Paper Hearts || Krii7y

10. No, We're Friends

Jaren woke up when he heard tapping.

"Boys, you can't be here."

He sat up and his eyes widened when he realised they were still on the hill. It was broad daylight. He looked at the man who had spoken, who was standing beside the truck.

"Oh fuck," he said, right to his face.

The man didn't look impressed. "You need to leave."

"I'm so sorry, we'll leave right away." Jaren was so flustered, he could hardly get the sentence out. He turned to John, who was still asleep. He had a small smile on his face and his hair was splayed about him like a pillow. He didn't have time to appreciate how he looked right now.

"John?" he said, shaking the boy.

"Five minutes, Sarah," John mumbled.

"John!"

That got his attention. His eyes snapped open and he bolted upright. "Ren? What are you- Oh. Hi, Darryl."

"Hi, John," the man replied. "You both need to go."

"Got it."

Jaren didn't question how they knew each other and instead tumbled into John's passenger seat. He waited for him to start the car and drive away before he said anything.

"Who was that?"

"Darryl. He's the premises manager of the warehouse."

"How do you know him?"

"He might have... um, caught me asleep there a few times already," John admitted.

Jaren laughed, bewildered by everything that had happened since last night. They'd lain in the back of the car for hours, pointing out constellations of stars and talking. They must have drifted off well after midnight, out in the open. He'd never done anything like that before. It was so different, but he loved it.

He looked over at John, who had one hand wrapped around the wheel while the other tapped his leg in time to the soft music playing from the radio. He had never been impulsive but the boy beside him was changing that.

He smiled before he looked at the time.

"Shoot."

"What?" John took his eyes off the road to look at him.

"I have work in half an hour."

"Can't you tell them you're sick or something?"

Jaren shook his head. "I can't, we're really short of staff. If I don't go in, it's just Anna out front."

"Okay." John paused momentarily. "I'll drive you home. You can freshen up and then I'll get you to work." He sped up a little and made his way to Jaren's home with Jaren fidgeting in his seat.

Once John slowed to a stop in front of his house, Jaren prayed silently that his mom had left already. Her car was nowhere to be seen. He leapt out of John's truck and made his way inside, not finding any evidence of his mom being home. He brushed his teeth and changed into a fresh set of his uniform before rushing back out to John, who sped off before he'd even closed the door.

They got to the café fifteen minutes after his shift started. He hopped out of the car and looked down at his creased uniform. He hadn't had time to iron it so he smoothed it as much as he could with his hands. "How do I look?" he asked John through the open car door.

"Good. You look fine."

"I definitely don't," he groaned. "Thank you for the ride. And thank you for last night."