Chain Reaction 3.1.7: Bro Code

     I get home from the library.
     I'M SO HAPPY!
     I decide to call Kate after changing into my pjs.

     "Hey," I say with a smile when she picks up.
     "What's up?" Her voice sounds so sweet, even if a little confused.
     "Not much. I just wanted to call you." I wish her phone did video chat, but she has the cheapest phone out there.
     I hear the smile. "You just saw me, silly."
     "I know." I grin. "I changed into my pajamas."
     "Congratulations," she replies facetiously, and I laugh.
     "Yeah. Just a tank top and some old workout pants." I pause. Then I decide to be more direct. "So what are your pjs?"
     "Um... I mostly just sleep in what I wore that day."
     "In jeans? That can't be comfortable."
     "It works." Suddenly, there's yelling in the background.

     "Everything okay?" Someone is telling her, meanly, to get off the phone.
     "Yeah. Um, I gotta go. I'll see you at school tomorrow." She hangs up.
     I stare at my phone. What was that about?

     We meet in the hallway before our first class, and I enter a state of bliss when I wrap my arms around her. I've always wanted this, and now it's like a fantasy come to life. Kate is no longer pushing me away.
      "So what was that all about last night?"
      "Hm?"
      "I heard yelling on the phone."
      She sighs. "Oh. That was my dad. He was just being a jerk, wanting me off the phone because he had to get up early this morning for work." She pauses. "We have a small house, and we can... always hear each other."
      "Still, he didn't have to yell."
      "He's always cranky like that."

     She continues, "I'll just go outside next time you call."
     "Alaric," I hear behind me. "What's, um, what's going on?" It's Chaz.
     Kate picks her head up and looks worried. I turn around and face him. He barely looks at me, just my girlfriend.
     "Hey, Chaz." I make an attempt at small talk. "How's it hangin'?"
     His eyes dart to me. "Plum off." He turns and slams open the bathroom door, going inside.
     Kate puts her hand over her eyes. "Why?" she whines. "I didn't ask for any of this."
     "It'll be okay."

     However, at the start of gym, I find out just how much it isn't okay.

     "You back-stabbing, two-faced, entitled sonofabitch!" Chaz is making up for not speaking to me earlier.
     "Whoa, dude. Chill. I didn't do anything to you."
     "You knew I liked her! I was working to get her to like me back, but you couldn't stand it! You always get everything you want! Why does it have to be her too?"
     This is supposed to be my 'nicest' friend, and he's losing it.

     "You need to check yourself, man." I'll defend myself if necessary.
     "You broke the bro code!"
     "Uh, wrong. If you'd noticed, I liked her before you." This is starting to feel like a fight on an elementary school playground. We're literally arguing the 'I saw her first' thing. And he never officially called dibs.
     "How was I to know? I made it obvious."
     "Dude! You sound like a kid having a tantrum! If you must know, you never stood a chance!"
     "As*hole!" He takes me by surprise and tackles me to the hardwood floor.

     I hear Trey and everyone yelling 'fight fight fight fight' over and over again, but Chaz's voice drowns them out. "Now who's the child?" He holds my neck down, choking me, and he punches the side of my head. It ricochets off the floor.
    Damn, he's heavy, but neither am I a weakling. Ultimately, this is about Kate, and he's gotta learn.
    I swing him off me with my leg, getting him off balance. He's on his back now, and I throw a few good punches of my own.

    I did all I thought was necessary. I think he got the point. "Get over it, Chaz! One: You never called dibs and even if you had, I would've considered them void because you weren't the only one crazy about her. Two: She never wanted you. Three: She chose me, and you're just gonna haveta deal. Got it?" I can't believe I'm having to do this. I knew he liked her, but I didn't think he'd go this nuts.
    "Bull-plum! You're not good enough for her, you back-stabbing code breaker. If that's how you treat friends, then damn. Plum off." He wipes his face.
     I roll my eyes and get up. The chanting slowly stops. Trey keeps grinning like an idiot. You'd never guess two of his 'closest friends' were at each other's throats moments ago.
     Just then the coach comes in, blowing her whistle to get everyone to calm down. We get called into her office, and then we're sent to the nurse and principal, each getting checked out and reprimanded. We get put into in-school-suspension, aka ISS, for a few days, but neither of us care.
    Well, that's not exactly true. Chaz looks like crap. You'd think somebody died.
    As for Trey and Dirk, they avoid both of us, not sure whose side to take.
    I don't care. I have Kate. Although, it would be pretty annoying to be on their bad side.

    The day drags on. I miss Kate. To think, staring at her during literature used to be cruel torture, but Chaz and I have been separated from the rest of the student body for a while. I'm lonely without her.
    The loneliness drags on even after classes let out because she has debate club. To blow off some steam, I go throw the basketball around. I don't make a single shot, but that's not the point. Nope, I'm throwing the thing as hard as I can against the floor and watching where it goes before going and getting it to do it all over again.
     'Bro-code breaker.' Hah. If anything, HE was c--k blocking, or attempting to, that day she came up yelling at me about her notebook. I replay everything in my mind, and Chaz looks like a sorry loser in each scene.
     "AURGH!" I slam the ball down again. 'Entitled sonofab*tch!' I'm NOT entitled. Am I?

     "Hey, Alaric," I hear behind me. Turning, I see Dirk walking into the gym.
     "Hey." I pound the ball against the floor. It bounces almost to the ceiling and comes back down and hits the floor at an angle, going up and hitting the wall, bouncing into the back of the goal, and then off into the corner. I leave it there. "Sup?"
    "Dude. You okay?" Sometimes Dirk surprises me when he acts like he cares about how his friends feel.
    "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

     "I don't know." He pauses. "How's your skull?"
     I shrug. "Eh. It's okay." He knows it's not the first time I've had my head bashed against stuff. You take a lot of falls learning to ride a skateboard, especially when trying a stunt. Huh. Come to think of it, he's always been the one to decide if someone needed to go to the hospital.
     He stands straighter. "So, uh, Chaz."
     "Yeah." Enough said.
     "He's nuts about nerd girl."
     "So am I."
     Dirk was there. He knows my argument.

     Dirk takes a huge breath. "Look, I just want you to know that Trey and I aren't really gonna take a side in this, but if nerd girl wants to date you and not him, he should stop being a baby and get over it."
     "Thanks." I guess I DO care what they think because I feel somewhat better. It's not like I expected them to take my side, really, even though I think I have the better argument.
     He lightly punches my arm. "Now we just need to get Chaz laid."
     "I don't think he'll wanna hang with us, especially me."
     "Right. Which is why Trey's helping set that up for him." So that's where Trey is.
     We stand and talk about Trey's plans to take Chaz to a sorority house, and I decide that's a good job for him. These guys are really acting like friends, each in their own way. Yeah, they... we may act like goofballs quite often, but they've actually come through when it counts. It can't be easy having two 'friends' quite literally at each other's throats. I should give them more credit.
     I hear the voice I've been waiting ages for. "Hey, guys. What's up?" She sounds nervous, but I hope my immediate hug makes Kate feel better.
     Once we separate, Dirk asks her, "What is that?"

     "What? My necklace?" She looks down, and I decide I want to buy her a nice necklace.
     "No. On your shirt."
     Kate keeps looking down, but before I can warn her, Dirk quickly brings up his finger, lightly bopping the tip of her nose.
     "Oooohhhh! Gotcha!" He laughs.
     She looks up at him, and I can see the biting verbal reprisal forming on her lips. I intervene. "Chill, Kate. That just means he likes you." I wrap my arm around her waist while she glares at him, making him laugh harder. I tell Dirk that Kate and I are going to the library to work on my paper.
     As we walk out of the gym, Dirk can help but razz us. "Oh, yeah. You two go work on that 'paper.' Uh huh." More laughter.
     Kate half-turns like she's about to lay into him, but I turn her back around.
     "Just let him have his fun. He's only teasing."
     She gives me a look like she doesn't appreciate the teasing, but she keeps quiet. I'm glad. The last thing I need is Trey or Dirk irritating her so badly that she bolts.

     We go to the library, and I have a difficult time paying attention to ancient history when there's a beautiful girl who smells amazing sitting right next to me. I'd rather study her, but I behave.
     I get all the notes I need in order to finish the damn paper, and I offer to take her home.
     When we arrive, I'm shocked.

     "You... You actually live here?" It's a dump! They've made some tiny effort to decorate, but I have a hard time seeing this THING as a home.

     She smiles. "Its not that bad. There are only three of us, and my parents save a lot of money this way." Why does she sound defensive?
     "That does explain how you all can hear each other all the time." I remember last night.
     "Yeah." She pauses. "Look, I know it's not the ritz. I just think of it as 'tiny living.' It's a popular trend."
     Somehow, this doesn't strike me as 'trendy.' I wonder what she's hiding.
     She laughs at my expression.

      "Alaric, it's fine. Really. And if it makes you feel better, I'm out of here as soon as we graduate." She hugs me. At least I have my arms around her again.
     Okay. If Kate says she's fine, she's fine. Just because I don't understand it or could never picture myself in the same situation doesn't make it bad. I can't imagine living with so little, but this, I guess, just proves how great she is. She doesn't need useless stuff.
     Not to mention she really does smell incredible. And feel incredible. And taste incredible.

     I dive in, pulling her hips into mine. That shocks her, but I control myself. I just want to press her against me. I also want to grab her ass and grind my hips into her, but I refrain. Instead, we play the tongue tango. She said she was okay with kissing, well then, I'm getting as much as I can from it.
     A rusty hinge creaks as the door on the other side of the camper opens, and a scrawny, death-mask of a man comes out and starts yelling at us.