You and I against the World (Re-mastered)

potheads

I spend more time with my second family at their house every other day. For some reason they never seem interested in coming to mine. I now I have space for us to do things, more space than there is here, but we never do anything except watch movies and smoke. I'm beginning to realize that this family, the Tyler's, are complete potheads.

It's nearly July; three weeks have passed and I can't remember a single day we didn't smoke pot. It makes everything so much more interesting! We talk about more important things and have a better time listening to music than I've ever had with my Seattle friends. Then again, despite how rare, I still shared some pretty deep and important thoughts with my friend Kyle back at the old place. He's the one person I find myself missing, and we talk a lot. He has yet to find out that I'm gay and have a boyfriend.

"Eli?" I hand him the bowl. We're all sitting his living room, 9 o'clock at night, listening to loud music and playing video games. We're all stoned out of our minds, myself probably a little more so considering my lack of experience. I'm on a beanbag on the floor to the far right, Eli to my left on the couch next to Thomas, and Leroy in the love seat to the far left.

"Yeah?" he holds his breath after taking a hit I could only ever dream of taking without hacking up my guts. Smoke filled the room and he blew O's. It was incredibly hot, watching him do something he's so good at. He's proven to be good at quite a lot, they all have. Thomas could do incredible things with a skateboard and was the kindest person I'd ever met, whereas Eli always kept me excited, questioning, wondering. Leroy seemed to know everything. Any question I had, he answered with a valid response- history, mathematics-, every time proving he's like the internet.

"Why do y'all smoke so much?" I ask, curious how it all started, how Leroy came to allow it, seeing as he doesn't smoke nearly as much as these two. Fuck, I just realized I said "y'all". I was beginning to acquire a southern accent, despite how I swore to myself I'd avoid it. I wear Gucci, expensive cologne, and new clothes, and somehow I end up talking like a natural Californian.

"Why not?" Thomas replies before Eli has the chance to. I sigh, knowing that any response Thomas has always given me avoided answering the actual question. Leroy notices my reaction.

"I have a med card," he leans forward and places his hands on his knees. "Few years ago when my aunt and uncle passed I was so chronically depressed- well we all were- that I qualified for one. They were too young so I was the only one who got one. I just shared." He shrugs and leans back. Oh, that makes sense.

Around four years ago, Eli and Thomas' parents died in a tragic robbery-gone-wrong. They were just walking out of a movie one night and- well you can guess the rest. 

They fought back and paid the price.

They were Leroy's legal guardians for his entire life after his single mother, the twins' mother's sister, died of birth complications. So, despite being cousins, they were brothers at heart, seeing as he was here with their parents before they even were. Leroy is four years older than them both, so he was only 18 years old when he acquired custody of his two 14 year old brothers. It's truly a story of pulling through despite how hard things get. I cried the first time I found out some these things, and so did Eli when he told me.

"It helps with the pain," Eli hands me back the bowl. I look at it, thinking. I can't stand the look in his beautiful green eyes.

"Nah," I hold my hand up. "I'm happy enough without it. Just being home." Looking back down at my controller I pause it, standing and telling them I'm in need of some water. When I return it's quiet.

Nobody says anything, and after a few minutes I realize they've put the weed down.

two hours later

It's almost midnight and we haven't stopped playing video games. We're nowhere near tired and bored with this same repetition.

"We need to leave," Leroy mutters, voicing my thoughts.

"Thank God somebody else said something," I sigh, pausing and leaning my head back, rubbing my eyes. The other guys loosen up at that too and stretch.

"Connlin," Thomas looks at me. "What do fuckboys do for fun in Seattle?" I glare at him, he knows I hate it when he calls me a fuckboy.

"We call girls," I shrug. "Usually it's just about finding more people to chill with, and by the time that happens we're all too tired to really think of something to do."

"Well, I'm down for girls," Thomas says.

"Pass," Eli murmurs, staring blankly at the frozen TV.

"You guys got any other friends?" I wonder out loud.

"Yeah, but they're at this camp thing until next weekend. They've been there for like two months." Thomas stands and heads towards the kitchen, returning with a piece of pizza.

"We could go boating," I suggest. "It's always fun boating in the middle of the night."

"You got a boat?" Eli raises his eyebrows. I nod. "And a black corvette," he looks over at Thomas, "the newest model." He feigns doubt, then shaking his head at the idea. "Sometimes I forget how loaded you are. Didn't you say the other day that you met Jaden Smith at a club?"

"It was an event," I shrug, "not very interesting or fun but yeah he was there. I'd rather have met Will."I remember how disappointed I was that day. God I was such a prick.

"Damn," Thomas laughs. "Why don't we utilize you more? I should just like mooch as much as I can off of you." He laughs.

"Well there's nothing I have that you want, at least nothing you don't already have," I say, a little quieter.

"Wrong," Eli looks at me and touches my arm. "I want something you have, but it's nothing your money can buy." He smiles softly at me, and my heart warms. At this point Thomas and Leroy aren't listening to us, they're having their own conversation.

I lean up to kiss him, and my lips tingle, my stomach jumps just like the first time I saw him.

"Stay with me for a night? Meet my mom, see my room." I offer, tangling my fingers in his long blond hair.

"Meet your mom?" he sounds nervous.

"She tells me every morning that she can't believe she hasn't met my first boyfriend yet," I explain. "Don't you think it's time?"

"Yeah," he agrees, still nervous but seemingly more excited. I grin widely. He was coming to my house for the first time! I have to clean my room.