Skinny Boy ✔

Chapter 56: Garret

There were some bridges I thought I'd burned that I knew needed repair. Well, more like complete reconstruction. Summer was nearing, and I didn't want to leave this school year on a sour, lonely note. 

I'm not gonna lie--it took several days of tossing the idea around in my head before I convinced myself to see him again. Then it took all day to stop procrastinating and actually make the step to see him. Funny thing is, as soon as I walked out the front door, all the apprehension was pushed to the back of my mind, and there was no stopping me. Well, I did stop before crossing a few streets. I'm not that crazy. 

I would have run there if not for the lingering pains brought on by rhabdo. So walking would have to do; and walk I did. Across several streets, one main road, and into a neighborhood with slightly bigger houses than mine. I walked as though on a mission to Modor.

But to me, this was more important than throwing some ring into a flame. This was Garret.

I only slowed when I reached the bottom of his porch. Suddenly, I was questioning why I was here, what I was going to say, and what I would do after that. 

But I couldn't keep beating around the bush. So slowly but surely, I made my way to the door, laid my knuckles on the door, and waited for what felt like an eternity. Both hoping he would open the door, and hoping he would take all the time in the world to answer. 

When he opened the door and his eyes laid on me, an unreadable expression washed over him. 

"Nathan," he breathed. It was hardly more than a whisper, like he was afraid I would disappear if everyone was alerted of my presence. 

Maybe I should have greeted him first, asked if we could talk, ya know? 

"You were right," I blurted out. Wow, tactful much? "I needed help, and I didn't know it. I should have listened to you, I should have...I should have realized that you were only looking out for me, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry I hurt you, I'm sorry I hit you, I'm sorry I pushed you away, I'm sorry." 

His face had barely changed since he opened the door, but I could see his mind trying to process everything while I barfed it out. 

I hardly let a breath slip between words, but when I finished speaking, breathing was all I seemed to bring myself to do. We stared at each other for a few seconds, unmoving, before I finally broke the silence. "I just wanted you to know that." 

My eyes trailed down to the sidewalk behind me, and my feet decided that seemed like I better place to go. 

But before I could get to the first step, Garret spoke. 

"Do you wanna come inside?" 

"Sure," was all I could find myself saying. 

He led me to the living room where he had just been--a paused game of guitar hero on as evidence of that.

I chewed my cheek, unsure of why I was even here. Why didn't I leave when I had the chance? I shouldn't even be here right now! Maybe it's not too late to leave while I--

"Uh, you wanna play a round?" he asked.

"Sure," I said.

And that's how we ended up playing songs and singing like nobody's business.

~

A round turned into two, turned into five, at which point we were buckling our knees laughing at each other's horrid voice. We collapsed on the couch, catching our breathes. I glanced at Garret for a split second while taking the little plastic guitar off.