Clandestine || J. Garoppolo

[28]

so apparently some girl told my best friend that she thinks I'm hot and I'm so??!!! asdfghjkl

oh but that cutie that looks like Xander has a girlfriend

OOH AND A WEEK FROM YESTERDAY FOOTBALL SEASON STARTS WOOOOOO

but anyway yeah and one of my favorite teachers might be leaving :/

anyway

enjoy

**************************************

Jimmy was extremely drunk on the hour drive back home. This was the drunkest anyone had ever seen him, and probably the drunkest he had ever been. Seeing them in the bookstore had really messed with his head.

"I don' get iht!" he slurred angrily, throwing his hands in the air in frustration.

"Jimmy, you've told us this several times," Mike sighed from the front seat. They had been driving for an hour, and if he had to listen to Jimmy slur for another fifteen minutes, he might have to wrap the car around a telephone pole.

"But I know Hazel Logan doesn't even know Hazel!" Jimmy protested.

"Jimmy, they've been dating three and a half months," Mike sighed.

"Ihatethatsheloveshim," he grunted, the words rushing from his mouth like a river of barely distinguishable syllables.

"It's okay for you to feel that way," said David, rubbing his forehead from the passenger's seat, "but you should also be happy for Hazel. She finally found someone."

"I'm someone she's known me 'or a long time and she known me lo'ger than Logan I'm her best frien'!" he grumbled. Mike was seriously about to put his fist through the window.

"She had known you for a long time, but she doesn't love you, Jimmy," he said calmly and collectedly.

"Shedoes too loveme!" Jimmy exclaimed indignantly, appalled his brother would even dare suggest that Hazel didn't love him.

"You're right. I'm sorry," Mike said, throwing a hand up in defeat. "But what I'm trying to say is that Hazel feels something different for Logan than what she feels for you."

"Yes," John nodded in agreement, his aggravation with drunk Jimmy finally reaching its peak. "She loves you, but she loves Logan, too. It's a different kind of love."

"Ha 'frent type of love my ass," Jimmy scoffed.

"No, Jimmy, you're not getting what we're saying," David sighed. "She loves you, as in she cares about you and wants everything in your life to go well. It means she loves you. Like, she would do anything to protect you.  She has an intense feeling of deep affection for you. But Logan....He's the type of person that Hazel would marry. She has an intense feeling of romantic attraction to him. So she loves you, but she also loves Logan. Do you see what we're talking about?"

"Trying to explain anything to drunk Jimmy is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Trust me," Mike sighed to David.

"I u'derstan' but it's not fair cause she's my best frien' and she barely even knows Logan and-"

"She loves him. Why doesn't he understand that?" John said through gritted teeth, leaning between the front seats.

"I like 'ispering too I wanna 'isper," Jimmy giggled loudly, leaning in next to John. The three other boys groaned in unison.

"Son of a bitch. If I have to deal with even ten more minutes of this-"

"I know," David and Johnny both groaned miserably.

"WHY 'OESN'T ANYONE CARE THAT I 'OVE HAZEL?" Jimmy finally shouted.

"We know you love Hazel," Mike said through gritted teeth, "but Hazel loves Logan, Jimmy."

"Sheloveshim?" The garbled syllables sounded like a question, but the three weren't sure.

"She loves him, yes," it was David's turn to sigh. "So what if she loves him?"

"I love 'er tha's why cause I love Haz and she's my e'rything she doesn't eve' know it!" he rambled. "I reallyloveher!"

"Like, you want to marry her?" John ran his hand through his hair. Jimmy turned to look his older brother dead in the eyes.

"Yes."

The three fell silent. Everyone had always had their suspicions about Jimmy and Hazel, but Jimmy had never flat out admitted, Hey! I wanna marry the girl!

"Billy and Sam had something right riding with Logan and Hazel, huh?" Mike sighed, running a hand through his hair. David nodded and laughed at they pulled into the driveway.

In pulled the Mustang behind them, Billy and Sam in the front seat, Hazel and Logan-or rather, Hazel passed out on Logan-in the backseat.

"Babe," he murmured, rocking her shoulder gently. "We're home."

"Mm," she replied hazily, her head swimming. "Canyouhelpmeinside?"

She could barely speak. Logan shook his head and smiled a dimpled smile.

"This always seems to be happening," he whispered, kissing the bridge of her nose.

"Guesso," she mumbled, smiling and giggling. Sammy held the door for the two, and Logan carried Hazel up the steep stairs. Everyone piled into the house as quietly as possible.

"We're all gonna stay here tonight, is that cool?" Mike asked. Sam rolled her eyes.

"You don't have to ask, you know that."

"Cool. I'll take the spare," he told her. "Where's Logan staying?"

"The white room," Sam said. "Jimmy and Billy can take the boys' room, and John can go in the spare with you. I'll see you guys in the morning," she said, hugging each boy, even Jimmy.

"Night!" a chorus of hushed voices echoed.

"You good to climb the stairs, Jimmy?" Mike teased, putting an arm around his brother's shoulder.

"Shutthe hellup!" Jimmy giggled, barely making his way up the stairs.

Mike sighed and branched off to his room. John joined him. Then Billy made his way to the back room as David went to his room. Sam went to hers, leaving Jimmy and Hazel, the two of them that were most drunk, in the bathroom.

"Hurryup!" he groaned impatiently. Hazel opened the door, face fresh of makeup, her breath minty and clean.

"Shaddup!"

Jimmy slipped between the door and the doorframe, a mischievous grin alight his face.

"You lookpretty 'ithout makeup," he whispered slightly, slurring his words softly. He was looking down at his small best friend. She could smell the alcohol on his breath, but she was just as gone as he was.

"Thank 'ou," she blushed, looking at the floor. And he did it.

He pressed his soft, full lips to hers, and he kissed her. She felt his teeth graze her bottom lip, and his tongue tasted like sharp whiskey and salt. Her head was swimming in alcohol and her own thoughts, and by the time they pulled away, she knew she shouldn't be doing that.

"Jim-"

"G'night," he said simply, and he turned on his heel and walked out.

She was left there, bewildered by the actions of her best friend. She was practically in a daze as she slipped into Logan's room.

"It's gonna be really awkward if that was Jimmy that just slipped into bed with me," Logan teased in a scratchy voice. Haz barely managed a laugh.

"Yeah I s'ppose," she grimaced, bringing herself closer to Logan's soft and warm body. She felt tears prick in her eyes. She wouldn't remember this in the morning, but it still happened. She, even as drunk as she was, felt guilty.

And Jimmy laid in the boys' room in his pajama bottoms, not feeling a single charge of emotion from the kiss. He felt absolutely nothing for her.