The Boys and Me

90. Complicated

ZANE:

After school, Heath caught up to me.

"Hey man, Al's tutoring Todd this afternoon. We should hang out" He said.

"I can't today. I promised dad I'd be home for tonight for some stupid family thing" I said and he half pouted.

"Damn that sucks. Oh well, maybe we can hang out another time this week?" He suggested and I nodded, bumping my knuckles to his.

"For sure man" I said as he climbed in his truck and me in my jeep.

Soon enough he had driven away and I had sent a text, my passenger door opening shortly after.

"I'm not exactly sure why you lied to Heath" Elton said as he climbed into the car.

"Because Heath gets crazy jealous and I don't like having to deal with it" I admitted and Elton sighed.

"We're friends and we hang out Zane, Heath should be happy." He said.

"But he won't be. He wants me all to himself but won't make time for me. This is just easier for now" I said and Elton nodded.

"Okay, whatever's easier for you. Are we going to my house?" He asked and I nodded.

"Please. I can't be around him at the moment" I whispered and Elton nodded in understanding. He knew why my place wasn't where I wanted to be and no matter how frustrating I was, he was way too kind to let me go back there when I didn't want to.

As we pulled up to his place and I turned the car off, neither one of us moved.

"I'm sorry if I'm making you feel like I'm trying to hide our friendship, because I'm not" I said and he looked at me.

"I never accused you of that and I would never. Zane, I get it. We're teenagers and life is difficult sometimes. As long as you're there when I need you and I'm there when you need me then there's not really anything to get mad about here" He said and I smiled, sighing in relief at the same time.

"Alright, lets go play some video games" I said as we climbed out of my car.

Don't get me wrong, Heath is my best friend and all but right now he's just not what I need. He knows too much about who I was to give a shit about who I'm becoming. But Elton, he's never judged me. I've shown up at his house at 3 am and he never once made me feel rejected, he just told me to come inside.

In some weird way Elton made me feel like I was the most important person in the world and based off of last semester, I kind of needed that right about now.

"You know what's weird?" I asked as we sat in his room.

"What?" He replied, setting his xBox up.

"That all I have to do is last the next five months. Then summer and then I can finally leave Florida" I said, laying back.

"I know, I can't believe we've almost finished high school. For good" He said, his weight shifting the bed and prompting me to sit up.

"I would have never gotten this far without you. Thanks" I said and he shrugged it off.

"Alissa's the real reason you five are looking at graduating and you know it's true" He said and I nodded.

"Yeah, it is. She's helped us big time. But you helped me. Not the boys, you helped Zane and he really needed it. So thank you" I said, hoping he wouldn't shrug off the compliment again.

"I would say no worries but I'm constantly worrying about you" He joked as I shoved him and grabbed a controller.

That was the great thing about Elton, he was more sensitive that the others so being real with him came easy and he didn't think it was dumb or awkward. That's why opening u[ to him about my family life was so much easier than telling Heath and the others.