You're the Cherry I'm a Cigarette

Alex

After school Grandpa picked me up and took me home. I went straight to my bed when we made it. I was probably going to take another three-hour nap until Nana woke me. I needed to stay up to do my homework, so I wouldn't forget about it, but sleep felt more important. I laid down and sat my phone on my nightstand.

I had finally closed my eyes and started drifting off when my phone vibrated on the nightstand. I looked at the screen and saw I had a new message from Jack. My body flashed hot when I saw it was from him.

Jack B.
Hey Alex :)
Read 3:58 pm

Alex G.
Hey Jack!
Delivered 3:58

Jack B.
What are you doing? I didn't see you after school today.
Read 3:59 pm

Alex G.
Yeah I had to go catch my ride. I'm lying in bed now about to take a nap. I should be doing my chemistry homework, but I don't feel like it plus I don't get chemistry.
Delivered 4:01 pm

Jack B.
Whaaat? Chemistry is one thing I actually understand. It's easy!
Read 4:02 pm

Alex G.
Lol no it's not! It's complicated!
Delivered 4:02 pm

Jack B.
I can do your homework for you. Bring it to lunch tomorrow.
Read 4:03 pm

Alex G.
I have chem before lunch
Delivered 4:05 pm

Jack B.
Oh shit. I guess you should do your homework now then lmao
Read 4:06 pm

Alex G.
I don't wanna! I'm probably going to get all the answers wrong anyways.
Delivered 4:07 pm

Jack B.
Chill. How about I come over and help you?
Read 4:09 pm

I sat up after reading that message. He wanted to come here to help me? I must have hit my head this morning and I have to be unconscious. There's no way he actually wants to come over here to help me.

Alex G.
Let me ask if it's okay for me to have company over.
Delivered 4:10 pm

Jack B.
Lol alright.
Read 4:10 pm

I sat my phone down and went to see who I could ask. Nana and grandpa were in the kitchen when I walked down. I could ask them both at the same time. I was sure they would most likely say yes since Jack was a new friend.

"Hey, I'm surprised you're not napping." Nana chuckled.

"I was trying to but I need to do my chemistry homework. And I don't get chemistry at all." I sighed.
"I have a degree in chemical engineering." Grandpa reminded me and laughed. I actually could have just asked him to help me, but I wanted Jack to come over.

"Oh yeah...I was going to ask if my friend could come over to help me, but-"

"-A friend? Of course they can come. It'll probably be better to have someone who's not so advanced explain it to you." Nana cut in.

"But I have a degree." Grandpa said confused, not understanding why she wouldn't let help.

"But Alex's friend can come over to help him." She said, putting emphasis on friend and he nodded.

"So it's okay?" I asked.

"Yeah of course, Honey." She said, and I smiled.

I pulled out my phone to tell Jack it was okay for him to come.

Alex G.
They're okay with you coming over!
Delivered 4:16 pm

Jack B.
Sweet text me your address.
Read 4:19pm

Alex G.
7602 Satellite Dr
Delivered 4:19 pm

Jack B.
Cool I'll be there in twenty
Read 4:20 pm

"Alex is your room clean?" Nana asked.

"Yeah I think I just have a few clothes on the floor." I told her.

"We'll go straighten up really quick. You don't want him to think you're a messy person." She scolded me.

"Nana he won't care, his room is probably worse than mine." I whined.

"I would do what she says if I were you." Grandpa joked, and I chuckled.

"Okay okay I'm going." I went back upstairs to my room. I picked up all my clothes I've been throwing on my floor and moved them to my hamper. Then I fixed my bed with all my decorative pillows. I took out my chem book and the homework I had so I'd be ready for Jack.

The doorbell rang ten minutes after I finished. I walked down stairs as Nana opened the door for Jack.

"Hello." Jack said politely.

"Hi!" Nana said excitedly.

"Wow your house is beautiful!" He exclaimed, and Nana chuckled.

"Thank you." She said.

"Hey." I greeted Jack. "This is my Grandma and this is my Grandpa. Nana, Grandpa, this is Jack."

"It's nice to meet you Jack." Grandpa told him.

"Nice to meet you too sir. And you too ma'am." He told them.

"We can go work in my room." I told him, and he nodded. He followed me upstairs to my room. He looked around the house as we walked down to my room. I sat on my bed and he kicked his shoes off and sat on the other side of my chem book.

"You didn't tell me you lived in Moneyville." Jack said, and I burst into laughter. That was not the name of the neighborhood.

"What are you talking about?"

"That's what we call this neighborhood since the houses are so nice." He chuckled.

"Ooh yeah I was a little caught off guard when I first got here too."

"It's ridiculous, my house looks like a shack compared to this one." He joked.

"Don't say that." I'm sure his house looked nice.

"It's true." He shrugged. He pressed down on my bed with his hands. "Is this a memory foam mattress?" He asked.

"Yeah I think so." My bed was so comfortable that for the first few nights I fell asleep immediately after lying down.

"Change of plans you do your homework while I take a nap." He said and laid back on my bed.

"Nooo you said you would help me!" I whined and he chuckled.

"Alright alright I'll help." He said but made no attempt to get up.

I took my paper out and handed it to him. He looked down at it for a few seconds. "Oh it's just questions about the periodic table. It'll be pretty easy." He said and I nodded.

He went over what atomic numbers and the atomic mass were. Basically what I missed in class today. I made sure to pay attention as he talked so I wouldn't be confused in class tomorrow.

"And so number ten would be what?" He asked the last question on the worksheet.

"Would it be Lead?"

"Yeah that's right! See it wasn't that hard."

"Well not after you explained it. Thank you, Jack." I told him.

"No problem." He said, and we sat quietly together.

"So how was your day?" I asked to break the silence.

"Same old same old. I only went to one class and skipped the others." He said while still laying in my bed.

"Why not just skip the whole day?" I asked.

"Cause then I wouldn't be able to see you." He said and I blushed.

"Stop." I playfully rolled my eyes.

"I'm serious." He chuckled. "You're sexy as fuck."

"Oh my God you're making me turn red." I hid my face with my hands and he laughed at me.

"The party is at nine on Friday right?" I asked to get the attention off of me.

"It's at eight, but we're leaving at nine." He answered.

"Oh okay. I'm going to meet Cass, Lynn, and Kellin there too." I said.

"Ugh why does Kellin have to come?" He complained.

"Why don't you two like each other?" I asked again. Now I was really curious what happened between them.

"He's just annoying." He shrugged. I decided to just drop it, it probably wasn't a big deal.

Nana came up stairs seconds later and knocked on my open door.

"Hey I made dinner if you two are hungry. I know Alex hates to eat at this time but I don't know about you Jack." She told us.

"Yeah I would love to eat right now." He agreed.

"Okay come down whenever you're ready." She said and went back downstairs.

"How can you eat this early?" I asked Jack.

"Because I have the munchies." He laughed.

"The munchies?? Are you high right now??"

"Yep."

"What? Why? How?" I couldn't even tell, he wasn't acting weird.

"I was smoking before I came over. You probably wouldn't be able to tell when I'm high because I smoke so much, now it just relaxes me and makes me hungry. You should just assume I'm high 95% of the time outside of school...sometimes." He chuckled.

"You're unbelievable." I grabbed his arm and pulled him to the stairs with me.

We went down and Nana already had two plates of beef pot roast sitting on the kitchen table for us. We sat down in our seats and Jack immediately started eating his food. I shook my head at him.

"It's been so long since I've had a home cooked meal." Jack hummed.

"It's been so long since I've had fast food." Grandpa joked and we laughed.

"I'm glad you're enjoying it, Jack." Nana told him.

"It's so good." He complimented her.

"Well you're welcome to come have dinner with us anytime you like." She told him.

"Thank you." He said.

"It's no problem. Thank you for helping break Alex out of his shell. I know he can be a little shy at times." Nana said and I groaned.

"You're so embarrassing." I complained and she, grandpa, and Jack laughed.

"I'm just thanking him for being your friend." She defended.

"Oh my gosh." I mumbled to myself. "Hey so would it be okay if I went to a party with Jack on Friday?" I asked to change the subject.

"A party? I don't know how I feel about that. I don't want you around alcohol or drugs or anything." Grandpa said seriously. I guess I should have asked them first before telling Jack I could go.

"No sir, it's just a small get together at one of my friend’s house. We're mostly going to play board games and watching movies." Jack lied. I kept a poker face, so I wouldn't give it away. He lied so flawlessly, I would have stammered and gave myself away.

"Oh okay, yeah we're okay with that." Grandpa said.

"Just as long as you're back by midnight. I don't want you out all night." Nana added. This was the one thing they chose to give me rules for.

"Okay." I said and looked at Jack. He didn't seem concerned at all with the conversation, just at the fact that his plate was empty.

"Would you like more, Jack?" Nana chuckled with her phone in her hands.

"Yes ma'am." He answered. I hadn't even eaten half of my food and he was already on seconds. I heard Grandpa's phone vibrate and he picked it up to read his text message. He raised his eyebrows and sat his phone back down.

"So Jack do you play any sports or anything?" Grandpa asked with a change in his tone of voice.

"No sir I don't. I used to play football but I got too lazy for practice. Now I'm just focusing on working and enjoying my senior year." He said honestly.

"Okay you're a senior too." Nana said and he nodded.

"Have you picked out a college?" Grandpa asked.

"Nah I'm not sure if I want to do the whole college thing or if I should just work full-time after I graduate." Jack said and I rolled my eyes. He couldn't possibly sell drugs for the rest of his life.

"Oh where do you work?" It seemed like grandpa was interrogating him. That question made me tense up, I didn't know if I could trust Jack to answer this question while high.

"For my brother. He has his own company where he delivers packages for people. I just help him deliver the packages too." He said and I tried my best not to laugh. That was the dumbest way to describe selling drugs. He could have literally said anything else and it would have been fine.

"Oh that's interesting." Nana said and Grandpa nodded.

Once we finished eating it was time for Jack to go since we had school. He thanked my grandparents for having him over for dinner and I thanked him for helping me with my homework.

"It was nice meeting you, Jack." Grandpa said and stuck his hand for him to shake. Jack placed his hand in his and Grandpa strongly grasped it and shook it. Jack rubbed his hand and chuckled nervously once it was released. I had no idea what that was about.

"Bye Sweetheat!" Nana said and hugged him.

"Bye thanks for letting me come over." He told her.

"I'll walk with you outside." I told Jack. He opened the door and we both walked out to his car. It was dark outside, but the street lights lit up the neighborhood.

"I'm so sorry about them." I laughed and apologized.

"There's nothing to be sorry about. I enjoyed myself, it was nice to actually sit down and eat like a family again." He said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"That's a story for another day."

"Oh okay."

"I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"Bye Jack and thanks for helping me again."

"Stop thanking me." He rolled his eyes and pulled me closer to him. He wrapped his arms around my waist. He was hugging me. My cheeks burned as I wrapped my arms back around him. He smelled like a light cologne, one that he probably used to cover up the weed smell.

"Text me when you make it home." I said as we pulled apart.

"Yes mother." He called over his shoulder and got into his car. I waved as he drove away and down the street.

When I went back inside I saw my grandparents sitting at the table enjoying a glass of wine. I went and sat the table with them.

"He seemed like nice boy." Nana said causally as I sat down.

"We're you two competing to embarrass me?" I whined.

"No we just wanted to make sure he was a suitable boy for you." She said.

"Wait what? What are you talking about?"

"Anyone could see that you have a crush on him." She said and my body went numb. I didn't think she knew I was gay, I wasn't necessarily hiding it either I guess. "Well your grandfather didn't know until I texted him about it."

"That's why you started interrogating him?" I asked Grandpa and he laughed.

"Yep, I wanted to make sure he wasn't some bad-boy heartbreaker."

"I'm not even dating him! We're just friends!" I stressed to both of them.

"Sure whatever you say." Nana said in a sarcastic tone.

"I'm going to bed." I said with red cheeks.

I went up to my room and changed into my pajamas. I really didn't mind how my grandparents were acting now since I know why they were. I was happier at the fact that they didn't question my sexuality or really bring it up, they just accepted it. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to have parents or guardians that didn't accept it.

I laid down in bed watching TV and checking Instagram and Tumblr before bed. I didn't take a nap today so I was actually pretty tired. I heard my phone notification go off so I picked up my phone to read the message.

Jack B.
Made it home ;)
10:35 pm

Notes

Make sure to check out the new story I just started called "I Have to Let you Down" it can be found here: http://www.alltimelowfanfiction.com/Story/91255/I-Have-to-Let-You-Down/