Mediocrity 50% [Brallon: Deja Vu, Book 1]

2.5

Spencer lived in suburbia. A neighborhood with symmetrical cookie cutter houses, all with similar trim and gated communities that made his artistic eye metaphorically yawn every time he drove through his neighborhood. He greatly preferred night life and would most likely work better in some shitty studio apartment in New York or a loft. Stereotypically, starving artists made the best work, now didn't they? But, hey, at least in his boring suburban neighborhood in a weird settled patch of Los Angeles had a guest room and an office he'd turned into a dedicated space for his art. He didn't have to remember to pay rent every month either, which was nice. 

Art didn't always pay all of the bills, which was why for his college graduation gift his way too rich grandfather had loaned him some money to buy a house. He'd always been the faovrite of the family. At least his family was supportive, even if them loaning him money time to time did kind of embarrass him. He didn't like being viewed like a charity case or the family's failure. He was a successful artist, just not one of the greats. Yet.

Otto, since he had gotten back from visiting Awsten in Texas with Geoff, Josh, and Tyler, was rifling around in Spencer's pantry, searching for some variety of chips to eat, or, as he put it, making the bowl more aesthetically pleasing. Full things were so much more pleasing to the eye, and it wouldn't be noticeable at all if he took two, or a few, or all of the chips and ate them. It was really just a con for Spencer to give up his Fritos.

Dallon was in his signature position, slouched on the couch, waiting for the cushions to devour him. There was a half empty can of Dr Pepper on the coffee table in front of him. Geoff was sitting next to him, waiting for Otto to hurry up with the food as they watched the episode of Property Brothers that was airing on the television that was mounted on the wall in front of them at that moment. Geoff had a thing for HGTV and overdramatic reality TV, as well as hate watching bad horror movies.

Spencer was sitting on the floor, as Dallon and Otto had teasingly kicked him off of the couch. Truth was, there was plenty of room on the couch for all four of them, but annoying Dallon by sitting in front of him and leaning on his legs was more fun and posture correcting. Dallon had really thin, boney legs.

Otto was an accountant who pretended like he hated math just for the irony of it. He was a left brained person who enjoyed a brain teaser or a game of Sudoku from time to time. He found paradoxes and oxymorons amusing, as well as the hypocrises in people. This also meant that he loved observing drama and had repeatedly watched Gossip Girl even though he denied it at every turn.

Geoff was a paramedic who possessed way too many horror stories from on the job. He was quite the generous person and donated to as many charities as he could, whenever it was possible. It shattered his heart when anyone died, which was why he did everything in his power to make sure his friends were okay and still alive— particularly Dallon. However, so much exposure to blood and gore had gifted him with a unique stomach for horror movies, which when he had been in Texas, resulted in many hate watching bad horror movie marathons with Awsten.

"My legs are falling asleep, I hope you know that." Dallon said, flicking the back of Spencer's head, annoyed.

"Good." Otto said, sitting down with his newly acquired bowl of Fritos.

"You're not in this, Otto." Spencer said.

"You, rather meanly, kicked him off the couch too, you hypocrite." Geoff pointed out, his voice light and airy.

"Exactly. It helps to prove my point about the human condition of hypocrisy and drama." Otto smiled.

"Suddenly the Gossip Girl rumor thing makes more sense." Dallon squinted at him.

"Have you ever even watched that show?" Otto asked defensively.

"No, have you?" Spencer said innocently, as if he didn't have an angle towards anything at all. He'd been hanging out with Ryan, Brendon, and Taylor way too much recently. Not that that was a bad thing, except he got too harsh in his teasing sometimes. Brendon and Ryan were good at tossing insults back and forth lovingly. Dallon and their friend group teased each other, sure, especially since Pete was there, but it didn't usually get heated, with verbal sparring matches, or anything like that, like Brendon, Taylor, Josh, Jon, Tyler, and Ryan's teasing did. Poor Spencer, all of his friends were coming back from trips all at once and he was stretching himself thin trying to fit in quality time with all of them. Geoff, Otto, Josh, and Tyler all came back together, and Taylor just got here, and Jon was coming back home from his parents' place in two days. He had been at a huge family reunion.