where i end and you begin

//ch 2

//jonny's pov 

i got off the bus and began to walk up the road to my house. i wanted to speak to thom some more, but i'm far too shy to ask. he seems so intriguing... but i can't put my finger on what exactly it is about him. he's very dramatic, like he could change at any given moment. his uniqueness is matched in his style too: his choppy blond hair, that's clearly bleached since you can see the brown roots showing, and his regular black t-shirt. maybe that's whats attractive.. attractive? attractive in a friendly way, yes. i wouldn't have thought i'd be attracted to spontaneity, but he's too dynamic to not enjoy the company. maybe i'll see him again at school. i've always wanted to talk to him in choir but i never had the guts to do it.

——next day——

i see thom walking to his first period, so i gotta say "hey." it's either that or possibly never have another chance...

"thom!" i called out.

"oh- hey jonny!" he spoke back.

we walked to class together in semi-awkward silence. our classes were right across from each other, so it got worse once we said "bye" at the hallway but went the same way.

suddenly i had a positively wonderful idea.

"hey... do you wanna skip this period?" i asked shyly.

"fuck yeah jonjon! let's do it!" he exclaimed.

jonjon....nicknames already?

we snuck out the door and went to an abandoned parking lot nearby the school. thom pulls out a pack of cigarettes from god-knows-where and offers me one. i accept one; it can't hurt to smoke.

"so jonny, why'd you want to skip? i deemed you as a good student, but i suppose i've been mistaken." thom spoke

"well, i wanted to hang out with you some... i kinda thought of it sporadically." i said

we talked for what felt like days, and we almost didn't make it to second period. i learned lots of interesting things about thom. i learned his favorite color, favorite song to play, favorite smiths record, and his dream to make a band. most importantly, though, i got his number.

after school, i called thom and asked him to come over and bring his guitar. i was extremely nervous despite us being near each other for the past month. i kept telling myself it was because he's never been here, but i knew that wasn't the reason. i subconsciously chose a shorter shirt that didn't exactly cover my entire stomach, and chose tighter jeans too. ... "subconsciously." that's what i'm choosing to believe: it was a subconscious decision that wasn't planned.

when thom arrived with his guitar i was overjoyed. as we were walking up to my room i turned to say something, but i was startled to see thom staring at.. me. was he checking me out?? i immediately lost my train of thought and quickly walked back up the stairs, trying to keep any unwanted thoughts out and any questionable remarks in.

we sat down on my bed and started to play "how soon is now" by the smiths; a personal favorite of mine.

"jonjon, do you think we could play a song i wrote? i kinda need help figuring one part one." thom said shyly, keeping his eyes down and pretending to tune his guitar.

i've never seen him shy! this whole encounter has been rather peculiar.

"sure thom, i'd love to hear any song you write." i said.

as thom began to sing and play i could sit and watch in awe. his voice was untrained and a little quiet, but still beautiful, and his playing was wonderful as well.

"you are the sun and moon and stars are you, and i, could never run away from you." thom sang.

i began to follow along with his playing and immediately thought of a guitar part for it. i quickly pressed my tremolo pedal and got to playing. once the song was over, thom stared at me in shock.

"jonny! wow! that was great! i didn't know you were that good at guitar! i mean goddamn, i don't think i've ever heard anyone that good!" his wonder made his voice louder, which embarrassed me from the thought of my parents hearing this "random" boy's praise. ... he's not any random boy to me though.

i could feel myself blushing.

"thank you thom. but your singing and acoustic really brought the song all together. you know, we should totally start a band! it should be called... friday. no- ... on a friday. yes! since it's friday." jonny blurted out.

"brilliant jonjon! i have a few other songs we can play as well." thom gushed, clearly enthusiastic about this idea of a band. 

—next friday—

me and thom met at my house again to rehearse some songs in my room. he has written a new one called the bends. it was definitely a bit rough around the edges, but it had potential. i had went to the kitchen to get some water, and heard thom playing piano. he was playing the most beautiful piece i'd ever heard in my entire life, and he was singing softly song with it. it almost brought me to tears from its beauty. i walked up behind him and put my hands on his shoulders.

"jonny! you scared me!" thom exclaimed

"sorry- sorry... that was really beautiful: what you were playing. what was that?" i asked

"it was something i made up...it's not very good." he mumbled

i started to massage his shoulders lightly and he leaned his head back onto my stomach.

"thommy that really was good. you need to loosen up some and realize you have talent!" i said, still rubbing his shoulders

"yeah, yeah, whatever," he spoke out, sounding irritated. "still not as good as you. you're pretty and you can play better." i can't tell if he's joking, mad, or just cynical. it's an odd tone at the very least

i turned him around and grabbed his face in my hands, being able to feel the acne-prone texture of his skin in my palms.

"thom. you aren't listening. you are a pretty person and a good songwriter. you're great at what you do." i spoke semi-sternly.

i saw his face turn a light shade of pink so i continued holding his face. i ran my thumb lightly over his cheek and i saw his eyes start to water. a small tear fell and trailed down the outside of his cheek.

"thom, what's wrong? did i say something?" i asked quietly

"no jonny... but thank you. that means a lot." he choked out

he pulled me into a hug and i ran my hand through his hair telling him "it'll all be okay." he cried for a number of minutes, completely soaking the shoulder of my shirt. i didn't and don't care though. i'd be here for him any day.

"let's go up to your room and practice more" thom said, wiping away his eyes.

i kissed him lightly on the forehead and took his hand to lead him upstairs.