BREATHE [✔]

2. Stalker

Chester

"Dude, you coming out tonight right?"Amery stated excitedly.

" Uh...what," I replied dumbly.

Avery had this thing of saying awkward sentences or dirty sentences all the time. Whether it was intentional or not that was up to him. We had no clue. Sometimes it would brush over us then 10 minutes after the conversation I am asking my self-did I hear that correctly or it came as it was right now weird and he didn't care. Precè looked at me with a smile waiting to laugh if I did. But not today I was definitely not in the mood.

"I don't think I can make it tonight," I replied lightly tugging at the hair on the back of my neck.

"Dude that's what you said last week and the week before that. " Precè chimed in.

"I know I am just a little busy you know."

"It's a Friday what could possibly be keeping you busy. " Amery said confused.

"Dude he has a girlfriend!" Precè said winking.

I was about to agree with him when what Amery said shocked me because I did not think he listened to what any of the girls talked about during lunch.

"Nah bro she is coming. She was asking Sammy what they were wearing."

"Oh, so why can't you come too, Ches?" Precè said using the stupid nickname that irritated me.

"I have an assignment due tomorrow and I haven't even started."I lied. It was so easy to lie that it scared me just a little.

To be honest. I felt like I had socialized enough for a month. But in this society, we live in you can not just tell your friends to shove off and leave you alone without raising suspicion. And suspicion is not what I wanted because it brought attention I was not ready for. Making a mental note to convince Nic I was too 'sick' to go clubbing today I took a turn into a different hallway before Precè and Amery had a chance to find solutions to my 'uncomplicated assignment. ' Those boys were relentless.

I was so far deep in my thoughts I almost missed the person tapping me on my shoulder. I swatted the person's hand off my shoulder mindlessly. Well, to be honest, I thought I was imagining it I mean can you blame me. Two more random people had tapped me and asked me if I was okay in between my lectures. It was starting to get irritating. Conrad was relentless. If this was a prank it was getting old pretty fast. Speaking of Conrad he was right in front of staring at me apparently. It was very unsettling.

Before I knew what was going on he was. . . hugging me... Wait a hug for me? What was that about?

"The fuck you doing man?"

"You looked like you could use one." He replied simply as if he had just lent me money or something.

"I don't hug males!" I stated feeling weird and angry because for some reason it did make me feel better.

"Haha, not even your dad? Why?"

"Cause that stuff is not right," I replied without even thinking.

"Aah, I see you are one of those? "

"Those what?" The confusion was bringing back my bad mood. I could have been in my bed watching movies on Netflix by now.

"Homophobes."

It was a simple word but all I wanted to do was prove him wrong because I wasn't a homophobe. I wasn't even racist. I was okay with everyone. Just not okay with hugging Conrad Judds in random hallways.

I might have thought the last part out loud because his face fell and he said one last line before walking away.

"Oh, so it's a 'me' problem. I get it."

A small tiny part of me felt bad but not bad enough to explain to him what I meant. I let him go because who was going to watch the resident for me if I was not in my room in the next forty minutes. Screw Conrad and his feelings he can grow up and be a man. I thought as I walked away.

By the time I arrived my episode was ten minutes in. And I hated rewinding. It wasn't a Netflix show so catching it up on Netflix was not an option. My phone was buzzing with notifications all from Sammy and Nic. After the Conrad situation, I wasn't in the mood to speak to anyone so I flipped my phone over putting it on silent. I turned to face the wall and before I knew it I could feel sleep tugging me towards its best fantasies. A utopia of unimaginable mysteries even I could not come up with, what I felt I was about to feel. Of course, it was too good to be true because just before I drifted into the abyss that is sleep. I saw Conrad's disappointed face.

[Written 11.12.18]

[Editted 11.02.20]