Page 14 of Boys Like You

Levi:Shut it Rocky

Mercer:Mumma B is staring at us

Maximus:It’s no big deal, she needed the comfort to face dinner more than I needed the space.

Levi:Are you okay?

Maximus:Just fine, I have never actually tried to touch someone other than you guys, so I winged it, still alive.

I snort, and Mercer kicks my legs from under the table.

“Care to share what’s so funny, boys?” Mumma B asks. JD looks at me, waiting for me to answer.

“Um… I farted,” I say. The guys shake their heads at me, JD has no reaction and the three little kids laugh. At least they’re good for something.

“Not at the dinner table Rocky, take it to another room,” she chastises before trying to convince Dawson to eat his veggies.

After dinner, Mercer offers to do the dishes with Damien. I get another message.

Maximus: JD needs her medicine, she is wincing every time she moves

I text back straight away.

Me:On it.

I lean into JD’s side “Do you need something for the pain?” She nods. Mumma B excuses herself to get the younger two kids bathed and to read them a story.

“Merce, are you cool to give the guys a ride home? Rory and I are on our way out,” Levi says. I thought they were cancelling their plans tonight. JD is still at the table with Maximus; he’s showing her something on his phone. We’re all in the kitchen with the kid. I look down at him and back up to Mercer.

“We’re finished here, kid, remember what I said,” Mercer says to him. “Now go and see if Mumma B needs your help with the other two. Damien runs off.

“I thought you were cancelling your plans so we could all hang,” I snap as soon as he’s out of ear shot.

“Are you being serious? There are girls waiting. JD doesn’t need the five of us here all the time. We might end up smothering her, and I need to get laid, dude,” Levi snaps back.

“I second getting laid,” Rory adds. I swear they’re up to something. I would usually call them on their bullshit, but I think JD has ruffled their feathers and they don’t know how to deal. Rory doesn’t want to get laid, he wants to get drunk, it’s how he deals with shit when it gets tough, but Levi, he is probably a bit confused about Maximus and JD. He won’t want Maximus to get hurt; the guy is very protective of him. I get it after everything I have seen him go through, but at some point, he needs to try and figure things out on his own.

“Didn’t you just hook up with Jessica Perkins the other day?” Mercer asks Levi, and he laughs.

“Rocky, calm down. I know you’re getting overwhelmed and worked up, but we can’t stay here with her all the time. We don’t want her to get an unhealthy attachment to us; we’ve all had enough therapy to know that. It was the same with Maximus, we all crowded him so much he never went anywhere alone,” Levi states, and while what he says is true he is kidding himself if he thinks I’m stupid enough to believe him.

“We will go, you three chill tonight, and Levi and I will take tomorrow night. You’ll need to be up early for your laps, Rocky, so don’t convince anyone to stay super late.” I salute him. He is as bad as Dad sometimes and just as bossy.

“Whatever,” I grumble, grabbing JD’s endone from a lock box on the fridge – Mumma B doesn’t leave anything lying around. I take out one pill, lock the box again and put it back where it came from.

“Here’s the pain medicine.” I hand them to JD. She has one of Maximus’ ear buds in. I smile, glad Maximus is trying to communicate in his own way. He needs to practice, especially since he has started showing interest in girls; the rest of us have no issues. Rory’s on-again off-again girlfriend, Macy, is a piece of work. They are off at the moment and have been for a while. He did mention seeing someone new once, but nothing ever came of it. Levi has an agreement with a girl from Highland Heights High, the school we all would have gone to if our “scholarships” hadn’t come through. I have one for athletics, Levi for basketball, Maximus because the kid is smart, and Mercer for some specialised program in personal training. Besides fighting, he loves to take care of his body; it was an easy in for him. I know Mercer gets laid, he just doesn’t do girlfriends. He says girls ask way too many questions and he can’t be bothered answering them. I think he’s just afraid to let someone in, to see how broken he feels on the inside.

I don’t have time for a girlfriend, and most get sick of me after a while. The last one, Becky, broke up with me because I was too immature, and she only liked me because of how I looked in a speedo. Couldn’t argue with her, I do look mighty fine, and who doesn’t like a ripped body? I work hard to keep this six pack. Doesn’t hurt that my package puts the other swimmers to shame – I see a few mums checking me out. I enjoy swimming more than athletics but I would love to focus on triathlons in the future.

“Hey, we’re out,” Rory announces, walking into the dining room. He looks at JD and when she meets his gaze, he looks away.

“If you need anything, just give us a call. We’re heading to a party on the beach not too far from here,” Levi adds. “Will you be cool to catch a ride with Mercer, Maximus? Otherwise I can drive you now.”

Maximus shakes his head and gestures to JD. They both say goodbye before heading up to say goodnight to Mumma B.

Maximus, JD and I head back into her room. Maximus takes a seat on one of the couches, just as I spot our old PlayStation in the tv cabinet. Mr Cole must have unpacked it.

“Maximus, look what I found.” He laughs; he must remember all the nights we snuck into the games room to play Crash Bandicoot. The console had belonged to Beth’s brother, John; he made a bet with Rory that he could kick his ass on any game. They spent hours playing Tekken, the rest of us preferred Crash.

---