step into my skin [joshler+brallon]

a frown and a dressing gown

*Tyler's POV*
lower case intended

i gently lifted my head up from my pillows, squinting my eyes at the sunlight creeping in through my black, dusty curtains. the sun beams scurried across the floor, bounding over piles of dirty clothes. it then climbed up onto my bed, running over my hands and illuminating my skin. suddenly, the ring of my alarm pierced my ears, causing me to cringe. i lashed out at my phone, causing it to clatter off my bedside table and onto the floor, somehow managing to knock off the alarm in the process.

i sat up slowly, preventing myself from becoming dizzy as my warm feet gently reached the cold, wooden floor. everything was silent, and i quickly came to the conclusion that brendon had decided to stay out last night.
i stood up, taking in my familiar surroundings. same old wardrobe, same old desk, same old rug, same old tv, same old dorm. nothing ever really changed, but i guess i enjoyed that.

        i ran a hand through my dark chocolate hair as i walked over to my dusty window. i closed my eyes and frowned before pulling back the curtains, allowing the most light as possible to flood my room. my baggy shirt felt heavy as i trudged across the room, back slightly bent. i opened my wardrobe doors with a clatter, pulling out the first clothes my eyes landed on. i slowly began to get dressed, trying not to fall over as i pulled on my black skinny jeans. i slipped my boring, grey tank-top over my head, then grabbed my black hoodie. as i struggled into it, i heard a knock on my door. who could be up and about at this time in the morning? i tiredly looked over at my clock. 10:35. oh. not as early as I thought. i exhaustedly started to make my way over to my door as more knocks echoed through my room. "i'm coming!" i mumbled with little effort, turning the handle to my door.

stumbling backwards, i was suddenly engulfed by a pair of two warm arms as i felt a smile creep on to my pale face. small hands with long nails started to run up and down my spine, and i instantly recognised who it was. "hi," i said quietly, as i heard a small giggle. "hi, tyler." melanie said, pulling away from the hug. she'd been on holiday for two weeks with her family, meanwhile i'd spent most of my free time alone.

"how are you?" she asked, her pearly white teeth on display as she beamed happily. "um, not bad, how about you?" i replied, still sleepy from just waking up. "i'm great! i have so much to tell you." she said excitedly. her soft hands grabbed my small wrists as she closed my door and dragged me down the corridor, after allowing me time to lock the door. she began to ramble to me as we walked, her bubblegum pink lips moving faster than the speed of light.

    as we sat down, and got food, in the restaurant next to the campus, melanie was still talking. i wasn't quite sure what about, but i was sure she knew that i wasn't really listening- spacing out was something I did quite regularly. my brain always had something much more important that somehow floated to the top of my thoughts.
"so," melanie said loudly, pulling me from my thoughts, "jenna text me last night." i looked up at her. she was inspecting some food on her plate. "she says there's rumours that there's a new guy starting today." she continued, making eye contact with me, as she put the food in her mouth. melanie was the only person, apart from my roommate brendon, to know i was gay, and i was the only person to know she was gay, too. "how does she know?" i asked quietly, breaking the eye contact to look down at my slightly eaten plate of food. "she said she saw him being shown to his room." melanie spoke as she picked up more food on her fork. suddenly, she leaned closer to me. "she said he's really hot." she whispered with a smirk on her face and a raised eyebrow. i laughed, gently pushing her away from me. "shut up." i giggled. "i'm not even looking for a relationship right now." i mumbled, still smiling, stabbing some salad with my fork. for the next half an hour we sat and ate, making random comments every so often. it was about an hour later when we returned to campus.

unfortunately, melanie and i were hardly in any lessons together, so my school life was pretty dull. it was the same routine every lesson: get to class early and pick the seat as close to the back (and preferably the window) as i can get. that way nobody really talked to me, and lessons passed by quickly. the only lessons i enjoyed were art and music, and sometimes english. these were the only lessons i felt free in, as i could be as creative as i wanted. of course i was good at basketball, but i didn't really enjoy it. luckily, i had no lessons today; but that meant i'd have to find another way to spend it.