From My Enemy To My Love (boyxboy) ✔

Chapter 11

Chet Watakeekul

I watched with a strange sort of numbness as Vincent's car sped away. Why had he lied? Why had he insisted he wouldn't be friends with Alex if Alex wasn't as rich as him when it was so clearly a lie? Why was there so much pain and loneliness behind his eyes? Who had convinced him that anyone poorer than him was only after his money? It felt deeper than a couple of stupid high school girls though they clearly had not helped.

At least he hadn't heard my conversation with Melissa about Jason.

And then with a start the numbness jumped away and my feet needed to just move as I remembered what Vincent was really after. I needed to warn Mateo. I sped down the sidewalk with no clear destination in mind. I selected Mateo's name in my phone and hit call. I held the phone up to my ear as I walked under the trees lining the sidewalk. The phone rang and rang. There was no answer. I hung up and quickly called Gareth.

"What?" Gareth asked lazily as he answered almost immediately.

"Are you home? At class? Where's Mateo? Is he in class? Is he home? Is he at lunch right now?"

"Breathe, kid," Gareth said.

"I'm older than you," I reminded him.

"That doesn't mean anything," he said easily.

"Where's Mateo?" I repeated.

"I don't know. Try calling him."

"I did. He didn't answer." I stopped when I was suddenly in front of a building I'd never been to before. I blinked up at the brown building, read the word dance hall and then turned around and walked in the direction I just came from. I had a class to get to.

"Maybe he's in class," Gareth said.

"Do you know what class he has right now?" I asked. "Are you home?"

"No and no. I'm in class."

"You're talking to me during class?" I asked aghast, but not surprised.

"Yep. I guess I better hang up. The professor is giving me dirty looks."

I groaned. "Gareth, don't answer your phone during class." I hung up without saying goodbye.

I sprinted back to the cafeteria and searched inside. There was no sign of Mateo. I wasn't sure which class he had next. I sprinted to the Biology building, but after wandering the hall for about 5 minutes I decided that was useless.

I looked at the time on my phone. My leadership training class had already started. I really hated to miss that class, but my friend was more important. I took the campus shuttle to the nearby apartments and sprinted to Mateo's and Gareth's apartment. I knocked on the door and waited.

There wasn't an immediate answer. I put my ear to the door, held my breath and listened. There was quiet shuffling beyond the door. I knocked again.

"Mateo, are you in there?" I said to the door. "I really need to talk to you."

I put my ear to the door again. There was more shuffling - closer this time - and then the door opened. Mateo stood in front of me with a scowl on his face and his lips slightly swollen.

"What?" he asked clearly grumpy.

I was distracted by Alex sitting on the couch further in the room patting down his disheveled blond hair.

"Am I interrupting something?" I asked, but already guessing the answer.

"Yes," Mateo sighed, "but it's fine. Come in." He left the door open as he went back into the room. I stepped in, but stayed close to the open door. I knew I had interrupted them and now I was feeling guilty and uncomfortable.