Blue Eyes, White Lies

Untitled Part 5

Hey, I know I said Eric gave me a bad vibe when I first got here, but within five minutes, I can say I enjoy his company quite a bit. He smiles more than Julian does, he answers my questions, he doesn't give me attitude. Although his height does scare me quite a bit. 

Luckily enough, the town adjacent (that I'd just ran from), had a small store within biking distance. I was fairly glad we had bikes here, as I did not feel like walking five miles. As much as a  car would be optimal, it was a lot easier to leave tracks with one. Not to mention the required resgistration none of us would be able to get. (Besides me. I doubt Eric had a license he could drive under, and I knew Julian couldn't drive. )

Bikes weren't too bad, like I said. I wonder if Julian knew how to ride one... I know he was thirteen when he started living out here. 

The woods felt nice, but seeing the lights outside and the activity of the public was far nicer. It felt good to stretch my legs in the morning. Eric gets me a bike and we leave the woods. 

Luckily enough, I've lived here for years. I know where we're going. I'm tempted to listen in to the conversations as we ride, only to see if someone recognizes me as the boy who went into the woods the night before. 

Seeing the sidewalk and trees pass by felt comforting. I guess it was good to get away from Julian for a little bit. 

Within a few minutes, we got to the small local grocer I'd gone to in my childhood. My mom always said they were better, especially because they were a local business. 

I get off of my bike and pull it into a rack while Eric gets the bike locks. Hopefully I'll get to know him better today. He takes of his helmet after I take mine off, shaking away the helmet hair before patting me on the head. 

"This is your town, isn't it?" He asks gently. 

I nod and smile for a second. "Yeah, born and raised around this area. Before I moved Into the dorms that is."

He listens in, nodding to show he's paying attention. "That sounds nice. I didn't grow up around here, I actually grew up in the south, Atlanta, to be specific."

"Atlanta? That's pretty far from here..." I trail for a second. "How'd you manage to find someone like Julian?"

He chuckles, finishing tying up the bikes. "Fate leads you in interesting directions, Kei. You ever lived in the city? I wouldn't imagine you had if this is where you grew up."

We walk into the store. "Been to a few, mostly around the college towns I looked around when I was finding schools to go to. Never lived there, though."

He grabs a basket and refastens his hat. "You'd like them. It's a stark contrast to here. Lots more people, lots more to do."

He's got a sad look in his eyes, like something happened when he was there. He scratches his head. 

"Never mind that, what's first on our list?" 

I pull a wrinkled piece of paper from my coat pocket. The first item is cereal, apparently. 

"Don't tell Julian I told you this, but he loves fruit loops. It's a guilty pleasure for him, or something." Eric chuckles a bit, putting two boxes in the cart. "You have any allergies? Especially to meat? We eat a lot of meat here..."

"No, luckily enough. I'm not a vegetarian either. College food is kinda limited." We head over to the refrigerator section.

"Trust me, I remember. It's been a long time since I've been in college, but even for a culinary student, your options are limited."

He puts three packs of beef in the cart, along with some pork. 

"So my hunch was right, you were a culinary arts kid."

He laughs. "Did Julian not tell you? Or was he being too bitchy to answer?"

"Too bitchy to answer, being Julian and all." He reads the list and directs us to the bread aisle. 

Eric nods. "Don't worry about him, he gets pissy sometimes. He's a good dude, just one with some boundaries. He'll open up eventually." He grabs two loaves of bread. "Trust me, I've lived with the guy for a long time. He will."

A thought comes to my mind. "Did you ever finish school?"

He does the head/neck scratch again. "Sadly, no."

I struck a nerve, didn't I?

"Halfway through my junior year, I got in an accident and couldn't come back. Spent a year in recovery." He pulls up his pant leg. "76 stitches."

There's a jagged scar on his leg, going from his lower calf to his knee. "It's been a long time, but sometimes it's hard, you know?"

"Yeah, I'd understand why. You ever thought about going back?"

He sighs. "I can't. Not enough money, and it wouldn't feel right. Things have changed, whether it be for worse or for better." He nods to himself. "Plus, I've got you all."

He brings us to the egg section, picking out three cartons. 

"Is that everything?" He looks at the list.

"It should be. It doesn't take much to feed a group of three."

With our goods, he goes to check out, handing the cashier a twenty and a five, collecting our things, and leaving. 

He undoes the bike lock in silence, the cool breeze through the trees and the clicks of his padlock being the only things you could hear. On the way home, all you can hear is the rustle of branches, spin of the wheels and gears, and once we touches the leaves, the crunch of snow and earth. 

I can safely say I struck a nerve. 

Even with all I've learned in the last hour, I still want to know more. Not in a selfish way, but in a puzzle sense. Maybe it was a car wreck? Shrapnel can make cuts like the one he has. Maybe an animal attack? Something with claws? I doubt a culinary student would be in the wild like that, though. Especially one in Atlanta. Maybe he likes the woods? 

I spend the rest of my time in my room, eyes to the ceiling, thinking and thinking more. 

Three hours after my return home, I hear a knock on the door.

I open it to see a mop of black hair and a pair of piercing blue eyes. 

"Julian?"

"Yes, that's my name," He comes over and sits on my bed.

"I know, it's just a surprise to see you up here." 

He nods. "Eric asked me to come up here... to apologize." He sighs. "I'm not the greatest with other people. I'm sorry if I was rude to you today. It was unwarranted."

"No, no, it's alright, Julian. I was pestering you too, you know."

"I wouldn't say it is. I need to get better around others. I can't just have Eric do it for me."

"What exactly are you trying to say here?"

"That we should be friends. Maybe not make things like this morning."

I smile. "That sounds a lot better for the both of us."

He extends a hand, probably to shake. Of course, I return, and he shakes my hand. 

"Eric will be out tonight. I'd like to talk, just us. I don't want to be needing his guidance over simple conversation forever."

"I'd like that too."