The Smoke From His Lips

17

Jared walked in the school halls side by side with Connor, which hasn't really happened very often. Not in the beginning of the day for sure, when everyone can see and mumble about it. How the freak Connor Murphy and the insecure loser Jared Kleinman are walking so close so that must mean they're fucking. Or maybe Connor Murphy beats Jared Kleinman up and won't let him leave. That stirred some drama up, especially since Jared had a bit of a bruised and scraped face. The safe spot? The one he wasn't sure how to get down from? Fell straight off. Connor of course ran down to the lawn and had to make sure he was conscious, which he mindlessly slapped Jared to check which was pretty much the worst idea he's ever had.

And yeah, Connor already got a talking to by Evan. Most of it was a bit stammered and included very vague and not threatening threats. But other than that, it was assumed most people were scared to ask. They were also most likely in shock seeing the two together.

"Can I have another bandaid?" Jared mumbled quietly to Connor, leaning forward as they walked to get in Connors sight range. "The one on my cheek is falling off I think. Either that or I'm having like a stroke or something because it feels like it's falling off."

Connor let out a faint breath of a chuckle and tugged Jared by the sleeve to hurry to his locker. Connors instincts always went straight to grab his hand but honestly, in public he had a lot more doubt, which seemed surprising because he already had a shit ton of doubt to begin with.

He twisted the combination, opened his locker and went straight for the shelf. He peaked in and asked Jared, "I got the patterned ones for you. Spiderman or Jurassic Park? I will be deeply offended if you don't say Spiderman—"

"Jurassic Park."

"Fuck you," Connor stated as he unwrapped the dinosaur printed bandaid and looked at Jared. "Show."

Jared turned and tilted his head so Connor could see the scrape that was still raw. Connor quickly took the falling bandaid off of his cheek and stuck it on the center of his glasses before he smoothed another bandaid on. Jared smiled slightly. It was engrained in Connors mind, however, to pat things after smoothing or sticking them onto something, so he minorly slapped Jared. "Again? Do your hands have a mind of their own?" He took the bandaid off his nose and threw it somewhere in Connors locker.

"It happens," Connor justified himself with a small huff. "It just, like, habit or muscle memory or whatever the fuck people say."

"Are you sure your hands aren't just separate beings out to hit me?" Jared chuckled stupidly and raised an eyebrow. "That might be appropriate sometime but not in the hall—"

"Jared oh my fucking god."

"What?" Jared snapped quickly.

"That sounded like you want my hands to hit you a certain way if you're catching my drift here."

"That's... fuck you, thats not what I meant."

Connor faintly smiled and let out a very small chuckle, which was probably the most he's ever done in public. "Then wh—"

"Jared? Connor?" Alana piped up nearby, walking over with obvious concern seeing that Jared was bruised up. "What happened? Oh my god Jared you're purple."

Jared smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "Oh, yeah, long story 'Lana." He glanced to Connor as if to tell him to explain it because he sure as shit didn't know how to. Connor just gave him a small shrug. "Oh, uh, Connor can explain it! He's much better than I am at explaining things."

"No I'm not, Jared should tell the story because he's the dumbass who caused the bruise," Connor quickly pushed the pressure back onto Jared like an intense game of hot potato.

"But its way too embarrassing for me to explain so Connor should save me on this one and explain it so I don't have to die."

Alana raised an eyebrow and waited with a small smile. Those two were kind of cute together in her mind. They could really balance the perfect bickering. She kind of glanced between them as they kept pushing the responsibility of explaining back and forth before Connor announced, "Jared fell off my roof like a dumbass, even though I definitely warned him that he wasn't stepping right."

"As if I listen to anything I'm supposed to, c'mon dude."

Alana smiled fondly at them. She knew how much Jared had freaked out before because of the anxiety of talking to Connor and holding conversations with him. She definitely remembered him calling her up and frantically trying to figure out what Connor would be interested in as a topic of conversation, or how he should approach it, or if his sense of humor was too off putting or this or that. At some points she wouldn't even have to say anything during the call because Jared would ramble so much and answer his own questions during, then call Alana smart for that answer he figured out himself and hang up. He was a big ball of stress about Connor and now he's talking freely with him, and apparently falling off of roofs.

"So are you two close now?" She asked curiously with a smile that was definitely meant to irk Jared. "Like walk home together kinda close?"

Connor didn't notice the glare Jared gave Alana and the quick knowing and smug raise of eyebrows she flashed to him. He only noticed that Jared stammered on his words slightly and his ears slowly started to turn pink. "Yeah, we walk home together Alana, I wait by his locker for a reason. I'm not a predator or someshit waiting by his locker to m—."

"Not the best joke," Connor sighed with purses lips and a pat on Jared's back.

"Anyway yes, we walk home together and what's that gotta do with anything, Alana?" Jared raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, giving her a slight smile to it.

"Oh, just curious. I'll text you guys later," Alana chirped and bounced slightly, patting Jared on the shoulder and air-patting Connor too before she spun on her heels and left. She knew Connor wasn't a fan of physical contact, she definitely learned that one from their science project a couple of years ago.
~

What's up gamers my wife made an epic announcement
She's leaving me
And taking the kids
*crazy frog on guitar*
Haha, see you on the battle bus!