Jazz Red's Anomaly

c h a p t e r. 25

"The most fundamental thing about a person is desire. It defines them. Tell me what a person wants, truly wants, and I'll tell you who they are, and how to persuade them." -Max Barry

chapter 25

It's the weekend now, Castor finished his final football game the day before and the couple-- along with Viv and Ahmik, who was sleeping face-planted onto a table-- decided to go to the park on their campus and Jazz was doing his usual workout routine as his god watched.

"Hey J," Vivianna says, making him pause in the middle of a push up and look at her. "Y'know what's poppin? How hot you look right now."

Yeah, right, he thought with a defeated groan, willingly falling onto his back into the grass, hands raised to give his best friend the almighty bird.

A few of his friends-- Kate, Lonnie, and Devin-- shouted out his name a couple yards away, waving at the musician who waves back once he realizes who they were, then they move on and continue about their day.

This prompts Castor to sigh as he watches his boyfriend relax into the grazz again, "We're such different people that it's disturbing."

"I'm sure you guys aren't that different," Viv giggles, spinning in a circle before stopping to pat Cas on the head.

"He has friends," The word is said in disgust and it almost makes Jazz choke on his giggle mid push up.

"Not that many," the weirdo sassily replies, only for her smile to get less unsure at Jazz's hum. "Wait, how many friends do you have, J?"

"Uh..." the musician holds himself in a plank, head tilting as he looks at his best friend. "What kind of friend? Like, I only talk to you in class friend, I hang out with you sometimes, or like an almost best friend but not quite? Oh, or the ones outside of University, too?"

"Um," She blinks. "Only at University?"

"I don't know, not that many," He does another push up. "Maybe only like, thirty-ish?"

"Thi-Thirty!" Viv shrieks, making Jazz almost, but not quite, face plant into the ground with a startled jerk. "What do you mean thirty?"

Cas guestered to the musician in a 'I told you so' way.

Pushing himself to sit up, he wrinkles his nose in reply, "Like, three-zero? I only have like five in every class, and sit with a lot of them at lunch. Y-you've, um, you've seen me with a big group of them?"

"I thought that was like, you moving with your class to a different building!" She exclaimed, then paused and put her hand out. "Wait, answer me this... Do you know everyone in your classes?"

"Of course," Jazz chuckles, smiling. "How else am I going to find new friends?"

"Oh god," Viv pinches her nose. "I'm friends with the literal human embodiment of sunshine."

"Er..." He tilts his head, blinking slowly. "No?"

"At least you're just friends with him, I'm dating him." Castor, with fake sympathy and an all too 'ugh' looking green to his song, says with the shake of his head. "Every morning I get blinded by his happiness. And I get it, getting up every morning and seeing himself in the mirror, it must be a good thing, but fuck, he needs to learn how to hate things more."

"Damn straight!" Viv snaps her hand sassily. "Then he'd be mean as he looks."

No one else could see it, but this made Ahmik's intense colors to grow amused, though he didn't move or say anything. Jazz briefly wondered how often he hid stuff like that before his best friend's words registered and he pouted.