Saturday, June 2, 2012

we used to be friends



"You have to stop using your Mom's bank card," Asa said while he was looking in the ice box for evidently, the milk. Of course, Josie was already eating cold cereal.

"What did I do.. that was so wrong?" Josie winced as she was focusing on something on her netbook to carry her through the morning before she dashed off to her doctor's checkup.

"I'm not sure, but your mother called. She doesn't like it." Asa took the milk and put some in his coffee.

Josie only sighed. "She never calls me. Never." She pushed her half eaten bowl of Honey-Nut Cheerios away. "Look, I only bought a couple of pizzas, and dinner for Ian."

"Well, she mentioned the fast food." Asa shrugged.

"So she thinks I'm eating all the time. Is that it?" Josie dumped her cereal then and washed out her bowl. They'd at least survived the social services. Obviously. Still, she knew he wanted everyone keeping the place up. No more messes.

"Evidently, you give us something to talk about." Asa shrugged. He grabbed his messenger bag and was off to work with his coffee.

Josie watched him leave, wondering if she was just an excuse for her mother to call him. She was beginning to wonder if maybe her mother liked Asa. Josie couldn't help but smile.



Before Josie could get settled into a bit of tumbling on Tumblr, a tap came at the back door and she saw Henry, who wasn't all smiles as she expected. In fact, he looked quite sad.

"What's up?" Josie looked at him with concern.

"Definitely, nothing." He plopped himself down and she went to get him coffee before she could ask if he wanted any.

It was just half a cup, because he liked plenty of milk in his. Sugar too. She watched him doctor it up to a luke-warm pale mixture before he dared to take a taste.

"Is this about the job at the library?" Josie asked. He'd told her for weeks now that he'd have a job at the library.

"It doesn't look good." He stared at his coffee. Finally took a sip.

"So, its not about the library?" Josie slapped her netbook shut. Henry blew a breath.

"What did Derrick do this time?" They never really talked about him much when it was just the two of them. Perhaps, she needed to listen. She could do that.

"Its me. Its all me." He bit his bottom lip.

"Did something happen?" Josie checked the clock. She didn't need to get to the doctor's office any earlier than she had too.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing happened." He shook his head. "Because, I wouldn't let it." He looked Josie in the eye. He cradled his cold coffee. "Why am I like this?"

"Maybe, you're just not ready." She guessed they were talking about sex, but maybe it was something to do with that music stuff she heard through the walls, occasionally.

"But..but you..you.." He snarled up his nose slightly as if he'd chocked on a coffee ground. perhaps. "You, you did, you know..." He looked at her as if she was suppose to be helping out by explaining it to him, like directions on the back of a box of cake mix.

"I trusted him. I did. I don't know why. Probably, shouldn't have, but I did. We were friends." Josie sighed as if she knew there was no way to explain why she had sex with Derrick in the first place. " Maybe, I just wanted to see what would happen." Josie first said. "Or..or he was really really sad..and well..it happened." Josie shrugged, thinking she'd never really told anyone this about Derrick. Why she chose to be with him.

"But it was..just...you know..what girls and guys do," Henry said it in a way that Josie couldn't possibly understand where he was coming from.

"Oh, there are a few things we can do with guys that guys like to do with guys." Josie almost smiled, but Henry squinted harder as if he really felt defeated now.

"Sorry." Josie gritted. "Maybe ..you don't want to be the girlfriend."

He looked at her as if he'd never thought of it that way. Josie gave him a pat on the back.

"I guess I should tell you, but I really am not up to talking to Derrick about it, yet...but, I'm seeing Ian." Josie told him as if this was one more band-aid that need to be ripped off.

"Whats so wrong with that?" Henry winced.

"I have a feeling, Derrick will find something to hate about it. He's like that." Josie slipped her netbook in her backpack then. "Anyway, just wanted to give you the heads up. But don't mention it to him, OK?"

She knew that look of Henry's. He was bad at keeping secrets.

"Just forget I said anything. Can you?" Josie needed to go. She kissed Henry on the cheek and he hugged her back. If things could only be that simple with Derrick.

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