The Space Between Them

Chapter Two

Spoiler Alert.

As it turns out, making a complete fool out of yourself can get you somewhere in life. Somewhere perhaps in someone else's bed. Somewhere that isn't a lecture from one of your professors. Somewhere warm and quiet. This was far more interesting than any two-hour long rant about brainwaves and mental stability ever could be. I actually want to come here again and again, unlike class.

I woke up in someone else's room. It was far cleaner than mine, and there wasn't a faint smell of weed in the air, so I knew that I wasn't in my own room with Darwin. I sit up and I am alone in bed. I look down and no clothes are attached to my little brown body except for socks. Of course, I am the kid who lost his virginity in socks. The sheets are oddly warm. I like it. They smell like the fruitiest cologne ever, and I know I am with Dannie. He lays asleep on the couch across the room, his neck hung over the back like a slinky. I laugh.

I grab a pillow and throw it at him from across the room. He wakes up and rubs his neck. He murmurs a "Good Morning" and I smile at him. He brushes his blonde hair back and stands up to stretch. He drags his feet across the floor and flops over into the bed with me. He wore only his boxers and his soft skin felt frigid against mine.

"Sorry. I'm freezing."

"That's hot," I say and he laughs as he lays on top of me. I roll him over and he lays on his back beside me. His room continues to be quiet. It becomes awkward after a while. I jump down off the bed and waddle to the bathroom as I am bare-ass naked. The cool, crisp air brushes my butt and I eventually close the door behind me.

"Nice ass by the way!" I hear him yell through the door.

"Thanks. You too!" I laugh

"That's hot," He mocks me. I walk over and sit on the toilet to release the latte from the day before. It felt amazing. Ew. Too much information. Well, then I get comfortable and I feel something exiting from the nether region. I push a little, and it plops into the water like the Titanic. I expect it to split in half.

I look over and shit. Literally... shit. The only thing there is a cardboard roll clinging onto the remains of a single piece of toilet paper. I am such a fucking mistake. I am literally such an embarrassment. Why was I the sperm that made it? Fuck you Ethan Cambridge. Fuck you. Wait. Nevermind. I don't hate my Mom's best friend. He's the reason I am here. In all my toilet-paper-less glory.

"Is everything okay in there?"

"Um. Yeah. I'm good," Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck.

I stand up and search for a roll or at least some baby wipes up in this bitch, and I eventually open the cabinet under the sink and there is the ivory roll itself. I have a little celebration moment and realize that I am naked in a guy that I just hooked up with's bathroom with shit still on my ass and I am dancing. Lord. Please be with me.

I sit back down, wipe my ass, and flush the toilet. Hallelujah, the savior has come. The god of toiletries. Teepeenishe, a new greek goddess. Warrior of hemorrhoids and anal bleaching. Jesus Christ.

I walk out of the bathroom, hands washed, and pick up my boxers from off the floor. I step into them and I hear Dannie let out a sigh as if he was disappointed I was no longer naked. I, however, was now wearing icicles from my nostrils, and I wanted some sort of clothing that isn't black ankle socks on my body. Dannie sits up and pulls the cover over his shoulders, wrapping himself in the warmth.

"Are you sure everything was okay?" He asks as one of his eyebrows stands slanted atop his forehead.

"Mmmmmhm. All good here," I shot him some awkward finger guns and climbed onto his bed. I pulled the sheets over me and he searched for his phone under the sheets. I told him that I had fun last night, and he said the same. His bleached hair rests messily on his head and I reach up and run my fingers through it. He groaned sexually when I did it as a joke and I yanked my hand away. He exploded into laughter and so did I. He makes me happy. He makes me want to live.

"I want a bagel," I say.

"Again? I mean, I'll buy you breakfast but another bagel?"

"Dannie, sweetie. I live off a strict diet of cream cheese bagels, hazelnut lattes, take-out, gas station sushi, and dick. Ain't nothing changing that."

"Well. I guess you've already gotten one of em'," He is talking about dick. His dick.

I jump off the bed and look around for my pants and hoodie and shoes. I eventually find all of the pieces to my no longer straight-looking outfit and Dannie interrupts. He rolls over to the edge of the mattress and gives me those butter-like baby eyes. I walk over, give him a kiss and tell him that I am leaving. He grabs his phone that he somehow found buried in the sheets, and opens up a clean contact page. I put in my number and throw it back at him. He smirks and says "I'll call you," as I walk out the room. His door shuts, and I throw myself against the wall and slide down. Holy shit. Like, Holy mother of all shits. I put up my hood and roll my hands up in the sleeves and cry. Not like sad-cry, but happy-cry. I finally have something to live for, Someone to live for.

I realize how stupid and depressed I look and I drag myself out the door and onto the streets of Raleigh. I reach into my pockets and panic for a moment until I find my phone. My headphones rest in the other pocket. The backpack continues to be a weight on my shoulders, even though it was practically useless for the past 24 hours. Well, not completely useless... I had a pen. If I wasn't ready for school, I would still be a sad, biracial, gay-ass virgin from San Francisco.

Fuck. I am happy.