The Hair Tie

Chapter 15

I exited my house at exactly six in the morning, getting into my car and heading towards the address that Terence had texted me last night. The hotel he was staying at was thankfully closer to the edge of the city, making it easier for me to pick him up.

Honking my horn at the idiot who decided to suddenly turn into my lane without so much as a signal, I sighed at the traffic. The roads were always busy around here, even if you weren't in the more active areas.

I was almost there, thank goodness, I just had to turn right at the next stop light, and it's down the road to the left. He's staying at Holiday Inn, so when I see the sign for it, I breathed out in relief, finally making it to the parking lot. It took only about fifty minutes to get here, so I should expect to be at school earlier than I thought, hoping luck would be on my side today.

I had texted Terence right before I left, so I checked my phone for a response. He replied about five minutes ago saying that he just woke up and he'd be down when he was ready. Since there was time to spare, I was fine with him taking his time.

Unsurprisingly, he got out of the club's activities again. He texted me yesterday saying he told his teacher that he was visiting family today, and she just said to be safe. Apparently, however, the others were wondering where he had been yesterday and where he was going today. He assured me that they didn't know about our little agreement, and I was grateful for that. Maybe he had really changed, but who knows? Maybe he was as manipulative as he was before.

Walking out of and locking my car, I decided to wait in the lobby. The interior was pretty nice and felt homely. I checked my phone for the time, seeing it was 6:57.

I'd text him at seven if he wasn't down here by then.

Just as I thought that, I saw his figure jogging towards me from the elevator, his hair flopping up and down. Ha, I always found that funny to see. "Sorry for keeping you," he said when he approached me, breathlessly. "They were pestering me about where I was going."

I giggled at his disheveled figure. "It looks like they were using violence to get information out of you." His hair was messed up, his shirt was a bit ripped, and he had a scratch on his face. "Unless you were having your daily dose of sex this early in the morning, then never mind," I said, partially serious. I started walking away, indicating that he should follow me.

He did, and we exited the hotel, getting in my car. I drove off of the parking lot, back in busy traffic. He finally responded to my statement, saying, "They were getting mad that I was being secretive, so they kind of just pounced on me this morning. And Drew, I told you, I don't swing that way anymore."

I gave him a worried glance before looking at the road again. Jeez, they were more violent than I remembered. Even with our past, I still really cared about him, but I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that. Not yet, at least. However, I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "Oh, so are you gay now?"

He rolled his eyes at my assumption. "Yeah, I turned gay because of you. While dating you, I figured out that men were easier to handle."

"Ha ha, very funny. But please, sir, enlighten me on how this sudden change in you occurred," I said, referring to him diverting from his old ways.

He shrugged, "Well, after you left, I just gave up that kind of lifestyle. I realized you were right, that I was never going to have a good future if I just kept sleeping around carelessly, so I stopped."

"You forgot about my warning of STDs."

He laughed, "Ah, yes, how could I forget? You literally threw a box of condoms at me before storming off."