Week two of my glorious residency in New Jersey.
Frank and I were going to travel around his favorite places. Maggie, Franks beautiful girlfriend, had graciously allowed me to steal him away for a Saturday out. I believe, though, that she had secretly wanted to enjoy a lazy, music-filled weekend. She was an extremely shy girl but the few words she had uttered in my direction seemed to stick in my mind. She honestly was a great person and I could see why Frank was in love with her. Maggie wasn't exactly my type, though.
I was sitting on the steps outside my house, the sun barely peeking over the houses across the street and the morning chill sweeping slowly away, when Frank pulled up to the side of the curb. I wasn't a car guy but I knew that it was black, pretty, and the symbol on it meant it was a Ferrari. It looked fast and I silently hoped that, while I was there, Frank wouldn't speed but I also hoped he would. As I came closer to the car, the muffled sounds became slight tingles in my chest. With every hit of the bottom bass, I felt it. It was oddly satisfying.
Once I had reached the passenger side door, Frank rolled down the window and turned the stereo down. Just as he began to to look at me, probably wondering why I hadn't opened the car door, I cocked my hip to the side.
"Hey, cutie. Looking for a good time," I asked and flashed him a playful smile. The burst of laughter that erupted from the two of us could have been heard from the diner a mile from my house. My chest was warm from the happiness I felt. I had a friend. A friend that accepted me. A friend that was showing me around. Frank was my friend and though others found him a rather odd fellow, I found him extraordinary. I hopped in the car and sat, smiling out the window. The wind blew in my face and it felt good. I always loved the feeling I got underneath my skin before chill bumps formed. It was almost like a burning, numbing sensation and then instantly turned cold. Bumps then formed and I got a slight shiver. A nice shiver. A comforting shiver.
The traffic wasn't as awful as I had expected. I guess it was because most people were going into town and we were headed in the direction of the school. Before I knew it, Frank was pointing out of the window. There was a cute, retro-looking diner with many vibrant colors. It looked like it was straight out of a movie and only had small signs of wear and tear that seemed to add to its mystique.
"That's 'The Fox' we used to go there after every game that I played in. That was probably because we only ever won those games. Now that I quit, our team never wins," Frank rolled his eyes and looked forward. He was silent for quite some time.
"Uh... what 'games'," I asked. Because, honestly, I was too stuck on that to understand the rest of his story. My brain felt fuzzy and staticky as I tried to recall any sports that Frank said he had been a part of. I was drawing a blank.
" Football," he said. "You're sitting next to the greatest quarterback our high school had ever seen. But I left because of a lot of personal reasons."
"Was it fun," I asked. I had always wanted to play a sport.
"It was loads of fun..." he said. "At first, anyways... but then they noticed that I wasn't their type of people."
That made me think. I figured I was everyone's type of people. Maybe sports would be a good idea for me.
