Page 10 of This is Me

A Distraction

You would think it would be easy to get ready for a school’s football game. Put some long pants on, a shirt, and grab a coat, just in case it got cold. But apparently, when you put four teenagers in the same room to get ready, things don’t go as planned.

“Just grab any jacket!” Blaire yelled at Andy, who was still struggling to decide what to wear. “Literally, any jacket will do!”

“I have to pick the right one, Blaire!” He bellowed back, and Leroy and I just looked at each other with raised eyebrows.

Blaire, Leroy, and I had all agreed to get ready at our own houses and then meet up at Andy’s home and pick him up. That plan involved Andy already being fully dressed. Which, for some reason, he wasn’t.

“How about the blue one?” Blaire tried to help, but Andy just sneered at her.

“That looks too much like Peter’s jacket!”

“This is painful to watch,” I mumbled to Leroy who hummed in agreement.

“Andy, if you don’t hurry up, we’re gonna be late and get shit seats,” Blaire stated, jumping up from Andy’s bed and pushing Andy out of the way before sifting through his clothes.

Andy’s room wasn’t massive, but it fit the four of us inside of it comfortably. Leroy and I were sitting on the floor, leaning up against the bedroom door. We had been doing our best to stay as far away from the clothes Andy had been throwing across the room. However, on the odd occasion, a shirt or pair of pants would still find its way over to where we were sitting and land on top of one of us.

Andy now sat on his bed, watching Blaire wade through his clothes, which, at one point, had sat neatly in the closet. Now, however, most of his clothes lay sprawled on the ground, and I was glad it wasn’t my mess to clean up.

“Alright, here. Put this on and shut up!” Blaire tore a faded red jumper from the closet and threw it at Andy who only just caught it before it hit him in the face.

“But, Blaire!” he whined but went quiet as Blaire glared at him.

“Put the fucking jumper on, Andy,’ she warned.

“Yes, ma’am,” Andy mumbled and slipped it over his head.

“Are we ready to go?” I asked, pushing myself up from the floor before helping Leroy to his feet.

“God, yes. I can’t stand the smell of this room,” Leroy joked, stretching his legs once he got to his feet.

“Fuck off, Roy,” Andy shot him a playful glare, and Blaire and I looked at each other and shook our heads.

“Alright, then, the taxi is leaving now,” I announced as I opened Andy’s bedroom door. “If you don’t follow, I will leave without you.”

“Let’s do this!” Blaire yelled, and she walked past me with a small smile, which I cautiously returned.

“We’re going to lose anyway,” Andy mumbled, following Blaire out of the room.

“Love the optimism, Andy. Really lifts one’s spirits,” Leroy said, stopping just short of the door to look at me. “Jewish people, am I right?”

“I don’t think… yeah, sure,” I let out a chuckle and shook my head again, before following Leroy out of the room and through the house.

“Come on, taxi!” Andy yelled as both Leroy, and I exited the house after saying a quick goodbye to Andy’s dad, Mark.

“I’m coming!” I yelled back before seeing that Andy was standing in front of the front passenger seat door. “Uh-uh-uh, Andy! Leroy called shotgun!”

“That didn’t count!” Andy called back, and I heard Leroy laugh beside me.

“Of course, it counted! You’re in the back with Blaire!” I retorted with a laugh, turning to give Leroy a wink.

“Fuck you, Peter!”

“Just get in the car,” I instructed as I reached the driver side door and unlocked it.

“This sucks.” Andy pouted as he slipped in the back seat with Blaire.