Friends With Benefits

Will had apologized to me for our fight Monday, but also asked me to not say things like what I had around Natalie. He didn’t say whether or not he was still seriously thinking about breaking up with Natalie and, though I wanted to, I didn’t press the issue. I did notice the two of them weren’t always cuddling and kissing in the halls now and that Natalie always had a skeptical look on her face whenever he was around any girl that wasn’t her. I resigned to stay out of it, hoping that Natalie’s jealous tendencies and demanding nature would be enough to tear them apart in the coming weeks. After all, she flirted with guys when Will wasn’t around, so it was only a matter of time before he caught her and, in his typical fashion, blew things a little bit too far out of proportion.

The second week of school passed with little incident and then it was time for Labor Day weekend. I still hadn’t managed to have the talk with Fletch, mainly because his schedule at the grocery store had been slammed due to two employees quitting and three more leaving for college. I had been forced to ride in the back of Eric’s car with Chuck Fink every afternoon but Friday, the one afternoon Fletch finally had off. I was glad to finally be in a vehicle where Chuck wasn’t sexually harassing me and turning everything anyone said into a stupid double entendre.

Instead of dropping me off at my own house, Fletch took me home with him under the premise of “helping him out with his homework.” It was a stupid ploy since the only homework we had over the weekend was in math, a subject Fletch easily excelled at over me, not to mention I had finished my math homework during study hall, while Fletch and Will played paper football and talked about some new car one of the football team players had gotten over the summer holiday.

Typically, when one wants to do homework, they look for a flat surface to spread out their work with a calming atmosphere, such as a desk or kitchen table. Fletch led us straight to his bedroom, where his cluttered desk was piled with books, paper, and the odd sock with holes and grass stains. It hadn’t been used in years as anything other than a shelf and it became immediately obvious to me that Fletch had no intention of starting in on the twenty math problems we had been assigned over the weekend. I frowned as he sat on his bed, waiting for me to come and join him. It was as good a time as any to have “the talk” and I gulped, trying to muster up the courage to speak. I managed to sit down on the edge of the bed, next to Fletch’s feet and far from where his arms or lips could easily get to me and distract me.

“Fletch, do you think that… maybe…” I began awkwardly, “that we should…”

“I’m not helping you crash Natalie’s party tonight,” Fletch snorted.

“Um… what?” I said thoroughly distracted. “Natalie’s having a party? How can she have a party? She’s only a sophomore and her parents are supper strict…”

“It’s not at her house. She organized it down by the lake and told her parents she’s going to a friends sleepover,” Fletch said.

“Why didn’t anyone tell me?” I pouted. “You’d think that Will would at least invite me since we’re supposed to be best friends…”

“Natalie isn’t exactly fond of you, Lenny,” Fletch pointed out.

“So what?” I grimaced. “Why does he always do this? Why does he always let her get in the way?”

“Because she’s his girlfriend and you’re his best friend,” Fletch shrugged. “He gets action from her. He’s probably got no idea what kind of down and dirty you’d get with him if you had the chance.”

“Don’t talk like that Fletch,” I grimaced.

“It’s true,” Fletch shrugged. “Besides, Natalie is sort of a maelstrom of emotions, like one of those tornadoes in a glass. Bother her too much and she’s started up a storm. Will probably figured you wouldn’t find out and he’s be safe.”

“But he told you?” I said angrily.

“No,” Fletch rolled his eyes. “He didn’t tell me. I overheard him talking to one of his teammates about how he didn’t really want to go but he’s in such deep shit with Natalie right now that he sort of has to.”

“He should just ditch and break up with her,” I pouted. “Why doesn’t he? And don’t tell me that crap theory of yours that he really likes her and that’s why he hasn’t broken up with her. It’s impossible for someone to really like a girl… like that. I mean, she’s the female Chuck Fink!”

“I’ll have you know, Lenny, Chuck and his mother both think he’s very attractive,” Fletch laughed.

“You have to take me Fletch,” I told him.

“I already told you I wasn’t.” Fletch said.

“I’ll find someone else to take me then,” I replied.

“Yeah, because once Sara finds out why you’re doing this, she’s definitely going to volunteer Eric’s driving services to you,” Fletch snorted. “There’s no way in hell Will is going to drive you and I doubt your brother would come home from college just for the privilege.”

“Come on, Fletch,” I begged him. “You know, if this had anything to do with that Ivy What’s-Her-Face, I’d help you.”

“My ass you would,” Fletch snorted. “What could you do really?” I opened my mouth to answer before realizing Fletch had meat it as a rhetorical question.

“I can’t believe you’d leave me hanging like this,” I pouted.

“Tough shit,” Fletch snorted.

“But…” I protested.

“God, Lenny can’t we stay here for just one Friday night?” Fletch rolled his eyes. “You’re not going to accomplish anything by showing up at this party. It’s going to go the same way it always does. You go, you show up, Natalie gets mad which makes will get mad which makes the two of you get into a fight which makes you so miserable you want to go home. And then Monday, will gives you the same shit about not wanting to upset Natalie and how she’s going through tough crap and home and he’s going to break up with her eventually as long as you be nice and shut up. And you believe him every single time. Len, I hate to say it, but sometimes I feel like Will is just using you because he likes attention and he knows you’ll give it to him.”

I stared at Fletch for a minute, unable to believe he had just said what he had. Sure, I knew it was the truth. Deep down, I knew that Will probably used me a little bit and I was actually somewhat surprised he hadn’t figured out I was crushing on him, especially with my behavior toward Natatie as of late. Even though I knew everything Fletch said was true and had for a while, I still never said anything and I didn’t want anyone else to say anything either. It was as if once this truth was voiced out loud it became real. Normally, I probably would have smacked Fletch or yelled at him, but I had a completely uncharacteristic reaction to his words.

I began crying.

And not just those soft, “how could you?” tears but in big, messy crocodile tear style sobs. I was too upset to really be embarrassed, though it wasn’t like I hadn’t cried over Will in front of Fletch before. Sure, Sara was usually the recipient of my tearful fits over why Will couldn’t just wake up and release we were destined to be together, but Fletch had seen quite a few of them as well. However, Fletch usually dealt with me when I was angry with Will or angry at him for bringing up something about Will I didn’t like. I was just so stressed out with the recent drama with Will I didn’t want to think about Will just using me or even the fact that, just maybe, he really didn’t want me around as a friend or otherwise.

While I was just about drowning in my own misery, I didn’t notice the change in Fletch’s emotions. He suddenly went from complaining to me and trashing everyone to being sincerely concerned. I knew he was guilty that what he had said offhand had sent me into tears and I knew Fletch didn’t mean to set me off with his rant. Or at least not set me off in the particular way he had. He got up from where he was reclining on his bed and inched over to the other side where I was sitting, putting his arms around me and pulling me close.

“I’m sorry, Lenny. Okay?” Fletch assured me. “I didn’t mean it, alright? I’m sure… I’m sure Will doesn’t mean to act that way. He’s probably just really stressed right now with school and football and all of the crap Natalie is putting him through. He probably takes it out on you because you’re close to him and he knows he doesn’t have to worry about you pushing him away. Look, just forget about everything I said. I’ll take you to the party if you really want to go. Hell, I’ll even shove Natalie in the lake. I’m sure there wouldn’t be too many people there who would mind seeing her look like a drowned rat…”

I had to smile at that image, even if I wasn’t one hundred percent cheered up by Fletch’s words. With a sigh, Fletch pulled me with him as he lay back against his pillows, draping my body on top of his so my head was resting on his chest and just underneath this chin. He kept his arms around me as I placed one of mine on his chest and another on the bed beside his body. It was a pretty comforting place to be and I almost managed to forget about Will, Natalie, and all the torment they were putting me through as Fletch stroked my hair. Almost, of course, was the operative word.

“I don’t even know if I want to go anyway,” I sighed. “I just… I mean, why does Will keep doing this?”

“I wish I could tell you,” Fletch shrugged. I closed my eyes slightly, focusing on the sensation of my cheek lying against the fabric of his shirt and the body heat that emanated underneath.

“I don’t even know if we should go,” I sighed. “I mean, you’re right. Natalie will just get mad at us and at Will and then he’ll get mad at us and then… I don’t know… It’s just infuriating that we can’t hang out around him just because she doesn’t want us to.”

“We’re going,” Fletch informed me. “And if Natalie throws a fit, I’ll tell her I heard about the party and brought you along because I thought it’d be fun. I’ll take all the blame and you can just play dumb. She won’t have any reason to get mad at you then.”

“She always has a reason to get mad at me, no matter how stupid or how senseless it is,” I pointed out.

“Come on,” Fletch offered. “I’ll take you home and then pick you up around supper. We’ll grab something to eat on the way up there. How does that sound?”

“Okay,” I nodded. Fletch and I got up from his bed and he took me home without a word, which I found completely uncharacteristic.

I changed for the evening and told my parents I was hanging out with some friends. When I mentioned Fletch was picking me up, my mother went on another one of her little diatribes about how nice Fletch is and I rolled my eyes, glad to escape when his car arrived. We picked up burgers and at them on the drive up to the lake. It wasn’t hard to find where the party was being held since there was a huge bonfire and a group of people gathered around it. Fletch and I instantly recognized Will’s car when we pulled up alongside it. When we reached where the party was actually taking place, we were surprised to see how few people there were. About eight of Natalie’s friends where there, five of them being girls, and only about two guys from the team Will had managed to coax in to coming to a lame sophomore party on the beach.

When she saw our shadowy figures heading toward her, Natalie smiled but then immediately frowned upon realizing who we were. She then flew at Will in a rage while we continued approaching. I looked at Fletch nervously as we came toward the two of them.

“Hey,” Fletch smiled up at Will and Natalie during a break in their argument.

“What are you doing here?” Natalie hissed. “This is my party!”

“What party? There’s like ten people here,” Fletch snorted.

“Will!” Natalie hissed at him. “They’re ruining my party!”

“Come on, Nat,” Will sighed. “It’s not like anyone showed up anyway. It’s better that we have a small crowd so your parents don’t find out.”

“I can’t believe you!” Natalie hissed, stomping her feet like any angry toddler. “I told you specifically not to invite your two lame friends along! No one wants to be seen with these losers!”

“Seriously, Will? You’re going to let her talk to us like that?” Fletch snorted. Will looked a little conflicted. Fletch sighed. “You’re so whipped, man.”

“I’m not whipped,” Will shot back.

“You are totally and completely one hundred percent whipped,” Fletch snorted. “This bitch barks an order and you jump.”

“Will! Did you hear what he just called me?” Natalie hissed.

“Yeah, we’ll he’s kind of right,” Will snorted. Natalie looked at him, horrified, and then glanced between the three of us before pulling him aside.

“Will, we need to talk. Now. In private,” she hissed. Before Will could protest, she started dragging him off.

“See what I mean about being whipped?” Fletch called after him cheerfully. I smiled in spite of myself, hoping this would be the final straw for their relationship. However, Fletch interrupted my hopeful thoughts with his annoyingly loud voice. “So, you wanna get something to drink?”