Grumbo: One Shot

Just Friends

Charles and Oliver weren't just friends, they were best friends. Well, that was until Oliver messed everything up...

"Hey turd, where's your boyfriend," Charles's younger sister asked from across the table. "That's enough Sukie, leave your brother alone," said Meisa, defending the young lad.

"I'm not hungry can I go to my room now?" He asked his dad for permission before excusing himself from the dinner table."

Taking his plate to the kitchen in a hast, He washed the plate along with the cutlery set them to dry then retired to the confines of his room.

"Stupid step sister, stupid family, s-stupid Oliver. I don't need any of it in my life." Charles dreaded going back to school and seeing any of his middle school mates again.

The ninth grade should have been an easy transition but, Oliver had to ruin it for him. It all started going downhill at the annual End of Year Barbecue.

~Flash back~

"Ha, I'm gonna turn 14 before all of you," Charles laughed liking the feeling of being the oldest one in the friend group.

"You may be older but I'll still be taller." Oliver pushed Charles playfully but the unsuspecting Charles ended up landing on his bottom.

"What the heck mate." Charles got up and pushed Oliver back. Inevitably this led to a dog-pile of the soon to be graduating grade-schoolers.

"Alright break it up boys." After some kid's mum got them to settle down, the group quickly turned to a lighter topic.

"Hey Oliver did you invite any girls to your birthday party?" asked Samuel, who was Ren's twin brother. "Uh- yeah why do you ask?" Oliver replied innocently.

Charles knew what Samuel meant, but he wasn't sure Oliver knew. "Well duh, you've got to start dating when you're in high school. If you have a crush on someone you can ask them out too."

All the other boys and in the group began to snicker at Sam's comment but seemed to agree. Oliver being the innocent child he was looked to his best friend for clarity.

"Charles do you know what that means?" Oliver waited for Charles to answer him. "I'll tell you about it later okay." Feeling awkward Charles shuffled to his feet and decided to grab a drink.

This was the start of something new, for all of them. Charles felt that it would be different for him and his friend, but Oliver didn't seem to have a clue.

~At the party~

"Happy birthday Oli!" Charles ran to his friend and gave him a side hug. "Thanks Charlie, I'm glad you could make it." Charles doesn't usually call him this name so he felt very special when he did use it.

Once all the guests started filtering in, that's when things really took off. "C'mon I set up the first game in my room." Oliver led the group up the stairs to his bedroom.

"I'm not completely sure what the game is called but, it should be fun," says Oliver.

"All you have to do for this game is figure out who the killer is. Someone will be the detective, one person will be the murderer and the rest of us have to obey the murderer without tipping the detective off."

Everyone was sat in a circle on the floor listening to Oliver explain the game. Oliver had yet to get in the circle as he was stood up to explain the rules.

"Oliver, sit beside me," said Symme waving him over. "Thanks Symme," said Oliver squeezing in between Symme and Charles.

"I don't wanna play this game, can we play something more fun." said a girl called Alessia. Charles could see the look of nervousness on his friend's face.

"Oliver, can I talk to you for a second?" Charles asked. Oliver looked from Charles to the group and made a decision.

"Okay just think of a better game and we'll play when I get back," said Oliver, but instead of waiting for the group to reply Charles grabbed Oliver's hand and dragged him out of the room to talk.

"Is everything alright mate?" Oliver looked at the shorter kid who starred back at him intensely. "It's about what Sam said yesterday, you know at the barbecue?" Charles asked really counting on Oliver not being a spoon right now.

Between the adults mingling just down the stairs and a half a class amount of kids in Olivers small bedroom, Charles was beginning to feel overwhelmed with what he knew was about to happen next.

"Yeah I remember that, I'm not that much of an idiot you know." Oliver enunciated slowly for he too had noticed Charles uneasiness.

"Well dating mean's when you like-like someone and then you're in a relationship and you do things like kissing and yeah." Charles chocked it up quickly trying to avoid awkward pauses and such.

"Oh, well I think I get it. Kinda like Linda and David, right?" Oliver asked referring to his adoptive parents. This was something Charles could partially understand because of Meisa and her daughter Sukie coming into his and his dad's lives fairly recently.

"Yeah and it's called dating and you'll hear a whole lot more about it in there." Charles continued to rush his words. "So, why are we whispering out her about it, it seems like a chill enough thing to talk about with everyone else," Oliver said whilst leading Charles back to his room.

"We're back. What game are we playing?" Oliver and Charles reclaimed their spots between Viktor(The Swede) and Symme once again. Oliver noticed an empty Ribena glass bottle in the middle of the circle.

"This looks interesting, what is it?" Oliver looked around the circle to see everyone now just as nervous as Charles was a minute ago.

"This is a popular game called spin the bottle, and I'm going first." Said Samuel who was grinning mischievously.

"No way Sam, you already have a girlfriend," shouted Ryan(Scar) from the opposite side of the circle from him. "So, she's going to Westburrow," Sam said. Ryan wasn't buying Sam's argument though.

"Well I guess you'll just have to break up with her first then." And with this, Samuel was defeated and sat out for this particular game.

"Fine, I guess you're right Ryan," Sam replies sadly. "Break up, that's a real thing?" Oliver was amazed.

Charles face palmed after hearing this though. "My best friend has been living under a rock. Are you sure your name isn't Patrick?"

Oliver laughed boisterously at Charles's joke and Symme and Viktor laughed as well.

. . . .

I hope you liked this cause part 2 is coming soon.  Also, GreyHound340  was the first person to comment and they chose for me to draw the bus scene from Public Service - Ch. 9 (check out the last chapter to see the drawing.)