The Reckless and the Brave

Outlines

*Dekoda's POV*

"He really likes you, Kodes" Jack whispered to me. We had just returned from our trip to the store and we were outside of the house, Jack's lips inches from my own. He had been giving me small clues as to who it was that might like me, and I knew exactly who it was

"I think I like him too" I whispered back, my heart fluttering. He leaned in, removing a few inches between us. There was a sudden scream from the house and on instinct I ran towards it.

Dekoda! Don't be a fucking idiot! My brain screamed, stopping me in the midst of my route. I turned on the balls of my feet to face Jack, a flicker of disappointment in his eyes. My feet moved towards him and stopped in front of him. I placed my hands on his face, kissing his cheek softly, letting him know how I felt.

The adrenaline kicked back in as I made my way to the house and swung the door open, leaving Jack behind me. Suddenly, the adrenaline was replaced by awkwardness as I greeted the sight in front of me blankly. My brother had Kayak pinned beneath him and it looked like they were trying to eat each others faces off.

"Um...do you want us to leave?" I asked shyly, interrupting the sounds of their moving lips. Alex's head snapped up, revealing a wide eyed Kayak. "Uh, no" Alex struggled with his words, unsure of how to respond.

Alex appeared behind me, looking over my shoulder to see what was going on. "Now, aren't you happy I got those-ouch!" I elbowed him in the stomach before he could finish. Alex lifted himself off of Kayak and offered her a hand up. It was so quiet you could her a pin drop.

"So what should we have for dinner?" Jack asked loudly, breaking the silence. All of us pitched ideas at once, making a jumble of words. "Okay, pizza it is!" Alex decided for all of us. We all laughed, and Alex and Jack retreated to the kitchen. I led Kayak upstairs back into my room, shutting the door behind us.

Kayak sat down on the bed and I ran over to her. "What the hell did you guys do?" I questioned with excitement. "Nothing! We just kind of...did the thing with our lips to each other..." She explained uncomfortably. "I told you he had a thing for you!" I said, joyful that my judgement was right.

"Wait. You're okay with it?" She asked in disbelief. "Why wouldn't I be?" I asked in confusion. Kayak just shrugged. "Hey, I need to pack my stuff and I should probably do my hair tonight.." She said. "Wanna spend the night?" She asked. I agreed and we made our way back downstairs to tell Alex our plan.

"You're staying for dinner, right?" He asked. I looked at Kayak who nodded just as the doorbell rang. Alex walked to the door to retrieve our meal. "Thanks man" he said, giving the delivery boy the money.

We all hungrily devoured the pizza and then Kayak and I bid the two boys farewell for the night. We were almost out the door when I realized I didn't pack an overnight bag. I ran up to my room and threw in a new shirt, a pair of jeans, my phone charger and some deodorant. Then I bolted down the stairs and out the door with Kayak, leaving Jack and my brother alone for the night.

Kayak pulled a pack of cigarettes from her back pocket and offered me one. I took it and held my hand out for the lighter. After lighting hers up, she tossed it to me. I lit mine and took a long drag, creating a smoke ring as I exhaled. She took the lighter from me as we walked to her house.

I'm not a big smoker, but every once and a while I have a cigarette. Alex had expressed his dislike for it, but I disregarded him, telling him it was only when I got stressed or I needed one. It was pretty much the same for Kayak.

When we reached her house, she strolled to the kitchen and grabbed a jar of Nutella and two spoons. To my surprise, her mom walked around the corner and looked at her for a second. "Sup" Kayak asked bluntly. "Nothing. I'm gonna head home" her mom said. Kayak nodded and said her goodbye, and I did the same. Her mom was just visiting again I guessed.

We retreated to her room and listened to music as she packed. She and I had pretty much the same taste, and she packed almost exactly the same as I did. She included more shirts that were cut up, and would expose her incredible tattoos. Her body was covered in ink, and there were no visible patches of her pale ivory skin that were untouched.

We turned up the music and talked and laughed, sharing our expectations for the rest of the tour. Eventually, we landed on the topic of Jack and Alex, and that's when I realized something; Kayak and I were in for a lot more than we expected.