Between Friends

"It was awesome, man. I said 'I got three words for you, man. Stick your job up your ass."
I was tired and just wanted to go to sleep, but I had something to say.
"That's six words, Ronnie." I said, but he didn't hear me. He was in the kitchen cutting the lids off of those two litre coke bottles, the plastic ones, to make another bong. I ran over the last one with my bike and spilled the shitty water all over the floor.
"How are you going to pay rent?" I asked him. It was a valid question.
"Oh, no worries, man. I got another job on the way home. Yeah, I'm gonna be working at Morrow's." he said as he sat down. He had the tinfoil out and was fashioning the bowl.
"Doing what?"
"Waitering. I know the manager. I give him a pretty good price on pot." He stuffed the bowl and leaned into a pillow, "You should see his wife, man. She's fucking hot."
Ronnie was the luckiest guy I knew. He could have made tons of money selling pot but he smoked most of it himself. Well, I smoked some, too, but he smoked the most of it. I was having a rough time trying to keep on top of the bills and tuition while Ronnie just fell into big pits of money without even trying.
I really liked him, though. He wasn't all that bright but I've never known a happier guy.
I met him one night at the Strand. My band was playing and he was the only guy in the place who actually listened to us. Everybody else just kept on talking as if no one was on stage. Ronnie was in the middle of the dance floor, dancing by himself, and he would yell stuff like "Fuckin eh." and "The freaks are out tonight."
He lives in his own little world.
Afterward he came over to 'party' with me and Tam. Tam just went to bed but Ronnie and I sat up all night forming something like a friendship, I suppose.
Tam likes him too, but she has limited patience for his antics. Like the time we came home and found him naked in our bed. She wasn't impressed. I couldn't wake him up, so I had to sleep with him and Tam slept on the couch. He called me his 'little faggot' for months.
And then I offerred to let him move in with us. And Tam didn't know yet.
She was in Toronto for the break and I didn't have to nerve to tell her over the phone. Worse, still, the hydro got cut off because I forgot to pay the bill. I had them put it back on but it cost me almost everything I had in the bank. She wasn't going to be happy with me.
"Hey." Ronnie yelled from the kitchen, "Want a Samosa? There's two in here."
"No. I have to talk to you about something."
He sat down beside me, cramming one of the samosas into his mouth, chutney squeezing out of the corners. He held out the other one to me but I waved it off.
"What are we going to do about this?"
"About what?" he said, smiling at me. I looked at him for a moment wishing he wouldn't do that.
"About what's been going on. I think I have to tell Tam."
He leaned forward and put the other Samosa on the table and then turned to look at me.
"Why do you have to tell her anything? C'mon, man. We're friends. Let's just keep it between us." and he put his arm around my shoulder and pressed his forehead to mine. I closed my eyes.
"Don't worry." he said, "You'll still be my little faggot."