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23: Neapolitan

Should I be transparent with him and tell him I knew already? Is being cheated on, your friend kissing your girlfriend and your other friend lying to you about it too much? Do I really believe Alex needs me or is it a cheap excuse for me to take the easy route?

I don't have enough time to make up my mind as I see Alex's name on my screen, and I pick up immediately.

"Hey, Alex. Long time no see," I say in a joking manner, cringing at my lame attempt of ignorance.

"Hey, could you maybe come by my place? Now? Please?" he asks and his voice is shaking.

"Yeah, I'll be there in five."

"Thank you so much," he mutters before hanging up.

"What happened?" Mum asks, her eyebrows furrowed. "He sounded like he had been crying."

Let the lies begin

"I have no idea, but I have to go," I say as I stand up and pocket my phone.

"Of course. Stay overnight if he needs you to," dad says and I nod as I get on my skateboard.

Mrs. Mary opens the door before I can even knock. "Thank God you're here. He was fine when he got back and five minutes later he was crying like he hurt his toe at the corner of a sofa." 

The tone in her voice matches the one Kal's mum had. 

"Is he in his room?"

"Go ahead," she says with a sigh. "I'll be next door if you need anything." She takes a step towards the door, then turns back to me. "Please try to cheer him up."

I nod and walk to Alex's door. It's slightly ajar, so I push it open. He is under his Spider-Man sheets, curled up in a ball. I approach carefully and lift them a little. Two light brown eyes pooling with tears look back at me. Extending his hand out, Alex pulls me under the covers too. I kick out my shoes and throw the sheet over us. His arms snake around me while he hides his face in the crook of my neck and sobs quietly. I'm holding him as tight as I can, constantly playing with his hair, knowing it calms him down. Not this time, though. His crying is non-stop and I feel guiltier with every passing second.

When his sobs turn to sniffles, I push away the sheets and sit up against the headboard, pulling Alex along.

"I broke up with Sofia," he mutters, staring at the sheets. "She texted me earlier but I was stupid enough to have a dead phone. Turns out she prefers smart guys."

I rub his arm. "Alex, you're not stupid."

"No, you don't understand." He takes a breath. "The text said Sofia kissed Kal in March. Isn't she the best? She was honest with me. Took her one hundred and forty-one days, but who's counting. And Kal? He's the bestest friend I could ever ever ask for. He only did it once. I might as well act like he didn't ever do it."

His voice is dripping with sarcasm, and that's the first time this happens.

I take his hands in mine. "Alex, I don't know what to say."

"Me neither," he says, brushing his knuckles against his eyes. "We must do something. I don't want to think about these two."

"Sure," I say nodding. "Do you want me to call Olivia?"

Alex pouts his lips. "I already did, but she said something's up and she can't come over now."

I frown. "It's not anything serious, right?"

"No, I think she said she has to stay with the twins so maybe her parents had to go to a fancy dinner or something." Alex shrugs. "Do you want to watch Thor: Ragnarok?"