Dead End Kids

“Do you guys want to crash over tonight?” Dru asked Liz and Brendon. “We were going to drink and watch bad TV.” She laughed when Brendon blanched at the word ‘drinking’. “Don’t worry, babe.” she said. “We won’t tease you too much if you don’t.”

His eyes darted to Ryan before he looked at Liz, who was smiling. “Yeah, sure.”

“Yup.” Liz laughed. “I’ll drink though.”

“I had no doubt.” Dru teased.

“Yeah, you can drink a lot for, well . . .” Ryan gestured his hand at her thin figure. He had lost to her in a shot contest the night before.

She grinned proudly. “Not bad for a sophomore girl, huh?”

“Ryan can’t drink much.” Dru said. “He just can’t hold his alcohol for shit, so he gets drunk fast.”

“Well, he weighs fifty pounds.” Spencer said.

“Ninety-seven.” Ryan snapped defensively. He pointed at Brendon. “And he’s almost as skinny as I am. How much do you weigh?”

“Uh . . .” Brendon gave an awkward look. “Like, 130 or something.”

Ryan crossed his arms, pouting.

“Boys.” Dru growled, crossing her arms along with Ryan.

“We’ve been over this, Dru.” Spencer said, rolling his eyes. “Your chest adds about ten pounds.”

She opened her mouth to reply, but her cell phone cut her off. She narrowed her eyes at Spencer and gave him the finger as she answered it. “Hello?”

“Hi. Dru?” That was Jon’s voice. The girl seemed to melt before everyone’s eyes, causing small pockets of laughter.

“Yeah?” she asked, oblivious.

“I know you don’t work weekends,” he began, “but Allison called in. Jake’s going to cover for her, but he can’t get here until an hour after her shift starts. It would only be two to three and I get if you don’t want—“

“Yeah, no problem.” Druscilla said brightly before frowning. Ryan and Spencer were making kissing noises at her. She blushed scarlet and stood up, going into the hallway. “Two to three? That’s cool. I’m not planning on getting wasted ‘til later.” Her eyes widened at her works. “I mean, uh . . .”

Jon laughed. “I know you pay Tina for alcohol, Dru. I do, too. I’ll see you in a few hours, then?”

“Yeah.”

“Thanks. I owe you one.”

Druscilla cradled the phone affectionately in her hands for a minute or so after the call ended, a small smile playing on her lips.

“QUIT HAVING PHONE SEX!” Spencer yelled, causing Druscilla’s mother to poke her head into the hallway, alarmed. She laughed at the look on her daughter’s face before disappearing back into her room.

“Asshole.” Dru said when she opened the door to her room. “I’m working for an hour today.” she said, sitting down next to Liz on the bed. “You guys can stay here if you want. Mom and Jeff won’t mind.” The last was said for Liz and Brendon’s benefit; Ryan and Spencer hung out at Dru’s a lot when she was at work.

“I need to get clothes and stuff.” Liz said. “So I’m not all skanky tomorrow.”

“You never look skanky.” Brendon said, putting arm around her and kissing her cheek.

Ryan felt his heart skip a beat and he didn’t know why. That normally only happened he was making out with someone or Dru changed her shirt in front of him and Spencer. This time felt different though, somehow.

“We can run you by.” Spencer said. “We need to pick up Brendon’s car anyway.”

Brendon had very slowly driven his car to a parking lot near the party the night before, Spencer following close behind. Ryan, Spencer, and Dru were extremely careful about designated driving. The girl’s parents had said they wouldn’t tell Ryan and Spencer’s parents about the teenagers drinking if they always had a designated driver and weren’t getting drunk every night. They didn’t, however, know the three had drunken sleepovers when they went out.

“That works then.” Liz said, snuggling closer to Brendon and leaning her head on his shoulder. “We’ll just tell your parents that you’re at my house.” she said.

“They strict?” Spencer asked.

“Kind of.” Brendon said. “They’re worried my teenage years are going to damn my soul.”

“They’re Mormon.” Liz added.

“Oh.” the other three said at the same time, nodding sympathetically.

“My stepmom’s insane about religion.” Dru said. “I have to go to church and Youth Group when I’m out there. And she tells me my music is evil and that Ry and Spence are going to hell.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s only, like, twice a year, thank God.”

“Pun intended?” Brendon asked.

Dru and Liz giggled. Ryan looked like he was lost in thought.

“Oh.” Spencer said about thirty seconds later. “I get it.”

“You’re fucktarded.” Druscilla said, throwing a pillow at him.

* * *

“Is Jon cute?” Liz asked in the car as they were going to get Brendon’s.

“How the fuck would we know?” Spencer asked incredulously.

“Well, excuse me if you both looked a little gay last night.” she said, snorting.

Spencer gave her the finger, Ryan laughed, and Brendon’s pulse beat like a hammer in his neck. Last night . . . Ryan’s lips . . . beautiful brown eyes light from alcohol.

He was all too aware of Liz threading their fingers together at that moment. He wanted to shove her and hold her tight at the same time. She was his best friend, but once they had started fooling around things changed. He couldn’t tell her certain things anymore. He couldn’t tell her that he was thinking about Ryan in ways that boys shouldn’t think about other boys, that he was so confused about his thoughts, how scared he was of hurting her.

Liz was watching him from the corner of her eye. She could tell when something was bothering Brendon, when something serious was going on. That had been happening too much lately, but he never said anything to her and she never tried to push him. Brendon seemed like glass sometimes, so easy to break. She sighed and squeezed his hand.

He squeezed back.

* * *

“Thanks for coming in.” Jon said when Druscilla clocked in.

She shrugged happily. “No big deal.”

“God, if only everyone was as easy to work with as you.” he said. “It’s been kind of slow for a Saturday.” he added. “You probably won’t have to do much. Of course, now that I said that . . .”

“Way to go.” she said, pushing his shoulder playfully.

He pushed her back, laughing. “You really have no respect for authority, do you?”

She rolled her eyes. “If I had respect for your fake authority then I wouldn’t be any fun.”

“Probably true.” he said grinning. “So what did you and your bodyguards do last night?”

After a moment’s hesitation she told him. “We went to a party at Kellerman’s. I paid Ryan and Spencer to kiss each other.”

Jon laughed. “You’re insane.”

“And took pictures of it.”

“Completely insane.”

“Then Ryan randomly kissed our other friend Brendon.”

“No wonder he’s not dating you. I always wondered how stupid they had to be not to be fighting over you.” He grinned at her.

Hurrying to cover her racing heart, and praying to God she wasn’t blushing, Druscilla managed to speak. “Ry? Spence? You don’t fuck the guys you played Power Rangers in the backyard with.”

“Power Rangers? Dude, I loved the Power Rangers. I had the action figures.”

And they talked about things like that for the rest of the hour, small things and funny things. The girl’s heart almost broke when Jake showed up to take over. “You work Monday, right?” she asked Jon.

“Yeah.” he said.

“Me, too. I’ll see you then.”

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, kid.”

Kid. Druscilla’s face fell.

* * *

Liz and Dru were sitting on the floor going through the pictures of Ryan’s drunken kisses the night before. Spencer was alternately glaring at them and watching the movie on TV. No one really knew what it was, but they were all too lazy to look for the remote. Brendon and Ryan were playing War on the floor, which normally is the most boring game in the universe but is apparently much more fun if you’re both three beers in.

Brendon was drinking more than usual. It was different than drinking at a party. At a party there were things to do other than drink. When you’re sitting around someone’s living room with four other people there isn’t much to do but drink. And play War with the boy you kissed the night before, apparently.

“You suck at this game.” Ryan said.

“There’s no skill involved!” Brendon said defensively. “You just flip over a stupid card.”

“Calm down, sweetie.” Ryan purred. “I was joking.”

Sweetie. Brendon struggled to keep his face from betraying his ecstasy. “You’re a bad flirt when you’re drunk.”

Ryan’s lips formed a pout. “Meanie.”

“Ry? Who’s a better kisser, Spence or Bren?” Dru asked from the couch.

“Brendon. Duh.” Ryan said, rolling his eyes.

Spencer glared at him while Brendon blushed. “I kiss better when I’m actually attracted to the person I’m kissing.” Spencer said.

“Yeah, whatever.” the older boy said, waving his hand dismissively. “Brendon’s got better lips. And he’s hotter than you.”

“Aw, that’s mean.” Liz said. “Spencer’s cute.”

Brendon was tracing his fingers around the shapes on the ace of spades card, refusing to look at anyone. He didn’t know what he was going to do. Ryan seemed completely unphased by the fact that he had kissed two boys the night before. He had just called Brendon hot like it was completely normal.

“Are you gay?” Brendon blurted out suddenly, eyes widening. He covered his mouth with his hand. “Sorry.” he mumbled through it.

Ryan looked at him oddly for a minute, then shrugged. “Labels are stupid.”

“That’s the dumbest answer ever.” Spencer said.

“It’s true.” Ryan said. “Who cares? Girls are hot, guys are hot. I’d rather fuck a girl than a guy, but if the right one came along . . .” He shrugged. “I don’t really care. Just go with it.”

“That’s the coolest thing.” Liz said.

He grinned cheekily at her before turning back to Brendon who looked completely ashamed of himself. “Hey.” Ryan said softly, reaching out and touching his shoulder. “It’s fine, man. Don’t worry about it.”

“’Kay.” he said in a small voice.

Brendon worried about everything.