Stay Away From My Friends

I looked at myself in the mirror. My torso bruised up as well as my arms and legs. I looked at my face and began crying. There was a small bruise forming under my eye and there was a cut on my lower lip. What did I do to deserve this? I’ve slaved myself to make sure everything I did was good enough for him. I don’t even know why he’s mad. The house was clean, there were no dishes in the sink, and there was food ready to be heated up every day. There’s no way I’m going to school today.

It doesn’t help that Vic and I aren’t talking either. Everyone noticed. They noticed that the two best friends had fallen out and were sending death stares towards each other for the past week. I was pulled out of my thoughts when I heard my phone ring from my room. ‘Ugh’ing in frustration, I made my way towards my room and answered it without checking who it was. Big mistake.

“Come outside Kells, I’m here.”

“I’m not going to school.” Fake cough. “I’m sick.” Thank whatever godly figure there is for Mean Girls.

“Bullshit you are, come out or I’ll go in.”

“No,” I said weakly. “I don’t wanna get you sick.”

“You don’t look sick.” I turned around and came face to face with Vic. I remembered my face injuries and quickly looked down. But of course, I had to be shirtless so the marks were visible. I wrapped my arms around my body in order to hide them, only exposing the healing and fading cuts.

“Get out.” I said quietly.

“What happened to you?” Vic said as he eyed me.

“N-nothing. Please, you need to leave.”

“No, not until you tell me what happened to you. Who did this to you?”

“KELLIN!” I heard from my dad’s room. “COME HERE!”

“COMING SIR!” I called back. “Vic I need you to hide somewhere in my room, just please be quiet. Don’t do anything if you hear something.” I quickly grabbed a shirt and slipped it on as I made my way towards my dad. “You called sir?”

“Who was at the door?” he sounded angry.

“N-no one. It was just some salesman but I shooed him away.”

“Then who did I hear in the hallway?”

“No one sir. I was just singing. Sorry.”

“You’d better not be lying to me boy.”

“I’m not.” I said quietly.

“Good, oh, and I won’t be home today. But I still want this place cleaned. And if you don’t I will
know.”

“Yes sir.”

“Now get out and go to school.” I closed his door and made my way towards my room. I closed and locked the door once I was safe inside.

“Vic.” I whispered. He slipped out of my closet and didn’t look pleased. “I need you to leave before something happens, please?”

“Fine, but you’re coming to school right?”

“Yeah, just get out. Wait for me around the corner.” He nodded and began climbing out my window. Once I was dressed and looked decent, I walked out to his car. This should be an interesting car ride.

“So are you gonna tell me what happened?”

“I got mugged yesterday. The mugger realized I had nothing of value, beat me up and left.” I lied.

“Your backpack doesn’t look like it was ransacked.” He observed. “And what were those scars?” What he needs to do is mind his goddamn business. “No need for the attitude Kellin, I just wanted to make sure you were ok. My bad for caring.” I don’t care if I said that aloud.

“Stop the car.”

“What?”

“I said stop the car.”

“I’m not gonna stop the car in the middle of the street.”

“Then pull over.” And he did. “I don’t need anyone caring for me.” I said as I opened the passenger door. “I’ve been doing just fine without anyone caring for me.” I walked away despite hearing Vic call me. Yeah, they’ll call me but I’m not important enough to be chased after. I plugged in my headphones and began listening to Silversun Pickups. I kept on walking until I felt a pair of arms hug my waist, and a face burry itself against my back. I froze but quickly relaxed when I heard his voice.

“Kellin, you mean so much to me. You’re my best friend and I wish that you’d trust me enough to tell me what hell is going one with you.” I heard him sniffle and I began crying. Everywhere I go, I seem to break things.

“Vic,” I said quietly as I turned around in his arms. “I’m ok sweetie. As long as I see another day, I’ll be fine.” I said with a smile. “As long as I see another day.” Then it happened. The one thing I’ve wanted to happen since I first saw him. Vic kissed me. It was a soft, passion filled kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck as his were still on my waist. Nothing else seemed to matter as we kissed. He tasted like mint, chocolate and cigarettes. But of course all things have to end; Vic’s phone rang, making him pull away from me.

“Hello.” He said breathlessly. We haven’t been kissing that long. Right? “Babe, I’m not going to school today … because Kellin n- … stop it … call me when you’ve calmed down ok? I gotta go.” He looked at me sheepishly and shrugged. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s ok.” I didn’t know if he was talking about the kiss or the interruption but it was all ok. A little to ok.

*

“How come you smoke cigarettes but you won’t smoke a joint?” we ended up in the little druggie hang out and Vic had a joint in his hand and I had a cigarette.

“I don’t know.” I said as I puffed out the smoke.

“Yes you do, you just don’t wanna tell me.”

“Oh aren’t you smart.” I said sarcastically.

“Shut up.” He said as he blew the smoke in my face. I hated the smell of marijuana. It smelled too sweet and it just, like, no. “So, you know we’re gonna have to talk about what I saw right?”
“Yeah, but not now. What I wanna know is how you got into my house.”

“I checked if the front door was unlocked.” He said nonchalantly. “And it was, so I walked in.”

“Breaking and entering, Mr. Fuentes? I could have you arrested for that.” I said teasingly.

“Shut up, you won’t have me arrested. You love me too much to let that happen.”

“’Tis true, very true but you can’t do that anymore. I almost got in trouble.”

“Sorry, that wasn’t my intention. I was just … I don’t know … you’re my best friend Kells, I hate fighting with you and I was worried because you seem so sad lately, sadder then you always look.” Holy. Shit. Am I not hiding my emotions strong enough? I need to work on that.

“I’m sorry I was causing problems.” I said as I watched the cigarette burn.

“You weren’t causing problems Kellin. Like I said, you’re my best friend so I’ll naturally worry about you.”

“Thanks, I guess. It’s just that it feels weird when someone cares about me. Like … like you with short hair would feel weird for you, right?”

“Yeah, I guess. But what does my hair have to do with how people feel for you?” I noticed how he said people instead of just him.

“Because it’ll be the same thing. It’s something you don’t want because it seems weird all on its own. As a thought alone, it can scare you.”

“Oh. I guess that makes sense.”

“Do you wanna be anything?”

“What?”

“Let’s get wasted!”

“What the fuck?”

“Do wanna be a superstar? Get fucked up and go real far?”

“Stop listening to Blood on the Dance Floor.”

“Never!” I shouted.

“Dude, shut up, someone could here you and then we’ll get caught.”

“If I know one thing, that’s true.”

“Oh god.”

“But I listen when you do.”

“No, stop.”

“Love don’t die.”

“What the fuck do you listen to?”

“Music, and don’t attack it. You don’t see me saying shit about Fall Out Boy or Boys or whatever
the fuck it is.”

“You take that back.”

“I didn’t say anything bad.” Next thing I knew, I was being pinned on the ground. Vic was straddling my waist and his hands had my wrists pinned above my head. We were staring into each other’s eyes and like any cliché movie; our faces grew closer together as our eyes looked at each other’s lips. His lips barley brushed against mine when we heard someone shout.

“WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?!” He quickly got off me and turned to see Carolina, I think that’s her name, standing there with her hands on her hips and an angry face. “So you didn’t come to school just so you could fuck this slut?” umm … no.

“Bitch, who you calling a slut? Last time I checked, I wasn’t the one that let anyone fuck me.” I knew things she didn’t want Vic to know. Like the fact that she’s fucked the whole school while dating Vic.

“You don’t know shit.” She said defensively.

“Oh really? You wanna go there? I got so much shit on you I could tell Vic that he’ll break up with you.”

“What is he talking about Carol?” Vic said, sounding confused. “Kellin?” Vic said angrily. “What the fuck do you know that you aren’t telling me?” now I get that this could be my time to get rid of her but I knew Vic was happy with her, how? I don’t know but he was. He could also hate me for knowing this and not saying anything or he could love me forever.

“Nothing. I just want to piss her off, that’s it.” I said with an annoyed tone. I pulled out my phone and checked the time. “I gotta go anyways, I’ll see you later.” And with that, I picked myself up from where I was sitting and walked home. What hurt me, was not having Vic call me back and say he’d give me ride. But you know what hurts the most? Lying to face just to see him happy … even if that means I suffer.

Notes