F***in' Arizona

Bitch, You Thought! (Chapter 21.2)

"Where the FUCK have you been!?" I yell, angrily punching Ari in the arm.

"Ah! Damn Nova!"

"Answer the question you dick!" I yell while punching him again in the same spot, now slightly bruised.

The three of us were making our way over to a picnic table to sit and talk, or rather, I was allowing Ari to explain himself.

My annoyance was growing stronger by the minute. I still had not eaten my once craved for sandwich and by now it was surly growing lukewarm.

"Can I explain myself?!" He hurriedly stated so as to avoid another rabid punishment punch from me.

I wave my hand at him to indicate that I approve of his commencement and begin to unwrap my well-deserved sandwich.

Ari entwines his hands and rests his face within them like he's contemplating how to start this long story he apparently has for me.

While waiting, I finish opening my sandwich, which is indeed lukewarm, tear 1/4th off and hand it to Bruce who is patiently waiting for me.

"First off, I would like I mention that you look great," he starts, "and did you do something different to your hair? The color really compliments you well."

"Bitch, if you don't move on and get to the point."

"Ok, ok. I'm really sorry Nova. For missing your graduation, for missing the last couple years. My life has just kind of been all over the place. Not like you haven't been facing adversities of your own or like that's an excuse to my absence. I had just been dealing with school at the time and trying to make it and not lose my scholarship at the last second. I was a mess! Well, I'm still semi a mess, but I really was a mess before graduation.
I was skipping classes, drinking, smoking a lot more, doing hard drugs, not turning in assignments, hooking up with a different guy almost every week-"

"Every week??" I interrupted, "Please tell me you used protection and still get checked regularly."

"So out of all of that I just said, that's what you picked up on? Yes, I used protection and still get checked regularly. I know I was a total whore, Nov."

Nov.
I haven't heard that nickname in quite a while. I'm not even about to front like it didn't warm my quickly pacing heart just a little and calm my angry nerves just a tad.

"Continue," I prompt while taking another bite.

"Yeah, so I was hooking up with a lot of different guys. I was also dealing with my family and my dad's persistent pestering of when I was going to bring home another girlfriend for them to meet."

"Girlfriend? You haven't come out to your family yet? Or is it just your parents that still don't know?"

Ari breathes in deeply and takes in the crisp cool park air as if it will replace the stale and troubled oxygen he held within his lungs currently.

"Simply put, no. Neither my parents nor siblings know. At least, I don't think so."

All I can do it stare sadly at my formally close friend. At this point, I feel like we don't really know each other too well now. At least not the current people we are. I know the guy from pre-dropoff, but post dropoff, I'm not that sure.

"What's been going on with that? Why haven't you told any of them?" I cautiously ask.

"My siblings are also some of my best friends. I guess I am just too scared to tell them. To suddenly have them view me differently or feel like they need to tiptoe around me. What if they shun me or cast me away or are disgusted by me? What if they decide they don't love me anymore because I failed them? I wouldn't be able to bear losing a relationship with any of them.