Sexual Tension

6. inattentiveness

"So Frank was on his way home and A and I had about 10 minutes before he came in and realised we'd stolen all his beers..." Carl laughed recalling the time we were 16 and stole Franks alcohol so i could see what it was like to be drunk for the first time, Carl had of course been drinking since the age of 10.

"Wait...who's Frank?" Maria asked awkwardly pretending to be enjoying the story. While Matts nose was stuck in his phone.

"Uhh he's kinda my dad!" Carl awkwardly said, see he was less than proud to admit he was the spawn of Frank Gallagher.

"You haven't met Frank yet?" I asked Maria to which she shook her head annoyedly.

"I've sort of been avoiding that obstacle." Carl tried to play it off.

"Well i would love to meet him." Maria smiled lovingly in an extremely sad try-hard manner.

"Trust me you wouldn't!" I laughed attempting to save Carl from having to invite his girlfriend to a family dinner. Carl nodded to me in agreement.

"How would you know?" She asked me in the most jealous tone i'd ever heard in my life.

"Because i've met, spend time with, and understand his family..." I said matter-of-factly trying to hold in my laughter at the jealousy that was literally oozing out of her.

"Yeah trust me, it's complicated don't worry!" Carl smiled at her reassuringly and attempted to redirect the conversation. If looks could kill she would have put me 10 feet under.

"Well i just think your girlfriend should get to meet your family if she already has!" She muttered. I looked to Matt for help but as usual he couldn't be paying any less attention and i felt alone and uncomfortable as Carl reached across and grabbed her hand reassuring her.

So the rest of the date was as painfully awkward as expected, we are continued small talk until thankfully Matt got a phone call and had an excuse for us to go, sometimes his inattentiveness was a bonus.

"Well she really does not like me!" i laughed as we got in his car.

"I don't think that's true!" Only because you seemed absent the whole night. i thought to myself.

"Did you see the looks i was getting the whole night?" I asked slightly annoyed at his inattentiveness now.

"Plus all her snide comments about how great Carl is and how happy they are as if she was trying to make me jealous, stupid bitch!"

"Well it looks like she succeeded..." Matt sighed rolling his eyes.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" I could tell we were about to argue.

"Well for someone who doesn't care and for someone who already has a boyfriend you seem to sure as hell not like the fact that Carl has a girlfriend." He blushed angrily.

"I'm not angry Carl has a girlfriend i just don't like who she is," i lied raising my voice, "plus it sure as hell seems that my boyfriend doesn't really give a shit about anything that hasn't got to do with himself anymore."

"Hey don't make this about us this is a problem between you and Carl!" Matt defended becoming slightly less angry but i sure as hell wasnt.

"No i am going to make this about us because it never is about us it's always you doing your thing and me doing mine you don't have time for me anymore and you don't really care about anything that i do." I just started speaking and couldn't really stop myself, all the anger just surfaced and i had to get what i'd been feeling for months off my chest. "Matt we had gone months without having sex and it's like you didn't even care!"

"Not everything's about sex Ava!"

"You're right but it's about effort you never put any in anymore!" I was so frustrated.

"You know that's not true." Matt said finally looking at me after stopping the car. i'd been to engrossed in our argument i didn't realise we'd finally reached my house.

"The sex isn't the point it's the fact that you don't pay any attention or notice me anymore! You're a different person to when we first met. I feel like even when we hang out you don't really want to be there with me. You don't know anything that's been going on lately!"

"We met a long time ago Ava, people change you can't help that!" He sighed clearly over the argument as he ignored majority of the points i'd made.

"Yeah well maybe i liked the old Matt better." I huffed before getting out his car and walking up to my house and slamming the door shut. I needed a smoke.

...

I'd spent the weekend at home by myself binge watching tv shows and eating my weight in food. Usually when i felt shit about Matt, Carl would come over and we would get high and hang out all weekend, but i didn't bother to text him that night i didn't want to hear about how great his girlfriend was when my boyfriend couldn't care less about me. So when monday rolled around i decided i was going to try to avoid Matt, i figured if he wanted to make this work he would need to actually put some effort in like he used to...it wouldn't be up to me again.

I made it through my first few lessons without seeing Matt or Carl actually and at our first break i headed to find the rest of our friend group.

I'm sorry id been so invested in what was going on with Matt and Carl that i'd forgotten to tell you about my other friends.
Carl and i had a group of friends. There was the three boys: Jack, Marty and Tyler. Jack was reasonably sensible but Marty and Tyler were absolute nut jobs. Once they robbed a liquor store just for the sake of it and threw a party to celebrate but charged everybody for each cup of alcohol they made an insane profit.

Then the two girls are Maddy and Emma. Maddy and Jack were on and off dating for a bout a year now they were always breaking up and making up and no one really knew what the deal was with them. Em is a bad influence, or i am on her...we don't really know.

"Good morning sunshine!" Em sarcastically greeted me as i plonked myself down on their table.

"Morning." I sighed wallowing in my self pity.

"What's up your ass?" Marty laughed nudging me. I groaned at the thought of recalling my argument with Matt. I was almost embarrassed, it was a petty argument but i was really bothered.

"Had a fight with Matt."

"Oh are you guys breaking up?" Marty asked excitedly. See the whole group used to get along with Matt really well but over the last couple months they started to dislike him because everyone can tell that he's turned into a pretentious asshole.

"I don't really know!" I sighed, i didn't really know what i wanted but that thought didn't frighten me as much as it used to.

"What was the fight over?" Maddy asked sincerely.

"It stared over Carl's girlfriend," I began but was interrupted by a communal groan from the whole group. "Wait do you guys not like her?"

"Well she's okay..." Maddy began however Tyler cut in,

"She's a fuckin bitch."

"Yeah she's definitely not Carl's type." Jack agreed.

"Carls type is anything with a vagina." Em snorted, yeah that i could agree with.

"True but she is so stuck up." Jack explained.

"Maybe her and Matt should get together," Marty winked.

"Yeah then Ava and Carl can finally fuck." Em smirked earning a punch in the leg from me. I have to give it to them, they managed to make me feel better about Maria and Matt.