Colors // Joshler

// 47. Some Good Stuff //

"Do you watch Stranger Things?" Josh asked as he started flicking through the channels with the remote. Each press of the button made a quiet golden sound.

Tyler shook his head. He didn't normally watch television at home--he found it overrated. There were too many shows about drunk celebrities, or pregnant teenagers, or infomercials for useless products. Even if there was some good stuff on television, Tyler had trouble seeing it through the bad.

"It's my favorite show." Josh explained the premise of the program as he continued flicking through the stations. Tyler listened attentively, nodding now and then to let Josh know he understood what he was saying. In the back of his mind, he admired the way Josh talked: he made gestures with his hands, and looked Tyler in the eyes to give him his full attention.

The show seemed intriguing, so Josh found an episode that he'd recorded, and Tyler and Josh watched Stranger Things together. It wasn't the first episode, so Tyler would get confused once in a while, and Josh would pause the show to explain what was going on.

Before too long, Tyler had started to actually get into it. He particularly admired Eleven, the girl with supernatural powers.

"Boys, dinner!" called a voice from outside Josh's door.

"Okay, Mom!" Josh called back. After pausing the television, he hopped off of his bed. Tyler followed as Josh led him out of his room and down the stairs to the dining room. Mrs. Dun and Josh's three siblings were there, but his father was nowhere to be seen.

"There you are," Mrs. Dun said with a smile as the two boys entered the room. Josh took a seat, and Tyler sat next to him, with one of Josh's sisters sitting on his other side. He should have felt nervous or worried, but oddly, he felt rather comfortable.

Mrs. Dun set a large plate in front of Tyler, which had two chicken enchiladas, rice, and beans, all piled high. "I hope Mexican food is alright."

"I love Mexican food," Tyler said with a bright smile. His family rarely had it at home, since his mom didn't really like it.

The family and their guest ate heartily, and they talked together, which was an interesting experience for Tyler. He got to learn the names of Josh's siblings: Abigail, Ashley, and Jordan. He learned that Mrs. Dun was a teacher at the local middle school, and probably taught Tyler's siblings. He learned that Abigail had 'completely destroyed' her siblings at Mario Kart, to which Ashley and Jordan both protested.

Besides learning about the Dun family itself, he also learned a little more about Josh. It was mostly just little facts that he hadn't yet heard: Josh was close to his grandparents, who lived in a different neighborhood. He'd worked at Taco Bell last summer, to save up money for the video game system his siblings had been playing with earlier.

And lastly, and possibly most interestingly, Tyler learned that Josh was gay.