Chapter 9: The Green-Eyed Monster

Every single time, Dillon thought with an eye roll, Kat had him figured out. Of course she would always and forever read him like an open book. He felt a pang of affection for Kat. She really did have his back and cared about him and their buddies. If Kat accepted him like this, well... maybe it wouldn't be so horrible if he told the other guys, too. They might joke and pester him for it, but if Kat could so easily say they agreed with her, then they must agree at least somewhat. However, that's a mental debate to be held at a later date. Dillon clicked open the other text, which was from his mom.

  Mom 6:34 PM: Ok sweetie thanks for lettin me know. No problem, just be home before 10. If I see you on the eight o'clock news for having your illegal drug ring exposed, I'm gonna be pissed. So behave, idiot son! Love ya kiddo<3

  He grinned and shook his head. The women in his life were nuts, but he wouldn't have it any other way. Half the men in his life were nuts anyway. He shot off a quick thanks to Kat and an affirmative to his mom, and slipped his phone back in his pocket. When Dillon looked up, he saw Tony's head turned to another table a few feet away. A blonde girl with a couple of her friends got up and left. Tony looked her up and down, then looked to Dillon and smiled.

  "Sight for sore eyes, eh? It's always the super hot, perfect ones that end up screwin' you over, though. Heed my wise words young padawan!" Tony knocked on the table.

  "Haha, dude even as a wingman, you still be throwin' that 'Star Wars' shit in there! But regardless, I, uh I'm seein' a gal now already," he retorted.

  While Dillon had already resolved to slide out he was with a girl, it was still difficult to lie to his friend. He needed a cover, though. Especially when Tony's eye was drawn to some dumb blonde bimbo that didn't care about him whatsoever. Tony deserved more than that. He deserved someone that would love him like Dillon did. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that still unknown emotion. It made his heart rate pick up, and he wanted to punch the girl Tony looked at with eyes like that. Jealousy! That's what it was. He must control it, so he made himself smile and act normal. It wasn't difficult anymore to fake what went on in his head most of the time.

  "Oh, you are?! Have I seen 'er? You done anythin' with 'er? With any gal? You got Junior Prom next year, right? Better get thinkin'!" Tony rambled off questions. Damn it, he needed to knock it off with the adorable shit.

  "Haha, yes I am. Yes, you've seen her, it's Kat, I've pointed her out before. No, I haven't been with anyone at all before. Yes, I have prom, but I don't really care. Did I complete the survey satisfactorily?"

  "Ohhh, right! She's a cutie. I got a lotta respect for gals like her that are just themselves. And from how you talk about 'er, yer hooked. Nice, man. I'm happy for you." He winked.

  Once they had gotten up and started to make their way to the car, Dillon was able to put the green-eyed monster to sleep inside him, however temporarily. That type of jealousy can be incredibly risky for him to feel, especially around the object of said jealousy. As a whole though, it was really fun. Their friendship dynamic worked well. Dillon got into the Bronco with Tony, a grin on his face over the whole thing. Tony wanted to be his friend! A guy like Tony thought of him as such. Luckily, it was dark so Tony wouldn't have been able to see the blush that creeped up his face. 

  Around nine o'clock, they arrived back in their neck of the woods. While Dillon had to be home by ten, he wasn't quite ready for it to end yet. Besides, he still had an hour, and they were right up the street. What could they do, though? Honestly, he was hungry again. 

  "Yo, are you hungry again?" Dillon asked.

  "Bahahaa, dude! We're gunna be best pals. Our appetites align perfectly. Wanna hit up Burger King or some shit? Maybe Wawa? I like Wawa. The name's still funny to me." He replied with a wide grin.

  "YESS! Wawa sounds sweet. Their pancake sizzlis are off the charts delicious."

  "What's a pancake sizzli?"

  "Oh yea, I forget that Wawas ain't everywhere. It's like a breakfast sandwich but the bread is two pancakes. So fuckin' good, man. Ah! 'Fore I forget, I gotta be home by ten. We still got like an hour, though." Dillon shrugged. 

  "Heheh, I wonder how many of these pancake things we can eat in an hour? No prob brother, we'll make it in time."

  The closest Wawa was only a couple blocks up the street from Dillon's house. Tony got three sausage, egg, and cheese pancake sizzlis, and Dillon got two. He couldn't go too crazy or he would drive his blood sugar up throughout the night, even if he compensated with more insulin. A healthy person is able to produce insulin in accordance with blood sugar fluctuations caused by metabolic phases that change often. Dillon however, not only had to try to match those fluctuations manually, he also had to work around his body's metabolic changes throughout the day. 

  They decided to just eat in the Wawa lot. Again, Tony reacted very poorly to Dillon's insulin shot. The second the needle was away however, he started to rapidly inhale his food again. He really was like a toddler sometimes. Tony also apparently had a big problem with bugs too, a problem that Dillon empathized with strongly. A week ago, there was a spider on his work bench. When Tony saw it he jumped a foot in the air. He refused to get within ten feet of his work bench until Dillon caught it under a cup with a piece of paper. The spider didn't do anything, even if it terrified him. Dillon's compassion for life outweighed his fear of their many hairy legs. Besides, they did a lot of good for ecosystems around the world.

  Once they were done, Tony backed out and turned onto Main Street to take him home. Dillon was tired, but at the same time he felt oddly energized. He had had so much fun, he didn't want it to end. Well, it's not like Tony wouldn't be at his usual spot at the shop during the week. There would definitely be plenty more opportunities to hang out again. 

  After that night, Dillon had largely gotten over his nerves and reservations about Tony. He was incredibly relieved that he could finally enjoy their friendship fully, even if there were still moments where he struggled with that. At the same time, his lack of nerves and reservations meant he had to be very astute in how he controlled his presence and aura. Just because he wasn't nervous and awkward around Tony didn't mean he wanted him to find out about that. The day he found out about that, Dillon would lose a good friend, and feel what a punch to the face feels like. Not that he could blame Tony. Dillon was a sick, twisted fuck.

  Tony parallel parked in front of Dillon's townhouse and turned off the engine. The lights were on in the window, since his folks expected him inside in ten minutes. As Dillon started to check that he had his phone and his drawstring Phillies bag for his diabetic supplies, he saw Tony scratch the back of his neck. To Dillon that screamed nerves or insecurity. He had a small smile on his face, though. 

  "You good, guy? What's up?"

  "Huh? Haha, y-yea man, I'm more than good. I'm happy. Yer one of the very few friends I've ever had..." Tony's smile faded and he looked at Dillon with a small frown. "Thank you, man. You've given me stuff to look forward to. I appreciate it."

  Dillon was ecstatic. Not just because it was Tony that said that to him, but also because he was happy he could be that kind of friend to anybody. Tony might be a stubborn, pig-headed, unsympathetic, and indifferent fuckhead who was not good in the art of sympathy, but he had rare moments like just when he would show he had a good heart. They had their arguments, but they got over them quickly. No grudges were held, even if the argument was left unresolved. It likely even strengthened their friendship in certain ways, he felt. Two people of strong will are bound to get into spats. That's just how it worked. He beamed at Tony.

  "O-of course man, you don't gotta thank me! That's what friends are for. But... same here. I could flip everything you said right back at you. I'm really happy you mutilated and permanently disfigured me with yer screwdriver." Dillon smiled fondly and pointed to the still visible scar on his right elbow. 

  "Ahahaha, you had to bring that up didn't y-" Tony snorted, but was cut off when they heard a knock on Dillon's window.