Chapter Nine:
Thank GOD! I finally finished studying for my US History final and I could have some time to just relax. Good lord, the review sheet we got was damn near 6 pages long and we were practically ordered to read and study every thing on it. It's way too much, I swear to God. I flipped my pencil on to the desk and leaned back in my chair. It was about 6pm but it felt like 11pm.
I rubbed my eyes and took a deep breath as I got out of my chair and plopped down on my bed. It was quite warm that night so I'd decided to sit around in my boxer shorts and give my Van Halen poster a thrill. After a few minutes, I rolled over onto my stomach and stared at the telephone...wondering.
"JOSH! Please!" My mom screeched as I walked into the kitchen. Damn, what was her problem? I was wearing boxer shorts.
"Chill out, mom. I'm wearing underwear."
"Why do you insist on being so lude?"
"Because I ran out of crack. The good kind, I mean." Heh, that'll shut her up.
"Oh Josh. It's so unfortunate that you act this way." She sighed and walked off as if she had just changed my life. I laughed and opened the fridge and pulled out an orange. As I sat there peeling and eating, my mind began to wander. Questions began to pop up.
What if Chris and I really do get together? What if we fall in love? What if he gets kicked out of his house? What I get kicked out of my house? What if we get outed?
All these questions kept running through my head. My thoughts were interrupted by the phone in my room ringing. The muffled noise startled me and I only thought for a second before taking off up the stairs. There was no way in hell I was going to miss this call.
I stumbled a few times and whacked my shin on the top step, causing me to yelp in pain but that didn't stop me. Carrying my bum leg, I hobbled into my room and grabbed the phone on the fourth ring.
I composed myself, "Hello?"
"Hi! Is uhhh... Josh there?" His voice was so sexy.
"This is Josh. Who may I ask is calling?" Oh GOD! How dorky. I grimaced and bit my lower lip.
"Hi Josh. This is Chris. Or have you forgotten me already?" The overdramatic weepiness in his voice was so cute.
"Nah. The phone just startled me."
"I could see how that might happen. Especially since phones are so frightening. I mean, when they ring that first time... whoo baby, watch out."
"Har har. You're so funny," I was trying not to break up laughing, "Did you want something or did you just call because you missed me?" Oh yeah, he missed me all right.
"Oh yes. Without you, the sun doesn't shine. Flowers don't grow. And that guy from Saturday Night Live isn't as annoying." He was SO cute! Have I mentioned that?
"What guy? You mean the guy who did the thing?"
"Yeah. The guy who did the thing in that place that one time. I mean the dude who played the monkey guy. The midget."
"Who are you talking about? Does this guy exist outside of your imagination?" This was too funny.
"No, man. I mean the guy! The GUY! The night club guy. But not the tall one. The short gross one."
"Oh yeah, him. Anyways, why didn't you call earlier? I could have been in bed, you know." Careful. Don't want to drive him away.
"How old are you? 90? Jeez, for your information, I got home from basketball practice a few hours ago and I took a shower. I'd been in there for a few minutes before I rememebered your number. It was all blury and I called about five different numbers before you answered. That's why I kinda hesitated when you first answered." He took a deep breath, and I figured it was my turn to speak. It was so cute the way he could talk in long gusts like that.
This was going to be an interesting conversation...
It was quite possibly the greatest telephone conversation of my life. For three beautiful hours I had the pleasure of talking to Chris on the phone about nothing and everything. It just got better and better as we sat there and talked about movies, music, TV, school, sports, and just about anything else. It was much easier to talk to him when I couldn't lose myself in those gorgeous green eyes of his.
The call worked nicely as it filled in a lot of the blanks that I'd never known about Chris. I found out that when he was 8, he and his dad were homeless and had to live in a car for three months. His older brother stayed with friends while Chris and his dad acutally lived in their car. That explained the scar he had on the back of his knee, it came from scratching it on the car seat. I remembered that for a while in 2nd grade, Chris always bought his lunch and sometimes wore the same outfit two days in a row, but I didn't think that it was because... oh wow. But I never remembered him talking about it. He never ACTED like he was homeless. The thought of a beauty like him not having a house was just too... inappropriate.
As we kept talking, he also told me about a trip he and his father took over Christmas break when they went to Aruba. He got so animated when he talked about seeing the fish and scuba diving and sleeping in hammocks.
He was such an animated speaker. I could actually see what he was talking about. It didn't matter. Wether it was his basketball games, or his pet rabbit, or the little bugs and animals he drew on his hands sometimes that I always got the urge to kiss and suckle on whenever I saw them. But I didn't think that much of them. I also could hear him rubbing or scratching something occasionally, but it's only natural for guys to scratch.
I fell back on my bed and looked up the ceiling and sighed. I didn't want to say those three words but they kept running through my head. Am I? Am I... is this what it feels like?
Am I in love?
Chapter Ten:
"If I leave here tommorow... will you still remember me?"
I woke up to the radio and soon shut it off and rubbed my eyes. I felt a pang of anxiety as not only was it the first day of finals, but the next to the last day of school. I didn't know wether to cry or laugh or be happy or be nervous or whatever. Then add that to the whole thing with Chris and I was a mess... well, not really. Just thinking of him made me smile and I felt my morning stiffness flex in my boxer shorts. I took a deep breath and rolled out of bed and stretched my arms above my head.
Glancing in the mirror, I admired my body. I had to admit that I wasn't turning out too bad. Nice clear complexion. Slim, smooth, pretty well toned body. Good hair, the color of milk chocolate. Maybe I'll put it in braids it gets long enough. Hell, If I can't get Chris, maybe somewhere down the road I could get a nice girl who I could stand to spend my life with. I took a deep breath and decided to skip my shower that morning and pulled on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and socks. Not quite awake, I sat on the bed and tied my shoes. and ran my fingers through my hair. I grabbed my backpack and stumbled downstairs and grabbed a Pepsi from the fridge and pratically inhaled it.
"JOSH! Good God..." My dad didn't understand my drinking habits. How could he? He was one of the fuzz. "Use a glass, huh?"
"Yeah whatever." I mumbled and tossed the empty can in the recycling bin and wiped my mouth on my shirt. Grabbing my car keys, I strolled out to my car and started the long journey to school.
"Your time is UP. Pass your papers forward." DAMN RIGHT! I nailed my German II final, the material was right in my brain. Goddamn, I'm good. The teacher collected our test papers and stacked them on his desk right as the bell rung. I practially ran out of the classroom and did cartwheels right there in the hallway.
"Hey Josh!" That heavenly voice called out to me and Chris soon came up next to me. "How's it goin', man? Did you take your final?" He smiled at me... I won't go into it all over again.
"I aced it, baby. That's one of five."
"That's so cool. I'll bet the teacher isn't surprised. Do you have any other tests to take today?"
"Yeah," I groaned, "I have to take a test in Algebra. I'm hoping to pass it, at least."
"I hear that. At least tommorow, we get the end the school year in film appreciation. Just sit around and watch Terminator 2."
"Ummm...yeah. It'll be cool. I have to go write my English essay. We'll talk later?"
"Oh. Yeah! I'll call you. We can celebrate the end of the year on Wednesday maybe. See ya, Josh." He laughed and took off down another hallway. I felt my heart flutter as I went into my English class and I thought to myself. I know he's hinting, but I can't it happen yet. Just a little more self control, Josh. That's all.
To Be Continued...