hexxed

Pink Stained Hoodie

The stench of cheap cologne and cigarettes fill the tiny classroom, the crappy gas heater above the dusty chalkboard does little to warm the room, Josh rubs his hands together, huffing hot air onto them in order to regain feeling in his finger tips.

Zach, Brandon and Daniel walk in after him, stinking of hangover alcohol and cheap cigarettes, their desperate attempt to cover up the scent with Axe deodorant does little to no effort in covering up their beastly scent.

Josh gazes around the room, his somewhere near the middle, closest to the window, but a row or two from the back, Zach and his gang of assholes sit as far away from the board as they could.

Distracted by winter leaves getting blasted from tree branches, Joshua doesn't even notice as a pink stained hoodie seats itself in front of him.

He glances back for a brief moment, the movement of his head brings Josh back to reality, he looks up, but the boy has already turned back to the front.

He wants to speak, wants to say something, but nothing comes out of his agape mouth, so he closes it.

"You don't have to apologise for anything," A small, shy voice erupts, Josh looks up, the kids back is still facing him. "I know you feel responsible, like you could've stopped it all, but there's nothing you can do."

"How..." Josh frowns, the words he wanted to say come from a different throat, the kid turns around with a weak smile. "You're Tyler, right?"

"That'd be I," he smiles, extending a sticky hand toward Josh's. He takes it, shakes it, and holds it tighter. "You're Joshua, friends with that hoard of lumbering dick heads, right?"

Nodding toward Zach, who was currently trying to balance a pen on the tip of his nose, Josh chuckles.

"And that'd be I, Joshua Dun, king of choosing the worst people to befriend." He looks back to Tyler, finally letting his hand go.

"How did you know that I wanted to say sorry?" Cocking his head, Tyler looks stunned for a moment, his mouth opens, but closes again and he turns back around.

"I could feel it in your aura," he begins. "You have a forgiving soul."

Josh mouth becomes a tight line, he's unsure how to respond, Tyler's head hangs low, his shoulders heave slightly and Josh thinks he might be crying.

"This was my favourite hoodie..." he complains softly, Josh's head perks up. "And now it's pink as fuck, and I keep getting called a faggot."

Josh frowns, he steals a glance to Zach, who's spit balling the roof and laughing.

Peeling the jacket from his shoulders, Josh leans across his desk and carefully places his own custom jock jacket upon Tyler's shoulders.

"There," he pats his back. "Now no one will call you a..." he stops, and swallows. "Faggot." The word is stuttered heavily, he doesn't want to even think about that word.

Tyler half chuckles, and turns around.

"You think, that me wearing your jacket, with your name on the back," he peeks over his shoulder to read the giant "DUN 88" on it. "Will stop people calling me a faggot?"

Josh pauses, but smiles, Tyler giving a shy glance to him before he smiles too.

"I'll beat them all up if they do."

Tyler shakes his head, but grins anyway, he thanks Josh, and the pair continue their class in silence.

The class, Mythology, decided to revolve around Lycans, a type of humanoid werewolf, one who's cursed rather than born that way, mentions of turning every full moon come about, Tyler is sat completely straight, listening intently but Josh, slumped in his chair, was bored, he couldn't even focus, all he could focus on was Tyler's back bearing his name.