Burnouts

A Rose by Only Your Name

Scene 1: Madison Street - Zach's Apartment

Leo Rylin

"Boyfriend," Peyton smiled when she opened the door.

"Hey, Peyton," I smiled back at her.

"You came to see me?"

"Your brother, actually."

Peyton playfully rolls her eyes before stepping out of the way to let me in, "he's in his room."

I nod and walk past her, "thanks."

"It's too bad, we could've watched another movie," she teases.

I chuckle and shake my head, "you don't want me, Peyton."

And, though I usually don't mind letting her string me along for her entertainment...it's not her birthday.

I knock on Zach's bedroom door.

"GO AWAY!"

"It's Leo..." I furrow my eyebrows in confusion.

"Oh, come in," he says much calmer.

"Bro," I open the door, "what if it was your mom?"

"Trick question, my mom doesn't knock."

I laugh at his response. I understand where he's coming from, I started locking my door when I got to high school and girls started making at-home visits. My mom complains like crazy, but it's worth it.

"You don't knock either, you just climb through windows," I give him a sly look.

"Shut up," he laughs, "you only care because your girlfriend was there."

"Heather is not my girlfriend."

"What was that?" He asks rhetorically, "it looks better on you anyway, oh, Heather you're so pretty, I love you, I love you," he mocks.

"You know what, Zach?" I glance over at him before grabbing a pillow and quickly putting it over his face, "you can't turn 15 if I kill you first."

Zach snickers as he fights me off and snatches the pillow away. "Okay, okay, you win."

"Good, I didn't come here so we could talk about me. We need to talk about your party." I raise my eyebrows, "we've got enough booze for the big kids, now how much soda do we need for your friends?"

Zach groans and rolls his eyes, "come on, Leo."

"You expect me to just give them alcohol?Now, if they happen to find some at the party, then I'm no longer responsible."

Zach smirks in response, "deal." He looks away, "I don't know who's showing up anyway."

"No Evan?"

"Well...I mean...he's just been..." Zach stumbles over his thoughts. "This girl asked me out, and I told him about it...and he told me I should go out with her," his eyes narrow as he speaks, "and then he's doing whatever he's doing with Annette..."

"Annette? A girl?"

"Yeah, they've gone out a few times and she clings onto him at school...that's probably why he doesn't talk to me anymore," Zach says sadly as he fiddles with his fingernails.

I scoff, "I'll kick his ass."

"No, I can't be mad at him. We were never...anything. Besides, I said 'yes' to Karlie."

"You date girls now, too?"

"She's pretty," I shrug.

I look at him, unconvinced. "She's pretty you'd bang her, or she's pretty like flowers."