[REDACTED]

II

As Karl passed his own door he set his backpack down, then continued walking down the hall to Diane's room. When he got to the door he hesitated to open it, hearing an odd silence that wasn't very present from her room. He heard the drag of a Zippo lighter igniting, then as he turned the doorknob the quick click of the clasp closing. He walked in to see Diane staring at him from her window seal, obviously holding her breath.

When she saw who it was she let out a breath of relief, and also an exhale of cigarette smoke. He shut the door before also going to sit with her on the window seal, she silently offered him a cigarette, and he took it. She gave him the Zippo lighter and he opened it, again hearing the satisfying drag and click of the flame. They both sat there silently until Karl's cigarette was half-smoked and Diane was rubbing dropping hers in a water bottle that had yellow nicotine-colored water in the bottom of it. She turned to him.

"What's up?" He took another deep deag before then exhaling.

"Lina doesn't want us home tomorrow night."

Diane didn't seem surprised. "Is it a council meeting or something?" Karl nodded.

She scoffed, "How much you wanna bet she ends up with one of their husbands by the time the night is over?" He smiled thinking of what cash he had.

"$20?" She nodded in agreement. They sat there silently until Karl finished his cigarette, snubbing it out on the window seal before dropping it in the plastic water bottle.

He spoke to her again, "What are we gonna do tomorrow then?" She shrugged her shoulders.

"Wanna ride out to the old mall? Maybe spraypaint a bit, see what we can't find around there." He thought about it, before shrugging.

"Who can we invite to come along?" She overdramatically groaned before just sitting in silence again.

"I mean, I can invite Cassie, maybe she can bring her brother so you can have someone to hang out with." He nodded happily.

"Sounds like a plan."

- - - - - - -

Karl was just now finding out that Cassie's brother was Nick. Nick Armstrong. How did he find out you might be wondering, because when Karl and Diane were waiting outside of the house, him in the car her on the hood, Cassie walked out while arguing with him.

Now was Karl afraid of Nick, hell no. Though, Nick's football friends had made his life a kind of hell. Nick personally never said or did anything to Karl, come to think of it he wasn't even there any of the times they had jumped him. Maybe Karl was overreacting. Though Karl did feel like he was forgetting something very important, very very important. It wasn't until Nick looked at him through the window before he realized what it was.

Nick Armstrong, aka football prodigy, aka a school heartthrob, aka Karl's crush since freshmen year.

He was totally fucked.

Karl just ignored it, he pushed his feelings aside and all the bad thoughts he was having, deciding instead to try and ignore what Nick was known as and what he was known for, just ignoring it. Also, he reached into the glove box and grabbed out a pack of cigarettes, half-smoked to mention. He quickly grabbed one and also an old lighter that was in there. He stepped out of the car shut his door, leaning against it as he lit his cigarette. Though when he went to light it the lighter didn't strike. He tried again, it was busted.

"Fuuuuuuck." He was caught off-guard by Nick's voice.

"Didn't know you spoke, much less cussed Jacobs." Karl didn't respond or really acknowledge him. He instead turned around, cig still in mouth to mention, and reached through the open window across the seat to his sister's bag, grabbing her Zippo lighter from the front pocket. He got out of the window and leaned back up against the car, this time his cigarette met the flame and he took a deep inhale, smiling as the calmness came to his mind.

Nick apparently didn't like being acknowledged. "Since when have you smoked?" Karl rolled his eyes, still not responding. Nick was now impatient. "I'm trying to be nice y'know." Karl just gave him a look from the corner of his eyes, and Nick stopped talking for a bit. Karl eventually finished his cigarette and snubbed it out with the heel of his shoe before getting in the car.

Everybody else got in too, the girls in the back and Nick up front with Karl. As Karl started to drive again Nick spoke to him, again. "Can I have a cig on the ride there?" Karl didn't look away from the road.

"No." Nick scoffed.

"Why not?"

"No smoking in the car." Karl made a pointed look back to Diane, who was jokingly avoiding eye contact. Nick caught on.

"What did she do?"

Karl took a left turn then pointed at the burn mark on his floorboard. It was a cigarette burn, Nick lightly chuckled at the sight of it.

- - - - - - -

All four of the teens were walking around the abandoned mall. Just looking at things and exploring. That was until Diane stopped everyone. "Ok, I'm gonna go up to the roof and have a sesh, whose joining?" Cassie quickly said she would go, but neither of the boys wanted to go. Karl spoke to his sister.

"Can I have the spraypaint? Also, keep your phone on." She nodded and handed him the back of spraypaints before saluting him in a joking way.

"Phone is on sir." He fake saluted her back and the two girls went their own way talking and laughing. Karl turned to face the other direction, Nick next to him. As they began walking Karl began talking.

"Why did you agree to come?" Nick was a bit taken aback.

"So now you're speaking?"

"Not if you don't answer the question."

"Oh ok, I see how it is. Uhm, I mean my sister said she was gonna hang out with her best friend and her brother, and wondered if I'd like to tag along seeing as we're the same age...nearly." Karl was a year older.

"Yeah but it's me, why would you hang out with me?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm Karl Jacobs, faggot of the year? Anger issues nominee? Broke a slate over someone's head? Smoked on the bell tower? et cetera?" Nick laughed at all the small mentions.

"Honestly you're pretty cool. I mean you are open about yourself, not many people can say that they were like that in high school. I don't blame you for being mad, our school is shit, so are the people. I think Nate deserved the slate over the head, he's an ass anyways. You aren't the only person who has smoked on the bell tower, just the first to get caught."

Karl scoffed, "Mhm sure, what's up with the entire football team being out to get me?"

"Well not all of them are. I mean I'm not, Dream isn't, Techno isn't, Wilbur isn't a few more too. Really it's only Nate, Case, Dylan, Tyler, Ryan, and Jak. Apart from that nobody on the football team bothers you. I can't speak for other sports and people though. I know most people are against you in our school."

Karl nodded in agreement. "Well, I'm bored." Nick laughed and shook his head.