after this because I know he's going to start acting shady towards me. So I'll just cut him off the leash slowly until he realizes he can't just come to me when he needs money or help to solve a problem he gets himself into. Then I started thinking about school. Exactly what would happen now. Would he start getting rides from his so called friends again or would he still try to keep a somewhat good relationship with Adrian and I. I guess only time would tell. ====================================================== When Monday came around I was a little worried. I got ready for school and waited for Adrian to come over. He always came earlier just so he could relax and have some cereal. When he arrived he gave me a puzzled look. "So...you think he's showing?" he asked. "beats me. If he's changing, I wouldn't be surprised if he got a ride from his friends" I said. "I hope he doesn't go that far. that's like a slap to the face. He should at least tell us" Adrian said. "Yeah well lets just have cereal" I said as I pulled out two bowls out and the milk. When we sat down we saw Jon running across the backyard. I guess he wasn't going to be a total douche bag about this. He ran to the door and Adrian opened it as usual. They said their hi's and then Jon sat down. "Sup" he said. "cereal?" I asked. I tried to play it all cool. "yeah why not" he said with a smile. "why so happy?" asked Adrian. "O man. No reason" Jon answered. "so, cut to the chase. Whats gonna happen.?" asked Adrian. "nothing. We're all cool. Friends right?" said jon as he looked at me. "Yeah. What else?" I said. "You guys aren't going to act funny now are you?" asked Adrian. "I'm not" I said. "Me either. What's past is past. Can I have some juice?" said Jon. I grabbed a cup of juice for him and then sat next to Adrian. I didn't really mean to, but that chair was the closest one to me. Jon did notice though. "Okay so here are the notes" said Adrian as he handed a notebook to Jon. "O thanks dude. Im not going to need them I don't think. I'm transferring back to public school" said Jon. I guess he was going to be a douche after all. "What why?" I asked. "Its easier. I convinced my parents. I told them its saves money and its easier for me because I cant pass too much anymore" "You're pussying out" said Adrian. "no man. I'm not. Im just tired of failing" "So then study more" I said. "Look man. I want a normal life. I want to spend time with my friends. Chill. Go to parties, hang out you know." said Jon. "Good life..." I said sarcastically. "Aaron, Adrian, we're still cool. We'll hang. No biggie" said jon in a cool tone. "I bet" I said. After that Adrian did what he does best. He played off the situation and tried to make the best of it. After all, it was only school. If jon was being honest, he'd still hang out with us after school. Once we were at school Jon had to go to the office to turn in the transfer slip and stuff and I went on with my day. I tried to put the problem in the back of my head. I had to. It seemed like it was no biggie to him. He just forgot about everything I guess. I went on with my classes and I focused as much as I could. I had a thing for trying harder in school and at the gym whenever I felt down. So I guess in a way this would be good for my workouts and for my grades. At the end of the day we met up at the car and jon had his backpack with all of this things in there. He looked back at the school and smiled. "man im glad to be out of this joint. It was cramping my style" he said. "I bet...too much for your simple brain" I tried to joke. "Yeah man. Not gonna lie" he smiled. After that the mood wasn't so tense and the car ride back home was relaxed. I was going to try to make this work, as best as I could. Right before we got home though Jon looked at me and he gave me that troubled look. "So, tomorrow, I get off school an hour later than you guys. Maybe we can hang like, on the weekend?" he said. "Yeah maybe." I said. "If you're not too busy with your ghetto friends" said Adrian. "hey, don't insult. They are cool" said Jon. "Okay. I'll be honest. I don't like them. If u prefer to chill with them then go ahead. But don't try to bring them around us" said Adrian. "Okay okay. I'll equal it out" said Jon. When we pulled up to my driveway Jon seemed to be fidgety and as soon as we got out of the car he practically ran away. "talk to you guys later" he said as he ran to the back. "Well...there you go. The change has begun" said Adrian. "Yeah...like I've seen before" I said. "Forget it man. Who needs him anyway. We got tons of homework anyway" said Adrian. "True that. Lets get to it" I said. "we must" he said with his trademark smile. ====================================================== The next few weeks weren't easy for me. Just as Adrian and I figured, Jon spent maybe 3 days with us after he left the school. He kept saying he was busy, or sick, or he would just randomly meet up with us in the yard and then leave with his friends. It was as if he didn't even want to be with us anymore. Adrian tried to make me feel better just by talking to me more and trying to keep me busy but it was pointless. I cared too much. Eventually Adrian did tell me that was moving to another city. It wasn't far, and he was still going to school with me but just not driving to it with me since his mom could drop him off. It was good that I'd still see him, but I mean, he wasn't Jon. So either way I was messed up. The days were just, boring now. Months passed by, I even turned 19 and well it wasn't that great of a party. I had really nothing going on besides work, school, and the gym. I felt like I looked great, but I wasn't feeling great. It was almost Adrians birthday and it was almost spring. I did like march though. It meant it was almost summer and that I could celebrate with Adrian. It was our first time celebrating his birthday and I wanted to make it special for him. I didn't care too much about mine, mine was just a dinner. He was moving in 3 weeks and as much as my mom tried telling his mom that it wasn't the greatest decision, his mom still wanted to. She was renting her place until Adrian went to college and then moving back once it was paid off. Which meant it would be a few years before he came back. It was okay though. We planned to hang out almost every weekend. We were like brothers. Real brothers. We rarely argued and NEVER fought, which was very cool. So after our workout Adrian and I decided that it would be fun to go check out an apartment for me to live in. I kind of wanted to feel what its like to live alone. I wasn't going to tell my parents because, they'd probably freak out. "Do you feel nervous?" he asked me. "A little. It can't be too far. It has to be close enough to my mom. I can't live without her" I said. "Yeah I hear you. Well I looked online and theres a nice place 7 blocks away. Is that too far?" he asked. "no that's good...kind of a lame move...but it works" I said. "o there was also this awesome place like in the next subdivision. Its 15 blocks away. But its so nice. Its in your price range, barely." "Hmm...should I look at this one first?" I asked. "Well if you want. But you might need a room mate for this one" he said. "you. On the weekends" I said. "No I mean its big. Like half your house" "o, what will I do with that much space?" I asked. "I don't know? But its nice." he said. "Think my mom would approve?" I asked. "Only if you keep it clean and only if you come over often. But I mean 15 blocks is a good distance. She can still check up on you" "Good thinking" "At least you're not moving a city away, like I am" he said as he looked sad. "Hey kid, we're best friends. We'll hang out. Promise" I said. "pinky promise" he said as he put his pinky out. "Of course" I said as put my pinky with his. So we did go to the bigger place first. I couldn't believe it was in my price range. It was a pretty new house. It had 2 rooms, and 2.5 bathrooms, indoor gym, pool outside, and dug in basketball hoop in the driveway. that's what sold me. It was a 7 minute drive from my house to this one so it would probably be ok with my parents. It was a perfect size though. I liked the appliances and I liked that the backyard was facing a lake so I had no back door neighbors. If I could sign the paperwork right then and there I would have. Good thing I had Adrian with me though because he definitely told me stop and think. Which I did, but for like 10 seconds. I had to tell the realtor lady I would talk it over with my parents and giver her a call. When we got to the car he looked over at me. "Are you stupid?" he asked. "A little" "Dude, it was an idea. I didn't mean you should get it right then and there" "Well, you know me better than that" I said. "You haven't even told your parents" "I will...in time" "When?" "tonight" "Good luck" he said. "Did you see the inside though! Perfect. I could have a game room and a gym! And a movie room!" I said. "Yeah, just like you have now" "but it would be all mine." "just like you have now" he said again. "You're not helping" "aaron. It was just a fun idea. Didn't think you'd follow through. No matter how far you move, or how close, jon will still be there. He will be your parents neighbor and you're going to bump into him. So jumping at the chance to move, isn't going to change much" "Adrian, your thinking too much. This is more than that. Yeah it will help with the Jon problem, but really I just want to live life. And have fun." "Aaron, you rarely have fun anymore" "Exactly. See my point" I said. "well okay. As long as you don't turn into a party animal and as long as we still visit your parents because I like spending time with them" he said. "deal" I said. So it was set. I would talk to my parents about it. I hoped they would be okay with it. I'm sure my dad would be up for it, but my mom...not so much. Adrian wished me luck as soon as I dropped him off, and then I headed to my house. It was set, for dinner, I would ask my mom and dad about the move. 2 hours later, there I was, at the table. I was kind of shaky but at the same time I was excited. I wanted this. I don't know why I wanted it so much but I did. I waited for them both to be halfway done with their meals before I finally took a deep breath and looked at my mom. "mom, dad" I started. They just looked at me confused. "I have an idea" I said. "We're not buying a dog" said my mom. "Good idea, but no. its bigger than that" I said. "What is it hon?" she asked. "Is dinner not good?" my dad asked. "Its great dad don't worry. But I have an idea. I'm 19 now" I said. "Credit card?" he asked. "no dad. Thanks. Its...just that...I want to..." I started saying but I paused. I was scared. "mom I love you. Dad I love you too...but I want to..." I said. "Spit it out" said dad. "I want to try living on my own" I said. "How much money are we talking here?" asked my dad. That was usually his answer for most things. "No dad, I can pay the rent" I said. "Nonsense. I'll buy it, It'll be an investment. That way when you come back, because you will, I'll just rent it out" he said. My mom was just sitting there. Looking at me confused. "Why?" she asked. "I just want to try it" I said. "But honey, I'll miss you" she said. "Mom, its 15 blocks away. 5 minute drive" I said. "Perfect, good idea son" said my dad. "really?" I asked. "yeah I was thinking you should do that anyway. To get started" he said. "No shut up. I'm not letting it happen" said my mom. "honey. We have to let him try it. He'll come back. I know he will" said my dad. "gee dad. Thanks" I said. "Okay how long do you plan on being gone" said my mom. "mom, indefinite. I'll still visit you all the time. I promise" I said. "will you come for dinner every day?" she asked. "Not everyday mom. But yes I'll try" I said. "You're doing this to try it, not to get away from us right?" "Yes mom. I'll even leave my room like it is so I can come back anytime" I said. "Okay but if I don't like how it is, you come back asap. Got it?" she said. "Yes mom" I said as I got up and gave her a hug. "Okay so when do we do this?" asked my dad. "I'll call the realtor after dinner" I said. "nonsense. I'll call her. You'll have the place by next week" he said. I wasn't surprised. He always did things too fast. I was so excited though. I wasn't expecting them to be so approving of this. I thought it would take a bit. But if things went the right way, I'll be in my own house in a few weeks. After dinner my dad went to his office to make his calls and I helped my mom wash the dishes. She was overly huggy and kissy now though. "Mom, I will always be your baby no matter how far I live" I said. "Good. Does jon know? Does Adrian?" "yeah they know. They're as happy as I am" I said. "Well you boys behave. No partying" she said. "None mom. You can always check up on me though. it's a 5 minute drive" I said. "good" she said. After that I went up to my room to give call Adrian and tell him the good news. "What! They let you?" he asked surprised. "yeah. Mom was a little iffy, but dad was up for it" "O my gosh. What did I do!" he said. "it wasn't you. I would have done it anyway" "It was my dumb idea." he said. "Adrian, best idea ever." I said. "O great...well here goes an adventure" he said. He was so right. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thanks for reading. I took a little break. Had to get other stuff done. I apologize if it seems like this is going no where, and well the reason is because I haven't really thought things out. I just write. It will all fall into place though. I promise : D I would love some feedback and reviews and thoughts and stuff. Thanks. Tom. Tommy199212@hotmail.com