Reality And Us

Chapter Twenty

The amount of tension in the air was unbelievable.

The room seemed to be darker, the silence was threatening. The dark brown of the table of the living room was so interesting, Nicklas couldn't stop staring at it.

Or maybe that was because he couldn't look elsewhere, and the table was a safe object to watch. There was nothing wrong with that.

The chair he was sitting on was of a similar color, his legs were partly crossed. Or rather, his ankles were, his right one in front of the left on, stopping himself from nervously jiggling his feet. He was pressing them against each other, he wasn't used to situations like these and it stressed him.

He had put his hands on the table, nervously fidgeting with them, he couldn't help himself. He gulped visible, he knew what was about to come. Or at least he guessed it, he was a little bit scared, preparing for the worst.

But how had he even gotten himself into that uncomfortable situation?

Well, it was Friday, and Jamie had confessed something to him while they were hanging out - the boy had always wanted to spray graffiti, somewhere, somewhere it wasn't allowed.

Nicklas had been a bit confused at that. Jamie had never been one to break rules, he was a totally goody-two-shoes kid, but apparently, the boy had always wanted to have the confidence to do those things.

And, Jamie had said, seeing Nick changing his social ways so much had inspired him.

In addition, neither of the two was especially good at drawing or creative stuff in general, but they were best friends, and supporting your best friend is very important. He hadn't exactly felt happy about the thought of breaking the law, but Jamie had looked at him so pleadingly.

So they had gotten stuff. Agreed on meeting very late, at a spot that had so many graffiti, one more wouldn't bother anyone.

Nicklas had just stood next to his friend, he was watching out so nobody would bother them - you didn't walk up to someone like him in that kind of environment if you didn't have a damn good reason. Hell, he had even worn one of these weird hoodies those wannabe gangsters always wore. He hadn't had any idea how he had gotten it in the first place, but it seemed pretty well fitting for the occasion.

Jamie had been busy spraying. It wasn't something huge, but after the boy had finished the effort he had put into this had been visible. All the other graffiti had gotten a new companion: a cute star.

Nick had rolled his eyes and laughed at that. He had shaken his head as he had asked, "You'll show her?"

Jamie had nodded and the two of them had taken the stuff and gone home together, until their ways had parted. Nicklas had been able to see the excitement in his best friend's eyes, the joy.

He himself hadn't enjoyed it, rather the opposite, he had felt guilt and shame, had been scared. He hadn't liked doing something illegal, it had made him feel uncomfortable.

Once he had gotten home it had already been late. His parents had been walking around worryingly in the living room for god knows how long, and after hearing the door open and seeing their son entering the room, they had looked at him with anger.

"We need to talk."

And that's why he was sitting there now, shame flooding through his whole body. He had made them worried, scared even. He had done something wrong, terribly wrong.

If he had looked up he would've seen both of his parents frowning, their facial expressions were serious. Neither of them liked scolding their son, but this evening was what broke the camel's back.