dead roses & body counts//tøp

three - nyctophile prick

short filler because i'm a terrible human being (-:

song of the chapter - mistakes like this - prelow

/joshua/

"To be honest, Jenna doesn't talk to people either."

If I earned a dime every time my trachea sunk into my gut because I heard someone admit that about their friend, I would be about as maddeningly rich as Tony Stark. Unfortunately, no one paid me for my misfortunes, and I was forced to give Ashley a tight lipped smile. Ashley was a sweet girl, and I could tell from her playful smile, but she had no clue that she was gambling her chances with someone really uninterested. It wasn't like I expected her to flirt because I was pseudo-attractive -- something I'd been reassured by many, though I still claimed buffalo turd over -- but she just seemed like the type to just try her chances. I smiled and played nice, but a cannon of carnivorous (not bugs but like intestines) butterflies was being released every four seconds in my insides as my gaze flitted up to notice Tyler still talking to Jenna, Ashley's friend. At first, I quietly assumed Jenna and Ashley were like..a thing, but as soon as Ashley started twirling her hair around her fingers in that specific way girls did when they tried to play off flirtation as coy interest, I knew she was just...single. Maybe as someone with varying opinions and tastes from Ashley, I could pick up details like that quickly and some internal radar in my brain started screeching, but I tried my best not to show how really, really uncomfortable I was.

"Y-Yeah, Tyler keeps to himself. Always has." I scratched at my nose a little, stretching slightly. Ashley shrugged, and we both shivered in contact with the cold, outside air. It was really dark, but not to the point we couldn't see. The dim lights of the street lamp hanging just above us made the black of night seem blue and dark gray. It was a soothing color, and I distinctly remembered something from years ago that made my heart sink a little.

"You seem nervous." Ashley squinted, biting the corner of her lip. I was totally screwed. She thought I was into her. Oh my god, I didn't want to disappoint her or make her angry, but I couldn't keep letting her think that she was my type, that I was up for cute coffee dates at adorable little cafes one might find in adorable Tumblr blogs, or something else ridiculous. Here she was, eyelashes fluttering and thoughts of adorable relationship photos taken by a disgruntled third party and changed social media statuses where each person playfully hacked into the other's account and changed the account biography something cute and cheesy about "he's mine" and "she's mine". I could see it in her eyes and my stomach suddenly gurgled in the back of my throat and I forced it down with a really hard swallow. I bet my eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, because Ashley seemed to cool it and back off a little. Thank god.

"I'm not nervous. Just..waiting for my ride." I shrugged, trying to come off as super casual now. Not like my nerves were fringed to the point I was considering going to an electrician and getting that fixed up, and the doors still hadn't opened to reveal Jenna and/or Tyler and my burnt up nerves would soon be getting to my bones if I didn't stop shivering my ass off anytime soon.

"Oh, here I thought we might walk one another." Ashley chuckled, tucking her blue hair behind her ear.

"Well, that isn't possible. One person would ultimately have to end up walking alone. Unless someone else joined. And your friend's taking her sweet time." I muttered the last part beneath my breath, stuffing my frozen, pale fingers into my pockets. Unfortunately, jeans did little to assist restoring circulation, and I ended up rocking back and forth on my heels trying to revive my feet as well.

As if the world was just out to ruin me and totally prove every single point I ever made wrong and void, the doors opened and Jenna and Tyler left. Jenna immediately stepped closer to Ashley, practically glued to her hip. She brought her hand down, and Ashley did as well, their fingers instinctively laced. They were close, but now that I looked at them knowing they weren't schtupping, I could tell they were more like sisters. They were like fraternal twins that inherited polar opposite traits; Ashley was the extrovert and she was extremely social and open, but Jenna stared at me like she wanted to dissect me to the very bones if I did something she found fishy or shady. She had her jaw clenched and her chin tilted up. Tyler gave half a salute and half a wave as he spun on his heel, bringing his hood over her eyes and marching straight into the darkness. I hated the fact he wore dark clothes now, since what happened to him, and he vanished into the darkness like he could cut passage right through the shadows and do whatever the hell he pleased. "Nyctophile prick." I muttered under by breath again, seeing two lights in the distance I easily recognized as car headlights. Sure enough, a small, beat up 2001 Ford Explorer pulled up to the curb. I heard music coming from inside and more importantly, I could feel heat radiating from inside. A smile lit up my face as the driver door open and the owner of the crappiest, cheapest car ever came out. I ran up to him, wrapping my arms around his torso and pecking his lips as he ruffled my mess of pink and brown hair.

Ashley stared in horror all of a sudden, as if her dignity was crumbling all around her like the Berlin wall. "You're gay?" She seemed personally offended by the words, horrified that she was forced to utter them in the first place. Jenna hid a quiet laugh by clearing her throat and the corners of her lip twitched up into a little smirk. It was a smirk I saw in Tyler a lot, a sort of smirk that mocked the receiver. Ha ha, I knew. But it didn't seem like she was amused by my public display of affection, but she seemed really entertained by Ashley's public shock to it.

"Yeah. This is my boyfriend, Mark." I introduced my favorite person in the world with a bright smile, memorizing the details of his adorable face yet again. He used to make fun of me staring at him, especially before we ever considered dating, but after a year he gave up pointing it out to me. Mark recognized his attempts as completely and utterly futile, and this blessed me with the opportunity to tackle him with the cheesiest compliments. Mark gave Ashley a little wave, his arm tightly secured around my waist as he pulled him close to me. We were glued at the hip.

"I should probably head home..it's late. Ash, you going to catch up or..?" Jenna cocked her head in the direction of what I assumed was where they lived. I offered a meek, shy wave as Ashley collected herself. I felt really bad all of a second.

-

/jenna/

Tyler acted like a machine. He blinked in perfect patterns and even his breathing seemed choreographed. We didn't talk long, and he asked a lot about me, wondering why someone so seemingly smart as I was worked in a bookstore. I dismissed him with a shrug, and he kept his mouth shut then. He promised to visit sometime, claiming he needed to dip his toes in literature again. I shrugged just like I had before, pocketing my phone and heading outside. I immediately stood next to Ashley and took her hand, a gesture that seemed to mildly entertain Tyler before he left. I tried to see where he went, but the darkness swallowed him before I was even given a chance to say goodbye. He had said, "It was an honor and pleasure to meet you, Jenna" before pulling his hood up and vanishing. For someone who showed up so late and seemed to enjoy making dramatic entrances, he seemed to also have a hobby of making equally dramatic exits. Tyler confused me. I hated being confused by people, because I prided myself in my ability to decipher them and read them like they were books. I was able to take Josh apart immediately. I didn't want to break Ashley's heart, but I knew she'd move on soon enough anyway. I wanted to get home in time to get at least a few hours of sleep before work in the morning. I needed to read, and I needed to write. My fingers quivered to type, and my brain was overflowing with thoughts I could barely hold back. If I was kept away from home too long, the inspiration would die and the muse would fade. Writer's block was affecting me for too long and I wouldn't let it curse me any longer. So I offered leaving as soon as the situation grew mildly (or seriously) awkward. Josh and his boyfriend, Mark, seemed cozy and comfortable and their car seemed warm and welcoming enough, and both parties seemed to be clinging to the hope of an imminent goodbye. I sucked at goodbyes, and I could feel a headache pulsing in the back of my skull.

"I should probably head home..it's late. Ash, you going to catch up or.." I could feel a bitter sigh threatening to follow my words and quickly shut my mouth. Ashley nodded, and we waved to Mark and Josh, heading home.

"You wanna talk about it?" I chuckle, asking Ashley. I moistened my lips and immediately regretted it as the cold stung my skin painfully. I didn't show it though, unlike Ashley, who didn't hide her shivering or contempt. She was gritting her teeth, both angry and cursing mother nature.

"He did not look gay. At all. I totally thought there was like..a mutual 'hey you're cute we should talk and then possibly date but chances are we'll screw and then date because we're both really hot and irresistible.'"

"No, he was gay." I assured her, my lips curling up into a grin.

"Okay, fINE! He was GAY."

"Is." I corrected her.

"Doesn't mean I have to be ecstatic or overjoyed about this. Stop being happy about my suffering, you sadist." Ashley scoffed in disbelief, but even in the dark, I knew she was smiling.

"More accurately, a masochist. But even more accurately, a sociopath. But if you really wanna hit a home run, it's your best friend." I smiled, and she wrapped her arm around me, resting her head on my shoulder.

"You betcha."

this is unedited bye bye!!!!!