A Fresh Start

Chapter 33-Valentines Day 2016

TK

I'm lying on my bed when my phone buzzes. Usually, at this point, on a Sunday, I'm neck-deep in homework, a book, or watching a hockey game with Dad, but Not today. Today's Valentine's Day, and I have nothing to do. This is why I actually reach for my phone and see that Ryan's calling me on FaceTime.

I click answer and wait a second for the video to load up.

"Hey, hey little TK!" Says Ryan with a big smile. I'm mildly speechless cause he's shirtless and clearly on his laptop. "What's up? Can you hear me?"

"Uhhhhh yes," I say, still confused by the lack of shirt," and I can see you. You know you're not wearing a shirt, right."

He looks down and back at the camera with a sheepish grin. "I don't think you mind." I give him an unconvinced look. "Ok. One sec." he sets the laptop down, and I see his headphones go flying as he pulls on a shirt. When he comes back, he's wearing an OSU shirt that he cut into a bro tank. "Better?"

"Yes. Much. Perfect for a FRIEND to call another FRIEND," I say. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I was bored. I'm tired of studying and wanted to see how my FRIEND's doing today," he says without missing a beat.

After winning the Fiesta Bowl, I was a little surprised when he called me the next day. He was exhausted but beyond proud of himself. I gave him the highlights I remembered, making it seem like I was just casually watching and not on the edge of my seat with Dad. That day was the start of something new for us. He would call me more than text at first. Like he had a quota to fill on TK time, but he admitted about a week into it that he still didn't know if he could text regularly. A 5 minutes phone call did more than a good morning text that was ignored until later in the day. He was trying. No football meant his days were almost wholly his to plan. He still had to do 90 minutes of exercise and follow his meal plan, but otherwise, he's a "free elf," as he put it. Once classes started I realized how free he was as the texts started coming, I thought the phone calls would stop, but now he does them both. I think we might actually be on the road to being best friends again. We are clearly bros, and other than New Year's Eve, our conversations have been mostly PG.

"Your friend's doing fine," I say with a shrug. " I have no date tonight, soooooooo I'm really doing nothing."

"You have zero plans for Valentine's Day?" He asks.

"Well. I have two plans. 1. Take Eric and Conner on their dates cause neither of them can drive and..." I say, but Ryan interrupts me.

"Eric failed his drivers' test? Yeesh, are you two actually related," says Ryan with a laugh.

"Fuck off. It was a scary test," I say defensively. I failed the test three times, and Eric is going on test number two. "My OTHER plan is to jerk off and go to bed, if I'm totally honest. Mom and Dad are picking them up after their own date tonight."

"Sounds like a fun night for the responsible big brother," he says. His attention's pulled away for a second, and he pulls out his headphones, talking to someone off-screen. "Uh? Oh, I'm taking her to the Cheesecake Factory. I don't know, like 30 minutes. Don't steal my idea." He puts his headphones back and looks at me. "Sorry. Tell me more about that OTHER plan. That sounds like fun."

"Nice try. That ship sailed into calmer seas. Eric's retaking the test next week. so he should be good to drive himself soon," I say, changing the subject.

Ryan picks up the subject change goes with it, " will he get his own car now?"

I shake my head, "no. He's getting mine when I leave."

"Why?" Asks Ryan.

"Cause I'll be in New York and the parking pass at NYU is bonkers expensive, and I won't drive the car for like 5 months anyways," I say quickly. I kind of regret making him put a shirt on.