"So, we're just going to keep heading this way?" Connor asked, hands in his pockets.
"Yep, until I can recognize something." Jared walked a couple paces in front of Connor, still a bit uneasy about the boy. After all, he had woken up to being handcuffed to a dumpster.
"What makes you think you will?" Connor snorted, glancing around. They were clearly in a bad part of the city. "We should find somewhere safe and just wait till morning when there are more people around."
"Does anywhere around here seem safe?" Jared retorted.
The answer was no, and they both knew it by the way Connor kept checking behind himself and Jared kept his fists clenched and ready.
"Fine, whatever." Connor sighed, letting silence fall over the two again. What could be said between them? Clearly they had had some kind of weird bond the previous night, but when they were sober they were just too different.
At least, that was what Jared figured.
"So, do you black out drinking often?" Jared tried to say conversationally.
"No, I was having a shitty day and just needed to relieve some stress, guess I just lost track of how many drinks I had." Connor kicked a rock along as he walked. "Why, do you?"
"No, I was celebrating my friend's birthday by making him go out and-" Jared's eyes widened. "Holy shit! What happened to Evan! When did I leave him last night?"
"Damn, not only did you lose your phone, you lost your friend?" Connor chuckled, resulting in Jared hitting him.
"This is serious, what if something happened to him!" Jared bit his lip nervously, picking up the pace.
"Relax, you probably ditched him at the bar and he took a cab home." Connor scoffed, annoyed that he had to match Jared's speed. "What, is he your boyfriend or something?"
"No, he's not my boyfriend." Jared rolled his eyes. "As if."
"Well, the way you were bitching about him one would figure." Connor huffed, crossing his arms.
"Hey, I-" Jared was cut off when he tripped and stumbled on something.
"Hey, watch it!" No wait, he stumbled on someone.
"Sorry." Jared turned around to apologize to the homeless man lying on the ground-
~~~
"Jared." Connor whispered, his arm sling around the other boy's shoulders.
"Yeah?" Jared asked, rubbing at his eyes.
"You see that homeless man there?" Connor announced much too loudly, the man had probably heard him. "I think we should give him something. You know, just cause."
Jared nodded to agree and began to dig through his pockets. He pulled out his phone.
"Here you go." Jared leaned down to hand the man his belongings. Connor did the same.
"Are you sure-" The man began.
"Kleinman out!" Jared threw up two peace signs and stumbled away.
~~~
Did he seriously give away his phone?
"Hey, uh, sir?" Jared coughed, scooting closer to the man, who peered up at him. "Did we happen to stop by here last night?"
The man simply looked at Jared, "No, I ain't seen you before."
Jared smiled at him, "I think we might've given you our phones-"
"Listen, I haven't seen you two, okay?" The man huffed.
"Please, we were really drunk. Here, in exchange I'll give you all the cash I have." Jared slid his wallet out of his pocket, only to find it completely empty except for a single credit card and a subway gift card for fifteen dollars. "Er, Connor?"
Connor rolled his eyes and pulled out his own wallet, to which he supplied forty bucks from. "Here." He handed the man the money and Jared forked over the gift card.
The man eyed them both and pulled two phones out of his pocket, "You two better pull your acts together cause next time I'm not returnin' nothin'!"
Jared snatched the phones up and grinned at the man. "Thank you very much!" Walking away, Jared returned the phone with the skull case to Connor and tried to turn on his own phone.
Dead.
Seriously?
"Does yours have any battery?" Jared groaned, looking over at Connor's phone.
"Nope, looks like we'll have to continue using your weird mind map." Connor sighed. "Joy."
"Fine by me, I think I recognize that shop up there anyways." Jared began to sprint towards the flashing store front.
"What! Do you realize what that shop is?!"