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 Posted: Wed May 04, 2016 7:43 pm
Oh. The Environment. He was one of those guys. Well sure, alright, didn't bug him much. He made a mental note to maybe not throw his trash all over the damn place again. At least, not around Jamie.
Whale songs were good, yeah.
"Alright, I'll keep that in mind. Anyway, I dunno." he put his hands in his pockets, calming down from the earlier excitement. He did have to snort at the mention of a CD player, "Are you like, stuck in the 90s? Why the hell don't you invest in an MP3 or something?" it was pretty legitimate. Who even used those anymore?
"You're kinda weird, Jamie." he didn't mean it even slightly in a negative way. He was weird and Shiloh was weird too and that was perfectly fine. He kinda liked him, which was pretty surprising considering how Shiloh felt about most people. Jamie was just quiet and very predictable, and Shiloh appreciated those qualities in an individual. He was kind of shy too, but Shiloh didn't mind that much either. He wasn't shy in an overtly obnoxious or annoying way, because it was obvious it could be coaxed out. Shiloh could be patient.
"It's... neat."
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Posted: Thu May 05, 2016 9:03 am
"... I don't really know," Jamie answered honestly, kicking at the sidewalk in thought. "I guess I got used to the CD player and never switched. I've had it... pretty much forever." Call him stupidly sentimental, but it was hard to get rid of something that'd been with him through so much, good and bad. He could still recall hiding under the bed when he was feeling particularly upset, listening to music until his parents got home and coaxed him out.
Now wasn't the time for feeling down, though, he tried to tell himself. Now wasn't the time for sad memories. After all, he was having a surprisingly great time. Or he was, but then Shiloh called him weird and his heart sank. It was visible in the way his shoulders sank, too.
Wait. Wait, no. False alarm. Right? Maybe? It was true Jamie was on edge as soon as those words left Shiloh's mouth, but when the follow up was 'it's neat,' it made him wonder if he was just jumping to wild conclusions the way he often did. Weird didn't exactly sound like a compliment, and that was a bit confusing, but... maybe Shiloh had meant it as one?
"It's... neat?" he mirrored in question. "A-Am I really, um, weird?" Shiloh would definitely have to be patient. "And... that's okay?
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Posted: Thu May 05, 2016 2:41 pm
Oh.
Shiloh saw that. He saw the way his eyes died, his shoulders fell. Hell, he cold have sworn he heard the sound of his heart sinking. It would have been wrong, if not ignorant to say he knew exactly what Jamie just felt, given that they've known each other for a whole hour. But fact of the matter was Shiloh could tell he just hit a nerve there, and it made him purse his lips.
Was it the same feeling he got when people called him stupid?
"Yeah, you are weird." he said with a huff, looking at the ground, "But y'know? Who the ******** isn't. I'm weird too. Hell, I'm probably weirder."
"That's why we're gonna be friends." wait what.
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Posted: Thu May 05, 2016 5:45 pm
Honestly, what Shiloh said about everyone being weird, about him being weirder... it was all pretty damn lost on Jamie with what he said next. It might've been an accidental slip of mouth before mind, but it meant more to Jamie in that instant that he probably realized.
"Friends...?" he questioned, having completely stopped walking to look up at him. "Friends..." now he was testing the word, sounding torn between disbelieve and hopefulness. Jamie didn't really have friends—unless you counted his fish, of course, and he sure did. Having someone to actually talk to, though, someone to hang out with, a person to be real live friends with was an idea straight out of a dream.
Jamie might've been a little wary, but he was also wanting. Even though they'd just met, he wanted to be friends.
"C-Can we really be...?"
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Posted: Thu May 05, 2016 6:59 pm
Ah, he hadn't really meant for that to slip, but he couldn't just back away from it now. Grumbling inwardly to himself, he shrugged noncommittally. "I mean... I don't see why not..."
Damn, they must have really been lollygagging, huh? Where did this guy even live? It felt like they'd been walking forever; not that it was really bad, because Shiloh was by no means in a rush. Jamie really was enjoying himself then, wasn't he? Shiloh couldn't say much on the friend front either, aside from Ollie, but they were brothers so it was a little different.
"I mean, you did animal interpretations with me, that was kinda cool." he was pretty sure most people would have laughed, or said something dumb, and then someone would be missing teeth and it'd just be a huge mess. Shiloh didn't feel like bloodying his knuckles tonight. He considered himself to be a pretty decent judge of character anyway, and Jamie seemed pretty harmless, if not in a similar spot emotionally as himself. Now that struck a chord.
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Posted: Thu May 05, 2016 8:20 pm
The animal interpretations had sealed the deal. It wouldn't take much to get Jamie to admit he'd been nervous about them, nervous about acting in any way that might look foolish to anyone else. If they'd been walking around in the daytime, he feared he wouldn't have been able to get himself to do it. That was a guilty feeling, but instead of letting it weigh on him like he might want to, he decided to try counting his blessings instead. It had been the middle of the night (for whatever ungodly reason) and he'd been able to take part. This moment here and now was where it had gotten him.
"It... i-it was kinda fun," he admitted, looking bashful as he turned away. It was so much easier to speak when he didn't have to make eye contact, even if it felt a little more impersonal. "I, um, had a lot of fun, actually."
He really, really hoped they actually could be friends. Shiloh said they could, so maybe it would happen.
It was almost a whisper, but he muttered, "I kinda wish I didn't have to go home..." Turning back again, but not quite looking at Shiloh, he finally pointed across the street. The real reason he'd stopped had been shock at the offer of friendship, but his house also happened to be nearby, just across the street and down at the end of the block. "We're almost to my house..." Dropping his arm, Jamie cautiously looked back up at Shiloh. There was a small, but unmistakable smile on his face.
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Posted: Fri May 06, 2016 3:10 pm
Oh no that smile.
Shiloh shook his had, <******** dumbass. Jamie might have whispered it in a way that implied he wanted it to go unnoticed, but Shiloh spoke up anyway, "Y'know, me neither..."
Though, his was for a whole different set of reasons that he just wasn't to breach yet, if he ever even did. Still, the more he thought about it... why would someone as innocuous as Jamie be possessed to wander around outside at this hour? Was he really just that restless, was it something that happened often? What was he trying to escape from, or was there really just nothing at all? Maybe he was just naive. Innocent.
And then he was back to the goddamn smile again.
"It was fun." he agreed, walking again since Jamie seemed to be procrastinating. "And y'know? Don't worry too much about it. We can have fun some other time too."
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Posted: Fri May 06, 2016 4:34 pm
It didn't come as a huge surprise when Shiloh responded in turn, mentioning he didn't want to go home, either. There was no way Jamie could know the true reason, and to be quite honest, his lack of surprise was rooted in a selfish hope that they'd been having fun together and so were on the same wavelength. If that was even only a small part of it, he would've been happy.
"You're right..." he mumbled, though he sounded at peace as he scuttled to keep up. "This is actually... the first time I've ever been out so late. Or, um, should I call it early?" It didn't really matter. Jamie's sense of time was all out of whack, anyway. Either way, he was glad he'd made the decision.
The only thing that would make this night better would be sneaking back in to find his parents still asleep and blissfully unaware. They usually slept through the night just fine, but if there was one night they didn't, bad luck would make it tonight. Fingers crossed he'd stay lucky.
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Posted: Fri May 06, 2016 10:00 pm
"Ha, really? I was just wondering about that..." personally, Shiloh would call it late. It wasn't the next day until you slept in his opinion, so there wasn't anyway that it could be early unless the sun was coming up. Man, it might've been nice to wait till sunrise. There was no way in hell he'd ask though, and even less of a chance that he'd expect Jamie to agree to something like that. Then again, maybe not.
He wouldn't ask either way. Maybe some other time.
"Hopefully the walk helped?" he was slowing his pace just a little bit as they strode down the street. "Honestly... it's sort of nice. There's not that many people out when it's dark like this. There's like... lots of time and space to clear your head." a pause, "That's why I usually go on walks at this time of night anyway."
"Anyway... which house is it?" he was a little curious.
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Posted: Sat May 07, 2016 10:14 pm
"It did help... I think." The smile on his face grew a bit as he said that. Honestly, the walk had helped in more ways than one. His head felt clearer and even though there wasn't much left before his alarm went off, he thought he might be able to fall asleep easier now. That was hardly the only benefit, though. As he looked momentarily up at Shiloh, Jamie felt another flutter of that newfound happiness he'd only just experienced tonight. The happiness that came with knowing someone wanted to be his friend.
"I feel a lot, um, better than I did before."
With a small laugh, Jamie pointed at one of the houses across the street. Its light blue siding actually stood out in the darkness. There were only a few plants dotting the walkway leading up to the porch, but his parents were busy people and didn't have much time for gardening. "It's that one."
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2016 12:04 am
You think? He was pretty indecisive, huh? That was alright. Shiloh didn't mind too much. Ah, there was the clarification. Jamie was trying, and Shiloh had to give him some credit there. He lifted his head when Jamie pointed his house out.
"S'looks nice." he drawled quietly. What was Jamie's family like, he wondered? Was he an only child? Did he have siblings? Were his parents nice? The house seemed nice, but the outside can tell a whole different story than what happened within. Shiloh knew this. Didn't keep him from wondering, though.
"You won't get in trouble?" sneaking back in he wanted to add, but he kept to himself. Surely Jamie was aware of the risks, but he'd still feel bad if he got caught. Shiloh got caught sometimes, and those nights were never fun. Christ, he was basically stalling at this point. What the heck was up with that? He shook his head.
"Well anyway, don't let me keep you." he scratched the back of his head with his hand, careful not to displace the beanie sitting there too much. "Jamie? See you around. Don't be dumb, alright?"
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2016 9:45 am
Jamie was sure to look both ways before they crossed the street, just like his parents always taught him. After all, he was a good kid, he did things by the book, and he didn't usually sneak out at well past midnight to go for a walk when he should've been at home sleeping. If his parents did catch him, he'd probably be in a world of trouble, but the truth of the matter was, his parents were kind. His trouble would be much less severe than others might face if they were caught sneaking back in after a late night on the town.
"It'll be okay," he assured, though Shiloh wasn't the only one he was trying to convince. "I'll be really quiet... but if they hear me I'll say that I was, um, getting a drink or something."
Jamie hesitated once they made it to the walk up to his house, but the night was winding down and he was actually a bit more ready to head home than he had been a few minutes ago. Still, part of him feared he wouldn't see his new friend again after this. Then again, Jamie was the type to worry about everything.
"Okay, Shiloh," he said with one more small smile and a half-wave. "I won't be, I promise. See you, um, soon..." And he hoped it would be soon, he was just subtly putting that out there. With an almost whispered "good night," he started walking towards the porch.
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2016 9:52 am
"Soon." he agreed as he started walking up the porch steps. Shiloh had half a mind to turn around and go, but part of him wanted to finish seeing Jamie through. He was like a mouse; so timid, light, quiet... He was either the sort of person who was totally invisible to most, or an easy target. Maybe both.
"Tomorrow?" he called out as he got to the door. "I mean, at school..." they'd both be there anyway. Made sense right? "Maybe uh... lunch?" He could meet Ollie. That might be kinda nice. His brother would probably like him, quiet as he was. Maybe they could all be friends? That was a bizarre thought.
But not necessarily a bad one.
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2016 10:02 am
Jamie was at the top of the steps before he turned around. It was a surprise to hear it, but the invitation for lunch didn't just make his night, it already made his tomorrow, too.
"T-Tomorrow," he agreed, wobbling back and forth a tiny bit. "Lunch sounds, um, really nice. I'll see you then." Even with his nervousness, Jamie was beginning to think tomorrow was going to be a good day. With one final wave to Shiloh, he retreated (very quietly) back inside.
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2016 10:13 am
Tomorrow. That was that.
He offered a small wave back as Jamie retreated back inside, lingering for a moment or two longer like he expected him to come right back out. He didn't. It was just Shiloh and the cool night air and the expanse of the neighborhood around him. Man, it'd be like a thirty minute back-track going to his house...
He wasn't really that upset.
Shaking his head with a sigh, Shiloh finally turned around to walk along the sidewalk, hands in pocket once again, flipping his music back on. Hopefully Jamie liked animal crackers and teddy grahams.
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