Status: over.
Deception
movie "date"
Alex's beaten up Audi parks in the driveway, crumpling the new sheets of snow. I could see his furry hood from my room, Liz's high sing-songy voice alerting me that Alex has approached the door. After putting on a pair of warm boots, I slip down the stairs.
"Ready to go?" he asks, sticking out a gloved hand. I hastily say goodbye to Liz and step out the door with Alex's hand in mine. "So, we're going window shopping on Christmas, when most places are closed?" He laughs. "How are we supposed to go window shopping?"
He has a good point. No place is open on Christmas Day unless it's the movie theatre. I guess our after-Christmas lists would have to be filled out later in the week.
We pick up Lori and decide to watch a movie; anything's better than hanging out with the family. In the ticket line, a guy with a blond faux hawk winks at Lori, motioning for her to come to him. She rubs cherry lip balm all over her lips and ditches us, glancing flirtily at her prey. I put a finger to my lips, and Alex zips his mouth shut.
After buying our tickets and watching Lori shamelessly seduce another guy, Alex and I find seats in the back of the theatre, rows away from Lori and her new lover. Zack would kill that guy if he found out, and Alex and I don't want to break the news to him. "Zack will hear about this eventually. The gossip stall still exists," Alex reminds me, cramming a fistful of popcorn into his mouth.
Eventually the whole school will hear about how my best friend is a whore.
> >
"So, how was your day out with Alex?" Liz asks, slicing into her holiday ham. "He seems like such a wonderful boy."
"It was okay." Lori and faux hawk boy distracted me from the movie as they started to make out in front of me. It took me an hour to realize Alex had yawned and put an arm around my shoulders. "The movie had bad special effects."
"That's all movies are nowadays--special effects," Dad says, stabbing at his vegetables. "The acting is horrible, so they attempt to make things more interesting with computer graphics." He pauses and furrows his brow. "Did something go awry on your outing with Alex? You haven't said much about it."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Alex started pouting after the movie because I paid so much attention to Lori. We went home without her. "We watched a movie and he dropped me off at home."
Neither Liz nor Dad starts any more conversations after that. The three of us sit at the maple wood table together and eat in silence. When I finish and start to head upstairs, Dad calls me back over. "Kaleb, you haven't opened your presents yet," he says, pointing to the overly decorated Christmas tree. Under it are five gift-wrapped boxes. Two of them belong to Dad and Liz. Together, we sit and unravel our presents. First, I open Dad and Liz's box. I pull out a pair of toe socks and a piece of paper.
"Liz, if this is another packet of hug coupons, I still have some from my birthday," I say, opening up the sheet.
"We thought you would appreciate this more," Dad replies, grinning. "There are two, so bring whoever you want."
I look at the neatly folded sheet and read the rectangle: tickets to Fall Out Boy on a Saturday that somehow doesn't clash with my track schedule--an absolute miracle. And as Dad said, two of them. In Liz's box, she pulls out a bottle of Chanel No. 5. Dad reveals a silver Swiss watch and takes it out to examine the gears. After exchanging "thank you"s, I open the other gifts.
The one wrapped in Rudolph prints is from Lori. Inside, I find Cover Girl make-up and a small tester size of perfume. For your new boyfriend, love Lori, the Santa Claus print paper reads. I shove the box aside and reach for the candy cane decorated bag.
I pull out a box of chocolates and a watch with changeable wristbands.
Know you've been dying for a formal watch; thought you'd enjoy it.
-Alex
I slip it on and set the time, happy that the digital watch I use for track and cross country isn't the only watch I own. A watch tan still outlines the new watch from Alex, but the metal linking wristband is convenient for changing sizes.
My cell phone buzzes in my sweatshirt, and I thank Dad and Liz again for the presents. I'll probably just re-gift the toe socks. I whip out my phone and answer.
"So, did you like my present?" Lori asks, giggling. "I know, I'm so good at matching eye shadow with eye color." The gold does bring out the yellow flecks in my eyes...
"Hell no; I'm not using make up. And Alex is not my boyfriend." We're not official, and nothing's really happened between us. We held hands in the theatre; so what? "What happened between you and your new lover boy?"
"Oh, you mean the kid from the movie theatre? We had some fun in the women's bathroom--it was closest. You know, the handicap stall." What the fuck does that mean? "He wasn't too bad, but he could've been better."
"Did you get a name?" I ask. I'm sure they scared the bathroom occupants away.
"Who needs a name? We had sex, and then we left. It's not like I'll ever see him again. Besides, I got my fix." She takes in a deep breath. "So, how was the movie with Alex?"
"I was too busy keeping an eye on the two of you."
"God, Kales, I can take care of myself. You're acting like I don't know what kind of trouble I can get into. The guy didn't have AIDS or genital warts or anything. Girl, I haven't had an STD yet, and for the record, I'm on birth control."
"Whatever. I'll talk to you later."
What happened to my best friend? When did she suddenly transform into a sex addict?
Why is this happening?
"Ready to go?" he asks, sticking out a gloved hand. I hastily say goodbye to Liz and step out the door with Alex's hand in mine. "So, we're going window shopping on Christmas, when most places are closed?" He laughs. "How are we supposed to go window shopping?"
He has a good point. No place is open on Christmas Day unless it's the movie theatre. I guess our after-Christmas lists would have to be filled out later in the week.
We pick up Lori and decide to watch a movie; anything's better than hanging out with the family. In the ticket line, a guy with a blond faux hawk winks at Lori, motioning for her to come to him. She rubs cherry lip balm all over her lips and ditches us, glancing flirtily at her prey. I put a finger to my lips, and Alex zips his mouth shut.
After buying our tickets and watching Lori shamelessly seduce another guy, Alex and I find seats in the back of the theatre, rows away from Lori and her new lover. Zack would kill that guy if he found out, and Alex and I don't want to break the news to him. "Zack will hear about this eventually. The gossip stall still exists," Alex reminds me, cramming a fistful of popcorn into his mouth.
Eventually the whole school will hear about how my best friend is a whore.
> >
"So, how was your day out with Alex?" Liz asks, slicing into her holiday ham. "He seems like such a wonderful boy."
"It was okay." Lori and faux hawk boy distracted me from the movie as they started to make out in front of me. It took me an hour to realize Alex had yawned and put an arm around my shoulders. "The movie had bad special effects."
"That's all movies are nowadays--special effects," Dad says, stabbing at his vegetables. "The acting is horrible, so they attempt to make things more interesting with computer graphics." He pauses and furrows his brow. "Did something go awry on your outing with Alex? You haven't said much about it."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Alex started pouting after the movie because I paid so much attention to Lori. We went home without her. "We watched a movie and he dropped me off at home."
Neither Liz nor Dad starts any more conversations after that. The three of us sit at the maple wood table together and eat in silence. When I finish and start to head upstairs, Dad calls me back over. "Kaleb, you haven't opened your presents yet," he says, pointing to the overly decorated Christmas tree. Under it are five gift-wrapped boxes. Two of them belong to Dad and Liz. Together, we sit and unravel our presents. First, I open Dad and Liz's box. I pull out a pair of toe socks and a piece of paper.
"Liz, if this is another packet of hug coupons, I still have some from my birthday," I say, opening up the sheet.
"We thought you would appreciate this more," Dad replies, grinning. "There are two, so bring whoever you want."
I look at the neatly folded sheet and read the rectangle: tickets to Fall Out Boy on a Saturday that somehow doesn't clash with my track schedule--an absolute miracle. And as Dad said, two of them. In Liz's box, she pulls out a bottle of Chanel No. 5. Dad reveals a silver Swiss watch and takes it out to examine the gears. After exchanging "thank you"s, I open the other gifts.
The one wrapped in Rudolph prints is from Lori. Inside, I find Cover Girl make-up and a small tester size of perfume. For your new boyfriend, love Lori, the Santa Claus print paper reads. I shove the box aside and reach for the candy cane decorated bag.
I pull out a box of chocolates and a watch with changeable wristbands.
Know you've been dying for a formal watch; thought you'd enjoy it.
-Alex
I slip it on and set the time, happy that the digital watch I use for track and cross country isn't the only watch I own. A watch tan still outlines the new watch from Alex, but the metal linking wristband is convenient for changing sizes.
My cell phone buzzes in my sweatshirt, and I thank Dad and Liz again for the presents. I'll probably just re-gift the toe socks. I whip out my phone and answer.
"So, did you like my present?" Lori asks, giggling. "I know, I'm so good at matching eye shadow with eye color." The gold does bring out the yellow flecks in my eyes...
"Hell no; I'm not using make up. And Alex is not my boyfriend." We're not official, and nothing's really happened between us. We held hands in the theatre; so what? "What happened between you and your new lover boy?"
"Oh, you mean the kid from the movie theatre? We had some fun in the women's bathroom--it was closest. You know, the handicap stall." What the fuck does that mean? "He wasn't too bad, but he could've been better."
"Did you get a name?" I ask. I'm sure they scared the bathroom occupants away.
"Who needs a name? We had sex, and then we left. It's not like I'll ever see him again. Besides, I got my fix." She takes in a deep breath. "So, how was the movie with Alex?"
"I was too busy keeping an eye on the two of you."
"God, Kales, I can take care of myself. You're acting like I don't know what kind of trouble I can get into. The guy didn't have AIDS or genital warts or anything. Girl, I haven't had an STD yet, and for the record, I'm on birth control."
"Whatever. I'll talk to you later."
What happened to my best friend? When did she suddenly transform into a sex addict?
Why is this happening?