Choke on Your Misery

Alex

“Man, you need to focus! I’m beating the shit out of you!” my best friend, Jack Barakat, exclaimed. I shook my head, snapping out of my thoughts. We were at my house on Wednesday night, playing Grand Theft Auto on my PS2.

“Dude, I suck at this game anyway! You always beat the shit out of me,” I complained as I looked up at the lanky, skunk-haired boy.

“Well I’m really beating you today; it’s no fun!” Jack said, pausing the game. “What’s up?”

“What are you talking about?” I asked innocently.

“You’re thinking about someone. I can see it in your eyes,” Jack said with a grin, pushing his fringe out of his eyes.

“I am not,” I grumbled, taking a sip of my Mountain Dew.

“Yes you are!”

“So what if I am?”

“So, tell me about her! Or him; I know you roll either way,” Jack said, shrugging.

I sighed, “Remember the new kid I told you about?”

“Zack? I remember. I still need to meet this kid. Damn school suspension…” he muttered. I chuckled; Jack had been suspended for three days because he had been dancing on his desk at school – rather inappropriately – while we had a substitute teacher. He hadn’t met Zack yet, but he was going back to school tomorrow so he might.

“Yeah, Zack. He’s just... different. I don’t know what it is, but I really want to get to know him. He seems like he’s hiding something,” I said, frowning.

“How so?”

“He’s so shy and distant, and he won’t really tell me why he moved here. He’s friends with that kid in our grade, Rian Dawson. Rian is the only person he’ll talk to. When I talk to him, he just stammers and mumbles,” I said.

“Maybe he liiiiiikes you,” Jack said in a singsong voice, and I rolled my eyes.

“Yeah, right. And maybe you’ll become president of the United States,” I snorted.

“IT COULD HAPPEN!”

I laughed, “Don’t count on it, Jack.”

“Whatever. Is he cute?” he asked.

I blushed, “Sort of. Why the hell do you need to know?”

“Well I haven’t met him yet! We should go talk to Zack right now! You said he lives next door, right?” Jack asked, jumping up.

“No! I mean, yes, he lives next door, but I’m not going to go let you go bother the poor kid,” I said, pointing at the couch. “Sit your ass back down.”

Jack pouted, slumping back onto the couch beside me. “Well, we could at least text him!”

“I have his number… I just haven’t texted him yet,” I mused.

“Do it!” Jack said.

“I don’t know...”

“Aw, c’mon! You’ve got nothing to lose. If you get to know him, he’ll open up to you,” Jack said.

“What are you, an expert on shy boys?”

“Is that a real job? That could be my career!” he exclaimed.

“Jack, you’re too crazy; you’d scare the shit out of any shy kids within a half-mile radius,” I chuckled, pulling my phone out of my pocket. Jack looked over my shoulder as I typed a message.

To: Zack
From: Alex
Hey Zack

“Lame,” Jack said, pretending to yawn.

“Shut up,” I said, elbowing him in the ribs. To my surprise, Zack replied a minute later.

To: Alex
From: Zack
Hey… what’s up?

“Tell him you’re with the most awesome guy ever!” Jack said, hugging me.

I rolled my eyes, pushing the lanky boy off me so I could text Zack back.

To: Zack
From: Alex
Nothing much, hanging out with my friend, playing video games. Hbu?

“Come on, find another game to play. I’m sick of this game,” I told Jack. He dug through my games while I texted Zack.

To: Alex
From: Zack
Just in my room, I’m not doing much

To: Zack
From: Alex
Oh, that’s boring. You could come play video games with us if you wanted…

To: Alex
From: Zack
Nah, it would be weird. Some other time.

To: Zack
From: Alex
I’ll remember that and take you up on the offer, haha.

To: Alex
From: Zack
lol, okay.

I looked up as Jack pounced back onto the couch with the controllers, announcing, “We’re playing Mario!”

••••••••••

Jack decided that he was going to stay the night, as usual, so I went to ask my mom. She didn’t mind, as long as we were in my room by ten; probably to minimize our loudness. Around ten, we headed upstairs to my room. I flipped on the television, and Jack looked out the window.

“I don’t remember seeing a light on in the house next door,” Jack commented.

I rolled my eyes, “The neighbors just moved in, remember?”

“Oh yeah! Zack!” Jack exclaimed, hopping onto my bed. “So what were you guys talking about earlier?”

“Nothing much, I stopped texting him when we started to play Mario,” I shrugged, pulling off my jeans so I could just sleep in my boxers.

“Alex!” he complained, shaking his head, “That’s no way to get to know someone.”

“I don’t want to be pushy,” I said.

“I’ll be pushy!” Jack said, picking my phone up off my bed. “Zack… aha! Here he is,” he pressed ‘call’ and I lunged at him.

“Don’t do that!” I said, snatching the phone away and ending the call. “You moron.”

Jack pouted, “I’m just trying to help. I know you like him.”

“I never said that,” I said, blushing as I lay down on my bed. Jack rolled his eyes.

“No, but it’s obvious. Just by the way you talked about him earlier,” he said, smirking.

“Shut up and watch TV, Jack,” I muttered. I didn’t want to try and talk to Zack a ton right off the bat; it would definitely make him shy away even more.

“There’s nothing on TV,” Jack grumbled, flipping through the channels.

“Put a movie in,” I suggested.

“HOME ALONE!” He exclaimed, rushing to my TV stand. He pulled out the Home Alone movie case, which he keeps in my room for when he gets bored at my house. Home Alone is his absolute favorite movie, and he’s seen it well over a hundred times. Probably a few hundred times, actually.

“You’re such a dork,” I laughed, watching him put the movie in and dive back onto his bed. He curled up under a blanket, watching the movie intently.

“Shh!” he said, and I chuckled, closing my eyes. I’d seen this movie enough times that I could recite it in my sleep… which I just might end up doing.