Crooked Young
Bad Timing
TONY’S POV
Leaning against the wall, I looked into the crowd as I searched for Karina. Karina, my girlfriend of three weeks. I couldn’t believe it - time seemed to fly, it felt like we had been dating for months. I was unable to decide where I liked her laugh most, or her style most, or her smile most. I just knew I liked it all. A lot.
Spotting her black hair and red bandanna in the crowd, bobbing in and out of sight as she weaved through the bodies, I smiled to myself. She was small enough to dodge everyone, so she shot through the crowd like a bullet.
"Hello," she sang, a wide grin on her face. She stood before me in grey jeans and an Alice Cooper top that was ripped to shreds and partially pinned back together.
"Hi," I smiled, taking her hands and kissing her on the forehead. She giggled, giving my a cute frown before pecking my lips.
"I can’t find Elise or Meg," she whined. "I don’t want to spend my first class alone!"
"Meg wasn’t well last night, she’s not coming in," I said, answering before my brain registered what I was actually saying. When I realised, I inhaled sharply and swallowed, trying to take it back.
"Wait, what? How do you know?" She questioned. "You’re a psychic, aren’t you?"
In all honesty, I knew about Meg because she called me after Karina went home. She was on the verge of hurting herself, and I tried to stop her. I felt horrible for hiding it from Karina, but it wasn’t my secret to tell. Instead of giving her the truth, which I desperately wanted to get out of my system, I told her that she and Mike were getting close. It was utter bullshit, but I had nothing else.
Karina’s piercing blue eyes cut into me for a moment before she shrugged whatever was in her mind off, hoping that her friend got better with a sad pout. “Are you up to much tonight?”
"Actually," I unlaced my fingers from hers and placed my hands on her hips, guiding her perfect body toward mine, "I was wondering if you want to come over? My parents are going to Lucia’s school show, and Bertie’s staying at a friend’s, so it’ll just be us two."
"Ohh," Karina giggled, "sounds very planned, Mr Perry."
I bit my lip. “You never know.”
KARINA’S POV
Quickly hiding my cigarettes in my jacket pocket, I discreetly slipped Mike a $5 bill along with a few scrunched up singles. He thanked me lowly, looking out over the car park casually.
"So, I didn’t know you and Meg were getting close?" I inquired nosily.
Mike looked at me with an odd expression. “What the hell are you talking about? And who is Meg?” I would’ve thought he was joking, but he looked genuinely baffled.
Shaking my head, I felt a concoction of rage and hurt boil inside me. Why was Tony lying to me? What was he covering up? I hurriedly told Mike I had to head, grabbing my bag and scurrying off. The further I got away from him, the more I let myself go. I darted to the bathrooms and locked myself in a cubicle, putting the toilet lid down and taking a seat.
Staring at the speckled brown door, I let a mass of bad thoughts come over me. Wiping my cheeks, I grabbed my phone out my bag and went to my messages. Have I been missing something? Is it my fault? Despite my doubts, I couldn’t think of anything I’d done which would require him to sneak behind my back with my best friend. I don’t deserve this... do I?
I didn’t know what hurt more: the fact that he, a guy who wasn’t the easiest to trust off the bat, was lying to me, or that my best friend was in on it too. Meg had discarded me like one of her flash hobbies - I was left to rot underneath the rest of her life, the weight only getting heavier and heavier.
My mind fell back to the night me and Tony had sex in the car. I shivered at the thought, gripping my arms as I suddenly felt invaded and used. I considered the possibility that I could have been overreacting, but I didn’t care. He had lied to me, and liars where who I hated most.
Feeling my phone buzz in my pocket, I pulled it out to see a text from Mike. He asked me what was wrong, and if some free weed would make it better. I wasted no time in replying.
Grabbing my bag, I wiped the tears away with my sleeve and exited the cubical. Even though standing straight seemed to increase the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, I ignored it and left the bathroom, making a beeline for the main doors.
Mike was still at his car, but he was now inside. I rushed over, praying that nobody - not Elise, not Owen, not Tony, not Meg - spotted me. I just wanted to escape everything for a while.
Clambering in the car, I tossed my bag into the back and slouched back in the seat, putting my legs on the dashboard. Mike turned down his music, which I identified as 50 cent, and started the car. It wasn't even a question of whether or not we were going to skip. He knew something had majority shook me up, and he knew that my serious view on school had changed.
"Has Tony ever cheated on a girl before?" I asked.
Mike laughed in disbelief. "Kat, Tony hasn't had a girlfriend before you."
"I know he said he didn't date but, I don't know, I thought.."
"You though wrong," Mike finished. "He kissed a girl when he was like 12, yeah, but that was on holiday and he doesn't even know what her name was. Why, anyway?"
Feeling my stomach churn, I sunk lower into the seat. "He's been spending time with Meg, and neither of them told me. I know I probably sound like an overprotective shithead but I just.. it just seemed odd. They both act so weird around one another."
"He wouldn't cheat on you," Mike assured me. "Tony is many things, but he's not that. He's not a cheater."
Mike pulled into a Walmart parking lot, choosing a spot not too far from the doors. He opened the glove compartment and took out a small black tin and a lighter. Popping the lid off, he handed me a joint and then flicked the lighter, holding it up to the tip as I rested it between my lips.
I didn't smoke weed a lot so, when I did, things got pretty weird. I always ended up with a craving for Nutella, and a desperation to talk about hippos. The last time I got high I wrote a whole song about hippos, but it was not as amazing as I thought it was at the time.
Even though those two hours were a bit of a blur, I could remember Mike locking me in the car whilst he went into Walmart - leaving me with my constantly buzzing phone. What felt like years later, he returned with a tub of Nutella, a few cans of soda, and a packet of salted chips.
Nutella and chips tasted amazing together. Nutella and raspberry flavoured soda tasted amazing together. Nutella and Nutella tasted amazing together.
"You should call Tony," Mike said. We were now sitting in the dark, still in the small parking space we'd been in since the afternoon. My phone hadn't buzzed in an hour.
"What would I even say?" I wondered aloud. "I feel so fucking stupid."
Mike grumbled something under his breathe, pulling his phone out and tapping a few times. A loud ringing filled the car, and it quickly became evident that he had put whoever it was on loudspeaker. A few seconds later, Tony's crackly voice boomed out of the device.
"Dude, what's going on with you?" Mike demanded straight away. "I've got your fucking girlfriend nearly in tears because of you."
"Thank God, she's with you," he said, relief clear in his voice. "Why is she crying? What did I-"
"You and Mel?"
"It's Meg," I whispered, feeling bad for even being able to listen to the conversation when Tony had no idea. I felt like I was betraying my trust in him.
"Sorry, you and Meg?"
"Fuck," Tony groaned, causing my stomach to tighten unpleasantly. So there is something going on... brilliant. "Listen, that girl has a lot of shit going on. I was trying to be nice, to help her, but it's gone too far. She calls me constantly and I just.. I don't know."
"Has anything happened between you two?" Mike inquired seriously. "Because the girl you've been blabbering on about to me for ages thinks there is, and it's tearing her apart."
"No, of course not. I just don't know how to tell Karina. Man, I've fucked up so much. What if she dumps me over this?"
Mike looked at me, his eyes silently asking whether I would or not. I sternly shook my head, but it wasn't enough to get rid of the bad thoughts. What was going on with Meg? And, if it was so bad, why couldn't she talk to me about it?
"She won't dump you, Tone," Mike said reassuringly. "It'll be fine."
"No," Tony mumbled, "I don't know. Mike, I can't lose her. I can't let that happen. Fuck sake, I'm not going to lose the girl I'm falling in love with over this, am I?"
My whole body stiffened. "The girl he what?"
Leaning against the wall, I looked into the crowd as I searched for Karina. Karina, my girlfriend of three weeks. I couldn’t believe it - time seemed to fly, it felt like we had been dating for months. I was unable to decide where I liked her laugh most, or her style most, or her smile most. I just knew I liked it all. A lot.
Spotting her black hair and red bandanna in the crowd, bobbing in and out of sight as she weaved through the bodies, I smiled to myself. She was small enough to dodge everyone, so she shot through the crowd like a bullet.
"Hello," she sang, a wide grin on her face. She stood before me in grey jeans and an Alice Cooper top that was ripped to shreds and partially pinned back together.
"Hi," I smiled, taking her hands and kissing her on the forehead. She giggled, giving my a cute frown before pecking my lips.
"I can’t find Elise or Meg," she whined. "I don’t want to spend my first class alone!"
"Meg wasn’t well last night, she’s not coming in," I said, answering before my brain registered what I was actually saying. When I realised, I inhaled sharply and swallowed, trying to take it back.
"Wait, what? How do you know?" She questioned. "You’re a psychic, aren’t you?"
In all honesty, I knew about Meg because she called me after Karina went home. She was on the verge of hurting herself, and I tried to stop her. I felt horrible for hiding it from Karina, but it wasn’t my secret to tell. Instead of giving her the truth, which I desperately wanted to get out of my system, I told her that she and Mike were getting close. It was utter bullshit, but I had nothing else.
Karina’s piercing blue eyes cut into me for a moment before she shrugged whatever was in her mind off, hoping that her friend got better with a sad pout. “Are you up to much tonight?”
"Actually," I unlaced my fingers from hers and placed my hands on her hips, guiding her perfect body toward mine, "I was wondering if you want to come over? My parents are going to Lucia’s school show, and Bertie’s staying at a friend’s, so it’ll just be us two."
"Ohh," Karina giggled, "sounds very planned, Mr Perry."
I bit my lip. “You never know.”
KARINA’S POV
Quickly hiding my cigarettes in my jacket pocket, I discreetly slipped Mike a $5 bill along with a few scrunched up singles. He thanked me lowly, looking out over the car park casually.
"So, I didn’t know you and Meg were getting close?" I inquired nosily.
Mike looked at me with an odd expression. “What the hell are you talking about? And who is Meg?” I would’ve thought he was joking, but he looked genuinely baffled.
Shaking my head, I felt a concoction of rage and hurt boil inside me. Why was Tony lying to me? What was he covering up? I hurriedly told Mike I had to head, grabbing my bag and scurrying off. The further I got away from him, the more I let myself go. I darted to the bathrooms and locked myself in a cubicle, putting the toilet lid down and taking a seat.
Staring at the speckled brown door, I let a mass of bad thoughts come over me. Wiping my cheeks, I grabbed my phone out my bag and went to my messages. Have I been missing something? Is it my fault? Despite my doubts, I couldn’t think of anything I’d done which would require him to sneak behind my back with my best friend. I don’t deserve this... do I?
I didn’t know what hurt more: the fact that he, a guy who wasn’t the easiest to trust off the bat, was lying to me, or that my best friend was in on it too. Meg had discarded me like one of her flash hobbies - I was left to rot underneath the rest of her life, the weight only getting heavier and heavier.
My mind fell back to the night me and Tony had sex in the car. I shivered at the thought, gripping my arms as I suddenly felt invaded and used. I considered the possibility that I could have been overreacting, but I didn’t care. He had lied to me, and liars where who I hated most.
Feeling my phone buzz in my pocket, I pulled it out to see a text from Mike. He asked me what was wrong, and if some free weed would make it better. I wasted no time in replying.
Grabbing my bag, I wiped the tears away with my sleeve and exited the cubical. Even though standing straight seemed to increase the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, I ignored it and left the bathroom, making a beeline for the main doors.
Mike was still at his car, but he was now inside. I rushed over, praying that nobody - not Elise, not Owen, not Tony, not Meg - spotted me. I just wanted to escape everything for a while.
Clambering in the car, I tossed my bag into the back and slouched back in the seat, putting my legs on the dashboard. Mike turned down his music, which I identified as 50 cent, and started the car. It wasn't even a question of whether or not we were going to skip. He knew something had majority shook me up, and he knew that my serious view on school had changed.
"Has Tony ever cheated on a girl before?" I asked.
Mike laughed in disbelief. "Kat, Tony hasn't had a girlfriend before you."
"I know he said he didn't date but, I don't know, I thought.."
"You though wrong," Mike finished. "He kissed a girl when he was like 12, yeah, but that was on holiday and he doesn't even know what her name was. Why, anyway?"
Feeling my stomach churn, I sunk lower into the seat. "He's been spending time with Meg, and neither of them told me. I know I probably sound like an overprotective shithead but I just.. it just seemed odd. They both act so weird around one another."
"He wouldn't cheat on you," Mike assured me. "Tony is many things, but he's not that. He's not a cheater."
Mike pulled into a Walmart parking lot, choosing a spot not too far from the doors. He opened the glove compartment and took out a small black tin and a lighter. Popping the lid off, he handed me a joint and then flicked the lighter, holding it up to the tip as I rested it between my lips.
I didn't smoke weed a lot so, when I did, things got pretty weird. I always ended up with a craving for Nutella, and a desperation to talk about hippos. The last time I got high I wrote a whole song about hippos, but it was not as amazing as I thought it was at the time.
Even though those two hours were a bit of a blur, I could remember Mike locking me in the car whilst he went into Walmart - leaving me with my constantly buzzing phone. What felt like years later, he returned with a tub of Nutella, a few cans of soda, and a packet of salted chips.
Nutella and chips tasted amazing together. Nutella and raspberry flavoured soda tasted amazing together. Nutella and Nutella tasted amazing together.
"You should call Tony," Mike said. We were now sitting in the dark, still in the small parking space we'd been in since the afternoon. My phone hadn't buzzed in an hour.
"What would I even say?" I wondered aloud. "I feel so fucking stupid."
Mike grumbled something under his breathe, pulling his phone out and tapping a few times. A loud ringing filled the car, and it quickly became evident that he had put whoever it was on loudspeaker. A few seconds later, Tony's crackly voice boomed out of the device.
"Dude, what's going on with you?" Mike demanded straight away. "I've got your fucking girlfriend nearly in tears because of you."
"Thank God, she's with you," he said, relief clear in his voice. "Why is she crying? What did I-"
"You and Mel?"
"It's Meg," I whispered, feeling bad for even being able to listen to the conversation when Tony had no idea. I felt like I was betraying my trust in him.
"Sorry, you and Meg?"
"Fuck," Tony groaned, causing my stomach to tighten unpleasantly. So there is something going on... brilliant. "Listen, that girl has a lot of shit going on. I was trying to be nice, to help her, but it's gone too far. She calls me constantly and I just.. I don't know."
"Has anything happened between you two?" Mike inquired seriously. "Because the girl you've been blabbering on about to me for ages thinks there is, and it's tearing her apart."
"No, of course not. I just don't know how to tell Karina. Man, I've fucked up so much. What if she dumps me over this?"
Mike looked at me, his eyes silently asking whether I would or not. I sternly shook my head, but it wasn't enough to get rid of the bad thoughts. What was going on with Meg? And, if it was so bad, why couldn't she talk to me about it?
"She won't dump you, Tone," Mike said reassuringly. "It'll be fine."
"No," Tony mumbled, "I don't know. Mike, I can't lose her. I can't let that happen. Fuck sake, I'm not going to lose the girl I'm falling in love with over this, am I?"
My whole body stiffened. "The girl he what?"
Notes
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7/6/15