Candid

Chapter 3

I woke up the next day with a headache. Everyone had left besides Joey, Ryan, and I. I looked at my phone and it's 10:22 in the morning; I slept at 2. I looked over to my left to find a very passed out Ryan.

"Huppa nuhy yur..." he grumbled. I chuckled and looked over to my right to find an empty sleeping bag. Joey is such an early bird. I got up and headed downstairs to the kitchen. Ryan's mom cooked while Joey looked at his phone at the table.

"Happy new year Nathan!" Mrs. Taylor said.

"Happy new year!" I replied, still a little sleepy. Ryan had forced his poor parents to stay in their room during the party so they wouldn't embarrass him.

"Sit down," Joey said, "it looks like you haven't eaten since last year." I rolled my eyes and take a seat next to Joey. "Ugh," he was on Instagram "what a douchey photo. It's a new year you're supposed to look happy not smug." He showed me the photo of someone I won't name because he shows up later in this story.

"Wait you don't like him?" I asked. He nodded. "Don't be so judgmental." I said "I think that's the only pose he looks good in." He laughed.

"You do you," he said looking at the screen "I just won't like it." He turned off his phone. "You would've been much more polite than that. I guess that you're doing really good with your resolution." I nodded in agreement, but in my head I was really shocked because I totally forgot about my new year's resolution, but I had been honest instinctively. Maybe I'm already a naturally honest person?

"So what'll it be Nathan?" Mrs. Taylor asked, "Bacon or eggs with your pancakes?"

"Can I have both?"

"Now that's what I'm talking about." She said. Like many mothers, she has a very inviting smile, but instead of that maternal vibe you get a laid back vibe from her long blonde hair and more of that surfer look you get from Ryan.

"Should I wake up Ryan so he can tell you what he wants?" Joey said while putting his phone away.

"Let him sleep, I know what he likes.' She responded. He nodded. Joey definitely has the most eclectic personality out of my friends. He's got a lot of layers to him. When you first meet him he's the shy nerd and I'm not just saying that because he's Asian. He's short with black hair and dark brown eyes, so you don't really notice him. Then you find out that he's not just a nerd, but he's also creative and preppy. Once you're friends with him he loves making puns and sassing you; then when you bond even more he tells you the music he likes and the people he doesn't like. Once you've gone through enough layers though, he tells you the stuff that destroys him and he trusts you enough to not use it against him. Joey looked at me and smiled and that's when I realized he was terrified of me spilling his secrets.

"Hey, what do you call it when a pig tricks someone?" he said.

"Please don't." I said.

"A baCON." He smirked. I rolled my eyes, but in my head I was making a mental decision to only lie if it is to protect my friends and family.

"Breakfast is ready!" Mrs. Taylor said. At that exact moment Ryan walked in.

"Typical Ryan," Joey said, "When it comes to you and food it's like a moth to a flame."

"Says the one who's always on his phone, I bet you're going to post a picture of your breakfast on your spam account." Ryan argued.

"That is not true!" Joey rebutted. Then in a much quieter tone, "It's going on my Snapchat story." Mrs. Taylor put down our breakfast at the table. It smelled delicious. We all started to chow down on our food.

"How do you like the food boys?"

"Great!" Joey and Ryan said in unison.

"How about you Nathan?" She said looking at me.

"The pancake is well cooked, but my egg is a little too salty and my bacon is a bit to crispy to my liking. Overall though, it's a great meal." Joey and Ryan stared at me while Mrs. Taylor looked like she was trying to avoid saying something rude at church. Until she just looked at me and smiled.

"Thank you, I appreciate your... criticism." Maybe I shouldn't have said that, I thought. "Well enjoy your breakfast and tell me if you need anything else." She then went to start tidying up the kitchen.

"Dude that was a little rude." Ryan whispered. Joey nodded in agreement.

"Sorry," I said, "I didn't know why I said that." Well I do know, it was true, but I'm not a person to be that nit-picky about food or anything in general. I don't even complain if I don't have enough napkins at a restaurant. It just spilled out. My mind is probably just subconsciously reminding me to be honest, I'll control it, filter it. If I'm this blunt to someone else's parents, how am I going to act around mine?