Paper Boats // xiaodery

thirteen

Xiao Jun checked his phone, eyes lighting up when he saw he received a message from his mother. He opened his phone, smiling as he went to check what it said.

Mom: Hi Xiao Jun! Your dad and I have some free time tonight, do you want to facetime? I know you'd love that.

The grin on his face became even wider when he responded. In a good mood, Xiao Jun switched off his phone, happiness bubbling in his stomach.

He heard the doorbell ring and he got off his bed.

"What are those?" Xiao Jun asked when he opens the door, eyeing the box Hendery was carrying.

"They're chocolate covered pretzels." he answered. "It's a thank you gift for driving me home last night."

"Oh." he blinked. "You didn't have to." he watched Hendery place it on the counter.

"But I did it anyways. Here, now eat."

Xiao Jun took one of the pretzels, taking a bite, the combination of the sweet and salty flavors dancing on his tongue.

"Are they good?" Hendery widened his eyes in anticipation.

Xiao Jun nodded, giving a thumbs up.

The boys ate in silence for several minutes, enjoying the quiet atmosphere.

"What's got you in such a happy mood?" Hendery suddenly spoke up.

"Am I not in a happy mood all the time?" Xiao Jun pouted sarcastically, putting the rest of the pretzel stick into his mouth.

"No, but today you seem extremely happy. Something happen?"

"I'm facetiming my parents tonight." Xiao Jun answered without hesitating. Talking about his parents was a personal and touchy thing, since he rarely sees them but he found it easy to tell Hendery, for some reason.

"Oh. That's good." Hendery replied. "Now that I look at it, you're always home alone."

"Yeah." Xiao Jun's eyes drew to the floor.

"Hey Xiao Jun?"

He directed his gaze back to the other boy.

"How do you deal with being alone all the time?" Hendery questioned, his tone serious, which Xiao Jun has never heard before.

"I don't." he honestly answered, heavily sighing. "I miss my parents so much, hell, I think about them everyday."

He tried to keep his voice from breaking. "But you know, life's not always on your side. So you learn to grow accustomed to it."

Hendery knitted his eyebrows together, pressing his lips in a line. "I'm sorry." he muttered, eyes locked with the ground.

It seemed like Hendery's bubbly demeanor had completely disappeared during that conversation, and that concerned Xiao Jun.

"Hey, um, do you wanna go to the beach?" he proposed, wanting to cheer the other up.

Hendery's head lifted, his lips curving into a smile in less than 0.2 seconds. "Sure." he said, his usual bright tone restored back in his voice.

"Come on, let's go." Xiao Jun began to walk out of the kitchen.

He was lucky he was able to steer away from the topic real quick. Because he hated seeing Hendery in such a poor mood.

—

After spending all afternoon at the beach,  Xiao Jun went back to his house. He checked his phone, waiting for his parents to call. He bit his lip, glancing at the time, it was getting pretty late and he was dead tired. Even though all he wanted to do was crash in his bed, he really wanted to see them.

His phone pinged, his mom's contact appearing on the screen, and Xiao Jun had finally reached salvation. He couldn't fight the grin on his face as he saw his parents on the screen, asking him questions about how his day was and what he's been up to.

"So, have you been hanging out with anyone? I know Yangyang moved out a while ago." his father asked.

"I have." Xiao Jun answered. "A family moved into Yangyang's old house. I'm friends with their son, his name is Hendery."

"That's good." his mom smiled. "What is he like?"

"He's the same age as me. But he's really just a child inside, and not in the immature sense. His personality is so energetic and bubbly, there's a happy aura around him most of the time."

"I would like to meet him when we get back." his mother replied, her eyes forming into crescents since she was so happy for her son.

"I'm glad he can keep you company, Xiao Jun." his father smiled as well.

Xiao Jun was grinning so much, his cheeks started to ache. "Yeah, I'm sure he'll be delighted to meet you guys."