unOrdinary: The Alternative

Chapter 3

The walk was awkward, to say the least.

They took seating on park benches. It was in the shade and provided a much-needed relief, they were a godsend.

Adrion shifted around while he sat, the tension making it hard to get comfortable.

He's so different from what he was before. He wanted to talk...but he hasn't said anything since we sat down. Should I say something?

"Adrion..."

John finally spoke, snapping Adrion out of his thoughts.

"Y-Yeah?"

"How...have things been?"

"Oh, you know. They've been...happening."

"You've started working?"

Adrion looked away, staring at the ground. "Summer break rolled around, so I figured I might as well. We need all the help we can get..."

John frowned. He remembered Adrion's household not being very financially stable now that he thought about it.

The hospital bills must have taken a toll on them.

Why does he always make things worse?

"What about you?"

John was pulled back to now. "Huh?"

"I heard that you had to spend a couple months doing those re-adjustment classes or something..." Adrion looked John up and down. "Did they help?"

John looked off to the side. "Sure, let's go with that."

...Yeah, totally not foreboding... A sweatdrop trickled down Adrion's face.

John grunted, rubbing his eyes. He was wasting time, he needed to just get it out already.

"Adrion, I...I'm sorry."

John glances at him. Adrion didn't need to say anything, his face showed it all.

"I'm sorry for all the crap I put you through. I'm sorry for treating you like shit. I'm—"

He choked up.

John composed himself. "I'm sorry I was such a shitty person."

He felt a firm grip on his shoulder, Adrion's gotten stronger.

"...Thanks, John, I appreciate it. I'm just glad to see you're doing better."

John let go of a breath hitched in his throat.

Hearing those words felt so much better than he thought it would.

"So, after summer's over, where do you plan on going to school?" Adrion asked. He wasn't as nervous and seemed a bit chipper even. 

John rested his chin in the palm of his hand. He didn't want to go anywhere that was close, he had run through so many turf wars with the other nearby schools that whether they wanted him or not, he definitely wouldn't want to be there.

"We were looking for somewhere that was...pretty far away from here. Dad and I figured...Wellston was a good place to try."

Adrion eyes went wide. "Woah, really? Wellston's a pretty snazzy place. That's the best school in the region, ain't it?"

John shrugged. "That's what they say, guess that's why their entrance exams were such a pain in the ass."

Adrion laughed a little.

It was nice to hear.

"We sent in my admissions form a week ago, it's gonna take a bit to get back to us."