Oscar (bxb)

22.

Oscar lived in a small apartment outside of campus with his best friend. It was a two bedroom, one bathroom with a small kitchen space and a wider living area. There was also a very cramped balcony. It was kind of dingey but apparently it was cheap enough, with all bills included, with TV license and wifi, so he couldn't exactly complain. It was messy but in a character filled clutter of things rather than a trash heap.

Maxie's head rested comfortably on Oscar's lap. He was laying across the couch, his feet hanging over the edge. He didn't remember how they'd ended up like that. When you were comfortable with each other you tended not to notice things like this. They just were.

"What do you want to be?" Oscar asked out of nowhere. They were snacking of gummy bears and he popped another into his mouth.

"Well, the obvious answer would be a counselor considering my course but I specifically want to go into children's mental health."

"Like in schools?"

"Could be. Child psychology can be outside of schools too. I don't know if I'm one-hundred percent set on that because there is so much to the course that I enjoy but I think that's the path I want to go into. That's what I'm most passionate about." He grabbed a green bear from the bag and popped it in his mouth. "You?"

"Uh... well, I want to pursue music but I know that its hard. I do English and creative writing so maybe something with that. Poetry, probably."

How was he only just learning this about him? It took him by surprise. He hadn't been bothered to even ask about that. Maxie hadn't really seen Oscar in an academic setting, nor had it ever actually come up but still. You'd think this was basic information someone would know about someone.

"They're not the most secure career paths... I don't know. I'm kind of put off by typical, nine-to-five working jobs. There's nothing wrong with that. Then again I can't complain about money if I'm making it harder on myself," Oscar said with a small laugh.

"Is that why you prefer doing what you do? Its flexible?"

"It's easy, better money quicker. Less waiting around, more efficient."

"But you didn't have enough money to go home?"

Oscar sighed and Maxie felt the other's body shift underneath his head. "I do make good money, I just need to sacrifice that money for my music career as well as living."

Maxie sat himself up and leaned his back against the couch cushion. "Is it worth it?"

Oscar nodded his head and smiled. "Yeah, its worth it."

"So you write the songs then? That your band plays? Can you play other instruments other than the drums?"

"Yeah. I play guitar, piano, even a little bit of the cello."

Maxie's brows knitted together. "No fucking way."

"What?"

He could not picture heavy-drinking, party boy, angry drummer playing the cello. Perhaps that was prejudice. Stupid assumptions. Anyway, he was completely impressed by the vastness of skill. "I know music isn't considered academic because its creative but you write songs and play multiple instruments. That's like... skill beyond anything I could do. More than most people."

Oscar's head fell back and he laughed. "It didn't feel like hard work when I was learning- it was hard but its fun for me. I love it. But thank you. And yes, I write most of the songs for the band. I play other instruments sometimes too, when we are recording - another place where the money goes. It costs to book the recording space and to produce the music. Costs more than we get back."