Homophobe

“Serious question, Ash, and you’ve got to be completely honest with me.”

I blinked; allowing my eyes to lift from the intense game of Tetris on my phone to the figure sprawled out across the bed. Chase’s head hung over the side of the covers, upside down brown eyes stationed on me as he continued to toss the tennis ball in the air over and over again. For a moment I paused, allowing for his words to sink in.

Considering the circumstances, that could be taken in a lot of different ways.

“Continue,” I murmured, forcing nonchalance as I returned to my game, only to screw up a near perfect set up.

“Promise, cross your heart and all that bullshit, you cannot even try to fuck with me honesty.”

Our eyes met once again, kindling the panic within me.

“Chase, seriously, get on with it,” I sighed, anxiety crawling through my veins at the feeling of his intense gaze on me.

He wouldn’t just bring that up, which I had started to refer to it as in my mind. That had happened almost a week since then, and he hadn’t even hinted at it, why would he bring it up? I wondered if maybe he’d been mulling it over as much as I had. And it wasn’t like I was bringing it up, either.

Then again, he was the one that attacked me. There was some responsibility that came with that. He was the flaming homophobic and I was the flaming homosexual, and also probably a lot stronger than me, like hell was I going to bring it up.

Mason too, other than the remark about my obvious hickey, which I’d made note of to cover up the best I could since then, was absolutely silent about it. Other than the purple bruise on my neck which had faded, sometimes I wondered if it wasn’t just a really vivid imagination of mine.

And then I fucked up again in my game of Tetris.

“Okay, okay, are you ready for this?”

I sent him a deadpan stare, grabbing at a discarded shirt beside me and chucking it in his direction. “I will cut off your dick if you don’t get the fuck on with it.” My expression was as absolutely serious as his. I was really starting to panic now. Things happened when I let my imagination run wild, I was like a paranoid little sheep. If sheep were paranoid. I didn’t know. I just knew that him dragging this out made me want to either punch him in the face or myself.

He broke out in a grin, dimples carving into his cheeks. “Okay, okay, calm down there Rambo. But actually, serious.” As if to emphasize on his words, he stopped tossing the ball in his hands, once again the sombre expression consuming his face. I swallowed. “If you had to choose would you choose Megan Fox with a unibrow and a third boob or Scarlett Johansson with no lips and four nipples?”

I casted him a blank look. “Are you kidding me?”

A broad grin spread across his face, remaining upside down, illuminated by the sunlight spilling in through the window. “What?” he asked, a chuckle punctuating the word. “It’s a very serious question! In fact, if you don’t answer right, I don’t think we can be friends anymore!”

Groping the spaces around me, I was disappointed to find nothing I could chuck in his general direction. “Fuck you, I totally thought that you were going to ask something important,” I grumbled, eyes downcast, but in the pit of my stomach relief washed over my senses.

I was just being way over-sensitive and way over-paranoid. They threw people in the loony bin over this sort of thing.

Chase was basically a hazard to society.

“Hey! Do not doubt the seriousness of this question! Does our friendship really mean that little to you, man?” the accusatory tone of his voice was betrayed by the grin devouring his face, and I couldn’t deny the mischievous glint that appeared in his eye. “Why, what did you think I was going to ask?”

“Megan Fox,” I deftly avoided the question, refusing to look him in the eye. I wasn’t going to play that game.

Sometimes I wished I’d fallen for some random football player or that really quiet guy that sat in the back of my second period class, because I’d never have to deal with this. I’d never have to feel his undivided attention, stationed on me, or the way that smile would break out on his face when I’d reply sarcastically to something he said. I wouldn’t have to deal with him constantly throwing his arm over my shoulder or punching me in the arm or his skin brushing against mine. I wouldn’t have to deal with the constant flaming of my cheeks and churning of my stomach, because those random people wouldn’t even notice me. And he noticed me all the time.

But then again, I think that’s the reason why I didn’t like them, because I think those were all the things that got me hooked on Chase in the first place.

Of course, just my luck.

He resumed with the tossing of his ball, relieving me from his gaze. “Congratulations, you can still be my friend.”

I scoffed with a smirk curving on my face. “Oh wow, I feel so honoured.”

And there went that smile, again.

“Hey, so, you’re still talking to that blond cocksucker, am I right?” he seemingly pulled from out of no where, completely taking me off guard with the lack of concern in his voice. It definitely wasn’t anything like the intense accusations of the other night, if anything.

“Funny thing, he has a name, and it’s Mason.”

“Funny thing, I don’t give a shit.”

“Funny thing, then I’m not going to say anything else about him.”

Chase’s jaw clenched as silence filled the air, our eyes meeting in an concentrated stare, waiting for the other to break.

“Fine, fine,” he relented, tossing the ball in the air once again. “Mason,” he repeated with obvious distaste, “how is the douche?”

I rolled my eyes, finally tossing my phone beside me and giving up on the game. I knew that was the best I was going to get out of Chase, and figured that a name was at least a little progress if anything. Despite everything I let him get away with, I tried to draw the line somewhere and was stubborn as shit when it came to it.

“Fine, I guess,” I said with a shrug. “Why do you even care about him if you think he’s a douche?”

I cocked an eyebrow at him, genuinely curious. Chase usually held little interest in people that weren’t close friends, especially not anyone he hated. And he refused to look me in the eyes, too.

“No reason, just, you know, since you hang out with the douche so often I figured I’d be the bigger person and ask. What do you guys even do? Do you talk about me?”

I picked on the slight catch in his throat following his question, watching as his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down when he swallowed. I was so entranced for a moment, I forgot his question entirely, only being shoved back into reality when he cleared his voice.

“I mean, well, not really,” I admitted, not exactly sure if that was the right answer. “I mean, sometimes he asks about you, but not really, I guess.” In my mind the time when Mason had told me the kissing story replayed, which I had refused to bring up to Chase to avoid any awkwardness that even hinted at anything less than heterosexual, but other than that our conversations were pretty Chase-free.

He tossed the ball to the floor at the edge of the bed and flipped onto his stomach, eyes intent on me. “Really? ‘Cause River says that whenever he talks to you, you always bring me up.” He grinned cheekily at me, to which I could feel the blush crawling up my neck.

“Like fuck I do!” I denied furiously. “You think you’re the most interesting thing in my life?”

I could feel my cheeks flame as I forced out a disbelieving scoff, refusing to look him in the eye.

"Basically.”

I flipped him the finger, feverishly trying to calm the redness on my face.

Chase laughed, and I knew he was just fucking around with me like he always did, as he rolled over onto his back. “That’s why Alicia broke up with me, because she said I always ditched her for you, you know.”

I evoked the image of sandy blonde hair and emerald green eyes, fingernails always painted a new colour constantly clutching onto Chase’s arm. She was funny, I remembered, absolutely hilarious but I also remembered her being stage four clingy. I liked her, mostly, just not whenever I’d walk in on them slobbering all over each other. I never really got on with most of Chase’s girlfriends, personalities aside, jealousy wasn’t exactly my best look.

He was looking at me, again. I reminded myself to breathe.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

I swallowed. He wasn’t smiling anymore.

“I guess I am a pretty great person to hang out with, I can’t really blame you,” I said, toying with the edge of my navy blue sweater. It wasn’t actually mine, but Chase’s, because we always managed to switch about every article of clothing we had some time or another.

“All I’m saying is you better ditch the douche Mason for me sometimes. I’m way cooler than him, so I think it’s pretty obvious.” He finally sat up, throwing his legs over his bed and stretching his arms with a yawn. My eyes immediately darted to the sliver of skin that was revealed just above his boxers.

Only a second later and I averted my eyes just as quickly, scolding myself.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, when have I ever even ditched you in the first place?”

He grinned at me broadly, looking more like a little kid than anything. “Never,” he answered with something like pride in his voice. As he lifted to his feet, I felt the vibration of my phone next to me, noting Mason’s name light up the screen, surprised to find it a call.

Chase’s eyes also drifted to my phone, his interest piqued. “Who is it?”

“Mason,” I murmured, confusion written across my face as I picked up the phone. Despite the low tone of my voice, I could tell that Chase had heard because there was a disturbingly blank expression on his features as I placed the phone to my ear and clicked the button.

“Uh, hey Mason?”

“Ash! I’m stealing you tomorrow, okay? And when I say okay, don’t get confused, you have no choice in the matter. I will be kidnapping you. So this isn’t really a question, it’s more like a warning. You are officially warned.”

I blinked. “Um, okay... Can I ask where I’m being kidnapped?”

Chase’s eyes grew suspicious at my words.

A laugh rang on the other side of the line. “Nope! In fact, all questions onward shall be deflected, and don’t ask Layla either because this is super top-secret, no one knows. Just be prepared tomorrow! Okay! So what are you going to do tomorrow?”

“Be prepared to be kidnapped?”

“Exactly.”

Chase mouthed something to me but I lifted a finger to signify it would only be a moment. He slumped and crossed his arms, clearly unhappy that he had to wait with his patience growing thin, and a pout formed on his mouth. I almost wanted to laugh at his childish antics, but instead I only smiled.

“Okay, okay, I guess I give you permission to kidnap me?”

Another laugh echoed through my ears. “Like I need permission, please, you humour me. Anyways, dressed or not I’m dragging you out of bed at eleven o’clock tomorrow, got it? Bye!” A click and the line went dead.

“Well?” Chase finally pressed, eyebrows knitted together in a troubled expression.

“Mason is kidnapping me tomorrow,” I said, the words feeling a bit odd in my mouth, as I shrugged.

The pout never left his lips. As my eyes drifted towards them, I faintly remembered how they felt pressed against mine, but quickly dispellled that thought with a shake of my head. I knew that he’d strangle me if I ever said it, but sometimes there was an unmistakable cute quality whenever Chase didn't get his way.

“Phone,” he demanded, no room for argument in his voice as reached out a hand.

“Um, okay,” I obliged, throwing it in his direction, feeling a little bit wary about it. I seriously doubted he only wanted to check the time.

I watched carefully as he scrolled through it, finally finding what he was looking for and pressing a couple of buttons before bringing it up to his ear. I knew what he was doing, calling Mason obviously, but my stomach clenched as I anticipated his words.

“Mason?” his voice echoed through the room. “It’s Chase, you obviously know which one. I’m just calling to let you know that it doesn’t matter what fucking little ‘surprise’ you have for Ash, he does and always will like me better. That’s all. Have a nice life, now,” he ended with the obvious sarcasm dripping from his words, killing the call and tossing it back at me afterward.

“And that was necessary how?” I deadpanned.

He grinned at me cheekily, spreading across his entire face. “Because I can.”

I shook my head at him, but I couldn't repress the smile that broke out across my face. Chase got up and crossed the room towards the door, ruffling my hair before he vanished through into the hallway, obviously very pleased with himself.

No, despite everything, there was always a reason I fell for Chase and not anyone else.