Sweet Like Sugar

Our shoulders were about a foot apart now as we continued dragging our feet across the asphalt to get to his house. I was starting to notice very little things about him that I wasn’t sure other people, who weren’t around him very long, did. Like the fact that he talked a lot. I had barely said two sentences after we left the store and he had just kept rambling on about his teammates. He was going down the line explaining to me the good and bad qualities of them and all I did was nod my head and smile. He was lucky he was cute because I didn’t care one bit.

Also, I noticed small gestures he did, like after he shrugged he always ran a hand through his hair. Or when he was thinking about something he bit down on the inside of his cheek. They weren’t huge things but they were little small things that made him who he was and I liked it.

When we finally got to his house, I was just as amazed by it as I was the day before. You’d think I’d be a little use to it by now, but actually I was probably more impressed. Without a flood of reckless drunk teenagers, it looked even more remarkable.

“How…it is possible that this place looks absolutely spotless after what went on last night?” I asked noticing how weird it was after there wasn’t one single thing out of place.

“Celia did most of it but I helped out a little this morning.”

“Celia.”

“Our house keeper.”

You have a maid? Jesus, Finn. Are you rich?”

“She’s a house keeper, not a maid. Don’t ever let her catch you calling her that. She thinks it degrading. Besides, it’s my dad’s money, not mine. So I’m not really the rich one.”

“So….yes?”

“No. I mean…I don’t really like talking about it. I don’t want you to get the wrong impression of me.”

“Wrong impression? What are you talking about?”

“Like I haven’t already given you multiple reason to hate me. I don’t need spoiled rich kid added to the list.”

I gave him a look but his back was turned to me as he walked further into his house.

“You got me. I definitely secretly hate you. I’ve been plotting my revenge since you almost broke my nose. Are you serious? I’m too lazy to pretend to like people.”

He chuckles while walking further into his house and I follow right behind.

“I don’t know why…but I feel like I need to prove to you that I’m a pretty good guy. I have depth, you know. I’m not just some soccer jock.”

“I know…”

“I don’t think you do but…I really want you too. I want everyone to.” He stops at the kitchen and motions for me to give him my small bag of groceries from Buckley’s and then places them in his fridge. “They should be safe in there until you head home.”

“Thanks.”

“We can hang out in my room. You’ve been up here before right?” He jogged toward the stairs and started to climb them, motioning me to keep following.

“I saw it a little yesterday. Mostly just the bathroom where we found you and where I cleaned your vomit off me, though.”

“Don’t remind me. I am so…”

“Sorry. I know. It’s fine, Finn.”

He stopped in the hall and turned back to me. “You know what, can you punch me in the face? I feel like I really deserve it and I’m never going to get over the fact that I was horrible to you until you hit me, so just do it.”

“Uh...I’m good, thanks.” I laughed not exactly sure if he was serious or not.

“C’mon. Just hit me. One good one.”

“Yeah, I’m not going to do that.”

“Why not?”

“Are you crazy?”

“A little, but that’s a different story. I really want you t-”

He’s interrupted by my fist slamming hard into his right shoulder.”

“Ow! Albie! What was that?”

“You told me to hit you.”

“I wasn’t even ready yet.” He scrunched his face while rubbing the spot on his arm I’d just punched and I gave him an innocent grin.

“Well now we’re even. So you can shut up about being a horrible person now. Am I going to draw you or what?” I say going into his room first, sliding my backpack off and sitting down on a chair at his desk.

He’s silent but follows me in. I happen to glance back at him and I notice he’s giving me a weird look and my heart sinks.

“What?” I ask rubbing the back of my neck. I should have never hit him. He probably hates me now. He was probably thinking of the nicest way to ask me to leave.

“Nothing…”He says looking away. “It’s just…you’re different than how I expected you to be.”

Oh no. I was too much like myself. I’d completely put him off. Why do I always do this? My mom always told me my mouth was going to get me into trouble one day.

“Oh…sorry.”

“It’s not a bad thing. I like it when people live up to my expectations…or in your case, surpass them. I was a little worried at first, but, I think we’re going to get along just fine.”

No. No. No. Now was not the time for me to start blushing. It was way too light in his room and there was nothing to hide behind. I felt my cheeks starting to heat up so I pretended to clear my throat and started to dig for my art supplies in my backpack.

He plopped down on his bed and rolled over and when I looked up I could finally see the complete mural painted on the wall that I wasn’t able to see the first time I was here.

It was of the sky. There were clouds of different shapes with rays of sun shining through them. In the top left corner was a hot air balloon with tiny people in them and even a few birds.

He must have saw me looking because he sat up and looked at it with me.

“My mom did that when I was a baby. My dad would work all day and she’d be home alone so she just started painting it one day and voilà. It’s kind of childish but, I don’t know, I like it. It reminds me of her and how amazing she was before she got sick.”

He didn’t have to say it. Suddenly, I remember a few years ago hearing about some poor kid who had lost his mother to cancer in Timbercreek. Nothing was ever really secret here. I remember the rumors. I remember the moment of silence we had at school. I remember when my mom asked if I wanted to go to the funeral with her, but death really wasn’t my things back then. I didn’t know it was Finn, though. I hadn’t put two and two together until this very moment. I couldn’t even begin to imagine. I didn’t even want to.

I try not to notice his clenched fist but I do and I know it must still hurt, so I desperately want to change the subject. I didn’t want to get too deep. I wasn’t ready for sad Finn. I was still getting use to normal Finn.

“From the looks of it, she was an incredible artist.”

“She was.”

“Should we get started then?” I had already had my pencils and my sketchbook out and ready and I tapped on them slightly to let him know.

“Yeah.” He spun around to face me again. “So what should I do?”

“Nothing. Just sit comfortably.”

“Should I pose?”

“If you want.”

“Should I get naked?”

“Uh…”

He leaned back, stretching himself out on the bed and propping his head up with his elbow. “Draw me like one on your French girls, Albie.”

I couldn’t hold in my laugher. “I’m sure your dad would love a nude drawing of you for Father’s Day.”

He sat up yet again and folded his legs in crisscross position. “Alight,fine. No nakedness. Definitely not going to be as fun now though.”

I rolled my eyes and laughed. “Stay as still as possible. I told you, I’ve never actually done this before.” That was sort of the truth, I’d attempted to draw a few people before but no one ever posed for me.

“You’ll do fine.”

I start with light strokes, attaching my pencil to the blank sheet in my sketch book and we sit there, in his room, for hours, drawing and talking and even taking breaks to play videos games, until it was time for me to head home.

By the time I got home I was sure about two things.

1) I was still an idiot

And 2) I had the hugest crush on someone who would never ever in a million years like me back.