The Good Deed - Part 2

All characters are consenting adults (18+)

“You’re joking me?” Ollie gasped as we walked to school. “You mean, he’s actually living in your house?”

I was quite happy that I wasn’t the only one to find it absurd. I nodded and he shook his head.

“Dude, does your mom even know how much of a giant asshole he is?”

“She won’t listen to me!” I explained, finding myself furious once again. “I tried to tell her, but oh no, she’s on one of her ‘generous’ phases, so guess who has to suffer?”

Ollie and I had been friends since kindergarten. He was the one person I could count on to be as disgusted about the situation as I was.

“Well it could be worse” he shrugged, and that was not the answer I wanted to hear.

“Oh yeah, how exactly? How could this huge shit show be any worse?”

“At least you have a spare bedroom”.

“I’m having the spare bedroom renovated” Mom said, as soon as I walked into the house after school. I stopped dead as she continued. “Tyler’s going to share with you until it’s done, I hope that’s okay, sweetheart”.

My already crumbling world exploded as I stood frozen in place. It was a joke. It had to be a joke. There was no way in hell that my mother could really be asking me to share a bedroom… My bedroom… With the one person on the planet who I hated the most.

“No freaking way, mom!” I gasped, and even when she glared at me, I refused to back down. “No. I’m sorry mom, but no. First you bring this guy into my house, and now you want me to share a room? Not happening”.

Before my mom had a chance to explode, which, judging by her tightening jaw, was about to be any second, Tyler appeared in the hallway and cleared his throat.

“I um… I don’t mind staying on the couch, Mrs. Leddy” he said, and I let out a scoff.

“He’s doing this on purpose” I snapped, because it was true! How had the school’s biggest douchebag suddenly turned into this polite little saint? He may have fooled my mom, but he certainly wasn’t fooling me.

“What has gotten into you!?” She hissed, and turned her attention toward Tyler. “Don’t mind him, sweetheart” she said, her voice turning soft, “you’re more than welcome to stay upstairs, and it’s only until the renovations are through”.

“How long will that be?” I barked, and Mom spun around so fast my head spun.

“As long as it takes!”

I couldn’t believe it, but I decided to say no more. I grabbed my backpack and stormed upstairs, because if I spent one minute longer there, I was inclined to blow up.

I slammed the door and felt like a spoiled toddler as I jumped onto my bed and pounded my pillow. It wasn’t fair! This was my house. My bedroom. My mom! How could he just arrive at our door like this? Where were his own god damn parents?

I lay there fuming for a while and staring up at the ceiling as my mind raced through different ideas. I could tell her that Tyler was a drug dealer. She hated drugs, but admittedly, he wasn’t. An accusation like that could land him in a lot more trouble than I wanted. I could start a fight with him, though judging by what I’d seen during the shower situation earlier that morning, he’d likely kick my ass. I rolled over and plunged my head onto the pillow, and then it hit me.

I needed to find a way to get Tyler to leave. Not by me being the asshole, because clearly my mom wasn’t impressed by that behaviour, but by getting him to be the asshole. I’d somehow find a way to make him show his true colours, and once she saw that, it was game over for Tyler Gavin.

I grinned to myself as the stairs creaked, and when the door opened, I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep.

“Don’t worry, Tyler” I heard Mom say, “you won’t wake him”.

The only other time anybody had ever slept in my room was when Ollie stayed over. Of course, I always offered him my bed and I’d take the old camp bed, but I sure as fuck wasn’t offering it to Tyler. I listened as they set it up, and a few minutes later my mom walked back to the door.

“Mrs. Leddy?” He whispered, and she stopped.

“Yes, sweetie?”

“Did um… Did my uh… Did my mom or dad call?”

I heard her sigh. “I’m afraid not, pet” she said, “but as soon as they do, I’ll let you know, okay?”

“Oh, okay, thanks, and um… Thanks for everything”.

The door closed and I considered what I’d just heard. What had happened with his mom and dad that had landed him here in the first place? And why on earth hadn’t they spoken to their own son? It was certainly a strange situation, but I had a plan to work out, so I continued to pretend to sleep, until eventually I did fall asleep, and I didn’t wake until the early hours.

The bedroom was shrouded in the blue hue of dawn. It was too early to wake, but I stirred for a moment until I realised what it was that had woken me. From the corner of the room I could hear his heavy breathing. It took a few seconds for me to even remember that he was there, but as I listened, I recognised the unmistakable sound.

“Are you jerking off?!” I hissed, and in the half-darkness, I watched him scramble with the bedsheets.

“What?” He spat back, “no I’m not jerking off!”

“Well it fucking sounds like you are!” I growled.

“Yeah, well I’m not. I was uh… I was having a nightmare”.

“You are a nightmare” I mumbled, turning my back to him and closing my eyes again.

“You’re not such a ray of sunshine yourself”.

“Dude you’re in –”

“You’re house” he interrupted, “I know, you’ve reminded me twenty times”.

“So why don’t you just leave?!”

“Why don’t you make me?”

I couldn’t control myself. I jumped from my bed at the same time as he did, and the two of us squared up in the middle of the room.

“Don’t fucking tempt me” I snarled, feeling his forehead against mine.

“You think you’re a tough guy just because we’re in your house?” He smirked, nudging me backwards. “Don’t think I won’t beat your ass as soon as I see you in school”.

“Why wait?” I said, shoving him, “I’m right here”.

“What is going on in here?!” The door swung open, letting the light reveal Tyler in just his underwear. He quickly covered himself as my mom burst into the room.

“I uh… I um…” I squirmed as I tried to find an excuse that wouldn’t land me in hot water.

“Sorry Mrs. Leddy” Tyler said, “I was sleepwalking and Zach was tryna’ wake me up”.

I gawped at him, then back to my mom, and nodded. She looked doubtful, but it seemed to do the trick. “Alright then” she said, her eyes still on me, “well try to get some sleep, it’s only four”.

As soon as she left the room, we both glared at each other again. Tyler dropped his hands from his crotch, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it, but my eyes were stinging and I wasn’t going to waste anymore time on him.

“You’re welcome” he smirked, crawling back into bed.

“I don’t need your help”.

He scoffed. I scoffed louder. It was juvenile, but what else could I do? For the time being, I was helpless, but as soon as I could expose Tyler for the arrogant, bratty, selfish asshole that he was, Mom would surely send him home.

“He was jerking off?” Ollie grimaced as we walked to school again the next morning.

“Right there when I woke up” I explained again, “like who does that?”

“Who jerks off?”

“Who jerks off in somebody else’s bedroom!?” I said, and he shrugged.

“Well, where else is he supposed to do it?”

“Uh… His own fucking house?” I spat, realising that my best friend wasn’t being very understanding lately. “Or the bathroom, at least!”

“Didn’t you already walk in on him in the bathroom?”

“Dude?!”

“I’m just saying” he said, “I know he’s an asshole and all, but maybe give him a chance?”

“I’d like to see you give him a chance in your house” I mumbled.

“I have five brothers” Ollie laughed, “give me one high school dipshit over that lot any day”.

“You say that now” I growled, and we watched as Tyler and his moron friend walked ahead. “I mean, who does he think he is? Look at him, walking up the street like he owns the place”.

“Bro, he’s just walking”.

I glared at Ollie. This was not the level of support I expected from my childhood best friend.

Instead of arguing with yet another person over Tyler Gavin, I continued to watch the young man ahead. He said something to the guy beside him and both of them turned back before laughing and continuing.

“They’re talking about us” I snarled.

“You’re paranoid”.

Tyler looked back again and flashed a shit-eating grin.

“Alright, maybe they are talking about us”.

When we finally reached the school grounds, Ollie went one way and I went the other, and as soon as I turned the corner I was slammed against the wall.

“What the fuck!” I gasped, watching as Tyler and his friend held me in place.

“You had something you wanted to say last night, right?” Tyler spat, his hand wrapped around the front of my shirt.

“Go fuck yourself” I snapped back, trying to shove him but to no avail.

“I think you better start showing some respect, Zachary Edward Leddy” his friend cackled, and my cheeks burned red.

“Maybe we should teach him some respect” Tyler added, and my nostrils flared with anger until I watched his fist clench and swing directly toward my face. Before he could strike, I punched him. I’d never punched anybody in my life, but as soon as my fist connected with his cheek, his connected with mine. Both of us groaned as we stumbled.

“What is the meaning of this!?” Mr. Buckley bellowed, and the headmaster rushed over to us as we held our faces. “My office, now!”

“You’re a fucking idiot, you know that?” I hissed, as the two of us waited in the office.

“You’re the one that can’t get over the fact that your mommy isn’t giving you all of her attention anymore” he spat back, “want her to change your diaper or something?”

“You want another punch?”

“I could ask you the same thing!”

The two of us began to rear up once more until Mr. Buckley barged into the room and sat down at the desk.

“Zachary Leddy” he said, exasperated, “this is not the behaviour I expect from one of my top performing students!”

“He started it” I growled.

“No, he started it!”

“I don’t care who started it!” The man roared, and we both fell silent. “You’re both in your final year here. You’re adults for Christ’s sake! I will not have this behaviour go on a second longer, do I make myself clear?”

We both mumbled a feeble “yes sir”.

“You’ll both serve detention” the man said, “you’ll help the groundskeeper for the rest of the week, after school of course”.

“I have a game on Friday!” Tyler snapped, and I smirked.

“Then I suggest you remember this for future reference, Mr. Gavin” the headmaster replied, and my smile widened. “You’ll be working together, by the way” he continued, and my smile vanished. “Perhaps some bonding will sort out whatever little problems you boys are having”.

“I don’t want to bond with him!” I blurted, and the man’s eyes narrowed.

“Do I need to make a phone call to your mother, Zachary?”

“Don’t do that” Tyler scoffed, “likkle Zachy will piss his diapy if mommy’s angry”.

“Shut up!”

“Boys!” Buckley barked, and we both fell silent. “I won’t hear another word of this nonsense. Now you’ll shake hands immediately, and I expect a positive report from the groundskeeper by the end of the week!”.

The two of us got to our feet and stared as viciously as possible at each other. Tyler reached out his hand, and I grabbed it before the both of us squeezed as hard as we could.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Buckley” he grinned, crushing the bones in my hand, “Zach and I are going to get on just fine from now on. Ain’t that right, Zach?”

I held my breath to avoid groaning with pain, but nodded stiffly.

“Just fine”.