Love Bites

IV. The Thick Groves Make Me Feel At Home.

***

Ryan traced the bark's patterns as he slowly walked through the woodland back to his dingy home. The place wasn't much and he didn't want to call it home but he didn't have much of a choice after getting bitten. The air smelled of pine and salt, a smell that for the most part was normal, the air felt moist and the sky started to grumble. This kind of weather was Ryan's cup of tea, it was soothing. Fierce, but soothing to him but the worst part of a thunderstorm was the rain. Ryan quickened his pace to beat the harsh rains that were rolling in, he'd rather be out of breath than be drenched.

-

Though Brendon wasn't much to make judgments about one's appearance, there was something peculiar about that new boy.
Brendon snuck back into his home around 00:34 that night and couldn't fall asleep til somewhere around 02:00. All he could think about was the pale boy, it was the only thing that raced through his mind, the way the light that bounced off of the water fountain and onto his eyes, they looked like beautiful honey. Brendon could only think of when his eyes darkened a bit, just the thought sent chills down his spine like no other. Ryan seemed to be a guy of very few words which Brendon admired, he always felt as if he couldn't get enough words in and would end up in an endless loop of yammering on about something that wasn't very important to begin with. Brendon stared at the mirror that lay in the corner of his room stuffed between a CD rack and his dresser. It wasn't often that he would pay attention to his appearance but he stood up and flicked the light on. He looked at his slightly tanned skin, the deep brown of his eyes and his body build. He was quite thin but not as thin as Ryan, which made him worry. He thought deeply if he was restricted from food or grounded from it. The thoughts ate him up like a puppy and chow after a long day. He wasn't proud of how he mused but it was a habit he formed as a child, constantly scared that he may have sinned and would be punished. Brendon slugged himself back to bed and dug his body the best he could into the mattress before finally falling asleep.

Brendon was stirred awake by the sound of his mother yelling once again, a now normalized routine in the home. He begrudgingly stumbled up from his head and made his way to the dresser, he picked out a plain red tee and a pair of black jeans, grabbing a pair of briefs before dragging himself towards the bathroom.
After running his shoulder in the frame, Brendon made his way down the stairs to see what his mother was doing, "Oh, good! You're awake," His mother turned around to smile at him before turning back around to her current task, which looked to be pancakes. Brendon sat himself in his usual seat, very faintly he could hear the rustling of Kara waking up, her footsteps dragging behind her like cans on a getaway vehicle after a wedding. Brendon yawned and stretched his arms as his mother sat a plate down in front of him, pancakes and sausage. he rubbed his eyes and grabbed the fork that sat neatly on his plate, "Mother, may I have some syrup?" He spoke softly as he looked down at the plain pancakes. His mother made a small gasp before setting a small syrup container down and smiling.
"Brendon, don't you think your shirt is a bit.. revealing?" She eyed the collar of Brendon's shirt and looked at his face concerningly. "I think it's fine, mother." He spoke quickly and began to stuff his face. She nodded hesitantly and returned to the kitchen to prepare Kara's plate. Brendon didn't get what was so revealing about his shirt, maybe it was a bit small and had a low-cut neck, it didn't seem to cause a fuss with the public, everyone wore shirts like it and others were more revealing. He shrugged the thought off and continued to eat, the quicker he ate the faster he could get out of the house before his sister and mother fought about how Kara looked. Quickly getting up to take his plate to the sink, setting it gently down to not make too much noise, he'd rather not get lectured by his mother for handling her precious plates so roughly.

Tiptoeing out of the room he made his way back to his bedroom where his glasses were, his feet shuffled the wood flooring as he made his way up the stairs. Locking the door behind him he grabbed his glasses, red thin frames that he'd had for years, he didn't necessarily need them but his vision when reading was a problem he dealt with since he was young, maybe it was because he sat in front of the television a lot as a kid and it was God's way of punishing him for not being outside playing. Brendon swiftly picked up his bag, purposely leaving the homework, he'd rather be scolded by an old woman for forgetting it rather than not finishing it. Dragging the bag behind him, Brendon avoided his sister, speeding down the stairs to grab his beaten shoes and a thin jacket. He opened the front door little by little till he made his way out, standing by the mailbox, observing his neighbors' plants.

-

Ryan sat on the park bench, nearest to the exist that faced the way to school. He could've driven the car but the gravel path to the road was extremely rough, it wasn't used by many people other than Ryan and his absurd family. While he waited he noticed several people who were either walking their dogs or just a couple in general, it was odd to him to have so many people around, a new experience, something he would have to adapt to. This feeling was almost like home, he finally felt like he was completing his life how he was meant to, and he was given a second chance. Ryan found himself at a pine tree when you noticed the air smelled of a familiar aroma, he looked over to his left to see the boy, his hair sticking up in the back a bit, his skin gleaming against the sun, he was a gorgeous sight and had a strong smell, almost like nectar. Ryan watched as he passed the sidewalk, a girl about the same height following behind, she looked almost identical to Brendon. It was astounding to Ryan who siblings can look so identical sometimes. He lifted himself from the bench and slowly made his way out of the park, he waited a bit before waiting near the entrance, he didn't want to seem like a stalker.
When Brendon and the girl had gotten around 10 feet from Ryan, he skittered off to school, occasionally looking around to see if anyone was staring, he knew he was paranoid but he felt that he was being watched.