168 Hours of Miles Fonte

Chapter 12: Tuesday

Brandon is a big guy.
So walking up the stairs with him was very difficult. He was mostly unconscious but we got him to walk a little. We managed to take off his jacket and then collectively threw him on the couch.
"Is that good?" I asked.
Miles sighed, "It's gonna have to be, cause we can't lift him again."
For whatever reason, from stress build up or exhaustion, we just fell on the floor laughing. Eventually, after we'd cleared our throats and the tears of laughter from our eyes, we caught our breath. We laid on the floor beside Brandon. I closed my eyes.

"What did you mean at Ben and Jerry's?" I asked softly.
"What? About Heather being gorgeous?"
"Well, yeah, and...me." I breathed. "About her being right about me?"
I heard him shuffle, sitting up. "Tell me why you don't understand."
Am I really going to say this out loud?
I opened my eyes, "It just took me by surprise and-" I sat up suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. I brought my knees up to my chest. "This is stupid. And I don't want pity or compliments but...I just feel like I can't compare to Heather or Kali. They're unforgettable and I'm just ordinary? I don't know if that makes sense." I tucked my hair behind my ears.
"Oh, come on April." He scoffed.
"What?" I asked defensively.
"You said you don't want to be complimented? How are you supposed to feel special if you never give anyone the chance to let you feel it."
I never thought of it that way.
"It's not that I don't want someone complimenting me. I- I don't want it to be forced. Like when people fish for compliments and it's like your duty to say something nice."
Miles laughed. I continued, "I don't want to ask for love, I just want someone to show it subtlety and genuinely."
Miles just looked at me. My face felt hot.
"So if I complimented you right now would you totally cringe?" He grinned.
I laughed. "I cannot guarantee how I would react."
He scooted over so he was in front of me. He looked me right in the eye. For a moment my breath got caught in my chest.
"April, whatever your middle name is, Miller." I smiled. He went on, "there are a lot of unforgettable people in this world, but that doesn't make you any less of a catch." He mimicked Heather on that last part.
I snorted. He laughed as he pushed himself back to the big chair in the corner. Putting space between us.
"Seriously though, know your worth." He said brushing his hair back, easily, giving me another glimpse of the small word tattooed near his ear.
Annalise.
"You really believe that?" I asked.
"What, that you're cute? Sure." He said it so matter of factly.
Uhh when did we say that?!
"No, not that." Though I felt myself blush. "the thing about unforgettable people."
Miles sat back against the chair. "Yeah, in a sense everyone is unforgettable; we all live in our own small world, and our life is made up of the people we're surrounded by, the people we see in day to day life. So I think everyone is unforgettable in their own way. Someone is gonna remember you."
I liked watching his hand gestures as he gave this little speech, he was enthusiastic, it was cute.
"Oh and," he bit his lip. "Okay, so, you're afraid you're ordinary." He said.
I nodded.
"Well...I'm afraid that people expect too much from me. All my friends seem to need me. I can't just be ordinary to be able to be there for them, for my team and do well in school. I need to be-"
"Extraordinary." I finished for him.
He shrugged. "I would hate to call myself that though, especially if I let any of them down."
"You are though. Know your worth." I smiled.
"Fine, use my words against me." He grinned, "It just stresses me out though, I feel like I'm going to slip up." He admitted.
"Well extraordinary doesn't mean being perfect. It's doing the best you can with the circumstances you're given, and somehow handling everything, even after making slip ups. Trust me, you're extraordinary."
He smiled. "You are really good at the philosophical pep talks, you know that right?"
"Eh, I read too many Pinterest quotes." I smiled.
Miles leaned his head against the chair. "Well, thank you April." He closed his eyes. "You're a good friend."
I didn't realize he thought of me as a friend. I thought I was a burden, a freshman, a girl that was dumped in his lap that he had to take care of.
I'm Miles' friend.
I thought he had fallen asleep. His facial expression was solemn, peaceful. I tried to look at his tattoo again, but his head shot back up, which made me flinch.
"We never got you dinner." He said, apologetically.
"Oh that's okay, really, I'm not that hungry anymore."
He sighed, "yeah me neither...I think I'm gonna go to bed."
He slowly got up and walked into the bathroom.

I stayed where I was, staring at Brandon, then at the couch he was drooling on, and finally the whole room. It had been 4 days and I'd already grown so fond of this place. It's tan walls didn't match Miles' furniture, the bed cover was always slightly wrinkled and the curtains were mismatched. The kitchen countertop always had bags of chips lying out, never closed right. I was strangely drawn to Miles and his friends' way of living. Nothing was perfect, they didn't expect perfection from me either. Which was a completely different perspective than how I grew up.

I had grown up with all girls. My mom, her friends, my girlfriends, and I. Our home was organized and everything was always in place. My mom's friend, Julie, always made fun of how when I was little, my mom picked up my toys before I was finished playing with them. My heart ached at the thought of my mom. It's not that I don't want to talk to her; I don't want to explain my current life choices to her. I'd have to map everything out carefully for her to understand; and even then she wouldn't, not completely. So not calling just seemed easier.

"Hey April." Miles said. "I just realized something."
"What?" I stood up.
He leaned out of the bathroom, a toothbrush stuck in his mouth. "Brandon took my bed." He said flatly.
"Oh crap that's right!" I looked at Brandon then back at Miles. "What do you want to do? Shove him off?"
"No, let him sleep. I can sleep on the floor."
"I could take the floor?" I offered.
"Nah the floor might be more comfortable than the couch anyway. I've been having some weird back pain from that stupid couch."
I didn't know about that. "I wouldn't have made you sleep on that thing if you had told me about your pain!"
He shrugged. "Didn't want to complain. I knew you'd whine a lot more if you slept on it."
"I would not." I said taking the bathroom towel and throwing it at him.
He dodged it and laughed. "I know, I know, I'm kidding."
I smiled. "Ok get out of here it's my turn."
"Geez, kicking me out of my bed and my bathroom." He mumbled as he pushed past me.
I laughed and shut the door in his face.
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