The Best of Friends

1

  Walking down the hallway of the school, I made my way to the band room. I was certainly not having a good day, but I was looking forward to band. My band director greeted me at the door and i walked in. I tossed my stuff in a corner in the band room and sighed.
   I then squealed as someone tickled me from behind. I immediately squirmed out of their grip and turned around.
   "Vlad! Don't do that!" I exclaimed
My boyfriend, Vlad, nothing but laugh and ruffle my hair "Hey, not my fault you're so ticklish."
   I glared at him and shoved him away, a hint of a smile on my lips. I then hugged him and smiled fully as he hugged me back.
   "You're the biggest dork, Vlad." I said with a giggle.
  "I know I am." He kissed my forehead and then let me go. "Now go set up."
  I smiled and walked over to my instrument case. I played baritone saxophone, literally it was the best decision I've ever made in my life. I love this instrument so much. The sound of it, the amazing bass. God, it's such an amazing instrument. I'm going to eventually end up buying one, it's so amazing.
    I grabbed my reed, neck strap, and all of the necessary things I needed to set up. I walked over to my seat and sat next to the only other bari sax in the band, my best friend Damon. He looked at me and smiled, I returned the silent greeting with a smile.
   "Hey, guinea pig." He said
I glared at him and shoved his shoulder "I don't sound like a guinea pig!"
  "When you laugh you do! You sound like a bunch of guinea pigs running around in a cage. Oh, or maybe like-a chihuahua. Some sort of breed of small dog." He said jokingly
  I laughed and rolled my eyes "Just get the music out, already."
He looked at me and laughed "What? You scared you're gonna drop it like you always do?"
  "SHUT UP!" I exclaimed while laughing.
As he got the music out, I went up and down a few scales to warm myself up and prep my embouchure. Our spring concert was coming up pretty soon and we had all of the pieces that we'd be playing. In order, Contrapunctus, The Great Locomotive Chase, Hitsville USA, Irish Tune And Shepherd's Hey. Shepherd's Hey is actually death. All quarter notes for bari sax and then a chromatic scale thrown in at the end. But other than that, all of the other pieces were pretty fun.
    I laid my bari across my lap and immediately as I did so, Damon grabbed onto the neck piece and turned it the complete opposite direction of what it was supposed to be at so I could play it. I turned my head toward him and glared.
   "Ya bitch!" I said with a giggle.
He laughed and moved out of the way as I reached to turn his neck piece. And since I was leaned toward him, he poked me in the side which caused me to squeak. I groaned and settled back in my chair.
"You know what, Sawyer-"
    "What? Hm? What're you gonna do?" He asked with a snide grin.
"I-..." I paused "just-shut up!"
   He laughed and stuck his tongue out at me in victory and I punched his shoulder, laughing as I did so.
  This guy was my absolute best friend. We have been through so much together, you'd wonder how we were still friends. But I'm grateful to be in his life, and ultra grateful he's in mine.
  I looked around the band room and made eye contact with Vlad, who was in the flute section. I smiled and waved at him, expecting a smile back. But he kind of only gave a half smile. I raised an eyebrow to him and he shook his head, turning around and looking at his music.
  My smile turned into a frown. Did I do something..?
I gasped as I felt something poke my side repeatedly. Instinctively I smacked what it was. Which it was a hand. Damon's hand specifically. "Damon! Jesus Christ."
  "Whaaaat? I was just trying to see if you were okay. You were all googly eyes for lover boy and then your mood changed. I got concerned." He said, sincerity in his voice.
  I looked at him and gave him a small smile. "I'm alright. I'm good. It's my last name after all."
  Damon groaned and rolled his eyes. "Enough with that, it got old in middle school."
"Naaaaah, I'll carry on that joke until I can't use it anymore." I said with a laugh.
                           ~after band class~
Damon and I walked to our seventh block class together, us casually shoving each other back and forth as we normally do. I couldn't help but think of Vlad though. He completely ignored me after class. I didn't know what was wrong, everything was fine. But he had been getting like this more and more lately and it was seriously bothering me.
  Too busy thinking of Vlad, I wasn't paying attention to when Damon shoved me. Which, in turn, I tripped and kinda fell into the lockers on the wall. It caught me off guard completely.
  "Jesus Dest, you okay?" Damon asked, offering his hand to help me stand straight up.
  I grabbed his hand and pulled myself up. "Yeah, I uh-I just tripped. Obviously."
  We held onto each other's hands for a moment before he let go and gave me a semi-stern look. "You're telling me what's wrong when we get to class. We're supposed to tell each other things, ya know."
  I smiled slightly "Alright, fine. Fine. I'll spill. Just chill with that look. You're making me nervous."
  I softly shoved his shoulder and he smiled, letting out a soft laugh. We walked down the hallway and strolled into the earth science classroom, going to the back of the room where we sat and took our seats. I grabbed a pen and some paper from my book bag and handed Damon a sheet. He thanked me before reaching in his book bag and grabbing a pencil.
  "So, tell me what's wrong." He said with a serious look on his face.
  I sighed "Okay, it's Vlad. I don't know what's wrong with him lately. He's been getting upset and then ignoring me when he does. And me being me, I blame myself. I don't know what's going on. It's worrying me. Every time I bring it up he brushes it off."
  Damon raised an eyebrow and looked at me "Are you sure you're not overthinking things, Dest? That doesn't sound like Vlad."
  "I know, I know. I let it go for a while and filed it under my imagination but he completely ignored me after class today." I said and leaned back in my chair.
  "Alright, that's enough of the personal conversations back there." Our teacher, Mr. Horton said as he looked toward Damon and I.
  I rolled my eyes and just leaned closer to Damon, lowering my voice. "I honestly think it's because you're my best friend. The only time he gets upset is if I'm around you."
  "Are you sure? Because Vlad and I are fine. He never seems to have a problem with me." He said in a hushed voice.
I shrugged "I don't know. I'm going to talk to him about it before rehearsal today. I don't want him ignoring me and I don't know the reason why."
  "That's probably what's best. And don't accuse him of anything. Just tell him how you feel." He suggested and smiled at me.
  I smiled back "Alright. I will."
Damon rubbed my back and then got started on his bellringer for the day. So, I figured I might as well start on mine. I grabbed my pen, clicked it open, and started writing.
                 ~after school, in the band room~
  Damon and I carried on a casual conversation as I waited for Vlad to walk into the band room. As soon as I saw him I excused myself from Damon and walked over to him. I hugged him tightly, not giving him a chance to deny me. I then pulled back and grabbed a hold of his hand, looking up at him.
  "Vlad, can I talk to you? Please?" I asked.
He gave a soft smile and then nodded "Sure, Dest."
  I pulled him outside into the hallway and continues holding his hand. "What's been going on with you lately? Is something wrong?"
  He sighed and looked at me, softly brushing a piece of hair behind my ear. "Dest, I just-..I can't help but be a little jealous of you and Damon."
I raised an eyebrow and tilted my head to the side "I-..you're jealous of Damon and I?"
  He nodded and averted his gaze from mine "You guys just click so naturally. And you guys even dated. I've never seen someone get out of a relationship and then still be as close as the both of you are. It's insane to me. I just don't understand. And I get concerned sometimes that he'll win you over. That you'll go back to him."
  "So..you don't trust me then? You don't trust that I'd stay loyal to you? What the hell, Vlad?" I questioned.
  I was upset about this, definitely. When people don't trust me and I've done nothing but be loyal, that hurts. It hurts a lot. And I was hearing this from my boyfriend.
  "Destinee..you've got to understand. I just want you for myself. I don't want anyone else to have you." He moved close to me and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into him.
  I said nothing and tried my best not to let my eyes fill with tears. I nodded, not bothering to continue this conversation. I buried my face in his chest and softly wrapped my arms back around him. He kissed the top of my head and rubbed my back.
  "I love you, Dest. You're mine. And I want it to stay that way." He said softly into my hair.
  I nodded and said quietly "I love you too, Vlad.."
I pulled back from him and gave him a small smile. I turned and walked into the band room. I immediately walked into the band closet and crawled into the trombone cubby. This is where my friends Katrina and Pieter usually sit, but today it was empty. As soon as I curled up in the corner of the cubby, I teared up and let a few tears escape.
  My heart felt like it was going to explode and I felt like I needed to scream. My boyfriend. My own boyfriend who I've been with for eleven months, doesn't trust me enough to stay away from Damon. He doesn't trust me enough not to cheat. He doesn't trust me is the bottom line. And that hurts. So fucking much.
    "Des? You okay?" My friend Hannah asked as she walked into the closet.
I wiped my tears away and smiled up at her "Yeah, yeah. I'm alright. I just needed a second."
   "Oh..okay." She said, obviously not believing me "Do you want a hug?" She asked.
I went to say no but then I slowly nodded. She crawled down into the cubby next to me and pulled me into a gentle hug. Hannah was a gentle soul at times. She was really sweet and caring. She was always there for you when you needed her. And she helped convince me to join band. She's an amazing friend.
  I rested my head on her shoulder and hugged her back. "Thank you, Hannah."
  "It's no problem, Des. You need to talk?" She asked as she pulled back from the hug.
I shook my head "I'll be alright. Just gotta make it through rehearsal."
  She gave me a sweet smile and nodded "Alright, well, if you need me, I'm here."
  "Thank you, so much." I said with a smile.
"Not a problem. Come on, let's head out." She suggested.
  We both stood up and exited the band closet. I immediately looked over in Vlad's direction, seeing him talking with Victoria. I didn't talk to her much anymore and I didn't have the greatest idea of her, but I didn't care. She always seemed overly interested in any boy she talked to which concerned me a bit but I trusted Vlad. Unlike him with me.
   I walked over to Damon and sat down on the floor, laying next to our bari cases. He sat down beside me and poked my back. He then realized I wasn't in too much of a good mood and rubbed my back instead.
  "Wanna talk about it?" He asked
I shook my head. "Not now, I'll start crying. I don't like crying in front of people."
  He softly ruffled my hair "Well, just focus on me right now. I tend to take your mind off of your problems, right?"
  I turned around on my side and looked up at him "Yeah, you always have. And I thank you for trying to help."
He scoffed and waved his hand in dismissal "What're friends for, huh? Besides, I can't just leave you to be upset. I gotta hear that hyena laugh of yours."
  He grinned and started tickling me, which in turn, I started laughing. I pushed him back away from me and crawled behind a chair and used it as a shield. He laughed and shook his head, staying where he was and just smiling at me. I smiled back and we just looked at each other, smiling like dorks.
  "We should probably set up." He suggested, not looking away from me.
I nodded and watched as he stood up and walked over to me, holding out his hand to help me up. I smiled and grabbed his hand, letting him pull me up. I pulled my hand from his and ruffled his hair, giggling as it all fell in his eyes. He gently pushed me back and laughed. I couldn't help but smile.
                         ~after rehearsal~
  I closed the case of my bari and sat down in the floor beside it, draping the top half of my body across it. Vlad had left almost immediately after rehearsal was over. He hugged me and told me bye. I don't know what the rush was, but oh well. I closed my eyes and let myself relax for just a moment.
   That is...until Damon was done packing up. I felt his fingers poke my sides and I jumped up from my position, falling back into his legs. I groaned and looked up at him, seeing his grinning face looking down at me. I purposely leaned on his legs now, punching backwards at his shins. He laughed and took a step to the side, causing me to fall back. I landed on my bookbag and glared at him.
  "You are so fricken mean to me!" I exclaimed with a giggle.
He gave me a look of innocence "Who? Me? Nooooooo! Never!" 
  I stood up and walked to him, poking him in the chest "I know where you're ticklish, Sawyer. Don't make me."
  "Oh, uh-huh, that's some threat from the girl whose ticklish everywhere." He said as he grabbed the finger that was poking his chest.
  "Not true!" I exclaimed, trying to take my finger back.
He gave me an 'Are you serious?' look, it's a signature Damon look to me. "Dest, you're ticklish on your knees. You're knees!" 
  I shoved him back with my other hand and tried not to laugh "Shut uuuup!"
  He laughed at me and finally let go of my finger. He grabbed my bookbag and handed it to me. I took it from him and waited for him to get his stuff. He was my ride home since Vlad left early. I'm also sure Damon just wanted to ask me what happened between Vlad and I as well.
  "C'mon, let's get you home before your mom flips." He said, motioning for me.
  I nodded and followed silently behind him. We said our goodbyes to our band director and walked out of the band room, then turning a corner and exiting the school. I followed Damon to his car in the parking lot and let myself into the passenger side. I tossed my bookbag in the back seat and waited for him to get into the car.
  He tossed his stuff in the back and got into the driver's seat. He looked at me and smiled before turning the car on. He pulled the car out on the parking lot and headed out of the school perimeter.
  "Now, what happened with you and Vlad?" He asked, focusing on the road but glancing at me.
I sighed and rested my head against the back of the seat, gazing out of the window. "I don't even know. He doesn't trust me. He didn't say that upfront but, he insinuated it. To sum it all up, he's scared I'm going to go back to you. That I'm going to completely and utterly ditch him. But people have always said things about you and I. I just let it go over my head now, but apparently it's getting to him. And that bothers me."
  Damon said nothing at first, his eyes focused but thinking. "Well, I don't know what to say. You've been together for eleven months, that jealousy and worry should've been gone by the sixth month. At least that's how it was when we were together for me."
  I looked at him when he said that, biting my lip and then looking ahead. "I know. And that's why this bothers me. I-..I couldn't actually stand up for myself at the time. I was too close to crying to continue on the conversation. So I just let him hug me. He's been so possessive lately, physically and even through text. I don't know what the hell to do. I love him, I really do. I just don't know what he expects of me."
  "Do you ever think he'd ask you to stop being friends with me?" He asked quietly.
I looked at him again and kept my gaze on him. He looked at me for a moment, meeting my gaze before looking back at the road. "I don't know. Honestly I don't."
  He sighed softly "Let me ask a more important question. Would you agree to not be friends with me if he ever were to ask that of you?"
  "What? No, of course not. He'd have to deal with our friendship. I need you in my life, Damon. I'm not going to let him force you out of it, even if he is my boyfriend. He doesn't control every aspect of my life." I said matter-of-factly.
  I thought I heard Damon sigh in relief. "Good. Alright. Well, I'm here for you, Dest. I'll always be here for you. I'm always a text away, and sometimes even a call away. You've always been there for me, so I'm going to be there for you. Whatever happens, I'm on your side."
  I smiled at that and rubbed his shoulder "Thank you, it means so much. I don't know what I'd do without you."
  He laughed "Bitch pleeease, you'd be lost without me."
I rolled my eyes and punched his shoulder "Shut up, you dork."
  We both laughed and just continued to have some conversation all the way to my house. He really is my best friend. After all we've been through, all we're going through, we're still the best of friends. And that's how it's going to stay. God, I am so lucky to have a best friend like him.
                               End Chapter 1