- Adrenaline -

Chapter 15: Baby Steps.

     My phone buzzes. I answer it blindly.
     "Hello?"
"Hey, Vince, I'm er uh, I'm home."
     "Good. That's good." I sound like I'm still trying to catch my breath.
"I just had to call. You really scared me ya knucklehead! What were you even doin'?!"
     A lecture? Normally I'd be too bored or annoying to stand one, but coming from John, it's another story.
     "What about you? I didn't even see you after detention."
"I had sports equipment to pick up from the uh, locker rooms." So that's why he left in the opposite direction. "I only had detention because I uh, was late to class again. My physics teachers is a uh, real stick in the mud."
     I hum in response, my eyes closing. That makes sense I guess.
     "Well, I was in detention because I punched someone in the dick."
     There was silence for a second, like he was surprised. "Why?"
     A huff escapes my lips. I'd rather not get into it right now.
     "He was calling me names. So I punched him in the dick. 1+1=2."
" 'N I guess that's the kid who gave you a hard time then?"
     "One of them."
"Those lousy brats. I can't get coded for it if it's off school grounds."
     What? "No, John, you can't just fight people all the time. I don't need defending anyway. They'll get what's coming to them soon enough."
"I know I don't need to," John says, "but what if I want to?"
     I was stunned. In all honesty, the thought had never even occurred to me. Someone defending me, not because I appear helpless, but simply because they want to defend me? Me, of all people! "I'm... flattered.." was all I could make out. For some reason, Johns anger was... kind of attractive.
"Hey Vin?"
     "Yeah?"
"Let's hang out tomorrow."

~*~

It was my choice. Today, I decided to skip school. There's no serious tests or anything, plus I left my backpack at school yesterday while running for my life. Mom said she would go and pick it up for me, as well as my homework. Getting behind means failing, and failing means repeating a grade or dropping out entirely. I'm not ready for that.
Mom has to go out of town today, too. I guess it all works out, since she wouldn't want me going over to Johns, especially after playing hooky, and being in the state that I'm in. It's not like I'm in critical condition or anything.
3:20 PM, John honks outside my house. Schools just ended, so I guess he wants to hang out now. A text him a quick hold on a second as I change into a yellow sweat shirt, wrapping my scarf around my head, and stumble my way down the stairs.

Johns behind the front door as I open it. He gives me a quick smile, which disappears as soon as it came.
"You don't look too good, short stack."
"There's a reason I stayed home today."
John ushered me to his sleek red Lincoln. It felt like I had all but blinked, and suddenly we were in his drive way. The dissociation is bad, today.
Wally and Carl greeted us inside the house. Wally seemed.. concerned, while Carl appeared to brush it off as boys will be boys. I haven't seen myself yet. Mirrors aren't exactly my best friend. I can only assume I've been bruised up.
"Is there anything we can get you sweet heart?"
"A... Tylenol, maybe?"
"Comin' right up, baby."

Johns room was mostly the same. The first think I noticed was a box on the bed, and a great big mirror propped up on the wall to the far left. I squinted, turning the light on and looking at myself.
There was an ugly bruise on my forehead, barely covered by my bangs, and another one on my chin. I new about the bruises on my body, but not my face.
"I guess that's what they were looking at."
"Oh, you don't look too bad, Vince."
"You think so?"
"Yeah. Look kinda uh, badass. Maybe you can tell kids you got into a fight with a bunch of ninjas."
He is... so stupid, but I find myself smiling anyway.
"Any plans?" I ask, sitting on the bed slowly. My ribs are still sore.
"We can uh, watch a movie. Maybe play some games... or we can just send memes back n' forth to each other."
     I snorted, "what kind of games do you have?"

     Oddly enough, we settled on Minecraft. We tried playing Smash Bros but my head was killing me too much, and the lights were harsh. John suggested something calmer. I showed him calm.
     "You griefed me, you fried chicken crunch wrap, I'm gonna eat you alive!"
     I could hardly contain my giggling, bouncing my character off in the opposite direction to hide.
     "This game sucks!" John poured, tossing the controller onto the carpeted floor from his bean bag throne.
     "You suck!"
     "Lot of talk coming from a two month old pumpkin."
     John got up, leaving his beanbag an empty husk.
     "Oh come on, Kennedy, I didn't mean it!"
     "Maybe if you help me with something, I'll forgive you."
     I twist my body in the bean bag, attempting to face him. "Help you with what?"
     "I ordered a uh, flag. I wanna put it up on my ceiling. I think it would be pretty cool."
     A flag? "I was wondering what was in that box. I thought maybe it was a book, or new briefs or something."
     "Eh, I'm a boxers kind of guy."
     "Whatever."

     I had expected an American flag. You know, for the clone of an American president. But as I hopped onto his bed, thumbtacks in my teeth, John had surprised me. He pulled out of the box a firmly folded rectangle of fabric, and as he unfolded it, i was met with a beautiful sight of pink, purple, and blue stripes.
     Not saying a word, I helped John tack the lovely flag onto his ceiling. Every night, from now on, John would be sleeping under a pride flag. We both hopped down, deciding to lay on his bed, looking at it. Pride flags are so much more prettier than country or state flags anyway.
     "I remember you er uh, mentioning bisexual to me. Joan showed me that they have flags too, and I decided I wanted one."
     "So that's why you took your mirror down?"
     "I still get to look at myself this way. Just in a different er, light."
     I turn my head over to look at him, and smile. "That's really thoughtful, John." I say, "I'm proud of you.
     "I don't think I could ever do the same."
     John propped himself on his right elbow to look at me. "Why not?"
     "It's not that my moms not accepting or anything. She's very supportive. I just... gotta learn to support myself first."
     "Er uh, well, I support you."
     A silhouette appears above me, as John leans over to look at my face. I smile at him.

     "You know I support you, right?"
     "I know, John."
      His big hand reaches over and caresses my freckled cheek. This feeling of giddiness rises up in my stomach, pushing my face against his palm, laughing.
     "You've got the nicest laugh." He smiles at me, forcing me to look at him.
     "You've got the most charming smile. If you were a murderer, no one would ever suspect you."
     "You suggestin' I'm charmin' people to death?"
     "Are you suggesting you're innocent? I'm clearly a victim here."
     Moments of silence and cheesy smiles float by, before slowly, Johns lips lower to meet mine. And it was different.
     It was slow. It was passionate. It meant everything the other ones didn't. There was feeling- feeling besides oh god, take me now and I need another hit. Instead, the emotions behind our lips spoke volumes, lit a million forest fires. It donated to the poor, it held charity organizations- it was warm, and caring, and it only lasted for a second.
     "Vanilla?"
     Oh boy.
     "Um.. maybe.."
     "I use vanilla eos too!"
     "I used to use strawberry, bertz bees."
     "I know."
     "You do?"
     "I was uh, considering getting some. For myself, I mean."
     Covering my mouth, I tried really hard to hold back my laughs. Here I was, embarrassed, when he wanted to indulge himself the same way.

     "Hey John?"
     "Yeah?"
     "Can you kiss me again?"
     He smiled at me.

[[MERRY CHRISTMAS, YA FILTHY ANIMALS!!!]]