The Key to her Heart

Chapter Twenty-Three

"Hola Papi." One of the girls said, gliding her hand over his chest.
"Lo siento quien tú?" Another girl said.
She was pointing at the girl who called Rodgers 'Papi'. Rodgers chuckles a little and glares at me. I just shrug at him.
"Who are they?" I asked.
Rodgers clears his throat as he squirms in his seat.
"Discúlpeme señoras." Rodgers said before getting out of his seat.
I watch him.
"Come here!" Rodgers hissed.
I scramble to my feet and follow him. We eventually enter the men's room and look at each other. I laugh a little.
"What's so funny?" Rodgers asked.
"Don't tell me all those girls are your girlfriends." I said.
Rodgers punches me in the shoulder as I keep laughing.
"I need you help." Rodgers said.
"With what?" I asked.
"Them." Rodgers replies, annoyed.
"What do you want me to do?" I asked.
"I don't know yet." Rodgers replies.
We sit in front of the sinks for a little while and began to think. A few seconds later Rodgers' eyebrows shoot up into his hairline.
"What?" I asked as he looked at me.
"Maybe we could like . . . I don't know sneak out and ditch them." Rodgers said.
"What about the food?" I asked.
Rodgers smacked his lips as he headed towards the exit.
"Man, fuck that food." He said, waving the subject away. "Ay, if you really want a taco stay at my house and I'll have Mom make you one."
I consider his offer. It's fair enough so I shrug in agreement as I follow him out the bathroom. When we left the restroom I had accidentally bumped into a man . . . no a boy around my age.
"My bad, bro." I said.
The boy was dressed in a brown jacket and black jeans, almost like the invisible man. His face was covered, hands were in his pockets, and he wore sunglasses. Who wears sunglasses inside a building? The boy just looks at me for what felt like long seconds and continues to walk into the restroom, specifically the women's restroom. Wait was that a boy or a girl? If it's a girl it explains why they looked at me so weird.
"You coming or not?" I hear someone say.
Looking ahead I see Rodgers poking his head around the corner. He was wearing a pair of sunglasses. I shake my head as I jog towards him.
"What is it 'wear your sunglasses inside a building day'?" I asked. "Because if it is I didn't get the memo!"
"Wha-no, these are just for disguise." Rodgers said.
Oh. Disguise? For what? The girls saw his outfit and he didn't change so why would he need a disguise?
"Bro they already saw your outfit-" I start before I'm cut off with a loud 'Rodgers'.
We look behind us and see a girl waving wildly at us. Rodgers grabbed my wrist and started running.
"Run, Bro, run!" Rodgers shouts as we maneuver pass people.
I look behind us and see that the girl is running after us and she's running kind of fast. I'm kind of understanding where those four hundred ninety eight condoms went. We were halfway around the mall when Rodgers had slipped in some water. The girl was still chasing us and I was tired and out of breath. Oh my goodness! We need help!
"Come on, get up." I said. "We gotta go. Get up."
Rodgers groan in pain because he had fell hard.
"Rodgers! Sweet, boo-boo bear, come here I want to suck you like a lollipop!" The girl screamed.
My eyes widen.
"What the hell you do with her?!" I asked.
Rodgers slowly sat up and rubbed his head.
"The dirty, what else was I supposed to do, love her?" Rodgers said.
"Get up, we gotta go." I said, looking at the girl.
She was now about ten feet away from us. I start running like she was after me.
"Wait for me!" Rodgers yelled.
I look behind me and see that Rodgers was getting up. He started to run but he was limping. I groan and stop running. The girl jumped in the air and tackled Rodgers like she was a football player. Holy shit. Right now it's every man for himself. I run to my car and wait for Rodgers.

About two and a half hours later I see Rodgers coming out the mall. He was limping. His hair was messed and he had lipstick stains all over him. His cheeks, forehead, clothes, hands, etc. when he got to my car he opened the door and glared at me. I bite my tongue, trying not laugh.
"What?" I asked.
"You could've helped me!" Rodgers yelled.
"Calm down G, what happened?" I said.
"Cal-" Rodgers looked at me.
It was silent between the two of us for a second.
"Two girls made me take them shopping while five girls kissed the fuck out of me, one of them bit my fucking lip, and four of them made me do the dirty with them." Rodgers replies. ". . . I think I came in one of them."
He mumbled his last statement.
"Well did you at least use a condom?" I asked.
"No!" Rodgers replies almost immediately. "The bitch didn't let me!"
I just look at him and he just stared out the windshield.
"Just take me home, I'm done for the day." Rodgers said, sounding depressed.
Now I feel bad. I really should've helped him. But usually the girls who crushed on him crushed on me too and I didn't feel like getting trampled by a bunch of girls. Turning on the engine I ask:
"So are you going to the party?"
"If you see me, you see me, if you don't then oh well." Rodgers said.
Damn, they really . . . did something to him.
"You okay?" I asked.
". . . Just take me home! Please!" Rodgers yelled.
He kind of scarred the crap out of me.
"Okay, okay." I said as I began to drive.
"You know if one of those girls are pregnant I can kiss my Mom goodbye." Rodgers said, in a low voice.
I look at him. He looks like he's about to start crying. I'm silent as I let him vent.
"She's going to kick me out and I don't know how to take care of no baby." Rodgers adds.
A tear falls into his lap.
"It's going to be okay." I said. "What if she has a miscarriage?"
Rodgers is silent.
"I know this is bad but I hope she does." He said.
"It'll be okay." I said.
"I mean if she doesn't I won't be able to provide for it and I don't want to be like all the other Dads that leave their kids." Rodgers said. "My Dad left me and came back for like two years and left again."
I can hear the pain in his voice.
"My step father is the only one who has kept me and my family happy." Rodgers said.
He looks at me and I see that his eyes are red. His father was an asshole. I remember the day I went to Rodgers house to play some ball and his father came home and slapped the shit out him for no reason. When Rodgers asked what he did his father would reply with 'nothing I just had a bad day at work'. That's when I come up with an idea.
"We wear the same size in clothes right?" I asked.
". . . Yeah." Rodgers asked.
He's looking at me questioningly. I make a U-turn making Rodgers hit his head on the window and drive to my house.
"Keep doing that shit and you won't see tomorrow." Rodgers threatened.
I smile as I hop on the freeway.

When we make it to my house Rodgers heads to my room. I see Molly was in her room sleep. Her hair looked wet and I see that she had her mermaid doll in her hand. She must've just had a magical bubble bath. When I get to my room I see Rodgers sitting on my bed. He is on his phone and his shoes and sexual gear sat next to him on the floor. I open my closet door and go sit next to him.
"What are we doing here?" Rodgers asked, shutting his screen off.
He put his phone in his back pocket and looks at me. I smile at him and nod towards my open closet.
"What?" Rodgers asked, his eyes traveling to the closet.
"Go pick an outfit." I replied.
"For what? I have clo-"
"Just go." I say.
Rodgers sighs and gets up off the bed. He walks to the closet and picks out a purple shortsleeved hoodie and a pair of dark blue jeans. He throws the outfit on the bed.
"Now what?" He asked, crossing his arms across his chest.
"That's what you're wearing to the party?" I asked.
"Party?" I hear someone say.
Rodgers and I look at the door and we see Mom poking her head through the door.
"What party?" She asked.
"Mom!" I groan.
She looked at me and stepped inside my room.
"You didn't tell me anything about a party." Mom adds.
"I was going to tell you." I said.
Mom looks at me.
"Come on honey, let the kid live his teen life." Dad said. "He only gets one."
I look at Mom hoping she took Dads advice. Mom sighs.
"You better be home by one o'clock tonight." Mom said.
"Yes!" I cheered.
"Do you hear me?"
"Yes, Mom, I hear you."
"Okay, I love you."
My cheeks start to burn as Rodgers takes a look at me.
"Mom." I groan in a low tone.
"Okay, I leave and let you boys change." Mom said, heading out the door.
Rodgers laughs as soon as Mom leaves the room.
"Hey, Al, I just want you to know . . . I love you." Rodgers said.
"Shut the hell up." I said, throwing a pillow at him.
He dodged it and looked at me, a huge grin on his face.
"It's true though bro, I love you, as a friend." Rodgers said. "Nothing more."
"Obviously we're both straight." I said. "Now hurry up and get dressed.
Rodgers smiles as he runs to the bathroom with the clothes he picked out. I shake my head as he shut the bathroom door. Thirty minutes later I was getting dressed in my room. Mom has came in and gave us some snacks and we ate them. We then started listening to music. After resting for a for a while we started to head to the party.
"Did you bring them?" I asked as we walked out my front door.
Rodgers looks at me.
"Bring what?" He asked.
"Some condoms." I replied.
"Oh, yeah, they're in my pocket." Rodgers said.
Good because I would hate for him to fuck up and become a father. Who knows he might've not came in the girl he banged at the mall. It might have felt like it but chances are he probably didn't. When we got to my car I pulled out my car keys and tossed them over to Rodgers. He caught them and looked at me with a confused face.
"This isn't my car." He said.
I smile and say: "I know."
"So . . . why are you giving me your car keys?" Rodgers asked.
"Don't you want to drive?" I asked.
Rodgers begins to grin from ear to ear and I smile at him.
"Hell yeah!" He said, walking to the drivers side.
We enter the car and Rodgers turns on the engine. He looks at me with a huge smile on his face.
"You ready to go party?" He asked.
I smile at him.
"You know I am." I said.
Rodgers cheers as he begins to drive off.