Chapter Two:
Munch's POV
Tuck opened the door immediately after I knocked. "Hey man!" he says drawing me into a bro hug. I patted his back twice before breaking apart. We look each other over.
"Wow Tuck you got tall", I remark.
"So did you, and you got fit too. Finally lost all your baby fat eh?"
"Haha well I have to empress the ladies", I joke.
"Yeah. Come on inside man", he motions, "You are the first one here". Together we step into his front room were the coats are hung and the shoes are placed. We go downstairs to a now finished basement.
"Wow! You finally finished the basement", I admire.
"I know right. It sure took long enough. Now we have surround sound, flat screen, fuse ball, and pool table".
"Whoa it's the total man cave!" I sit down on the black leather couch and kick my feet up on the glass coffee table. Tuck and I sit in an awkward silence twiddling our thumbs; waiting for the other to start a conversation. I thought that we would be able to act like nothing had changed and we were still old pals. Well I was totally wrong. You always are too optimistic Munch. Tuck has changed a lot. While he has grown a foot he seems more relaxed. The way he is slouched against the couch with his arms folded. Tuck could never just relax like this when we were younger. He was always needing something to occupy himself, now looking at him reclined in his chair, head rolled to the side, you can tell he's a different person now. Heck I'm a different person. I adopted a new lifestyle in tenth grade. I turned my baby fat into muscle now I can bench 170 no problem. I was also a starting lineman on the varsity football team for two years. So you could say that I became a jock, but I considered myself just an average person. I played football, I did weightlifting, I was on the robotics team, and I placed second in our state tournament for math league. Oh and I had lots of friends, even with my quirky personality. Girls found me sweet and the guys thought I was funny, so that lead to lots of friends.
"So", I begin to say, "How was high school?"
"Well it was rough at first, but then I found a group of people that thought I was pretty great and yeah. Do you remember that kid Rodney?"
"Rodney, the guy who bullied me until seventh grade, Rodney? Yeah I remember him", I exaggerate.
"Turns out he's a super chill guy", Tuck explains, "We play baseball together".
"Awesome I am so happy for him", I say blandly. Really I'm not happy for him. The guy is a jerk and I will probably hate him for the rest of my life. Another awkward pause between us.
"I remembered to get you jelly beans", Tuck blurts as he point to a small purple bag of a variety of jelly beans.
"Thanks Tuck, but umm I don't eat candy anymore. I'm on a no-sweets diet", I explain.
"Oh sorry", he mumbles.
"No big deal", I sigh. Once more an uncomfortable hush falls over the room and if only broken by the door bell ringing.
Emma's POV
I have been parked at the corner for ten minutes now. Munch has parked and gone inside. I have to do this. "Just for closer", I tell myself, "If you see them one last time you will feel no attachment to stay in Las Vegas. That way you can go to Harvard and not look back". I pull up behind Munch's little silver Honda, and hurry to the door so I don't change my mind and retreat to my car. I ring the door bell and wait. Tuck opens the door, and greets me with a Oh hey. "Oh hey good to see you too after three years", I retort.
Tuck blinks at me and says, "Hello Emma I am so happy to see you after all this time. How have you been?"
"I could deal without the sarcasm thank you", I tell him as I enter his home.
"Come on in", he says behind me. I walk down the steps. Munch is sitting on the leather couch.
"Hey mannequin girl!" calls Munch.
"Haha hi Munch. How's it going? Wow you look great!"
"Thanks Emma. I'm doing well, you know applying for college, and reading acceptance letter the usual stuff".
"So are we just waiting on Alex then?" I ask.
"Yup then we can start the fun", replies Tuck. Ideal chatter circulates between the three of us till the third and final knock on the door upstairs.
Alex's POV
"Hey guess what?" I tease.
Lauren gasps before saying, "Lady Gaga isn't a woman?"
"I'm pretty sure she's a woman", I question, "But we are here". I point to the green house to my left.
"Wow", she awes, "Let's go". She unbuckles her seatbelt and mine. Lauren practically pushes me out my door.
"I think you are more interested in meeting my friends than I am", I sigh.
"Well I want to meet them", she explains. Together we walk hand in hand to the front door. Lauren's caramel brown hair dances on her shoulders as we walk together. Wow did I ever luck out on meeting her. I can still remember when we met. I had just moved to Idaho and I had no friends, so I went to the first group of people who would accept me. They were a group of druggie slackers, but they were the closest thing I had to friends. Then we were at a party in May. We were drinking in the corner while hitting on girls. The party was going really late and I really don't remember what really happened. I remember waking up in a lavender bathroom on the tiled floor. I had dried vomit on my mouth, and there was a not so small cut on my lower lip. There was this pounding in my head, like someone took a sledge hammer to my left temple. I remember feeling so weak and sore. That's when she walked in. She was carrying a stack of clean clothes and a wash cloth. She spoke with a calm manner as she set me upwards so my back was against the toilet.
"Where am I?" I asked.
"In my bathroom", she said blandly. I was confused, but in time the whole story was painted out for me. Apparently I had gotten super drunk and had gotten to a fight about something stupid. She, whose name she told me was Lauren, notice someone passed out on the lawn as she was leaving. All her friends told her to leave me where I was, but she told them that she had to do something. Lauren woke me up, and forced me to my feet. We stumbled to her car. I, who was too drunk to function, passed out in the back of her car. Lauren told me she thought about leaving me there, but then I mumbled something about not feeling well. She had to drag me up her front steps, and brought me to her bathroom. As my head was in the toilet Lauren said, "You are so lucky my parents aren't home". Lauren told me all these facts from last night while wiping the blood and puke from my chin and lips.
"I still don't get why you're helping me", I mutter through my swollen lip.
"I don't know either", she told me, "I really don't even know who you are".
"I'm Alex", I explain, "I just moved her and my 'friends' are complete trash".
"Yeah I can tell", Lauren says as she uses the rag to wash the last bit of blood of my face.
"Well thanks anyway", I say as I stand up and make for the door.
"Where are you going?" she asks.
"Home I guess".
"You can't go home looking like that", Lauren worries.
"Why not? It wouldn't be the first time", I mutter. Lauren walk over to me and look me straight in the eye.
"Why the hell would you do that? You are in ninth grade! Why are you doing this to yourself?" she practically yells. It was that moment I realized this girl cared more about me than I did. I was just throwing my life away because I had to move away from the people I loved.
"You're right I'm acting like an idiot", I said as I say down on the tile. Lauren sat down beside me.
"Do you want something to eat while we talk?" she asks.
"Yeah sounds good". We went into her kitchen and we talked for hours. She told me about Custer and I told her about Las Vegas, Munch, and Tucker. I even told her about my now former girlfriend Emma. I bounce back to reality, Emma! Shit, shit, shit! I didn't think about Lauren meeting Emma today. Great my ex will meet my current girlfriend. I say a silent prayer. Please no cat fights. I perform the secret knock. "So Lauren I just realized that Emma, my ex, well she's going to be here".
Lauren looks at me with her hazel eyes. "So?"
"So what?"
"Why is that a big deal. Didn't you guys end on good terms?"
"Well I guess so."
"Then I don't see a problem", she smiles.
"Just please get play nice", I plead.
"Of course, I want to make a good impression", Lauren assures me.
"You're the best", I say as kiss her forehead.
"I know".
Tuck's POV
"Hey Alex, my man" I cheer as I open the door, "And Alex's lady friend. How you doin' girl?"
"Come on Tuck back off", Alex jokes, "This is my girlfriend Lauren. Lauren this is my good friend Tuck".
"Hi Tuck. I've heard a lot about you", Lauren tells me.
"All good things I hope", I tease, "Well come on inside. You guys are the last to arrive".
"Sorry it take awhile to get here from Idaho", Alex explains.
"I can imagine", I agree. I can see the look of disgust and shock on Emma's face when Alex walks down the stairs with a beautiful girl on his arm. And I say beautiful which she is. Lauren has symmetrical features and the perfect hair; but that girl is also H-O-T. Her figure is model like. If she was a cartoon, all jaws would drop and eyes would budge when she would walk in the room. Alex totally lucked out meeting a girl like her. "Hey guys this is Alex's girlfriend Lauren she's gonna be hanging out with us for the day".
"Hey Lauren I'm Emma", says a sassy Emma.
"Yea and I'm Munch", calls Munch.
"Hey everyone", Lauren waves.
"Well now that we are all here let's start", I say. We all take our seats. Munch has taken the Lazy Boy recliner. Alex sits on the left side of the black leather couch , Lauren sits beside him, and since I took the remaining single chair, Emma is forced to sit by Lauren.
"What' first?" Alex asks.
