Chapter 6: Kat's Kradle

The community in which he lived was one that didn't accept those sick with that in their ranks. Dillon had thought he could maybe invent a girlfriend, or a girl he'd been with. Maybe it would make himself seem even more normal. The slang term 'beard' crossed his mind. He had to push his ability to act to it's brink if he wanted that to remain unexposed indefinitely. At the right time he would let it slip to Tony that he had a girl or something. 

  It sucked to have to lie to Tony, let alone everyone else, about that. Tony was his friend but he just couldn't confide in him. He'd have to bury what would always be on his heart and consign himself to the reality that he'd never have him like that. Dillon would have him as a good friend. That's all he should care about, but his heart couldn't help but ache. Could it be that Dillon felt real romantic love for Tony? No, it couldn't be. They'd only known each other for a month. His parents said it takes longer than that to really love someone. Dillon was merely infatuated with him. He would get over it eventually.

  He took a last whiff of the wonderful rubber smell in the automotive corridor and took the next left down the hall that led to the front exit. While Dillon half dreaded the conversation he would have with Kat, he also sort of looked forward to it. If the right opportunity presented itself, he had decided to tell Kat about that. Upon further thought, it was ridiculous that he hadn't told her about that sooner. Kat would stick by him. That was just a fact. It was just the type of person she was. All bark and no bite. Dillon and his buddies pushed through the double doors and headed to their respective busses. There were only a few busses there, since not all programs taught on Saturday. As Dillon laughed and carried on with his pals, he looked up at his bus and saw Kat look down at him from a seat a bit further up from the back. She winked, and his stomach twisted. Now that the time had come, Dillon was nervous.

  After he boarded the bus, he went straight to where Kat was and sat next to her. Of course, she had undid her braids probably right when she arrived at her classroom. Usually they would both sit as far back as they could, but it seems that she had wanted to give them some privacy today. Kat would do this if any of their friends needed to talk. She was close with the whole of the back-of-the-bus gang, and was always someone that they could lean on. Dillon felt even worse that he hadn't just told her. Kat looked at the other guys that followed behind him.

  "Keep it movin', peanut gallery. Hey! Brenden, I will fuck you up, bitch!" She shouted at him when he shot her the finger. 

  "Yes, mother dearest, I shall honor mine parent!" Brenden retorted.

  Kat shook her head and rolled her eyes. She turned around, scanned around the bus, and glanced up at the Karen-the-bus-driver-lady as the engine roared to life. It surprised Dillon slightly that the bus driver still kept her perm after they had thrown those two lollipops in it. Did she never learn? Good ol' Karen. She was not a good sport, but she was fun to toy with. Yes, Dillon could be an asshole sometimes. He was a teenager, ok? It was more or less his job. Kat turned her attention back to Dillon once she was confident they wouldn't be overheard. She still kept half an eye on the 'peanut gallery' in the back.

  "Ok, spill it Dill. What happened? Like I noted this mornin', you've been different lately. Happier. It's starting to creep me out, dude. I need to know so I can sabotage you if something bad happens to me. It'll make me feel marginally better in the moment," Kat said casually.

  "I just u-uh I-I-" Dillon stuttered. He froze up. He wasn't this nervous when he told Dominic, nor throughout that whole day.

  "Words Dill, use your words. Deep breath." 

  "Y-yea um well, I made a good new friend at tech school. He ran into me and accidentally cut me with his screwdriver when he was borrowin' an autoshop station." Dillon pointed to the dark pink line on his elbow. It still wasn't fully healed. Curse his diabetic body's slower recovery rate. 

  "Ok so that's where that cut came from. And? What next?! You got over a half an hour so lets fill it with words, yea?"

  "Jeez yer timin' me? Ok mommy, you gonna count to three, too? Haha." He paused. "Uh, y'know that auto body shop on Main? The tan and gray one? Four car garage?"

  "Yea, yea Vinnie's. I've passed it countless times. He work there? What's his name?" She nodded in recognition. 

  "H-his name's Tony, and yea he works in the last garage farthest from the wait room. Uh, I-I don't know, he's a cool guy who's talented with paintin' and restorin' cars n' all." Dillon felt himself smile against his better judgment.

  "Wait, you said you met him at school, right? What grade's he in?"

  "Well, actually he's twenty and graduated in '08. Moved in from, get this, Pittsburgh." Kat gave a disgusted frown. She was a ride or die Eagles fanatic, too. Dillon smirked. 

  "Don't worry, don't worry, he don't rep the Steelers-" he started to announce.

  "-Oh, thank God-"

  "-he reps the Titans!" Dillon finished cheerfully.

  "TENNESSEE?! THEY HAVE NO DEFENSE! No defense, no team!"

  "That's actually exactly what I said to him when he told me! Imagine that. He has no defense! Ahaha!" 

  "Sounds like a nice dude. You should introduce me to him. You know I'm fuckin' dope as hell." She winked. "Tell me about him."

  "Surprisingly, not that far off from the peanut gallery back there. Down to earth, mostly. Kinda rough around the edges, though. He's a cocky manly man, y'know the type. Kind of a womanizer. But he's kind, even if he tries to come off cool and indifferent. His heart is golden," Dillon said fondly. "He's an interesting guy."

  "Cool dude I'm happy for you! Don't forget you've known me longer. So, when did you meet this Tony character?" Kat gave him a half grin.

  "'Bout a month ago, but I technically met him a while before that 'cause he almost hit me with a car, haha," he laughed nervously. 

  "Hit you with his car?!" She whispered incredulously.

  "No, no not like that, haha. He cut me off turnin' into the shop lot with a busted-ass Cadillac he was workin' on. Kind of a wild driver, that one."

  "Oh wow... he definitely is 'peanut gallery', then."

  "Where did you even get the term 'peanut gallery'?" Dillon pondered. "Such a stupid name, heheh."

  "I don't remember, but you best watch it before I lump you in with those boobs." She smiled fondly at the guys in the back.

  Kat had a quick temper and could really be harsh to her friends, but she really did care for them. It came from a good place. They in turn respected her for it. All of them had known each other longer than they had known Dillon, so from an outsider's perspective, they acted and loved one another like siblings. Even though they could get into some pretty nasty tiffs, Dillon included. With Kat as the voice of reason, the group always got over their squabbles. They had welcomed him with open arms and he was proud and grateful to be their friends. They had a blast together, especially with good ol' Karen. Dillon was snapped back to reality when Kat said something he didn't quite catch.

  "What was that? Sorry, I spaced for a sec."

  "Does he know how you feel?" She whispered right in his ear. His heart skipped a beat and he felt his adrenaline spike.

  "Thought so," Dillon said with a frown. "I planned on tellin' you durin' this conversation 'cause I figured it would veer to this subject. Damn it, am I that obvious?" He whispered, panicked.

  "Dill, calm down and listen to me," Kat whispered, soft and warm. "I do not care who you want to love. That's not why we're friends. We're friends because we care about each other's happiness, and because we love and support each other for the people we are. I won't say anything to 'em, but the peanut gallery feels the same. Trust your friends, bro." She whispered with a grin and a glint in her eye. Amusement? 

  "S-so how did y-" he began

  "-half the conversation about yer friend you had a smile plastered on your face. Yer eyes had that... spark. It's almost imperceptible, so no, yer not obvious. A chick like me that's known you for a while can pick up on things guys can't. Plus, yer answer confirmed it for me again. 2-0 Kat! You's are all meatheads."

  Kat was really something else. Earlier that morning he told himself he wouldn't fall for the same trap a second time. Kat was too much sometimes. It was a relief however, that she knew now. It would have stressed him to no end if someone as sharp as Kat was still in the dark about that, and could potentially figure it out at a bad time. He could have hurt her if she found out some other way because he didn't trust her. So things turned out well, it seemed.

  "So y-you don't think anyone would notice? I-I can't have anyone find out Kat, I can't. Nobody can know!"

  "Dill, relax! Nobody will find out. Unless you give it away, of course. You look and act like any other guy. This is between us. My lips are sealed, so relax and answer my question. Does he know? Although... the answer is clearly a given," she added softly.

  "N-no he doesn't know and it's gonna stay that way. He doesn't want a sick fuck."

  "Oh stop wit' the fuckin' self pity, will ya? Yer not sick, nor a fuck. If yer close enough to Tony to have feelings for him, do you really think he'd tell you to take a hike? If he did, do you really want someone like that? Even as a friend?" She huffed.

  "Kat, you know what happens to people like me around here. It ain't pretty!" Dillon whispered harshly. 

  "God, Dillon it's not like yer puttin' up a billboard or some shit! There's no reason everyone has to know! You really don't appear like that. I myself never would have guessed until just now." 

  "Y-yea?" He huffed a laugh.

  "Yea. I'm with you, man. Ya feel me?" Kat gave a crooked grin.

  "Yea. Yea, I feel ya." He smiled.

  Their talk made him feel immeasurably better, at least for the moment. It felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Maybe it wasn't a weakness to lean on friends for support like this. Perhaps it was really a strength. That shared weight bonds people closer together. One day in the future, he knew there would come a time that he could and would be real with everyone, but that day unfortunately, was not today. So long as he had Tony in some capacity, he was happy. At least for now. It was a much better option to have him as a friend, as opposed to not at all.

  After Karen-the-bus-driver-lady dropped them off at their stop with a suspicious glance, Dillon and Kat said their farewells until Monday. Dillon started his walk home while he pulled his phone out to check the time. Seven after two. Unless they chilled after Tony was done, they wouldn't have that long. He wasn't sure. On one hand, he figured a long hang out with Tony after he was done for the day was a little fast paced. On the other hand, they were friends. What was wrong with that?

  Just in case, Dillon texted his mom beforehand. He did not want to piss her off again, unless he wanted to clean all three bathrooms and cook dinner on top of it. After a moment of thought, he started to type while he trekked along to the shop. He wondered what Tony and he would do. Whatever they decided on, they'd have a blast for sure.