Fifty Shades of Envy

"I'm sorry...who are you?" Alex stood up from the bench with a confused look on his face.

Ty looked at his friend next to him. Jack stood there as if he knew he wasn't supposed to be there. So, instead of making eye contact, he just stared at his shoes as if he forgot he had some on.

Alex looked at his old best friend. "Ty, I thought we were going to hangout. Just us."

Ty looked at Alex then at Jack, then back at Alex.

"We are. I just...I thought it would be fun to bring an extra friend." Alex's chest was beating faster than before and his pale face was slowly turning dark red.

When his best friend had to transfer to a different high school, he promised himself he wouldn't act selfish and immature.

He promised himself not to cry or whine. He promised himself he'd act like a man. But, he never knew that acting like everything was fine would get him replaced. And so quickly.

Trying to make things better, Jack held out his hand. With a nervous smile he reluctantly said, "Hey Alex, My name's Jack."

Alex, still trying to express his anger without outright saying it looks down at Jack's hand, looks him in his face, and in a disgusted tone said, " I know."

Ty looks at Alex as if he was looking, searching for his best friend.

His eyes were scolding Alex for his immature behavior. Ty couldn't believe the way he was acting.

Finally, Alex caught the feeling of disgust in Ty and in a moment of self reflection looks at the ground with regret. "Ty, can I talk to you for a minute. Alone."

Ty nods and follows Alex to the other side of the path. "Look, i'm sorry. But you have to walk in my shoes for a sec. I was told that I was gonna spend the day with my best friend, who I haven't seen in months, and he all of a sudden shows up with a guy who looks like he doesn't even wanna be here."

Ty looks at Alex. "I get it. But, I just wanted to make the best of both worlds. You have to remember that i'm in a whole other high school. With people that I didn't grow up with. But Jack has been going to school with these people for 3 years and no one would even look at him. I had a chance to start over, but Jack, he...he never had a chance."

They both look at Jack from a distance.

"He never had a real friend. Please, as my best friend, just try to get along with him just for the day. Help him feel like he has people that he can rely on. Then, after he goes home, we can hangout at your house and catch up and play some 2k."

Alex, feeling guilty glances over at Jack as he nervously runs his hand through his sandy brown hair.

Alex rests his hands deep in his pockets and reluctantly says, "Alright."

Ty smiles and holds his hand out. "Alright."

Alex smacks his hand and within a minute of the exchange, they start walking back towards the bench. Alex walks up to him and says with a serious face, "Jack right? Quick question...Trae Young or Klay Thompson?"

Jack looks at Ty with uncertainty then at Alex and confidently says, "Easy, Trae Young." Alex slightly laughs and says, "Yeah I think we are gonna get along just fine."

It wasn't long before Alex and Ty started talking about the things they used to do. How they would prank there neighbors. And how they would stay up until 2 o'clock in the morning playing COD with each other and other boys from there school.

They especially enjoyed the time when they would spend nights over each others houses on weekends and they would sneak out to an abandoned house that was supposedly haunted.

"And what about that time you pissed your pants Alex when a black cat jumped out from the closet. You thought it was a ghost."

"Nah, i'm telling you that was not a cat. I swear that was your grandma getting back at me for stealing her dental glue that one time."

Everyone started laughing.

Then Jack said, "That almost sounds like what happened to me once."

Alex stopped laughing and asked with a serious face, "Someone stole your denture glue?"

Ty looked at Jake and shook his head with a worrisome look on his face.

"No, I..." Jack started until he looked up and saw a smile stretch across Alex's face.

Once he came to the realization that it was a joke, everyone looked at each other and started laughing again.

After the laughter died down, an awkward silence swept over the whole park.

They heard nothing but the wind and distant car engines humming past the park.

Alex looks at Jack then at Ty, then back at Jack.

"Hey, um...You guys wanna go to the basketball court? I got a ball in my trunk I can go run and get it."

Ty looks at Jack and agrees.

"Cool, and while i'm out i'll stop at the corner store and get us some chips and stuff."

Before Alex got far, he stopped and turned back around.

"Hey Jack, after this me and Ty were gonna go back to my place and play on my Xbox. Wanna come with?"

Jack looks at Alex with a smile and says, "Yeah, sounds good." With a smile, Alex turns down the path. As he exits the park and runs across the street he takes out his buzzing phone and answers it. "Hello?..."

Boom!

A crowd gathers around the middle of the street.

Ty screams out although, it seems his words are lost in a vast moment of nothingness.

He runs towards the street as quickly as he can. Once he pushes through the crowd, he falls on his hands and knees next to his best friend. His mind is racing and his mouth is moving, but words never seemed to have come out.

Jack runs up behind him and kneels next to Alex. With the crowd murmuring around him, Ty can't hold his tears in.

"Someone call 9-1-1! Please! Call 9-1-1!" He tries to get a response out of Alex. "Alex...Alex, are you okay? Please, speak to me buddy." Alex's eyes start to slowly open then dart around the scattered faces staring at him.

He looks at Ty as his face is overcome with the look of confusion. He squints his eyes and says, "I'm sorry...who are you?..."