Very Strange

Ring.

Ring.

"Come on, please be home."

Ring.

"Hello?"

Cody didn't recognize the voice. He rechecked the bit of paper. "Uh, I think I have the wrong number. I was looking for Jess Brennon. . ."

"No, you're right. I'm her roommate. I'll go get her."

"Oh, thanks." Strange, Jess hadn't mentioned a - "Oh, the necklace girl!"

"What?"

"You're the necklace girl!" Cody suddenly realized he was talking nonsense, and blushed. "Um, I mean, you're, ah, the girl who gave Jess her necklace."

"Oh, that - yeah, that's me. I'm Carol."

"I didn't know you were, um, living together." Cody blushed harder. Of all the weird images to have of your cousin. . .

Carol laughed. "Actually, we were roommates first."

"So-" Don't ask, doofus. "Okay."

"Who is this, by the way?" she asked curiously.

"I'm her cousin."

"Oh, the kid cousin! Jess told me about you." Kid? Was that how Jess had described him? "Cody, right?"

"Yeah."

"Cool, she's been hoping you'd call." Then Cody faintly heard, "Jess, phone. It's your cousin."

Cody heard the phone change hands. "Cody! You called!"

"You sound so surprised," Cody grinned. "I do know how to use a phone."

"I wasn't sure we were, you know, okay."

Cody stopped smiling. "I was pretty angry for a while, when you moved out." You left me here you left me behind you promised. Cody swallowed. "Maybe I still am, a little. But it seems kinda stupid, now. I wanted to talk to you."

"It's only been a day, though." She paused, as if just thinking of something. "It's Aaron, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Something's wrong, and I don't know why."

"Are you being weird and defensive again?"

"No! Well, I don't think so. He's the one acting weird."

"You weren't distant or anything?"

"Uh-uh. I was trying really hard not to think about it, and it was working. It felt like hanging out with Aaron, like before, until he suddenly got weird."

"So he started out normal, and then got weird? When?"

"At lunch."

"What happened at lunch?"

"Nothing! He just got up and left, and when he came back he was all weird."

Jess sighed. "Something must have happened. He didn't suddenly get upset for no reason. Tell me what happened at lunch, don't leave anything out."

Cody rolled his eyes. "Aaron, Fay, and I were eating lunch in the cafeteria. We were sitting at a round table by the door. We were eating. . ."

"Whoa, whoa, back up. Who's Fay?"

"Oh, she's this new girl in school. She came to lunch with me."

"Is she pretty?" Jess asked shrewdly.

Cody smiled. "Yeah."

"And nice?"

"Uh-huh."

"And you were paying a lot of attention to her?"

"I guess so, yeah." Jess waited. "What?"

Cody heard a thump as Jess whacked her forehead. "He's jealous, Code."

"Wha- jealous? Of. . . oh. Oh, geez. But he's not, I mean, we're not. . ."

"Jealousy isn't that rational, Cody. But I bet he wasn't acting angry at you, just sad."

"No. . . When he came back to lunch he looked like he'd been crying. I don't want him to cry, even if he does have a crush on me."

"So it's a forgivable sin, liking you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She sighed. "Never mind."

"It makes me sick to my stomach, Fay," Cody protested plaintively.

"I know. And you shouldn't have to be single just because of this. Just be considerate - no making out in front of him or anything."

"Well, I don't think that'll be an issue, actually," he admitted ruefully.

"Oh, no. She turned you down?"

"Uh. . . sort of. It was weird. First she said she liked me a lot, but then she said she wasn't ready to date, and that was what Aaron always used to say, and while I was wondering about that I lost track for a bit, and when I tuned back in she was saying we should just be friends, but then she kissed me."

There was a long silence. "Oh," Jess said. There was a pause. "Well, that's. . ."

"Confusing?"

"Yeah." There was another pause. "What kind of kiss? On the cheek?"

"On the lips. But it was pretty quick, no, um, creative stuff."

"Okay. Are you all right?"

He sighed. "Yeah. It would have been nice, but. . . yeah. I'll be okay."

"If it helps, I think she was telling the truth about liking you. You really are a sweet guy, Cody." He blushed violently. "You just need to talk to people more."

"Yeah." He sighed. "You know, my life would be a lot simpler if it was Fay that wanted to kiss me and Aaron that just wanted to be friends."

"Nope. Nobody gets a simple life, it's against the rules."

"How 'bout if Fay and Aaron wanted to kiss each other? That's a reasonable amount of complication, right?"

"Sorry, no compromises. Gotta play the hand you're dealt, kiddo."

"Yeah. Want me to say hi to Uncle Peter and Aunt Clara for you?"

"Not really."

"Okay." He paused. "I thought Carol was nice."

"I think so too. G'night, Cody. Be nice to Aaron. And don't get too down."

"I won't. G'night, Jess." He hung up the phone. He thought for a moment, then turned on some music and pulled out his journal. He never wrote a date, no "Dear diary." His journal wasn't like that. He just found a blank page and wrote, when he needed to. Some of what his journal contained Cody didn't really believe. Some of it he simply didn't understand. Sometimes it took the form of a stream-of-consciousness rant, sometimes it was a conversation with himself. Tonight it was almost like poetry.

He was crying. How strange.

A strange power I have.

A hideous strength. I don't know why.

I must have forgiven him, it hurts.

I wish things were different somehow.

I don't know how to fix it

him

me

anything.

We're alone together.

We're afraid to be alone together.

How very, very strange.

Cody stopped for a moment. He refrained from reading what he'd written, that always ruined it. Instead he listened to the music. The disc had been a gift from Aaron, he realized, a birthday present from last year. Not sure why, he copied down some of the lyrics.

I think about you all the time

But I don't need the same.

It's lonely where you are, come back down

And I won't tell 'em your name.

* * * * *

Author's Note:

This is a bit late, but I've been busy with various exams and papers, not to mention other things that want me to write them. It's also a bit short, but scenes take as long as they take. I had a bit of trouble figuring out exactly what I wanted to happen in this chapter. Basically I had to make sure that the amount of Cody's social incompetence was just right. But I think I got it.

I'm not going to credit every reference and allusion that shows up in Cody's journal, 'cause there'll be a lot and most of them aren't worth it. I should mention, though, that the song he quotes is "Name" by Goo Goo Dolls. The journal, by the way, is something I've been wanting to do for a while, but it's been stubbornly fuzzy in my head until now. I'm hoping Aaron's writing clears up the same way the journal did - that would be fun to write.

Reviewer replies:

Freedman: Thanks for the reassurance. It seems the last minute revisions were more effective than I thought.

Autumn Tears: I like Fay too. She's one of my characters who are inspired by a real person, which might be why you find her so believable. It would be hard to write someone like her if I didn't have someone to base it on. I'm glad you liked, and were disturbed by, the flashback in Chapter 4. It's one of my favorite scenes so far. And by the way, I have to thank you for reviewing when you did - you managed to send me a review on my birthday.

The next chapter will probably be about the audition - remember that? And hopefully it will be soon. See you then.