Class is Now in Session
Confessions
When I checked my messages on my cell phone the next day, I found one from Billie. It said that he and Mike were already flying across the country. They expected to be at the hospital around four o'clock the next day. When I realized he'd left the message the day I called him, I began to get nervous. That meant that they were going to be here in a few hours, considering it was about one o'clock in the afternoon.
"Tre', Billie and Mike are gonna be here sometime around four," I told him.
"Really? Wow, I didn't think they'd be that freaked out," he replied.
"Well, I'm just as freaked out about them coming."
"You shouldn't be, I'm sure they'll handle the news really well."
"I know, but I can't help but wonder..."
"Come here." Tre' held out his hands, gesturing for me to sit next to him on the bed. I sat down and Tre' wrapped his arms around my waist. "Listen, Billie Joe and Mike are our best friends. I doubt that they'll be anything but happy about finding out."
"You think so?"
"I know so."
***
It was 3:30 in the afternoon. My stomach was doing back flips. I was pacing back and forth in Tre's room, looking out the window every couple seconds. Tre' was sitting in bed, watching me pace and make scuff marks on the polished linoleum floor.
"Carrie, why are you so worked up over this?" he asked after watching me for a few minutes.
"I don't know," I said. "I can't help it. Little things make me nervous."
"You know what, if it's THAT nerve-racking, just go down to the waiting room and pace there 'cause people won't think you're crazy, they'll just think you're waiting for someone to come out of surgery or something."
"So in other words, I'll just blend in and go unnoticed?"
"Pretty much, yeah."
"Fine, I'll go, but it probably won't make me feel any better," I said.
"Just go already. You need to walk around a little bit, it might make you feel better."
Instead of going down to the waiting room, I decided to drop in on Lily and see if talking to her could make me feel any better. The only thing was, I didn't know where her room was, so I had to walk all the way down to the front desk and find out.
After one of the desk attendants gave me Lily's room number, I headed back up the stairs to find my little friend's room.
I found her room fairly quickly; it was just down the hall from Tre's room. I was surprised that both of them were on the same floor. I thought that there was a floor just for kids, but I guess I was wrong.
The door was closed so I knocked before entering. When I heard the okay to come in, I pushed the door open and looked for my little friend.
She was sitting up in bed, writing something in a notebook. When I walked in, she looked up from her notebook and started smiling.
"Hey, Carrie," she said, setting her stuff aside.
"Hey, Lily, how's it goin'?" I replied, walking forward and sitting on the end of her bed.
"Good, I'm just bored. What's goin' on with you?" she asked.
"I'm just a little stressed out, that's all."
"Why?" she asked, her tone interested.
"Well, Billie Joe and Mike are gonna be here to see Tre' in a half hour or so and me and Tre' are gonna finally tell them about...uh...whatever Tre' whispered to you," I said, smiling a little at the end.
"Oh, that," Lily said, smiling. "So why are you worried? They're your friends, they should be happy for you."
"I know, and I want them to be happy, but I just can't be sure."
"Listen, if they really are your friends, they'll understand. And why would they be mad or upset? It's not like they told you not to date him or anything like that."
"You make a good point, you know that?" I said, feeling a little better.
I stayed and talked to Lily for a few more minutes before deciding to head down to the waiting room. Before I left, I gave Lily a hug and thanked her for her kind words.
"I like to help," she told me, smiling.
"Well, you're good at it, too. And just for your good advice, I'll see if I can get Billie and Mike to come over here and say hi," I told her, standing up.
"I'd like that," she said, nodding her head. "Good luck."
"Thanks, I'll see you in a bit."
"Bye."
I gently closed Lily's door with a snap and checked my watch. 3:45. Only 15 more minutes.
When I got to the waiting room, I went up to the front desk and asked if there had been anybody there asking for Tre'. The receptionist said no. I thanked her and sat down, taking deep breaths. My stomach hurt a little bit and my hands were shaking. I kept checking the clock on the wall. 3:50...3:53...3:56. With every passing minute, I grew more and more anxious.
It was ten after four. The guys hadn't shown up yet and I hadn't gotten a call from either of them. I was beginning to wonder where they were when I heard a familiar voice.
"We're here to see Mr. Frank Edwin Wright...the third."
I looked up from my shaking hands. Billie Joe and Mike were standing at the front desk, both looking equally tired and apprehensive. I quickly got up and took a step forward.
"Billie, Mike." My friends turned around at the sound of their names.
"Carrie," Billie said, rushing forward and hugging me. "Where's Tre'?"
"In his room. Come on." I led them over to the elevator and pushed the up button. The shiny metal doors opened and we all stepped inside.
"Carrie, what happened?" Billie asked.
"Tre' better tell you the story, not me," I replied.
"There's a STORY to this?" Mike asked disbelievingly.
"Yeah, there is," I said, trying to hide the tiniest of smiles from showing on my face as I thought of Tre' "defending my honor."
When I showed Billie and Mike the door to Tre's room, they burst through it. I quietly followed them in, closing the door behind me.
Tre' was sitting up in bed, looking pretty normal, like nothing was bothering him despite the fact that he had a bruised and slightly scabbed face and an IV drip in his arm.
"Hey guys," he said cheerfully.
"Dude, what the hell HAPPENED to you?" Billie asked, stepping forward and staring at his friend.
"Yeah, man, what happened?" Mike asked, following Billie over to Tre's bed.
"It's story time. Sit down and listen," Tre' said, still not putting on even a remotely serious tone. Surprisingly, Billie and Mike did as they were told and watched him intently.
"Carrie, come over here and sit, you can help tell the story," Tre' said, patting the bed. I walked over and sat down, not saying a word.
"Alright you two, get to your story-telling business," Mike said.
"Where do you want us to begin?" Tre' asked.
"At the very beginning," Billie said. Tre' and I exchanged a look and starting telling our story.
We let everything out, except our relationship. We kind of wanted to save that for last, I guess, as a sort of surprise.
When we were finished, the guys looked confused. They were leaning forward in their chairs, just staring at us.
"I don't get it," Billie said quite plainly. "Why would Tim just randomly beat the shit out of Tre'?"
"Yeah, and why did you come back here to visit Carrie, anyway?" Mike chimed in.
Tre' began to smile. He took my hand in his and our fingers entwined. I couldn't help but smile a little, too. Billie Joe and Mike looked down at our hands and grew sort of wide-eyed.
"You two are...?" Billie stammered, pointing back and forth to each of us.
"Are what?" Tre' teased.
"In love?" Mike finished. Tre' and I just kept smiling.
"I don't believe you," Billie said, crossing his arms and staring at us. "How do we know you're not just messing with us?"
"You want us to prove it?" Tre' asked.
"In as clean a way as you can," he replied.
"Uh, okay then." I bent down and my lips met Tre's. It had been a while since he'd kissed me and I knew he was enjoying it...I was, too.
We broke apart a couple seconds later and looked over at Billie and Mike. They were still watching us in a sort of expressionless manner.
"Well, you convinced me," Mike said, leaning back in his chair. "And your story is a little clearer now."
"I don't know, Mike, how can we be sure that wasn't staged or something like that?" Billie asked, still staring at us.
"Billie!" I laughed. "Come on!"
Billie's expression softened and he uncrossed his arms. "Alright, I know, I believe you guys," he said sweetly.
"And you guys don't mind, right?" Tre' asked them.
"Mind what? The fact that you two kids are happy and in love?" Mike asked.
"Yeah."
"Yes we mind, we want you guys to hate each other and be miserable," Billie said sarcastically. He laughed a little and said, "Of course we don't mind. Why would we mind?"
"I don't know, I was curious," I said sheepishly.
"Carrie, you know that we're your best friends and we want you to be happy," Mike said.
"So you're not mad?"
"Of course not! A little surprised maybe, that you waited this long to tell us, but not mad. Far from it," Billie said.
"Thanks guys," I said, growing a little teary-eyed.
"For what?" Billie asked.
"For understanding and...just being my friends." And I started to cry out of pure happiness as I pulled them all into a hug.
"Tre', Billie and Mike are gonna be here sometime around four," I told him.
"Really? Wow, I didn't think they'd be that freaked out," he replied.
"Well, I'm just as freaked out about them coming."
"You shouldn't be, I'm sure they'll handle the news really well."
"I know, but I can't help but wonder..."
"Come here." Tre' held out his hands, gesturing for me to sit next to him on the bed. I sat down and Tre' wrapped his arms around my waist. "Listen, Billie Joe and Mike are our best friends. I doubt that they'll be anything but happy about finding out."
"You think so?"
"I know so."
***
It was 3:30 in the afternoon. My stomach was doing back flips. I was pacing back and forth in Tre's room, looking out the window every couple seconds. Tre' was sitting in bed, watching me pace and make scuff marks on the polished linoleum floor.
"Carrie, why are you so worked up over this?" he asked after watching me for a few minutes.
"I don't know," I said. "I can't help it. Little things make me nervous."
"You know what, if it's THAT nerve-racking, just go down to the waiting room and pace there 'cause people won't think you're crazy, they'll just think you're waiting for someone to come out of surgery or something."
"So in other words, I'll just blend in and go unnoticed?"
"Pretty much, yeah."
"Fine, I'll go, but it probably won't make me feel any better," I said.
"Just go already. You need to walk around a little bit, it might make you feel better."
Instead of going down to the waiting room, I decided to drop in on Lily and see if talking to her could make me feel any better. The only thing was, I didn't know where her room was, so I had to walk all the way down to the front desk and find out.
After one of the desk attendants gave me Lily's room number, I headed back up the stairs to find my little friend's room.
I found her room fairly quickly; it was just down the hall from Tre's room. I was surprised that both of them were on the same floor. I thought that there was a floor just for kids, but I guess I was wrong.
The door was closed so I knocked before entering. When I heard the okay to come in, I pushed the door open and looked for my little friend.
She was sitting up in bed, writing something in a notebook. When I walked in, she looked up from her notebook and started smiling.
"Hey, Carrie," she said, setting her stuff aside.
"Hey, Lily, how's it goin'?" I replied, walking forward and sitting on the end of her bed.
"Good, I'm just bored. What's goin' on with you?" she asked.
"I'm just a little stressed out, that's all."
"Why?" she asked, her tone interested.
"Well, Billie Joe and Mike are gonna be here to see Tre' in a half hour or so and me and Tre' are gonna finally tell them about...uh...whatever Tre' whispered to you," I said, smiling a little at the end.
"Oh, that," Lily said, smiling. "So why are you worried? They're your friends, they should be happy for you."
"I know, and I want them to be happy, but I just can't be sure."
"Listen, if they really are your friends, they'll understand. And why would they be mad or upset? It's not like they told you not to date him or anything like that."
"You make a good point, you know that?" I said, feeling a little better.
I stayed and talked to Lily for a few more minutes before deciding to head down to the waiting room. Before I left, I gave Lily a hug and thanked her for her kind words.
"I like to help," she told me, smiling.
"Well, you're good at it, too. And just for your good advice, I'll see if I can get Billie and Mike to come over here and say hi," I told her, standing up.
"I'd like that," she said, nodding her head. "Good luck."
"Thanks, I'll see you in a bit."
"Bye."
I gently closed Lily's door with a snap and checked my watch. 3:45. Only 15 more minutes.
When I got to the waiting room, I went up to the front desk and asked if there had been anybody there asking for Tre'. The receptionist said no. I thanked her and sat down, taking deep breaths. My stomach hurt a little bit and my hands were shaking. I kept checking the clock on the wall. 3:50...3:53...3:56. With every passing minute, I grew more and more anxious.
It was ten after four. The guys hadn't shown up yet and I hadn't gotten a call from either of them. I was beginning to wonder where they were when I heard a familiar voice.
"We're here to see Mr. Frank Edwin Wright...the third."
I looked up from my shaking hands. Billie Joe and Mike were standing at the front desk, both looking equally tired and apprehensive. I quickly got up and took a step forward.
"Billie, Mike." My friends turned around at the sound of their names.
"Carrie," Billie said, rushing forward and hugging me. "Where's Tre'?"
"In his room. Come on." I led them over to the elevator and pushed the up button. The shiny metal doors opened and we all stepped inside.
"Carrie, what happened?" Billie asked.
"Tre' better tell you the story, not me," I replied.
"There's a STORY to this?" Mike asked disbelievingly.
"Yeah, there is," I said, trying to hide the tiniest of smiles from showing on my face as I thought of Tre' "defending my honor."
When I showed Billie and Mike the door to Tre's room, they burst through it. I quietly followed them in, closing the door behind me.
Tre' was sitting up in bed, looking pretty normal, like nothing was bothering him despite the fact that he had a bruised and slightly scabbed face and an IV drip in his arm.
"Hey guys," he said cheerfully.
"Dude, what the hell HAPPENED to you?" Billie asked, stepping forward and staring at his friend.
"Yeah, man, what happened?" Mike asked, following Billie over to Tre's bed.
"It's story time. Sit down and listen," Tre' said, still not putting on even a remotely serious tone. Surprisingly, Billie and Mike did as they were told and watched him intently.
"Carrie, come over here and sit, you can help tell the story," Tre' said, patting the bed. I walked over and sat down, not saying a word.
"Alright you two, get to your story-telling business," Mike said.
"Where do you want us to begin?" Tre' asked.
"At the very beginning," Billie said. Tre' and I exchanged a look and starting telling our story.
We let everything out, except our relationship. We kind of wanted to save that for last, I guess, as a sort of surprise.
When we were finished, the guys looked confused. They were leaning forward in their chairs, just staring at us.
"I don't get it," Billie said quite plainly. "Why would Tim just randomly beat the shit out of Tre'?"
"Yeah, and why did you come back here to visit Carrie, anyway?" Mike chimed in.
Tre' began to smile. He took my hand in his and our fingers entwined. I couldn't help but smile a little, too. Billie Joe and Mike looked down at our hands and grew sort of wide-eyed.
"You two are...?" Billie stammered, pointing back and forth to each of us.
"Are what?" Tre' teased.
"In love?" Mike finished. Tre' and I just kept smiling.
"I don't believe you," Billie said, crossing his arms and staring at us. "How do we know you're not just messing with us?"
"You want us to prove it?" Tre' asked.
"In as clean a way as you can," he replied.
"Uh, okay then." I bent down and my lips met Tre's. It had been a while since he'd kissed me and I knew he was enjoying it...I was, too.
We broke apart a couple seconds later and looked over at Billie and Mike. They were still watching us in a sort of expressionless manner.
"Well, you convinced me," Mike said, leaning back in his chair. "And your story is a little clearer now."
"I don't know, Mike, how can we be sure that wasn't staged or something like that?" Billie asked, still staring at us.
"Billie!" I laughed. "Come on!"
Billie's expression softened and he uncrossed his arms. "Alright, I know, I believe you guys," he said sweetly.
"And you guys don't mind, right?" Tre' asked them.
"Mind what? The fact that you two kids are happy and in love?" Mike asked.
"Yeah."
"Yes we mind, we want you guys to hate each other and be miserable," Billie said sarcastically. He laughed a little and said, "Of course we don't mind. Why would we mind?"
"I don't know, I was curious," I said sheepishly.
"Carrie, you know that we're your best friends and we want you to be happy," Mike said.
"So you're not mad?"
"Of course not! A little surprised maybe, that you waited this long to tell us, but not mad. Far from it," Billie said.
"Thanks guys," I said, growing a little teary-eyed.
"For what?" Billie asked.
"For understanding and...just being my friends." And I started to cry out of pure happiness as I pulled them all into a hug.