Nothing

Nothing
Silence is all I hear. The rain pouring onto me. It's pitch black. I let him go, never saying anything.
8:30 a.m.
"Why aren't you at school!" my mom screamed through the phone.
"Why? It's only 7- oh it's 8:30."
"Joe get to school now!"
"Yeah, fine, whatever I'm going," I said lazily in the phone.
"Great way to start off the year, Joe." I mumbled to myself. I dragged myself out of bed to find some clean clothes to wear. I decided on black jeans and a black top to go with my brown hair. As I always do. I didn't care if I were late becasue that's just who I am, but also how everyone sees me. In my school, I'm the so called "badboy".
7:00 a.m.
"Get up Tyler, it's time to get ready," called my mom from downstairs.
"Alright, thank you!" I called back. My mornings are always like this. My mom always calls me to get up before she heads off to work. It usually takes me twenty minutes to get ready. I drape my legs over my bed ready to start the day. I go to my closet to find the best sweater and jeans for the day.Then I decide what shoes I am going to wear that day. Today, I decided to wear a mint green sweater with black jeans and mint colored converse to go with my mint colored dyed hair. I'm all mint today I guess. I love colors. I do not understand how people can just wear boring colors like black and grey. In my school, I'm known as the "pastel boy".
8:45 a.m.
I had to walk to school, which made me even more late. As I walked into the school gates and down the halls I see Tyler. I saw him with all of his friends laughing and talking. It's hard to look at. He suddenly turned around and saw me staring, I decided to just scoff and walk down the hallway. We have hated each other since 8th grade. Or so what people thought.
9:00 a.m.
I saw Joe staring at me in the halls today. That's not the first time it has happened. It has occurred a lot actually. I don't know what goes on in his head at all because every time I look at him, all I see is hatred. But, we have "hated" each other since 8th grade when "it" happened. We were friends since child birth. Up until 8th grade we were best friends that were inseparable. Then, in 8th grade we had an incident. After that day, we have "hated" each other since. I walk into my second period class going straight to the back row by the window. The teacher just started the lesson when- BOOM! The class door flung open by no other than Joe himself. And of course the only chair open sat right next to me...great. I turned my attention to the window looking out at the the football field.
"Alright class! Today we will be starting a project." The room flooded with the sounds of groans. "I know it's the first day back, but I think it will be a good project to start off with!" I am not happy to hear about this.
"And stop looking at your friends, I have picked out your partners. So, Carly and Sarah, Ashley and Peter-." I stopped listening to the names after that until I hear something that damaged my ear drums. "Joe and Tyler. And that's all of you, so get to work!" Amazing way to start off this year.
Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder, and turned to see Joe have a big smirk on his face.
"So-," I turned all the way around not looking at him at all. I didn't want to do this in the first place, but now working with him is even worse. "We are going to have to do something at some point, Tyler," Joe said turning his attention to the front of the class. The bell rang right after that. Picking up my backpack, I stood up and grabbed Joe's arm stopping him from leaving.
"Meet me at the gates after school," I said in a low grumble.
"Got it, pretty boy," Joe replied with a cocky smile. I turned and ran down the hall to my next class. This is going to be fun! Hint the sarcasm there.
3:00 p.m.
I walk out of my last class for the day and head to the gates. Feeling like Joe is going to take a while, I decided to sit under a tree by the gates. I plugged my headphones in letting the music evaporate my mind. Music is the one thing I need in life to survive. I love all songs that have lyrics that can just take you to a place, a memory- a shadow comes into my view stopping me from my thoughts.
"Ready?" he asks.
"Yeah, who's house should it be?"
"Um, why not mine?"
"Fine, let's go," I said in a low voice.
"Ok. We aren't going anywhere if you are going to act like this. You are going to have to not be so quiet. I just want to do this project to get it over with" Joe said sternly.
"Ok."
We walked to my house in silence. Thinking that I shouldn't say anymore, kept my thoughts to myself. I didn't want to yell at him since he was already quite. I don't want to hurt him anymore than I already have. I want to make the present not thinking about the past.
3:35 p.m.
"Your house is just the same as it was the last time I was-. I like it." Tyler commented as he was heading up the stairs to my room. As we head up to my room I start to get a feeling. Sorta like a feeling I've had before. I decide to brush off the feeling and head into my room with Ty.
"Your room is just the same as well," Tyler said in a low voice as it was almost a whisper as he was admiring my room.
"Why change the things I like?" I replied.
"True, true." I jumped onto my bed and sat there looking at Tyler wonder around my room looking at everything.
"What do you want to do?" I asked.
"Um, I don't know," Tyler whispered.
"Then, why don't you come up here, and we just talk? The project can wait."
"Ok," Tyler then started to walk over to my bed and sat down at the edge.
5:30 p.m.
After being apart for four years, nothing really has changed, but we're not friends anymore. I got a little more comfortable with Joe, and after a while of talking we decided that we should start the project. We are doing the project on homophobia. The ideas got down on paper, now all we have to do is actually make the project.
"I'll see you tomorrow?" Joe asked me smiling.
"We'll see."
"Alright I'll see you, hopefully, tomorrow."
"Bye Joe." I said walking out the door and heading for my house.
9:00 a.m.
We were back in class working on the project. I really like the idea of it so far. I'm also glad that Tyler is becoming more comfortable with me. Yesterday was a great start after not talking for four years, I liked how we still have some in common.
"Want to come to my house again tonight?" I asked while he was typing into the computer.
"Sure." I really don't want to today. I have already had a bad day today with his friends bothering me about my clothes.
3:40 p.m.
That feeling is coming back again. I don't like it. I've felt it before. It- it can't- it can't be that. No. That was only a one time thing. But, maybe it wasn't. Maybe I still have that feeling and may-.
"You ok Joe?" Tyler asked, bringing me out of my thoughts.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's just work." I said in a rushed tone. We then started to work on the project for the next hour. Shoulder to shoulder sitting on my bed. I soon got bored and started to put my full body weight onto Tyler.
"Joe! What are you doing," Tyler yelled. I kept laying on top of him laughing. "Joe! Get off of me!"
"But I'm bored!"
"I don't care just get off of me!" All of a sudden I felt hands at my sides. Tyler started to tickle me. And of course, I started to scream.
"No! Tyler! Stoooop!"
"Not unless you get off of me."
"NEVER!"
6:00 p.m.
Sadly I had to leave. I had a lot of fun, but I still hate him. It was good to have this after a bad day I had today. We got really far in our project, after our little tickle fight. Standing at his door, I gave him a little side hug and said,
"Bye loser."
"Bye pretty boy"
9:00 a.m.
It has been a couple of days now, and we are almost done with the project. I'm surprised that we got this far after all we did most of the time was talk and annoy each other. But, today Joe seems to be ignoring me. I should be used to it, but it doesn't feel right. He's been quite rude to me today also. I don't know what's going on. And I don't like the feeling of it.
8:00 a.m.
"Why you hanging out with that loser lately?" My "friend" Olly said to me while we were out in the courtyard of our school.
"Hey, don't say that, man. And anyways I am only doing a project with him."
"Why not let him do all the work?" He asked like it was the most obvious question.
"Because I'm not rude like you. And, we used to be friends."
"Whatever, man. But, don't go and hang around him. He's weird and he wears girls clothes."
"Hmm." I couldn't stay away from Tyler all the time. Right now, he's the only real friend I have, even though we have only talked for two days after four years apart. We also have this project to finish. I guess I can only be with him outside of school.
4:00 p.m.
"Joe why have you been ignoring me lately." I heard Tyler say in a low voice. We have been working on the project for a half an hour now and I really haven't said much. He was just sitting on the couch with his knees to his chest, trying to make him as small as possible. I couldn't say anything so I just got up and hugged him.
"I'm sorry." I say. He hugs back hard. Not wanting to let go. Silence.
5:00 p.m.
Were now done with the project. We have to present it tomorrow. I'm not so worried about presenting, except for what I am going to do at the end of it. Lying in bed with Ty feels like the good old days. When he would just come over to sit in silence with me. I miss those days.
"Tyler?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry."
Nothing.
9:00 a.m.
It's the day we finally have to present our project. I'm a little nervous. Joe doesn't even seem affected that he has to talk in front of the whole class.
"Alright class! Time to present. I'm picking who is going first this time of round. Why don't Joe and Tyler go first!" Everyone turns their head to the back to look at us. We stand up and upload the powerpoint.
"Me and Tyler decide to do the project on homophobia." And it started off from there. We discussed what it's all about, and a bunch of information.
"Now, so many of you see girl and guy kissing in movies, ads, anything really. You don't think that is bad. But, when I do this-"
Suddenly I am back in Joe's room.We were both young. We were still friends. But, then his lips are on mine. Suddenly, I am in the rain. I'm running after Joe. I catch up to him. He says sorry. Then, he is running off again. All I do is stay in the middle of the road speechless. I don't know what to feel. All I can feel is the rain pouring on me. It was pitch black. I didn't know what to do, so I stayed silent. Now, I regret not saying anything. This is the day of our incident. But, this was four years ago. This was when we were friends. Right now I am in the classroom, four years later, not friends with Joe. Feeling as that I can't move. He moves away and says, "bye pretty boy" and runs. I'm back in the middle of the road and silence is all I hear. The rain pouring onto me. It's pitch black. I let him go, never saying anything.