Choke on Your Misery

Alex

“Alex, hurry up! I'm about to leave!” my mother called to me. I was in the living room, playing video games, when my mom called me. I huffed a sigh, pausing the game and walking to my mom. She was standing by the front door, waiting for me.

“Mom, do I have to go? I’m in the middle of a game,” I complained. A new family had just moved in next door, and my mom had decided to bring food over and welcome them to the neighborhood. I don’t understand why people do that; I’d rather be left alone if I’d just moved somewhere. I wouldn’t want a bunch of strangers barging into my home to say “hi”.

“Yes, Alex, you do. I noticed a boy about your age; I thought you might like to meet him. I’m sure he would appreciate having someone to show him around Dulaney,” my mom said.

“So I’m a tour guide now?” I asked.

My mom frowned at me, “Alex, just put on your shoes and come with me.”

I sighed, but pulled on a pair of shoes and a hoodie as I walked out the door with my mom. It was the middle of January, and still pretty cold in Maryland. There was snow on the ground from a snowfall a few days earlier. We walked up the steps of the house and my mom rang the doorbell. The doorbell echoed throughout the house and we heard footsteps coming toward the door. A woman answered it, looking worn out.

“Hello, I’m Isobel Gaskarth. This is my son, Alex. We’re your neighbors, and we thought we would bring over this casserole and welcome you to the neighborhood,” my mom greeted, smiling.

“Oh, hello! I’m Clara Merrick. Please, come in,” the woman said, ushering us inside. The house was cluttered with boxes, but looked nice otherwise. “Mark, Zachary! Come downstairs and meet your new neighbors!” Clara called, leading us into the kitchen. A few seconds later, a man walked in.

“Hello, I’m Mark. It’s nice to meet you,” the man said, smiling tiredly. My mom introduced us again, and he shook our hands. “So, you go to Dulaney High School? What grade are you in?” Mark asked me.

“I’m in 11th grade, sir. I just turned seventeen in December,” I replied, putting my hands into my jeans pockets.

“Oh, that’s good! Our son, Zack, is also in 11th grade. He turns seventeen in a few months. He must be in his room; I’ll go get him,” Mark said. He went upstairs and returned a few minutes later with a teenage boy trailing behind him, hidden from view behind his back.

“Zack, this is Alex; Alex, this is Zack. Alex goes to Dulaney and he is in the same grade as you,” Clara said to her son.

“Cool,” the boy, Zack, mumbled, stepping out from behind his father. Zack was an inch or two shorter than me, but looked a little more buff. He had black hair with two splotches of blonde in it; one on the top of his head, and one being the bangs just above his left eye. His hair actually looked nice, unlike my long, messy brown hair that was swept across my face. He also had a nose ring. I don’t know what it was, but something drew me to this boy. He was gorgeous. No, Alex, scratch that thought! You're bisexual; he's probably straight. Yes, I'm bi; I’ve had a few girlfriends and boyfriends in the past, but none recently. I’d been keeping out of the dating area.

I snapped back to reality as my mother nudged me. “Alex, are you listening?” my mom asked.

“Um, sorry. I zoned out,” I apologized, blushing as I realized I’d been staring at Zack.

My mom sighed, shaking her head, “I asked if you would be so kind as to give Zack a hand in unpacking his stuff.”

“That’s okay, I don’t need help,” Zack muttered.

“Nonsense. Let Alex help you; it will give you a chance to know him,” Zack’s mother said, shooing him toward the door. I sighed as my mother pointed at the door, and I followed Zack. He led me upstairs, stopping at a door to open it.

"Um, this is my room," he said shyly, pulling on his hoodie sleeves as I walked in behind him. His bed was against the opposite wall with boxes on it, and his desk and dresser were in the middle of the room.

"Well, um, do you want any help? I could help you move your desk and stuff..." I offered, trailing off.

"Uh, sure," Zack said. We moved his furniture to where he wanted it, and I glanced out the window as we finished.

"Hey, no way! Your bedroom is right across from mine," I said, pointing out the window. From his window, I could see the window to my room. My blinds were up, and I could see my unmade bed and messy floor. I made a mental note to clean up a bit later.

"That's cool," he said, looking out the window.

I went over and sat on his bed hesitantly, "Do you want any help unpacking?”

Zack shook his head, walking over near the bed. "No thanks, I'll do it later."

"Okay," I said with a shrug. "So, where did you move here from?" I asked.

"Towson. I went to the high school there," he replied.

"Really?" I asked, "That's only fifteen minutes away; why did you move so close and switch schools?"

"We... we lived in a kind of, um, bad neighborhood… and, uh, my parents wanted a new place, I guess?" Zack said, shrugging.

I frowned; it sounded like more of a question than an explanation. It definitely seemed like he was keeping something from me, but I didn't push the subject. "Well, I could show you around Dulaney if you want," I offered hopefully.

"That's fine, you don't have to. My friend Rian goes there. He offered to show me around a little," Zack said, looking away from me.

"Rian… how is his name spelled?" I asked.

“Uh, R-I-A-N?” Zack said, puzzled.

“Oh, Rian Dawson? He’s the only one at Dulaney who spells his name that way; that’s why I asked,” I replied.

Zack looked up, "Yeah, that’s him, do you know him?"

I shook my head, "Not personally, but I've seen him around. He's in a few of my classes."

"Oh, cool."

I heard my mom call my name and I stood up. "Do you have a cell phone?" I asked Zack. He nodded, and I held my hand out, "Can I put my number in it? You know, so we can talk."

"Sure," he said, handing his phone to me. I punched my number into his phone, and he did the same in mine.

"I'll see you at school," I said, smiling warmly at him. He nodded, a ghost of a smile appearing on his face as I walked downstairs. I left the house with my mom, ignoring her chatter. I was too busy thinking about Zack. I was going to crack that shy boy's shell and get to know him if it was the last thing I do.