Androgynous (Girlxgirl)

Chapter 3

-present day Casey-
I am woken up to the sound of the shower turning on, followed by a loud rendition of "Bop To The Top" sung by the one and only, Parker. Even after 7 years, High School Musical is still his favorite movie. I don't know why or how, he's obviously seen better movies and gotten over his crush on Zac Effron, so I am stumped as to why it still tops his list.

"It's a classic Casey," he always says when I ask him.

"Dude, you know it's not! We've been over this. Classic: Breakfast Club; not a classic: High School Musical. It's not even that old!"

"Ten years, that's pretty old."

"Well if that's pretty old, then you're ancient!"

"Oh screw you Case."

I pick up my phone from my nightstand, checking the time. Its about 7:30 am, give or take a few minutes. I sling my legs over the side of the bed, throwing my blankets off to a pile at the foot of my bed. I never bother to make my bed, but somehow, I always came home to it neatly made. I don't know if it's Parker or a mystical bed making fairy, but it always gets done. 

I walk out the door and down the hall to the kitchen, throwing open the pantry and getting the fixings for cereal. I smell the fresh brewed coffee that Parker had probably made before getting in the shower. I go grab my favorite mug and realize there is a sticky note stuck to it.

Casey,
Call your mom, she keeps calling me saying you won't pick up. Please, for my sanity,
Parker

Parker is always leaving notes like this for me all over our small apartment. We had moved in together about a year ago after we both got jobs and Parker started to go to some fancy art school. He wanted to be closer to school, but he didn't want to leave me, so he brought me along with him. I came happily seeming as we already basically lived together anyway.

I crumple the note up, not wanting to face my mom again. We had gotten into another one of our annual big fights over thanks giving when I last visited, so I'm giving her the silent treatment. She always seems to have a better relationship with Parker than her own daughter.

I toss the paper away and make my coffee how I like it; three spoons of honey an a heck of a lot of milk. I usually like decaf coffee because caffeine makes me shake and feel sick and not at all awake, but Parker says that he "needs caffeine to live" apparently so I settle for half caf just for his sake.

I take my cereal and coffee out to the balcony to wait for Parker to finish showering and join me. Every morning we come out and talk, or not talk and just be together. We watch the LA city life from our apartment; the tourists snapping pictures of palm trees, and people jogging past getting exercise.

I should probably get back into doing sports. I had this dream to be a professional soccer player when I was younger, but that dream died right along with my innocence as I had my first interaction with a high school bad boy; who got me into smoking weed and drinking. It all spiraled down from there. We dated, and my mom found out about the smoking and grounded me for a year. Out of retaliation I would sneak out and get smashed off my face with my boyfriend every weekend and by the time Monday would roll around I couldn't tell you a single thing that happened to me that whole time. Then my boyfriend got a little abusive and took advantage of me even though I said no. Even through all of that Parker was there for a soft place to fall. Letting me pass out at his house after getting blackout drunk at a party, or vent to him about my scummy boyfriend. He was always there for me.

I'm obviously done with that stage because I haven't inhaled a single breath off a joint since sophomore year. I spent 2 years sober after breaking up with my boyfriend just to regain some of the life I had lost.  That was about five years ago. And now, I'm gay, which is fun. Okay, well technically I'm pansexual but, I have a huge preference for girls.