Free Sometimes Never by Cheryl McIntyre

stupid.”

9
    Mason
     
                  Mom kisses the top of my head and touches my cheek. “Love you, Mace.”
                  “Love you too.”
                  “Oh, I almost forgot,” she says at the door. “Straight home tomorrow. Afternoon girl quit and I picked up her hours. I have to pull a twelve hour shift, but it should be good money.” She shuts the door and I slump forward in my chair, letting my forehead hit the table. Damn it .
                  Well, tomorrow is going to blow. I pull my phone out for the twentieth time since I’ve been home. Why wasn’t I smart enough to call myself from Hope’s phone? I know the answer to that question. I was distracted, wondering what she was going to name me in her contacts. I am easily distracted by her all the time.
                  I can’t believe I’m going to have to go a day without seeing her.
                  I check my phone again and throw it on the table. And then I remember she was supposed to send me a friend request. I start up the ancient computer in the living room and wait for it to load. My knee bounces up and down and my fingers tap against the desk.
                  When I’m finally signed in, my stomach muscles clench. I click on the friend request and there she is. It’s a picture of her and Guy. Her arm is around his waist, his is around her shoulders. Their shadows stretch out in front of them. Hope’s looking off to the right. She isn’t smiling like Guy is, but she doesn’t look sad. Preoccupied, maybe. I wonder what she saw when this picture was taken. What was off camera that caught her interest? And now I’m wondering who took the picture. Is it weird that I’m jealous it might have been Park? Never mind. I know it’s weird. This girl is turning me into a lunatic.
                  Obviously I don’t mind being a basket case because I click the confirm button and start checking out her page. I don’t realize she’s online until I get the I.M.
                  I WAS GETTING READY TO NICKNAME YOU LYING BASTARD WHEN I REALIZED I NEVER GAVE YOU MY NUMBER.
                  I laugh as I type. UH, YEAH. THAT OCCURRED TO ME AS WELL WHEN I WENT TO CALL YOU.
                  My phone starts vibrating across the table and I’m thinking about ignoring it when I get a reply.
                  ANSWER YOUR PHONE.
                  I jump up and hurdle over the back of the couch. I snatch my phone up and attempt to pretend I’m not trying to catch my breath.
                  “Hello?”
                  “Hey.”
                  “Hey.”
                  “I’m a little concerned about your lack of male companionship,” Hope says. “I mean, it would appear Guy is your only same sex friend, and he’s gay, as you know. Although he is a masculine gay, you should at least have a couple more male friends. Oh, wait, there’s one. Oh, no...that’s a girl. She should consider waxing the mustache.”
                  I’m grinning at the wall. “Is that a note of jealousy I detect in your voice?”
                  “I was going to stick with concern, but...do you really know all of these girls? It says you have over eleven hundred friends. According to your profile, you’re only eighteen. How could you possibly know this many people?”
                  “Yours says you have three hundred and eight friends. Which mostly appear to be guys, by the way. Do you know all these people?”
                  “Most of them follow my blog or added me after a show. I actually only know maybe twenty of them.”
                  “We’ve moved a few times in the last five years, so I’ve been to a few schools. That’s how I know them. But I don’t really know them. They aren’t really my friends