The Halls of Westwood [BxB]

Chapter 5

Jullian always hated talking on phones. They made him uncomfortable and he hated not being able to see the other person and how they reacted to what he said. But now he didn't have much of a choice... Since he didn't like a lot of people he didn't talk to more than five people a day including staff.

He exchanged a quick conversation with the nurses every Monday when they refilled his anti-depressants since they only trusted him with enough to last a week. He'd talk to Jayce on the occasion but never more than simple and polite conversation. He'd either sit by himself or with Jayce at lunch too. He spoke to teachers when they asked questions and that about summed it up.

He hadn't bothered making any real friends here. Come to think of it, the only people that really knew him back home were Sarah and Tristan. Everyone else just knew him as an obsessive athlete with a temper. He had friends on the team that he'd discuss sports or school with. He had acquaintances in class that he'd pair up with for group projects. And he had the selected group of people from the synagogue that his parents insisted he hung out with.

He had always been impartial to most things. He was content talking to those people because he neither hated nor liked them. But he was genuinely happy when he was snorkeling with Sarah or listening to her ramble about sea-life for hours. He was happy when he played soccer in the park with Tristan even though he almost always lost. But he refused to find anyone like that in Westwood.

Even with all of the restrictions lifted he felt uncomfortable being around or talking to anyone his parents considered odd. Heck, it was a miracle he even spoke to Jayce due to his parent's mixed and clouded views on people of color. He didn't want any new friends, all he needed was Sarah and Tristan. And even without Tristan, Sarah would do. And that was why there was one hour three days a week he was perfectly happy.

The school had a small room dedicated to cheap payphones. You went up to the woman at the front desk and she scanned your student ID to keep track of how many times you went that week. Three hour-long phone calls a week were given to each boy at the asylum, but not many used them. But Jullian used all three every week. And every one of them went to Sarah.

But today when he walked into the room he was surprised to see his roommate. It sounded as if he was talking to a close friend. Maybe a girlfriend or childhood best friend from the sounds of it. It wasn't the quick and casual talk you shared with friends or the banter siblings had either.

Jullian did his best to ignore the curly-headed boy as he walked across the room and took the usual phone. He dialed the number he had memorized and waited nearly ten seconds before the other end answered.

"Jullian!" Sarah blurted out the moment he answered. "I got Kristy's number"

"You move on so quickly" Jullian lightly teased. A bright smile reached his lips at the sweet blonde girl's excitement. Sarah and Jullian had met as neighbors when he first moved to California at the age of eight. At first, Jullian was reluctant to befriend the annoyingly bright cheerleader. He had assumed she was just like the movies. Girly, squeaky, talkative, mean, and dumb. But his parents had been persistent.

See, she was everything Jullian's parents wanted for him and he was everything Sarah's parents wanted for her. They were both Jewish, both were incredibly bright for their age, and both had the ideal values everyone expected of them. But then Jullian talked to her and realized that she wasn't a dumb cheerleader. She was smart and funny and knew how to put Jullian in his place. She was a peppy, bright, and loving cheerleader in Jullian's life and he wouldn't have traded her for the world.

And then ninth grade rolled around. Jullian and Sarah had been playing chess in Sarah's bedroom. Jullian had stupidly kissed her and she had punched him straight in the jaw. And that was the day Jullian discovered she was a Lesbian and that he didn't care. That was also the day Jullian became her beard boyfriend. The two would share chaste kisses in public, hold hands and hug around others. But the moment they were alone they returned to their sibling-like relationship. It was perfect.