章 106: Chapter 103
I didn't know how, but the time flew by without either of us realizing it. One game turned into two, then after a while we were engrossed in trying to complete our fourth game. He seemed to really enjoy the company, I figured that he didn't have any friends. I atleast had Austin, he even told me himself that most of the time he just randomly walked around until it was time to go back home. That he had seen me around a lot and had always wanted to ask me to play but had never been able to because he had been afraid I would turn him down.Including that day at the convenience store, he had tried to walk over to me and say hi but had ended up chickening out. I was really shocked to hear that. And I was also very flattered that he had been interested in being friends with me.
" It's getting late, I should be getting back, " I told him a couple of hours later. He walked me back to my house, and when he asked whether I would be free to hang out again, I said sure. Because why not? And I knew that I was rarely around there, so I told him I'd be at home during the morning hours the following day. I also didn't want him to think I had lied or anything. In my mind I figured that I could be to him what Austin was to me. Although we had just talked for the first time, I liked him. It was completely different from how I felt whenever I hang out with Austin, but it was still nice. Perhaps trying something new wasn't that bad after all.
I finished up getting ready, then I cleaned up my room and read a bit before I heard Austin's mom pulling up into the driveway. Quickly, I grabbed my backpack and left. She offered me a smoothie and a muffin the second I got in the car. I had actually already eaten, but I still that thanked her and took them. She must have assumed I hadn't eaten anything yet because in their minds, my mother didn't do anything for me. It wasn't always the truth. Sometimes she'd cook and buy me clothes, last week she had even given me some cash to go buy myself a jacket because the weather was slowly changing and it was getting colder. But when I had asked Austin to take me to a thrift store, he had asked his mom and she had bought me two jackets instead.They were kind gestures, but I always felt a bit uncomfortable. She had also noticed my hair and complemented me on it, and judging from her smile and the look in her eyes, I could tell that she was being honest.
When we got to their house, I found Austin in the living room, he seemed to be sleeping on the couch. And even after I called out his name a few times, he didn't respond. Wondering how sleepy he could have possibly been, I got closer and stood right next to him, but when I bent down with the intention of playfully pulling his ear, he opened his eyes and pulled me down onto the couch.
" Hey!" I shouted, attempting to unwrap his arms from around my waist.
" Caught you! Can't believe you fell for that. You thought I was dead, didn't you?"
" What is wrong with you?"
" Austin! Don't bother Kyle, he just got here!" His mum shouted as she went up the stairs, but he didn't say anything. I felt his hold on me loosen, and when I turned it was to find him looking at me, his eyes on my hair, narrowed in close examination.Then he reached out and gently touched it.
" Your hair, " he softly said. I had expected him to be excited about it and to tell me how great I looked. Or maybe to joke around and tease me even though in real sense he did like it. But what I got instead was the weirdest type of reaction. He was just staring at me, saying nothing. And his eyes even fell from my hair and began to look around the house. Their house. The same space he had been living in for years but for some reason he was acting as if he had never before seen that environment. I frowned and scooted slightly away, crossing my legs on the sofa and sitting such that I was facing him entirely. I was full of curiosity and a little dread.
" Don't you like it?"
He looked up, his eyes widened and he immediately shook his head. Assuring me that he did. And then he repeatedly told me how great I looked. But there was still something weird going on. I was however fine with pretending I couldn't notice anything.
" Are we still finishing up the puzzle?"
" Oh, I actually already did. "
" Without me?"
I sounded more hurt than I intended, but he had assured me we were going to finish it together.
" My dad came into my room last night and saw it. And he really loves puzzles. "
" Oh. "
" Sorry, "
He bit his lower lip and reached up to scratch his head. He did look like he was sorry, and there was no way I could be mad at him when it was actually his dad that had made him go against his word.
" So what will we do?"
" You wanna skateboard?"
I thought about it, but concluded I wasn't in the mood.
" Maybe later, there's a lot of people on the street now. "
" Oh, that's true. "
He knew I preferred it if there were as few people as possible. And it was the same for him. Actually, Austin was mostly crazy when he was with me, otherwise he was a pretty reserved person.
" Wanna watch TV?"
" Ummm, sure. "
" You don't sound sure. "
" No, TV's good. "
" What about videogames? We're almost on level twenty, just three more to go. "
" Nah, I've played enough videogames for today. Let's just see if there's anything interesting on, but don't play that freaky show from the other day. "
I doubt he heard the last bit of my statement. He also shifted to sit while facing me. Our gazes were level and he seemed to be thinking something over, then he finally asked me what I meant when I said I had already played enough videogames that day. Logic advised me to either find a way to change the subject or just straight out lie. I didn't want things to get weird. I knew how Austin was. But I hated lying. I hated it with everything that made me who I was. And I believed that he would be mature about it and not make it into a big deal because it actually wasn't.
" What?!" was the very unhappy reply that I got once I was done telling him about Adrian.
Once again, his brutal honesty was shining through and he was choosing to just speak his mind rather than pretend to be okay with it even though he wasn't. And when he chose to speak the truth, he always ensured it was completely unfiltered.
" And you invited him over again?"
Dislike poured through every letter of that question. Actually, the way he said it made it sound more like an accusation.
" He's really nice-"
" I don't care whether he's nice or not! You can't hang out with him!"
" Why not?!"
" Because I don't want you to. "
" You can't be serious, you hang out with Tess and Daphne whenever they're around and I don't have a problem with it. "
" They're my cousins! And I only do that because my mum makes me. I don't even like them!"
I stood up and moved away from the couch. I desperately needed some distance between us because once he got like that, he always made me so furious. He was willing to say whatever came to his mind first. And I had always been very wary of his unpredictability. That part of him that made him stubbornly cross his arms and lean back against the arm rest of the sofa, then he looked at me and I noticed the subtle smile on his features and that arrogant look in his eyes.
" You aren't allowed to have any other friends. "
That was a twisted and perhaps very selfish thing for him to say. If he had said that while someone else was around, like his mum for instance, she would have definitely thought he had a problem.
" You can't decided that." I was done shouting back, my tone was calm this time.
" Of course I can. You belong to me, that kid can go find himself someone else to play with. "
" How can you say that?"
" How can you try to replace me while I'm still around?"
" For the love of God, no one's replacing anybody. "
" Still don't care. You're mine and mine alone, so you wanna watch a wildlife show or that space program you really like?"
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