Before the Horns - A Bob Velseb Story

Chapter 25

John made his way home from work, livid. 

"Stupid!" he scolded, "How on earth could you not tell him! He's got to know, why wouldn't you let him know!"

John ran his hands up and down his face like it would help him learn the lesson better. Crossing his arms and hiking his shoulders up to his ears in frustration, he trudged down the sidewalk while angrily crunching any fallen leaves in his path. It was pretty outside, albeit way too cold. Then again, it was nearing the end of October so it was reasonable to be so chilly out. John continued down the path sulking to himself when he passed Jack's house.

His taller, black haired friend was out in the front yard raking leaves when he spotted John. Immediately Jack dropped the garden tool and ran over to fall in step with his grumpy companion. 

"John! Hey! Wait up!" Jack shortened his stride so he'd be able to walk beside John a little easier. "Woah, you look mad. Did Bob make fun of your mustache?" he teased, poking John's upper lip. When John swatted Jack's hand away he quickly changed tones. "That bad, huh? What's the matter?" Jack asked softly.

John huffed at him, "I don't want to talk about it."

Jack nodded, still following his smaller friend. "Would maybe a movie and popcorn help? Or are you saying you don't wanna talk about it with the intention of complaining about it in a minute? We can do both you know," Jack suggested, hanging an arm around John's shoulders.

"It's just Sarah! She was acting weird today!" John exclaimed.

"There it is..." Jack laughed under his breath, "Don't you say she acts weird everyday though?"

"No, like, weird weird today. I think she said maybe three things to Bob at most. She wasn't staring at him today. She was acting like he wasn't even a person. It was like someone flipped a switch and she turned into a whole new person!" John explained, gesturing wildly with his hands as he spoke. 

Jack ducked out of the way so he wouldn't be hit, opting to put a hand on Johns shoulder rather than a whole arm around him. "Hold on, hold on, save it till we get to your house. We can put it on the board there or at least write it down so you don't forget the details after you explain it once," he mentioned, and John nodded in agreement. "Did anything else happen that's not Sarah related?"

"Bob thinks I like Patty now," John muttered, shoving his hands into the pockets of his khakis.

Jack held in a laugh, barely able to keep from at least snickering. "You and Patty? For real? Where'd he get that from?"

John furrowed his brows, glaring down the sidewalk with a quiet grumble.

Jack gasped excitedly, "Wait, do you like her?" When he received no answer, Jack beamed and squealed like a little girl. "John! Oh my God, you like Patty! Why didn't you tell me? Oh my God, tell me everything! Is it her hair? It's her hair isn't it?" Jack prodded, but stopped when he received a sharp elbow to the ribs.

"Jack!" John shouted at him, "You don't need to broadcast it to everyone! And no, I don't thank you very much," John insisted, turning his nose up at the thought.

Jack laughed and apologized for getting so excited. "Sorry, sorry," he laughed, "I'll drop it."

"Thank you," John replied bluntly, leading the way into the house. John's mother was in the kitchen cooking dinner, and his younger sister was sitting in the living room in front of the television drawing.

"Hi Mrs. Clara!" Jack greeted John's mother cheerfully and went to give her a hug.

"Hey Jack!" she replied with a smile, wrapping him in a tight squeeze. Jack was taller than she was, so she had to stand up on her toes to properly hug him. Peering over his shoulder, she greeted John. "Hey, honey, how was work?"