Ezzy

Jack wasn't at school for the next whole week. I never realized how empty I felt without my best friend by my side. Roe could only fill his position for so long until she got lazy and decided to keep her talking to a minimum. Roe wasn't a good talker.

I tried to avoid Brad as much as possible, but whenever I passed him he was hard to ignore. We didn't say any words to each other, but I smiled at him when I shouldn't. His girlfriend was so pretty, and smart too. I wished I was like her. It was that Jessica Allbin, the one with the long blond hair and sweet, innocent brown eyes.

“Does anyone know where Jack is?” I asked them finally, that Friday at lunch in the art room. They all exchanged quick glances, then continued to eat. I gave a stern glare and furrowed by eyebrows at all of them. “Guys...” I said with a lingering whine. No one said anything, they all forced nasty cafeteria food down their lying throats. “It's 'cause I'm gay isn't it!” I joked and dramatically got up from the table, but they all stood scared, like they were about to be hit with a stun gun.

*

I walked cautiously over to Jack's house that evening, expecting him to answer the door in a hurry. I must have rung the damn bell 40 times until he even so slightly cracked the door. “What do you want, Ez?!” he shouted. “You're so lucky my parents aren't here right now!” His voice was aggressive, belligerent. I trembled on the other side of the door. “Go away!” he hissed.

“Why? What's wrong?” I asked him dumbly. “What did I do?” He didn't let me in, nor let me see him face-to-face, all I got was a sliver of the door. He swung it open to reveal a tall, wiry yet toned senior in high school with a purple black eye and a red, unforgettable cut across his lips. His arm was wrapped up in an ace bandage, the free one holding an off-white cordless telephone.

“I can't be seen with a dike like you!” He started to break down in front of me, shedding a few tears but then ferociously wiping them away. He slammed the door in my face.