Losing to the loser

Rob didn’t like Andrew at all, dubbing him the “neighborhood loser,” leaving the room anytime Andrew tried to mingle with the guys and I. Rob flat-out told me he didn’t want to be seen with him, suggesting that Andrew was beneath him, not that Rob was a snob or an elitist. He just didn’t care for Andrew. Whenever Rob would see him coming our way, he would say “uh-oh, let’s bounce, the neighborhood loser’s coming…” or something to that effect. I think it came down to the two of them being opposites. One was the epitome of cool, and the other one…not so much.

Once James got a steady girlfriend, Andrew spent less time with his brother and more time with me. His monologues about sci-fi and wrestling would get to the point of annoyance, and yet I never considered ditching the guy. The guys would often question why I kept bringing him along with us, referring to him as trouble. I had no logical answer, other than the fact that having someone like him follow me around like a puppy dog.

Andrew and I sometimes tussled, just horseplay-wrestling, but he would always dominate me physically whenever we fought. It wasn’t real, of course, no fists, just fake fighting while still trying to ‘win.’ To be honest, I never really beat Andrew at anything – video games, trivia, billiards, you name it. Upon each victory, no matter what the competition was, Andrew would gloat and put me in my place verbally. It was humbling always coming in second place to the “neighborhood loser,” as Rob called him. The light, playful slaps to the cheek he often gave me afterward was his way of telling me who was the true alpha male between us, though I never took that seriously. In hindsight, I should have, but like most things Andrew did, I dismissed it.