Metal and Stingers

The discovery prt. 1

It had been, what, three weeks(?) since you had properly met the whole group. Jack, Miko, and Rafael. They had become the brightest part of your day, when you could talk to them. You had procured half of a table in the cafeteria for the four of you to sit, and lunchtime was better because of it.

Jack had been your friend of five years. You knew quite a bit about him, though you had interacted less this last year. Turns out he was thinking of getting into sports like soccer or basketball, and that he was an aspiring mechanic. The sports one was predictable (Sarah, duh), but the mechanic one was a bit of a surprise. Sure, he had created a few things and claimed it as a hobby, but you hadn't known that he was moving past the hobby part and making it a passion, a potential job.

Miko was an exchange student from Japan, spending a year here in America for exposure to a different culture. She was punk rock (you had asked, she had confirmed), and it was apparently the main trend back in Japan right now, though she said that she felt it was closest to her personality than any trend so far, and you couldn't deny it. She was loud and energetic, a real character. She had a sort of cute, edgy look to her, accented by the black versus neon. Miko had taken a liking to music; creating and producing it, to be precise. She had once sang a line of her favourite song in Japanese, and you could tell that she certainly had a voice.

Rafael, or Raf, as he had asked you to call him, was a total kid genius. He had designed a bunch of code, worked with it daily, and hands down could do math and science. It made you super jealous, specifically because both subjects were a bit sore to you. He could work around a conversation like any adult you knew, but the age gap between him and the people here at your school isolated him a lot. You felt a little bad, to be honest. He was a sweet kid, with a wonderful future and more potential in his pinkie than you did in your arm (Metaphors were not your strong suit). High school was a painful time, unfortunately, and Raf had just gotten the short straw.

They were great, and better company than just yourself, which was how it was for many years. Even after meeting Jack. You would say that it wasn't that bad, but humans are social creatures. You had needed a rock, a good friend. Jack had his own stuff, and you weren't ever entirely sure if he was comfortable with your hanging  out with him.

But now you had people. Real people, of whom you could depend on.

If only they weren't so busy.

None of them were able to hang out, ever. They always had one thing or another going on, whether it was music lessons or a mechanics class or a math club, 'The bois' as you had dubbed the group, were unavailable.

Since those things were out of their control, you didn't hold it against them. Of course, it did lead to some pillow hugging as you wondered what was wrong with you.

So they couldn't hang out again. Big deal. You're putting this out of proportion.

You scolded yourself, listening to music while laying on your bed, doing the aforementioned action of artificial human affection.

"I don't like talking to myself..." You muttered.

I don't like talking to you either, but here we are.

"Man, am I sassy." You giggled and then sighed, hugging the pillow closer and smudging your face into it.

"'M jusht lownly." You garbled, words being muffled by the pillow and its softness.

Great, you were lonely. A small knot of the feeling was sitting in your chest, unwelcome.

A large sigh left your lips, and you closed your eyes.

Maybe a nap will do me good. You thought, the frown on your face softening as you sunk into sleep.

Haha, if only.

You probably laid there for a good ten minutes before giving up and letting the pillow go, rolling onto your back to look up at the ceiling.

You could hear the faint bustling of people, and the sound of the wind blowing past your house.

Lovely.

You pondered on what exactly you should do. It was Friday, your parents weren't going to be home until late, and you had no homework. Your first thought was about logging onto the Internet, but you shot it down. Exercise, though you despised it, didn't seem like the worst thing. And though you would never admit that you had a computer addiction, the amount of time you had spent on it lately could be called concerning.

You could bring a twenty with you and go buy stuff, like a soda at the convenience store that you didn't work at.

"Whelp, here goes the plan." You said, getting off of your bed. You glanced at the clock; it was eight PM already. The sun was setting, making its descent across the sky.

So you made your bed, piling pillows in an impersonation of your sleeping body. Yep, you weren't thinking of returning before your parents. You didn't think that they'd check in on you before going to bed themselves, but backup plans are always handy.

You were quick in getting ready, dressing warm for the Nevada night that was approaching. Hot in the day, cold at night.

With a bit of money in your pocket, your phone, Chapstick, and a small knife (for protection), you exited your house and locked it with the spare key, stuffing it back into its hiding spot after.

As you walked, the air seemed different. For an instant, you felt as if something big was going to happen.

Then the feeling was gone, replaced by the yearning for some adventure. Jasper might've been small, but excitement could be found if you knew where to look.

I love cheap thrills.

You laughed and began to jog.

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Hey guys, just a disclaimer that I kind of fudged the kids hobbies and interests at the beginning of the chapter when describing them. It might not match up perfectly to canon, but it is kind of on purpose.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed reading so far! And just as a little sneak peek to the next chapter; I think I've built up enough backstory now to really get into the good stuff.

Please remember to vote and comment!