Homecoming

Chapter 11: Intentions

Brad and I developed a stronger bond since my suicide attempt. He was my anchor, but he didn't have much of a say on the matter because he was the only one who knew about what happened.

His biological dad was a raging alcoholic, and he witnessed his mom go through a cycle of abuse, which eventually led to her death. He ended up moving from one foster home after another until his new foster family finally adopted him, and they settled in LA. His step-parents decided that a move would be ideal for him to have a fresh start.

Brad admitted that in some way, my relationship with alcohol and drugs reminded him of the grave loss in his life. He always carried this responsibility of making sure that I was okay, but I figured it was more about the fear of losing someone he cared about.

I was familiar with the pain loss brought.

When we first met, I didn't like Brad. He was too arrogant and was too cocky. He was a new kid from a small town in Arizona, and he moved to LA like he was made for it. He had a certain kind of confidence, which was beyond his years.

The first time he came around, he wore an oversized stereotypical leather jacket, which looked ridiculous since LA weather would soak anyone who dared to wear leather. Many people in our high school had a crush on him, and that included Erin, of course.

I often teased Erin about her liking for bad boys, but she said it wasn't even about that. Brad never cared about the popularity he got at school, and he was polite to people. Needless to say, he sauntered into our lives like he was the missing puzzle we never realized we needed. Being friends with Brad had Erin swoon like the teenage girl she was. It didn't take long for them to be a couple. They were inseparable since, and I had always been the third wheel.

At first, Brad took much of Erin's attention, and I wasn't able to spend time with her as we used to. I didn't have many friends, and Erin was there because she understood me more than anyone. Sure, there were other gay kids at school and in our neighborhood, but my dad often told me that they were the wrong crowd to hang out with. That stuck with me, and I was perpetually stuck with Erin.

Brad immediately sensed the jealousy, and like the gentleman that he was, told me that he wasn't going to take Erin away from me. It was the first pep talk out of the millions more that he gave me after. He was my voice of reason. After our first bro talk, as he called it, he made sure to include me in their plans together, which I thought was a pity invite, but it wasn't. For someone who was the rebellious type, Brad had a warm heart.

Oliver wasn't around much since he focused on basketball varsity. He was co-captains with Brad during our senior year, and it made him busier than usual. Even if we were next-door neighbors, I didn't see him often. In the rare times that I did, he always had plans.

On our second bro talk, Brad told me that he spoke with Oliver when he found out we were childhood best friends. He said that it was a nudge in the right direction. I didn't know what that meant.

One day, Oliver told me that he felt terrible for being such a lousy friend. He promised to make time for me even if he was busy. But when I told him about Brad's convincing ways, he admitted that it was partly because of that. The other part was because he missed the fun we had.

So we did, but that meant a lot of late-night studying and doing a lot together. I helped Oliver with a lot of his courses because he wasn't the brightest bulb in our class. I knew he tried.

Since I helped him catch up with all of his classes, he felt the need to make up for my efforts. Even though I insisted that he didn't have to because I was your average nerd and barely did anything anyway, his boyish charms took the best of me. He thought of something else fun to do, so we went to parties that his other friends had.