Class Dictator

Road Block

Friday afternoon and Kyle and I are using the black spray paint for the completed table. Through the sound of spraying mist and rattling cans, I heard Marie rehearsing in the back.

"It's so unfortunate. I have to be here in a cold and dim apartment when the city is just outside. Would a car stop or a light switch off if I wasn't around to see it?"

"Odds are that they won't." I hear Kyle mutter as it brings a chuckle to my face.

"It's my fault that Eric left. I drove him away. If only it could have stayed behind closed doors."

"Please. With you that moody, I'm surprised he didn't jump off a roof."

"I still remember his voice."

"I do too. The last thing he said was 'screw off, you psychopath!'"

That made me burst with laughter. We tried our best to stay quiet, but we were already pounding on the floor with ourselves hunched over. Kyle holds his hands to his mouth while I breath in and hold my side. This may be the first time I've seen him laugh so hard.

As five came around, the weekend started with a down pour of rain. I see Kyle pull up with Gwen in the passenger seat. Usually I would reject his offer, but I would be soaked by the time I got home on my bike. After jamming my bike in the back of the van, I take my seat behind them as we trudge through the storm.

Kyle turns his head to the right to face us. "Hey, would it be alright with you guys if I stop by the garage to pick up some papers?"

"Sure." Gwen and I say in unison as Kyle turns into a different lane.

We pull up as Kyle rushes in while I stay back with Gwen to avoid getting drenched.

"Are you okay, Wyatt?" I hear Gwen ask as I turn to see her shifting herself to face me.

"I'm fine. Do I look like something's wrong?"

"No. It just seems like something has been bothering you recently. There's little signs here and there. I'm always open to talk if you need to."

"Thanks but, right now, I don't know what to talk about." She nods as I try to change the subject. "How long have you known Kyle?"

"Since freshmen year. I wasn't really friends with him but we got along and saw each other often. That is, until the C.O. incident."

"What exactly happened? Did he leave?"

"That's what everyone said. Rumors say that he moved across the country. I guess he was just hanging out here the whole time."

Kyle came out of the garage with a folder in his hand. Gwen gives me one last comforting smile as she turns around just as the van door opens. Kyle leaps in and tosses the folder on the dashboard before turning the ignition.

"Miss me?" He chuckles as he pulls out and back on the way to my house. We just snicker at the comment and continue onto mindless conversations over the radio show that barely made a sound. It's been a long day, but the clouds seem to be lifting and the final seconds of a sunset welcomes the stars to take their rightful places. Yup. It's been a long day