The Cliché of the Dork and the Jock

A Cold Household

Although I've only been gone for a week, the building I once called home left me feeling cold and somewhat nervous about my surroundings as though I was in a foreign place. The house has always felt cold but for the first time in awhile I feel extremely lonely. Well, I've always been rather lonely in this house , what with my parents being absent for so long, but somehow this loneliness feels painful.

It's completely different from Kevin's house, which had a warm and cozy feel to it. I never felt alone there since Kevin was always by my side. I just stepped foot inside my home and already I miss Kevin's presence.

I let out a agitated huff, "I'm acting like a child." Why am I thinking such childish thoughts.
"Well you do look like a child so you might as well act like one , no?"

My back hit the door as I jumped back frightened. A bed of green hair peeked out from around the corner in the kitchen, moving further out Frank's figure stood at the end of the hall holding a mug.

"Frank?! For heaven's sake what are you doing here?"

"You let me crash here remember? We agreed on it two days ago girly boy.", he took a sip from his mug going back into the kitchen. "Oh-oh that's right. I forgot. He-Hey wait a minute! That's my coffee mug!" I frantically run to the kitchen and see Frank sitting at the kitchen table, the chair pushed back ,his legs resting on the table.I nearly faint at the sight. I stand at a loss of words before muttering out a squeaky "You".

"What are you doing?!" I shriek, "Please get your shoes off the table! Oh good lord I have to wipe the table down. My mug! I have to get a new one now!" I panic and cry realizing I never explained the rules of the house before I gave him permission to stay here.
"What's your problem? What's wrong with my shoes? I only used your mug twice I've been drinking mostly from water bottles."
"My parents are very strict when it comes to how I take care of the house. Shoes are not permitted outside the door entrance. Nothing but plates and cups should ever touch the kitchen table, esp-especially not shoes! Lastly we are never permitted to drink from any cup aside from our assigned cup!", pouting I watch as Frank lifts his shoes off the table and his face contorts to a look of disbelief.

"Your parents really have ya following those types of rules? Jesus fuck no wonder you turned out the way you are now. You could've told me beforehand and I would've followed the rules dork." He gets up setting the mug down and go to the entrance way and takes off his shoes revealing black ankle cut socks.

"I did!" I shout remembering our encounter in the storage closet, "you told me you would look after the house and follow the rules!"

"Oh yea. Guess I forgot." He shrugs walking past me entering the kitchen once again.

"What do you mean by the way I "turned out"?" I was a little offended by the tone he used as if I was different from how other children were raised. I believe I was raised as well as any other child could be raised. I was taught responsibility and how to be mature.

"Well ya know, dorky and easily pushed around." Picking up the mug he drank from,he walked to the sink and began to wash it. Worry began to cloud me as I began to remember who I let stay with me.

"If you don't mind me asking, why of all people did you choose to me to stay with? You could have stayed with your friends. Did you choose me simply because I'm easy to push around?"

My ego grew offended the more those words repeated in my mind. Was I really such a weak person that I could be easily pushed into allowing my bully to stay in my house?

"You were the only one I trusted.Besides, I don't have any friends." He turns off the water and places the mug on the drying rack.
No friends? Who were those guys he would bring along to torment me countless of times?

"What about the guys who would attack me?" I lowered my gaze knowing I had a pathetic expression of cowardice and fear as I remembered the many times I would be pushed and kicked.

"They aren't my friends. They were just guys who wanted to join The Snakes by proving how tough they can be. Or they were fellow members who were keeping an eye on me.Of course they all saw picking on a guy smaller than they are ,as tough for some reason." He gripped the counter of the sink as he spoke, his grip tightening as though he remembered painful memories.

So I was just used to show toughness because some delinquents wanted to be gang members. "Why did you do it? Pick on me ,I mean."
"I had no choice. The Snake members were always watching. They expected me to recruit new members. That means participating in the beatings ,people who want to join, do. I never wanted to hurt you Edd. I had no other choice, if I slipped one more time, there would be hell to pay. You're the only safe haven I have to go to. I knew if anyone could find the good in me, it would be you."