Chapter 3: Trials and Triumphs

Dillon certainly didn't expect this scenario. The one where everything went right. Perhaps he should trust his gut more. For the first time in a while, Dillon smiled genuine smiles and laughed genuine laughs. His soul that had started to rot with nihilism started to perk back up ever so slightly. He pulled up a stool and kept Tony company while he worked. Its not like he really had anywhere to be, anyway. They talked about all kinds of different things. Food, football, music, movies, comedy, and more. To find someone with whom he truly connected, well it meant his voice actually made a sound to be heard, and someone answered at last.

  After a time, Dillon turned around and looked out the window next to the garage door. Shit, it was already dark! His mom would be pissed! She's always had him text her when he got home or at least after school so she knew he was alright. Of course, her intentions were nothing but good, yet Dillon still feared her wrath when he forgot to text her. He whipped his phone out and swiped it open. Shit, it was almost seven thirty! He had been here with Tony for three hours? It didn't feel like it. Just then, a woman's voice came out of the shop speaker. "The school will be closing up shortly. We ask all persons to please finish up your current tasks." Dillon looked down at his phone again and saw three missed texts from his mom.

  Mom 5:38 PM: Dill, do you know when you'll be home? I haven't heard back from you about if you were staying late. Text me plz. Love ya! <3

  6:53 PM: Dill where are you? It's almost seven. Did you have dinner? You have your insulin right? Please text me. Love, mom

  7:19 PM: Dillon I'm worried, please text me. Are you ok? You always text earlier. Answer. Your damn. Phone. Idiot son!

  Dillon rolled his eyes to himself. He loved his stepmother dearly, and she loved him like her own son. They used to be much closer. Once he hit fourteen however, he started to distance himself from her, and everyone else for that matter, slowly but surely. He felt he couldn't be himself around most people because that was always on his mind. He pulled himself out of his head and turned to Tony. 

  "Uh, gimme a sec to text my mom? Seems we lost track of time." Dillon pointed to the clock.

  "Yea, yea no worries. I gotta wrap up here real quick anyways," he replied.

  He opened up his mom's text feed and urgently texted her back. Lord knew she'd call everyone in existence if he didn't contact her right now. He thought he should maybe call her, but decided against it. They always did texts.

  Dillon 7:26 PM: CRAP! I'm sorry I made a new friend at tech school so I stayed late. I'm sorry, I know I should have texted first, I lost track of time. It won't happen again. I'm ok, yes I got my insulin and I checked my sugar recently. 

  Mom 7:29 PM: Damn right you should have texted first! What if something happened? But I'm glad youre ok. You need me to get you?

  A moment's thought later, he decided he wanted to see if Tony would give him a lift. The dude was fun to talk to, and he wasn't ready for their banter to end yet. Luckily, as long as Dillon kept in touch with his parents at least through text, they weren't really strict with him about where he could go. He did have a ten o'clock curfew though. Dillon glanced up from his phone and saw Tony had just packed up the last of his tools in his bag. Dillon was afraid to ask since he barely knew the guy, but he bit the bullet. If he didn't, he would doubtlessly regret it later. What's the worst he would do?

  "H-hey, Tony?"

  "Yea. What's up, kid?"

  "Do you think uh, that you could maybe give me a lift home? My ride won't be able to be here till after nine," he lied. Tony paused to think as Dillon held his breath.

  "Yea, I can swing that. You're a swell guy. S'go!" He called and motioned over his shoulder for Dillon to follow. Dillon was always ecstatic when he managed to make a new friend. It didn't happen often because of his social awkwardness, but when he did it made him so happy. After he flung his backpack onto his shoulder for the hundredth time that day, he followed Tony. On their way to wherever he had parked, Dillon swiped his phone opened and texted his mom.

  Dillon 7:32 PM: Nah that's ok thank you though. I got a ride here. See you soon. 

  Mom 7:34 PM: Ok if youre sure. See ya in a bit then. Love ya and be careful! <3

  It felt weird to walk through the school so late. It had a totally different vibe at night. All but one of the entrances were sealed off and the lights were very dim. It was almost ominous. He was very tired and had tech school tomorrow, too. Yet Dillon was excited. He was excited to see the things tomorrow would bring with it. Excitement was an emotion he hadn't felt for so long that he almost forgot what it felt like. Not anymore!

                 May 15th, 2010: Saturday

                                Spring

                              ~~~~~~~

  Dillon awoke as the usual stupid Coolio song 'Gangsta's Paradise' blasted from his phone again. Of course, it meant he had to get up for stupid tech school. He wanted to sleep in on Saturdays like the rest of America! What highschool students didn't sleep late on Saturdays? Him, apparently. As he got up he dismissed the alarm with a sigh.

  While it sucked that he had to wake up so early, he really did love tech school. It was fast paced, but once Dillon went into chef-mode, it calmed him. Just to be able to do the thing he loved for hours a day put him at ease. It was an escape from everything else in life. It could get so insane in the kitchen that he had to divert all his mental energy just to keep up. At the same time, he learned a lot, experimented, tried new things, met tons of awesome people, and honed his skills and his muscle. To be a chef required strength for certain tasks, and to carry heavy bulk ingredients. 

  Dillon went through his usual morning routine, and headed out to the bus stop after he bid his folks farewell. He liked his morning routine. It was a constant, something that brought some stability to his otherwise chaotic life. Dillon started his routine walk to the bus stop, which was another constant. Although, there was an added variable now. A couple random mornings a week, Dillon would wake up extra early so he would have time to swing in and say hi to Tony. It was cool to see what his current project was. A lot of Tony's jobs were small things that he fixed in a day or two. Things like dinged up bumpers, or broken doors and mirrors, so he worked on a different project each time. 

  That morning Dillon was able to leave a good twenty-five minutes early. Since it was Saturday, it was a hit or a miss as to whether Tony would even be there. He didn't work every Saturday. It was usually only when he was busy or super behind. Dillon still woke up Saturday mornings quite early to see if Tony's garage was open. It was a fun start to his morning. They had a lot of fun and there was lots of laughter. They'd just hang with their coffee for ten or fifteen minutes before they started their day. Dillon was still ecstatic that he had found a new friend. At this point, that wasn't triggered often, at least not yet, since Dillon now cared about him as a person. As he got to know him and his personality, he didn't really care about that as much. Tony was awesome and Dillon was grateful for his friendship. 

  The shop roof was visible a few blocks away, and Dillon checked his phone for any texts. Surprisingly, he hadn't checked it since he woke up. Tony and he had exchanged numbers the afternoon they met. They only texted here and there, but that was probably for the best. He had other things in his student and social lives to worry about. There were no missed texts, but that didn't mean much. They were already pals. He was a cool dude and a good friend with a kind heart.

  Friends they might be, but Dillon knew he had to keep his distance. He couldn't lose a friend just because he was sick in the head with that. He could control it, but in his mind when he was alone, it always came back out. Dillon didn't know why his attraction to Tony had gone on for as long as it had. What made him different? Usually, whether he knew the guy or not, he'd get bored and move on to the next hot one. He was a teenager and his libido could be incredible sometimes. It changed with the weeks of the year. 

  Dillon struggled a lot with his attraction to Tony. It had started to make him feel guilty. This guy was Dillon's friend. Tony was there for him regardless of the fact they hadn't known each other long, and he thought of him like that? He felt like he constantly objectified Tony in his mind. It made Dillon feel dirty and twisted. He was disgusted with himself. Why couldn't he be normal like other guys?