Chapter Twenty

CHAPTER TWENTY

Milo

The weekend came fast, and as I walked over to Tom’s house, I was slightly anxious. I had avoided drinking since my last blackout situation at school. I also had a big exam in my math class on Monday, and I knew I had to study my ass off the following day to prepare for it.

If you had asked January Milo if he’d skip drinking and drugs so he could study, I would’ve laughed in your face. But there I was, trying to be a responsible adult. At the same time, I was trying to be a good friend, too. Tom had been good to me over the past year when I didn’t even deserve his grace. The same went for Savannah. I was mentally absent from most people who called me their friend, but it was as if they knew I was struggling. They had every right to turn their backs on me, but instead, they stuck by my side. That meant more to me than they’d ever know.

“There was a bet going on that you weren’t going to show today,” Savannah said as I walked into the house. It was packed with people. Some I knew, others I didn’t, with a wide array of red Solo cups floating around.

I nodded her way. “You bet for me or against me?”

“Always bet for you, brother.” She smiled and held her cup toward me.

I shook my head. “Not drinking tonight.”

Her eyebrow shot up. “You always drink.”

“Trying this new thing.”

“And what’s that?”

“Being sober.”

She shivered. “That sounds awful.”

Depends on the day.

“What Tom are you?” I asked her, glancing at her oversized outfit and backward baseball cap.

“I’m a tomboy, duh. What about you?”

I looked down at my outfit—a white T-shirt and black jeans. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m Tom from Myspace.” I glanced around the living room, then back at Savannah. “Where’s the birthday boy?”

“He’s in the kitchen, probably dancing on the countertop.”

That sounded about right.

I started toward the kitchen but paused and turned back to Savannah. “Hey. Sorry for treating you like crap for the past few years. I wasn’t in the best headspace.”

She narrowed her eyes. “And you’re doing better now?”

“Getting there.”

“Good. We all missed you.”

“I’ve been around.”

“You’ve been around but not here. I see it again…the light in your eyes is back. Whoever she is, I’m glad you found her.”

“What?”

She grinned and took a sip from her red Solo cup. “A guy doesn’t heal like that without a badass girl in his corner.” She narrowed her eyes. “Is it Ms. Evans? Tom is convinced it’s Ms. Evans.”

I shook my head. “It’s not Ms. Evans.”

“Then who is it?”

“Nobody.”

“Liar.”

“Maybe.”

“You’re not going to tell me?”

“Nope.”

She studied me, debating how much more she should push for an answer, but then she gave up. “Just treat her well, will you? Like a princess.”

I gave her a half grin before heading toward the kitchen to find the birthday boy. In all his glory, he was dancing on the countertop in a white button-down, white ankle socks, and a pair of white briefs. He was taking his Tom Cruise from Risky Business seriously.

The second he saw me, he cheered loudly. “Best friend!” he shouted, hopping off the countertop. I was surprised he didn’t twist his damn ankle with that leap.

He shot over and hugged me tightly before slapping his hand against my chest. “Are you Tom from Myspace?”

I nodded. “I’m Tom from Myspace.”

“Hell yeah, you are.” Tom looked around and held his arms out. “Hey, everyone, Tom from Myspace is here!”

Everyone cheered for me as if I didn’t just toss on a white T-shirt and call it a day. I was the laziest costume in sight, but they all seemed amused. That was the power of alcohol. It made the most mediocre individuals seem like Superman.

“Let me get you a drink,” Tom said, patting me on the back.

“Oh. I wasn’t going to drink tonight.”

His eyes widened as if I’d confessed that I hated puppies. “What do you mean you’re not drinking tonight?!”

“That’s exactly what I mean.”

“Are you pregnant?”

I smirked at the drunkard and patted my stomach. “Expecting in six months.”

Tom turned toward the crowd. “Hey, everyone! Tom from Myspace is pregnant!”

Everyone once again cheered.

Idiots.

“You have to at least take a birthday shot with me,” he urged, nudging me.

“I’ve got a math exam on Monday. I can’t get messed up this weekend.”

“Uh, news flash, we all have a math exam on Monday, but your best friend only turns eighteen once.”

“I’m surprised you’re not spending the day with your parents.”

“Yeah, well, some parents don’t give a shit about their kids.” He said it effortlessly and with a smile, but I saw the twitch behind his grin. What the hell was that? Was perfect, bubbly Tom not as happy as he played himself up to be? Did we maybe have something in common? Parental issues?

“But you know who does give a shit about me?” he asked.

“Who’s that?”

“Jose.” He held a bottle of Jose Cuervo tequila and waved it toward me. “Jose has never let me down, unlike my parents. So let’s take a shot to celebrate!”

I wanted to argue with him, but from the split second of truth that slipped out of Tom, I felt guilty for his disappointment in his parents. I didn’t want to add another wave of disappointment, so I allowed peer pressure to pull me in.

I took the shot glass from him and patted him on the back. “Bottoms up.”

Before I knew it, the shots were flowing and studying for my exam in the morning seemed less likely.

***

I wasn’t having a shitty time.

I was having a damn good time with everyone. I found myself laughing more than I normally did, and even though I was drunk, it didn’t feel like a depressed kind of drunkenness. I simply felt…good.

People conversed with me as if I were the person I’d once been before Mom passed away. I was talking back, asking how they’d been, too, and I wanted their answers.

What was going on?

The buzz felt good, and Tom had already told me I was crashing here for the night, which was fine. I didn’t want to take my drunk ass home to see my dad’s drunk ass, which would remind me that my home life was still shit.

I walked up to Brian, who was talking to Chris about video games, and Chris was doing what he did best—listening. I joined the two on the couch in the living room, and they welcomed me into the conversation as if I’d been there the whole time. Chris patted me on the back and gave me a half grin.

I glanced at their costumes. Chris had cat ears on and a collar. “Tom from Tom and Jerry ?” He nodded and puffed out his chest with a big smirk, proud that he was recognized. I looked over at Brian, who dressed as a train. “And Tom the Tank Engine?”

“Choo-choo, motherfucker!”

The three of us hung out for a while, discussing everything. It felt like the first time we’d sat and engaged in over a year. Or at least, it was the first time I was engaged. Even without many words, Chris interacted more than I’d been over the past year.

“It’s good to have you back around,” Brian mentioned when we went to get more drinks.

“What do you mean? I’ve been around every weekend.”

“Yeah. You’ve been there, but not really.” He patted my chest. “It’s good to have you back,” he repeated.

I smiled, knowing what he meant.

He brushed his thumb against his nose before patting down his big Afro. “Maybe someday you can stop by and play games with us guys again like we used to. Tom is an awful gamer, so it would be nice to have some real competition.”

“I’d like that,” I told him. I meant it, too.

Around one in the morning, the party was still going on, yet I was ready to check out. I knew it was time to head to the guest room I was staying in because all I could think about was Starlet. My drunken mind belonged to her, but that wasn’t very different from my sober mind.

After one last shot with the birthday boy, I headed to the guest room and shut the door behind me. Before climbing onto the bed, I removed my shoes, T-shirt, and jeans. I pulled out my cell phone and called her when I got comfortable.

I shouldn’t have called her, but I did. I needed to hear her voice. I always wanted to hear her voice. Who was I lately?

“Hello?”

Her voice was soft, as if she were waking up. That wasn’t shocking. It was after midnight.

“Hey, Star.”

“Hey. Are you okay?” she asked, yawning through the phone.

I smiled as I lay on the bed because she asked if I was okay. “Yeah, I’m good. How are you?”

“Sleepy.” She yawned again. “Are you intoxicated?”

“I might be intoxicated.”

“Happy intoxicated or sad intoxicated?”

“Happy.”

“Mmm. Good. Happy is good.”

I turned onto my back and stared at the ceiling. “Star?”

“Yeah?”

“I miss you.”

“I miss you, too.” She paused for a minute and asked, “Are you alone right now?”

“Yeah. I’m crashing at Tom’s. It was his eighteenth birthday party tonight.”

“Happy birthday to Tom. Don’t tell him I said that, though.”

I laughed. “I’ll keep it between us. It was a costume party. We were supposed to dress up as different Toms.”

“Who were you?”

“Tom from Myspace.”

“That’s very vintage of you. And somewhat lazy.”

“What can I say? I’m a lazy dude.” I cleared my throat. “Hey?”

“Yes?”

“I miss you.”

She chuckled lightly. “You said that already.”

“I know, but it’s true. I miss your eyes. And your lips. And your curves and—”

“You’re horny.” She cut in.

“Only for you. Is your roommate home?”

“No. It seems everyone has a social life except for me.”

“I can come over and be social with you.”

I listened to her turning in her bed, and I could almost see her bashful smile in my mind. “No, you can’t. You’re drunk. Besides, you coming to my dorm room is strictly off-limits. It goes against the secret friends rule.”

“I don’t think that was a rule.”

“It is now.”

“So we can add rules whenever?”

“Only when they are needed to remind you why you can’t come to crawl into my bed in the middle of the night.”

I groaned. “But I want to crawl into your bed in the middle of the night.”

“Two and a half more months.”

“That sounds like forever.”

“And some change.”

“Star?”

“Yes?”

“I had fun tonight.”

“That’s good. I’m glad.”

“I didn’t know I could still have fun until I found you.”

“Oh, Milo…” Her soft breaths were heard through the cell phone. “Be careful, or you’ll make me fall in love with you.”

If only she knew how much I wanted that to happen.

“Say something to make the butterflies go away,” she ordered. “Say something to make me roll my eyes.”

“What are you wearing?”

She burst into laughter. “That will do it for me.”

I smirked because I could envision her smile. Then curiosity hit me. “No, really, what are you wearing?”

“Drunk Milo is so inappropriate.”

“Every Milo is inappropriate,” I told her. “Now would be a great time to practice that phone sex, huh?”

“That’s true.” Her voice lowered slightly, and then she said, “A tank top and black panties.”

Just hearing the word panties fall from her beautiful mouth made my cock brick up. “Yeah? Are you wearing a bra?”

“No. Just the tank top.”

I shut my eyes, envisioning her hardened nipples through the fabric of the tank top.

“I wish I was there lying with you,” I told her.

“And what would you do to me?”

“Everything, Star.” I slid my hand into my boxers and gripped my cock. “I’d do everything to you.”

“Tell me exactly what you’d do. In detail, please.”

My hand slowly stroked my cock as my thoughts became more inappropriate. “Before I tell you, you need to slip your hand into your panties and start rubbing yourself, Star.”

“What makes you think I’m not?” she replied breathlessly.

That image alone made my cock throb as I quickened my hand movement. I bit my bottom lip before continuing. “I pin you down on your bed and lower myself to your neck, leaving a trail of kisses against your soft skin, allowing my tongue to create small circles before I begin sucking.”

“My mouth parts as I whisper for more and beg you to let me taste you first.”

Fuck…

“By all means,” I replied. “Taste.”

“I roll from beneath you and lay you on your back. I remove your shirt and trail my hands down your chest until they meet the top of your boxers. I shimmy myself down so I’m resting between your legs. Then I pull your boxers down your legs, revealing your massive, hard cock. I lick my plump lips as I stare at your thickness, wanting you to fuck my mouth until I gag against you. So I wrap my hand around your cock and begin stroking, up and down…up and down…locking my eyes with yours the whole time I start working you...”

Did sweet Starlet just whisper the word cock on the phone to me?

Did she say she wanted me to fuck her mouth until she gagged?

Well, I’ll be damned. Was I drunk, or was she? I’d have to tame myself from getting off too soon solely from the softness of her voice saying dirty things.

I pushed the comforter to the side of the bed, already getting too warm from her words.

“Then what?” I asked.

“Then I lower myself and let my tongue glide up and down your dick while my hand continues to stroke it. I take the tip of your hardness into my mouth and begin sucking it, swirling my tongue around it as if sucking against my favorite lollipop. I go slowly, infusing every inch of you against me while my hand massages and squeezes your balls. My speed picks up as I begin deep-throating your cock, sliding my mouth deeper and deeper with every inch as you gather my wild hair in your hands and take control of guiding me up and down your thick, hard cock, allowing it to choke me, making me gag on how massive you are.”

“Shit, Star…you’re going to make me…” I murmured, unable to form more words as I licked the palm of my hand and went back to stroking. “Keep going…”

“I place a hand against your lower stomach, pressing gently as my mouth takes all of you in, leaving little room for me to take a breath, but I don’t care because I want all of you, Milo. I want you to fill every hole I have, fucking me nice and slow, then nice and hard. Harder and harder as you grow closer and closer to—”

Before she could finish, the bedroom door opened, and in walked Tom. “Hey, man. Everyone’s gone. I wanted to see if you wanted to play some video games or—holy shit! Dick! Dick!” he hollered as he saw me lying there with my cock in my hand.

“Oh shit!” I shouted back before saying, “Gotta go.”

I dropped my hand from my cock and hung up on Starlet.

Tom instantly shot out of the room, slamming the door behind him. There was nothing but silence for a beat until he said, “Don’t worry, Mi-Mi. I didn’t see anything. Except, well, everything. That’s going to cause nightmares tonight.”

“My bad,” I pushed out, uncertain what else to say. What were you supposed to say besides “my bad” after your friend caught you jerking off?

“We should probably never talk about this again, huh?” he asked.

“Yeah. I agree. Never again.”

“Cool. Okay. Night.”

I collapsed against the mattress. My body felt thrown off by the complete transition from almost getting off from Starlet’s seductive voice to then having Tom burst in, taking away any desire and causing a flurry of panic. It took my heart a minute to settle down, and when it did, I was left with just a pool of disappointment because Starlet would’ve easily brought me to completion with her voice alone.

Starlet: Everything okay?

Milo: Yeah. Tom just burst in. Kind of ruined the moment, huh?

Starlet: Haha. Only a little. It’s fine. I should be sleeping, anyway.

Damn.

Milo: Talk tomorrow?

Starlet: Of course. Good night.

I sighed and covered my face with a pillow to shout out all my frustrations.

Good night, Teach.