17 again.

18

Fin

9 days ago

"Sorry, I have to stay home with Benji. Mum's out and the sitter's busy." Cole's voice sounded strained. I could tell he was lying almost immediately. The dumbass should know he can't get anything by me.

"Maybe I should come over to your place?" I ask, even though I'm miffed at him for lying. Maybe I'm being a little bit to clingy but I just like spending time with him okay? Don't judge me.

"No," He says, leaving me disappointed. "I'm kind of exhausted anyway. How about we just meet on Saturday?"

I agree and he cuts of, leaving me alone in my room, swinging my feet back and forth as I seat on the foot of my bed.

Sighing, I scroll through my contacts. I'll hangout with someone else, maybe Oliver from my swim team? He just got an Xbox and a bunch of games yesterday might as help him break them in.

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Hanging out with Oliver did not go as planned. Turns out the idiot's having a party and didn't bother to mention that before I got there. He knows parties aren't my thing. Now I'm stuck sitting on a beanbag chair, grumbling to myself while I'm surrounded by a bunch of drunk idiots.

I should leave but I don't feel like going home yet. I can't go to another friends house either, Oliver's the only person I know within walking distance of my house. I really do need my drivers license, at least then I could borrow the family car or something.

"You look glum." I look up and Oliver's right in front of me, swaying from side to side. "What's wrong shortstack?"

"One, don't call me that. Two, you know I don't like parties, you should have mentioned you were having one."

"Then you wouldn't have come." He slurs before flopping down on to the bean bag chair next to me. "I'm glad you did."

"Thanks... I guess."

"Come on," He hops up to his feet quickly. "We can still use my Xbox. I locked my room so no one would get in."

"Fine. Why not?" I get up and follow after him, weaving through the crowds of drunk teenagers. How are people so drunk already? It's just 10pm and we all still have school tomorrow.

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Playing against a drunk Oliver is like playing against a baby, it's so easy it's boring. I toss my controller to the side and just watch him play. His character just fell of a cliff and is crawling around waiting for his teammates to heal him before it's too late. Even his on screen character looked drunk with the way it was stumbling around.

He tosses his controller on to the carpeted ground in anger once he finally dies and gets up abruptly. "Fortnite fucking sucks."

"Nah, you're just drunk."

"What? I'm not that drunk." He straightens up and smooths out his clothes. "Do I look drunk?"

"As a sailor."

He flops down on to the bed with a loud huff and stretches out star fish style. "Meanie."

"What are you, two?"

He grumbles in to his pillow. "You're lucky you're so cute." He slurs out before flipping over on to his back.

"What?"

"You heard me." He responds then sits up in bed, resting his back on his headboard. "Come give me a little kissy."

"Well, that's my cue to live." I get up, leaving his room as quickly as possible while he giggles into his pillow.

📚📘📖✒

8 days ago

I think Cole's skipping school today, he's nowhere to be found. However, Oliver isn't.

I'm in front of my locker and in the middle of dumping a bunch of books into it when Oliver walks up to me, eyes fixed on the floor.

"Hi." He greets, eyes still not straying past his feet.

"Hi."

"Um... About last night, can you please not tell anybody? I was way to drunk and didn't know what I was say-"

"Don't worry." I cut him of. "I wasn't planning on telling anybody."

He lets out a deep breath and his shoulders droop, the tension seemingly flowing right out of them.

"Thank you so much. I'm so sorry about last night."

"It's fine." I shrug then pause when a question comes to mind. "So are you gay or bi or something?"

He looks startled, like he expected me to just drop the subject and forget all about last night. Not bloody likely.

He pauses to think then looks around the hallway, realizing were the only two people out. Everyone else is in class and I have a free period right now then lunch. I wonder where he's supposed to be.

"I'm not sure." He answered honestly after a while, looking up at me for the first time since we started talking. "I just started figuring all this stuff out, I don't know about labels. I don't know if I even want one."

"It's okay to not know." I'm still not sure what I am.

"You sound like you're talking from personal experience." His dark blue-grey eyes are wide and hopeful, probably just excited that he might find someone else like him.

I shrug, ignoring his implication because I'm certainly not ready to tell anybody yet. Besides, I want Cole to be the first person I tell.

A big chunk of me wants him to be part of a lot of my firsts.

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Thanks to lyghtkio for your votes. They are a real encouragement.

- I. Tamilore Onkọwe

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