“He must have lost his race,” my mom explained to her agent as an explanation for my behavior.
“We didn’t lose. We came in second,” I called out.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get to see it, sweetheart,” she hollered.
“It’s okay. Uncle Eli was there,” I yelled back from the entryway.
I was halfway up the stairs when she came into the entryway.
“Who?”
“Sorry, I meant Dr. Hamilton,” I explained without stopping on the stairs or looking at her.
5
Brandon
Eighteen-Years-Old
I slidinto the seat on the couch across from where Eli sat. Like every week, I looked forward to my visits with Eli. He always gave me his full attention and was interested in what I had to say.
“So how has school been this week?”
“Great!” I boasted.
“Really? That’s great to hear, Brandon. You’re almost done with school. Just another month or so.”
“Yeah, things are going well.”
“Tell me about your week. What made it so great? Few or no arguments with your mom? You’ve been doing so well.”
“No.” I smirked and rubbed my fingertip over a frayed part of my jeans while I debated if I should tell him. I knew that I could tell him, but whether or not I should was a different story. His friendly face encouraged me forward. “I went down on a girl from the track team after school on Monday,” I exclaimed.
I guessed I was expecting something along the lines of him being happy for me. It was kind of a rite a passage for a young man to get his first taste of pussy before the end of his high school years. And really, I was a late bloomer. I was already eighteen and at the end of my senior year. I expected him to be happy for me, but to also issue a warning of being careful and all that shit. But instead, he was very distant and quiet for a few moments. He nodded, though, and forced a fake smile on his face.
Suddenly I felt guilty for not only having expressed to him what I had been excited about, but for even going down on the chick in the first place. I felt like it instantly changed our friendship. My face felt hot with embarrassment, and I regretted all of it.
“Well, that’s apparently something you are excited about, Brandon.” His tone told me he didn’t agree with my behavior.
He brought his hands together, filling the room with a loud clap and instantly drawing my attention. Then he stood, folded his arms across his chest, and paced the length of the seating area behind his chair. For a moment, he reminded me of what a parent would probably do after catching their kid doing something stupid. I felt really bad that I had wrecked our friendship or something. It was an odd feeling that I didn’t quite understand.
“Are you mad at me, Eli?” I carefully asked.
“Am I mad? No. It’s your business if you want to go down on some slutty, rich bitch. As long as you can look in the mirror, it’s your life.”
“Dude, it was just pussy. I didn’t fuck her. I just licked her.”
“Are you still a virgin, Brandon?”
“Yes.”
“Stay that way until you’re out of high school. Don’t fuck up your life as your mother did.”
Shit. Was he saying that I was what fucked up her life?
“Didn’t she have you right around when she was eighteen?”
“I think.”
