{disclaimer: u guys might get mad at me for this chapter.. pls dont hurt me}
"BUBBALA DID YOU DO YOUR HOMEWORK?" My mom yelled from the bottom of the stairs. I groaned a little, rubbing my eyes. I was this close to falling asleep.
"WORKING ON IT." I yelled back, bringing myself to sit up. I rubbed my eyes once again, before standing up slowly, making sure not to get a headrush.
I grabbed my dumb black backpack that had all of my dumb school stuff in it that was all for dumb school. All dumb.
[A/N: kyle is a mood.]
I ripped the zipper open and grabbed my computer. I sighed. I was an okay writer, but when it comes to things for English class, absolutely not. If it's not about something I like or let alone care about, I don't consider it worth it.
But tough shit Kyle, you have homework!
I opened my computer with slight hesitance, unlocking it with my fingerprint then logging into my school account. School computers are shitty, I just use my own. Why are they so small anyway? They can barely be used for anything. Some cheap ass dark gray little chromebook that they use in a torturous isolated building that refrains children and adolescents from thriving and instead forces them to follow a hell load of rules and sit in a room for 70 minutes before letting them move around for 4 minutes then forcing them to another room, where they're told how to think.
Then there's lunch. I love lunch.
I opened the assignment where the essay was supposed to be written. I have to write an 1000 word or more essay about something I'm passionate about. Maybe, music? I'm really into music. I might try that.
I started with stating what the essay was going to be about in the first place. Music, or specifically instruments. I know a wide variety of instruments, how to play them and how they work. I can play the guitar, the drums, the piano and keyboard, the cello, and a few other things.
"Music is vocal or instrumental sounds combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion.." I mumbled as I typed it. I followed the words being produced on the screen as I typed rather fast. It's easier when you know what you're talking about, especially when you like what you're writing about.
[2 hour timeskip brought to you by subway]
2,378 words. I may have overwritten just a tad.
Well, extra credit can eat my ass.
I shut my computer then stood up from my desk chair, stretching slightly. I sighed, then grabbed my phone from my desk. I had a text from Tolkien. It was the Christmas party invite link.
CHRISTMAS PARTY INVITE!!!
address: 0526 Clayton St, South Park CO 80204.
Dresscode: festive colors, such as but not limited to: green, red, white, black, silver, gold.
There will be alcoholic drinks and non-alcoholic punch, as well as other festive snacks like gingerbread cookies, sugar cookies, candy canes, etc.! You may bring food, it's appreciated!
Party is Friday, December 15th from 5:45 pm to 11:30 pm!
Questions? Text 052-610-1903(Tolkien's number)!
Sounds pretty legit to me. Last time I went to a party, it was.. interesting, to say the least.
(A/N: That address was totally made up but if it's too close to a real address lmk bc I didn't check and I don't wanna get in trouble yk)
I saved the image to my camera roll then put my phone back in my pocket. I'll make sure to go to that, and I'll see if Ike wants to go.
It's now 6:34. I have literally nothing to do, and I'm not tired anymore. Maybe I could go for a walk? I'll probably do that.
I walked over to my closet and began to get changed. It was cold out, especially now since it's December. I put on a dark red sweater with nothing on it, as well as the same black sweatpants that Craig gave me a while back. I don't plan to give them back unless if he asks me to, then I'll just claim that I forgot and give them to him.
I threw on my Ushanka and one of my usual brown boots. I don't really know what to do about my bandaged foot, because there's snow on the ground and I'm not supposed to get it wet. What if I just take the bandage off? Can't really go wrong with that.
Well, yes I can, but anyway
I unraveled the brown ace bandage, then the cotton layer underneath it. Lovely, there's my foot. I haven't seen my foot in a few days.
I moved my foot around a little and bent my toes, checking if it hurt. It did, a little bit. To be fair, I literally broke my toe.
I scooted my way over to my drawers, and slid one open, finding a roll of ace bandage. I was just going to do a little wrap around my foot so I could still fit it into my shoe.
I wrapped it around just the top of my foot twice, protecting my toes, then ripped off the access of the roll, tucking the ace bandage on my foot into itself. I put the roll of ace bandage back, then stood up. I walked around my room a few times, checking if it would work. It did hurt just a little, but I didn't have my shoe on yet, so it wasn't completely shielded yet.
I sat back down on my floor and grabbed my other boot. I slipped on a sock over my bandaged foot gently, then carefully put the boot on. I tied the boot very tightly, and when I stood up it felt fine.
I sighed in relief before I left my room, and jogged down the stairs, no pain in my foot at all. My hand was still bandaged, but it's alright. It's not like I'm gonna have a snowball fight or anything.
I grabbed a black, left hand glove from the little, small table by the front door. We kept them there so we can just grab them and go without the hassle of losing them all the time. I put one on my left hand, since my right hand was currently bandaged.
"Hey ma, I'm going for a walk!" I announce into the house.
"Alright sweetheart, be safe! Please be back by dinner at 8:30!" She replied.
"Will do, love you!" With that, I opened the door and left. It was already getting rather dark outside. The sky was a darkish blue and I could see the moon slowly starting to come up. The sky was also a mix of orange and red, indicating the sun was setting.
"where the hell do I go.?" I asked myself, looking down my street as if it would give me an answer. My mind brought me to Starks pond, since that was the only place I really would want to go if I didn't have any friends with me currently.
I began walking to Starks pond. It was only a few blocks away and a short walk through a slowly growing forest. Blue Spruce trees are Colorado's state tree and the mountains are littered with them. Over the years, a forest has developed around Stark's pond. In my opinion, it's better. When I was in 4th grade, it always seemed so empty there.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket, just so I had something to look at as I walked. I decided to check the weather for the rest of this evening, just so I could get an idea of when it was best to head home.
It was clear skies for the rest of tonight. Every stargazer's dream, especially in Colorado. The lowest it would get tonight is 28 degrees, nothing I couldn't handle.
I continued to walk, mindlessly scrolling through some of my spotify playlists as the lyrics of each song I glanced at played in my mind.
Soon enough, I reached the path that brought you through the forest. I walked along the snow covered path. I'm glad I'm doing this tonight, because within 3 days the snow would melt and all of the dirt under it will be mud. Then it'll snow again, and this repeats over and over. Welcome to the holiday season in Colorado.
Within 5 minutes, I reached the pond. No crickets were around, it was just silence. The pond hadn't iced over yet, so the occasional ripple in the water barely broke the silence. It was so quiet, you could probably hear a leaf fall from a tree.
I sat down on a rock which happened to be under a tree, shielded from snow. The stump of the tree was right next to the rock, so I leaned against it. It was the perfect spot. I was facing the pond and the moon just happened to be shining right behind the trees I was facing, reflecting off of the water in front of me. The grass desperately sticking out through the snow was still somewhat green, somehow.
It was almost dark. There was still a small amount of light in the sky, but you could start to spot stars by now. It wasn't quite a full moon, but within a week, it'll be a full moon for sure.
I brought my knees to my chest, hugging them a little. Times like this are just so relaxing and peaceful, I love them.
I glanced up at the sky, looking at the stars for a moment. It made me think of Craig. He always went on about stars and astronomy as a kid. He still does sometimes, but not as often. When I went to his house once as a kid, there was a telescope in his room set up next to his window. I wanted to try it, but I didn't ask.
He seemed so fascinated by everything that had to do with the solar system. Literally anything, even if it was the most terrifying thing to think of or even imagine. Such as the end of the universe. Craig could talk about that with gleaming eyes and a dopey grin.
This train of thought lasted for longer than I thought. I pulled out my phone at the feeling of a notification. It was 7:52? Did I fall asleep somehow? It's like I blinked and the time suddenly changed.
Suddenly, I heard the sound of crunching footsteps in the snow. Shit. What is that?
[Craig's pov.]
I made my way to Starks pond. There were other footsteps in the snow only going one way. This meant that someone was currently there, or went further into the forest and have yet to return. I had my poker face on, eyes scanning through the dark. It was 7:50 or so, meaning it was already dark out.
The snow was rather crunchy. If someone was there, they definitely heard me walking right now. Not that I really cared. I always kept a pocket knife on me.
My stoic expression remained as I saw the pond through some trees. I could still see more footsteps even from where I was.
I made my way to the small clearing where the pond was. I scanned the area with a blank expression, until I spotted someone.
"Kyle?" I asked, eyebrows slightly furrowing. I couldn't quite make out his face, but I could recognize that ushanka from a mile away.
[back to Kyle's pov. I suck at writing Craig's pov for no reason at all.]
"Craig?" I called back, spotting his silhouette in the dark.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" Craig asked, his voice remaining emotionless and stoic.
"I just got bored. You?" I asked back, still a little surprised that he happened to be here right now.
"The skies are clear, I wanted to stargaze." He replied, walking closer to me. Oh, right. "You want to join?" He asked, his piercing yet honey colored eyes slightly gleaming through the dark. His eyes are so pretty.
"ah, yeah. Sure. Where?" I asked, standing up from the rock.
"We can just lay down somewhere." Craig shrugged, looking around.
"In the snow?" I asked, eyes still locked on him.
"No Kyle, in the trees." Craig said, no sarcasm in his voice at all.
"You can't be serious." I muttered.
"You're right, I'm not. You seem warm enough, we can just lay in the snow for a little while." Craig shrugged. I looked down at the snow for a moment, before sighing.
"Alright, sure." I nodded. A small grin tugged at the corners of his lips as he sat down in the snow. I sat down next to him before laying down, him repeating the same action.
"It takes a few minutes for the human eye to adjust and see the stars more clearly." Craig noted. I nodded a little.
"So... How's Tricia?" I asked, trying to make conversation. I couldn't handle awkward silence.
"Still a little cunt. She tried to summon Satan in our basement last night." He muttered. I chuckled.
"Sounds like a Tucker." I said with a small grin. I noticed him glance at me in my peripheral vision.
"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked teasingly.
"That you're a bitch." I said with a giggle. He scoffed and nudged me away from him.
"Well, how's Ike then?" He asked me, returning his gaze back to the darkened sky.
"He's alright from what I know. He helps me change my bandage on my hand everyday, he's really sweet about it." I said.
"Oh yeah, what happened with your foot? Did it heal already?" He asked curiously.
"oh hell no. I just put a different, thinner bandage on and put my boot on over it." I said. He nodded.
It was silent for a minute or two. Not an awkward silence, exactly. None of us had anything to say, really.
"That's the big dipper." He said, pointing to the sky. Believe it or not, it was.
"Oh, yeah it is. Good eye." I said with a small smile, watching the stars. I began looking for constellations myself.
"You see that really bright looking star?" He asked, pointing to a different area in the sky. I followed his hand and indeed saw it.
"Yup. What's that?" I asked curiously.
"That's Venus. It's the brightest compared to any of the other planets. Neptune is the faintest, it's easily mistaken for a star if you can even see it." Craig said. I nodded.
Within a few minutes, Craig was going on and on about space. He had a major passion for space, I thought it was cute. He began trying to define space best as possible.
"Space is an almost perfect vacuum, nearly void of matter and with extremely low pressure. In space, sound doesn't carry because there aren't molecules close enough together to transmit sound between them. Not quite empty, bits of gas, dust and other matter floats around "emptier" areas of the universe, while more crowded regions can host planets, stars and galaxies. Also, Space can.." He kept going on about astronomy and space and the matters within space. I listened to it all, it was truly fascinating. He kept pointing to the sky, making out constellations and planets. I didn't say a word, just listening.
"So, this is the time of year to see Scorpio constellations?" I clarified. 15 minutes later, he brought us into constellations that came with the time of year.
"Yup, you got it." Craig said with a small smile. I was happy to see him so entertained by such an endless topic. There was no answer to where space begins or where it ends, it's just an endless void yet to be explored.
"Did you know that we know more about space than we do about the ocean?" I asked.
"Of course I do. You can never nerd me out about space, I can guarantee that I know more than you." Craig said teasingly. I chuckled.
"Whatever." I said with a small scoff. I paused for a moment before pulling my phone out. It was 8:13. I had to get going home soon.
"Do you have to go home yet?" He asked curiously.
"Soon, but not yet." I replied. He nodded. I sat up, and so did he.
"Sorry that I ranted about space to you." He apologized, expression stoic once again.
"No no, don't be sorry. You're totally fine. I love space too." I quickly reassured. I turned my head away from him, but I could still feel his eyes on me.
It was silent for a little while. Craig laid back down in the snow again, I remained sitting up.
"The stars are really pretty though, aren't they?" Craig asked, glancing at me. I looked up at the stars again.
"..Yeah. They are really pretty." I said.
"Are you alright? You seem like you have something on your mind." Craig asked me. I shook my head.
"It's nothing important." I brushed it off. Really, I was thinking about my feelings for Craig. Now seemed like a good opportunity to tell him, but I wasn't sure yet. What if my feelings are one sided? He would be weirded out and that would lead all of my chances straight down the gutter. Shit. Why does love have to be this hard?
"Kyle, I know something's up. Just tell me, please. I won't be mad or anything." Craig said. I felt his eyes burning through the side of my skull. I sighed, looking down at the snow. How do I even tell him this?
"I um.." I managed to say.
"What's wrong?" He asked. Jesus Craig, why do you have to make this so hard? You make it seem so easy with your stoic bullshit.
Fuck it. I'm just gonna say it. I can't do this shit right now. I just have to pray he doesn't despise my guts after this.
"Listen, I don't want to make anything between us weird, and I'm 99% sure you're going to hate me after I explain to you." I started. He sat up, showing he was listening. I sighed.
"...I think I developed feelings for you."
(loooooool cliffhanger losers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [please don't hurt my family] I've been writing for 2 hours straight so I'm gonna take a break then I'll probably write another chapter because I'm not such an asshole. Love you guys!!!!!!!!!)
..please dont hurt me.