Perfection Is Overrated
by Bradley Scott

 

Chapter 9
Ted

“So…..” He sighed. “Darren and Kyle are an item now.”

“An ‘item’? – Dude, get some new lingo. Like ‘Darren and Kyle are going out’ But shame, that really sucks. Already, though? How do you know?” Whitney tossed her hair back and put her arm aound Ted. It didn’t make him feel much better, but it was sweet that she was trying.

“Kyle was making Darren breakfast this morning.”

“Awwww, that’s so sweet.”

“Kyle can’t really cook.” Ted smirked.

“Ah. Bitchy, Ted. I approve.” She took her arm down and turned back to her computer.

He had called her this morning and they had gone to the internet cafe. They had played a few games, browsed on the internet, and basically just goofed around there all day. Ted was paying again – he still had Kyle’s credit card, and he had finally gotten over his issue of using Kyles’s money. Maybe it was because he resented Kyle for the Darren thing, but he figured that Kyle didn’t care what amount showed up on his credit card bill. But then again – why should he? If Ted’s had parents that would just pay the credit card bill every month, no matter how outrageous the amount, he wouldn’t care either.

Whitney glanced around quickly and giggled.

“I love this place. They all stare at me like I’m some kind of evil goddess that they should love and fear. It’s awesome.”

Ted took a look around himself. A whole lot of heads quickly snapped back to their computer screens. Ted chuckled silently.

“It’s not that far from the truth. The fear part, anyway.”

Whitney smiled wickedly.

“It does get hard though, being this beatiful….” She flicked her hair dramitically.

“Sure. And that modest.”

“Of course. ” She laughed, but it quickly faded. “Can we… go now? All jokes aside, I’m beginning to get a bit freaked out.” She looked around uneasily. “I can’t see that guys hands……. And I hope he’s not doing what I think he’s doing.”

“O-KAY, You’ve officially freaked me out too. Let’s get the hell outta here.”

They paid for the time that they had used the computers, and then got in Whitney’s beaten-down little hatchback car and left.

“Where to now?” Ted asked. Whitney had offered to give him something to do all day, so he didn’t have to see Kyle and Darren…. together…. being all…. happy together.

“Well…. you could come over for dinner. My mom always puts out…… ‘a lovely spread’.” She did the last part in an high voice, obviously mimicking her mother.

“Um,” Ted cringed as he thought about his last meeting with Whitney’s parents. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Yeah, it’ll be fine. They know I was joking about the sex now.”

“Oh, okay. Cool. Then I’d be happy too.”

“I told them you were gay.”

“You WHAT?” Ted bumped his head on the car’s roof.

Whitney just laughed.

“Oh, would you just relax. It’s okay. My mother is so funny when it comes to political correctness. She just won’t mention it. Get ready for a night of her being akward and basically bending over backwards to not mention that you’re gay, but also trying very hard not to offend you at the same time. It’s going to be AWESOME.”

“You know, sometimes I think you’re just friends with me for the shock value.” He rubbed the bump that was beginning to form on his head.

“Nah, you’re also good arm candy for a single chick.” She smiled.

“Arm candy?” Ted looked at her sceptically.

“Yup. You lookz gud, girlfriend.”

“Um…. thanks. Please don’t do that accent. And you do realise you’re becoming my ‘fag-hag’, right?”

“Hey – I resent that. It’s an offensive term. I’m not a hag. Think of me as your ‘Fruit-Fly'”

Ted laughed.

“That’s cool – did you make that one up?”

“Nah, I saw it in a show or something… Ah, we’re here.”

Ted looked up, and saw the house. They got out of the car and went through the front door. The house sounded empty.

“MO-O-O-OM! CAN TED STAY FOR DINNER?”

Whitney’s mother appeared, as if from nowhere, into the entrance hall.

“No need to shout, Whitney. Lord help me, I though I raised you better. Clearly I was wrong.” Whitney rolled her eyes. Whitney’s mother turned to Ted. “Yes, of course Ted can stay. Hello Ted. How are you?”

“Hi, Mrs…. Um…”

“Grove. Don’t be embarrassed dear – I wouldn’t expect Whitney to be polite enough to let her friends know her surname, unless they dragged it out of her through torture, of course.”

“Um….” Ted grinned as politely as he could.

“Dinner won’t be reasdy for a couple of hours. Whitney, you can go and entertain Ted with that…. Z-cube… thing of yours. Lord knows I’ve given up on expecting help from you.” She marched off back to the kitchen.

“So, that’s my mom. And that expression on your face is why I pretty much never bring in of my boyfriends to meet my parents.”

“She seems….. nice…. In a mean, but very charming, way.”

“Right on. I know she loves me though. Deep down……. Deep, deep down.” She shook her head, and they went to her room, to play more games.

***

“Okay, jump there, and shimmy across. And you have to be ready – because as soon as you drop, that platform’s going to start breaking up…”

Ted made Lara jump, and land on the platform, then she ran, jumped over the edge and just managed to grab onto the opposite ledge.

“Awesome, you did it.” Whitney nodded as Lara dangled precariously off the ledge.

“I love this game.” Ted grinned widely.

“I know. I liked the old ones as well, but they’ve just improved so much. And the storyline for them is j-” They both jumped when they heard a crash in the hallway outside.

“I’ll go check what the hell that was.” She got up, and went to the door. “You keep playing.”

She went out of the room, and then popped her head out the door.

“It was my idiot brother. He dropped a glass. I’m just going to help him clean this up quickly. Be right back.”

Ted carried on playing. He made Lara jump, dive and grab her way around the latest tomb. His finger slipped, and she plummeted to her death with a blood curdling scream.

Enough is enough, he thought, and turned the TV off. Lara couldn’t take any more. And he was useless with out Whitney’s help anyway.

It was probably almost time to eat, anyway. He’d go see if he could help Whitney or her brother.

He made his way to the kitchen. He heard someone around the corner, and went for a look. Standing there was a guy in skater clothes, facing the wall, emptying a dustpan full of broken glass into the trash can. He wore the same sort of baggy skater clothes that Whitney wore. Ted thought it was quite funny that a brother and sister would dress so alike.

“Hi. You must be Whitney’s brother.” Ted didn’t want the kid to think he’d been watching him. He really wanted to avoid becoming ‘Whitney’s creepy gay friend’

The boy went completley still, like he was a cornered animal. He slowly turned around to face Ted.

“Hey.” He said, biting his lip and looking at the corner of the ceiling.

Ted’s jaw dropped.

It was the guy from the club. The one who Ted thought he’d never see again.

“So…” Whitney’s brother smiled mischeviously.

 

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