A Path to Nowhere (JohnDave Fic)

1 - Smoothies

     You would think that starting junior year would be less stressful considering that you've finished half of high school. That should be the case, but everything just goes downhill after that half -way point. The fact that I am sitting at the desk in my room with my head in my hands with the sun blaring into my window, shining off of every reflective surface in here, overthinking things that could go wrong when I just finished sophomore year a little over a week ago, is a problem. I could be outside enjoying temporary freedom from a strict schedule, but I'm too busy realizing that high school is halfway over and I have yet to finish anything on my bucket list. 

Here it is:  -Have my first kiss

                     -Get into a relationship (test the waters of the dating world before college so I don't embarrass myself)

                      -Become famous on TikTok before Dad does

                     -Be cooler than Dave for at least a day

                     -Be noticed by Nick Cage

                    -Finish writing this list

     It's still a work in progress, but some of these could have been done already. In fact they would have been done if I wasn't such a wuss. That problem, however, will not be fixed anytime soon because I lack the motivation and can't fit it into my mental schedule. So I'm forever a wuss...I can live with that...hopefully...

     I jump at my phone's blaring ringtone, not bothering to look at who was calling me since it was more than likely Dave. 

"Hi" I finally move from my previous position and shifted my gaze from my desk to the window. 

"'Sup John. Yo are you not showing up to the smoothie place?" The oh so familiar emotionless voice replies. Despite Dave displaying as much emotion as a wall, I sense the annoyance in his question and realize I forgot I made plans with him. Shit. I thought we were going to Bo Smooth tomorrow...or at some point. My awareness of time and day is depleting.

"Uh yeah. Yeah I'm on my way right now. I'm walking there, taking a casual stroll. It's such a long walk from my house, you know? " Yes that totally convinced him that I didn't forget. 

"Yeah I get it, bro. A three-block walk must take you centuries to traverse in this blazing sun. Especially when you haven't seen the light of day from being locked inside watching Con Air on repeat. I don't know how you do it. I'm sorry for trying to drag you outside, I should've known it would've been such a burden for you to endure so you could hang out with me." Never mind, he sees right through my very convincing lie. 

     Recently I have been forgetting plans and it's making me seem like a bad friend. No wonder Dave is annoyed with me. Despite him coming by and waiting outside my house several times for things I agreed to do the day before, I repeatedly stood him up. When he was in my front yard. All I have to do is glance out the window since he refuses to give me any sort of indication that he's there. Dave tells me the time he's going to pick me up once and if I forget that he is outside at that exact time, he leaves. I don't really blame him, but I still find it harsh since my memory has been failing me. I barely manage to catch him before he's about to walk away sometimes, but now I don't even remember he's there. Instead of lingering on my front lawn, Dave has been going straight to where we agreed to go. 

"No I'm serious, I'll be there in 5 minutes." I quickly hang up before he can make another sarcastic comment, grabbing my wallet and running downstairs. Before sprinting out the front door, I stop by the kitchen where Dad is trying to bake. 

"I'm going down to Bo Smooth with Dave." I say, trying to get his attention. He turns around and looks at me with scrunched brows and a smile.

"With Dave? Didn't you say last night that he's going to meet you there since you've been ditsy?" He retorts, turning back to whatever monstrosity he's deciding to create.

"I- yep gotta go. See ya!" I sprint out the door and down the block, almost forgetting where the smoothie place was. I continuously glance down at my watch as I speed down the sidewalk as a responsible pedestrian. Who runs on the street? What maniac full on sprints in the middle of the street when there isn't a marathon going on? Not I. Not John Egbert, at least not yet. 

    Looking at the time once more, I did in fact manage to get to Bo Smooth within 5 minutes. Maybe I should join the track team. Or not because of how I'm panting and trying to compose myself to make it seem as if I wasn't zooming my way over here. Walking in, I immediately spot Dave sitting by himself at a table for two. I make my way towards him as he looks up at me, sipping on a smoothie. Well at least I assume he is since he's always wearing shades, so I'm barely aware of where he's actually looking.

"Would you look at that? The queen arrived. Fashionably late as always." He says in between a long break of drinking. 

"Hey, I'm sorry about that. I got distracted for a bit...What smoothie is that?" I try to lighten his crabby ass by changing the topic. 

"Smooth moves. They squeezed the juice out of a lemon and a lime and combined their sweet nectar's to make the sickest love child." There's my Dave. 

"Sweet? Do you wanna help me navigate their menu?" Glimpsing at the list of drinks, there isn't really a correlation between the names and what is in them. Considering that Dave already ordered his, I assumed it would be helpful to have his expertise input on the best possible flavor for me.

"No can do. I am not going up there again." He returns all of his attention to finishing his smoothie. I didn't understand why he was so hesitant to turn around and look at the menu, until I saw who was working the cashier. 

"Terezi? She works here? How is she-" Dave cuts me off.

"Just because she can't see, doesn't mean she can't figure out her way around, John. " 

     Terezi was Dave's girlfriend for almost two years, since he broke up with her before school ended. She isn't a bad person at all and they were a pretty rad couple. Dave didn't really talk about their relationship while it was going on or even after it happened. So when I tried getting any sort of clue as to what occurred between them he said and I quote, "Just wasn't feeling it." I may understand Dave more than most people, but in moments like that one I'm not sure that I do. I also found it weird in the first place that he never talked to me about what led to their relationship downfall. It may not be my business and I definitely don't want to listen to anyone persistently rave about their significant other, but I expected that as Dave's closest friend he would bring up problems he's having for some sort of advice. Okay maybe he didn't want my advice, but I'm always willing to listen to whatever he has to say. 

     Considering his ex-girlfriend is working the cashier, I suspected that he tried to speak in a different voice so she wouldn't notice it was him. I would be shocked if Terezi wasn't able to tell it was Dave anyway and the situation became awkward, leading him to desperately wait for me to show up so he could forget it happened. Because under Dave's smug ass, stoic mannerisms,  he still panics like the rest of us.

"So, uh, should I go for Smoothie Dreams or Jump for Juice? I'm thinking Jump for Juice since banana, watermelon, and orange seems like the best mixture to wake me up-" Dave cuts me off again, this time yanking my arm down so I am leveled with him since I was standing the whole time. 

"Dude, you can pick whatever groovy elixir floats your boat when she's not on shift. Just share this with me for now. It's not gay if we don't drink out of the same straw. Here." He reaches over to the jug in the center of the small table for another straw and puts it in his cup. I sit across from Dave as he pushes his Smooth Moves in between us. We both lean in to take sips of his disturbingly sweet lemon and lime drink. For just a moment I could have swore I saw the lightest shade of red appear on his cool face.

     This is nice. If only this moment could last. 

"I'm only doing this because it's ironic." I hear Dave say and I look up to see a glimpse of his eyes through his shades, staring directly at me. 

     Of course. He had to say it.