A Fever You Can't Sweat Out

I still remember the time right after Dad had first shown his true colors. He had smacked me across my face and my lip immediately started to bleed. I have always felt like nothing was ever going to go my way again.

Coming back to reality I realized that Brendon was looking into my eyes to make sure that I understood him. I nodded anyway, knowing that I had no clue what I was responding to.

"Hey guys," Crystal greeted us as she panted heavily before dropping into the seat beside me and putting her brown bag lunch on the table.

"Took you long enough," Spencer muttered.

"I was held behind in English," she explained.

"You fell asleep again, didn't you?" Jon asked before attacking her lunch as I smiled slightly. She had an annoyed look on her face, I didn't know if it was because she got in trouble again or because Jon was stealing her lunch again.

Crystal got in trouble a lot, her stories of detention always kept us entertained. A portion of the time she was sent to detention just because she was at the scene of a disturbance. Some teachers automatically suspected her just because of the way she dresses and acts which was, for lack of a better word, a punk.

But she was awesome at cooking and she usually brought us things from home that she made the night before, only we never got to eat any since Jon would always steal it from her.

"I see the rest of us are going to starve today," Spencer said as he shot an accusatory glance at Jon who was eating a sandwich with a happy smile on his face.

"Now you should have more faith in me," Crystal said as she reached into her courier bag and pulled out another brown paper bag. "Salad and roasted potatoes for our vegetarian," she said as she pushed it towards Brendon. "BBQ sandwich for Spence." Spencer practically ripped off her arm when he grabbed the sandwich. "Turkey for you," she added as she handed me a sandwich. "And snickerdoodle cookies for desert."

"Too bad, I'm having my desert now," I said as I grabbed a cookie and took a large bite.

"Fine, rot your teeth, see if I care." She paused and looked over at me. My eyes shifted back and forth as she studied my face. I could feel my palms start to sweat as my heart rate increased. She was looking at me as if she could see the bruises on my face.

"What?" I finally asked. "Do I have something in my teeth?"

"No, but there's something ugly sitting on your shoulders," Brendon spoke up. "Oh wait, that's your face!"

"You're very funny, Urinate," I shot back as I smirked and he made a face. Our lunch time usually consisted of Brendon and I making fun of each other. We never meant it and always got a good laugh out of it. School was the only time I actually enjoyed my day.

I hated the rest of my life.

*~*~*

At seven all of we in front of the movie theater as planned. Including me, there were Brendon, Jen, Spencer, and Megan. Jon and Crystal had just arrived.

"Ry, I have to go to the bathroom," Brendon suddenly stated.

"So go," I said as I made a face.

"Come with me?"

"What are you, four?"

"Just come on!"

I looked at Jon with a confused face, "Uh, sure." As we walked off I turned again to look at Jon, and he returned my puzzled expression with a slightly amused one.

Once in the bathroom, Brendon stood in front of the mirror and stared at my reflection a bit before asking, "How'd you manage to get that bruise?" I looked at my reflection and instantly kicked myself. My bruise was starting to show.

"Honestly," I sighed, "I don't know." Liar. "I just woke up and it was on my face.

Brendon laughed, "Why am I not surprised? You are clumsy."

"Thanks," I mumbled half jokingly half seriously.

"Ry?”

"Yeah?"

"What's the farthest you've ever gone with a girl?" he asked like she was asking what my birthday was. I looked at him with a very shocked face.

Gone? Gone where? I thought. Then reality hit me. I really do surprise myself with some of the things I do. Stupid me.

"I- uh um," I stammered.

"I'm just curious," Brendon said while turning to face me. "You don't have to get all embarrassed."

"Hm," was all I could get out.

Once in the theater there was a disagreement about where to sit. The theater was pretty full but the very front was open along with the back. Everywhere in between was full. Finally they decided that they would have a smaller chance of getting kicked out if we sat in the back. Two nineteen-year-olds were making out the minute that the lights went out.

"Jeez," I heard Crystal under her breath.

"I know," Jon said looking at them.

"How do they breathe?"

"Want to find out?"

She shoved his shoulder, "All boys are the same."

"I take offense to that," I said.

"Yeah," Brendon agreed, "I would never ask a girl to make out like Jon just did."

"If you want a girl to make out with you, you don't ask like that," Spencer said.

"How do you do it?" I asked with a wide smile.

"Well," Brendon interrupted, “first you make sure they want to.".

"No you don’t!" Spencer said. "You just kiss her and if she kisses you back, you've got it made. If she doesn’t you run like hell."

I laughed. I couldn't believe guys actually talked about this stuff with each other.

"And don't any girls get a say in it?" I questioned

"You know what would be smart?" Jen asked.

"What?"

"Maybe you should ask the GIRL how she would want to kiss someone, because wouldn't she know about that stuff more then any of us?" she suggested

Jon asked Crystal, "How do girls want to be kissed?"

"You're asking the wrong girl," she said, leaning back in her seat.

"Are you a lesbian?" Brendon asked in a really loud voice, and it just happened to be in between previews. Everyone turned and shushed us again. We grabbed handfuls of popcorn and threw it at him as I laughed at his misfortune.

"No, I am not a lesbian."

"Then what do you mean?" Spencer asked.

"Never been kissed," I shrugged.

"Really?" Megan and Jen looked at her as if she were lying. I didn't hate them but I didn't really like them either. They had a big reputation and they always stuck their noses in someone else's business. I knew the only reason that Brendon and Spencer brought them was to hope to get their reputations boosted.

"Dead serious," Crystal responded. I knew it was a bad idea for her to trust them with that, but I kept my mouth shut. She hated it when I meddled in her life. “But, can we please change the subject? Talking about kissing makes me wanna dry heave!” she grumbled. After the movie let out, Brendon and Jen were very close to each other.

"Let's get food," Brendon said.

"Yeah," Jen agreed, "I'm hungry."

We ended up at a Wendy’s because it was closest to the theater. We all shared a booth. Everyone got something different so we could share with each other. I never realized how close Crystal was to me until I felt her knee brush my leg.

"Dude, if you're going to kiss her, do it already," Jon told me.

"Come on," Spencer said, "you've got the balls to do it, so use `em."

"I would," I calmly began, "but she has food in her mouth."

"Oh you know you love it!" She said as she stuck out her tongue, showing mashed up food. The guys and I laughed as Jen and Megan squealed in disgust. Crystal and I always made jokes like that but they were never serious, we only did it to get Brendon off of our backs. We both knew that we were only friends.

That night we, Spencer, Jon, and I, ended up spending the night at Brendon's house. His parents weren't home when we got there. We watched Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

For what reasons? I have no idea.

I was scared to death of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. This was the only scary movie that I couldn't stand for some weird reason. I avoided looking at the TV screen when there was a scary part on.

The next morning, I woke up on the carpeted floor and noticed that Brendon, Spencer, Jon, and I and I had heavy comforters on us, and we were wearing the same clothes from the night before.

I looked at my watch and saw that it was almost 11.

I was sooooo busted!