Chapter 4: The First Slip-Up

Dillon hooked right off of Chestnut Street onto Main Street, and walked the couple blocks up the road towards the shop. It was a fine day. It was in the mid-seventies and partly cloudy with a nice light breeze. It had started to smell like summer, which had Dillon pumped up to go to the beach. Wildwood, New Jersey was the epitome of vacations for him. He could spend all day in the ocean. It was one of the few things that he looked forward to all year. Just the thought of summer and the beach combined with a beautiful day had him in high spirits.

  As he got close enough, his heart skipped a beat when he saw Tony's garage door open. 'Sweet, he's here!" Dillon thought excitedly. After he turned into the lot, he saw Tony's head pop up over the trunk of some Subaru without a front bumper or side mirrors. The paint job had flaked off in some areas and had faded with age. It didn't look to him like a one or two day job. Tony smiled when he saw him approach.

  "Yo Dill! Mornin' brother! You're early today. What's good?" Tony shook his hand.

  "Dude, ahahaha! Did you just call me Dill? I don't go by Dill to many," Dillon responded with a look of mild shock.

  "Yea! I heard your friend call you that at the school. So since we're friends, I get to call you Dill, right?" 

  "I- sure, I guess so? Haha, maybe I'll use it more. Although, it's also the name of an herb used to flavour pickles and salmon. It's kinda nasty."

  "Oh shit!" Tony's face fell.

  "What? What's wrong?" Dillon asked curiously. 

  "That's why dill pickles are called DILL pickles! Mind blown." 

  "W-wait you- you didn't know that? Hehehahaha! Man, everyone knows that! You been on this planet for twenty years and you just made that connect?" Dillon tried his best to not breakout into a continuous fit of laughter. 

  "Whatever, I'm sorry I ain't a dill pickle expert over here! I never heard of the herb before, ok? I just eat 'em, I don't know what's in 'em 'sides cucumbers," he said defensively.

  "Fair enough. Twenty years though, tisk tisk. Imma have to school you in food! 

  "Ugh, can it, ya' shitty brat. Don't you have daycare to run along to?" Tony scoffed.

  "Well yea, but I have to get my weekly brat quota in by midnight tonight. Or else I might be mature!" Dillon said in horror. 

  "I'm glad you see what an irritant you are, heheheh," He chuckled.

  "Exactly! Haha."

  Dillon loved their morning banter. Tony's sense of humour was very similar to his. He could get just as raunchy and problematic in humour as Dillon. Tony stood up as he wiped his already greasy hands on a shop towel. 

  "Coffee! S'go!" Tony waved Dillon in and he followed 

  Dillon checked his phone as he followed Tony and saw he still had fifteen minutes to get the bus. He was already halfway there, so he had a good seven minutes to chat it up. That was cool with him, though. Dillon viewed even a minute with his friends as precious nowadays, in stark contrast to a couple of months ago when he wanted only solitude. He may have had complicated home and social lives a lot of the time, but he still loved his friends and family dearly. Without them he surely wouldn't have made it this far in life at all. They walked through the garage, through a set of double doors, and into what appeared to be the wait area and front desk. There stood one of those Keurig single cup coffee makers. 

It was ironic that a place that usually had the worst coffee like an autoshop actually had some of the best coffee he'd ever had. The Keurig machine was awesome, and the variety of coffee pods they had available was insane.

  All the different pods were individually placed on a metal wire tree that had small little wire cups all over it. Dillon wanted a Keurig. He really wanted one. He was a coffee fiend, especially around midterms and finals. Those were the only tests he studied for. Probably the best of the coffee pods he'd tried was some caramel vanilla dark roast. A sixteen ounce cup of the coffee, twelve Splendas, and lots of vanilla creamer and he was set. Unfortunately, Tony had the taste of a dead sewer rat, because he only took his black. In Dillon's view, black coffee is sewer water. Only people over the age of fifty drank black coffee. It was gross.

  They talked back and forth for the last few minutes Dillon had about what they were up to that day. He wanted to ask Tony if he would be game to hang out sometime, but he nixed the idea. He decided to let things happen naturally. If Tony wanted to get to know him, he'd be there. Dillon wouldn't chase after him; he still had some dignity left. When he glanced down at his phone, he saw he had to head out. It was a bummer, but he said his farewells and shook Tony's hand. 

  Once Dillon was back outside, he put his earbuds in to listen to the radio app on his phone. Right after he hit play and was about to slide it back into his pocket, he felt it vibrate twice. Kat had probably texted him that the bus had showed up early, which only happened a few times a millennium. Naturally, it would happen to him today. When he hit the power button on the side of his phone to turn the screen on, Dillon raised his eyebrows. There were two texts from Tony on his screen which he opened up while he walked.

  Tony 6:53 AM: Yo man its nice hangin out with you seriously. I wanna thank you to for being my friend and noticing me i guess? Im still new round here and i appreciate it.

  Tony 6:54 AM: You wanna maybe chill later today? I know im an older guy so i get it if you don't.

  Dillon cocked an eyebrow. That was quick. He had thought that the hang out stage wouldn't happen for another couple weeks at least. Not that he had a single complaint. Dillon cracked a crooked smile and slid his phone back in his pocket. He'd answer him on the bus. Right then he needed to not be late to said bus, so he picked up his pace. Finally, he saw Kat as she leaned on the stoplight pole in her purple hoodie. She didn't look happy, which was the norm for her in the morning. Usually, she pepped up by the time they made it to their hangout spot in the front entrance vestibule during the week, but she could be extra grumpy on Saturdays. When he made it to her, he noticed her long auburn hair, which was usually kept down, was braided. It was bizarre. Kat hated to do anything to her hair or face. She was a hardcore tomboy and Dillon loved that about her.

  "Dude... did you really braid your hair?" Dillon grinned and raised his eyebrows.

  "Don't fuckin' start, Dill! It was my niece. She did it last night, and my mom told me I couldn't take it out this morning 'cause it would "hurt her feelings"," she said in air quotes.

  "Aww, yer a good Auntie! Bet you can't wait to be called 'mommy' someday, eh?" Dillon snorted. 

  "No, I'd feel too bad for accidentally washin' my child with the dirty laundry." 

  "Love how matter-of-factly you said that, haha."

  "Eh, I speak matter-of-factly when it's a matter of fact, of course!"

  "It's kind of surprising you're in the Nursing program, have I told you that? You'd probably kill someone out of shock with your 'matter-of-facts'."

  "Many times. At this point, I'm only doin' it to prove you wrong. I'd only shock them into faintin'. At the most I'd get written up!" She retorted. "That reminds me... In awfully good mood today, aren't oui? I've noticed that recently, too. Tell me on the way home."

  "What? T-tell you? How did you know?" Dillon asked, faintly nervous. 

  "Oh, I didn't. You just told me. We're talkin' about it on the way home, k?" Kat winked at him.

  Kat was too clever. He'd have to be cautious around her with whatever he might say. If he's not, then Kat would probably be able to easily deduce that he was sick with that. It annoyed him. Largely because he fell for her stupid trap. No way would he fall for the same trick twice. On the other hand however, would Kat even care that he was sick with that? Just then, he felt a strange urge to tell her. She was the closest thing he had to a best friend with Dominic gone. Actually, she wasn't just the closest thing, she pretty much was his best friend. Perhaps he should learn to trust in his friends more. Kat had only ever been supportive, never judgemental. Should he do it? Should he tell her? He'd think about it. Maybe... just maybe.

  Just then, the bus rolled up and released a loud hiss as it slowed to a stop. The door slid open and got jammed three-quarters of the way, as usual. They were in a city that wasn't exactly well-to-do after all, so a lot of things that needed to be fixed wouldn't get fixed. It may not have been the best neighborhood, but it was his home. He loved his home, even if it wouldn't love him back if anyone ever found out about that.

  He scanned the bus to see what his seat options were after he boarded. Kat took her usual place next to the emergency exit window halfway down the length of the bus. They very rarely sat together in the morning since they listened to their music and didn't talk anyway. Kat and he were not morning people. That's another thing he loved about Kat. She wasn't one of those clingy friends. She needed her personal space just like him. There was no pressure for either of them to be all chummy all the time. It was a simple friendship. Simple, but strong. Two qualities that Dillon needed more of in his life.