Dead End Kids
Part Eight
“Are you mad at me or something?” Brendon said as they pulled up to Liz’s house after a way-too-silent car ride home.
She looked over at him and smiled before opening the car door and walking up to her house.
He sat and watched her until the door closed behind her before he drove away.
* * *
Sunday afternoon after church he walked up to her house and knocked on her front door softly. She came to the door in her pajamas, not at all shocked to see him standing there.
“Ready?”
She looked at her feet and shook her head. “I don’t feel good today, Bren. Sorry.”
“What’re you talking about?” He put his hand on the door before she could close it. “We go out to lunch every Sunday. We have-“
“Since we were ten, I know.” She sighed, still not looking at him. “I just, don’t feel good today.”
She finally looked up at him, and it was then he noticed how red her eyes were. His hand slipped slowly off the door, following his eyes as they moved to his feet.
Her next words didn’t shock him.
“We shouldn’t . . . mess around anymore. We should just be friends.” Every word was cracked and forced. He didn’t have to look up to see her tears; he already knew they were clinging to her eyelashes.
“Alright.” he said, stepping away from the door way. He knew what this was. He knew she knew. The fact that he knew what she knew sent his head into vicious spirals. He hadn’t really come to terms with it . . . but it was obvious. He liked Ryan. A lot. “Are you going to be okay?” he half whispered.
“I don’t know, yet.” she said honestly.
He stood in the doorway long after she’d closed the door.
* * *
“Cheer up, emo kid.” Ryan said at lunch, poking the sophomore in the side.
Liz made a low sound in the back of her throat, which she thought was a good enough response. He looked over at Dru, who shrugged her shoulders at Ryan – because she didn’t know what was wrong with Liz, either.
That’s when Brendon came into sight, making a b-line towards the group with his head down.
It all clicked when Liz got up from her spot on the bench and walked to another bench a few feet away. “Liz, what’re you doing?” Dru called to the girl.
Blue eyes met hazel and the older girl felt her heart sink into her stomach. She looked from Brendon, to Liz, to Ryan, and then back to Liz. The younger nodded, and Dru sighed.
Brendon shot a quick glance towards Liz before claiming his spot between Dru and Ryan. The air was thick with some sort of . . . disappointment. The sunny day contradicted the sudden rainy-day feeling cast over all of them.
Liz, who hadn’t touched her lunch, got up almost violently from her chair and strode the whole distance back to the school.
Brendon’s face immediately fell into his hands.
He should have felt worse, but Ryan’s hand on the small of his back improved his mood considerably.
* * *
Liz followed Dru around the halls the rest of the day, making small talk and future plans to go to the movies or the mall. It wasn’t until they were about to part ways to go home that the older girl had the nerve to ask the question that had been nagging at her since lunch.
“What happened with you and Brendon?”
Liz froze suddenly, her eyes staring blankly at Dru – who was regretting the question already. Then, Liz smiled. It was slow, and dragging . . . not quite graceful . . . but it fell short of forced.
“He wasn’t going to let me go, so I did it for him.”
“Oh.” Dru said softly. She frowned and hugged Liz to her tight. She felt a slight wetness on her shoulder, but decided it was best she ignore it. Even if Liz had tears pouring down her face, she’d deny it to her death.
“It’ll be okay.” Dru said softly. “I promise.”
“Okay.” Liz choked softly. Then she pulled away and wiped desperately at her face. “I’ll see you later.” she said in a rush, before running down the hall.
* * *
“Hey, Brendon, can I get a ride home?”
For a moment, he half expected to see Liz standing beside him. But to his pleasant surprise, it was Ryan.
He smiled instantly. “Sure.”
Ryan grinned back at him and followed Brendon to his car, a little closer than he should have been.
* * *
“So what’s going on with you and Liz?” Ryan asked, with his feet up on the dashboard. He leaned in to turn down Patrick Stump’s singing to better hear the boy driving.
“She broke up with me, I think.” Brendon said softly, with a bit of a smile.
“Oh, that sucks.” Ryan didn’t look at Brendon when he said that – he didn’t know why.
“Not really.”
Ryan snapped his head up in surprise. Brendon was smiling softly, his eyes staring out the windshield dreamily.
“I mean, we were never really . . . an item. We just kind of used each other to fill the void? It’s hard to explain. It’s just time for us to grow up . . . move on.” His eyes shifted the Ryan and stayed there a moment too long, before returning to the road.
“Oh.” Ryan could barely contain the smile ever-growing on his face.
“Yeah.”
They didn’t say anything else until they were parked in Ryan’s driveway, trying not to look at each other. Ryan cleared his throat and grabbed his back pack. Brendon played with a loose thread on his jeans.
With his hand on the door handle, Ryan half-turned to Brendon and asked with a smile. “So, wanna grab a movie sometime?”
Brendon stared back at Ryan, the blush on his face accompanying those doe-brown eyes perfectly.
The older boy’s heart was leaping up into his throat, waiting to fall into the pit of his stomach once he was rejected. Then Brendon did something he didn’t expect.
He kissed him.
“Sure.” Brendon said softly once they’d broken apart.
Ryan tried to catch his breath as he stumbled up to his house, eyes wide and hands shaking.
He waved a hand at Brendon as he pulled out of the driveway, and made sure he was clear out of site before he gave a loud – triumphant “FUCK YES!”
She looked over at him and smiled before opening the car door and walking up to her house.
He sat and watched her until the door closed behind her before he drove away.
* * *
Sunday afternoon after church he walked up to her house and knocked on her front door softly. She came to the door in her pajamas, not at all shocked to see him standing there.
“Ready?”
She looked at her feet and shook her head. “I don’t feel good today, Bren. Sorry.”
“What’re you talking about?” He put his hand on the door before she could close it. “We go out to lunch every Sunday. We have-“
“Since we were ten, I know.” She sighed, still not looking at him. “I just, don’t feel good today.”
She finally looked up at him, and it was then he noticed how red her eyes were. His hand slipped slowly off the door, following his eyes as they moved to his feet.
Her next words didn’t shock him.
“We shouldn’t . . . mess around anymore. We should just be friends.” Every word was cracked and forced. He didn’t have to look up to see her tears; he already knew they were clinging to her eyelashes.
“Alright.” he said, stepping away from the door way. He knew what this was. He knew she knew. The fact that he knew what she knew sent his head into vicious spirals. He hadn’t really come to terms with it . . . but it was obvious. He liked Ryan. A lot. “Are you going to be okay?” he half whispered.
“I don’t know, yet.” she said honestly.
He stood in the doorway long after she’d closed the door.
* * *
“Cheer up, emo kid.” Ryan said at lunch, poking the sophomore in the side.
Liz made a low sound in the back of her throat, which she thought was a good enough response. He looked over at Dru, who shrugged her shoulders at Ryan – because she didn’t know what was wrong with Liz, either.
That’s when Brendon came into sight, making a b-line towards the group with his head down.
It all clicked when Liz got up from her spot on the bench and walked to another bench a few feet away. “Liz, what’re you doing?” Dru called to the girl.
Blue eyes met hazel and the older girl felt her heart sink into her stomach. She looked from Brendon, to Liz, to Ryan, and then back to Liz. The younger nodded, and Dru sighed.
Brendon shot a quick glance towards Liz before claiming his spot between Dru and Ryan. The air was thick with some sort of . . . disappointment. The sunny day contradicted the sudden rainy-day feeling cast over all of them.
Liz, who hadn’t touched her lunch, got up almost violently from her chair and strode the whole distance back to the school.
Brendon’s face immediately fell into his hands.
He should have felt worse, but Ryan’s hand on the small of his back improved his mood considerably.
* * *
Liz followed Dru around the halls the rest of the day, making small talk and future plans to go to the movies or the mall. It wasn’t until they were about to part ways to go home that the older girl had the nerve to ask the question that had been nagging at her since lunch.
“What happened with you and Brendon?”
Liz froze suddenly, her eyes staring blankly at Dru – who was regretting the question already. Then, Liz smiled. It was slow, and dragging . . . not quite graceful . . . but it fell short of forced.
“He wasn’t going to let me go, so I did it for him.”
“Oh.” Dru said softly. She frowned and hugged Liz to her tight. She felt a slight wetness on her shoulder, but decided it was best she ignore it. Even if Liz had tears pouring down her face, she’d deny it to her death.
“It’ll be okay.” Dru said softly. “I promise.”
“Okay.” Liz choked softly. Then she pulled away and wiped desperately at her face. “I’ll see you later.” she said in a rush, before running down the hall.
* * *
“Hey, Brendon, can I get a ride home?”
For a moment, he half expected to see Liz standing beside him. But to his pleasant surprise, it was Ryan.
He smiled instantly. “Sure.”
Ryan grinned back at him and followed Brendon to his car, a little closer than he should have been.
* * *
“So what’s going on with you and Liz?” Ryan asked, with his feet up on the dashboard. He leaned in to turn down Patrick Stump’s singing to better hear the boy driving.
“She broke up with me, I think.” Brendon said softly, with a bit of a smile.
“Oh, that sucks.” Ryan didn’t look at Brendon when he said that – he didn’t know why.
“Not really.”
Ryan snapped his head up in surprise. Brendon was smiling softly, his eyes staring out the windshield dreamily.
“I mean, we were never really . . . an item. We just kind of used each other to fill the void? It’s hard to explain. It’s just time for us to grow up . . . move on.” His eyes shifted the Ryan and stayed there a moment too long, before returning to the road.
“Oh.” Ryan could barely contain the smile ever-growing on his face.
“Yeah.”
They didn’t say anything else until they were parked in Ryan’s driveway, trying not to look at each other. Ryan cleared his throat and grabbed his back pack. Brendon played with a loose thread on his jeans.
With his hand on the door handle, Ryan half-turned to Brendon and asked with a smile. “So, wanna grab a movie sometime?”
Brendon stared back at Ryan, the blush on his face accompanying those doe-brown eyes perfectly.
The older boy’s heart was leaping up into his throat, waiting to fall into the pit of his stomach once he was rejected. Then Brendon did something he didn’t expect.
He kissed him.
“Sure.” Brendon said softly once they’d broken apart.
Ryan tried to catch his breath as he stumbled up to his house, eyes wide and hands shaking.
He waved a hand at Brendon as he pulled out of the driveway, and made sure he was clear out of site before he gave a loud – triumphant “FUCK YES!”