The Good Life

I weighted my options:

I had absolutely no friends here except for Joe, his brothers, his family, and their friends; I need to broaden my horizons.

This boy is amazingly gorgeous and if seen by any of the people mentioned in number 1 with me, I’ll be dead meat.

Ah, screw it.

“Let’s go.” I smiled.

We walked down the street, “There’s this really cool little place down here I like to come to.” We stopped at the café Joe and I always went to and it instantly made me miss him. The smile washed off my face, “Are you okay? He asked. “Oh, yeah. I’m good.” He laid his hand on the small of my back pushing me forward towards the hostess stand. We got a table outside and started to talk.

“So, Hutch, what are you doing at the studio?”

“Well, actually, I’ve come there every day for the past month, you just looked like you needed someone to talk to today so, there I was.”

I blushed and looked away, and found myself getting giddy. Why was I acting like this? “So, what do you do there?”

“Well. My uncle’s the producer, he got me a job, yada yada.” He laughed exposing his perfect grin and teeth and swung his light hair out of his eyes. “So, do you sing?” I asked. “Yeah, I’m working on it. I have all the songs written and most of them recorded.” Our food came and we began to eat.

“First album?” I asked between bites. “Yeah, I was singing at a mic night in Chicago and there was a scout there and word got around and here I am.” I laughed “True Cinderella story, eh?”

“I guess you could say that.” We ate our lunch and Hutch insisted on paying for me. Great, I had just went on a date, behind my boyfriend’s back, who just happens to be the most amazingly perfect boy ever. I am wonderful. I thought to myself.

“So Kayden, what’s your story?” he asked. “Well,” I started. I told him my whole story, I don’t know if it was desperation for a friend or his eyes, but something drug me in and I just wanted to spill my heart to him. We had made it back to the studio and I was sitting at my desk and he was leaned over staring into my eyes listening to everything I had to say.

There’s one thing I didn’t tell him about, Joe. I don’t know what came over me but I just couldn’t bring myself to tell him about him. I was about to ask about his life story when Mrs. Turner strutted in from the hall. “Mr. Luxington, we have some things to do.” I thought I saw her give me a slight glare but I wasn’t sure. I shook it off and looked down at my computer. “Kayden!” I looked up and met Hutch’s eyes from across the room, “Finish the conversation tonight, my place?” he asked. “Sure!” I said a little to excitedly. He nodded and turned to walk away, but ran back to my desk and picked up a sticky note. “Here’s my number, call on your way over and I’ll tell you where it is.” I nodded as he walked away and I was entering his number when I got an incoming call: Joe.

I instantly felt guilty but decided I wasn’t going to tell him anything.

“Hello?”

“Hey babe, what’s up?”

“Nothing really, just working, what are you doing?”

“Sorry I didn’t call earlier, we just got out of an interview.”

“Awesome, so how are all of the shows going?”

“Amazing, just all the support and screaming fans, I love it.”

“I know you do. I still miss you though, that doesn’t ever go away.”

“Tell me about it, people think I’m in a depression or something, it’s funny, I just laugh, but I just start thinking of you and I get this look and I guess it looks sad, I don’t know.”

I was laughing at this point, I had no idea what he was talking about, but he made me laugh.

He soon joined in my laughter. “Wow, do I love you.”

“Thanks, I get that all the time.”

“Ok Joe, that’s enough, tell your ego its time to go in time out.”

“Yeah yeah, look they keep calling my name, I’ll call you later.”

“Okay, bye Joe, love you.”

“Bye Kay, love you tooooooo.

Click.

I went home around five thirty and changed into a white v-neck fitted t shirt and a pair of black skinny jeans. I called Hutch around 8 after I ate and cleaned up a bit to find out where he lived. He gave me the address and I punched it into the GPS system and was on my way.

I pulled into Joe’s neighborhood, how ironic. He lived a few streets over in a house similar to Joe’s but a bit smaller. I got out and rang the doorbell and Not Hutch answered the door. There stood yet another gorgeous boy, with dark hair and dark green eyes, and wearing a towel. Yum. No, not yum, bad Kayden.

“Ugh, I think I have um, the wrong house.”

He laughed, “Looking for Hutch or Kodi or possibly Mack? Because I definitely know I didn’t invite you here, umm?” he asked scratching the back of his wet hair.

“Kayden.” I held out my hand.

“Kayden.” He repeated. “I’m Rilo.”

“Rilo. I like that.”

“RILO! What are you doing dude? Put on some clothes.” I heard someone yell from behind him.

Once again, not Hutch. “Hi, I’m Kodi.” He grinned extending his tanned hand, “I’m Kayden.” He brushed his long shag hair out of his seep drown eyes and smiled at me.

“Well Kayden, what brings you here?” he asked

“Um, Hutch invited me over so…yeah.”

“Got it, HUTCH!” Kodi yelled.

I heard a few loud thumps coming down the stairs. Enter Hutch, finally. “Hi Hutch.” I smiled up at him.

“Hey, Kay.” He looked at the boys, “Sorry, I guess I should have mentioned that I had roommates.”

“Or that you were having girls over…dude.” Rilo said and punched him as he said ‘dude’. I laughed at them, they were hilarious, I liked this idea, new friends, broaden my horizons, yeah.

“So can I come inside or are you just going to make me stand out here all night?”

They all scurried out of the doorway and made room for me to squeeze in.

“Thank you boys, so, what’s going on?” I asked.

“Well,” Hutch said. “You and I have a conversation to finish, and then we can go from there.”

“Sounds like a plan.” I smiled. We walked into the den and sat on the couch and he told me his life story, how he made it here and met Rilo first and then found Kodi and Mack. They all were living separate and when Hutch got signed they bought the house.

“Everything fell into place from there, Rilo got signed at an up and coming modeling agency, a few months later Kodi started playing drums for a local band and Mack, well Mack just kind of lives here.” He finished.

“Wow, that’s amazing, so how old are all of you?” I asked. I mean I figured that was beneficial information on my part.

“Well I’m 21, Rilo’s 22, and Kodi and Mack are 20.” I nodded. “Good to know, and I’m the baby, always, I’m 19.” I told him. He laughed,

“Well speaking of, let’s go see what those dipshits are up to.” He got off the couch and padded down the hallway.

I heard a girl’s voice, “Rilo! what the hell is your problem you jackass? I told you if you popped me with that towel one more time…” Then I heard a lot of crashing noises. I looked at Hutch questioningly, “This always happens.” He assured me. We walked into the kitchen to see a girl with long dark hair on Rilo’s back with the towel wrapped around his neck, choking him.

“Mack, get off him. We have a guest.” The girl jumped down and turned to me. “Ah, finally some estrogen. Hey, I’m Mack, twin sister to that one.” She said nodding her head towards the door as Kodi walked in. “Hey, I’m Kayden. I work with that one.” I said nodding towards Hutch.

“Sweeeeet.” She stretched out. I nodded, we were going to be great friends, I could tell, she had my personality, thank God, I need a girl friend. Boys are starting to drain me.

“So what’s going on tonight?” Kodi asked. Rilo piped up, “Let’s stay in and play Guess Who.” He said jumping off the floor and heading for the cabinets.

“Guess Who?” I wondered aloud. Mack turned to me, “Oh yeah, you see we get these pictures of celebrities, you stick one to your forehead and ask everyone yes or no questions, if your question is a no, you have to take a shot if it’s a yes, it goes to the next person.”

I looked over to see Rilo pulling out two bottles of Patron and some shot glasses.

They all started to settle around the kitchen table. I just stood there. “If you don’t want to play, you don’t have to.” Hutch whispered into my ear.

“No, it’s okay, I’ll play a round or two.” I had never drank before, I didn’t say yes because I wanted to ‘fit in’ with them. I just wanted to have fun, when I was with them, I wasn’t thinking about Joe as much, I was having fun. I went and sat at the table.

Rilo poured all of us a shot and we all picked up a picture that sat facedown on the table and stuck it to our heads. “Alright Kay, you first, fresh meat.”

“Okay, is it a boy?”

“NOOOO!” they all yelled.

“Drink it up babyyyy!” Kodi yelled.

“Whatever.” I downed it and forced the liquid down my throat, it burned and I slammed the glass on the table, “YEAHH!” Rilo yelled.

The round ended and I was plastered, and I only had to drink five times. Great.

Hutch carried me to the couch and moved the hair away from my face, “Are you alright Kayden?” he asked running his fingers across my forehead and down my cheek. I grabbed his hand, “Um, Hutch?” I gulped. “Now would probably be the best time to tell you that I have a boyfriend, who I am madly, deeply, head over hills in love with.” I bit my lip and waited for his reaction.

But he laughed. LAUGHED! I thought I was leading him on, I was scared he’d be mad. I looked at him with my mouth dropped, “Wha-what? I thought you liked me?” He grabbed my hand. “Kayden, I do like you. Just not like that. I know you’re dating Joe, I told you, I’ve been at the studio, remember?” I nodded, still confused, “Ah yeah, that explains it.” I looked at him expectedly. “I’m gay Kayden.” I scrunched my eyebrows together, “Gay?” He nodded. “Yeah, as in I like boys.” I laughed and hit his shoulder, “I know what gay is Hutch!”

“Yeah well, I just saw you today and I knew Joe left and you just looked so down, I thought you could use the extra friends.”

Wow, I thought, the gay best friend I’ve always wanted and a girl friend all in one day.

He walked into the kitchen for a few moments and came back out with…everyone. I felt weak since I was on the verge of passing out after one round and looked at the floor.

“I’m a pansy.” I said laughing dropping my head into my hands, “I’m never doing that again, ever.” I said feeling the oncoming of a major headache. “No prob, little one, we’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again, mmkay?” Rilo said plopping down next to me and rubbing my head. I looked at him with my disheveled hair, “Oh Rilo my dear.” I said placing a hand on his shoulder, “You’re SO going to pay for that.” I said with a mischievous grin on my face and running and grabbing a water gun off the floor, he took off down the hall and into the backyard, I chased after him but he was already in the pool.

Everyone else appeared on the patio watching us, “Ah, to hell with it.” I said and ran and jumped in, splashing water all over Rilo. Soon all of us were in and having a blast.

Later, I climbed into my car at 3AM, after we got out the pool and watched a movie, assuring I had sobered up, and made them all promise to never let me drink again and headed home.

Little did I know, with all of my distractions, my phone had been sitting at the bottom of my purse all night ringing away, repeatedly sending the only one that mattered to voicemail.