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 Posted: Mon May 16, 2016 7:12 pm
That was a lot more than one. Jamie had to fumble a bit to keep them from spilling out onto the stairs. They quickly found safety with the string cheese he had left on the top of his lunchbox.
"Wow... thanks, Shiloh," he mumbled, quickly shoving another one into his mouth. "You're, um... you're right, though." It was kinda tough to admit that, but it was the truth. Jamie was locked in a near constant struggle with his inner demons, the voices that told him he wouldn't amount to anything, that no one could possibly care for him, that even his parents were kind to him out of obligation and not love. None of it was true, but it sure felt that way, so much so that he usually believed it.
Finally opening a string cheese of his own (and doing a much better job of it than Shiloh), he let out a small sigh. "Would you really...?"
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Posted: Mon May 16, 2016 7:18 pm
"Yup. Try me." he dared, already finished with the first cheese tube. Onto the next. Damn, 'cheese tube' sounded kind of gross, but looking down at the second one in his hands, he supposed that's legitimately what it was. Well. Bottoms up.
He considered himself for a moment, all his thoughts and his own inner demons. Opening up to others was hard, and he didn't want to stage a heart to heart at school of all places, but... "I mean, I wasn't kidding when I said I got it." that would be good enough for now.
Wow, where the hell did the second one go? He was looking at his processed cheese-greased hand wonderingly. Damn. "Anyway, I can have another, right? Or are you gonna eat the last three by yourself." truth be told, Shiloh had only swiped the teddy grahams today for lunch. If he didn't eat, it was fine; he wouldn't feel hungry. But if he snacked even a little...
God he was starving.
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Posted: Mon May 16, 2016 7:39 pm
For both their sakes, Jamie was willing to let it go at that. It was nice to think he had the attention of someone who could understand, even if what they faced might not be exactly the same. Someday, when they were both more comfortable, maybe more could be said.
Looking down at the cheese sticks, he huffed. "Y'know..." he began, picking one up and holding it out to Shiloh while the other went temporarily ignored in his other hand. "I was planning on eating all six of them myself, actually." There was a small smile on his face as he said that. It was Jamie's best attempt at a joke. Hopefully it wouldn't fall flat.
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Posted: Mon May 16, 2016 7:46 pm
Shiloh nearly choked on his teddy graham this time.
"WHAT? Oh my god Jamie you ********, that smile. Wait... oh ********. He got it. He got it. So that's how it was going to be, huh Delacroix?
"You son of a b***h!" he howled out a laugh, swiping away the cheese stick. "Got me, whatever. Idiot" he was shoving Jamie again, a little rougher now against his shoulder, but still inherently playful. At least, if the smile on his face was any indication.
"To think I'd get stood up by half a bag of cheese sticks." he muttered to himself, gnawing away the rest of his teddy grahams. And the cheese stick. Damn that processed cancer s**t was good. Too bad he didn't have anymore, but he wasn't about to ask.
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Posted: Mon May 16, 2016 8:03 pm
"I-I got you?!" It was a half-question, half-exclamation of his excitement. For a short second, Jamie expected his joke to go unappreciated, but it was more than obvious Shiloh found it funny. It was a small, silly thing, but it made Jamie feel good about himself. Even he was laughing as he swayed on the step, easily giving into the shove.
"I'm sorry, Shiloh, I just..." Biting his lip, Jamie tried to keep the fun going. He wasn't very good at it, but Shiloh made him want to try. "Look at it." To emphasize, he peeled off a long strip, gaze enchanted the whole time. "This... is the real deal. I can make it up to you, though... I think." As an 'apology,' he slipped Shiloh one more string cheese. Honestly, Jamie was small and didn't need so much cheese. Besides, he had more for lunch. He popped another teddy graham into his mouth, carefully cupping the rest so they wouldn't fall off of his lunch box as he pulled out his sandwich.
"We're still friends, right?"
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Posted: Mon May 16, 2016 8:12 pm
Oh ******** yes, more string cheese, hand that s**t over. He inhaled it as quickly as he had the rest. It never stood a goddamn chance. He was like a snapping turtle, the decoy worm in his mouth wiggling (more like his tongue) as he encroached on the cheese, ready, homing in, so close, CHOMP—oh.
"Course we are." he said matter of factly. "I think this apology works. For now."
He wiggled his fingers in tandem with his ominous voice, eyes narrowing slightly. Too bad he was still holding a stick of string cheese in his mouth and it looked more ridiculous than anything.
Not that it lasted for long, because that was gone in a second. His eyes were sparkling and he was licking his lips, obviously enjoying himself. It'd been a while since he was able to settle down and relax and laugh like this.
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Posted: Mon May 16, 2016 8:22 pm
If Shiloh was going for ominous, Jamie wouldn't be the one to tell him it wasn't working. The smile on his face twisted into one that betrayed his true feelings, but he fought hard to hold back the laughter that wanted to join it. Nothing would ruin their food truce now, because Shiloh wasn't the only one enjoying himself. Jamie was too, just like he had last night. It was a feeling that was still hard to believe, but it was so very, very welcome.
"I'm glad," he bubbled, popping another teddy graham before going right for the plastic baggie prison guarding his sandwich. Turkey and swiss, his mother had told him when she'd handed it to him that morning. Jamie probably should've been making his own lunch at his age, but it was hard to say no to her when she wanted to do something.
"So, um..." As he wielded one sandwich half in his right hand and another teddy graham in the left, it dawned on Jamie that Shiloh hadn't made a move to start unpacking the rest of his own lunch. "Did you bring anything else for lunch?" Was it too much to ask a question like that? It was genuine curiosity, at least.
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Posted: Mon May 16, 2016 8:29 pm
It really was a good time. Shiloh told Jamie not to worry about getting in trouble, but with the noise they were making, they very well might. Still, it was really hard to care, and Shiloh wasn't about to say anything and have Jamie clam up again. Seeing him laugh was... nice too actually. Whoops.
Unbeknownst to Jamie, Shiloh probably would have killed for homemade parental lunches. At least he couldn't say he missed them, because he had never had them in the first place.
But it was when he asked about the rest of his lunch that he quieted down, stopped laughing so much. He still smiled, but it was somber at best. "Ah, well..."
He could lie. He could say he ate it all in class. He could say he just forgot it at home, his bad.
"I didn't, no." he started to muss with the empty plastic bag, filled with nothing but air and crumbs at this point. "S'allright, I don't eat a lot." Yeah, says mr. just scarfed down four string cheese sticks.
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Posted: Tue May 17, 2016 12:14 pm
Ever-aware of the possibility of ******** up and completely ruining the moment, it was no surprise Jamie noticed the change in Shiloh after his question. The fun they'd been having didn't die away entirely at first, but things grew quieter, bordering on solemn. Jamie's eyes had been on Shiloh, but now they were back on his sandwich, his shoulders a little bit droopier.
"Oh," he finally responded, realizing Shiloh wasn't going to explain any further the why behind his lack of lunch. Something told him he shouldn't believe the excuse he did get, but Jamie was far from the type to pry. Instead, he decided to keep this whole sharing thing going.
"Um... here." Pulling the second half of his turkey and swiss out of the baggie, he held it out to Shiloh. "It's got mayonnaise so... I hope that's okay."
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Posted: Tue May 17, 2016 4:14 pm
Shiloh stared down at the sandwich in Jamie's hand. Then he looked to Jamie's face, and then back down to the sandwich, and then back up again. Pride wanted him to reject it; he was fine. Shiloh Beaumont had made it this far without a crutch, and he didn't need to start using one now by any means.
But, was Jamie a crutch? He was... a friend, and it was okay to rely on friends sometimes, wasn't it? Not that he would rely on him—just that if he did, it'd be okay. It's just... Jamie was so goddamn nonjudgmental that it almost bothered Shiloh. He was too kind, too sweet, too innocent. Sure, he was the one who sprung the whole friendship thing on him, and this was only their second time hanging out with each other, but he was starting to have doubts.
Not about Jamie, but about himself.
They were thoughts that were always lingering in the back of his head. Some days were just easier to block out than others. Hell, sometimes it wasn't even limited by days, but by hours. Shiloh hated knowing that today was one of those days, apparently.
"I— it's..." it's what? Fine? Keep it? Those were all things he wanted to say. "......really?"
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Posted: Wed May 18, 2016 7:56 am
Their minds might not have whispered the same things, or maybe they did, or maybe they were only similar; there was no way for Jamie to know what went on in his friend's head, no way to know there was any deep-rooted internal struggles at all, save that brief moment earlier when Shiloh assured him he got it. It didn't matter, though. Jamie continued to hold out the sandwich.
"Yeah, really," his voice was soft as he spoke, not pushy or even playful, but firm in its reassurance.
Jamie thought for a brief moment about using an excuse to convince Shiloh to take it. You bought me that icee or mom always packs me more than I need, but the thoughts died before he could even begin to form the words. That's not why he was offering half of his sandwich.
They were friends, and even if Jamie was still nervous about everything, he was beginning not only to truly believe it, but to truly feel it, too. Maybe he was getting ahead of himself, they hadn't know each other that long yet, but he found he didn't care.
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Posted: Wed May 18, 2016 7:09 pm
Shiloh was silent for a while.
"...wow."
It was hard to know just how stupidly sentimental it was to Shiloh, because he didn't show those emotions very often, but there was something inherent to his eyes that looked touched. He reached out, gently took the bread in his hands, looking it over like he'd never seen a goddamn sandwich before in his life. He brought it forward, took a bite, savored it.
Turkey and Swiss never tasted so good.
He went without conversation for a moment while he ate, letting his posture relax and his mind rest. Halfway through the sandwich, he paused, staring down the hallway with purpose.
"Lemme see your phone." he was demanding, but his voice was surprisingly kind. Rough, but quiet. The same could be said for his face when he turned to Jamie, holding his hand out expectantly.
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Posted: Thu May 19, 2016 5:04 pm
A relief washed over Jamie as Shiloh finally took the sandwich half. It hadn't gone on that long, but the hesitation was enough that he'd started to doubt whether it would be accepted at all. If Shiloh hadn't taken it, he liked to think he wouldn't have given up so easily, but the truth of the matter was less heroic than that: Jamie was a bit of a quitter. Still, there was no reason to dwell now. He'd have to grow and learn true persistence another day.
Taking a bite of his own half, Jamie watched as Shiloh did the same. There was something about the look on his face as he savored that goddamn turkey and swiss that made everything all the more worth it. Eventually Jamie looked away, struck with satisfaction and contentment. The silence was fine, comfortable even, and he wouldn't have minded if things went on this way until the bell rang. Except well, they didn't. Eyes widened ever so slightly as they snapped back to Shiloh.
"Oh, um, okay." Things were suddenly a bit like they'd been only moments ago, but this time Shiloh was the one holding out his hand. This wasn't about sandwiches, but there was an unspoken promise in the request with a very similar message. They would continue being friends. "Here."
At first glance, the phone Jamie handed over was pretty boring; it was an iPhone (predictable), with a white case (safe), but it wasn't completely devoid of character. On the back, where the apple should've been, it was covered by an orange silhouette of a cartoon goldfish.
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Posted: Fri May 20, 2016 2:13 pm
Shiloh hesitated, almost not wanting to take it. The phone may have been boring, but it looked clean, expensive, nice; it made him think of the ratty old thing he had in his pocket. It worked, but the screen was cracked, and he didn't even know what make or model or whatever it was because he bought it off some guy on craigslist. Honestly though, it worked, so he didn't care.
Anyway, it didn't matter too much. He did take it eventually, rough fingers delicately picking the phone up. He clicked it on, not really paying much mind to the background or any of the apps. He had a clear purpose, and it wasn't really to snoop.
His fingers thrummed against the screen slowly, determinedly spelling something out on the keyboard. After a moment of consideration, he gently put the phone back to sleep and forked it over.
"You can, uh..." he hesitated, chewing over another bit of the sandwich to stall, "...whenever, I mean. Y'know..."
"It's in there for a reason, so like... don't hesitate and stuff..."
Why yes, he did totally just put his number in that guys phone.
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Posted: Sun May 22, 2016 5:05 pm
There was honestly no worry in Jamie's mind about snooping, he was too trusting for that. Maybe that wasn't a good thing, but it's just how he was. Besides, there wasn't anything awful in there for Shiloh to find. Nothing that wasn't protected by a password, at least, like his phone journals were.
While he waited, he quietly chewed his own sandwich, ever patient as always. And let's not forget ever observant, as well, noticing how long it took Shiloh to type. He wasn't sure why, but it didn't really matter, Jamie didn't mind enough to comment.
"Thanks..." he muttered as he took the phone back, looking down at the darkened screen. There wasn't any reason he could think of, aside from adding his number, for Shiloh to ask for his phone, but Jamie was almost afraid of getting ahead of himself hoping, but luckily he didn't have to wait long for his confirmation.
Even if Shiloh did sound a bit nervous about it.
"R-Really...?" Jamie bubbled, clicking his phone to life, but seeing nothing out of the ordinary. It's not like he expected to, this was just the home screen. "I mean I... I will, um, I will..." Now he was trying not to smile like an idiot. He had a number, a friend's number. It was a very new and very nice sensation. Shiloh would've been able to tell that from the lack of contacts alone.
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