Free For the Best by LJ Scar

Tanner complained.
    “Why would you want them to? They’re
gross.”
    He shrugged. Out of the corner of my eye, I
could see someone in the dugouts. I heard Peyton’s giggle.
    “You think Peyton’s playing the lipstick
game with more than one guy over there?” Tanner asked.
    “Yuck, I don’t want to think about it. You
thinking about going over there?” I taunted.
    “Hell, no, that girl is probably spreading
thrush and herpes with her mouth as we speak.” We both laughed.
    “Here they come back,” I whispered seeing
the same group headed our way.
    He took a second and then said, “If they see
us kiss maybe they will lose interest in you.” He placed his cold,
chapped lips upon my mouth.
    I giggled. “You taste like pepperoni.”
    “Yeah, well you smell like spicy marinara.”
He laughed.
    We pursed lips, held together without
movement until the boys gave up.
     
    Tanner
    When we were young, we were inseparable –
me, her and Trevor. We used to think when we got settled we’d buy a
house and Trev could come live with us.
    Thinking of Trevor made me remember his last
birthday. It had only been a couple of months after her mom died.
The theme was SpongeBob SquarePants . We all
stood around Trevor as he blew out twenty candles. The yellow icing
that made up SpongeBob had started melting because Trev insisted
the candles be relit three times.
    Hanna stood beside me laughing with Trevor
as he opened toy after toy. Actually being a friend to Trev not
just coming out of some sense of duty like the other kids we’d
grown up with who attended.
    I looked over at the adults: a couple of
aunts, my parents. None of them loved Trev as much as Hanna. When
he opened my present, the latest Harry Potter book he lit up in
excitement.
    “Hanna, are you going to read to me?”
    “Yeah, if it doesn’t get too scary. There’s
a lot of magic in that book.”
    Trevor’s eyes got all big. I watched Mom
wipe icing from the corner of his mouth as if she was embarrassed
by him.
    “Why don’t you kids go downstairs and watch
one of Trevor’s new DVDs?” There was a resignation in her voice,
the sad knowledge that her oldest child had just aged past his
teenage years and would never be independent.
    Downstairs I took over the hostess duties.
“Okay Trev, it’s your day what do you want to watch?” Like a deck
of cards I fanned out several G rated DVDs.
    “Hanna promised we’d do the dance!” Trevor
exclaimed bouncing up and down from a sagging spot on the abused
couch.
    I glanced at Hanna. We both knew what he was
talking about. “Do you have the song?” I asked.
    “Yeah, I keep it on my MP3.”
    “You don’t need to indulge his every
birthday wish, Hanna. You act like he’s your boyfriend or
something,” Peyton jabbed.
    I looked from her to Hanna sensing Peyton’s
jealousy. She’d spent most of the time trying to command my
attention. Since we’d come downstairs I’d noticed her fluctuating
between scowls and eye rolls.
    Then Hanna said in a mocking voice, “Peyton,
just because you don’t have rhythm unless you are on your back
doesn’t mean the rest of us shouldn’t have some fun.”
    I froze. Could have been Hanna’s insult
was based on the fact that most of the school considered Peyton a
slut. Hanna may have realized I was fucking Peyton. I watched
on pins and needles as Hanna began rummaging in her purse for her
MP3 and placed it in the docking station.
    Without further explanation or accusations,
she grabbed Trev’s hands and yanked on mine to join in.
“Ready?”
    The three of us got into formation. Somewhat
in sync we performed that less than stellar choreography we’d made
up in elementary school. We sang along, pretty much nailing it
until Trev hit a high note he was incapable of belting out. Hanna
doubled over in laughter, which only prompted Trev to outdo himself
on the chorus.
    Peyton verbally retaliated, “I took video.
You know to dispel any myths out there. Maybe the stills from this
can