Colors // Joshler

// 66. Blue At The Tips //

As Tyler got ready for school the next morning, all he could think about was the situation he'd gotten himself into. It certainly wasn't ideal.

It frustrated him, really, and being frustrated frustrated him, pulling his emotions into a wheel that kept turning and turning along the same path. He wanted to work on the perfect painting, truly, but he couldn't if he was frustrated, because any sort of sour mood would make his work less than his best, and this was the perfect painting! It couldn't be anything less than his best.

Josh was waiting outside the door on the side of the house, where they usually met up to walk to school together; it was a bit risky now, somehow, for him to wait out front. There was a bright smile on Josh's face, like there was almost every day when they first saw one another. Tyler's face, however, was solemn.

"I have to tell you something."

He hated to ruin Josh's good mood, but this wasn't something he could just go through without telling him. Josh wasn't only his lover; he was also his friend, his confidant. Really, he was the only person he trusted.

And so, as they walked, Tyler explained the conversation from last night. On most days, they would walk hand in hand, but for an unknown reason, Tyler didn't feel like it today. His hands clung to the straps of his backpack instead, and his eyes were cast downward.

Josh didn't say much as Tyler told the story, he just nodded his head now and then to let him know he was listening.

By the time he had finished explaining, they had arrived at their destination, and were standing just outside the school gates.

"What are you going to do?" Josh asked finally.

"I don't know," he responded. He hesitated before speaking again. "I mean, what do you think I should do?"

Josh glanced up at the sky as he thought about his answer. Briefly, Tyler's mind wandered from the problem at hand to admire how beautiful his lover was. His hair looked nice against the sky; the lighter blue tips almost mingled with the clear atmosphere. If Tyler painted this scene--which he was beginning to consider doing--he would smear the blue at the tips of his hair with the blue of the sky, to blend them together into one big, beautiful mess.

"Maybe you should ask her over," Josh said after a moment, bringing Tyler back out of his head. "As a friend, I mean. And talk to her about the situation."

Tyler's blood went just a little bit cold. He didn't like the thought of bringing someone from school--someone he hardly knew, as well--into this. What if Jenna was homophobic? What if she told Tyler's classmates? There were a lot of ways that it could go wrong.

Then again, he didn't have a lot of other options.