I was in a hurry to upload that last chapter, and didn't properly review it first. I don't have a computer right now, and it was a rare moment when I had a chance to submit before class. Anyways, I edited the grammar mistakes and added some parts. Also, some credit goes to my friend Ha-chan for editing the story thus fore, and giving me some good ideas. :)
Thank you for the reviews, I really appreciate it! And without further adieu, chapter 3 (And yes, I don't own the characters. I think I've said this enough now for the rest of the story).
3. The Tunnel
I was standing outside taking a smoke when Sam walked toward me with her arm around Charlie's shoulder.
"Charlie has a Charlie-esque crush on me, Patrick", she told me, smiling while Charlie looked slightly mortified. His eyes were red, and it looked like he had been crying. Poor kid.
"He does, huh?" I tried to sound at least a bit surprised, for his sake.
"I'm trying not to," he offered sheepishly, making us both chuckle. I have to admit, he is pretty cute with the way he talks. Deciding it was time to have a chat with him, I shooed Sam away and took another drag from my cigarette.
I launched into a discussion of what girls look for in men that would have made Mary-Elizabeth go on a feminist rampage if she heard me. Charlie replied to this with noncommittal "Yeah's" that told me he almost understood what I was getting at. I sighed and decided to take another approach.
"You know, there is something you can do, even if you don't get a girlfriend. Have you ever had a dream about a girl before?" I asked him, not really expecting much from someone as dry as Charlie. I was surprised to see him turn pink and stare down at a pebble on the sidewalk like it was the first pebble he'd ever seen.
"Okay, then, I'll take that as a yes. Well, what did you do afterward?" I expanded. He just sort of blinked at me and said, "Was I supposed to do something?" Oh boy. Time to be blunt.
"Charlie, have you ever heard of masturbation?" Blank Stare. The poor boy, how had he survived the first years of his teenage life?
"You know, you can relieve yourself by yourself, with your hand. Do you get it now, or do you want me to continue with the descriptions, because I can," I told him and had to bite back my laughter when I saw realization dawn on his face.
"I hadn't ever considered that before", he told me. He was looking at me strangely, and I almost felt a little bashful, which was a very uncommon state of being for me. Really, how was he so innocent? I've been masturbating since the first time I saw a man naked in the shower when I was eleven.
"Alright, well that's that. Getting a girlfriend would be nice and all I'm sure, but that should help out in the meantime, and involves far less drama". I decided I was ready for this conversation to be over. It was strange considering Charlie's sexual urges, particularly the fact that they may revolve around my sister.
"Thanks, Patrick. I think you might be my best friend, next to Sam", Charlie said in his ever-honest fashion and then left me to finish my cigarette. Charlie did not much like skipping class.
As I watched him go, I wondered a bit at the slight discomfort at my ranking beneath Sam. I was starting to realize how much I enjoyed his company and that I considered him to be a close friend, as well. When had that happened? It had been a while since I found myself naturally slipping into a friendship. I decided to ignore that strange discomfort and be happy with the fact that he considered me a "best friend". I don't think anyone had said that to me since elementary school. I grinned, threw my cigarette butt over the fence and decided I wouldn't be skipping Mr. Callahan's class today.
On the evening of the homecoming dance, I lay on my bed listening to music. I was listening to "Blue Monday" by New Order, and it always made me think of Brad. Sometimes it made me think I should finally break up with him, but any time I even get close to trying, I would realize I just can't. I've gotten too deep and I really don't know what I'd do with myself if I wasn't loving Brad. I can't even remember what it was like before I met him. And besides, he would be coming to the party at Bill's house tonight, and I'd finally get to see him again. So what if I couldn't go with him to the homecoming dance, at least I'd have Sam, who often goes as my date to these things. Who else can dance as well as we can together?
Sam came into my room and heard "Blue Monday" playing. She looked at me and smiled softly, holding a necklace her mother had given her. She walked slowly over to the bed and sat down beside me, handing the necklace over. As she pulled her hair out of the way, I swung the necklace around her neck and closed the clasp.
"You look beautiful, Sam", I said with a smile, putting her hair back in place. She truly did, in her dark strapless dress and soft eye shadow that brought out the green of her eyes. I imagined that tonight would be another tough one for Charlie. Sam turned to hug me, as "Blue Monday" came to an end. It was the last song on the mix tape, so it became quiet.
"How are you doing?" she asked, pulling back from her hug to look me in the eyes. I grinned and flicked her in the forehead. She scrunched up her face and mock glared at me, rubbing the afflicted area.
"Stop worrying, silly, I'm fine. Besides, I get to see him tonight. Plus, it will be Charlie's first party, which will be endlessly entertaining, I'm sure. Now go on, I suppose I should get ready now," I said, patting at her back to make her get up. She ruffled my hair, thanked me for helping with her necklace and then left me to get changed. I don't really like Sam worrying about me. I mean, what's the point of being a funny guy if people worry about you?
I put on my rented tux and added a white scarf. I liked scarfs, and besides, it was cold out there. God knows how Sam and every other girl wore such flimsy dresses near the end of October. I headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth, and looked at my reflection in the mirror. My curly hair was getting unruly again, and I swiped my long bangs out of my face. I gave a big grin and double thumbs up at my reflection, laughed at myself and then headed downstairs for our paparazzi parents waiting to ambush us as we headed out the door. After several poses at different picturesque places about the house (the staircase at various heights, the fireplace, the doorway) we were finally allowed to leave.
We rumbled up to the school in Sam's pick-up truck and parked in our usual spot. We grinned at each other and then linked arms, heading toward to gymnasium where the dance was held. We entered the throng of scantily clad girls and their tuxedo-ed counterparts, and started to dance to the typical top 40 music the deejay played. Sam rolled her eyes and commented on the atrocious music. I shrugged in response. What could we do? It's high school.
The dance continued like this for a while until a particularly soppy ballad about some girl's broken heart ended and the first notes of "Come on Eileen" started up.
Sam looked at me wide eyed, "Oh my God, they're playing good music!" she said with a gasp.
I looked around me in mock horror and exclaimed, "Holy shit, holy shit! They're playing good music! What do we do?"
"The living room routine", she answered matter-of-factly, grabbing my hands in hers.
"The living room routine", I replied with glee and we barged our way into the middle of the dance floor.
Clasping hands, we spun in a wide circle while I screamed, "Get out of the waaay! Get out of the waaay!" The song was just starting to pick up as we began the self-dubbed "living room routine", a swing style dance we had been practicing at home when feeling particularly goofy while listening to music. We danced in circles of each other, throwing our arms and legs out wildly in time to the music. Then we came back together and shimmied our shoulders before I swung Sam up in the air and then continued to twirl about. As I spun towards the entrance I spotted Charlie walking towards us like it was the hardest thing he'd ever had to do. He bobbed and stepped to the rhythm of the music, so slow and melodic, it was like a weird dance step of his own.
I grinned and called out his name, Sam following suit when she saw him. I swung my scarf around his neck and shimmied it back and forth, pulling him closer to us. Losing some of his nervousness, he joined in on the dancing and even spun Sam around for a turn. We all held hands and spun in a circle at the end of the song. His hand was warm in mine and with Sam's in my other, I will always remember that moment as one of the happiest in my existence. I was with two of the people I liked the most, and even the pain of seeing Brad dancing with his girlfriend was dulled around the edges.
After the dance died down, we left for the party at Bob's house. In the parking lot, Sam spotted Dave's car, and pointed it out to Charlie. Dave is on the football team, and Charlie had told us a story about him yesterday at the homecoming football game. Apparently his brother had thrown a huge party at his house while their parents were away, and they had told Charlie to stay up in his room. Then Dave and his girlfriend come up totally wasted. Even though they knew Charlie was in there, Dave wouldn't leave. Basically, Dave forced his drunk girlfriend to give him a blow job, and more, but Charlie had closed his eyes by then. Sam and I were both speechless when we heard this. It was hard to think of him witnessing something like that when he was so young. So when Sam pointed out the car, Charlie got a stormy look in his eye, and I thought of a good way to work out his anger. They never did figure out who slashed Dave's tires that night. We were long gone before anyone even noticed.
I decided to drive this time, so Sam could sit in the middle of us. Charlie was still pretty upset, so Sam started looking for some good music in between the commercials on the radio. Then this song we had never heard came on, and we all went quiet. I felt Charlie calm down in that moment, while we all listened to this beautiful song. As we approached the Fort Pitt Tunnel, Sam turned to me with a gleam in her eye.
"No, no, we're not doing it", I said, attempting to sound forceful.
"Oh come on, Patrick, this song is perfect," she said, her eyes begging me to oblige. I caved, and she kissed me on the cheek before climbing out the back window on to the bed of the truck.
"What is she doing?" Charlie asked with alarm evident in his voice.
"Oh, don't worry, she does it all the time," I replied with a grin. Sam shouted at me to turn it up.
"Got it, your highness", I quipped while turning up the dial. I watched Sam start to stand up through the rear-view mirror as we entered the tunnel. Once she was upright, a serene smile graces her lips and she spread her arms out wide, her dress flowing through the wind like ocean waves. Occasionally, when she was feeling upset about something or had gotten a new mix tape, she would ask to go to the "tunnel". There was something liberating about standing in the open air as I drove fast through the tunnel of wind, she said. It felt like she was free and surrounded by all of the wonder of the world.
I glanced over to see Charlie looking up at Sam with a smile on his face, and then he turned his gaze of me, and his smile softened before he looked forward at the city lights through the tunnel opening. Surprised by his expression, I asked, "What is it?"
He looked back toward me with that same beautiful, wonder-filled expression and said, "I feel infinite". I looked at him with wonder, and in the moment, I understood exactly what he meant. I could feel the smile tugging at the corners of my lips and spreading across my entire face before I launched into a full blown laugh, "That's so true". He laughed with me, and as Sam drifted into the background of my mind, we shared a moment that was just us.