*Natasha’s PoV*
I don’t know why I’m running or why I’m crying. I don’t get it. Why is my brain doing this? Adam’s eyes were normal again. They were that soft blue that makes it seem like everything will be okay but I just can’t go back. I can’t keep costing him so much money.
I kept running trying to calm my mind. I continually looked back to make sure he wasn’t there. I knew he wasn’t and yet paranoia kept creeping up on me. When I left I saw Neil grab him to keep him from following. I don’t know why but I’m glad he did. I looked back one last night to make sure he wasn’t there when I ran right into what felt like a wall made of bones and rock. The blow knocked me back and I heard a familiar voice.
“Holy crap man you ok- Tosh!”
I looked up and saw another pair of familiar blue eyes. Jimmy, with his crazy goofy smile, was standing there totally unaffected by me running into him; either I have no muscle or he’s made of cement.
“What the hell do you eat? Bricks?” I asked him jokingly.
He laughed and sent his hand down. I grabbed it and he pulled me up.
“I used to eat bricks but apparently it’s not “healthy.” Who would’ve guessed?”
I laughed and he smiled.
“What are you doing out here?” he asked.
“Well I could ask you the same,” I responded.
“Hey I’m just out for a walk,” he said.
“It’s a two mile walk from the park we met at to this one.”
“Okay so maybe I’ve been wandering for the past two hours, you can’t blame a guy for being bored.”
I looked at him. “What’s on your mind? What’s eating you?”
“Nothing,” he responded not looking at me.
“Hey you better tell me or I’ll turn this into a movie. It’s not What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, its What’s Eating Jimmy Sullivan, but I’ll still have Johnny Depp playing your role.”
“Why him?”
“Cuz his hair is amazing.”
“What you don’t like mine?” He shook his crazily spiked hair in my face.
“Yours is absolutely fabulous and I’m only saying that so you’ll stop showing it in my face. But really, what’s eating you up?”
He sat down in the grass and I sat next to him.
“I don’t know… It’s like all the traffic lights in my brain went mad and all the thoughts just got jumbled up or something. I just needed to relax and the cold helps me with that.” He stared up at the sky. There weren’t any stars, the business and street lights made sure of that. Then he looked back over at me.
“You’ve been crying, I can see it in your eyes,” he told me.
“No I haven’t my eyes are just really dry,” I lied.
“Uhuh. And you expect me to believe that. I’m gonna have to turn this into a movie; a movie called Horrible Liars. Tell me, why are you out here tonight? You’re only wearing a jacket and it’s below ten degrees out here.” He started to take off his big coat but I stopped him.
“I’m not cold and I don’t want you to freeze,” I said putting his coat back on him.
“Like I said you’ll be the star in Horrible Liars. You’re shivering just take the coat and tell me what’s up.”
He went ahead and put his coat over my shoulders while I tried to make some excuse for me being outside. I couldn’t think of anything no matter how hard I tried to make some awful excuse it was never quite good enough.
“Some stuff came up between Adam and me. I left and now I’m back to where I started…” It was the truth. Simplified but still the truth.
“You can’t possibly live out here, it’s too cold! Are you sure you can’t go back?” he asked me.
“Yeah, I’m positive…”
He sighed and then popped up with an idea. “You could stay at my place!”
“What?”
“You could stay at my house it’d be great! We could play video games and watch movies and drink hot cocoa and mountain dew and I’ll invite Matt, Brian, Johnny, and Zacky over!”
“I dunno…”
“Why not?!”
“I don’t wanna be a burden on you or parents.” I’d end up charging them money and food and space, they don’t have to do it and there’s no way I’ll force them… It’d be like what Adam was yelling about, he’d have money if it weren’t for me and it’s the exact same with Jimmy’s family.
“You won’t be! I invited you so it’s like you’re just barging in or anything! My parents will totally be okay with it I promise!”
I didn’t even get a chance to answer before he jumped up and started dragging me towards his house.
“But-wait! Jimmy!”
“Nope you’re staying at my place, I’m not gonna let you freeze your coconuts off!”
“Wait but coconuts are hairy.”
“Ew. But that’s besides the point! Come on!”
He dragged me over to a bus stop and we waited till the next bus came. We sat down and were almost the only people on that bus.
“You know, this bus is severely lacking in graffiti. Like I have never seen a bus this clean, it’s actually pretty sad,” I said.
“You like graffiti?” he asked.
“Only when it’s the art kind. Tagging is pretty lame but when its street art, it looks really cool.”
“I have never met anyone else who agrees with me on things like that.”
“Really?”
“Yeah! Most people think that any and all spray paint is bad but I really like when used well,” Jimmy said.
Suddenly a new voice joined in. “I can agree with on that,” we heard the bus driver say. “I remember back when semi drivers were able to put any art they felt like on the side of their truck rather than the stupid ads.”
“Right!” I yelled. “Man, I love this one cave in Colorado; it’s not even a cave really it’s this really small tunnel thing but it’s filled with street art and it’s the coolest looking art.”
Eventually our bus ride came to an end but it was awesome to have a cool bus driver for once. They’re normally really uptight about rules and regulations. We hopped out and Jimmy started dragging me again.
“You know, you don’t need to drag me anymore; I’m following you,” I told him.
“I don’t care, I’ve seen you run, you’re fast, clumsy, but fast,” he said to me with his goofy big grin.
“I don’t know if that’s a compliment or an insult.”
“Doesn’t matter!” he yelled and started to run whilst dragging me.
I ran behind him yelling at him. It’s really hard to be mad at this idiot when I can’t stop laughing and looking at that ridiculously adorable smile. He suddenly stopped as I almost ran into him again.
“This is el casa de Jimmy,” he said motioning at a dark blue and white house covered in Christmas lights.
I forgot it was almost Christmas. I’ve never really celebrated it or anything.
“I didn’t know you spoke Spanish.”
“Wait did I get it right?!” he asked excitedly.
“How am I supposed to know? I don’t speak Spanish! I only know French and German.”
“You know French and German?!”
“Not fluently.”
“That’s awesome!”
I smiled as he started dragging me into his house. His parents were sitting in the living room reading when we walked in.
“Jimmy where have you-“ She noticed me. “Oh hello.”
“Hi Mrs.Sullivan.”
“Jimmy, what’s going on?” she asked.
“Tosh had some problems and she ended up homeless and I was really hoping we could maybe take her in for a bit? It’s super cold outside!”
“I must ask, were any of those “problems” illegal? Not that I would expect it I just need to know,” she asked me.
“They weren’t illegal, I promise,” I told her.
“Then of course you can stay!” his dad said warmly.
I sighed in relief and looked around. This is a nice house. Christmas decorations were everywhere even though it was still November 29th.
“We’re going to bed,” Jimmy’s mom said. “Don’t stay up too late and don’t wake your sisters.”
“Okay, goodnight,” Jimmy answered as his parents headed upstairs.
As soon as they left he turned to me. “Wanna play some video games?” he asked happily.
“Totally,” I responded.
He led me upstairs to his room. He pulled out a game called Tokyo Jungle and put it into his PS3. We turned off the sound and instead he grabbed some earbuds and his phone. I convinced him not to listen to Three Days Grace and instead listen to Slipknot. He ran into the kitchen and grabbed a thing of cookie dough with two spoons. We grabbed our controllers, hopped on his bed, put the cookie dough in between us, and each grabbed an earbud.
I didn’t even realize when it was four a.m. Both of us were wide awake and decided to watch a movie but by the middle of Zombieland I had fallen asleep.
*Jimmy’s PoV*
I saw Tosh fall asleep. She was adorable when she slept. She was curled up in a ball with hair covering her face. I stopped the movie and turned off the tv. I went downstairs to grab her backpack and I put it in my room at the foot of the bed. I brushed the hair out of her face and around her ear and pulled up a blanket over her. I grabbed the extra pillow and a blanket from my little sister’s room and went down to the living room. I set up the pillow and blanket on the couch and slept down there.