[Pete]

What the hell am I doing here? Why am I loitering outside of a college? Why am I sitting on the hood of Patrick's car? Why am I waiting for him? Why am I texting him during class? I repeat, what the hell am I doing?

I don't know.

I mean, I'm well aware of what I'm doing. But I don't know why I'm doing it. I barely know Patrick. We're not friends, we're hardly acquaintances. I've literally found out of his existence a week ago and yet I'm drawn to him like an insect to the moon.

He's like me in a lot of ways, but that's not why I keep finding my way to wherever he may be. I think it's because I envy him. Honestly, there are so many pieces of Patrick that define who he is, so many great qualities that I, myself, lack. Now that I think of it, that sounds ridiculous; my jealously being the reason I like him. Sounds dumb, doesn't it? I know. I just want him to maybe like me back but for a different reason. Maybe there's something about me that he likes, or maybe he enjoys my company or...nah, I doubt it. There's nothing that I even like about myself. I don't have one of those qualities that draws attention to me, well at least not any good attention. I'm a hot-headed fuck who can barely keep friends, if I can even call them that. They hate me, I know it. Why they put up with my shit, is beyond me. Maybe Patrick's just someone else who's getting caught up in my hurricane of disaster.

I hope he gets trapped and drowns in it.

[Patrick]

My phone keeps buzzing in my pocket. I try to ignore it because Mr. Hoppus is lecturing, but I guess it won't hurt to check. It's not like Hoppus pays any attention to the back of the room anyway.

I pull my phone from my pocket and read the name on the screen. Of course it's Pete.

Pete: dude its hot af out here when does class let out

Me: Like a half hour. Why are you even outside?

Pete: waiting on you duh

Me: So I can drive you home again?

Pete: no i wanna hang out with you. home is boring. cant you just ditch the rest of class

Me: No.

Pete: please

Me: Nope.

Pete: pretty please

Me: How about no.

Pete: damn you. fine Ill wait but I wont like it

I chuckle lightly to myself then put my phone away. Pete may be an asshole but he's not that bad of a guy, sometimes. Sure, his temper gets the best of him more often then not but I'm sure it's not all his fault. There must be a reason behind it, something that started it all. But it's none of my business. If he decides to share his origin story with me then that's fine, and if he doesn't then that's fine too. I prefer to keep my personal life to myself, no one needs to know and no one cares. I've heard that confiding in others is good for you, that it lifts weight off your chest, that it lets off steam, or whatever other ridiculous reason. Confiding isn't meant for everyone. Confiding doesn't help everyone. To me, people are like puzzle pieces; everyone's a different shape and size and only fit in places that are right for them. Where they belong. Pete and I are the pieces that are put in just to throw you off and make you think we fit somewhere when really we don't. We're the ones that don't belong. The world is as fucked up as we are and yet there's a place for everyone else. Maybe that's why I tolerate him, because of one common status. Because no matter how much he may get under my skin on his bad days, we're the same. Of every other common trait we may have between us, that's the only one I'm aware of simply because I don't know him that well. I don't know, we could have more in common than I think we do. I just have to find out what.

[Pete]

Patrick needs to hurry the fuck up, I'm fucking boiling out here. The hood of his car is burning my ass, it feels like my pants are glued to my legs. I think...I think my dick might be sweating. Oh God, that's nasty. I need a shower. Note to self: never again wear skinny jeans in 150° weather. My perspiring junk is all Patrick's fault.

[Patrick]

Class finally ends about forty-five minutes later. It dragged on a little longer than usual because Hoppus was explaining more details of our latest assignment. We had to work in partners so I decided to parter up with Joe and head over to his place to work on it. I mentioned to him that Pete will probably tag along.

"Okay but if I catch you two making out, I'm kicking both your asses." He says as we walk out of the building. I don't think that'll happen though, it was a one time deal. The first time was an accident, I don't even know how that happened. One second we're fighting then the next our lips are locked together. To be fair, he kissed me. Yeah and you kissed him back, it's as much your fault as it is his. Dammit. And you liked it. Okay, my subconscious needs to shut up because I hate that it's right. I did like it. I think I might want to do it again.

I spot Pete standing beside my car, impatiently kicking at the back tire, not yet noticing my arrival. Joe heads to his own car and I agree to meet him at his place just before he drives out of the parking lot. When my shoe scuffs the ground beneath me, Pete's head snaps over in my direction.

"Finally," he whines. "I've been waiting forever."

"Oh hey, Pete. How are you? I'm great, thanks for asking."

"Whatever, dude. This heat is fucking killing me." He says then I notice him switching his weight around uncomfortably.

"You...got an itch or something?"

Pete chuckles, mostly to himself. Like he just remembered a joke that's only funny because it's bad. "Funny story actually. See, I've been out here so long that my balls--"

"Whoa, whoa," I interrupt. I shouldn't have asked. "Please don't finish that sentence."

"No, I need another shower now because of you. So you are going to hear me talk about what you did to my balls."

I nearly choked on the air I was breathing. I really don't want to have this conversation. "What? Pete your crotch has nothing to do with me."

Then I can see a small grin play on his lips and he mutters something like, "Not yet it doesn't." I don't know what to make of that. He turns around then on his way to the passenger side he calls over his shoulder, "Let's stop by my place so I can shower and change."

Although he said he wanted to hang out and claimed that home is boring, I still ended up driving him home.

[Pete]

Patrick and I stopped at my place for a while. Andy wasn't home and I wasn't sure where he was, he didn't really check in with me that often. Patrick ended up watching TV while I showered and changed into a new pair of jeans, less skinny ones this time. I don't need a repeat of the last hour. When I went into the living room, Patrick was watching Friends and laughing at something Joey said. Then I sat beside him on the couch.

"So what's the plan for today?" I asked him.

"Joe and I agreed to meet at his place so we can get a start on our assignment. I think Frank will be there too." He says without looking away from the screen.

"So we're heading to Joe's?"

Patrick nods then turns the TV off, getting to his feet and heading toward the front door. He motions for me to follow then I grab my house keys of the coffee table and trail behind him.

I haven't been to Joe's place since Halloween and that was because I had gotten drunk and tagged the back if his house with red spray paint. It was a bat shaped thing with a heart in it and in the heart I wrote 'join the clan'. I'm surprised I could even spell in that state, I was so fucking hammered. Joe responded by peeing in Andy's shower at Christmas. Andy was pissed but Joe couldn't beat what I had done to his house. I won that round.

"It's about time you two got here." Joe says to us upon arrival and steps aside to invite us in. "Frank's in the living room typing up part of his paper, so we're gonna have to wait. But in the meantime we should get to gluing."

Patrick takes a seat on the floor by the pile of paper, scissors, glue, and tape and Joe does the same. That other dude is on the couch with a laptop sitting on his thighs. What was his name, Fred? Phil? It was something with an 'F' sound, that's all I knew. I sat beside him and watched his tattooed fingers type away on the keys. I don't know what he's typing but it looks like a bunch of gibberish to me and Patrick and Joe are using glue sticks. What college assignment requires glue sticks and construction paper? It looked more like a third grade project where creativity was part of the scoring sheet. Kinda glad I dropped out so I can skip out on doing that.

"I remember you," Fred says, his big eyes looking right at me. I hadn't even noticed that he stopped typing. "You were in class that one time and beat the teacher's ass with your words."

I chuckled at what he said. "Yeah, I guess that's me."

Fred looked back to his screen and continued to type but didn't stop talking. "Hoppus can be a jerk sometimes, we just ignore him though. Well, at least I do. So what's up with you and Patrick?"

How did he-- did Joe tell him? Or was it Patrick? I turned my eyes over to where they were and saw them both laughing. Joe had glued a piece of blue paper to Patrick's forehead that had the word 'liver' written on it in black sharpie. I don't know so don't ask, but they looked like they were having fun. I've known Joe since my freshman year of highschool and we never did anything like that. He never smiled or laughed nearly as much and we never messed around like that when we had done schoolwork together. It was like Patrick brought him to life somehow. He was closer to Patrick than he was to me and we've known each other for years, I don't get it. Maybe it just shows that Joe really does just put up with me because he feels obligated to do so. I don't want him to feel like he has to deal with me because no one else will.

"Nothing," I answered. "We kissed once but that's it." Why am I telling Fred this? I don't know him like that, we just met.

"At least you got that far. My crush barely knows I exist. Lucky you. You should totally tap that." He says.

"Yeah I- wait, what?"

"But be careful, that guy's temper is off the fucking charts. You could probably use that to your advantage though. A couple weeks ago we--"

"Dude, what are you talking about?" I interrupted. Use it to my advantage? What the hell, now I'm pissed at myself for cutting him off. What was he going to say? A couple weeks ago they- what?

Fred finally looks away from his laptop and at me again, reading my confused face. Then he furrows his brow and looks at the floor in thought for a moment. When his eyes return to mine he says, "You know, I think I may have said too much." Then he nods, seemingly to signify that he's going with that as a response and should stop talking. He turns back to his screen again and does just that; he stops talking and all I can hear is Joe and Patrick scribbling, cutting paper, and laughing. I shouldn't be jealous of that, but I am and I can't help it.