Soulmate

Chapter 6: The Girl

Alexander

    "Patrick, no, I don't want to go see that stupid movie with you!" I grumbled as I added weight to the bar. I didn't want to go and see a movie, instead I wanted to go home, take a shower, and listen to music, or watch stupid videos. I didn't want to go out. Can't I have one lazy day?

    He stood there and watched me carry the weights, but he didn't offer to help; I was lucky he was even here to spot me. "Come on, man! It's Danny's last night of freedom! This is his last wish! One more night with his bros!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms around for emphasis even though it only made him look ridiculous.

    I rolled my eyes, he was drawing attention towards us, and I didn't want that; I wanted to get my workout over with. Sometimes it annoyed me that most men considered finding their soulmate a loss of freedom, but that's just how my friends worked. Danny was the youngest of our group, and I was slightly jealous that he would meet his soulmate before me. "And Sharla's going to let you do that?" I asked as I put the clips on.

    He came around to spot me as I laid down under the bar, mentally preparing myself. "Yeah, I explained it to her. It's not like any of us are old enough to get alcohol, so we won't be wasted. We'll probably just see the movie and go bowling, or something like that. So she was okay with it, but she expects me to text as much as possible. Sometimes she expects too much from me, you know?" he explained while I did my reps.

    My breathing was heavy as I struggled to lift the bar. I could care less about his drama, but I listened because I had no other choice. His soulmate drove him crazy, but I could tell that it was in the best possible way. She prevented him from doing all of the stupid things he used to, and she kept him on a tight leash because he needed it. He needed structure in his life. When I was finally done, I sat up to look at him. "I don't think she expects enough out of you. But I guess if the Wise Sharla is okay with it, then I'll tag along. If you guys start drinking though, then I'm out," I insisted with a slight roll of the eyes.

    He rolled his eyes as we took the weights off the bench. "Yeah, fine. I know we aren't going to be drinking. I mean Danny might go home, or go to a party. You know, he's still in high school. He's almost graduating! I think he needs to have a little fun. It's hard to find your soulmate during high school," he explained as we started walking to the locker room. He winced because he knew that he said the wrong thing.

    I glared at his mop of sandy blonde hair, sometimes I wanted to punch him, but I knew that we were pretty evenly matched. (No, we weren't, but I wouldn't be the one to tell him that.) "Hmm, yeah, it must be horrible to have your whole life figured out once you're out of high school," I sarcastically replied.

    He looked down at the black and white tiled floor. "Seriously, sorry dude. It's just different. You have time to, you know, save your money, find a nice job, and you could've started college if you wanted. You have more time to prepare for your soulmate. I didn't have anything to offer Sharla and I feel horrible about it. We have a shitty apartment that she hates, and she's about to live in a dorm at her college because we can barely afford the gas it takes for her to drive back and forth," he rambled, and I knew it was true, but I also knew that they were happy.

    I hit him on back, and gave him a small smile. "I've told you a thousand times, if you need money, just ask me for it. I'm happy to help you two," I insisted as I held the door open for him. He nodded in reply, but I knew he would never borrow my money because that wasn't his style. He was always fending for himself. We didn't talk as we got ready to go home, and we didn't talk until we got to my car.

    "You know, I know that you're waiting for your soulmate, but that's not going to help your life. She's going to cause you so many problems. Sometimes I wish that we could opt out of this whole thing, like that we could pick to be single for the rest of our lives, or at least until we know we are ready," he rambled as he squinted at the sun. I think we were all thankful for the warm weather.

    I mashed my lips into a thin line wondering why he was talking like this; he should be thankful. "What would Sharla think if she heard you talking about her like that?" I asked because I wasn't sure how to reply to him. Our friendship has been strained since he met her, but we've been trying to keep some normality by going to the gym together.

    He turned his head towards me with his green eyes wide. "I love her, man. but we've talked about it before. I think she would've liked the same thing. We love each other, but if we would've met when we were both ready to settle down, then it would just be easier, you know?" he questioned as he opened the door to my car. He was looking at me with pleading eyes, like he was begging me to understand.

    I nodded my head as I got in, I didn't know, and I probably wouldn't know until I met my soulmate. "All well, at least you guys love each other. You'll get through it soon enough," I murmured as I tried to focus on driving.

    He nodded his head, started talking about how hot she was, bragged about all the things they did together, and I couldn't help but laugh at him. Our friendship was sometimes too personal. "She was trying to cook and I guess when I came home, I 'distracted' her and she burnt it! That was the first and last time she's tried to cook. Now she just gets takeout, and sometimes she'll try to make it look like she cooked it, but I know she didn't," he told me and I laughed with him. They were still trying to get used to living with one another even though it's been almost a year.

    "Are you ever going to marry her?" I asked, glancing over at him. I already knew the answer, but I couldn't see how normal parents would let their daughter move in with a strange guy who had no intention of marrying her. But I guess her parents probably weren't normal. Sharla definitely wasn't.

    He snorted, and rolled his eyes at me. "Why do I need to get the government involved? They already set us up, and we're perfect for each other. We aren't going to be with anyone else, mostly because we can't be, so why do I need a piece of paper to tell me that she's legally mine?" he asked, and I knew that he was prepared to go into a rant.

    I smiled at him as we drove by the high school, I scanned the cars until I found that bright blue truck, and a stupid smile forced itself onto my face. I tried to hide it, but I knew I was too late. Patrick had probably seen, and sure enough he was staring at the parking lot too. "Isn't that truck nice?" I asked, trying to avoid talking about the beautiful girl who drives it.

    "You're hiding something. This isn't just about some stupid truck! You don't even like trucks! What? Who drives it? Is it Marcy's?" he questioned, narrowing his eyes at me. I knew better than trying to hide something from him.

    I was taken aback by the mention of Marcy; he should know that she graduated with our class. "No, it's not her's. I don't know whose it is. I was following them today, and I guess the girl was nice looking," I murmured, trying to seem casual about all of it, so I added a slight shrug of the shoulders.

    That girl wasn't simply nice looking; she was stunning, but I tried not to think about her. If I did, I wouldn't be able to stop. All through my dentist appointment, I thought about her full lips moving to the words of the song, and her blonde hair blowing in the wind. Why was I able to remember so much about her? I even thought about the slightly annoyed look she gave me when I revved up my engine. I've never thought about any girl this much in my life, not even Marcy; it was never Marcy.

    I'm sure Patrick could tell that I wasn't telling him the whole truth, but he let it go and I was happy about that. Instead, he started talking about our plans for this evening, even though I wasn't listening to him. He probably knew that I wasn't paying attention, that I was more focused on the road, but he continued to talk.

    He had to know that I was still thinking about the girl.