Nowhere Kids

What are We?

I convinced Brent to go to the hospital and get his hand looked at. We sat in the waiting room together, both feeling stressed. I held his good hand and leaned against him as we both quietly waited.
"This was a bad idea. My parents are going to kill me" Brent said, breaking our silence.
"I'm sure they'd rather make sure your okay" I said. "You know, I've been thinking"
"Bout what?" He asked.
"We should get jobs for after school. If we save up enough money, we can find a place by the time we graduate" I said, squeezing his hand gently.
"I like that. What job did you have in mind?" He asked as he leaned his head on top of mine.
"We can think about that later. Right now let's focus on your hand" I said.
"Yeah, and I'm sure Eric would be upset if we started working before his party" Brent said with a chuckle. I giggled and nodded in agreement.

A nurse called Brent's name so I let go of his hand and watched him walk into a room. Waiting for him to come back felt long and stressful. I grabbed a magazine and flipped through it, hoping to get my mind off things. Every couple of minutes I would look up at the clock. Time felt like it slowed down as I waited.

Brent eventually came back out and walked over to me.
"Let's go" he said. I stood up from the seat and followed him outside.
"Anything broken?" I asked.
"Nah, it's just going to hurt for a while" he said. I smiled and carefully grabbed his hand, pulling it up to my lips and kissing his knuckles.
"Better?" I asked.
"Better" he smiled.
"School should be out by now. Want to stop by Barry's place and see Beau?" I asked as we got into his truck.
"Yeah, some love from Beau sounds good" he said.

The car ride felt longer than usual. Probably cause I had a lot of my mind.
"Hey B?"
"Yeah J?" Brent asked, not pulling his attention away from driving.
"What are we?" I asked, making him look at me a moment before looking back at the road.
"Your one of my best friends J" he said.
"Good, we're on the same page" I said with a sigh.
"What are you getting at?" He asked as he scratched the back of his head.
"I think people think we're boyfriend and girlfriend, but I don't know, that feels weird" I said.
"It's okay if you think it feels weird, I'm not ready for that title anyway" Brent said quietly.
"Good" I said with relief.

When we arrived at Barry's house, he was just getting out of his car.
"Oh hey guys, Eric and Zach should be here soon. I think Eric's also bring Kellie" he said as he unlocked the front door.
"Ugh, I was hoping it was just us hanging out" I said. Barry opened the door and Beau rushed out, jumping into my arms.
"So Brent can bring his girlfriend but Eric can't bring his?" Barry asked as we all stepped inside.
"I don't have a girlfriend" Brent said quickly. As I petted Beau, Barry gave him a look and then me.
"Alright then, I'm just saying we've seen the way you two act" he said.
"We're just friends" I said, not looking away from Beau.
"Friends don't hold each other and make out, but whatever they say" Barry said with an eye roll.
"Whatever man" Brent mumbled.

Barry and Brent talked about Brent's hand while I fed Beau. I still wanted to pay Barry's dad back for the dog food. That reminded me of my idea.
"Hey Barry, Brent and I are thinking of getting jobs soon to save up for a place to live" I said as I rejoined the boys in the living room.
"You want all of us living together?" Barry asked as I sat next to Brent.
"No, but roommates makes it cheaper, and having our own places makes it easier to be together, even if only for a couple hours" I explained. Barry nodded just as there was a knock on the door. He excused himself as he got up to answer it.

Barry came back moments later with Eric, Kellie, and Zach following. Kellie greeted us warmly as they all sat down. Beau jumped into Zach's lap, making him jump.
"Hi boy" he said nervously.
"He's a big baby Zach don't worry about him" I said with a laugh. Zach smiled nervously and put a hand on Beau's back. Beau just snuggled into him and sighed.
"See man, harmless" Brent added.

Eric wanted to talk more about his party, as I guess he was planning it for tomorrow.
"You guys all have your costume together?" He asked. I groaned and looked up at Brent.
"I gotta figure something out" I mumbled.
"Yeah I gotta get what I need. We can go to a party store or something later" he whispered to me. I nodded and cuddled into him.

I didn't want Brent to leave when it started to get late. It was weird, I always missed him when he was gone, but this was the first time I had a problem saying goodbye. The others had all left already, leaving just me, Brent, and Barry.
"I can ask my parents if you can stay the night man" Barry suggested.
"Nah it's fine" Brent said. He turned towards me and pulled me into his arms.
"Guess I'll see you later" I whimpered, not caring that Barry was watching.
"You sure your okay? Your not usually like this" Brent said softly.
"Yeah, I guess being thrown out just really fucked with me. I'm so lucky Barry and his family are being so nice though" I said, looking over at my friend. Barry flashed us a smile, making me chuckle.
"Well I'm glad your in safe hands. I'll see you later" he said before kissing me. After our kiss he said goodnight to Barry and headed out.

"You sure nothing's going on between you two?" Barry asked as we both set the table for dinner.
"I wouldn't say nothing, but we aren't an official couple if that's what your asking" I said.
"So, you wouldn't be bothered if Brent decided to see another girl?" I froze at the thought of it. I guess I never thought about it. Barry laughed at my reaction. "Relax, I don't think he's interested in anyone but you"
"I wouldn't be able to stop him" I said, trying not to feel embarrassed. 
"Like I said, he's not going anywhere. Not even Courtney can win him back, and she had a spell on him for the longest time" he said. The thought of those two getting back together entered my mind, but I quickly shook it away. I wouldn't care if he did decided to date someone else, but I never want to see him hurt by her again.

After a nice dinner with Barry and his parents, I helped Barry clean up. After that I took Beau outside for a while.
"I'm so glad your still by my side" I said as I watched the crazy boxer run around the yard, making me laugh. I don't think he knows what happened, but he doesn't seemed bother by this new place with new people. Maybe I did make the right choice letting him stay with me. When it got dark, I called him back inside.

I said goodnight to Barry before Beau and I went to bed. He laid in bed with me again, making me feel safe.
"Night boy, get some rest" I whispered as he began falling asleep. I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling until my eyes lids got heavy and sleep took over.