6
EVAN
Imanage to move the rest of the weed and pay my guy, having to dip into my own money to cover what we smoked last night after work. I promise myself I won’t do that again.
I tell myself I invited Nate over just to get him off my back. But that doesn’t make any sense. He’s like a fucking boomerang. The more you throw him away, the more he comes straight back. I tell myself I can’t remember him being this annoying and persistent when we were younger, but that’s a lie. He always was like my shadow, following me around. Sitting on my stoop every morning, waiting for me to come out, until Ma just started leaving the door open for him to walk in and sit at the breakfast table with us while his ma was at work or out with some guy. I know Ma felt sorry for Nate back then, but I didn’t. He was my equal. I felt protective over him, but not sorry for him. Now the tables have turned and I can’t stand the thought of Nate feeling sorry for me. I guess I want to show him I’m fine, so that when he leaves, this time it’ll be for good and I can get used to it again.
I stash the extra weed my guy gave me into myGTA: Vice Citycase and stick it back on the shelf.
When Nate arrives, I lead him upstairs to my room, not realizing he hasn’t been back in here for years until he starts looking around at everything with wide eyes.
“Woah, this is exactly how I remember it,” he says.
“No, I used to have Winnie the Pooh sheets.”
He snorts. “It hasn’t been that long. I remember playingGTAandFifaup here.”
“Yeah well, Stacie made me move the PS2 downstairs, remember? So she could play some stupid NHLgame.”
“Getting bullied by your little sister, Flannigan?”
“Oh no, we don’t do that frat boy last name thing here.”
Nate flops down onto my bed and spreads his legs, making himself comfortable. “You’ll have to get used to it if your sister’s going to be playing hockey in college.”
“She’s thirteen. She’s not going anywhere yet.”
Nate gives me a knowing look and I shy away from it. I’m good at hiding, but he knows me from a more vulnerable, less guarded time. Who knows what he can see in me that other people can’t?
“You’re going to miss her, aren’t you?”
“Course I am,asshole, she’s my sister.”
I kick his foot so he has to close his legs. “Wanna watch a movie or something?”
“Still gotJackass?”
I snort. “What are you? Twelve?”
He punches me in the arm. For a second, I imagine playfighting with him. We’re not kids anymore and I haven’t touched him in years. Who knows how fucking weird it would be now that we’re adults. I lean away.
“I’ve got a few movies on my laptop, I’ll see what’s on there.”
While I login, I can feel him looking over my shoulder. My neck gets hot at the thought of him seeing everything I have on my computer. It’s hidden, very fucking hidden, but still. Who knows what kind of computer courses he does up at that fancy school? I make a mental note not to leave him alone in my room for too long.
“Wanna just watch a comedy or something?” I let him see the movies on the screen, trying to ignore the fact I can hear him breathing. Smell some sort of spicy cologne on his clothes.
“Adam Sandler? And I’m twelve?”
“Well, you choose then.” I shove the laptop toward him, but he just laughs.
“I’m kidding, that one looks good.”
I put the movie on and rest the laptop on the desk by the bed.
“Can you see alright?”
“Yeah, you?”
