The Two Of Us

Attie (Chapter 2)

I got the apartment to myself tonight. Tate and Holden went to see a movie, and Allie was on a  date.

Our apartment was nothing compared to our old townhouse. Our old house had five bedrooms, enough for every kid to have a room. My room was the best; it faced the street and had a balcony. Every night, I would go out and watch the busy streets, and my mom and Allie would come out and sit with me. My mom occasionally made us hot chocolate, and we would sip it silently as we looked over Boston. Now, I lived in a tiny apartment that could barely house two people, not to mention four. The upstairs was meant for storage, but the previous owner turned it into a living space. Allie and I shared a bedroom, and Tate and Holden shared the main bedroom. The living room had no windows, so it was just a dark room with a couch and a TV. The kitchen had a window, so I would usually sit at the kitchen table whether I was eating food or not.

I was scrolling on my laptop, sipping hot chocolate, and looking at Instagram. I didn't even realize I was looking for Griffin's account until I found it. I almost spit out my hot chocolate when I read his full name. Griffin Lopez. He was the son of Xavier Lopez, our senator. Luckily, his account was public, so I could scroll through his posts. Many pictures of him with his parents, on a tropical vacation or boat. He had a younger brother, Samuel, around middle school age. He played hockey and baseball for the prep school he went to. He was a senior, just like me. I didn't even realize I had been looking at his profile for over thirty minutes when Tate and Holden got home.

Holden held up a pizza box with a satisfied smile. Tate was already climbing onto the chair across from me.

"Eddie gave me two pizzas for free," Holden said as he set the boxes down.

He removed his jacket and placed it on the back of the chair, joining Tate and me at the table.

"Because of how loyal customers we are?" I asked.

Holden smiled, "Yeah, isn't that crazy."

I caught Holden sneaking glances at Tate, who was mindlessly eating his pizza and reading his comic book.

Holden couldn't afford to get Tate an iPad, so he dug out some of his old comic books and action figures.

"How will he do online school if he doesn't have a computer?" I asked.

"I'm going to let him use mine; I don't use it now ever since I dropped out of college."

Holden was brilliant, and when I say bright, I mean it. He was top of his class and accepted into college, paying nearly nothing. He worked at the coffee shop all of high school, and when the owner announced his retirement, he offered Holden the general manager job and the apartment upstairs. At that time, everything was happening with my parents. Allie, Tate, and I were looking for a place to stay, so Holden dropped out of college, moved out of his dorm, and took the offer.

"Did Allie mention when she'd get home?" I asked.

"Around 10 PM, I think," Holden said with a mouthful of pizza.

"I'll probably shower now, then. You know how long Allie takes in the bathroom."

Holden laughed, "Yeah, go for it. I am going to shower tomorrow."

I finished my pizza before going to the room I shared with Allie.

It was about the size of a dorm room, which isn't bad. It's much smaller since we have all our belongings in the room, unlike only half of it.

Right before I left for the bathroom, I noticed my phone light up with a notification. Griffin Lopez started following me on Instagram. It felt like I saw a ghost; I accidentally liked a post from two months ago. I tossed my phone on my bed in embarrassment. I can't believe that I did that. So, when he probably thought I couldn't get any weirder, I was stalking his Instagram.

Allie was lying in bed by the time I was done showering. She didn't even glance at me; it was like I didn't exist.

Allie and I were about as close as twins could get, well, that was until we both turned sixteen. She liked guys, and I didn't find them appealing. Well, Bradley Walsh is the only exception. He was my science partner in 9th grade. He wore braces, glasses, and acne, but I still thought he was attractive. We were friends; we would sit together at lunch, and I even went to his house several times. Then, he came to school on the first day of 10th grade with clear skin, straight teeth, and contacts, and suddenly, he had all of the girl's attention. He still talked to me at school, but it was never the same after returning that summer. Eventually, he stopped trying to be my friend, and we both went our separate ways. Sometimes, I wonder if he ever thought I liked him.

"So, you and Bradley?" I asked.

Allie's face heated up, but she still didn't look my way. "Yeah, I'm trying to get his attention, but he didn't seem that interested. I thought he came to the coffee shop today to talk to me, especially since I asked him to Homecoming a couple of days ago."

"Oh, you're going to the dance with him?" I asked.

I tried to keep any emotion out of my voice.

"Yeah, I am. Are you going with that guy from this morning?"

I responded without even thinking, "Yeah, I am. He asked me to his dance, so I figured it was only polite to ask him to ours."

I winced at the lie I had just made up. First off, I wasn't even planning on going to the dance. Secondly, Griffin Lopez wouldn't show up dead to a public school dance, especially with a girl like me.

"That's cool," Allie said.

I couldn't tell what she was thinking. The things Allie and I tell each other are usually school-related, never personal.

"Wait, if you are going to the dance with Bradley, why were you on a date with another guy?"

"To make Bradley jealous."

To me, that makes no sense.