[[Jasper Rourke continues from Life is like a broken record]]
In some respects, an average Thursday was turning out...well, average, for Jasper.
He'd gone to class, gone to gym, gone to class again, gone to lunch, gone to class, business as usual. He'd collected probably thirty dollars in lunch money from the sophmore geek crowd alone, he'd headbutted some guy who tried to insult him on his sexuality after class with no teachers around, and he'd even managed to grab an extra protein bar from the snack machine after it fell down without paying for it. It was turning out pretty average, just like every other Thursday.
Then of course, in the last five minutes of school, the clouds decided to let rip and douse the school in a torrential downpour.
Kids were running under shelter left and right, cars were peeling out of the parking lot, and busses were spending a lot less time at the stop now. Of course, left behind in the outburst was Jasper, who had the unfortunate honour of being held back by the teacher regarding homework due Monday. He'd been held back for so long that the rain had gotten worse by the time Jasper stepped out the doors.
His clothes were soaked in seconds. He ran through to the parking lot and found his car. He unlocked the boot, threw his bag in and slammed it shut.
And then something happened that would ultimately prevent today from being an average Thursday. That something being a crack in the pavement he had yet to notice him put his sneaker into. As he tried to lift his foot he was thrown off balance as it held in place and his body fell to the pavement.
Jasper's hands were holding his keys and trying to grab the car respectively, so he had nothing to brace his fall. His cheek scraped against the ground as he felt the keys fly from his hands and it was exactly as he remembered doing a few years ago, like someone took a belt sander and threw wild vengance onto his face.
"AARGH!" Jasper yelled as he skidded to a halt after his short trip, as he felt the sting of air hitting nerves wash over his face faster than the rain. He pulled himself to his knees and covered the freshly seeping wound on his face with the soaking shoulder of his tanktop. It was a pathetic bandage, but he didn't really have much of a choice.
His second concern besides stopping the bleeding was finding his car keys, which flew from his hands only a few seconds ago. He got down again and looked under the car, but there was nothing under there but drippings and a dry patch of pavement. He checked behind him to see nothing, he checked under the car a few spaces away to see nothing, and he saw nothing in front as well.
Of course, he realised just a few moments later why there was nothing in front of him, and he just happened to notice that there was an grated drain only a few paces in front of him, and those gaps were plenty inviting. He scrambled forward to see the contents of the narrow grate, which consistsed of a soaked cardboard juice container, some leaves, a steady flow of water, and towering over that were his keys.
Jasper grabbed the grate by the gaps in the metalwork to try and yank it out, but they were bolted to the ground. His fingers barely fitted in anyway. He tried reaching in only to see just the tip of his index make it through. They weren't moving any time soon thanks to the amount of keys and the cumbersome ornaments, but on the flipside they weren't leaving that drain any time soon.
You have got to be freaking kidding me. No fucking way man, no fucking way...
He felt like he could have ripped the cement from the top of the drain he was so frustrated. He wanted to smash the hood of his car, the only thing stopping him being the knowledge that it was his car and he would have to pay for that. Here he was, an angry soaking maniac trying to reach pathetically down a cramped storm drain for a set of car keys he knew were never coming back to him without some sort of miracle.
"FUCK!"
He resorted to kicking the front wheel of his car. Jasper then resorted to immediately regretting kicking the front wheel of his car because that hurt, like someone had brought a sledgehammer down on his toes. He stood there, foot shaking from pain and face throbbing from the scrape, trying to figure out what to do.
He wiped down his face with his hands, for starters, seperating the strands of sopping wet hair from his face. The rain wasn't letting up any time soon, and he didn't have any way of getting his keys. So what else was there to do besides wander over to the parking bumper in front of his car and just sit there?
It's Cold Out Here
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Courtography
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(Jessica Murphy continued from Set Lasers For Fun)
Jessica had had a pretty good day at school. Her classes hadn't given her too much homework, just a paper for English to work on that was due the next Monday. It was over Brave New World, an all right book. Kinda weird though, really not her thing. Although this was AP English, so she'd have to make sure her paper had all the proper analysis and attention payed to literary devices and all that.
She had stuck behind after class to talk to her teacher about a book she was reading. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn. It wasn't the kind of book she normally read, but it was good, she supposed. It was sad too, knowing how the life of the poor was back then, along with drinking problems and all that.
But now it was all rainy. Not really a surprise, when you had lived in Seattle for 18 years, rain wasn't anything new. Still made her wish she had remembered to wear a jacket though. She fished her keys out of her bag and made her way to her red Volkswagen Bug. Her dad had been nice enough to buy her the used car for her eighteenth birthday.
She made it to her car, managing to avoid the spots in the parking lot where water had pooled. She may have already been wet, but she didn't need to be soaked. She unlocked the door, throwing her backpack in the back seat. That's when she spotted Jasper Rourke sitting on his bumper, soaked to the skin.
She couldn't say she was a big fan of Jasper. He was pretty rude, actually. On the other hand he had to have a reason for sitting there on his bumper. Locked out or something. Maybe she could help. It would be the right thing to do, wouldn't it? She walked over. "Do you need to use my phone...or something?"
Jessica had had a pretty good day at school. Her classes hadn't given her too much homework, just a paper for English to work on that was due the next Monday. It was over Brave New World, an all right book. Kinda weird though, really not her thing. Although this was AP English, so she'd have to make sure her paper had all the proper analysis and attention payed to literary devices and all that.
She had stuck behind after class to talk to her teacher about a book she was reading. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn. It wasn't the kind of book she normally read, but it was good, she supposed. It was sad too, knowing how the life of the poor was back then, along with drinking problems and all that.
But now it was all rainy. Not really a surprise, when you had lived in Seattle for 18 years, rain wasn't anything new. Still made her wish she had remembered to wear a jacket though. She fished her keys out of her bag and made her way to her red Volkswagen Bug. Her dad had been nice enough to buy her the used car for her eighteenth birthday.
She made it to her car, managing to avoid the spots in the parking lot where water had pooled. She may have already been wet, but she didn't need to be soaked. She unlocked the door, throwing her backpack in the back seat. That's when she spotted Jasper Rourke sitting on his bumper, soaked to the skin.
She couldn't say she was a big fan of Jasper. He was pretty rude, actually. On the other hand he had to have a reason for sitting there on his bumper. Locked out or something. Maybe she could help. It would be the right thing to do, wouldn't it? She walked over. "Do you need to use my phone...or something?"
So in the middle of all his sulking, some chick (that was that chick on the cheer squad, right?) decided to come up and be an upstanding citizen. Score one for random kindness. Not that he needed help anyway, he did have his own pho-
Oh. That's right. He had his phone tucked away in his back pocket. And he was still sulking on the bumper on the ground in the car park. Quick, time to not make himself look like an idiot. Take the phone and just call home for the spare set.
Jasper wiped the sopping wet hair from his eyes again and looked up at Jessica while she asked if he needed help.
"..."
"...yeah, I guess I do."
Oh, how the mighty fall.
Oh. That's right. He had his phone tucked away in his back pocket. And he was still sulking on the bumper on the ground in the car park. Quick, time to not make himself look like an idiot. Take the phone and just call home for the spare set.
Jasper wiped the sopping wet hair from his eyes again and looked up at Jessica while she asked if he needed help.
"..."
"...yeah, I guess I do."
Oh, how the mighty fall.
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Courtography
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She handed her year and a half old flip phone over to him. Other girls probably would have bought a new phone at this point, but she liked the phone. It had everything she needed, calling, texting, and well that was it. Wait. He wouldn't read through her texts or anything with her right there would he? No, she'd see it if he did, plus she didn't have anything to hide. Why was she even worried about that?
Well that was silly, but seriously, it was a good thing to help him out. Sure, she didn't like Jasper, but leaving him out in the rain was just mean. Besides, if she had been in that situation she would have wanted someone to help her out.
It was only fair.
Well that was silly, but seriously, it was a good thing to help him out. Sure, she didn't like Jasper, but leaving him out in the rain was just mean. Besides, if she had been in that situation she would have wanted someone to help her out.
It was only fair.
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Courtography
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(Since Inky is away indefinitely, gotta get Jessica moving again)
Jessica waited for the boy to finish the call. She thought he mumbled something. Maybe a thank you, maybe not. She'd pretend that it was a definite thank you. After all, Jasper Rourke might have been a jerk, but he still might have a kind side. Somewhere.
And dang the rain was cold. She was so glad when she got to get into the dry insides of her Volkswagon. Time to head home.
(Jessica Murphy continued in Debates and Discourse)
Jessica waited for the boy to finish the call. She thought he mumbled something. Maybe a thank you, maybe not. She'd pretend that it was a definite thank you. After all, Jasper Rourke might have been a jerk, but he still might have a kind side. Somewhere.
And dang the rain was cold. She was so glad when she got to get into the dry insides of her Volkswagon. Time to head home.
(Jessica Murphy continued in Debates and Discourse)
((Brian Zhdanovich continued from Dinner Date))
Sigh... If there's one thing about this city that I'll never get used to, it's the rain.
Like most of his fellow classmates, Brian hadn't expected the day to end with a sudden torrential downpour. In fact, for the past few days he had been planning on hanging out with a bunch of friends at Waterfront Park that afternoon.
Well, that plan was out of the window. Along with half a dozen backup plans he'd considered in case nobody wanted to go there. Which was a shame, seeing as he had been dying to get some proper fresh air all day. Oh well, there was always the weekend to look forward to. Come to think of it, the weekend would probably be a better time to hang out at Waterfront Park anyway, seeing as they would have much more time to spare.
Until then, Brian would have to make due with sitting in front of the tv playing videogames. Again. Not that there was anything wrong with videogames, it's just that he generally preferred more physical activities to ones that only required a pair of hands. Unlike a certain Ruby Forrester who'd prefer to spend the entire day playing Minecraft instead of soccer. Speaking of Ruby, thankfully at least one of his friends had anticipated the sudden change of weather and decided to bring the proper equipment with them. If it wasn't for the fact that she'd looked up the weather reports before heading to school, then he wouldn't be standing outside with an umbrella protecting his head.
Why was he standing outside in the rain rather than sitting inside where it was warm and cosy? Well, not only had Ruby lent him a spare umbrella, but she had also promised to drop off him home in her car. Which was great and all, given how screwed he would normally be in this situation, but seeing the car park had been packed to the brim that morning she had to go for a good ten minute walk in order to get to where she had parked. And seeing as Brian didn't want to have her phone him, he just had to wait outside in the rain for a while until she got back.
In the meantime, he shoved his free hand into his pockets and rummaged about, searching for something. C'mon, it's gotta be here somewhere... Aha, got it!
He took out the packet and smiled to himself, glad that he had finally found what he was looking for. After having spent all day in school, he'd been dying to help himself to one for hours now. Hmm, only one left. Better make it count I guess...
On that note, he took out the last remaining stick and shoved it into his mouth.
Ah... Nothing like a good stick of gum to end an otherwise average day.
As Brian stood there chewing away, waiting for his best friend to arrive and pick him up, he couldn't help but notice that he wasn't as alone as he first though. To the left to him, past a dozen or so empty parking spaces was none other than Jasper Rourke, who for some reason for standing around outside in the rain talking on his phone. At first, Brian thought nothing of it, until a few questions slowly came to mind. For one, why was Jasper out in the rain rather than inside his car? Surely it'd be better to talk on the phone somewhere relatively warm and dry rather than out in the rain. Come to think of it, why was he still there in the first place? Also, unless Brian was mistaken, he also seemed to look pretty annoyed about something.
Well, Jasper's always annoyed about something. But this time he looked particularly ticked off. Was there something stopping him from leaving or getting into his car? Or was there some kind of personal issue going on that Brian shouldn't poke his nose into. In any case, what Brian could tell for certain was that Jasper was in trouble.
So naturally, Brian felt obliged to see whether or not he could lend a hand.
Why not? Sure, Jasper was one his more... Abrasive classmates. But that never stopped him from trying to help out other classmates who he knew for a fact weren't particularly nice. Besides, Jasper was also a fellow teammate, so he would have felt like a complete dick if he didn't at least ask if there was any way he could help.
Jasper finally finished his phonecall as Brian neared, allowing him a brief second to think of what to say before he started to talk.
"Hey man. Is, uh... Everything alright? You look like you're in a bit of trouble."
Well, here's hoping he doesn't reply with "None of your business jerkwad"
Sigh... If there's one thing about this city that I'll never get used to, it's the rain.
Like most of his fellow classmates, Brian hadn't expected the day to end with a sudden torrential downpour. In fact, for the past few days he had been planning on hanging out with a bunch of friends at Waterfront Park that afternoon.
Well, that plan was out of the window. Along with half a dozen backup plans he'd considered in case nobody wanted to go there. Which was a shame, seeing as he had been dying to get some proper fresh air all day. Oh well, there was always the weekend to look forward to. Come to think of it, the weekend would probably be a better time to hang out at Waterfront Park anyway, seeing as they would have much more time to spare.
Until then, Brian would have to make due with sitting in front of the tv playing videogames. Again. Not that there was anything wrong with videogames, it's just that he generally preferred more physical activities to ones that only required a pair of hands. Unlike a certain Ruby Forrester who'd prefer to spend the entire day playing Minecraft instead of soccer. Speaking of Ruby, thankfully at least one of his friends had anticipated the sudden change of weather and decided to bring the proper equipment with them. If it wasn't for the fact that she'd looked up the weather reports before heading to school, then he wouldn't be standing outside with an umbrella protecting his head.
Why was he standing outside in the rain rather than sitting inside where it was warm and cosy? Well, not only had Ruby lent him a spare umbrella, but she had also promised to drop off him home in her car. Which was great and all, given how screwed he would normally be in this situation, but seeing the car park had been packed to the brim that morning she had to go for a good ten minute walk in order to get to where she had parked. And seeing as Brian didn't want to have her phone him, he just had to wait outside in the rain for a while until she got back.
In the meantime, he shoved his free hand into his pockets and rummaged about, searching for something. C'mon, it's gotta be here somewhere... Aha, got it!
He took out the packet and smiled to himself, glad that he had finally found what he was looking for. After having spent all day in school, he'd been dying to help himself to one for hours now. Hmm, only one left. Better make it count I guess...
On that note, he took out the last remaining stick and shoved it into his mouth.
Ah... Nothing like a good stick of gum to end an otherwise average day.
As Brian stood there chewing away, waiting for his best friend to arrive and pick him up, he couldn't help but notice that he wasn't as alone as he first though. To the left to him, past a dozen or so empty parking spaces was none other than Jasper Rourke, who for some reason for standing around outside in the rain talking on his phone. At first, Brian thought nothing of it, until a few questions slowly came to mind. For one, why was Jasper out in the rain rather than inside his car? Surely it'd be better to talk on the phone somewhere relatively warm and dry rather than out in the rain. Come to think of it, why was he still there in the first place? Also, unless Brian was mistaken, he also seemed to look pretty annoyed about something.
Well, Jasper's always annoyed about something. But this time he looked particularly ticked off. Was there something stopping him from leaving or getting into his car? Or was there some kind of personal issue going on that Brian shouldn't poke his nose into. In any case, what Brian could tell for certain was that Jasper was in trouble.
So naturally, Brian felt obliged to see whether or not he could lend a hand.
Why not? Sure, Jasper was one his more... Abrasive classmates. But that never stopped him from trying to help out other classmates who he knew for a fact weren't particularly nice. Besides, Jasper was also a fellow teammate, so he would have felt like a complete dick if he didn't at least ask if there was any way he could help.
Jasper finally finished his phonecall as Brian neared, allowing him a brief second to think of what to say before he started to talk.
"Hey man. Is, uh... Everything alright? You look like you're in a bit of trouble."
Well, here's hoping he doesn't reply with "None of your business jerkwad"
So he took Jess's phone, called his mom, and handed it right back, letting out what could have been a thank you in the process. He hadn't said it in a while, so he wasn't quite sure what he said himself. Either way, she was gone soon, and "help" wasn't going to be another 20 or so minutes. As Jess walked off, he considered heading towards the school, towards not being out in the pouring rain for those 20 minutes. Then of course someone else decided to lend a proverbial hand.
One of his teammates, Brian Zanovick (at least that's how it was pronounced, right?) decided to stop by as well. And judging by the fact that he noticed there was a problem, he wasn't that big of an asshole like most of his teammates were. Granted, that was pretty rich coming from Jasper Fucking Rourke, but there you go. At least he didn't sound like an asshole yet. He could just be mocking him.
Either way, he wiped the hair out of his eyes again and gave Brian some attention.
"Yeah, you're standing right over the trouble, actually."
Jasper pointed at the drain beneath Brian's feet that was holding his keychain hostage.
One of his teammates, Brian Zanovick (at least that's how it was pronounced, right?) decided to stop by as well. And judging by the fact that he noticed there was a problem, he wasn't that big of an asshole like most of his teammates were. Granted, that was pretty rich coming from Jasper Fucking Rourke, but there you go. At least he didn't sound like an asshole yet. He could just be mocking him.
Either way, he wiped the hair out of his eyes again and gave Brian some attention.
"Yeah, you're standing right over the trouble, actually."
Jasper pointed at the drain beneath Brian's feet that was holding his keychain hostage.
"Yeah, you're standing right over the trouble, actually."
Brian raised an eyebrow, and after instinctively checking the soles of his shoes to make sure he hadn't stepped on anything he noticed the drain beneath his feet. Putting two and two together, he kneeled down to take a close look, peeking between the iron bars to see what was the problem. At first, it was somewhat difficult to make anything out, but once his eyes got accustomed to the dark he noticed the pair of car keys that were just a few inches out of reach.
"Oh shit. Yeah, not going to joke, that's... That's pretty bad. Hold on a sec, lemme see if I could..."
He tried to squeeze his fingers through the bars, but sadly just like Jasper he could only just about touch them with his fingertips. Not that it stopped him from trying, but eventually he had no choice but to give up and think of something else.
Damnit! Okay, think Brian. No way you can just leave Jasper out here in the rain to wait for a taxi or something to show up or something. It not like the keys are too far out of reach. Maybe if I had something to attach it to, like a magnet or a...
Suddenly, an idea hit him. One which, admittedly, would mean having to sacrifice his last stick of gum to save Jasper's keys. Whilst the thought of just acting as though there was nothing he could do did briefly cross his mind, he knew that there was no way he could bring himself to abandon one of his teammates like this. Hell, he couldn't imagine leaving anyone in this kind of situation, regardless of who they were or what their reputation was. Besides, only a true asshole would leave someone out in the rain just so they could enjoy a stick of gum for just a little longer.
"Hmm, okay, I have a better idea. Here, could you hold onto this umbrella for a sec?"
After handing Jasper the umbrella, he quickly opened his bag and rummaged through his belongings, trying as hard as he could to keep the contents of his bag dry. It didn't take long for him to find what he was looking for, specifically a wooden pencil just a few inches longer than his middle finger. Once he had his pencil out, he removed his gum and stuck it onto the end of the pencil, admiring his handiwork for a brief second before poking it between the bars of the drain that held Jasper's keys hostage. Sure enough, as he carefully pulled the pencil back there was Jasper's keys attached to the gum.
"Aha, there we are!"
With a smile on his face, Brian removed the keys from the gum and tossed them over to Jasper.
"Here, no need to thank me, it was the least I could do."
Brian raised an eyebrow, and after instinctively checking the soles of his shoes to make sure he hadn't stepped on anything he noticed the drain beneath his feet. Putting two and two together, he kneeled down to take a close look, peeking between the iron bars to see what was the problem. At first, it was somewhat difficult to make anything out, but once his eyes got accustomed to the dark he noticed the pair of car keys that were just a few inches out of reach.
"Oh shit. Yeah, not going to joke, that's... That's pretty bad. Hold on a sec, lemme see if I could..."
He tried to squeeze his fingers through the bars, but sadly just like Jasper he could only just about touch them with his fingertips. Not that it stopped him from trying, but eventually he had no choice but to give up and think of something else.
Damnit! Okay, think Brian. No way you can just leave Jasper out here in the rain to wait for a taxi or something to show up or something. It not like the keys are too far out of reach. Maybe if I had something to attach it to, like a magnet or a...
Suddenly, an idea hit him. One which, admittedly, would mean having to sacrifice his last stick of gum to save Jasper's keys. Whilst the thought of just acting as though there was nothing he could do did briefly cross his mind, he knew that there was no way he could bring himself to abandon one of his teammates like this. Hell, he couldn't imagine leaving anyone in this kind of situation, regardless of who they were or what their reputation was. Besides, only a true asshole would leave someone out in the rain just so they could enjoy a stick of gum for just a little longer.
"Hmm, okay, I have a better idea. Here, could you hold onto this umbrella for a sec?"
After handing Jasper the umbrella, he quickly opened his bag and rummaged through his belongings, trying as hard as he could to keep the contents of his bag dry. It didn't take long for him to find what he was looking for, specifically a wooden pencil just a few inches longer than his middle finger. Once he had his pencil out, he removed his gum and stuck it onto the end of the pencil, admiring his handiwork for a brief second before poking it between the bars of the drain that held Jasper's keys hostage. Sure enough, as he carefully pulled the pencil back there was Jasper's keys attached to the gum.
"Aha, there we are!"
With a smile on his face, Brian removed the keys from the gum and tossed them over to Jasper.
"Here, no need to thank me, it was the least I could do."
There were some things people find out about others that are absolutely gobsmacking.
Jasper finding out that Brian was basically a Russian MacGyver was one of them.
As he held the umbrella over his head, a generous offer from Brian to keep him dry while he did...well, whatever he was doing, he couldn't help but notice how quickly he was getting to work. Most people just sort of meandered over and looked at a situation before thinking, but Brian seemed quite insistent on doing everything he could to help out, without even giving any visible pauses for thought. Not that he minded, since this basically meant someone was getting his keys for him. But still.
He hadn't really spoken much to Brian, period. They hadn't shared the same elementary school or middle school, and he really hadn't been that close with the majority of the team ever since he was kicked full-speed out of Narnia, but Brian wasn't exactly someone he'd hung around with. There were the football gatherings just for the whole senior part of the team where they'd spoken a few times, but compared to someone like Cody or Miles they were practically at different schools.
There was a part of him that was honestly wondering why Brian was going out of his way to help him. Did he want something? Did he owe Jasper something he couldn't remember? Well, there was the odd chance he was doing it out of the goodness of his heart, but...nah, really? People don't do that.
But there he stood, as gobsmacked as aforementioned. Brian solved a problem that Jasper couldn't, or only could if it involve a welding torch and cutting open school property.
"Wow man, uh..." Jasper started, catching the keys flying through the air with his left hand, keeping the umbrella steady, "...that was pretty uh, yeah, wow."
There was a brief pause, an awkward pause, where Jasper simply stood in front of Brian with his keys and Brian's umbrella, before he remembered that yes, that was Brian's umbrella.
"Oh yeah, right, this is yours," Jasper said, handing over his umbrella and feeling the familiar ping of the rain dumping down on him, Brian no more. He ran his free hand through the soppy mess that was his hair, and wiped away the dribble of blood that still remained from his scratch.
"Thanks a lot man, I really appreciate it."
Jasper finding out that Brian was basically a Russian MacGyver was one of them.
As he held the umbrella over his head, a generous offer from Brian to keep him dry while he did...well, whatever he was doing, he couldn't help but notice how quickly he was getting to work. Most people just sort of meandered over and looked at a situation before thinking, but Brian seemed quite insistent on doing everything he could to help out, without even giving any visible pauses for thought. Not that he minded, since this basically meant someone was getting his keys for him. But still.
He hadn't really spoken much to Brian, period. They hadn't shared the same elementary school or middle school, and he really hadn't been that close with the majority of the team ever since he was kicked full-speed out of Narnia, but Brian wasn't exactly someone he'd hung around with. There were the football gatherings just for the whole senior part of the team where they'd spoken a few times, but compared to someone like Cody or Miles they were practically at different schools.
There was a part of him that was honestly wondering why Brian was going out of his way to help him. Did he want something? Did he owe Jasper something he couldn't remember? Well, there was the odd chance he was doing it out of the goodness of his heart, but...nah, really? People don't do that.
But there he stood, as gobsmacked as aforementioned. Brian solved a problem that Jasper couldn't, or only could if it involve a welding torch and cutting open school property.
"Wow man, uh..." Jasper started, catching the keys flying through the air with his left hand, keeping the umbrella steady, "...that was pretty uh, yeah, wow."
There was a brief pause, an awkward pause, where Jasper simply stood in front of Brian with his keys and Brian's umbrella, before he remembered that yes, that was Brian's umbrella.
"Oh yeah, right, this is yours," Jasper said, handing over his umbrella and feeling the familiar ping of the rain dumping down on him, Brian no more. He ran his free hand through the soppy mess that was his hair, and wiped away the dribble of blood that still remained from his scratch.
"Thanks a lot man, I really appreciate it."
"Hey, like I said, it was the least I could do." replied Brian with a shrug and a smile.
As the two boys stood there facing each other in the rain, a number of thoughts ran through Brian's head. The first and most prominent being that, unless he was mistaken, this was the first time he had ever seen Jasper say anything nice. Of course, part of the reason for that was that the two of them had never really had a proper conversation before, but even then whenever he'd seen Jasper around school he never seemed to even say thank you to anyone. Most of his friends, especially Ruby, just assumed that he was just a cold-hearted bastard who didn't know the meaning of the word gratitude.
Brian on the other hand, ever the optimist, didn't think that was true. Especially not now, after Jasper just thanked him for helping him out. For as long as he could remember, Brian had never believed that there was such thing as someone who was bad to the core. Sure, there were 'bad' people, but they were never COMPLETELY bad. Everybody had some redeeming feature about them, even if you had to go digging to find it. And in Jasper's case, deep down Brian had a feeling that he wasn't actually as bad a guy as everyone seemed to make out he was. Sure, he can be a very abrasive person. Hell, he'd seen first hand what he could do whenever someone's particularly annoyed him. But then again, as far as he could remember, he couldn't think of any time anyone had actually tried being nice to Jasper. Maybe that's just because Brian never happened to be around when someone has, but at the same time he couldn't help but wonder if the only reason he acted the way he did was because nobody ever treated him any differently.
And that wasn't even taking into account the way people treated him after everyone found out he was gay. It never failed to shock Brian just how badly people treated Jasper after he inadvertently came out, especially considering how most of his classmates weren't even that homophobic to begin with. Yeah, most of them argued that it was because Jasper deserved it, but in Brian's eye that didn't justify the amount of grief Jasper had received since his secret got revealed. Not even Ruby ever stooped as low as mocking his sexuality. Sometimes though, he did wonder whether the only reason he was sympathetic to Jasper in the first place was because he wasn't exactly 100% straight himself. so he could (sort of) understand what it was like to be in Jasper's shoes.
And... Well, he also couldn't deny that Jasper was pretty darn, well...
ANYWAY, that said, he liked to think that even if he was straight he'd still be just as appalled at the way Jasper had been treated as he was now.
Almost on cue, Brian heard the sound of Ruby's car coming to a stop, and he remembered exactly why he was out in the rain in the first place.
"So, um, yeah. Guess I'll catch you later..." he said before making his way towards Ruby's car.
After only taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped for a moment, then turned back towards Jasper.
"I, uh... Don't suppose you ever want to hang out sometime, do you?"
As the two boys stood there facing each other in the rain, a number of thoughts ran through Brian's head. The first and most prominent being that, unless he was mistaken, this was the first time he had ever seen Jasper say anything nice. Of course, part of the reason for that was that the two of them had never really had a proper conversation before, but even then whenever he'd seen Jasper around school he never seemed to even say thank you to anyone. Most of his friends, especially Ruby, just assumed that he was just a cold-hearted bastard who didn't know the meaning of the word gratitude.
Brian on the other hand, ever the optimist, didn't think that was true. Especially not now, after Jasper just thanked him for helping him out. For as long as he could remember, Brian had never believed that there was such thing as someone who was bad to the core. Sure, there were 'bad' people, but they were never COMPLETELY bad. Everybody had some redeeming feature about them, even if you had to go digging to find it. And in Jasper's case, deep down Brian had a feeling that he wasn't actually as bad a guy as everyone seemed to make out he was. Sure, he can be a very abrasive person. Hell, he'd seen first hand what he could do whenever someone's particularly annoyed him. But then again, as far as he could remember, he couldn't think of any time anyone had actually tried being nice to Jasper. Maybe that's just because Brian never happened to be around when someone has, but at the same time he couldn't help but wonder if the only reason he acted the way he did was because nobody ever treated him any differently.
And that wasn't even taking into account the way people treated him after everyone found out he was gay. It never failed to shock Brian just how badly people treated Jasper after he inadvertently came out, especially considering how most of his classmates weren't even that homophobic to begin with. Yeah, most of them argued that it was because Jasper deserved it, but in Brian's eye that didn't justify the amount of grief Jasper had received since his secret got revealed. Not even Ruby ever stooped as low as mocking his sexuality. Sometimes though, he did wonder whether the only reason he was sympathetic to Jasper in the first place was because he wasn't exactly 100% straight himself. so he could (sort of) understand what it was like to be in Jasper's shoes.
And... Well, he also couldn't deny that Jasper was pretty darn, well...
ANYWAY, that said, he liked to think that even if he was straight he'd still be just as appalled at the way Jasper had been treated as he was now.
Almost on cue, Brian heard the sound of Ruby's car coming to a stop, and he remembered exactly why he was out in the rain in the first place.
"So, um, yeah. Guess I'll catch you later..." he said before making his way towards Ruby's car.
After only taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped for a moment, then turned back towards Jasper.
"I, uh... Don't suppose you ever want to hang out sometime, do you?"