Loved By Levi

Six

Levi

"Dude, what's got you so tore up, anyway? You were all gung-ho about going on runs outside and doing army research and shit. Next thing I know you're spaced out with this moody-ass look on your face and hiding in the gym all the time. What the hell happened?" My best friend stood, or rather leaned, next to me, clutching a glass bottle identical to the one in my hand.

"Marines, not army," I corrected, taking a sip of the now lukewarm beer I was holding.

Matt shook his head. "Whatever, it's basically the same thing. They all learn to shoot guns and hide in camouflage, right?"

"Not really," I argued lamely, not in the mood to fight with him but definitely not ready to talk about the reason I'd been so sullen lately. Matt was my best friend, but he never had much of an ability to understand the things that drove me to do what I did. He was too carefree to get that I needed goals and motivation in life. All he really cared about was getting high, hooking up, and getting grades that were just high enough to not get him kicked out of college so his parents would keep floating him all the money he needed. Yup, that was my best friend.

I finished off the rest of my beer to drown out whatever stupid commentary he was shooting back and popped the top off another one. If I was gonna be stuck at this stupid party I would at least take advantage of the free drinks and try to drown myself.

"Seriously, man, what's the deal? Aren't you supposed to tell your best friend about shit that's getting you down?" His voice was whiny and four beers later my resolve to keep everything to myself was damn close to worn out.

"I met a girl, okay? Is that a good enough explanation for you?" 

Matt's eyebrows shot up so far they disappeared under his messy hair. "You? You met a girl?"

"I don't see why that's so hard to believe," I grumbled, taking another swig. Instead of loosening me up the drinks were causing me to get even more sullen, which didn't usually happen.

"Well, I don't know. I guess you don't normally like girls."

My jaw hung slack. "Are you calling me gay?"

His head tipped back and a laugh that sounded all too close to a donkey's bray shot out, drawing some odd looks our way. "You can take it how you want, but that wasn't what I meant!"

"Shut up," I growled, staring at the ground.

"What's so great about this girl anyway?" He finally quit laughing long enough to ask, slurring most of the words. Matt was drunk as a skunk and I wasn't far behind. "I mean, you don't usually notice girls. What does this one have? Are her tits that big?"

My eyes narrowed. Usually that was something I laughed at but when applied to Mylee it wasn't funny at all. I decided to let it slide, though. He didn't know her so it wasn't his fault. Hell, I barely even knew her, but that didn't change the fact that she'd caught my eye. "I dunno, man. She was just so pretty, and she had this red hair..."

"Wait a minute, hold up—" Matt shoved a hand out in front of me as if I was about to physically bowl him over instead of the other way around— "you're saying the only thing you're hung up on is she's pretty and she's a ginger? Why didn't you just say that in the first place?"

I tried to cut him off, but he didn't let me.

"Levi, I know plenty of pretty redheads. Let me hook you up. Actually," he pulled out his phone, barely able to grasp it, "I got the number of this cowgirl that hung out with a ginger I think you'd really like. She was real pretty."

"Matt, I don't want to hook up with some random girl. That's all you, not me," I protested vehemently.

He just scoffed. "Levi, you don't have to hook up with her. I mean, you can if you decide you want to, but that's not it. You'd like this girl, I promise. She was real quiet, and a cowgirl, too."

I stared him down. "Where'd you meet her anyway?"

"A rodeo."

"Matt... Just because you met her at a rodeo doesn't mean she was a cowgirl. Everybody and their dog puts on a stupid straw hat and boots to watch those things and you know it." I wasn't really sure why he was hell bent on getting me together with a cowgirl anyway. Country wasn't exactly my type.

He shrugged. "Whatever, suit yourself. Maybe I'll just call her friend up anyway. I could stand to hang out with a girl tonight."

Before I could stop him he was lifting his ringing phone to his ear and nearly sloshing beer all over me. "Heyyy, Camille! How's your night going?"

I cringed, figuring she could hear his slurring.

"Not too bad, but it'd be better if you were here. Where am I? Oh, uh," he leaned over and half whispered in my hear "Levi, what's this place called?"

I nearly choked on my beer. "Matt, we're at somebody's house, not a bar. And I don't know the address, go out front and look!" God, he was out of it. It didn't help that he'd gotten high as a kite before we even left the house, but still.

"Um, okay. Just a sec, Camille." He stumbled off the patio we'd been parked on for nearly two hours and I tried not to laugh at him. Matt was known to do just about anything to get some, so inviting a girl he barely knew to a house he didn't even know the address of wasn't that ridiculous, but still. He was a dumbass.

I was surprised he'd even been able to remember her name in his stupor, but I guess there had to be something he was decent at with all the girls he managed to get.

Ten minutes later he came stumbling back over with the biggest, stupidest grin I'd ever seen him wear. "Well, did you get your girl?"

He nodded and made his way to the coolers to grab another drink. I figured he'd either finished or spilled the one he'd been holding before running out front. At the rate he was going, a spill was the most likely fate.

"They'll be here in an hour."

"Wait, they?"