The New Yorker, Chapter 6
The New Yorker -By Vincent-
Chapter 6: Competition
"Hey."
"Hey."
It's been 3 months since that night at Brian's house. Since then, Brian and I have been going out more. We found out things about each other, we learned things about ourselves, and we... well, I guess you know about that part, right?
Anyway, I called Brian to tell him about another symphony practice that Mr. Keller scheduled for us tonight. It was friday morning, and we were just about to head off to school.
" So, can you go?" I asked him. He hadn't been to any more practices since the day I first met him.
" I guess..." He replied. I got the feeling he wasn't too anxious. That's one thing I found out about him. He didn't like to be seen in public with me, not for his sake, but for mine, which was understandable.
" Come on...After I'm done, we can get something to eat and hang out for a while."
"..Okay. When do I have to be there?"
I don't think I talked too much about our school. Honestly, there's not too much to talk about. We have the basic cliques : smart guys, goths, hippies, preps, jocks, etc. The teachers range from 20's to 50's. Academically, there's not much to talk about. Athletically, however, were practically the best school in the county. So there's Outbrook High in a nutshell. I'm part of the jock scene, if you didn't guess already. Brian, though...
A strange thing happened a month after Brian came out of the closet. He won over people of practically all cliques because of his coming out, and had his own force in the school because of it. He became, if you will, one of the "shiny happy people (that's how Brian puts it)" all over again. Not everyone was happy, though. Rumors started spreading that Brian was "converting" people into gays and lesbians, which is how he made his new friends. Of course, not only did I know about them, I knew exactly who started them...
It was none other than Garrett, my estranged friend, also a serious gossip mongul. I had stopped talking to him a while back, and it seems he's resented it ever since. He started a rumor about me, but no one would believe him. In fact, some people ( mainly the guys on the football squad) got pissed at him and ganged up on him one day after school. So now there's a deep vendetta between the two of us, at least, in his mind. I think since he probably saw me and Brian together a couple of times, he's been hell bent on ruining Brian's life.
Remember Brooke? The unofficial Prom Queen I told you about? I've been sensing something from her for the past couple of days. She's been leaving little things at my locker, like candy, notes, all sorts of things. I told Brian, and he said that " she's just someone with nothing better to do than to nag at someone all day. Besides you're mine now!" -blush-
Well that's about my school. Today seems like it's going to be a good day...right?
I hop in my car and head over to school, passing Brian's house. Even though I have my car all the time, Brian insists that he rides the bus because he dosen't want to make people "too suspicious." Whatever.
As I got into school, I headed to my locker to find Brian there, waiting for me.
" Hey," he said, with a typical "Brian" attitude voice
" Hey," I replied. "What's up?"
" You've got to look at this," he told me, handing me a small piece of paper.
" What is it?"
" Read it, you'll see."
Brian, I'd like to meet you.
Would you like to meet me?
~Sean
Meet me around the front bus loop at 2:30.
" Well?" He asked me.
" Well what? Sounds like some guy has a crush on you..." I replied, exaggerating my voice.
" Shut up. It's probably that jerk friend of yours again."
" Garrett?"
" Yeah, but just in case, I want you to come with me to go see this Sean guy."
" So you're gonna go see who it is?"
" Yeah- hey, what's that?"
I looked at where he was pointing and there was one of Brooke's notes, sticking out of my bookbag.
" Well well well..." Brian grinned, then pulled the note out and started reading it (without my consent, I might add.)
" 'Darien, I wonder what you'll be doing after the football game on friday...' yes Darien, what will you be doing, or should I say...who will you be doing..."
" You can't be serious-"
" I'm not....Well, she's having a party after the game, eh?"
" Yep."
" Well, when were you going to tell me about this litlle shindig, eh?"
" Well, um.." I was going to tell him later as a surprise, but obviously he wasn't buying it at all...
" You wern't, were you?"
" Brian, I-"
-rrriiiiinnnnnggg!- It was the bell. Damn.
" We'll talk about this later," Brian noted, and went to class.
I think that he was taking this a bit too seriously, this...relationshp thing... a bit too seriously. On the other hand, was I not taking this seriously enough?
Period by period, the day winded down until school was over. It was 2:20, and me and Brian were standing out in the bus loop.
" No one's here," Brian said.
" Exactly," I told him, " That's why this guy wanted you to meet him here."
" Well, I'm sick of waiting, where the hell is he?" Brian exclaimed.
" I don't-wait a sec, is that him right there?"
A guy with black hair and glasses was walking over towards us. At that moment, Brian pushed me into the bushes next to were we were standing.
" Hey! What the-"
" Stay there, please," Brian whispered, without even looking in my direction.
Once the guy came over here, I was neatly hidden among the bushes, since I was wearing a green shirt with jeans. I didn't know who he was. I had never seen him before, so he didn't couldn't have known Garrett.
" Are you Brian?" He guessed with a smile on his face. His voice was deeper than a teens , more like an adults. His physique made me wonder if he really was on the football team...
" Yes..." Brian answered, then he began to blush.
" I'm Sean, and..." removing Brian's hand to from his face, said " You're very cute when you blush like that."
I heard Brian's childish giggile, and it made me mad because Brain was openly flirting with him just because I was here, and he knew that was the whole point.. Man...
" I see you're not with anyone right now." Sean said.
" No, I'm not with anyone."
_Lies, lies, lies...
_" Were you ready to go home?"
" Well, actually, I have a friend I have to see..."
" Can this friend of yours wait for a little while? I'm sure he dosen't understand why he really wants to meet you on such a day as this..."
Like you would know...
" Well, he can be very...jealous at times...."
_Jealous?!
" Well, then I guess you should be on your way." he ended, moving to the side of Brian.
" Yes, I should," Brian replied, and started to walk towards the main street.
" Brian..." Sean called back.
" Yes?"
As I was hearing everything, I really couldn't see that much once they went to the middle of the street. I lifted my head up and got the shock of my life.
There they were, Brian and Sean, in the middle of the loop, kissing! With tongue!
Brian wasn't even trying to stop him, until he saw me(of course), and his eyes widened. Grabbing Sean by the shoulders, he moved him away and broke the kiss.
" Brian...when ever you get done with your little 'friend'..," Sean started to say, and pulled out a small card from his khasis pocket.
" Call me, ok? I'd love to hear from you again."
You would, you damn....
" I'll consider it." Brian said, then walked off into the school. Once Sean had left, he walked back out to where I was hiding.
" Man, his card is so professional!" Brain said, with a chuckle in his voice." You've got competition, Elanea."
Snap.
_" Competition my ass!" I yelled. "And you were only supposed to meet him to see if he wan't trying to kill you, not play tonsil hockey in middle of the school in broad daylight in public!!"
" What's up with you?"
" What's up with me? What's up with me, is that you can't just run around here with other guys while I sit here, knowing what's going on. You're my-"
As soon as the words came out, I immediately wanted to take them back. But it was too late, Brian was enraged.
" Your what? Your whore? Your concubine?" He yelled with a threating tone.
" No, Brian-"
" No, don't even start with me. I am not your anything, you understand? You obviously don't know me well enough to even think that I would run off with some guy who sent me a stupid letter and kissed me without my permission? I may be a romantic, but come on!"
" Brian-"
" You must have a big misconception about me, to even think I would do something like that. So you know what? Why don't you run off with that little slut of yours, that Brooke bitch or whatever her name is, because she can have you, as far as I'm concerned for the moment."
" Brian, you don't mean that!"
" You don't think I do?" Brian snapped, then got his books and started to walk down the street.
" Don't call me," he said, not even turninig around to face me.
" Brian! Brian!" I yelled out to him, but he acted as if I didn't exist. He kept walking until he was out of my sight.
" Shit!" I screamed, kicking my bag right into the door. What was I thinking? I had gotten so jealous of someone that I had lost it. I was trapped. How could I have a love that I couldn't express to people, to myself?
Picking my bag up, I sat on the ground and had a moment of thought. Maybe I wasn't ready for something like this to happen in my life. Maybe I could handle the thought of being in love.
Maybe I'm not the person I thought I was...
Driving home after school, so many thoughts rushed in my mind. Who the hell was this Sean guy, anyway? I had never heard of him before, and before I knew it, my boyfriend goes and runs off with him.
Boyfriend. That's the word that I was going to use. However, there are so many, more insulting words that could have been used. My 'property'; my 'bitch'; my...
Love. My love. Love would have been the best of the words.
You should have thought it over before you acted, I told myself. It reminded me of what my father once told me,_
A man who is impulsive is a man who is doomed from the start._
It must be true, then. I have always been a very impulsive person. You gotta be, to play football. Honestly, there isn't that much strategy once you know what your role is. And you take that role and you play it out.
The role I had, the love of Brian, was a role that I had played. Was that doomed from the start as well?
It was 8 at night right now. I had just entered the university for another symphony practice. I really wasn't in high sprits today, but as they say, you gotta do what you gotta do...
I met my friends, Chris and Paula, in the band room.
" Hey Paula, Chris," I said.
" Hey Darien."
" Hey D," Chris said, then his expression changed. " Eh, what's up? You look a little under the weather today..."
" Long story. Too long," I replied.
" You can tell us," Paula added.
As much as I trusted the both of them, I trusted Paula more than Chris. Chris was a skinny kid with red hair, glasses, and freckles. In other words, he was your average geek who wasn't all that good at keeping secrets.... Paula, on the other hand, was kinda chubby and had black hair and brown eyes, but she was the most honest and trustworthy person that I knew.
" Hey Paula, could I talk to you?" I asked her.
" Um, ok, sure."
I took Paula to the hallway outside of the band room.
" Paula, you've been in a relationship, right?"
" Of course. Why, you need some advice?"
" Actually, yes I do."
" Ok then, shoot."
"-sigh- Well, me and my b...girlfriend, we sorta got into a fight today..."
" ..ok. What about?"
" Um, well, you see, I kinda got jealous at h...her for talking to this guy-"
" Ah, the old jealously routine."
" Yeah..what should I do?"
" Well, the only thing you can do is go back to her and say that you're sorry for acting like such a jackass and that you trust her enough to be with other people."
" That's it?"
" Well...you might want to get some flowers for her. Roses. Roses always make girls think twice."
" Ok... well, thanks for your help, Paula," I finished, and gave her a hug.
" No prob, Darien, no problem at all."
When we went back into the room, Paula came over to me and said,
" Don't worry about it. Who's gonna resist you?"
The practice went smoothly, and I had perfected my many solos throught the songs. Mr. Keller was so pleased with our progress, that he let us off a half-hour early.
I was happy to be relieved, when I got off the stage and saw someone who I thought I would've never seen here.
" The mighty Outbrook Jock just keeps on going and going..."
It was Brooke! How the hell did she get here?
I was overcome with panic, but I decided that it would be best to just keep my cool and stay calm.
" Oh, hey Brooke, how's-"
" Skip the formalites, please. Of all the people I thought would be here, you would be the last person to cross my mind."
" Yeah, me too... how long have you been here?"
" Oh, I've been here a while. Long enough to realize that you didn't start playing the violin overnight, if you get my drift."
" Ah...well, I've been playing it for a long time now, I just never bothered to tell anyone about it..."
" Don't worry about it, Darien. Your secret's safe with me."
I got a very uneasy feeling after she said that.
" Well, thank you."
" So, are with anyone here, or are you going solo?"
I had to think about how to answer that one. Even though Brian was with Sean (I guess), did that mean that I was off to be single again?
You know what? Screw Brian. It's time I take control of my own life...
" Yeah, I'm by myself after all," I told her.
" Really? Well, I'm alone too. Maybe if you're not to busy, we could go get something to eat before we head home?"
" Ok."
And just like that, me and Brian were no more. It was as if the whole thing never happened....
Hey ya'll. How're you guys doin? Did you miss me at all? Even though it's summer, I really haven't had as much time as I thought I would. -Sigh- Anyway, how'd you like the chapter? Do you think that the rival couples can stay afloat without ripping each other's throats out? Ah, this is the good part, expect alot more from Brian and Darien in the near future.... Onto some other news...Sadly, there may not be that many chapters left of the story, now... :( I might write 5 or 4, and then, take a break...And then start my upcoming story, "(The Difference Between) Boys and Men"! Hmm, what do you think they are? ^_^Well, If you want to email me about my story, my email is Neo_Vincent@hotmail.com I would love to hear from you guys, get some reader feedback ( I just luv your letters! ~_^) and maybe help me get some ideas for my next story! Well, that's it for me, C-ya'll later! ^_^
Oh yeah, If you want to know upcoming chapters come out, please email me so I can add you on my mailing list. K?