This Diary I Found

19 :: Blackmail

CHAPTER 19: Blackmail

It was weird. Weirder than seeing Emma outta her goth fashion. It was even weirder than seeing her smile. It was weird. Weird, weird, weird. It was weird and confusing, what I felt. I'd never felt like it before, and it was bugging me. It has been since I left the penitentiary with my shoes.

It felt like there was a hole in my stomach, where the butterflies that Emma once gave me escaped through. So, I did what I could. I tried to fill the hole with food.

"You gon' eat that?" I asked while chewing. I didn't even wait for Louie to reply. I just reached over and pulled his basket of fries towards me.

"Yeah, sure, help yourself," he said dismissively.

In the middle of the snack, Louie spoke again, updating me on what I missed at school. "Yo, Gwen Bellingham. You know her right?"

I nodded, not even taking my eyes off the fries.

"Rumors spread out that she slept with you."

I laughed. "They're not rumors."

"Damn," he reacted. "Well, she's getting shit on for it. You're like a virus, Trev. No one would even sit with Gwen today. Like she was contagious or something."

I didn't react.

As I chowed down on the potato treats, I could feel Louie's eyes burning on my head. "Dude, I'll pay you back. Would you relax?" I said, and a bit of deep-fried potato fell out of my mouth. Louie looked at me with disgust.

"Sorry." I wiped my mouth and guzzled down my drink.

Louie reached for the basket and set it aside.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, dismayed.

"The fries can wait," he said, swatting my hand away when I tried to reach for it again. "Dax is having a party tonight. Wanna --"

"Nah, I think I'll pass," I answered his unfinished question.

Louie's shoulders slumped. "Come on, man. You've been sitting idle since Emma went away."

"Not true!" I argued. "I've been helping Lally with her homework and stuff."

"You haven't been in school for two days," he simply said. "Don't tell me you've been absent all this time 'coz you've been doing grade school math."

I rolled my eyes.

"Dude, I know what you're going through," he said.

"How do you know?" I asked, sliding the fries back to me again. "I don't even know what the hell I'm going through."

Louie was holding in a smile, I could tell. "Couldn't sleep at night?"

I shrugged, then nodded.

"Feel like you could use a couple of beers?"

I nodded again.

"What kind of music are you listenin' to?"

I shrugged.

"Hand me your phone," he commanded. And I did. I didn't even have to show him the password. Damn asshole already knew. He opened my music app and shoved the screen to my face.

"Shawn Mendes," he stated, like he was making some sort of point.

"So?"

"So?!" he stressed. "Dude, Shawn Mendes is the male Taylor Swift! He's your go-to breakup artist!"

I wasn't getting it. "But I haven't been through a breakup."

"But you feel like you have! You've been acting like a broken hearted kiddo ever since Emma's arrest."