Creek 2.0

iii - new friends

Craig's POV

To be honest, I'm not sure why I expected them to actually hang out with me. Jimmy had a doctor's appointment, so I hadn't asked him anyway. But Tolkien and Clyde were both home amd free. Yet the replues I got to my message were as expected.

Biggie 🚽: Sorry man, I gotta do some homework
Rich fucker 💸: yeah i got some chores to do
Rich fucker 💸: sorry dude

Classic. And as per, my parents were out, and Trisha didn't want to talk to me, preoccupied with some drama among her friends. I didn't want to be alone. I couldn't be alone. After years of struggling to get out of the hole I now found myself facing, I didn't want to be alone. So I went to the only other person I knew.

It took a good three minutes for someone to answer the door, but the familiar blonde hair of the twitchy boy I had met days ago eventually filled the door way.

"Are you free?"

He blinked, once, twice, three times. I watched him pick at his nails, watched his neck twitch with seemingly subconscious movements. After a second, he opened his mouth, closed it again, and then opened it again.

"Y-you're talking to me?"

"No, I'm talking to the magic gnomes."

"G-gnomes?! Where!?"

"Sarcasm. There aren't any gnomes. I'm talking to you, let's go out."

I think it took a good five minutes of convincing him there were no gnomes, and he was in fact the person I was talking to. But he eventually agreed to taking a walk with me, and went to grab a hoodie. I had a glance around his house while he was upstairs. Normal enough, until my eyes landed on what I assumed was the kitchen. It was boarded up, blacked out, with the only view through a small gap in the boards.

He returned and ushered me out of the door before I could question it, and I didn't bother pushing it. We took the familiar route to the treehouse, talking about senseless nothings and worthless information.

"S-so you're at the same school as me?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"D-do you know a-anyone there?"

"Sure. Couple dickheads, Stan, Kyle, Cartman, Kenny. The 'popular' girls, Wendy, Bebe, Red. And my fr-.... my acquaintances, Tolkien, Clyde."

"Not y-your friends?"

"Not lately. Need new friends, really. Ones that don't blow me off to blow each other."

"...t-they actually do that?"

"No. It's sarcasm. They may as well be blowing each other though, stupid pricks always hanging out without me."

He seemed to go quiet, twitching and picking his nails as we settled into the treehouse's familiarity. I notice that he isn't really picking his nail, more so the skin around them. His hands are covered in little cuts and scrapes. He's so nervous, so twitchy. Like he's always on edge.

"Why are you so...anxiety ridden?"

"I-I don't know. I've b-been like this s-since I was younger."

"Sooooo..you're just a ball of anxious energy?"

"I g-guess....is that..b-bad?"

"Nah. It's whatever. I won't judge you for whatever you've got going on, as long as you don't judge me for whatever I've got going on."

He nods a little, still trembling, twitching, picking his skin. But he seems a little more relaxed. Maybe he was scared I was going to judge him, but, that's stupid. I wouldn't judge anyone for any problem they have, no matter who they are or what they are.

"C-cool."

Sometimes, I'm glad that Clyde and Tolkien won't hang out with me. Because it meand I get to do things like this. I get to sit in a treehouse, with a boy I hardly know, talking about things without judgement.