Swinging by a thread | 🌈Tyrus

1. It's different

Ϲվɾմs Gօօժʍɑղ

It was 7:30 in the morning when I had gotten a call from the athlete with boundless confidence, better known as TJ Kippen.
I jolted up from my bed and grabbed my phone—of course at first I didn't succeed, my tired hands lost their grip and my phone fell on the floor.
I stretched more to reach it and hit the green button and then speaker.

"Yes?" I groaned.
"I'm guessing I woke you up.." you could hear the guilt in his voice, I tried to let it go.
"No not at all...I always wake up at.." I looked at the time again. "8:00 in the morning!—to...enjoy my weekend!" Yeah that sounded correct.
"Oh great! then I guess you won't mind coming to the park, Underdog?"
His nickname made me smile, always bringing back memories of the first time we had actually became friends.
"Uh sure...I'll take my bike." I didn't even want to ask why, I had a feeling he was just ready to share more of his "stuff" not that I was sure if he had anymore than his dyscalculia but you never know.
Amber didn't seem to have a lot of stuff at first but that clearly wasn't the case.

As I ride my bike down the road I felt myself wondering what was going to happen, surely he couldn't just want to talk to me about nothing at 8 in the morning and even no matter the time I couldn't believe that he just wanted to "talk"

I tied my bike up to the rails and went over the swings where TJ was swaying by his lonesome.
"Hey." I smiled.
"That was fast..." he stated.
"Like I said I'm always up at this time!" I smiled wider trying to convince the athlete I was as cool as him but that wasn't the case, never the case.
"Don't worry I don't get up this early either."
"Oh..." I sighed in relief that I didn't have to keep the charade going. "Then what are we doing here?"
"Well this is when the park is the most empty, no kids come this early."
I raised an eyebrow confused, why did the park need to be empty?
"The monkey bars are free?" He added.
Still didn't get it.
He sighed. "I was looking at that list you sent me? You know, the one the day I helped you do a summersault?" I nodded. "Well one of the things is 'get to the end of the monkey bars with out falling'." He smiled and then I caught on, we weren't here to talk to about his stuff or nothing in general we were here to boost his ego more, I think that's why he likes pushing me to do so many things because it makes him feel better...had nothing to do with the fact that he could help me to succeed, if he really cared maybe he knew I'd be better off not doing it.
"Yeah...maybe I shouldn't of sent that to you..." I bit my lip. "It's not a bucket list, it's a reminder to not try these things again because failure does not look good on me." I forced a laugh.
"Oh come on! What's the worse that could happen?"
"I could fall, my hands could get sore and have blisters-"
But he didn't care he cut me right off and pushed me like he always did to the monkey bars and I didn't have much strength to stop him.
"If you fall I'll be right here to catch you." He offered. "And uh blisters aren't too bad, they'll disappear soon."
I sighed. "You really want me to do this?"
"Only if you want to."
"Oh so then we're not doing it." I smiled with relief.
"Oh no! You're totally doing it, go." He smirked.

I sighed and made myself go up on the bars if it would make him shut up.
He got closer to me, I guess getting ready to catch me, way to assume dude...
I gripped on tight to the monkey bars and began to climb across like I would see the kids do. I was doing it with my eyes half closed so when I didn't grab the last bar and fell that was no shock and no shock that TJ caught me too, bridal style.
This made me feel like a little helpless baby the only thing distracting from that feeling is his reassuring smile to try again...I guess this was kind of a hug? That would explain my fast beating heart but that only happened when Jonah hugged me—well it used to happen.

"Uh you should put me down—so I can try again!"
"Right.." he chuckled also seeming to be snapping out of it, whatever that was.
He put me down waiting for me to get back on.

After the fifth try I had finally gotten it.

"Seeee? That wasn't so bad!" Exclaimed TJ.
How would he know he wasn't the one doing it..
"Yeah I guess not." I shrugged.
I am glad I did it even though my hands were a tomato red now maybe it's a good thing he pushes me sometimes, I know none of my other friends would make me.
"Uh thanks...will you delete my list now?"
"No way we're finishing this whole thing!" He smiled.
"Okay fine." I didn't want to try and change his mind. "But I get to pick what's next."
"Sure, what do you want to do?"
"I can't today...I'm supposed to meet Amber at the spoon now."
"Amber?" He asked, right I forgot she didn't go to Jefferson.. "You got a date?" He smirked.
"No, no not like that!" I panicked.
"I'm just messing with you, Underdog." He chuckled. "But you should think about it...you know? Dating? Any girl would be lucky to have you...not many nice guys like you."

I wasn't going to waste my breath coming out to him right now, it wasn't the best time and I didn't know if I ever wanted him to know.
I never told a guy before and I was afraid they'd start feeling uncomfortable around me like I would try and flirt with them or something.

I just nodded and then headed out going to the spoon to visit Amber on her break.

Tյ Ƙíթթҽղ

Once Cyrus left I kicked the pole of the monkey bars out of anger. "Why did I say that?!" I groaned.
I hardly knew anything about dating myself, shockingly I never even dated a girl more or less had a crush on one, I suppose it's shocking because I'm the captain of the basketball team—that's what all my friends say.
That I should be fighting off girls left and right but that wasn't the case, it was never the case.

I checked the time realizing I had duties of my own, basketball practice.
It wasn't a real one, the couch had nothing to do with it, it was something the team and I would set up when we thought we needed a little more practice and even when we didn't we did it anyways, sometimes for fun.
I took off on my own bike.

Practice went on longer than expected, after lay ups we found ourselves goofing around playing "horse"

Sometimes I feel like the only thing keeping me with these guys is that I'm the team captain and I win games for them sometimes.
If I were anyone else I don't think they'd ever speak to me again.

As everyone else took their turns I began to daze off thinking how different me and Cyrus's relationship was from everyone else's.
I didn't find myself getting worried that he hung with me for any other reason then the fact that he just wanted to.

There was one thing that was off and that was how it felt when I caught him today or when I put my arm around him when I taught him to do a summersault.
I guess it was nervousness but I didn't get that feeling when I touched the other guys on the team, like tackling or doing a 'bro hug' when we won.
However in the same time it also felt comforting when with everyone else I felt nothing.

I couldn't come to a conclusion, not one that made sense to me and so I didn't get one at all.
I tried to focus back on the game but I had focused a little too late and got knocked out as a basketball came flying towards my head.

_________
Starting small...
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