I Fell For My Best Friend 1

I Fell For My Best Friend Normally, falling for your best friend is the worst thing you can do. If it doesn’t work out, more-than-likely the relationship is ruined. It doesn’t always happen, but it happens often enough. So, you can imagine the distress I felt when I fell for my best friend, Alex Green. It’s not like I planned to do it or anything; it just happened. We were walking home from school one day and I just noticed how incredibly attractive he was when the sun hit his face. Allow me to introduce myself; my name is Ethan. That’s right, Ethan. And I made the stupid mistake of falling for my straight best friend. Alex doesn’t mind that I’m gay. In fact, he didn’t even seem surprised when I came out of the closet. He was the first person I told, and all he told me was, “Ethan, you are who you are. Why would I care who you prefer in bed? It’s your life.” Of course, that stunned me. I thought for sure that he would have been at least a little disgusted. I mean, we’re talking about extremely hot man on man action. Wouldn’t it make any straight guy squirm uncomfortably? Maybe I don’t give Alex enough credit. Ever since that day, Alex has been even more supportive of me. He’s a constant in my life, and after what had happened last year, I need something to keep me stable. If you’re wondering about what happened last year, I’m not telling. Not yet at least. It still hurts to even think about it, much less talk about it. All you need to know is that Alex was with me every step of the way and I love him for that. Well, I love him even more for that. You see, I think I’ve always been in love with Alex and only just recently realized it. It would definitely explain the unnecessary and confusing jealousy I would feel every time I saw him with a girl. I always thought that I was just a little pissed because Alex blew me off for those s***s a couple of times, but now that I really think about it, I realize I was jealous and hurt because my Alex was with somebody else. Don’t look at me that way; I know I can be a tad bit possessive, but so what. I know Alex isn’t mine (though I would love nothing more than to be with him) but a gay guy can dream, can’t he? Then again, maybe dreaming isn’t such a good idea. I mean, I had accidentally walked on Alex when he was getting out of the shower before, and that has proved to be a very good source of wet dreams. The bad thing is when I start to think of it in class and I get a little…responsive. Hey, I can’t help it! I’m a healthy, seventeen-year-old boy. Do you know what we think of? Sex, sex, sex. Well, not really, but at the moment, yes. It’s just that Alex is so sexy. I love his black hair and his gorgeous brown eyes and his smile. And, dear God, don’t even get me started on his hot bod. I can go on and on all day about what exactly is attractive about him, and that’s because I think every part of him is attractive. He’s just one of those really sweet guys that is willing to help out anybody. I’m really lucky to have him as a best friend. On the other hand, I’m not so lucky. Don’t get me wrong, I love being around Alex and if I had to, I would be around him all the time. It’s just that he doesn’t realize the effect he has on me and whenever he pulls a little stunt and his shirt accidentally rides up or something, I have to excuse myself or I’ll be in a very uncomfortable position. Literally. I don’t want to feel the humiliation and mortification some of my friends have experienced. Yawning, I stared at the poster tacked to the back of the door in Alex’s room. “Ethan, are you back from la-la-land?” Alex asked me, waving his hand in front of my face. I rolled my eyes and offered him a tiny grin. “Yes, as a matter of fact, I am,” I retorted, giving in to the urge to stick out my tongue at him. Alex chuckled and pushed me. “Right, well, I hope you had a nice trip. Can we please get back to the matter at hand?” Oh, right. I almost forgot. Alex had a date tonight with Jessica Sikes, a blonde cheerleader with no brains what-so-ever. Why was he going out with that blonde bimbo? He can totally do so much better than her! Alright, so maybe I was a little bit jealous, but come on! What does he see in her besides her massive bags of flesh located on her chest? Ugh, those things were disgusting. Why was I helping him break my heart? To be completely honest, Alex may be über sexy, but he had no fashion sense at all. If I let him, he would probably walk outside wearing all sorts of mismatched colors and patterns. “Pull your pants down a little bit, I can see your socks,” I said, frowning a little. Alex adjusted his pants accordingly and I walked around him, looking at him with a critical eye. “Better?” he asked, holding his hands out. “Yes,” I said finally. “You look awesome.” And he did. His hair was combed down, the tips of it reaching just past his ears. He was dressed in a silky button-up shirt and black slacks with dress shoes. Seriously, he looked good enough to eat. A part of me wanted to dress him horribly so that w***e Jessica wouldn’t want to sink her claws into him, but another part of me kept reminding me that Alex asked me for help. I couldn’t just do that to him, despite the fact that my S**t Radar was going crazy. “Thanks for the help, Ethan,” Alex said, smiling at me widely. God, he should smile like that forever. “What are friends for?” I replied, returning his smile and easily hiding the pang of loneliness and hurt that I felt. The doorbell rang and I found myself leaving Alex’s room to go open the door. I really wish I hadn’t. Jessica was dressed in a black dress that reached mid-thigh and had a plunging neckline. There was no back to her dress�"or rather, to the thin fabric she wrapped herself in. Has she not been taught the Fashion Do’s and Don’ts? Her little dress left nothing to the imagination, and I felt a little nauseous. “Is Alex ready?” she asked in an overly sweet voice. Did she ingest some saccharine or something? Ugh. “He sure is,” I chirped back, smiling falsely at her. “Hold on a second.” I slammed the door in her face, smiling to myself in satisfaction. Alex came down the stairs and smiled at me. “Thanks for watching Tiffany for me. I’ll be back at ten o’ clock, alright?” “You know, this isn’t the first time I’ve watched her,” I said, slightly annoyed. “Besides, she’s twelve-years-old. It doesn’t take much to entertain her.” “Yeah, yeah. You know my cell and you know my mom’s job number. She doesn’t get off work until midnight tonight.” I nodded. “Yes, I know. Now hurry up and when you come back, give me all the details.” “That I will,” Alex replied. “I owe you one, Ethan.” He hugged me before he opened the door and left. “You deserve a break,” I said softly to the closed door. Alex did deserve a break. Ever since his father died and he became ‘man of the house’, it hasn’t been easy. His mom, Elizabeth, had to work another shift in order to keep paying the mortgage. Alex also found a job with me at the local supermarket. We normally got off at around seven o’clock, so Tiffany normally walks over to my house with my little brother Eric. She stays there until we get home before Alex picks her up. Normally, they only saw their mother on the weekends, and sometimes barely. She slept most of Saturday and on Sundays she spends time with them. Occasionally, she gets a Friday or a Thursday off. Whenever that happens, she normally comes to pick Alex and me up after school before going to get Tiffany and Eric. She’d either take us out to eat something or she’d take us to the movies. It was really nice. I loved going out to eat with Alex. We would choose something each of us wanted and share the two plates. I’d eat half of my food while he ate half of his and then we’d switch plates. It didn’t matter that we used the same utensils; we’ve been friends since we were in day care, so it didn’t really matter. A sharp feeling of smugness hit me in the gut when I thought of Jessica finding out that I had been sort of swapping spit with Alex since we were five. My nose scrunched up slightly and I shook my head. I knew my jealousy and feelings were irrational and stupid. Still, it felt good to think of her face if she ever found out. Going to the movies with Alex always proved…interesting. Normally, we’d watch whatever horror movie had just come out. Alex would buy the popcorn and soda and I would buy all the junk food. We’d talk until the movie started and then we’d huddle together. I’d squeeze him whenever I get scared (or when I pretended to be scared) and he’d just smile and hug me in response. It felt nice to be snuggled against his warmth, and he didn’t mind sharing it one bit. “Did Alex go on his date?” Tiffany asked as I walked into the room. She was flipping through channels trying to find something to watch. “Yeah, he just left,” I responded. “Want to watch chick flicks?” Tiffany grinned and stood up. “I’ll get the popcorn and soda.” I laughed a little and stood up before walking over to the DVD stand. It had almost every single type of movie you could think of from fantasy to horror to comedy to tragedy. Most of the movies had belonged to Alex’s dad and they kept them in the same spot they were left in. Biting my lip slightly, I pick out Mean Girls and pop it into the DVD player. Tiffany came into the room and placed the snacks on the floor for easy access. I walked over to the couch and sat on it, snuggling with Tiffany as she leaned against me. I wrapped us both in the blanket that was on the side of the couch and pressed the play button on the remote. My mom decided after Eric that she didn’t want to have any more kids, and therefore, no little sister I could use to play dress-up in. So, I obviously had to improvise. Tiffany didn’t mind one bit and Alex thought the action itself was cute. Besides, Tiffany is my little sister in everything but blood. She looked a lot like her dad with her dark, curly brown hair and bright green eyes. I still remember when she was eleven and told Alex about her first crush. Alex totally flipped out and threatened to bully the other kid around. After that, she decided it was best to tell her older brother about crushes with me in the vicinity. He always stayed calmer whenever I was around and would talk with me about what we should do. Kind of like�"dare I say it?�"a married couple. Or maybe like the older siblings we were. The next thing I knew, Alex was shaking me awake. Funny, I didn’t even realize I had fallen asleep. I groggily sat up and looked around. Either Tiffany got up and went to bed or Alex had to take her there. I turned around and looked at the alarm clock; 10:17 p.m. Way too early to go to sleep on a Friday night. “How’d your date go?” I asked quietly, yawning slightly. “Absolutely horrible,” Alex replied with a grimace. “Jessica kept trying to feel me up while we were eating and during the movie, she kept clinging to me. It was a nightmare.” “Oh, that’s too bad.” Haha, too bad for you, s**t! “Don’t sound too sorry, Ethan,” Alex teased, grinning at me. I could feel my face take on a red hue. “I was�"I mean�"” “Relax,” Alex interrupted me, laughing. “I was kidding.” “Oh.” It was silent for a couple of minutes. “Say, Ethan, can I ask you something?” “Sure,” I replied, shrugging my shoulders and sipping at some flat soda. “What is it?” “How did you know you were gay?” I choked and spat out my drink, coughing furiously. Alex quickly patted me on the back, his worried brown eyes on my body. “W-what? Why do you wanna know that?” I squeaked out, rubbing my chest slightly. “Just curious. I mean, did you always know you liked boys or did you find out much later?” Alex seemed genuinely interested and I sighed. “I think I might have always like boys but only began to notice it after I hit puberty.” “Ah, I see,” he mumbled quietly, chewing on his lower lip. I tore my gaze away from the rather enticing sight. “Now, tell me what this is all about,” I demanded, patting the seat next to me. “Don’t bother with the ‘just curious’ explanation. It’s bullshit and you and I both know it.” “Ha, you always did know me better than myself,” Alex said softly, chuckling a bit. “Seriously, Alex,” I said as I sat closer to him. “What’s wrong?” “It’s just,” he hesitated, “the other day I was in gym. And you know how I have gym with Ben Spencer?” I nodded and grimaced slightly in sympathy. Ben Spencer is a very tall person with red hair and nearly black eyes. He’s picked on the both of us since we were in elementary school. Now that we’re in high school, we just ignore him and his pathetic attempts at getting a rise out of us. Ever since I came out of the closet, he’s been making horrible gay jokes. Normally I only see him during lunch, thank God. “What about that a*****e?” I asked, a feeling of dread settling in my stomach. “Well, we were showering after gym the other day and I was putting my clothes back on when he started making comments and acting like a dick,” Alex said, glaring at his hands. I saw his Adam’s apple bob up and down. “What kind of comments?” I asked slowly, not really wanting to hear the answer. “Gay comments, Ethan. He started spewing nasty, degrading s**t about how I was probably gay and we were probably f*****g. He said I always stare at the other guys in the locker room and just s**t like that in general.” “Oh.” “Yeah. And, I was just wondering, how do people know if they’re gay? I mean, you obviously have to feel attracted to somebody of the same sex, but what if it’s just one person you’re attracted to? What if you only like one person and everybody else is a major turn-off? Does that mean you’re gay?” “Alex,” I sighed, “it doesn’t matter whether you like a man, woman, transsexual, or a hermaphrodite. Love knows no genders.” “Yeah, you’re right.” Alex ran his hand through his hair, ruffling the dark locks. I gulped slightly and looked away. “I know I’m right,” I retorted, earning a chuckle out of him. “Yeah, yeah, don’t get too cocky. And thanks.” “It’s no problem, Alex. Now, why don’t you go upstairs like a good little boy and bring down the GameCube? I still have to kick your a*s.” “Sure,” Alex laughed as he stood up and made his way up the stairs. “As if you could ever beat me. I’m the PacMan World Rally champion!” “Your arrogance will be your downfall,” I called after him. “Hypocrite!” I laughed and rolled my eyes before I stood up and stretched, a groan escaping my mouth as my back popped. Alex’s words kept ringing in my head and I couldn’t help but think there was more to the situation than he let on. Well, whatever it was, I’m sure he’ll tell me when he’s ready. Slightly satisfied, I got up and went to the kitchen, grabbing some sodas. Alex was already in the living room, setting up the game. Cracking my knuckles, I sat down and accepted the controller. He was so going down.