Mutatio

This is wierd. I...I don't know what to think...

Wait, I didn't say that out loud. Silly Lor, keeping your actual words inside your head. What use can they do there?

"Tom, I don't know what to think of this..." Our hands were clasped together, hanging at our sides. I didn't notice before.

Tom let go of my hands and ran one hand through his hair. "Yeah. I sorta....don't know what to think either."

It got quiet for a....well a long while. It was long, it didn't just feel long. It was one of those moments where you think 'Oh, it feels like forever but its really only been like, five minutes. Let me make sure by checking my conveniently placed clock. Oh snap! It really has been forever! How awkward.' Yup. One of those moments. Tom and I avoided eye contact...mostly.

Good god this was awful. Might as well try and break the silence.

"Have you ever heard of the play 'Waiting for Godot?' It's by this guy named Samuel Beckett." I asked.

"Oh um, well no, I don't think I have."

"Its really wierd, its like, these two guys are sitting in the middle of nowhere waiting for this guy named Godot. And they can't find anything to talk about so it gets really awkward and they're all 'Oh my gosh, where are all the dead bodies coming from?' And the other guy's like 'I dunno, probably from the skelletons on the floor.' but there really aren't any bodies on the floor and its just an empty stage and....yeah...."

Yeah that didn't help anything. Tom knew I was just trying to start a conversation, but he didn't know how to help it along.

"We should go get the drinks..." I suggested and Tom exhaled in relief.

"Yeah, let's go. That's a good idea." He said it like he was trying to convince himself no one would notice how long we'd been gone. that and to escape from the room. I felt bad for him, he'd have to come back here later. That'd be awkward.

The door opened.

"Hey guys what's taking--" Georg stopped dead in his tracks. We must have looked so guilty. But it was just one kiss, right? It wasn't like I made out with the guy or anything! Georg averted his eyes. "I don't want to know anything . I don't know anything. But you guys are taking forever." He looked up at us. First to me, almost saying 'Don't worry, Lor. Its no big deal,' then to Tom. With Tom it was different. With Tom it was more like 'I can't believe you'd do something like that. You really have no boundaries, do you? She was off limits.' But he didn't have to say anything, because the both of us got the message. We also got the message that we all needed to leave the room together so it wouldn't look suspicious. Georg may have his suspisions, but he wasn't going to give it away for anyone else. They could figure it out on their own.

We turned around and saw Bill walking up towards us. His hand was grasping the back of his neck and he was gigling insesantly. It was contagious, I swear, because the tension between Tom, Georg and I immediately dissapeard and we all beamed at him.

"What's taking you guys so long?" he asked jokingly.

Georg spoke before Tom or I could. "Tom forgot his wallet." he said and punched Tom in the arm. Before I knew it, there was a dead-arm fight going on between Tom and Georg and I was in the middle! Nooo! I ducked a couple punched and jumped foreward into what I thought was open air. On the contrary, my face came in contact with a wet, sweaty chest and what I could swear was a nipple ring that hadn't been there before.

"Woh there Lor!" Bill gasped, trying to catch his breath while laughing and having the wind knocked out of him all at the same time.

I gigled; this sick, girly sound that I couldn't stop from coming out of my mouth. "Sorry Bill."

We looked at eachother and the same thought flashed through our eyes. We glanced back at Tom and Georg, then down to the folded piece of brown leather in my hand.

Thump, thump thump...

Our heartbeats pounded as if we were about to commit a major heist, when we were really just taking Tom's wallet and getting snacks.

"And...go!" Bill shouted and the two of us sprinted down the hallway to the door that led to the courtyard holding the outdoor pool (that was on the fifth floor. How cool is that?!). It took a minute for the other two to notice that we were gone, but we sure knew when they did. The brawling boys, though laughing, were shouting at us to slow down and Tom was screaming something about his wallet. Oh how the hotel staff hated us that day.

The courtyard in view, Bill and I took turns tossing the wallet back and forth at eachother so Tom wouldn't know who had it. Such rucuss just for a few snacks. Well, snacks for the others. I really just wanted a can of grape soda, because ever since fifth grade, I can't rightly go into a hot tub without a glass of grape soda with me. And it usually needed to be snowing, but it was sunny today, so that wouldn't be happening.

Ohmigod, no flippin way! Right next to the hot tub was a single can of fizzy grape soda in a generic Safeway can. Oh how my friends knew me. I dashed towards it without realizing that the floor under me was no longer carpet, and was now the slick rock flooring of the courtyard. That and that two bohemouths (I have no idea how to spell that...) were racing towards me. Oh shit! In my pale, pale hand was a folded piece of brown leather. No. No no no.

Crash! Sploosh! Old sixties sound effects from Batman!

I'm not sure when I realized I was underwater. Maybe it was when I noticed a strange purple liquid in strings around me. No! Not my grape soda! Anything but the grape soda! I kicked off the bottom of the pool and my head broke the surface. Tom was next to me, laughing his bony little ass off. I threw the soaking brown wallet onto a lounge chair by the side of the pool so it could dry.

Even with the loss of the best hot-tub beverage of all time, I couldn't help laughing anyway. There must have been something in the air, because everyone else was laughing too. Bill extended a dry hand to me and hoisted me out of the pool.

"Thanks man." I said and beamed up at him. He smeled back and I noticed his hand was behind his back. He had to bite his lips to keep from laughing. "What?"

Out of nowhere, a miracle happened: Bill handed me an unopened can of delicious, purple beverage in a eneric safeway can.