Between You and I

Chapter Six

May 11, 2012: 36 Hours Before

My Spanish teacher kept rolling on, boring the whole class to death. Nearly four, whole, dreadful years of Mr. Rodriguez was over. I wondered how we all even got by. Unconsciously, my eyes landed on Valentine Holmes, who sat to the right side of me and a desk up.

Being the most boring class of the day, it was the time I thought most about her, wondering if she was the same girl I knew four years ago. No doubt about the fact she was still the most beautiful girl I've ever seen: only becoming more so every year that passed. It's not like I wanted to constantly drone on about her. I actually hated it. She ditched me in the eighth grade. Why should I have cared about her then?

It's quick, but I caught Valentine turning to look at me, and our eyes met. Hers aren't filled with hatred or ignorance at all. That's the thing. It's like she didn't want to leave me. Its times like now I felt like she thought about me as much as I thought about her.

But the moment passed. She looked away, and I felt angry with myself all over again. The sour thought of her not talking to me for so long- which meant that she didn't really want me again- pit itself deep in my stomach as I let each spanish word go through one ear and out the other.

---------------------------------------------------

"You can't just leave me hanging, bro." Charlie pulled on the worst pout in the world.

"You were going to be my wingman tonight, remember? You owe me." Sure, Charlie was my best friend, but the thought of carting his drunk ass in my car after tonight- and a million failed attempts to get laid- did not sound fun.

"What? I don't owe you." I shrugged at him, continuing my stroll down the street.

"That's bullshit! Remember last week, I covered for your phone ringing in Mrs. Haymire's class?" God. Here we go...

"And that time Mary Jane broke up with you? Dude, I stayed at your house for twenty- four straight hours, making sure that your ass didn't do anything or go anywhere stupid." I had no idea how many times he used the Mary Jane incident as an excuse, but as usual, the guilt started weighing down as the red head with a brilliant memory (when the time calls for it) started down the boulevard of persuasion.

"And let's not forget-" Oh fuck.

"Don't go there."

"The time-"

"Don't you do it!"

"When-"

"Don't you fucking say it!"

"You pissed your pants in the third grade," Dammit.

"And I claimed that it was my juice box." Charlie stepped in front of me as I buried my face in my hands.

"The shame..." I muttered, cursing the day he made his new year's resolution: 'Be a better friend'. And by 'be a better friend', he meant 'cover up or help out Dan to use your kindness for guilting him into doing whatever you want'. He placed his hands on my shoulders and came to the conclusion, "You owe me, bro." Ahhhhhhhh fuck.

"Finefinefine, Jesus." Charlie fist- pumped into the air, flung his arms and body this way and that, and looked like the retarded person of the hour. Of course, as the best friend, I had to laugh even though he just guilt me into being his personal chauffeur.

Charlie hasn't always been my best friend. I used to be the person who had a lot of friends, but wasn't really close to anyone besides Valentine. Charlie was one of my friends, but the only time we really were best friends was after the Mary Jane incident back in freshman year.

But the third grade thing made him the number one person I went to when I needed a bro. He's also the only one who knew about my Valentine problem. Even though he probably will never understand it, it's nice to know that he was trying to help me get over her and not make me feel bad. Well, of course I felt bad, but I couldn't help that. It's like an impossibility made only for me.