Baby steps ∽『boy ✮ boy -EDITED

Fifth 👣-edited

You would believe one would be more lenient with their disabled child... not my parents. My phone, laptop, ipad and guitar got confiscated for two weeks, I couldn't watch TV, nor use my xbox, and they denied buying me any snacks. They were treating me like a little child getting grounded for punching his middle school classmate. It wasn't me who told Ryder to climb on the roof or to get scratched on his cheek. My only fault was that I left muddy trails on the carpet after entering the house with my dirty wheelchair. But again, I think my fathers' goal was not to punish me, but rather to make me "bond" with Ryder. After they told me that "You act like a little kid, you get punished like one", my dad also implied that now when I had no distractions, I might get to know Ryder better and actually befriend him.

There were two problems in their plan: I already knew Ryder better than they could imagine, and even though I had no distraction, Ryder did. His eyes were always glued to his phone, talking with this "Ivy" girl. Despite being gay, I couldn't deny she looked cute, maybe too cute for a sour lemon like Ryder. But then again, when I took a quick glance through Ryder's messages, I was astonished to see how-how gently he talked with her. She must have been very special to him.

Anyways, the point was that I was slowly getting frustrated. I was bored, Ryder was unfazed by my torment and his constant chatter with that Ivy girl of his was making me feel very, very lonely. I could swear I saw one white hair and two wrinkles when I looked in the mirror this morning. So I did one thing I never thought I would: I went to Ryder and asked him to entertain me.

"Entertain me!" I pulled on Ryder's sleeve as he prepared dinner, supporting my chin on his forearm and letting my hands hang heavily from his wrist.

Ryder peeled me away.

"Didn't you say you wanted to be left alone?"

"I did, but this was before I got all my devices confiscated. Now I am dying of boredom and it's entirely your fault."

"My fault? You are the one who locked me outside the house, Carter."

"But I told you not to climb on that goddamn roof."

"You did? Sorry, I couldn't hear you through the door like you couldn't hear me through the window." Ryder shrugged his shoulders, wiping his hands on a towel and offering me a mocking sneer.

I felt my cheeks burn in anger, but if I let myself lose my cool, I would just make a fool of myself and not escape this episode of boredom. So I took a deep breath and responded calmly.

"I admit, it was my fault for locking you outside the house. Now could you please do something and entertain me?"

"I am not a buffoon to entertain you, Carter."

"You could have fooled me." I muttered and when Ryder turned to glare at me I rose a questioning, innocent brow. He just rolled his eyes and placed a plate on the table.

"Your meal."

I thanked him and started eating, not rising my face from the plate until I was finished. Once done I hanged myself on Ryder's sleeve again, offering him my best puppy eyes.

"Come on, Ryder, just-just spend some time with me. We both know how uncomfortable it is for me to ask you this, but a man can spend time alone with his thoughts this much. I literally have nothing to do."

Ryder considered my words for a moment, then he nodded with a sigh.

"Ok. What do you want to do?"

"I don't know. Whatever." I shrugged.

"Wanna play basketball?"

I looked at Ryder with an unamused stare then I realized he wasn't joking.