Stripes In The Devil

“Grr… come on and zip you stupid bag!” I was trying my hardest to zip my duffel bag stuffed with my entire closet. Spencer on the other hand sat chuckling on the corner of my bed as I struggled with the zipper. “You know you didn’t have to pack so much” he told me.
“Oh and may I ask what you packed?”
“One pair of jeans, three shirts, one hoodie, four pairs of boxers, and a pair of socks” he stated with a grin. “Are you kidding me?” I said, scowling “We’re going to be gone for over a month.”

We were getting ready to leave for College Park, Maryland. “Doll, nobody will care what I’m wearing if they listen to the record” he sighed. “But Spence, I gotta see you for the next month. Do my eyes a favor please” I whined. He showed me a devilish smile and said seductively “Only if you do my lips a quick favor.” I sighed thoughtfully as if to say ‘is it really worth it’. As soon as I began to crawl across the bed toward Spencer, Brendon sprang up from a chair in the corner of my room. “O my God guys! Eww I’m still in the room! I’m just gonna- just let me- getting out!” he stuttered stumbling over a pair of shoes and out my bedroom door.

We sat there on my bed laughing at the ruined moment. “Spencer” I said lacing my fingers with his “do you know what I like so much about you?” “Could it be my dashing good looks?” he replied swiftly. “I’m being serious baby” I said waiting for him to give me the nod to go on. “I like the way you get excited over the littlest things. You’re a real person, not just someone who looks like they got caught in a tornado of Hot Topic clothes. You make me feel smart and beautiful in ways that I’m not. And most of all… you’re perfect.” Spencer cupped my face in his hands and kissed me on the nose. “Sweetie you make my life exciting. You are giving me the confidence to become my own person. You are beautiful and intelligent in every way, and other girls pale in your wake. Most of all, you and me baby… we’re perfect. I’m just so glad that you chose me.”

Brent walked in and tapped Spencer on the shoulder. “Buddy sorry to break up you little sappy moment, but we need to leave” he said uncomfortably. “Oh right,” Spencer replied “you have to get home”. “How come Ryan didn’t come over?” I asked as I walked the guys out to the car. “Ryan went over to Tara’s to talk to her about the next month. You know I really think he’s nervous about leaving her for that long.” Brendon had an uneasy look on his face telling me this. “Maybe we should just trust her” I said. As easy as it was to say we all knew that she didn’t have our trust.
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‘Your smile reminds me of switchblades and infidelity’. “Hello” I answered still humming my ringer. “Cookie will you come over and help me pack?” Brendon asked over the phone. “Ugh fine, when do you want me to come over?” “Whenever, you can come over now if you want.” “Alright” I said “I’ll be there in like twenty minutes.”

When I pulled into Brendon’s driveway I was just a little nervous. I had never been in his house before and according to Ryan, his parents were really weird. I rang the doorbell at Brendon’s house and heard feet rushing towards the door. “Hey Rae. Don’t talk to them and they won’t bother you” Brendon whispered pointing towards his parents sitting at a table behind him. I followed him down a flight of stairs into his room. “B why haven’t you packed yet?” I asked. “Well if I packed before, then my parents would have know I was leaving” he mumbled. “Wait, you haven’t talked to them about it yet?”

He sighed and sat on his bed. “Well my parents are really religious. Umm they’re Mormon… so yeah.” I sat too and put my arm around his waist. “So when are you actually going to tell them? I mean you have to tell them before you leave.” “I think I’m going to tell them tonight.” “So how do you think they are going to react?” Brendon laid his head on my shoulder. “I don’t know” he replied “they could kick me out.” I felt a moist spot growing on my shoulder. “Aw Bren don’t cry” I exclaimed. “If they aren’t willing to accept the person you want to be then they don’t deserve you!”

We had our sentimental moment and then I helped Brendon pack his things. I seriously didn’t understand how the guys could pack so few clothes. Even though he packed more than Spencer, it was only enough to last me a week. Right when we finished packing his things, there was a knock on the little basement window of Brendon’s room. The light from the lamp reflected off Ryan’s shiny face through the glass. He pointed a long thing finger around towards the front of the house signaling for us to open the front door for him.

We got up and ran up the stairs to go let Ryan in. when we opened the door, Ryan buried his face in Brendon’s shoulder. “Buddy what’s wrong?” Brendon said patting his friend’s shoulder. “She-she-she” Ryan gasped between sobs. “Let’s bring him down stairs so we can talk to him” Brendon commanded me. We sat on Brendon’s bed. “Now Ryan tell me what happened” I said wrapping my arms around his neck.

Ryan calmed his breathing a bit and began his story with a sigh. “I w-went to Tara’s to talk to her and everything was going fine. B-but..” “But what?” Brendon asked. “I left at about eight and around nine I realized that I left my phone at her house. Her parents are out of town so I just let myself in and… and… God! They were doing stuff… ugh. I walked into her room and saw something I never want to see again. I never want to see her again” he said again and sobs overtook his body again. “Oh honey calm down” I cooed rubbing his shaking shoulders. Brendon turned to me and gave me the ‘we need to talk alone’ look so I patted Ryan’s shoulder and said “Ryan I’m going to let you talk this one out with Brendon.”

I got in my car and decided to drive around for awhile. It was only 11:30 pm so I had a lot of hours of nigh to blow. I found myself about five miles from Spencer’s house. When I got to his street I parked in a parking spot and walked the rest of the way there. I knew where the spare key to his house was hidden from all the times he had forgotten his. I unlocked the back door and silently walked upstairs to his room. He was sleeping peacefully in his little twin sized bed.

I took off my shoes and slid under the sheet next to him, jeans and all. He stirred for a second then he wrapped his arm around my stomach and lay peacefully again. The sheet hung just below his bare chest where I traced my fingers across his skin. “Night baby” I whispered.