Fix You.

[16]

After work, I grabbed Steve's chocolate cake, and headed over to his place. I park a few yards down his street, away from his house and walk around back and tap on his bedroom window. His dad is kind of a dick, and doesn't like me, so I have to come in his window. His light is on, and he is lying in his bed with his arms behind his head, looking at the poster he has taped to his ceiling. When he hears me, gets up immediately and opens the window.

"Hey, H. Got my cake?" he asked with a smile.

"Oh, shit! I forgot!" I said holding the cake behind my back.

He glared at me and I laughed.

"Just kidding!" I gave him the cake and climbed inside, falling on my back.

"Ow!" I whisper yelled.

"You know, I could've helped you in." Steve laughed, and put a piece of cake in his mouth, getting icing on his face. 

"Shut up." I hit him playfully. I noticed the icing on his face, and burst out laughing.

"What?"

"There's icing on your face!" I said between laughs. I grabbed a towel, still damp, from the floor and rubbed it on his face to get the icing off.

"Ow!" he said, and he started tickling me and I was pushed on his bed.

"Steve, stop! Stop! I'm serious, stop or I'll kick you in the face." he stopped immediately, but he was hovering over me. He turned red and flopped over beside me on his twin bed. It was crowded.

"Jesus, how did Evie and you sleep on this thing? It's so tiny." I said, scooting over so my right leg was hanging off, putting space between Steve and I.

"Well... we didn't do much sleeping... most of the time we were like how I was when I was tickling you." he said.

"Oh..." we laid there in silence for a while, and I decided I needed to leave, it was getting late.

"Well, I'm gonna go. I have class tomorrow." I got up and smoothed my hair.

"Hey, Heather, wait. Just a minute."Steve got up and walked over to me. He seemed nervous.

"Heather... I broke up with Evie." he said.

"Why? She was a nice girl, she seemed to like you a lot." I said, surprised.

"Well...  I broke up with her because I like you." he said, looking me in the eyes for the first time.

I was shocked. I had seen signs that he liked me, but I blew them off. He can't like me, he's my best friend! He's a brother to me. A little annoying brother that is good with cars that I love. He can't like me... I like Dallas.

"Uh... Steve... um. I don't know what to say..." I am at a loss for words.

"Steve...  you're a brother to me. I like Dallas,  I like him a lot, okay? And I can't look at you like that. I'm... I think I should leave."

"Yeah..." He looks at the floor.

I open his window, and hop out. I jog down the road to my car. I sit in the driver's seat, and I look at him one last time. I can see him throw something across the room, I can hear it as it breaks against the wall. I hear his dad tell him to leave, and never come back. I see him as he runs towards the Curtis house, I see him as he looks back at me, pain in his eyes.

I cry all the way home, I hate hurting my best friend. It sucks.

When I get to the apartment, I call Cierra.  No answer. She's either at Pony's, or asleep. And if she's at Pony's, she probably already knows.

But I really need to talk to someone about this. So I go down to Dally's.