Chapter 12: New Year, New Semester

Christmas Break is in the second half and we will be returning to school in a few days. This afternoon Jeff and Marc are over to hang out and play X-Box. All three of us are deep into playing State of Decay, a zombie apocalypse game that I got for Christmas.

Jeff wants to know, “So, when do you get your Jeep?”

“Probably in a few weeks. I have to get a small loan, my dad said he would co-sign for it. I need to get the insurance set up, license plates and all that jazz.”

“That’s frickin’ awesome! I can’t wait to see it.”

“I can’t wait either. I’ll give you guys rides to school, if you want.”

“Sure! Sounds great,” Jeff says.

“I can walk, I live close,” Marc mumbles, still focused on the game. “I’ll just hop my back fuckin’ fence.” Jeez ... Well, Merry Fucking Christmas to you too, Dude...

Jeff asks, “What are you and Tiffany doing for New Year’s Eve?”

“Eric, from work, invited us to a party, but I’m not sure if we’ll go.”

“Why not?”

“His parties get pretty wild. The last time we went, the girl I was ... with ... last summer was there and-”

“Yeah, right,” Marc interrupts, “Still sticking with that story, I see...”

I ignore him and continue, “She had a lot to drink and was kinda coming-on to me before she knew I was with Tiffany-”

“Pfffttt! As if...” Marc blows it off.

I put the game on pause and look at him, “What the fuck, Marc?”

“What? I didn’t do anything...” he scoff-shrugs.

“You’ve been sitting here making your pissy, snarky little comments all day. Is there a problem with me, or something?”

“I’m getting sick and tired of hearing about you and Tiffany, and how you think you have all the girls coming-on to your ass,” Marc fires back.

“All the girls are not, ‘coming-on to my ass;’ it was just one, the one from last summer; that you, choose to think, I’m making up for some reason.”

Marc pauses, “Look, I get it, you’re with Tiffany, he’s with Bethany, and I ... I have no-one.”

“We’re still here for you, Dude,” Jeff calmly tells him, “We aren’t going anywhere.”

“I’m not looking for your pity,” Marc grumbles, “I just thought I would be the first one, I should have been the first one...”

I knew this was coming at some point and I had thought maybe we could talk to Marc, but instead, I’m getting pissed off, “The, ‘first one,’ what?” I snap.

“The first one to get a girl, first one to get laid!”

I throw my hands up, “Oh, for god’s sake, Marc, do you hear yourself? I’m so sorry that two fuck-ups, like Jeff and I, should dare screw up your big plans. The big plan your inflated, fucking, ego concocted!”

“Language, Kyle!” my mother calls from the kitchen.

Marc throws the game controller in the couch, “You know what? Fuck you guys! Just fuck off!” He gets up, grabs his jacket and heads out the door.

“Marc, wait...” Jeff calls after him.

“Just let him go,” I mutter.

With a slam of the door, Marc leaves. My mom pops her head in the room “What was that all about?”

“Nothing, it was nothing, Mom...”

Jeff and I sit a look at each other. “Well ... That went well...” Jeff muses.

I shake my head, “I can’t believe that guy. I never thought his ego was that inflated and out of control, but I guess it is.”

Jeff and I continue to play the game for a little while, but it’s not the same. The blow-out with Marc has left the air quite stale. After a bit, Jeff says, “I was going to ask if you, Tiffany and Marc all wanted to hang out with Bethany and I on New Year’s?”

“Sounds good, I think we could do that, I’ll ask her,” then, I add, “But, I don’t think Marc wants to be around us. Frankly, I don’t care, he’s got me pretty pissed-off right now.”

I gotta love Jeff, he knows just how change the subject and brighten a mood. “So, how did Tiffany like those socks you got her?”

I smile and nod, “Oh, they went over really, really good.”

“Alright, way to go! I need to learn a few things from you.”

“Let’s just say, I’m still in the learning process myself.”

Renee and I worked quite a few shifts together over the Christmas Break. Things went well and weren’t uncomfortable. At work, we have fun and get along, we always did well to separate the other things we did from our interactions at Pizza Depot. While finishing up a lunch shift, Renee comes over and asks, “Do you wanna go grab a bite to eat?”

“Yeah, okay, where do you want to go?”

“How about Murphy’s? It’s a family restaurant, they have everything and it’s pretty good.”

“Sounds great.”

The place is full of senior citizens, all in for the early-bird specials. Renee and I are seated in a booth. “So, things are going good with Tiffany?

“Yeah, everything is great!”

“She’s a real cutie, Sport, I can see why you like her. Something about her is familiar to me. What is her last name again?

“Hammond”

“Hammond ... Hammond ... Does she have an older sister named Bev by any chance?”

“Yes, she does,”

“Okay, I went to high school with her, she was a wild one. You think I like to party, Bev...? Whew-ee! That girl was out of control, had all the boys after her.

“Yeah, I can see that...”

The elderly couple in the next booth looks somehow familiar to me and they seem to be glancing at us, listening-in to our conversation.

“I’m really happy for you and Tiffany, but being honest here, part of me is kind of sad too.”

“Why would you be sad?” I ask.

“I really liked having you all to myself those days at the apartments.”

“I loved it too, but we can’t really do that anymore, Renee. I wouldn’t do that to Tiffany.”

Renee smiles at me in an approving manner and says, “And, that is exactly why I admire you so much.”

Is Renee, maybe throwing a little temptation my way to see if I’ll bite? Trying to see if I would say something like, “Let’s get out here and go have some fun, no-one has to know,” if so, I just passed the test.

The old couple next to us are getting up to leave and I hear the woman mutter, “Yes, it’s them Frederick.”

“Oh, Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Kransen!” Renee waves, “It’s good to see you, is everything alright at your apartment?”

Mrs. Kransen coldly replies, “Everything is fine Miss Moore, and peacefully quiet too.”

I stifle a giggle and see that Renee is also holding back a smirk. “Well that’s good, let us know if you need anything,” she tells them.

“Oh, I will. I talk to your father, often. I tell him everything.”

“I hope you two have learned some manners,” Mr. Kransen mumbles, waving his finger at us.

I know we remember that funny incident last summer in Building #1, when we got a little too loud with having sex, but apparently, they do too. That makes this all that much funnier.

Renee and I talk about everything over our meal. I tell her about how Marc is pissed at Jeff and I, about the Jeep I am going to buy, about my fight with Dirk. The scab on my forehead is almost gone.

“I was going to ask how you got that,” she says.

“Yeah, he threw me around pretty good. I had a huge bruise on my back too.”

“Well, you did the right thing, you can feel good about that.”

“Yeah, I guess. I just wish doing the right thing wasn’t so painful.”

“It’s not always painful. You did the right thing just a little while ago.”

“How so?” I ask.

“When you said, ‘I wouldn’t do that to Tiffany.’”

I was right...

On New Year’s Eve, my plans are to borrow Mom’s car, pick up Tiffany, and then it’s on to Bethany’s house to celebrate with her and Jeff. I spritz on a little of the cologne she gave me and make the short drive over. Bev lets me in, “Tiffy, Kyle is here!” she shouts up the stairs.

“I’ll be right down,” Tiffany shouts back.

Bev looks me up and down and approves, “You’ve grown-up into quite a handsome guy, Kyle.”

“Uh ... thank you?” Can I say this is a tad awkward, having my girlfriend’s older sister checking me out?

Tiffany comes down and I notice she’s wearing the sweater I gave her for Christmas, it looks good on her. “So where are you two gettin’ it on tonight?” Bev asks, making a small hip-thrusting motion.

“‘Getting it on?’ Really, Bev?”

“Oh, come on, you don’t think I don’t know what you two were doing up in your room the last time he was over.”

“We were doing nothing, just talking!”

Bev smirks, “You can’t fool me, I know all about the silent-screw in the bedroom trick, hell, I probably invented it.”

“I have no idea what you are talking about...”

“Sure, you do! You get your boy up there ... and lay the blankets on the floor so the bed won’t squeak...”

“Shut Up! Bev!”

Did I mention feeling awkward? I’m not sure who’s worse, her sister or my brother!

Tiffany flusters, “Come on Kyle, let’s go,” and shouts to her parents in the other room, “I’ll be back before two.”

Bev gives us a wink and smile. Once again, she offers her advice for us to, “Have fun you two.”

In the car, Tiffany apologizes for Bev. “I’m so sorry. She’ll be back at school in a few days, which won’t be soon enough if you ask me!”

“No need to be sorry, I go through it every day with Luke, but he never leaves for college”

Bethany invites us in, “Hi guys! Come on in. Follow me downstairs, my parents are letting us use the basement.”

I see Jeff and couple of other girls from school, friends of Bethany and Tiffany. Bethany asks, “Kyle, do you know Kayla and Melissa?”

“Hi, yeah,” I wave, “I think I’ve seen you around.”

“Let’s have fun guys! We’ve got munchies and soda over here, and if you want to play any party games we can do that too.” The last party game I played was Beer Pong, but I don’t think suggesting that would be appropriate for tonight’s get-together.

The girls gravitate together and immediately launch into a full-blown cackle-session. Have you ever watched a group of girls talking? They all talk over each other and at the same time, yet they still comprehend what each of them is saying, it’s an amazing spectacle to witness. You can even test any one of them on what another said, and they will get it right! A true skill we guys do not possess...

Jeff and I sit on the couch with a huge bowl of Chex-Mix between us. “Have you heard from Marc?” he asks.

“No, have you?”

“I invited him earlier, but he never texted back.”

“Can’t say that I am surprised...”

“He’s so worked up not having a girl and here are two single ones he could get to know,” Jeff motions to Kayla and Melissa.

“Marc needs to figure things out for Marc,” I tell him.

“Does it bother you that he’s so mad?” Jeff asks.

“Yeah, it does, but I’m pissed off at him too.”

“I don’t like him avoiding us; we’ve had a lot of good times, the three of us.”

“People change, Jeff. You’re going to want to spend time with Bethany and I’m spending time with Tiffany. Marc is the one who has the problem, let him deal with it.”

“I know, but I still feel kind of like ... I don’t know ... like, I should try to talk to him or something?”

I look at Jeff, “You were happy for me when I started dating Tiffany, even before you asked Bethany out. I’m happy for you that you have a good thing going with Bethany. Where’s Marc in all of this? He’s not happy for either of us. He’s sulking over nothing and letting his own ego bite him in the ass.”

Jeff nods, he understands.

“My advice, just let him be. Maybe, in time he’ll come around, but he needs to deal with his own shit.”

“Hey, guys! Come over here, join the party,” Tiffany waves us over.

The six of us at Bethany’s have a great time. We play several fun games of Apples to Apples and the classic Uno card game along with plenty of laughing and talking about people around school. At midnight, we ring in the New Year, I give Tiffany a big passionate Hollywood kiss. The girls tell us, “Oh, get a room you two.” At 1:30, we all help Bethany get things cleaned up and I take Tiffany home.

The end of the semester is coming in a few weeks and our biology project involving growing plants from seeds will be due soon. Tiffany and I spend several afternoons at her house getting all the charts, data and reports completed. We need to get this project completed because it’s such a big part of our overall semester grade. We make sure to set aside time to take breaks ... and have sex. I think we’ve perfected silent-screwing, or quiet-sex.

When we present our Plant Growth Cycle project for the class, it goes well and we both receive an “A+”. Mr. Franklin tells us we work well together.