Hotel California

"How could you go so long without telling me?”
"I think I wanted to forget that it had ever happened, that’s all"
"Im sorry but your mom is a bitch"
"I know Mikey, that’s why I hate her.”
"I just don’t understand how could she said something like that Alex"
"She just said what she really felt. At least it’s not a lie. "
"And how are you getting along now?”
"Worse than ever. We never even talked to each other. She doesn’t even look me in the eyes… she is such a coward, im sure she feels like she is looking at my fathers eyes. "

It had been a month since the incident with my mom, and things were not looking up at all. For me it was so much better. I didn’t have to hear her rant every morning, or her stupid complaints about not eating enough.
Things had changed a lot. There where only four months left of school, which made me really happy not because of the dance, but the thought of leaving. The project tom and I had worked on turned out pretty great. And even if we didn’t have to work together anymore, tom and I still hung out together pretty often. We were never in my house, because what we least wanted was contact with my mother.

In that moment Mikey was walking me home while I told him what had happened that day with my mom.
"Does Tom know this?"
"no. He is my friend, but he doesn’t need to know this kind of stuff/
"Good point"
"I don’t want to go home." i told him when we reached it.
"Lets go to mine then."
"Thanks mikes. "
We walked until we reached his home, and for both our surprises tom was there waiting for us.
"What are you doing here?" asked Mikey a little mad.
Oh I think I forgot to mention that they didn’t get along.
"I came looking for Alex," answered tom, just as angry.
"What’s going on?” I asked trying to stop the fight I saw coming.
"I wanted to know if you wanted to hang out"
"Wait, you came here just to ask me to go out with you?”
"Yeah something like that"
"I don’t know, besides Mikey and I have plans… sorry"
"Its okay, we can leave it for other day… i mean i know you prefer spending time with him.”
I looked into tom’s eyes and took his arm leading him away from Mikey
"Please don’t tell me you are making a scene"
"Im not! I just want to spend time with you"
"But that’s not the way! You have to understand that Mikey is my friend too. Besides you have tons of other friends. Why don’t you spend time with them? "
"Because they don’t want to spend time with me," he said looking down.
"What are you saying? What happened? "
"It’s just that they kind of notice that i prefer being with you and…"
"They don’t like me"
For some weird, odd… annoying reason i always finished his phrases for him.
"Yeah and i didn’t like that.”
"So you… just ditched them?”
"yes"
"Well that explains all your free time"
"Im sorry if i messed up your time with Mikey"
"No, no it’s okay… but why don’t you stay with us? Im sure we will have a great time"
"I don’t thing he’ll want that, he doesn’t like me.”
"Don’t say that, come on just let me talk to him.”
I left tom and i went over to Mikey who had his arms crossed in a defensive manner.
"Are you done? Is he leaving?
"I wanted to talk to you about that"
"What’s wrong?"
"Can he stay? Just for today"
"I don’t know Alex. I don’t think i can be in his presence for a whole day"
"Of course you can! Just give him a chance"
"All right, just for today.”
"Thanks Mikey you’re the best" I jumped up and kissed his cheek

The three of us entered the house and spent the whole afternoon laughing, well I did… they just stared at each other with obvious hate and discomfort… but we laughed… when its was time to go tom walked me to my house.

"Thanks for letting me stay with you today, to be true i didn’t really want to be at my house… my mom’s getting worse and my stepfather well he is just an annoying bitch"
"I didn’t know things where going worse… want to come in?”
"Yeah sure"
We walked inside and my mom apparently wasn’t home yet, yay! We got inside my room and saw a movie sitting on the floor eating popcorn. The movie wasn’t really that great so we stopped paying attention after a while and started talking.
"What do you want to do alter high school?” i asked him suddenly thinking of the first thing that came to mind.
"Go to college, play football" oh yeah he was the typical jock, forgot to mention that sorry.
"Sounds good."
"You?"
"Mikey and me are leaving after we finish high school, to some art school and i want to study drawing and he Hill study photography"
"So, you’re leaving the city?"
"Yeah as far away as we can."
"i don’t see why you’re leaving, there is a great art school here."
"i know, but i don’t want to be near my mother."
Tom looked down and moments later i took his chin and made him look at me.
"But ill come visit you" I smiled "or maybe you don’t want me in your life anymore."
"Of course i want you in my life… i care about you a lot."

He took one of my hands in his and with the other he took my face and pulled it closer to his… kissing me. It was the first kiss I had ever felt in my life. It felt weird, but good. I didn’t really want to pull back from his, but something told me I should, so with my other hand I pushed his chest and separated from him slowly.
"What’s wrong? You didn’t like it? "
"Its not that, its just that its my first kiss and it felt strange."
"Yeah it happens at the beginning" he smiled and held my hand "I like you so much" tom said softly and kissed me again.

This time I couldn’t say no. something inside me said that I liked him too, but the other…
"i don’t want to ruin our friendship tom" I said pulling back a second time "besides Mikey, I’ve never had a friend before and I don’t want him to be mad at me"
"It doesn’t, and resides why does Mikey have to be in every single conversation we have?"
"Jealous?"
"i don’t know, maybe. Its just that you spend so much time with him… i want to be able to spend as much time with you.
"You shouldn’t be jealous, you both are my friends and i want to keep it that way"
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah"
"Okay, but tell me if you change your mind"

Tom decided it was best if he went home, and I actually though the same. While he was waling away he suddenly stopped and looked back… he ran (yes ran) back to me, took me by the waist and kissed me again. Smiling when he pulled back.
"I Like You"
I didn’t answer him back; i was still a little dizzy. I mean it was obvious… tom had kissed me, not once, not twice… but three times! And he had told me that he had certain feelings for me. Something that had never happened before.

I walked inside, still feeling him in my lips. I went up to my room and went to bed. I was more confused than when I had presented my last math test. I just laid my head down in my pillow and closed my eyes; my mind just kept playing the same words ‘what are you going to do?’ ‘Do I like him?’ ‘How did I pass math?’ and the most important… ‘What the fuck held me back?’

That and other questions where attacking my head. Until I fell asleep letting my dreams take over.