The Smoke From His Lips

8

Jared sighed and called Alana Beck in speaker phone. He considered her a friend and himself a friend of hers, but she always used acquaintances. From what anyone's seen, she's not close enough to anyone to say friend confidently, but Jared thought she'd make a great friend. Sure, he doesn't talk to her face to face many days unless it's about school work, and that's a rarity, and yeah maybe they don't share the same sense of humor but who was there trying to calm him down after he had a breakdown? Alana.

In middle school, Jared was very sensitive he liked to say. In reality, he had a problem with being bullied in school, and he never had a safe spot to be. He hated going home yet he hated school. It was a constant loop. He walked through the doors one day with red and puffy eyes and tear stains on his cheeks, and a small bruise showing on his arm from a day or two before that he absolutely hated, but Alana didn't see him first. A boy a grade ahead of him did, and he was in for it. He was mocked until he started to breakdown and cry like he did on the walk to school and the noise seemed to get Alana's attention, because that's when she walked up there and stood next to Jared. She went off on the boy in the same resting tone, which made it even scarier, and then actually took time to see if Jared was alright. That was the first time Jared's ever been shown personal concern beside Evan, but after second grade, Evan wasn't in school again until freshmen year.

So it was basically just a thing to do under stress—call Alana. Occasionally she would call him too, but that was typically about homework assignments or college tour openings. He let her ramble on and on, it was nice to hear, even if he didn't pay attention. Her phone always, absolutely every time Jared called, rings only one time.

"Hey Jared, what's up?" Alana answered, muffled from the phone. Jared tossed his phone gently on the mattress.

"Yknow Zoe's brother?" He hesitated to ask. He laid down and stared at the ceiling above him.

"Yeah,Connor Murphy, why?"

"Do you know him personally?"

"We were science partners once, but no, we never learned personal levels of each other. I learned some about him though, he's a very emotional person and it all comes out under stress."

Jared nodded slowly. He didn't seem that emotional. He just seemed, well, angry. Frustrated, and Jared might've even gone far enough to say naturally violent.

"He's high right now," Jared sighed out of the blue. "I don't know why but I texted him an apology because I said a shitty jo——"

"School shooter chic?" Alana interrupted. "I heard from Zoe that Connor came home silent because of it. She kept asking what was wrong and he yelled what you said and locked himself in his room."

Jared froze. Was Connor really that affected by it? Was he really so, sensitive about words? It was a joke. A dark joke, but still a joke. It wasn't meant to be that hurtful. Just a little poking fun to start up conversations or earn attention and praise from peers. That was appealing to him. Why wasn't it clicking in with Connor though? He wasn't harassing him or anything. "Do you think that's why he's high?"

"He self medicates, so maybe."

"How do you know all of this?" Jared asked in a weird sort of awe. Alana was alknowing like, holy shit.

"I'm close acquaintances with Zoe," she hummed over the phone. "She's emotional as well. In a different way of course, she just likes too express how she feels before she breaks down completely."

"Oh, shit."

"You'll see him in school most likely tomorrow," Alana reminded Jared. "You can face to face apologize when he's sobered or close to."

"I don't like this at all."

"You involves yourself into this and I really don't see why you're so invested in Connor. You don't seem like the type that would be into him."

"Into?" Jared almost choked. "That sounds gay, that's not what's happening 'Lans. I'm not crushing over Murphy. He's just.... interesting, okay?"

"Funny, I never mentioned anything gay specifically, invested into means to be invested in his character and true self in my context. You brought that one up yourself."

"Hey, I assumed and I jumped to the conclusions. Shut it."

"How's the home anyway? Weird, but I thought of gay and then I thought about your living."

Jared groaned, "if you mean my asshole family then it's average for me. Aka ugh."

"I feel you Jared," Alana breathily chuckled. "I've got viola in a couple of minutes, I'll see you at school?"

"Yeah, see you at school."

"Bye!" She hung up.

Jared just stared at the ceiling again and debated calling up Connor instead of just texting him. Maybe he'd get a better and realer response. Or get a disgusted decline. He groaned and flipped over, Then shoved his face in a pillow. "I hate myself."
~

Alana and Jared are my headcanon brotp

Idk if this was a lot for one chapter and all at once but yknow Alana's a blabber anyway so

Vote and comment and shit I want feedback and I'm a slut