Overwhelmed (1)

"Okay, okay, okay. Here's another one. Who's my favourite member of Panic! At the Disco?" Bea asked, holding my shoulder as she jumped down from the short brick wall surrounding a small Great Myrtle tree.

"The gay one with brown hair." I teased.

She hit my arm. "No, seriously."

We were playing a 'How Well Do You Know Me?' game to pass the time on the walk home. We'd been neighbours for nearly eight years, and best friends for longer. People often assumed that we were dating, but the idea was laughable for one extreme reason.

"I'm being serious! You probably don't even have a favourite." I said, rubbing my forearm. "You hit haaaaard." I whined, dragging out the vowel sound.

"Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner." she giggled. "And no I don't. You're just scrawny."

I stuck my tongue out. "I'd rather be scrawny than a fatass like you."

Bea grinned. "Really? I'm afraid if the wind blows too hard that you'll float away. It's sort of unnerving."

"I'm afraid if you get knocked over that you'll never be able to stop rolling away." I teased.

Any other girl would have been offended. It was only funny to Bea because she knew her body was perfect, and she'd worked at it for a long time. After a period of obesity in middle school, Bea decided to hit the gym and get in shape.

"Pfft, I wouldn't- OH MY GOD, TROY, LOOK." Bea gripped my arm and stopped me in the sidewalk, pointing to my left at a slate grey Toyota Highlander.

"Bea, I love you and all, but that car has no trunk space-"

She punched be again, cutting me off. "Not the car! The guy!"

As she pointed more vigorously, a ridiculously attractive guy came into view, pulling a bag from the trunk of the car. He wiped sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand and shut the trunk door. He straightened his fitted white shirt and ran his fingers through his silky blonde hair.

"Holy. Crap." I said, gaping at him.

Bea was doing a little dance. "It's raining men, hallelujah-"

Oh, yeah. That one extreme reason? I'm gay.

"Do you think he's straight?" I asked, equally excited. Our houses were just up the street from an extremely attractive boy whose sexuality was unknown. This was fantastic.

"Oh, I HOPE so-"

I shoved her. "Beeeeea."

"What? I saw him first." she said cockily.

I pouted. "That's not faaaair. I wasn't paying attention."

"Your loss." she sang.

"I thought you were my friend." I said melodramatically.

"Hey. All's fair in love and war." she said happily. "Not my fault your eyes are slow."

We started walking again, and I tried to steal another glance at him over my shoulder, but he was already back inside.

"Hey, can I stay over?" Bea asked as I started up my driveway. "Mom and Dad are arguing over colleges again."

I nodded. "Yeah. That'd be fine. You'll have to sleep in the guest room, though."

My parents, along with everyone in the world that wasn't Bea, didn't know about my sexual orientation, and thus were still skeptical about my having female friends over. However, they were fairly understanding of Bea's situation at home, and as a good Catholic family, they were always willing to help a neighbour in need.

"Hey, I'll take the bathtub if it keeps me out of that hellhole." she gestured to her house, which was diagonal to mine, in the other corner of the cul-de-sac. "Do you think Anna will let me borrow some of her clothes?"

Anna is my sister, who is two years my junior. She's either extremely bitchy to me, or ignores me entirely.

"If you pay her, maybe." I replied seriously.

"Alright. I'll risk it." she said nonchalantly.

Anna liked Bea, or rather, hated Bea less than she hated everyone else. Bea was a frequent reader of yaoi and was constantly droning on about the multiple manga and anime she was into at any given time.

We went inside and were instantly greeted by Anna's demon hound, Pluto. The dog didn't scratch or bite, but was the most distracting puppy on the planet, and the reason for my multiple unfinished homework assignments.

"Anna, I'm home!" I called up the stairs, dropping my bag by the front door.

"I don't care!" she said over the K-Pop blasting in her room.

"Bea's here!" I replied.

The K-Pop turned off a moment later and she came downstairs, mess of dark hair pulled back into a pony tail. She'd been "sick" every day this week- which was a code word for watching Black Butler and playing Slender while everyone was at work or school. "Hey." she greeted us.

"Did you finish Black Butler II yet?" Bea asked excitedly.

"Noooope. I started re-watching Sailor Moon and I got distracted-"

I rolled my eyes and left them to their stupid Wapanese conversation.

"I'm taking the hound for a walk." I said, just loud enough for them to hear me.

"Okay, whatever." Anna waved my announcement away.

I got the leash for Pluto before hooking it onto his collar and heading outside. It was still only about five, but the sunlight was fading due to the oncoming winter. I headed up the street. I hoped I'd be back before dark. I passed the cute guy's house and wondered what he was doing. Homework? Napping? Arranging furniture? Going on a date?

While I was caught in a sudden daydream of a date with the hot guy, I heard furious barking and felt the leash slip from my grip.

When I pulled myself out of my thoughts and got my bearings, I saw Pluto running ahead of me, after an orange and black tabby. "Crap. PLUTO!"

I started to chase the puppy, but Bea wasn't lying when she said I was scrawny. I am not an athletic person.

After what seemed like hours, but was likely only a few minutes, into my pursuit, I was about to give up. I couldn't see or hear Pluto or the cat. I stood, breathing hard, and looked around for the animals. Anna was going to KILL me if I didn't find Pluto.

"Hey!" I heard a voice from behind me. "Is this your dog?"

I whirled around to see a guy with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes holding Pluto's leash in one hand, and the cat in the other.

It was the hot one from earlier.

"Uh- yeah. He's mine." I said, sounding a little flustered.

"Well, he's got a leash for a reason, dumbass."

"I was thinking." I said, surprised at his tone. "I got distracted."

"He could have mauled my sister's cat." He added irritably.

I frowned. "He just wanted to play."

"Just keep an eye on your animal."

Jesus. Short-tempered, much?

"I'll do that." I held my hand out for the leash, and he held out the loop. "Asshole." I muttered as I took it.

He just rolled his eyes and started toward his house again.

I huffed and went toward my own place.

He was much less cute, now.