What Do You Want From Me?

Matt Sanders breathed breath’s of fresh air as he reposed on one of the many lounge chairs located on Brian’s front patio. The sun was shining bright, soaking into his skin, and he found it to be the most relaxed he’s felt in the past week.

“Squirt me with that and it’ll be the last thing you ever do.”

Matt opened his eyes and looked at the scene unraveling in front of him: Brian washing his most prized possession, his 85’ Corvette, and Zack taunting him with the hose, spraying it in Brian’s general direction and giggling like mad when Brian eyed him viciously. Matt smiled happily and sipped at the Heineken Light bottle he held in his right hand.

At the moment, Matt was genuinely happy. He was with his friends, who are the best friends a guy could want or ask for, it was a nice day, school was out, and tomorrow was Friday. Weekends spent at Brian’s house were always the best weekends. The kid’s house wasn’t even a house, per se; it was more of a mansion. It sometimes scared Matt to know one of his best friends was a ‘Richie’. He didn’t act like one at all, he didn’t embrace his background, and it was refreshing and gave Matt the ounce of hope he needed to stay sane.

“Zack!”

Matt almost choked on the beer he still drank as he tossed his head back and laughed. Brian was now dripping water from his short, black hair. His eyes were wide, staring mercilessly at Zack, and the younger man had dropped the hose and made a dash across the yard.

“I’m going to fucking kill you, Baker!” Brian exclaimed, throwing down the sponge he held and taking off after his boyfriend.

“Matt, help me!” Zack yelled to Matt with his arms flailing wildly.

“Nah, I’m good where I am,” Matt replied, grinning madly.

Brian caught up to Zack and tackled him to the ground below, pinning his arms and legs, while Zack pretended to be immensely offended and screamed ‘rape’ repeatedly. Matt shook his head and chuckled, now looking away as Brian decided that killing him meant pinning him down and delivering a few intimate kisses. Matt took another swig of his beer and sighed quietly. He’d hoped while being there with his friends that he wouldn’t think about her. It was pointless, made absolutely no sense, and yet even the littlest things like seeing two people kissing made his minds race to thoughts of her.

‘I wonder what her lips taste like; probably like the tastiest and ripest strawberries in an orchid, the kind they use for Strawberry Shortcake and fruit salads…’

Matt smiled for a moment, thinking about it, his mind in a sort of daze. He quickly snapped out of it though and mentally slapped himself, furrowing his eyebrows and wondering what in the world his damn problem was.

‘You sound like a lovesick teenager, Matthew. Snap the fuck out of it and leave the girl alone. She’ll never be your woman, so the very concept alone is pathetic. Damned idiot.’

Matt nodded absentmindedly and continued to sip at his drink. He did his best to push the thoughts out of his mind as Brian and Zack finally picked themselves up and trekked over to join him. They sat on either side of him, like always, and pulled out their own beers from the cooler.

“Thanks for all your help, Matt. Because of you, I was almost raped,” Zack remarked, giving Matt a dirty look.

“You can’t rape the willing,” Matt replied, scrunching up his face as he thought about them going at it right in front of him.

“Hey, I’m a virgin, so I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Brian and Matt both broke out into mock laughter, pointing at Zack and shaking their heads.

“Now THAT is some funny shit,” Brian breathed out as he and Matt calmed down from their laughing fits.

Zack gave them both dirty looks now. “Is it that hard to believe I’m a virgin?”

“Kinda,” Matt said. “But it’s not like it’s a big deal, though. I mean, who is a virgin anymore at our age?”

“Not me!” Brian raised his hand with a goofy smile on his face. Zack glared at him with an expression that read ‘put your hand down, or else’, and he slowly lowered it back down.

Matt looked back and forth between the two, before clearing his throat as a way to break the tension. “Anyway,” He began. “What are we doing this weekend?”

Zack perked up almost immediately. “Speaking of that, I have some totally amazing information that you guys are just going to love.”

Matt and Brian both grinned and turned their attention to the youngest of their group. “And what would that be, Baby?”

“Okay so, I was in History, right? And I was talking to that girl, Beatrice, and--”

“Wait, who the hell is Beatrice?” Brian broke in.

“You’re ruining my damn story!” Zack gave Brian an evil sneer.

“Oh, excuse me. Please continue, your highness.”

“Thank you. As I was saying, I was talking to her and she told me about a party that’s being thrown on Friday at Brock McKinley’s place.” Zack looked at Brian and Matt with a mischievous grin on his face.

“What’s your point?” Matt asked him with confusion etched into his features.

“My point, dearest Matthew, is that we should go crash that shit!” Zack asserted and pounded his fist into the air to make his point.

Matt shook his head. “Hell no. What would be the point in that?”

“The point? Brian, please explain to Matt what the ‘point’ is.” Zack looked at his boyfriend with expectation.

Brian traded glances with Matt and Zack as he scratched the back of his head, not knowing exactly what to say. “Uhm…it’ll be fun?”

Matt scoffed. “I’m pretty sure we can have fun just chilling here and smoking or whatever.”

“Matt, come on. Stop being such a downer and live a little. I guarantee you every person that’s going to attend that party is an asshole.”

‘Not every person…’ Matt thought, figuring Jessica would probably be one of the ones attending. “And?”

“And this will be the perfect payback for their assholeness! We can sneak in, mess some shit up, and go through Brock’s stuff and see what we can steal and sell for weed!” Zack hopped around in his chair, already excited by the prospect of it. Matt and Brian both chuckled at Zack’s antics.

“Who can deny that cuteness?” Brian asked, looking at Matt while pointing at his still overexcited boyfriend. “I know I can’t! I’m in.”

“Guys, we’re going to get caught,” Matt still tried to reason.

“No, we’re not! There’s going to be like a hundred people there and I doubt anyone will be looking around for three hoodlums like us. If, by chance, anyone does see us, we’ll just split and then wait a little while and go back. It’s a fucking good plan, Matt, and I’m disappointed that you’re even doubting me and my awesome schemes.” Zack crossed his arms over his chest.

Matt stared at Zack, dimples gleaming exquisitely. “You’re a little bitch when you don’t get your way, aren’t you?”

“I can be, I suppose.” Zack nodded.

“Ah, what the hell; if it’ll get you to shut the hell up, then I guess it sounds like a good time.”

Zack squealed and clapped his hands together. “This is going to be great, guys. I’m so excited.”

“We can tell,” Brian said. “You don’t even get that excited for me.”

“Give me something to get excited about, Brian Elwin.”

“I’m pretty sure I can do plenty of things to get you excited.” Brian smirked evilly as he leaned a little over the table.

“Oh really? What kind of things?” Zack returned the smirk.

“Guys, what the fuck?!” Matt suddenly jumped up and looked at the two of them. “As if I’m not sitting right here!”

Brian looked up at him and chuckled. “Oh, I totally forgot about you. Haha. Come on, Zack, let’s go finish washing my car.”

Brian stood up now and took Zack’s hand, pulling his boyfriend back over toward the unwashed car. Matt sat down again and cracked open another beer, relaxing into the chair and sighing in relaxation.

‘Maybe this weekend will be a good time,’Matt thought. ‘At least I’ll get to see her…’