Friends With Benefits

As I headed over to Will’s house Sunday afternoon, I hoped he wouldn’t be too mad if he had indeed found out Fletch and I were dating. The whole thing hadn’t been intentionally behind his back but sort of evolved that way. Now that Fletch and I were going public with our feelings for each other, telling Will was one of the things we would have to face together. I went over directly around the time we were supposed to though Fletch texted me, saying he had been momentarily held up at the grocery store so he would be a little bit late. I went over on time anyway, hoping I could get a read on how Will would react before springing the news on him if he didn’t know or how he was feeling about the whole situation if he did know.

What I encountered at the Swain residence was a Will unlike I had ever seen before. He was visibly upset and a little disheveled, looking as if he hadn’t slept the past night. It wasn’t his typical too busy partying and hooking up with random chicks to disheveled but more of a was too stressed out so I kept tossing and turning all night disheveled. He invited me and to the family den after answering the door. I told him that Fletch was going to be a little late because of getting held up at work. Will nodded and followed me into the den where he plopped down on the couch next to me with a sigh. I was pretty nervous myself, wondering what was happening.

“Are you okay?” I asked Will, concerned. I’d never really seen him that upset before.

“I think… I guess I’ll manage… I don’t know,” Will sighed.

I frowned as Mrs. Swain brought in milk and cookies. Will’s mother was just about your stereotypical oblivious housewife. Here her son looked like he had just seen his dog get hit by a car and she was bringing in milk and chocolate cookies fresh from the oven, acting as if everything was hunky-dory. She quizzed me about my parents and how Matt was doing in college for about ten minutes before Will, annoyed with her presence, managed to convince her to buzz of. She smiled at the two of us, asked when Fletch would be arriving, and asked us to save him some cookies before she scampered out of the room to go knitting or read for her book club or whatever she did in her spare time.

I gingerly grabbed a cookie off the plate and chewed it while taking a sip of my milk, hoping Will would open up or at least turn into the more cheerful semblance of himself I was used to. He looked at the cookies for a few seconds, as if they were the sole source of his misery, before reaching forward, grabbing one and eating it. I looked at him curiously as he swallowed the remnant and then sighed, leaning back against the couch. I was starting to get the feeling Will didn’t know about Fletch and I, but I had to feel like there was something going on, something bad Will wasn’t sure what to do about.

“Are you okay?” I asked worriedly. “I mean, what’s going on?”

“I kind of wanted to wait until Fletch got here too,” Will admitted. “But you’re my oldest friend, Ailee. I don’t think he’d be too offended if I told you first. I mean, you kind of deserve to know first since you’re my oldest friend.”

“What’s going on?” I asked worriedly.

“It’s my Dad,” Will sighed. “He applied for a promotion at work and he got it. He hasn’t accepted it yet, but if he does, we’re moving. Across the country.”

“All the way across the country?” I gaped in disbelief.

“Right in time for my senior year too,” Will snorted. “It’s like they don’t even care… I mean, I’ve lived here all of my life and all of my friends are here, but they want me to just pack up and leave, go across the globe and start over.”

“Why couldn’t he have waited until next year when you’re in college?” I asked.

“Dad said it was a once in a lifetime job opportunity,” Will grimaced. “Pretty lame excuse, if you ask me. Anyway, he and mom have been talking and they think moving away would be good for me. They say I’ve got too many bad influences around here and they’re sick of me hanging out all the time and dating around. Seriously, I’m seventeen years old! What else am I supposed to be doing? I don’t know.”

“Your parents don’t think Fletch and I are bad influences, do they?” I said.

“No,” Will grimaced. “In fact, I asked them if I made more friends like you two if they’d reconsider the move and my mom said it would be good for me to do whether or not we leave.”

“I can’t believe this!” I said, upset. “What can be such a great opportunity that it requires someone to rip their family up from the only home they’ve ever known? What is it? More money or something? And your dad isn’t that far off from retirement anyway, is he?”

“I know,” Will muttered, “but he won’t listen to me! I think this is completely selfish of him just to rip us away like that. I know my mom isn’t happy with the idea. I mean, she’s lived here forever and she’s got nearly twenty years’ worth of friends in this town. She’ll have to start all over again in a new town, too. She’ll have to make new friends, join new clubs… She just got the garden out back the way she likes it, too…”

“It’ll be okay,” I assured him. “Your dad hasn’t taken the job yet, officially, has he?”

“No,” Will admitted.

“Well, that means he’s trying to at least consider how you guys feel,” I shrugged. “I mean, he’s trying to see what’s best for the family…”

“You mean he’s trying to give me time to get used to the idea?” Will snorted.

“Either that, or he’s giving you time to show him why you shouldn’t move,” I said. “That’s what you need to use this time for, you know? To show your dad you can behave here so your behavior isn’t a reason for the move. You need to show him that you need to be here.”

“He seems completely for this move,” Will said. “I don’t think my good behavior is going to be enough to convince him to give it up.”

“Well, maybe you can talk your parents into letting you live with me or Fletch while you finish out your senior year,” I suggested. “You could stay in Matt’s room or the guest room. Maybe you could room with Fletch if he ever cleans the place up… I mean, we can work something out. You just have to prove to your parents that you’re responsible and trustworthy enough to leave behind for a full year while you finish up school here…”

“That… that might work,” Will marveled. “That’s actually a great idea!”

“I happen to think so myself,” I smirked.

“This is great, Ailee! Really great! I can just convince my parents to let me stay with you and your family,” Will said. “I mean, our parents have been friends just as long as we have, so they trust each other implicitly. We could make this work!”

“Glad to be of help,” I shrugged.

“You’re amazing, you know that, Ailee?” Will grinned at me. “Simply brilliant!”

“I try,” I shrugged.

“You know Lenny, we’ve been friends for a long time and I know, especially in the past couple of years, I haven’t really lived up to the title of best friend,” Will said thoughtfully, “but I want you to know, I really appreciate you. I really appreciate this, what you’re doing for me right…”

“It’s nothing,” I shrugged.

“Ailee,” Will said quietly, “it really is something. It’s really something important…”

“Will…” I shook my head, about to tell him it was just something friends did for each other.

I never got to finish what I saw saying as Will leaned forward and pushed his lips against mine. I had been dreaming for several years what this sensation might feel like and I was honestly completely disappointed. It felt wrong and gross. It felt like a complete and utter betrayal of Fletch and the means to completely destroy my friendship with Will. It felt like the completely stupidest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life. It only took a few seconds of Will’s lips against mine before I pushed him off me. Will looked at me, confused for a moment and then leaned back as if to kiss me again. In order to further prevent him from kissing me, I reared back and slapped him. Will held his cheek, confused.

“What the hell were you…” I began.

“Get off my girlfriend!” I heard a voice from the back. I turned around and paled to find Fletch angrily standing in the doorway, his hands curled into fists.

“Girlfriend?” Will said, confused.

“How long have you been…” I began.

“Is this what you wanted me to come over here for? So you could snake my girlfriend?” Fletch hissed at Will, approaching him furiously.

“What are you talking about, Fletch?” Will said, standing up and readying to defend himself. “Girlfriend? Ailee’s not your girlfriend…”

“Will…” I began. “Fletch and I… we’ve been dating for about a week…”

“And you didn’t think to tell me?” Will demanded, more from Fletch than from me.

“We were going to today…” I began.

“Until you decided to start making out with her!” Fletch said, approaching Will furiously.

“Jesus, Fletch, you’re overreacting!” Will said.

“You promised! You swore to me!” Fletch hissed at him. “You were supposed to be my best friend and now you go off and pull shit like this!”

“Fletch…” Will began with a grimace.

“You can get any girl you want. You can go after any girl in school,” Fletch hissed at Will. “And yet you have to go after mine. It’s not enough for you to get every girl in school. You have to go after the one girl that’s off limits to you!”

“What the hell are you talking about, Fletch?” I demanded to know.

“You’re making a big deal out of nothing!” Will said. “We were just talking…”

“You weren’t just talking!” Fletch screamed at him. “You think I didn’t see? You think I don’t know what’s going on here?”

“You don’t know what’s going on,” Will glared at him.

“I know exactly what’s going on!” Fletch hissed at him.

“Fletch,” I began, rushing over to his side to stop him before he did anything stupid.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t in time since Fletch pulled back and took a swing at Will’s face just as I arrived at his side. I was helpless as the impact sent Will stumbling backward and blood spurting from his nose and where his teeth had cut the inside of his mouth. I hoped that the one punch would be enough to get the fight out of Fletch’s system, bring him some sense of serenity. What I wasn’t expected to happen was Will to recover and then launch himself back at Fletch. He tackled Fletch to the ground, wailing on him, punching him in the face and mouth. I was stunned for a moment that Will was suddenly going so ballistic on Fletch, especially considering that Will was the most in the wrong.

After being stunned for a moment as to what I was witnessing, I rushed over and did everything in my power to pull Will off of Fletch. Trying to evade me, Will sent an elbow flying back in my direction, knocking me flat on my ass on the den floor. Angered that I had just been hit, Fletch seemed to recover and flipped Will over, kneeing him in the groin and continuing to punch his face. After collecting myself, I stood back up and managed to pull Fletch away from Will since he was lighter and less of a brute. Now separated, it was easy to see both boys had bruises and cuts all over their faces. Fletch’s face seemed to have taken the most of it with two black eyes and bruised lips. however, Will’s busted nose wasn’t exactly minor looking damage.

“What the hell is wrong with the two of you?” I demanded to know. “You can’t just start beating each other senseless for no reason!”

“What do you mean no reason?” Fletcher demanded to know.

“Fletch…” I began.

“This fucker,” Fletch hissed, pointing a finger at Will, “was making moves on you and you think it’s nothing?”

“No, Fletch,” I began. “Will was just really upset and he didn’t know…”

“Oh, so you’re making excuses for him now?” Fletch glowered.

“I’m not excusing what he did…” I began.

“I can’t believe this!” Fletch hissed. “You were lying, weren’t you? When you said you wanted to be with me? I’ll always be sloppy seconds, won’t I?”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I tried to comfort him. “You’re just upset. Fletch, it meant nothing…”

“I’m sure,” Fletch snorted.

“Lay off of her. Ailee didn’t do anything wrong,” Will shot back defensively.

“Like I can believe anything you say!” Fletch yelled at him. “You’re supposed to be my best friend but you’re nothing but a traitor!”

“Fletch,” I whispered, nearly to the point of begging him to calm down. He shrugged my arms off of his shoulders and for the first time, I realized I had kept holding on to him after the fight had ended.

“You’re both traitors!” Fletch growled at us. “I hate both of you!”

“Quit being such a drama queen and hear us out,” Will rolled his eyes.

“I’m done,” Fletch shook his head. “I’m done with both of you!” He turned and stormed out of the house and I followed him as quickly as I could.

“Fletch! Where are you going?” I begged to know, following him.

“I don’t want to talk to you,” Fletch glowered at me.

“Just let me explain,” I began.

“I don’t care,” Fletch hissed. He got to his car, jumped in the driver’s seat and then sped away as the tears began falling from my face. He left me there in Will’s front yard, sobbing. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked over to see Will standing behind me, frowning.

“He needs a little time,” Will said. “He’ll calm down and he’ll be back.”

“You don’t get it, Will,” I shook my head. “I… I love him…” Will looked at me with wide eyes for a moment and sighed.

“Come on back in the house, Ailee,” Will said to me quietly. “There’s something… something I probably should have said a long time ago…”