What Are We?

Prologue

—
Flashback

Cyrus stepped out of the party, and made his way towards TJ, who was in the backyard.

"Can I sit?" Cyrus asked.

"Sure." TJ glances down at the bench and shrugged. Cyrus paused for a moment.

"What happened to Kira?" He asked

"I poured water on her, and she melted." TJ smiled.

"I actually buy that." Cyrus nodded, biting back a laugh.

"She isn't a nice person." TJ immediately said. Cyrus' smile faltered.

"You know people used to say that about you?" Cyrus admitted. TJ paused and looked around.

"Well, sometimes there's a nice person on the inside trying to get out." TJ looked over at Cyrus.

"I know that now." Cyrus nodded. "But... still a lot of things I don't know."

"Like what?" TJ sat forward in his seat, smiling and facing Cyrus.

"Like that you play piano." Cyrus stated.

"My mom's a piano teacher." TJ replied, looking over at the fire.

"Didn't know that either." Cyrus continued.

"I'm not mysterious." TJ scoffed. "Ask me anything."

"Okay." Cyrus smiled, adjusting his position. "What does 'TJ' stand for?"

"Except that." TJ frowned.

"You won't tell me your name?" Cyrus asked with genuine surprise. "And you think that's not mysterious."

"Okay there's like... five people in the world who know it, and they're all named Kippen!" TJ responded.

"You should know that, if you don't tell me... I would be the first person ever to LITERALLY die of curiosity!" Cyrus exclaimed.

"I-I don't know I." TJ scoffed. "Alright." TJ turned to face Cyrus.

"If I tell you... you can never use it!" TJ was serious.

"I won't-"

"Or tell anyone else-"

"I promise." Cyrus said excitedly.

"Like Cyrus, you gotta swear." TJ continued.

"I do, I do, I swear! I swear." Cyrus looked TJ in the eyes.

"Alright, my parents are way into music... and they named me for their favorite artists." TJ looked back at Cyrus.

"That's not so strange." Cyrus shook his head.

"TJ stands for... Thelonious... Jagger." TJ said nervously.

"Thelonious Jagger?" Cyrus questioned. TJ looked sick.

"Are you kidding?" Cyrus asked. TJ shook his head 'no.'

"That is a great name!" Cyrus exclaimed. "I love that name!"

"You do?" TJ scoffed.

"Yes." Cyrus giggled.

"Well, my grandparents didn't. And they were like, 'That's a ridiculous name. We're calling him TJ.'" TJ chuckled. "So I've been TJ since I was three days old." TJ smiled and nodded.

"Is... there anything else you want to know?" TJ looked at Cyrus with a serious expression. He began to inch his fingers towards Cyrus' hand.

"Is there anything else you want to tell me." Cyrus said after looking down at his hand and smiling.

"Yeah..." TJ choked out.

"Is there anything you want to tell me?" TJ asked.

"Yes.." Cyrus breathed out.

TJ let out a quick breath, and the two boys intertwined their fingers. TJ's hand laying on top of Cyrus', while they sat there staring at each other and letting out a soft chuckle.

**
Damn I love that scene. Welcome aboard the new book. The S.S. fuckin Tyrus.

*note to self* making people laugh just ain't it.

Up Next: Chapter 1: That Night