Freak

by Alicia Masterson

  The mansion looked majestic even during the day, the multitude of windows on walls letting the midday rays shine through and illuminating the foyer with a humble, yellow glow. He nodded to himself, looking through both of the rooms, equally lit this time, with hired hands rearranging the furniture back into normal order for both rooms, while others cleaned the mess left behind. Not finding anyone from the school, he waited at the foot of the staircase, staring though the open entryway in front of him, with no bouncers this time.

  He didn't have to wait long. Within a few minutes, the sound of another door opening greeted Brian's ears, and a guy he didn't recognize walked lazily down the staircase, hands above his head, yawning.

  "Hey, dude, would it be too much trouble to ask for a ride?" Brian asked, feeling internal guilt that he was once again using his newfound position.

  "Whoa, Brian needs a ride? How can I say no to that, I'd be honored!" The guy said, without a second thought. Brian followed him out into the bright sunlight of the day. The light aggravated his pounding head, but the cool air soothed his nerves. There weren't that many cars left on the edge of the lawn by this time. The guy gestured for one of the remaining valets to get his car, and without another word, the pair took off to the street. The directions to his neighborhood were simple. While the guy was driving, Brian took the chance to lean his head back and let the events from the night before sink in properly.

  Specific memories began to slip after the many rounds of beer pong he entertained his teammates with, but he managed to collect enough to put together a rough sketch in his head. Christine was going to slaughter his sorry ass, but he wouldn't gripe this time. He screwed up pretty badly.

  "This neighborhood it?" The guy asked, interrupting Brian's thoughts.

  "Ya, just drop me off towards the entrance, I'll be fine," he said, not wanting his parents to see that he had to get a ride from some random guy. He really didn't know what to expect when he finally reached his house, frowning when he saw both cars in their usual spots. He definitely didn't expect the reaction that he got though.

  "Hey, Brian," his mother said, working at her desk in the office room. She got up from her chair and walked to greet her son properly. "Ugh, you look like a mess. And you reek like pool water. I guess that means you didn't take a shower at Christine's house. From the looks of your eyes, you probably haven't slept a wink, either. You kids and your parties. Did anything interesting happen at Corey's?"

  "Oh, ya, he recommended me to be next year's football captain," Brian said, the words accompanied with guilt and additional nausea.

  "Are you serious?! That's incredible! Call you friends, we're going to have to celebrate tonight!" The mother said, rushing upstairs to tell her husband the great news, then running back down to hug the life out of her only son. "I'm so proud of you, Brian. I knew that you could do great things if you tried hard enough."

  "Heh, I guess I don't know what I'm capable of. I really have to take a shower though, I'm probably going to try and hang out with Christine today," Brian said, pulling himself from her embrace and stumbling haphazardly up the stairs.

  "Hmm… I worry about that child sometimes. His breath reeked like something fierce. I trust that he's responsible enough to make smart decisions… Maybe I'm overreacting, it was just one party." She said to herself, watching her son struggle up the staircase.

  --

  Having freshly showered, shaven, brushed his teeth and taken some Advil, Brian was pretty much back to himself. He was determined to face his mistakes face to face. He told his mom goodbye, promising that he'd be back in time with Christine, Brian, and Lee for their celebratory dinner, and headed out to Christine's house. Some of his neighbors were waving with more zeal than usual. He assumed it was because their children had told them his good news. Shaking his head, he walked up the O'Hara driveway, ringing the doorbell.

  Christine was the only one home. She answered the door, and was stunned by the large mass that was suddenly hugging her, with his head over her shoulder.

  "Thanks for the song."

  CHAPTER THREE

  "Oh, you heard me, I'm glad," Christine said, hugging him back. "I could have sworn you were tied up with those girls when I sang, I'm sorry for leaving you there."

  Brian winced, her apology reminding him of the totality of the events that transpired the day before. He broke from the hug, trying to collect his thoughts before he started with his own apology. He had a lot more to say, after all. Christine saw the thought in his face, and she started walking up the stairs, towards her room. Brian took the time following her to finish thinking, before plopping down on her bed out of habit. He always laid down on her bed when he had something serious to confess to her. Christine took her usual spot at her desk chair, waiting anxiously for him to start.

  "I don't know how much of last night was to blame on the alcohol," Brian started, getting the obvious out of the way. "Everything's still fuzzy, like it was someone else doing everything, I was just watching. I heard the song, and then Dallas and James convinced me to follow them to the pool. But I'm not blaming them. I got really drunk after that. I guess you saw me in the pool. I'm sorry you had to be there, it probably wasn't a pleasant thing to see. I can understand this time if you're angry. I definitely deserve it."

  "Stop. I'm not angry at you, or at least, not anymore. Being angry isn't going to help anything. I realized that it's just going to push you away. I just need to understand what's going on."

  "There's actually something that I needed to tell you though," Brian said, not sure how she would take the news. "I lost my virginity to Abigail last night."

  "Oh… um, congratulations? I guess the rumors weren't that far off…" Christine lied, knowing for sure the kind of girl that Abigail was. She kicked herself on the inside, aware the Brian wasn't ready to handle a girl like her, that she was bad news, a player. She should have told him sooner, but he seemed to be so happy.

  "You were totally right, Christine, I'm sorry for not believing you right away. But I don't feel anything from it. I actually feel a little bit guilty, even though she started it. I could have said no, but the alcohol… but that's not right, I can't keep blaming alcohol for my mistakes!" Brian ended, angered by his own actions, and confused by his feelings.

  "Calm down, Brian. I get it. I'm kind of just happy right now that you're still willing to let me in on what's going on. But no more angst, please. It's Sunday afternoon, we don't have much time left before school. I want to at least enjoy some quality time before the school steals back their new champion."

  Brian got up from the bed, smiling. She was right, sadly. Things were going to be different in school. All of a sudden, it would be harder to spend any time at all with his old friends, gauging by his instant plunge into popularity. His thoughts were interrupted though, as Christine got up too, to call Brian and Lee.

  "I hope Lee's back to normal too…" She said, finding Brian's name in her phone, "Hey, Brian, get your ass over here, Brian's finally free! And take Lee too."

  She paused, listening to Brian's complaints. "No, I don't care if Lee's still asleep, wake his ass up! I feel like wiping the floor with him as Smash Bros." She listened, hearing Lee's inevitable high-pitched complaining and boasting, then continued to speak with Brian.

  --

  Brian took the opportunity while Christine was on the phone to check up on Abigail. He realized that he had abandoned her there. He felt no resentment; after all, he was too drunk to protest. Last night was both of their faults. Her cell phone rang a few times before an extremely sullen sounding girl answered.

  "Brian?" She asked, her voice picking up slightly.

  "Hey… Abigail, I'm sorry about what happened last night. No! I didn't mean it like that, I enjoyed it, it's just, uh, that, you know, I'm sorry that it had to happen the way it did?"

  She laughed, her saddened voice dissipating entirely. "Brian, you're totally ridiculous! Don't be sorry at all, I loved it. It was probably the only thing I could
remember from last night. I'm sorry for sounding sad, I got chewed out pretty bad by my dad. Don't worry though, I didn't even mention you. You're so sweet though. Most guys wouldn't even feel any guilt; better yet call to check up on me."

  Brian smiled inwardly over her compliment, and chewed over the prospect of asking her to join his friends. He looked over at Christine, cheerful and talkative for once, and quickly thought against it. It wasn't fair to her to drag possible drama into their first day to spend time together since who knew when.

  "Listen, Abigail, I just didn't want our relationship to be based around sex. I really like you, I mean it. We had a great first date and everything, but after last night, I don't think we got off on the right foot. Could we start over? My mom is having a celebratory dinner, and she asked me to invite my friends. Would you like to come?"

  "Brian, stop, seriously, you're worrying is starting to make me feel bad. You don't have to worry about your first impressions with me. I think you're probably the most amazing guy I've ever dated, and not just because you're a football star, or great in the sack," she paused, letting that last part sink in, "So, no, you don't have to feel like you have to start from the beginning. The sex happened, it's in the past, but you don't have to guilty if you don't want it to stay in the past. But, no, I'm sorry, I can't go anywhere today, my dad is pretty stubborn. Have fun though. I'll see you tomorrow."

  After she hung up, Brian walked over to the mirror, a bad taste in his mouth, and it wasn't because of the alcohol. He was trying to be as sincere and honest as he could, but it felt like he was lying through his teeth.

  "Did I enjoy the sex? It doesn't even feel like it was me. Like I was watching from the outside in… why do I feel so guilty?"

  --

  Christine glanced over at Brian, staring contemplatively out the window, obviously still tethered to his confusion.

  "I swear this can't be the same Brian I knew a year back," she teased. "The old Brian I knew never quite thought this much!"

  With that, Brian broke out of his trance, playfully chasing her down the stairs in mock anger. After reaching her, he pushed her on the living room couch, tickling her mercilessly, having already memorized her sensitive spots from the thousands of times they did this when they were kids.

  "How's this for the old Brian, huh?" He asked, not relenting on his assault.

  "Okay! Hahaha, fine, fine! Get up, you useless pile of stupid, I give up!" She yelled, losing her ability to breathe in laughter. "Come on, do something useful, and help me set up my Wii. Lee's going to be pissed if it's not set up by the time they get here."

  --

  Brian got up from their game to answer her doorbell.

  "Oh, hey there captain, I mean, Brian," Brian teased, mildly curious about what he did to get Christine in such a fury the night before. He walked in, followed by a more than slightly pissed off looking Lee, head raging with a hangover, but still ready to meet Christine's challenge.

  "Very funny, Brian," he said, waiting for the four of them to gather in the living room. "Guys, my mom wanted me to invite all of you to a dinner at my place tonight. Looks like my mom's going to be caught up in this captain craze, too…"

  "Look, dude, whether you're willing to accept it or not, the school's going to make a huge deal out of this. You're the school's next big thing, whether you like it or not," Brian said, annoyed by his complaining tone. He understood where he was coming from though. It must be hard to be shoved headfirst into something completely foreign.

  "ENOUGH TALK! SMASH, NOW!" Lee shouted, rummaging through Christine's drawers for headache medicine.

  "Hey, asshole! Stop going through my crap! Or are you just afraid that you can't beat me if you have a headache, poor baby…" Christine mocked, directing him towards the pantry, where her family kept their medications.

  The few games that they did eventually play ended up being slaughter-fests. For all of his alcoholism and arrogance, Lee was a genius at Smash Bros. He often left home during the weekends to attend tournaments, and actually placed well, sometimes even earning a sizable amount of cash. Brian tagged along just to make sure he didn't hurt himself, or provoke other people into hurting him. Eventually, Brian, Christine, and Brian got bored of getting annihilated every time in free for alls.

  "Enough Lee… we get it, you own us. Let's eat or something, " Brian said, groaning after losing his last stock to Lee, again, for what seemed to be the hundredth time.

  "No… no, I was kidding before! Seriously, you guys are getting better, just one more game, please!" Lee pleaded, frowning as everyone got up. Christine took pleasure in turning off the Wii, ignoring his inevitable cursing and taunting.

  "Whatever, we can play again later I guess. Or you know, do something else. I'm starving! It's going to be forever until dinner at Brian's. Let's eat out." Christine stated, rubbing her stomach and not leaving much room for argument as she headed towards her door. "Brian, you drive, I'm in the mood for subs!"

  "Actually, Christine, I'll drive too," Brian said. "I have to work a few hours before I go to Brian's. Lee, come with me. I have to keep an eye on you."

  As Brian and Lee pulled out of the O'Hara driveway, Christine and Brian began the short walk down the block to Brian's house.

  "Having a better day?" She asked, relishing the time she had alone with her best friend. She had a feeling that's why Brian made Lee come with him.

  "Definitely. It's nice to hang out with people that don't look at my popularity and position for a change. I miss you guys." Brian said, finding it easier to leave the past events behind him. He'd have to face them tomorrow, he might as well enjoy today.

  Brian let Christine in to the front seat, and then took the time to just look around and appreciate his surroundings for what could possibly be the last time. The chilly, but pure December air that filled his lungs energized him, redoubling his desire to make the most of the first and maybe last day for a while that he could be himself all day with his friends. Brian had wanted this for so long, it was the main reason he joined the team freshmen year. But something still nagged at him, though. It didn't feel real, and he still felt guilty. He didn't let these thoughts plague his mind for too long though, as Christine was staring at him questioningly, waiting patiently for him to get into the car.

  "What were you thinking about?" Christine asked.

  "I don't really know. Maybe it's how fast everything happening, but something about all of this just doesn't feel right. I still don't know if I deserve all of the attention and praise I'm getting."

  "Well, why let it bother you? I still think I know you pretty well, you've wanted popular attention since you'd figured out it existed. I've never been clear on why, but you worked really hard through high school, so why wouldn't you deserve it? Run with it, Brian, it's not a very common opportunity. You know that I couldn't be mad at you for taking something that you worked hard for. You'll always have me, but popularity? That's fleeting."

  "It's just that, I've always wanted to feel what it was like. What makes the people in the spotlight so different than everybody else? I got a taste of it last night, but I think I was too scared and surprised to understand what actually happened. One thing's for sure though, I promise never to drink that much again. I don't like not having any control over what I do."

  "That's a relief to my ears." Christine said, as Brian pulled into the local deli parking lot. "You should tell that to your mom, too. She worries about you even more than I do."

  "Wait, what? She knows what I do? How do you know that?" Brian asked, a little be apprehensive at this news.

  "Trust me, its female intuition. Your parents know more than you give them credit for."

  "I'll have to look closer then… but Christine. Thanks for understanding. I don't really know what I would do with myself if you were angry at me for too long."

  --

  "Today's the day…" He said under his breath, staring out at the brightly lit woods beyond his window. He allowed himself a moment to t
ake in the palate of greens, letting the beauty of the scenery dissolve his anxiousness. A solitary cloud momentarily covered the sun, shaking him from his trance. Seeking to busy himself, he started to walk through his home, not sure what he was looking for, the deafening silence reverberating off of the walls. Satisfied that he had waited long enough, he returned to the familiarity of his room, edgy from impatience.

  "Nothing's going to get in my way now."

  He took out his cell phone, and methodically dialed a number he had committed to memory, but had never actually called before. Number by number, his breathing increased in intensity. There was no room for error, everything hinged on this moment, this call.

  "Hello?" The voice said, with the faint sounds of conversation and laughter in the background.

  "Hey. Brian, this is Corey…"

  --

  "What took you guys so long?" Brian asked, chewing slowly on a mouthful of sandwich.

  "Oh, nothing, we just took our time. What's the rush, anyway, there's no line," Christine replied, beaming unnaturally. Brian raised his eyebrow quickly, and then lowered it, safely assuming that the pair got a chance to talk things out.

  "Hey, Brian! Great game Friday, congratulations on making captain next year!" The employee said, recognizing him instantly. "Will you guys be having your usuals?"

  Christine looked over at Brian, who nodded, and then she nodded back to the guy. She picked up a bag of chips, and waited for him to finish making their subs. She walked over to the register, and pulled out her wallet, knowing the exact amount that she would have to pay.

  "Whoah, no, that's not necessary. I'll spot you guys on this one!" He said, "Just knowing that the school's hero and friends eats here all the time is payment enough."

  Brian blinked, but didn't complain, taking his sub, chips, and soda, walking with Christine back to where Brian and Lee were eating.