Two Player Game

~Chapter Thirty-Four~

"He was. He'll be back. He's at home."

"Ah." he looks around at all of Michael and his stuff still there. "How long you been here?"

"Um... two weeks?"

"That sucks, dude."

"Yeah. I hate all the needles they stick in my arm." He lays an arm gently over his stomach.

"You've probably got a nasty scar too."

"Yeah..." he's not up for showing people it. But by the way Rich is lookin' at him, he can tell that he still likes him.

"Jeez. Hope you heal quick." oh yeah he likes him. He can think of a few reasons he wants Jeremy to get well...

"So, Jared, how is Princeton so far?"

"It's great! The place is so big." Rich just kinda looks around. He's confused. It looks like Michael hasn't left in the entire two weeks. Jesus Christ. Speak of the devil, Michael walks through the door.

"Michael!" He walks in with a cheeseburger in his mouth and another in his hand and stops.

"Jared! Rich!"

"Michael!"

"Jeremy!" Jeremy yells too.

"Dude, you should've told me you were coming up, I woulda cleaned a little!"

"You got you guys food, you shoulda told US."

"Oh, uh... Jeremy can't really eat anything they don't give him. These are... These are both for me."

"Sounds about right. What do they feed him?"

"Not anything special. Hospital food."

"It's disgusting."

"I'd sneak him other food, but it could fuck things up with the medication they've got him on or something."

"That's ass."

"Tell me about it." Jeremy groans.

"I want REAL food!"

"Get better then, you Gay fuck. Then I'll get ya some pizza, player 2."

"That sounds so good right now. If I could I would hop out of this bed and walk to the closest pizza place."

"Then you better get to gettin better, Heere."

"I'm goin' as fast as I can! Like I can't even get up to the bathroom yet!"

"Dude..."

"Yeah, it's sad."

"I've been bed ridden ever since I got here man. Haven't got up once."

"I'm no better. I get up to go to the bathroom and for food. That's it. Not even for food sometimes."

"Woah. We're really high up." Jared's looking out he window.

"Right? It's beautiful out that window at night."

"Sometimes we just sit up here with all the lights off and the blinds open. It's beautiful." Jeremy loves the stars. Both Michael and Rich make a mental note of that.

"I point constellations out for him, he tells me what they are, it's kinda nice."

"Cause I'm spacey as Fuck."

"Jeremy's gay for space."

"Or just in love. Space doesn't necessarily have a gender."

"Nah, you're Gay for space."

"As an honest to God homosexual, I can confirm that you're Gay for space."

"Maybe we should do that sometime. The four of us."

"We can do that together."

"Definitely."

"Fiiiiiine I'm gay for space."

"There you go, have pride."

"Pride? Well then I'm bi and ready to die."

"You're Heere and you're Queer."

"Good one. I'm gonna use that."

"You're welcome." Michael sits at the edge of Jeremy's bed. Very casually he states

"Evan called yesterday while you were out, Jer." It's Jared who just stops.

"Oh. What'd he say?"

"I met his roommate. He's a cool dude I guess."

"Is he a thespian? Like I said?" Jared looks at him. Why hasn't Evan called him?

"Yep. Ryan or something. Said he was studying musical theater at the moment."

"Greeeaaat" it's so sarcastic.

"He said he hopes Jeremy gets better and he's gonna come out to visit as soon as possible because it lines up with some project he's got."

"You get to see your tree boy!"

"Said he's gonna call you when he can. Told me to tell you not to get too mad, he's trying."

"It's alright. I'm not worried. Not worried at all that he could be cheating on me with his thespian roommate"

"Dude. Cool it, he's not. The guy looked way too uncomfortable every time he got within like two feet of him."

"Hey, uh, who's Evan?" Rich is confused.

"Jared's boyfriend who's going to a university in Wyoming."

"Oh. Uh, he got a reputation for promiscuous behavior or something?"

"Far from it. Jared's overreacting."

"I know I am. I can't help it. It's just that after Connor..."

"It's. EVAN!"

"I know!!" Jeremy looks at Rich.

"Evan has really bad social anxiety."

"Oh, like four eyes over here?"

"Worse than me."

"Mhm. Poor Evan."

"But I'm telling you, the first person he's gonna go to is gonna be you, Jared, he's not gonna find anyone else unless you make him." as if on cue Jared's phone rings with Evan's ringtone. He picks up quickly but playing it off.

"Hello?"

"Jared, I'm about to go into an interview for a ranger position in Yellowstone, um, c-can you- can you give me a pep talk?"

"Yeah absolutely."