Philosophical Idiotsy (MxM)

8.

Two days had passed, and James had continued to sit down with me every morning. The conversations were still awkward as ever, and I have no idea why he continues to sit with me when he seems much more comfortable with his friends at the other table. Every day I find myself leaning in just a little closer to listen to what he was talking about.

Tuesday he was talking about the book, and he also talked about how the speech teacher talked about her divorce (yet again). I found myself being wrapped up in his stories. They were nervous rambles, but I enjoyed them. His voice wasn't deep, but it wasn't high either. It had a certain ring to it in which it was very rich, but if the volume was kicked up it would be a little thinner. A big contrast to my almost girly man voice, which seems to never get past anybody. James has yet to comment on it yet.

Wednesday I brought up the Xbox and we both talked about our favorite games. He preferred lots of puzzle games, but his all time favorite was Plants Vs Zombies. I couldn't agree more, as that game is unironically fun. Sometimes I will refresh my data just to play the levels over and over again.

Day by day James was getting more and more comfortable with talking, and the stuttering began to calm down. I had a handle on talking normally, but so couldn't hold a conversation to save my life, so this was a big challenge. Even Bianca and I don't talk very much. It's all cards and handshakes and occasional hugs.

Speaking of Bianca, she walked into the library while James was a mid ramble, and gave me a sly smile. I rolled my eyes at her, and she made her way over. Not before giving Mrs. Potenza a crisp high-five. "Hi boys!" She said cheerfully, making James nervous again.

"Hi, Bianca," I said, giving her a welcoming smile.

She pulled my giant backpack off the chair next to me and sat down, interlocking her fingers. "So, who are you?" She asked nicely, making James go red.

Is he blushing? It didn't matter. James stayed silent, so I took the fall. "This is James. He is a friend." I said, and I felt James relax a little.

"Nice to meet you, James. I'm Bianca, Oliver's best friend from childhood. How are you today?" Bianca welcomed, reaching her hand out for him to shake.

"I uh... I-I'm doing okay." James said nervously, taking her hand and shaking it.

Bianca gave me a little shove and laughed. "You up for a card game?"

I nodded. Cards were always a good way to cheer me up, Even if this week wasn't as tedious as I expected. "Have you ever played cards before James?" I asked, shuffling the deck like usual.

"N-no. What are we gonna play?" James asked quietly.

"How about a nice match of 52 card pickup-"

"Nope. Not today. Not ever." I replied to Bianca, making her laugh.

"Fine. Another day." She said, giving me another shove. "What about...BS? That's easy. It stands for bullshit."

James recoiled a little. Swearing. Good to note. "It's easy. We split the deck three ways and put cards down. We have to match the number we put down, or we lie, if you call BS, the person must reveal their card. If they weren't lying, the game continues normally. If they were lying, the player who lied takes the cards placed down. First-person to run out wins."

James gave a confident smile. "Sounds easy enough."

My stomach began to get butterflies again. I don't know what it was from, so I just decided to ignore it. I'll take some ibuprofen when I get home. I sealed the cards out to everyone and we began. At first, it was super easy to tell when James was lying. As a master of cards Bianca and I almost called him out immediately, but we both decided to go along with it in an understanding look.

Eventually, I got called out on a lie by Bianca and had to draw a good amount of cards. This made James laugh, which made Bianca laugh too. This was going surprisingly well. As we continued the game, Bianca eventually won and ran out before we could call BS. James had only 3 cards left while I had 12. BS is not my specialty.

The bell rung above our heads, signaling another day ahead of learning at Vangough High. Bianca got up and gave the usual handshake, and gave James a polite nod. Before we left, James stopped me.

"H-hey Oliver? I have a question." He said timidly.

"What's up, man?" I replied casually, picking up my things.

"You don't mind me sitting here do you?" He said seriously, that signature nerdy smile slowly going away.

I scoffed, and then put my hand on his shoulder in understanding. He was warm to the touch like hot chocolate on Christmas morning. "Of course not. I enjoy your company. You are a lot nicer than lots of people here."

James gave me an awkward smile. "O-okay. Cool."

He walked away slower than usual, and I watched him walk on his way out. My stomach began to hurt again, butterflies invading my stomach. What the hell keeps doing that?