recreational idiocy | wilbur soot

𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞

𝐛𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐦, 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐨

𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐛𝐮𝐫

"carter?"

her voice was so soft, speaking the name like she'd never expected to say it again. she ran into his open arms with no hesitation, laughing in what seemed like shock. 

he accepted her immediately, wrapping his arms around her. becoming increasingly uncomfortable, i cleared my throat, hoping she'd remember i was still there and tell me what was going on. 

she collected herself quickly, though the remnants of a smile still lit up her features. "oh, will, this is carter! he's my, uhm.. he's my best friend," she began, glancing over at him. "or- he was. he was my best friend." she finished uncomfortably, taking an awkward half step away from him, toward me.

that smile faded awfully quickly.

"nice to meet you, man," he said, holding out his hand. i looked down at it, torn between not wanting to come off as rude and simply not giving a damn. i almost immediately decided on the latter.

"er- right, then." he mumbled, wiping his hand on his trousers. olivia gave me a weird look, but i just stared at the man in front of us. for a moment, no one moved or said anything. 

"i should go," i said finally, both to break the silence and because at this point i just wanted to leave. 

this seems to snap olivia out of her reverie. "no! i mean, sorry, i-" she takes a deep breath, seemingly getting her thoughts in order. "im sorry, carter, but will and i were just leaving."

my chest swells with pride at this simple statement, though carter seems proper pissed behind his stony mask of indifference. i could tell by his reaction that whatever via said, there had been something going on between them. 

however long ago, i have no idea, but clearly his feelings stayed the same. i just wish i knew what happened. 

"of course. it wasn't my intention to interrupt your- er- date. but when i saw you, i just couldn't resist stopping to say hello. could i get your new number then?" he asks, holding out his cellphone. 

"of course," she responds, putting her information into the device. but while this is all going on, only one thought is running through my mind.

she didn't correct him.

-

via and i are walking in silence for the past ten minutes to whatever destination she has in mind when she finally speaks. "why were you so rude to carter earlier?" she asks bluntly.

not exactly sure of the reason myself, i fumble a bit before responding with "i wasn't." she looks me dead in the eyes and scoffs, "bloody likely story, simons."

i exhale deeply, rubbing my face in frustration before answering, "i don't know, olivia," a bit harsher than i mean to.  she searches my expression for signs of my answer being an untruth before finally accepting it.

"whatever. let's just drop it, i don't want to talk about this anymore." she says softly, resuming the walk with a slightly hurt expression.

"hey- look, i'm sorry, via. i didn't mean to snap." i say, immediately feeling awful about her change in demeanor. she doesn't look at me when saying, "it's fine,"

feeling the need to explain myself properly, i start with, "i really didn't mean to be rude. i just got a weird vibe from that guy earlier and it carried out into my mood. i'm so sorry."

this causes her to finally turn to face me with a more neutral expression, asking, "are we friends, will?"

completely taken aback by the random query, i nonetheless respond almost immediately with, "of course. is there a reason you thought we might not be?" she shakes her head. "just asking."

i nod as we finally reach our destination; Blakers Park. i look curiously at the girl beside me, who smiles at the scene in front of us and immediately takes off toward the grassy expanse, running at full speed.

for the next hour, we run around the park chasing each other, laughing, talking, and acting like absolute children. it's one of the best days i've had in a long while, and i come to realise that having a friend like olivia is the best thing that could have happened to me, and i can't ever do anything to mess that up.

it's a terrifyingly exhilarating feeling.