about and around

Ryan was a lot to keep track of. Or so Cory thought.

"He's out again?" Cory found Roger with lots of fast food junk to clean up.

"More time for us, right?" Roger was being a little mellow. It was then Cory looked into the pupils of Roger's light brown eyes.

"Are you kidding me?" Cory grabbed Roger's shoulders and took a longer stare.

"What?"

"Are you getting high with him?" Cory winced.

"No." Roger just squinted and went to put stuff in the trash. "Just a little, all right. He's getting high. That's all."

Cory shook his head.

"I didn't think you were doing that anymore." Cory waited in the living-room.

"I'm not." Roger came back to face him then.

"You are such a follower." Cory poked his finger straight into Roger's chest.

"Ow." He winced. "And you are so not." Roger backed away then and rolled his eyes at him. "As if you were a saint."

"God, Roj, I just want us to not fall into this kind of crap with him." He followed Roger to the couch.

"What is that suppose to mean?" Roger hugged himself.

"You know, how it gets. We'll waste away. We have. Remember. And I can't afford that right now. College is right around the corner."

"OK. I won't do it." Roger told him. "I don't even miss it."

"Promise."

"I promise." Roger stared back at Cory who hugged him then. He had missed him.