I wouldn’t have gone anyway. I was with Sky, and I wanted him to myself. We’d grabbed dinner at the pier and walked along the boardwalk. And even though neither of us would have called it one, it felt like a “date.” The non-touchy kind. I didn’t have a ton of dating experience, but girls seemed to like it when you tried to hold their hand or steal a kiss in public. Knowing I couldn’t do those things with Sky was frustrating. However, it also made every accidental touch feel like foreplay. Seriously. He put a hand on my elbow to steer me out of the way of a fast-moving skateboarder, and my dick perked up and my heartbeat went into overdrive.
So no, I wasn’t sorry I missed a stupid party. But I realized I had to pay more attention to my friends. Especially Elliot.
My mind was whirling with a to-do list after my morning workout. I had just enough time for a shower and a super quick breakfast before class. I yanked my sweatshirt over my head and moved toward the hallway, then stopped in my tracks and did a double take when I spotted Elliot lying on the sofa with a blanket over his legs. His unruly hair was messier than usual, and his eyes looked puffy.
“Dude, what’s up with you? Are you sick?”
He shook his head, but he didn’t look at me. “No.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
Monosyllabic answers weren’t Elliot’s style. The guy could talk. And he wasn’t one to lie around on a Monday morning without a good reason.
“You’ve got five seconds to spill the beans. I’m rank. I need a shower and food and I need to get to—”
“Drew broke up with me.”
Oh.
That stopped me. It felt like a punch in the gut, which was weird since I’d never met the guy. I sat on the coffee table and narrowed my eyes.
“What happened?”
He stared at something over my shoulder before letting out a sad sigh. “Nothing, really. I think I’m too young for him. Too immature, too inexperienced, too loud, too silly. Take your pick. I’m just not what he’s looking for.”
I furrowed my brow angrily. “Then he sucks. Screw him. You can do better.”
Elliot quirked his lips in a reluctant smile. “Thanks. I kinda thought you’d be happy I got dumped.”
“Why would you think that?”
“C’mon Colby, you’ve been avoiding me like the plague for the past few months. You didn’t want to meet Drew, and you’re conveniently never around whenever I’m home. I get it. You’re uncomfortable.”
“What? No. I’m not. I’m—” I swallowed the words before they threatened to spill. I’m bi too. I’m head over fucking heels for a guy, and I’m quietly going crazy because I can’t tell anyone. I told myself this wasn’t the time for a confession and that Elliot didn’t want to hear about my drama while he was dealing with his own. Of course, I was just scared. Really scared.
“It’s okay. Don’t beat yourself up. Give me a few days to wallow in self-pity. Then we can hit the bars and go back to normal. And you can introduce me to your girlfriend.”
“Huh? Oh. Right. Yeah…” I stood abruptly, knocking his foot off the edge of the sofa to lighten the mood when a cloud of doubt and doom threatened to suffocate me. “I gotta get to class.”
“Later. I’ll be here all day if you’re looking for me.”
I headed down the hall, wiping my sweaty palms on my T-shirt. I set my hand on the knob and turned back to the living area.
“Hey, El…don’t believe him. You’re not too much or too little of anything. He’s just not the person for you. You’ll meet the right guy. Or girl.”
Elliot smiled, then sat up and opened his arms. “Thanks, Colb. Wanna give me a hug?”
I rolled my eyes and flipped him off before hurrying to get ready. I could beat myself up for being a coward, an asshole, and a rotten friend later.
I called my mom after class later that afternoon. If I was a bad friend, chances were good that I was failing in the son department too. And I had a few questions for her.
“Hi, honey. How are you?”
“Fine. How come you didn’t tell me Harry asked Sky to house-sit for you this weekend?” I blurted.
She didn’t say anything right away. I hated the hint of silence. It reminded me of darker days when she was constantly on edge around me. Before I could find a smoother way to re-ask the question, she replied.
“Well, I called you yesterday. If you’d returned the call, it might have come up then. Is there a problem? I thought you and Sky had become good friends.”
I hiked my foot on the cement bench outside the school auditorium and studied the scuff marks on my Converse. “Who told you that?”