--

The simple choice is to stop talking to her.  Apologize to Marky so that I get my other friends back, and then all will be happy in the back of those VW vans.

        So by the time school started, I hadn't said a word to Charlie.  I stayed home and played the drums.  That's all.  I refused to watch my dad's routines, denied smoking pot, and swore profusely in front of my mother.

        Same old same old.

        This year is my senior year.  Now if you're one of those people and took the time to do the math, yes I am in fact nineteen, gonna be twenty by next June.  And whatever you're thinking, however you're judging, fuck you.  I repeated the second grade... Twice.  Deal with it.

        Charlie came over a few times, but I always told dad or mom or Harry to say I wasn't home.  Or that I was sick.  Or that I was dying.  Whatever.

        On the first day of school, Marky pulled up in his van.  His girlfriend was by his side, and another guy next to her.  I hopped in the back with the rest of my red-eyed friends.

        It's instantly party time.

        I've got like three vans-full of friends.  There's Marky's van, he gets the trippy shit like acid; there's Danny's van, he does the weed; and there's Jimmy's van, he gets the hard stuff.

        So several of us (all from different vans) roll in to homeroom, totally fucked.  The teacher sighs as we take our seats in the back of the room.

        No, don't fucking talk to her, you idiot! I thought as Pinky leaned over to say hey to Charlie.

        But Charlie wasn't looking at Pinky.  Charlie was looking at me.  But I made sure I didn't look at her.

        Admittedly, a few times over the rest of summer I went over to Charlie's house.  But you know what?  Whenever her mom answered and I asked where she was, she wasn't fucking there!

        You know where she was?  With Steven from Aerosmith!

        The best part of it all was how when Charlie came over and my mom told her I was sick.  She tried to come upstairs so mom said I was dying.

        Then she'd call and try to apologize that way.  I let her go to voicemail and listened back.  She tried to explain that she didn't really love him, she was only saying that to piss me off.

        Well guess fuckin' what?  It worked!

        Whenever I'd be walking to Danny or Marky's house or whoever's, I'd have to go past Charlie's.  Steven was always there.  Always.  I'm not even kidding.  He's either just showing up to pick her up, just dropping her off, or he's inside.  Regardless, his car is always in Charlie's fucking driveway.

        And it needs to leave.

        Well, yes it's killing me not to talk to or look at my best friend, and it's horrible not getting any Popsicles or peanut butter crackers, but she ditched me for dinner with him, after she said she'd hang out with me!

        And the worst part of it all: I never said I wanted to be with you.

        So I guess they're a thing now and I just have to deal with it.  I could get plenty of other people, but the fact that I'm still in high-school is a bit strange to some.  Whatever.

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