Knock Me Down - [COMPLETE]

15 - Embarrassment

I have resurrected y'all. Here. Have a chapter.

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Holden is eating shaved ice in a cone even though I told him not to. If it drips, gets on the floor, and soaks into the sliding pad under my bowling shoe, I'll take my whole shoe off and raw dog it up his asshole. The pad alone is expensive.

"So–so" Oliver rambles on about another crazy story but his laughing cuts himself off every other word, "I go lookin' for this motherfucker"

"Oh god, Holden. The fuck were you doing?" I moan out but then sneeze. Oliver may be the captain but he's hung around more questionable people than anyone with a clean record should. But that usually means he plays dad in rounding people together.

"Come on, Oliver. Will you please save my pride, man? I don't even get shit faced like that!" Holden exclaims throwing Oliver's small towel at him.

"I check all the rooms and I–I–oh fuck, I find him—ass hangin' out, with his–fuckin boxers and jeans at his ankles pissin' on the closet floor"

He puts his bowling ball down to force out more words between cackling, "He has the audacity to fuckin–turn around and say 'it's occupied"

I burst out laughing and Holdens ears go red, "Fuck Holden, do you normally piss at the urinals with your pants ALL the way down?"

"No!"

Oliver is holding his stomach, "You chicken-dick shithead loser, I always gotta babysit you"

The laughing makes my nose run quickly and I start coughing. I cover my mouth still chuckling. Oliver shakes his head and manages to hand me a tissue from his small travel size tissues in his pocket when I sniffle.

"Fuck you, Phillip. I might have broken my pride that day, but at least I don't do it twice a day when you pull out your travel sized first aid kit with a dumb middle name"

"Shut up, bag of dicks. You never say that in the mornin' when you're bitchin' for Advil and an alka seltzer before class" He picks up the towel, rolls it and whips Holden with it.

"See, what happened to I don't get shit faced anymore huh?" I cock my brow at Holden, "People are way too scared of Oliver to fuck with him like that anyway. He could beat our asses, Holden. With our own asses. Fuck, maybe even with his travel kit"

"Hm, you're right. Chucking fifteen pound bowling balls at nineteen miles per hour down sixty feet of lane—I think anyone that handles balls like that is–" Holden smirks flirtatiously, "intimidating and sexy"

Holdens defense mechanism to shame and embarrassment: flirting or more embarrassment.

"Wow, yer' just askin' for a demonstration, aren't you?" The older one picks up his towel and throws it at him.

"The only thing that helps your reputation is the fact a guy like you carries tissues, ibuprofen, and bandaids everywhere you go" I say knowing it's not the first time I or anyone has have him shit about it.

Oliver raises a brow, "That stuff''s saved him a couple times, man. I'm like almost a certified nurse"

Holden laughs knowing the amount of times he's been hungover at 8am.

We finished a games worth of drills in less than fifteen minutes and my thighs are sore and my nose is red from wiping it.

"You sick? Cold? Allergies?" Holden stands up throwing out his cone to inspect my nose.

Wishing I could breathe from at least one of my nostrils, I tell Holden, "No, stayed outside too long without a jacket"

I wave his hand off me and throw a shot, miss right and leave a split.

He insists again sliding his cold hand over my forehead moving my hair to the side. When we look at each other his eyes shift to the side like he caught himself.

He takes his hand off of me and asks, "Doing what? How long were you outside?"

"Just out for awhile"

Oliver sits down and gives me a look, "Oho! See you coulda said somethin' like outside cleanin up or chores, but no. You chose to be sus. What's a kid like you doin'? Obtaining contraband? Somethin' illegal?"

"No, that's not what I meant" My voice raises defensively and with my nasally sick voice it just comes out more stupid than firm. Anything Jasper and my social graces shriveled up. I try to be casual by gesturing for Oliver to throw his shot so I can take mine on the alternating lanes but Holden rides the same train.

"I think we have to follow you around then, huh? Find that meth lab you're hiding at night" He and Oliver make fun of me me but the gears in my head turn drowning out my humiliation. And I get an idea.

When we eventually walk out of the bowling alley and part ways with Oliver, I grab Holden by the shoulder so his attention draws towards me. He flinches surprised.

"I need you to help me with something"

His eyes bounce between his shoulder and my face confused, but he settles and he slowly  continues, "Uh...yeah, what is it?"

I inhale and in one breath say, "I need you to help me sneak out my house and follow Jasper at night"

Holden stares at me like he doesn't know what expression to wear. The embarrassment of the out of context question starts to sink in.