A special thank you to everyone reading this, especially to Ereina, Sleepy mouse, KitOfYaoi, & Angel Weasel-Woman for your kind supportive comments.
Chapter 3: Suspicious Minds
====Rewinding time back to before the party & switching to Craig's POV===
"Craig, honey, the first guests are here." My mother calls up from the front door. It's an hour and a half before my birthday party is supposed to start. I just got out of the shower, and I'm standing at my dresser, with a towel wrapped around my waist trying to decide what to wear.
"Send them up, mom" I holler through my half open door.
I assume it's Clyde who shows up early every year, because he likes helping my mom decorate. Clyde is the gayest straight guy that I know. Dude still cries at a drop of a hat, and I suspect he will be the first one to burst into tears at my wedding with Tweek. Yes, I am only sixteen, but I already know who I am going to marry. My mom and Mrs. Tweak have been secretly planning our wedding for years, and I have no reason to disappoint them.
Hunting through my dresser I grab a pair of blue plaid boxers, while debating over what I should wear. I decide on an ocean blue sweater that I know Tweek really likes on me, a pair of dark blue skinny jeans that are pretty worn, but so comfortable, and my red Converse high tops.
As I drop my towel and start pulling on my boxers, my door flies open the rest of the way, and Thomas and Kyle walk in. 'Fucking Thomas! Why is he here? I didn't even know he was in town!'
"God, I love your ass, Craig!" Thomas whistles, and swats me on the butt with the folded magazine that he's holding in one hand.
"Dude! What the fuck are you doing here?" I say as politely as possible, because Thomas is a really good friend, and I don't want him to feel like I don't want him here, but I 'really' don't want him here!
"Surprise, honey! I flew out for your birthday!" Thomas says with a devilish grin, and pulls me into a brotherly hug, which is kind of awkward for me, because I'm practically naked, and my mother is standing at my doorway smiling at us.
"Yeah, mom?" I address her, while quickly pulling on the rest of my clothing.
"Dad's on his way out to pick up your cake and ice cream, are you sure he shouldn't pick up some board games or some movies?" She says all motherly like, but I notice that she's eyeing Thomas. I roll my eyes, although I can't really blame her since Thomas is rather eye catching.
"No, that's cool, mom." I reply, and nod my head towards Thomas. "You remember Thomas right?"
"Of course I remember Thomas, like I could ever forget my son's first crush." My mom teases, and I flip her off.
"Thanks a lot mom." I sigh in humiliation and slam the door in her face, because that was so uncalled for. Sure, she was only speaking the truth. I had it bad for Thomas when we were kids, but that was back when we were nine years old.
Nine year old Thomas was awesome. I mean really awesome! Thomas ran around screaming obscenities at the top of his lungs, and nobody cared! It was the coolest thing ever! Plus he was so cute, and really funny. So, of course, from the moment we met I was obsessed with him, and when he became my best friend I was so freaking proud.
A couple of months later his mother hooked up with some rich Hollywood hotshot, and next thing you know they are married and Thomas is moving cross country to fucking California! I was devastated at the time, but we kept in touch via email and text, and we've stayed good friends.
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Thomas drops down on my floor and pulls out a joint right away. Thomas is pretty much always stoned, because pot helps him to keep his TS under control. Honestly, I like him better when he's sober, because when he's high he tends to get flirty, and he loses respect for things like boundaries, which can be annoying. He's gay and very out, and although he definitely has a type he prefers, when Thomas gets high enough all bets are off.
Thomas sleeps around a lot, which I sort of admire, but I also worry about him. Me on the other hand, I've had a boyfriend since 4th grade, but I'm still a virgin. It kind of sucks, since I'm sixteen and most of my friends have already gotten laid. The thing is, Tweek's really naive, and I like that about him, I don't want to rush him. I'm trying to be patient, and let him make the first move when he's ready, but it just isn't happening.
Since apparently Thomas is meeting Tweek today, I need to get high. There is simply no way I will make it through this party sober. Hell, if it gets really bad I might even sneak a few of my father's beers. Tweek and Thomas had to meet eventually, but I don't know why it had to happen on my birthday!
Here's the thing, Tweek is almost perfect. I've always been this sucker for cute things, and Tweek is off the charts in cuteness! I'm talking like bunny rabbit cute with a side of seductive! He's also got a great personality, and he's sooo lovable, most of the time!
The flip side is Tweek has a possessive streak from hell! I kid you not, he may be as cute as a button, but believe me you do not want to piss that boy off, and you really don't want to make him jealous. It's the main reason that I've always avoiding having Thomas and Tweek in the same room. The other reason? Well, I don't really want to talk about that, because it will make me look so lame.
'Fuck you, Thomas, for showing up uninvited and stressing me out on my birthday!' I think to myself, as I drop down on the floor, pull the joint from Thomas' hand, and take a big hit. As expected of Thomas, it's premium stuff, and it kicks in almost immediately. I kick back against my bed and decide to just go with the flow.
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"Hey, Craig, check this out. Your first crush has a layout in Surfer magazine!" Kyle plants himself on my bed and holds a magazine in front of my face.
"Seriously, Kyle, don't joke like that in front of Tweek!" I warn him, while pulling the magazine out of his hand.
"Dude, I won't." Kyle affirms, but since he is basically an upstanding guy he adds, "but I don't like keeping secrets from Tweek. It's not like you're doing anything worth hiding."
"I don't want to talk about it!" I growl at Kyle. It's the same thing I've been saying since middle school, so I don't know why I'm repeating it now!
"I know, Dude, I'm just saying it's not cool to lie to people you care about." Kyle goes on, annoyingly.
"I'd never lie to Tweek!" I state flatly, this is the truth, and nothing that Kyle hasn't heard before.
"Craig!" Kyle says judgmentally with one eyebrow raised, while shaking his head disapprovingly.
"It is not a lie! I just don't advertise when Thomas comes to visit, I haven't lied, it's more like a..."
"Cover up." Thomas finishes the sentence for me, and I flip him off.
"Omission." I correct him, and take another hit from the joint, before passing it to Kyle and looking down at the magazine in my hand.
It's open to a picture of Thomas sitting in the sand with his surfboard, and the moonlit ocean in the background. He's surrounded by three other surfers. All are attractive, shirtless, wet, and tan, but Thomas stands out. He looks magnificent, his blond hair blowing messily in the wind, and a big childish grin plastered to his face. He looks like a man who's found his paradise. It makes me realize how far my childhood friend has come, even with Tourette's Thomas is living his dream. While I'm struggling just to make it through high school.
I trade the magazine to Kyle for the joint, and notice that he still has that judgmental look in his eyes, so I flip him off.
"Those guys all look like your type, Thomas, which one are you fucking?" I ask in a sneaky attempt to get Kyle's hypercritical attention off of myself and on to Thomas.
"Was I supposed to pick only one?" Thomas inquires smugly, and steals the joint from my hand.
"You're such a whore! I fucking hate you!" Kyle tells him, and smacks him in the head with the magazine. Mission accomplished.
Thomas starts chuckling and it's contagious, I find myself laughing loudly for no good reason. It feels damn good to laugh like this. Thomas is an ass, but I do enjoy his company a lot.
"COCK-ASS!" Thomas suddenly screams out, it's not TS. Thomas is just fucking around for my benefit, and this actually makes me really happy.
"Fuck, I love it when you talk dirty, Thomas!" I tell him, because it's totally true.
Thomas leans over, licks my ear, and whispers. "I fucked Kyle last night." Which is actually shocking, because I know that Kyle has a one-sided obsession with Stan Marsh.
So I reach out and pull Thomas close to keep Kyle from hearing, before whispering back. "Good for Kyle, about time that boy gets laid, but you're being used, man, so be careful." Thomas starts laughing loud and hearty, but I know him well enough to recognize that the laugh is not genuine. Thomas is a flirt, and a self-confessed ho, but he'd settle down in a heartbeat if he found the right guy.
"Hey Dude!" Kyle calls out suddenly, and I see Tweek standing in my doorway. He's glaring at me suspiciously, and I know immediately why. I pull my arm away from Thomas, and ask Tweek to come in and shut the door.
I know that I need to introduce Tweek to Thomas, but I really don't want them to meet.
===Advancing time to present timeline===
"I don't want to deal with this right now." I decide and jump up from the floor.
I am so annoyed. Tweek's had this whole jealousy vibe going on since he walked into the room, I'd just gotten him to calm down, but Thomas' big mouth just made things 100 percent worse. I've decided that I'm done. It's my fucking birthday, I am not doing this shit today!
I flip Thomas off, because he deserves it, and head for the door.
On my way out the door I get blitz attacked by Clyde and the freaking birthday brigade, and to make matters worse, I think I'm starting to cry, FUCK!
I keep walking across the hall and start down the stairs. My father is standing at the front door holding my cake, so I stop halfway down and wipe my sleeve across my eyes. Tucker men are not supposed to cry, not ever! We don't cry, and we don't talk about our feelings.
I continue down the steps, avoiding the curious look of my father, which tells me that my Tucker mask of stoicism is still not firmly in place. I stare at the floor, and count to ten, while adjusting my mood to 'I don't fucking care!' I look up again, ready to start pretending that I'm enjoying my birthday.
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Note: Today's chapter was titled after the song that was my muse - Suspicious Minds/Fine Young Cannibals
End of chapter 3, hope to see you again for chapter 4 : )