Slip

Chapter Four

Marc

We all looked at Eric with wide eyes. The look on his face was one that I hadn't seen on him in forever. He tensed up and his arms flexed once he put his hands on his head, pacing back and forth past us. He looked around to see if anyone else was there. Just a few girls were there. I figured they didn't matter because he started talking again anyway.

"Please don't beat me up once I tell you this." He sighed.

"Eric, just tell us, man. I doubt we'd even be able to beat you up anyway," Chip chuckled.

Jason raised a brow. "Speak for yourself!"

"Shut up, Jason!" We snapped.

Eric couldn't get it out. He let out little noises like when he always tried to talk to talk to that Spanish girl from Starbucks. Eric really liked the bird but nothing ever happened. He did that with every woman he fancied anyway. It was funny. He always got too nervous to speak so he freaked out!

Leo sat up and set his hand on his shoulder. "Get it out, man. You can do it."

"Yeah! Deep breaths!" Charlotte followed.

Eric did so. They were shaky breaths but they made their way out. "Okay, ah.. I'm- eh- ooh.."

"Come on, E." Chip sighed.

"Mm remember when I told you I liked this girl from work?" He said it so quickly. It took me a minute to get what he was saying. We all nodded. "Well mm it's not a girl."

"It's a woman.." Jason corrected.

"No. No. It's not a female at all." Eric continued pacing.

"It's an animal? Eric! Wha-what are you going through?" Jason had a shocked look on his face.

I was waiting for one good reason not to throw my glass at his head. Just one. I remembered that the glass I was holding was one of the glasses Charlotte got us for Christmas the year before. I remember her going "if you break these glasses, I will hurt every single one of you, then I'll cry because I'm never that mean." I'd never seen her cry. I always tried not to break the glasses. No matter how bad I wanted to. Charlotte was like a niece to me or something. Who wants to watch their niece cry?

Chip rubbed his face. "You're such a- Jason!" He shouted. "Eric's gay!" Looks like I wasn't the only one irritated with Jason.

"B-but Eric. You swore you loved women just as much as I do!" Jason tilted his head.

"I thought you were gay too at the time!" Eric sat down and sighed loudly. Charlotte gave him another shot. As soon as it touched his bent pinky, he drank it straight.

"Really?" Jason looked slightly embarrassed. I tried not to laugh at them because it wasn't really even that funny but at the same time it was.

Eric sighed and walked out. His confidence lowered. I figured he thought we hated him. I didn't hate him for liking men. That was who he was. We couldn't blame him for that.

Charlotte came over, drying off a few glasses. "Someone needs to go out and talk to him. He needs it." She always said the things no one else wanted to. Always breaking the silence. "Preferably Jason.."

Jason frowned. "Me? Why me?"

"Because your his best friend," Chip said. "And you seemed upset with him about it."

"I'm not upset with him."

"He doesn't know that."

"Fine." He got up and walked out the door.