Burnouts

Meet in the Middle

Scene 1: Galaxy Comic Shop

Zach Teeling

Evan laughs, "No, it was pretty funny to me."

"Your cousin, though. That's so embarrassing."

"The best part is that the so-called 'woman' he was chatting with online was sending him nudie pictures out of playboys. He really thought he was pin pals with Ms. December."

"No way."

"Yeah, I recognized the shoot, but I didn't want to make matters worse by telling him. My aunt was already yelling her head off about it."

I furrow my eyebrows, "...You have playboys?"

"A couple," he shrugs, "but I'm not scanning them to send to preteens online. I think he was talking to a man who probably works at a publishing house."

"Have you ever been in one of those chat rooms?"

"Yeah, I tried it out. It's fun when you're bored and trying to kill time."

"Do you know who you're talking to?"

"No, and neither do they. You don't give them your real name or anything, but they'll ask. I usually say I'm a college guy named Josh."

"Josh Andrews," I nod. "I can see it."

"A secret twin. Come by one day and you can meet him."

"Zach!" My attention is called forward.

"Who is that?" Evan asks when we see Aaron leaning against the outside of his car.

I walk toward him, still surprised that he's here. I told him where I'd be today, sure, but I didn't say to meet me.

"You came all the way here?" I ask like it isn't obvious.

"Yeah, thought I'd pick you up," Aaron said with a smile, and then he went above the territory marking of giving me his jacket and further than the possessiveness of drinking from my straw— he kissed me in front of Evan.

I couldn't even enjoy it, I felt like I was just superglued to the ground in the middle of a rainstorm.

We pulled apart, and I turned around, "...Sorry, Evan." Double meaning.

"It's okay, not my first time taking the train by myself."

"Okay— see you at school, then?"

"Yeah, see you."

"Hey, you can hop in the back if you want. I'll take you home," Aaron offers.

"I think he'd rather-"

"Cool," Evan says and eagerly heads toward the car.

Sure, this won't be awkward at all.

Maybe we'll just stay quiet. If no one speaks, no one feels uncomfortable.

I get into the car...and sit in silence.

"I bought you a slushie," Aaron says once he slides into the driver's seat. "Red, your favorite color."