((Greg Craig continued from Reefer Madness))
Greg Craig was now high.
Jacob & Greg Go to White Castle
Aka. Reefer Madness pt. 2 ((pm for entry (sorryyyyyy ;~;))
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almostinhuman
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((Jacob Winters continued from Reefer Madness))
And so was Jacob. He'd laid his jacket on the floor and sat on it, busying himself munching on the rations they'd been given.
"Heeeey, bud," he called out between bites, staring at Greg strung out across the room, "you still alive, right? Been kinda quiet is all."
And so was Jacob. He'd laid his jacket on the floor and sat on it, busying himself munching on the rations they'd been given.
"Heeeey, bud," he called out between bites, staring at Greg strung out across the room, "you still alive, right? Been kinda quiet is all."
Bleary-eyed, Greg slowly turned his head to look at Jacob. He looked up at him like a baby sloth.
"Uh-huh." He mumbled.
He was really hungry, but his mouth was super dry and so was the bread the terrorists had given as rations. So... he wasn't sure if he was up to partaking in communion with Jacob, or... whatever.
He just... he felt like a bag of rocks, and not really in a good way. And every so often, a gunshot or a scream would creep in from somewhere off in the distance, and that was... well, you know, it was the sound of people who were dying or in pain. And here Greg was, hiding in a gym, in his chemically-altered state, just... sitting there and listening to them as they died. So... even if weed was supposed to make him feel... like, marijuana-ey or whatever, he didn't really know if... if he wanted to feel okay. It just kind of... it refused to sit well with him, you know?
...
He inhaled shakily. His lungs had, by now, acclimated to the ambient weed musk filling the room. Like that time when the supermarket stopped selling the kind of shampoo he liked and so he had to switch to a new brand that smelled different and also made his hair feel completely weird until he forgot to remember how the old stuff made his hair feel. Yeah, like that.
...
"I think... Jacob, I think I'm... sad."
"Uh-huh." He mumbled.
He was really hungry, but his mouth was super dry and so was the bread the terrorists had given as rations. So... he wasn't sure if he was up to partaking in communion with Jacob, or... whatever.
He just... he felt like a bag of rocks, and not really in a good way. And every so often, a gunshot or a scream would creep in from somewhere off in the distance, and that was... well, you know, it was the sound of people who were dying or in pain. And here Greg was, hiding in a gym, in his chemically-altered state, just... sitting there and listening to them as they died. So... even if weed was supposed to make him feel... like, marijuana-ey or whatever, he didn't really know if... if he wanted to feel okay. It just kind of... it refused to sit well with him, you know?
...
He inhaled shakily. His lungs had, by now, acclimated to the ambient weed musk filling the room. Like that time when the supermarket stopped selling the kind of shampoo he liked and so he had to switch to a new brand that smelled different and also made his hair feel completely weird until he forgot to remember how the old stuff made his hair feel. Yeah, like that.
...
"I think... Jacob, I think I'm... sad."
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I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
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almostinhuman
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Jacob swallowed the last little bite of bread, frowning in concern.
"Aw, shit, man. I'm sorry."
A knot of guilt tied itself in Jacob's stomach. He'd been so eager to get Greg to try weed (and to have a little more himself, of course), that he hadn't really considered how it might only make his clear worry over their situation worse. Especially given that Jacob himself had kinda spaced out and left him to his own devices, laying around without much to do. Not that there was a lot to do around here to start with, but at the very least Jacob could have tried to keep his mind off of things.
"Well, uh..."
Jacob got to his feet. He'd taken his boots off in addition to his jacket, and could feel the smooth, cool tile under him. His sunglasses and choker he'd also removed and tossed near his bag, laying half-open on the floor. He scooped up all of his stuff into his arms and padded across the room, struggling to keep it all from falling out of his hands.
"Wanna, like... talk about stuff or somethin'?"
He dumped the load next to Greg without waiting for an answer, before smoothing out the jacket and sitting down again.
"Anything you like. I'm all ears."
"Aw, shit, man. I'm sorry."
A knot of guilt tied itself in Jacob's stomach. He'd been so eager to get Greg to try weed (and to have a little more himself, of course), that he hadn't really considered how it might only make his clear worry over their situation worse. Especially given that Jacob himself had kinda spaced out and left him to his own devices, laying around without much to do. Not that there was a lot to do around here to start with, but at the very least Jacob could have tried to keep his mind off of things.
"Well, uh..."
Jacob got to his feet. He'd taken his boots off in addition to his jacket, and could feel the smooth, cool tile under him. His sunglasses and choker he'd also removed and tossed near his bag, laying half-open on the floor. He scooped up all of his stuff into his arms and padded across the room, struggling to keep it all from falling out of his hands.
"Wanna, like... talk about stuff or somethin'?"
He dumped the load next to Greg without waiting for an answer, before smoothing out the jacket and sitting down again.
"Anything you like. I'm all ears."
Aw, oh no... Jacob walked across the room and sat down next to him. Greg didn't... Greg didn't want to be a bother. He just... he didn't know. His brain didn't feel good.
He groaned quietly, lifting his head up slightly from where he lay, swaddled in looted windbreakers on the treadmill; windbreakers he'd taken from the packs of dead classmates. Dead kids he kept just outside his field of view as he took their stuff, because he still recognized their faces even though he didn't know them.
They were... they were still someone's child, you know?
...
He coughed quietly and then took a breath in through his mouth.
"...I guess, I don't know... I guess I just expected better than this from... you know," he mumbled, "from us. Everyone."
He groaned quietly, lifting his head up slightly from where he lay, swaddled in looted windbreakers on the treadmill; windbreakers he'd taken from the packs of dead classmates. Dead kids he kept just outside his field of view as he took their stuff, because he still recognized their faces even though he didn't know them.
They were... they were still someone's child, you know?
...
He coughed quietly and then took a breath in through his mouth.
"...I guess, I don't know... I guess I just expected better than this from... you know," he mumbled, "from us. Everyone."
none of you can prove im in v8
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
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almostinhuman
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Jacob drew his knees to his chest, resting his chin atop them.
"Yeah... yeah, I get ya."
He'd been extremely lucky to only have barely brushed with the violence of the island so far. The closest he'd come to death was the sort of thing that could've easily happened back home; he'd certainly cut it awful close a couple times, traipsing around in abandoned spots as he did. It'd been scary as shit and snapped him out of that fantasy that he would be fine, that he could survive through all this... but it still wasn't quite what everyone else - Greg included - had been dealing with. He was merely a tourist to the brutality, even if he knew he couldn't remain that way forever.
"But, like... shit, man, this is the sixth one of these or something, right? It's enough of a pattern I guess folks just... they know how this ends, and it scares 'em, and they don't see another way out. Or something like that."
He wasn't sure any of what he'd said was remotely what Greg needed to hear. He was a bit too addled to sugarcoat it properly. He needed to switch tracks before he bummed him out entirely.
"But hey, like... you haven't done anything wrong, right? Hell, you saved my ass out there. So regardless of what those other idiots are up to, at least you're doing good."
He smiled, giving Greg a wry little wink.
"And you're alright company too, if it helps."
"Yeah... yeah, I get ya."
He'd been extremely lucky to only have barely brushed with the violence of the island so far. The closest he'd come to death was the sort of thing that could've easily happened back home; he'd certainly cut it awful close a couple times, traipsing around in abandoned spots as he did. It'd been scary as shit and snapped him out of that fantasy that he would be fine, that he could survive through all this... but it still wasn't quite what everyone else - Greg included - had been dealing with. He was merely a tourist to the brutality, even if he knew he couldn't remain that way forever.
"But, like... shit, man, this is the sixth one of these or something, right? It's enough of a pattern I guess folks just... they know how this ends, and it scares 'em, and they don't see another way out. Or something like that."
He wasn't sure any of what he'd said was remotely what Greg needed to hear. He was a bit too addled to sugarcoat it properly. He needed to switch tracks before he bummed him out entirely.
"But hey, like... you haven't done anything wrong, right? Hell, you saved my ass out there. So regardless of what those other idiots are up to, at least you're doing good."
He smiled, giving Greg a wry little wink.
"And you're alright company too, if it helps."
Greg Craig stood in line on the sidewalk outside John Endecott Memorial Academy with his peers, waiting to board one of the buses soon to depart for Whiteface Mountain Ski Resort. A gust of wind caught the back of his outermost flannel shirt. He shivered. Maybe... maybe he should have worn something warmer today. His hands were getting pretty cold too. He wasn't really used to wearing gloves for warmth; usually he preferred one of the pairs of mittens grandma made for him. He'd decided not to bring them on the trip. He didn't want to accidentally lose them.
He was pretty tired, too. He'd had to get up half-an-hour before he usually did, because of how early the bus was leaving. Oh well. The bus drivers seemed even more tired than he was, which seemed kind of...
...well, hopefully they weren't gonna crash on the way to the resort.
He closed his eyes and inhaled slightly through his mouth. The air tasted like diesel fumes. He heard people's boots clacking against the sidewalk as they walked past.
He felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He opened his eyes and glanced over.
There stood Heidi, facing directly toward him like she was one of the little girls from The Shining. She was wearing the same outfit she wore every day, all year round: a black tank top, a black leather jacket with metal studs on it, a pair of black leggings, black platform goth boots that went up to just below her knees, a black choker around her neck, a smartwatch (the brand of which Greg wasn't actually sure), and seasonal accessories (today, a pair of matte black earmuffs). Greg sometimes wondered about just how many completely identical outfits she owned.
"Greg." She stated, with her gaze pointed just past him.
"That's me." Greg said.
"Yeah." She said.
There was a silence. It felt long. Greg scratched the back of his neck, shifting his heels around a little bit. He stared at the space between Heidi's eyes, unsure if she was finished with that last thought.
She continued not saying anything. Her gaze flicked to Greg's eyes, and then immediately back past him again.
"You're, uh, you're here early today." Greg said, breaking the silence.
"I had to go to a thing." Heidi said nonspecifically.
There was another awkward silence.
Heidi sighed quietly and looked down at the ground.
"Don't die." She said.
"Huh?"
"Just because, you know," she gestured her head sideways at one of the buses, "it's a school trip."
"Ahahaha, oh," Greg said, scratching the back of his neck once again, "it's - that's - that's never happened during the winter, I think. We'll be... fine."
"'Kay. Well, remember to wear a helmet then. Skiing killed one of the Kennedys."
"Ahahaha."
"No, I'm serious."
"I will remember to wear a helmet." Greg said, nodding his head like he was reassuring his mother that he'd done his homework.
"Good."
Yet another silence.
"Can we hug?" Heidi asked.
Greg was confused. Heidi was never an affectionate person.
"Uhh, ahahaha, okay?" He said.
Greg was then enveloped within the shadowy confines of Heidi's hug. He respectfully hoverhand-hugged her in response.
"Never change, Greg." She said quietly after a few seconds, and then she disengaged from the hug.
Greg nodded, still slightly confused.
Heidi checked her smartwatch.
"Oh." She mumbled, her eyebrows raising slightly at whatever was on the screen. "'Kay, bye. I have to go."
Then, just like that, she turned around and continued her way down the sidewalk, and eventually to the school's entrance.
Greg just stood there awkwardly, watching her for a few moments as she left.
That was... that whole thing was... weird, he thought.
He was starting to worry about Heidi's mental health. He hoped everything was okay in her - you know - her life.
"And you're alright company too, if it helps." Jacob said.
Greg coughed quietly, clearing a little bit of ambient phlegm out of his throat.
None of it really helped, because... it was like, it was like....
...Greg just didn't understand how anyone could just, could just... honestly believe that their own life was inherently worth more than someone else's. He didn't understand how so many people could just... take the plunge to kill someone; to understand the pain they were causing another human being, and decide that it was something worth it to keep doing, like it was necessary for survival. He didn't understand why they didn't realize that them choosing to kill because they didn't see another way out was just... kind of a self-fulfilling circular feedback loop.
Because... Greg hadn't killed anyone. And Jacob hadn't killed anyone. And they were both doing just fine.
So... what was Katelyn Graves's excuse? What was Alex Avanesian's? What was Shu's?
He didn't know. He didn't really have any way to. He only had the things they'd done.
And that was what was bothering him. But... he appreciated Jacob's sentiments nonetheless.
He shrugged his shoulders a little.
"You too." He mumbled.
He scooched himself backwards on the treadmill, a little bit like a worm, until his head was propped up against his backpack like a pillow.
He was silent for a moment. He wasn't sure if this was going to be a good question to ask. He didn't want to bring down the mood too much. But... if it did bring down the mood, well... that probably meant it was a good idea to talk about it anyways, right?
"Do you... did you have anyone going on the trip with you?" He asked quietly.
He was pretty tired, too. He'd had to get up half-an-hour before he usually did, because of how early the bus was leaving. Oh well. The bus drivers seemed even more tired than he was, which seemed kind of...
...well, hopefully they weren't gonna crash on the way to the resort.
He closed his eyes and inhaled slightly through his mouth. The air tasted like diesel fumes. He heard people's boots clacking against the sidewalk as they walked past.
He felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He opened his eyes and glanced over.
There stood Heidi, facing directly toward him like she was one of the little girls from The Shining. She was wearing the same outfit she wore every day, all year round: a black tank top, a black leather jacket with metal studs on it, a pair of black leggings, black platform goth boots that went up to just below her knees, a black choker around her neck, a smartwatch (the brand of which Greg wasn't actually sure), and seasonal accessories (today, a pair of matte black earmuffs). Greg sometimes wondered about just how many completely identical outfits she owned.
"Greg." She stated, with her gaze pointed just past him.
"That's me." Greg said.
"Yeah." She said.
There was a silence. It felt long. Greg scratched the back of his neck, shifting his heels around a little bit. He stared at the space between Heidi's eyes, unsure if she was finished with that last thought.
She continued not saying anything. Her gaze flicked to Greg's eyes, and then immediately back past him again.
"You're, uh, you're here early today." Greg said, breaking the silence.
"I had to go to a thing." Heidi said nonspecifically.
There was another awkward silence.
Heidi sighed quietly and looked down at the ground.
"Don't die." She said.
"Huh?"
"Just because, you know," she gestured her head sideways at one of the buses, "it's a school trip."
"Ahahaha, oh," Greg said, scratching the back of his neck once again, "it's - that's - that's never happened during the winter, I think. We'll be... fine."
"'Kay. Well, remember to wear a helmet then. Skiing killed one of the Kennedys."
"Ahahaha."
"No, I'm serious."
"I will remember to wear a helmet." Greg said, nodding his head like he was reassuring his mother that he'd done his homework.
"Good."
Yet another silence.
"Can we hug?" Heidi asked.
Greg was confused. Heidi was never an affectionate person.
"Uhh, ahahaha, okay?" He said.
Greg was then enveloped within the shadowy confines of Heidi's hug. He respectfully hoverhand-hugged her in response.
"Never change, Greg." She said quietly after a few seconds, and then she disengaged from the hug.
Greg nodded, still slightly confused.
Heidi checked her smartwatch.
"Oh." She mumbled, her eyebrows raising slightly at whatever was on the screen. "'Kay, bye. I have to go."
Then, just like that, she turned around and continued her way down the sidewalk, and eventually to the school's entrance.
Greg just stood there awkwardly, watching her for a few moments as she left.
That was... that whole thing was... weird, he thought.
He was starting to worry about Heidi's mental health. He hoped everything was okay in her - you know - her life.
"And you're alright company too, if it helps." Jacob said.
Greg coughed quietly, clearing a little bit of ambient phlegm out of his throat.
None of it really helped, because... it was like, it was like....
...Greg just didn't understand how anyone could just, could just... honestly believe that their own life was inherently worth more than someone else's. He didn't understand how so many people could just... take the plunge to kill someone; to understand the pain they were causing another human being, and decide that it was something worth it to keep doing, like it was necessary for survival. He didn't understand why they didn't realize that them choosing to kill because they didn't see another way out was just... kind of a self-fulfilling circular feedback loop.
Because... Greg hadn't killed anyone. And Jacob hadn't killed anyone. And they were both doing just fine.
So... what was Katelyn Graves's excuse? What was Alex Avanesian's? What was Shu's?
He didn't know. He didn't really have any way to. He only had the things they'd done.
And that was what was bothering him. But... he appreciated Jacob's sentiments nonetheless.
He shrugged his shoulders a little.
"You too." He mumbled.
He scooched himself backwards on the treadmill, a little bit like a worm, until his head was propped up against his backpack like a pillow.
He was silent for a moment. He wasn't sure if this was going to be a good question to ask. He didn't want to bring down the mood too much. But... if it did bring down the mood, well... that probably meant it was a good idea to talk about it anyways, right?
"Do you... did you have anyone going on the trip with you?" He asked quietly.
none of you can prove im in v8
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
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almostinhuman
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Jacob's head tilted, his smile flipping back into a frown.
"A few. I woke up near Kathleen. Haven't seen her since I left the lab, though."
He hoped she was still kickin' out there. He hadn't heard her names on the announcements, but then he hadn't been paying close attention to them. He'd been in various states of addled and disoriented for a lot of them, and the rest of the time... well, he just didn't want to. What was the point of going out of your way to learn who was dead and who killed who, when almost none of them were leaving alive anyway?
Unfortunately, there was one name he had caught.
"And, uh... Lily, I guess."
He didn't wanna go into how he felt about that. He and Lily weren't, like, close close, but he liked her. Knowing what she'd done sat funny in his stomach.
"But, like... most of the folks I'm buds with didn't come along. A lot of them aren't even in high school anymore. And my boyfriend's a junior, so he couldn't go either."
His chest tightened. He remembered how much Francis wanted to go, how grumpy he was about Jacob going without him. Didn't even give a shit about skiing or whatever, just wanted to hang with Jacob and have a little more free time together than they did at home. Neither of them knew, of course, where the trip was gonna end up. On some level, Jacob was relieved he didn't have to worry about him. On another...
"... I miss him," he muttered. "I know it's selfish as shit, but... I kinda wish he was here."
"A few. I woke up near Kathleen. Haven't seen her since I left the lab, though."
He hoped she was still kickin' out there. He hadn't heard her names on the announcements, but then he hadn't been paying close attention to them. He'd been in various states of addled and disoriented for a lot of them, and the rest of the time... well, he just didn't want to. What was the point of going out of your way to learn who was dead and who killed who, when almost none of them were leaving alive anyway?
Unfortunately, there was one name he had caught.
"And, uh... Lily, I guess."
He didn't wanna go into how he felt about that. He and Lily weren't, like, close close, but he liked her. Knowing what she'd done sat funny in his stomach.
"But, like... most of the folks I'm buds with didn't come along. A lot of them aren't even in high school anymore. And my boyfriend's a junior, so he couldn't go either."
His chest tightened. He remembered how much Francis wanted to go, how grumpy he was about Jacob going without him. Didn't even give a shit about skiing or whatever, just wanted to hang with Jacob and have a little more free time together than they did at home. Neither of them knew, of course, where the trip was gonna end up. On some level, Jacob was relieved he didn't have to worry about him. On another...
"... I miss him," he muttered. "I know it's selfish as shit, but... I kinda wish he was here."
Greg hadn't... hadn't actually been expecting something that raw.
He wasn't sure if he knew how to relate to... any of what Jacob had said, on a personal level. Maybe he could relate on a logical, empathetic, surface level. But he couldn't really relate. Like, he knew how Jacob was feeling. But did he know what it was like?
No, he didn't.
Greg's friends were all at home, probably sad, but otherwise... unharmed. He couldn't even match faces to any of the names Jacob had said.
And Greg didn't have anyone to miss. He didn't have anyone he wished was here. There was his parents, he guessed, but he didn't miss them that much. Mostly, he was just worried about how they were going to handle the emotional devastation of outliving their child.
...
Greg had never really before processed the extent of just how... emotionally disconnected and alone he was, and had always sorta been, on the inside. He was like... he was like an anthropologist on Mars, or another metaphor he'd picked up from somewhere else. It wasn't... it wasn't something he really minded, he guessed. It was just the way he was, and he wasn't sure if he could ever really be comfortable being anything else.
For a few moments after Jacob had finished, Greg didn't respond at all.
Eventually, he nodded his head and broke the silence.
"I'm... sorry." He said, to express his sympathy; and also because he was sorry for bringing the topic up.
He couldn't think of any other way to respond to what Jacob had said that would feel honest inside.
He wasn't sure if he knew how to relate to... any of what Jacob had said, on a personal level. Maybe he could relate on a logical, empathetic, surface level. But he couldn't really relate. Like, he knew how Jacob was feeling. But did he know what it was like?
No, he didn't.
Greg's friends were all at home, probably sad, but otherwise... unharmed. He couldn't even match faces to any of the names Jacob had said.
And Greg didn't have anyone to miss. He didn't have anyone he wished was here. There was his parents, he guessed, but he didn't miss them that much. Mostly, he was just worried about how they were going to handle the emotional devastation of outliving their child.
...
Greg had never really before processed the extent of just how... emotionally disconnected and alone he was, and had always sorta been, on the inside. He was like... he was like an anthropologist on Mars, or another metaphor he'd picked up from somewhere else. It wasn't... it wasn't something he really minded, he guessed. It was just the way he was, and he wasn't sure if he could ever really be comfortable being anything else.
For a few moments after Jacob had finished, Greg didn't respond at all.
Eventually, he nodded his head and broke the silence.
"I'm... sorry." He said, to express his sympathy; and also because he was sorry for bringing the topic up.
He couldn't think of any other way to respond to what Jacob had said that would feel honest inside.
none of you can prove im in v8
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
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almostinhuman
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Jacob didn't say anything for a bit. He'd heard the apology, but he hadn't really processed it. Thinking about Francis had opened the floodgates and now his thoughts turned to home as a whole, now forever behind them. They turned to Francis and his bandmates and his goth scene friends and his sister and even his fucking parents, and how he'd never see any of them again. They were functionally dead to him now, just as he was actually dead to them. Now all he had was crouching in some shitty old gym, smoking a dwindling supply of mediocre weed with a friend of a friend of a friend, eating stale bread and trying to act like there was any fun or normalcy to be had while they waited for what might as well be the end of the fucking world.
He shrank in on himself, wrapping his arms around his legs protectively and burrowing the lower half of his face into his knees. At some point his breathing had grown labored and strained.
"I-I..." he stammered, more to himself than to Greg. "I wanna g-go h-home..."
He shrank in on himself, wrapping his arms around his legs protectively and burrowing the lower half of his face into his knees. At some point his breathing had grown labored and strained.
"I-I..." he stammered, more to himself than to Greg. "I wanna g-go h-home..."
Greg sat alone at a table in La Gelateria, past closing time. His parents were around somewhere, but he didn't know where, and other than them he was the only person in the building.
"I was Cleopatra, I was taller than the rafters
But that's all in the past now, gone with the wind
Now a nurse in white shoes leads me back to my guestroom
It's a bed and a bathroom
And a place for the end
"But I was late for this, late for that, late for the love of my life
And when I die alone, when I die alone, when I die I'll be on time." Wesley Schultz sang from the shop's music system.
"..."
Greg was silent for a few moments.
He was... he was pretty out of his depth here.
He straightened his back, shrugged his outermost windbreaker off, and placed it over the other boy's back. Then, he shrank back down and put his hand softly on Jacob's shoulder; again just to maybe help the other boy feel less alone.
He felt like he was going to start crying, but... that was something he'd forgotten how to do over the years.
But, still... he understood how Jacob felt now. He understood that Jacob understood that. He understood it was probably how everyone in this place felt. So he was just silent, because there was nothing more that needed to be said. They had already reached an understanding.
Home was where they wanted to be, but those days were all gone now and there was nothing left that anybody could do about that.
"I was Cleopatra, I was taller than the rafters
But that's all in the past now, gone with the wind
Now a nurse in white shoes leads me back to my guestroom
It's a bed and a bathroom
And a place for the end
"But I was late for this, late for that, late for the love of my life
And when I die alone, when I die alone, when I die I'll be on time." Wesley Schultz sang from the shop's music system.
"..."
Greg was silent for a few moments.
He was... he was pretty out of his depth here.
He straightened his back, shrugged his outermost windbreaker off, and placed it over the other boy's back. Then, he shrank back down and put his hand softly on Jacob's shoulder; again just to maybe help the other boy feel less alone.
He felt like he was going to start crying, but... that was something he'd forgotten how to do over the years.
But, still... he understood how Jacob felt now. He understood that Jacob understood that. He understood it was probably how everyone in this place felt. So he was just silent, because there was nothing more that needed to be said. They had already reached an understanding.
Home was where they wanted to be, but those days were all gone now and there was nothing left that anybody could do about that.
none of you can prove im in v8
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
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almostinhuman
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Jacob flinched as Greg laid the jacket over him, looking at the other boy with surprise. The gesture wasn't expected, though that didn't mean it wasn't welcome.
"T-thanks... I..."
He sniffled, wiping as his eyes just as the barest hints of tears were starting to show. He'd just wanted to let Greg loosen up and have a little fun and instead he'd made him sad and tired, and then made *himself* sad for good measure. Of all the shit he could fuck up, how'd he fuck up smoking weed?
"This, uh, m-mighta been a mistake, h-huh?"
For a second, Jacob laughed, a choked and uncomfortable sound. Then he offered a sad little smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"S-sorry."
"T-thanks... I..."
He sniffled, wiping as his eyes just as the barest hints of tears were starting to show. He'd just wanted to let Greg loosen up and have a little fun and instead he'd made him sad and tired, and then made *himself* sad for good measure. Of all the shit he could fuck up, how'd he fuck up smoking weed?
"This, uh, m-mighta been a mistake, h-huh?"
For a second, Jacob laughed, a choked and uncomfortable sound. Then he offered a sad little smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"S-sorry."
"Ahaha... well, nobody died, right? So... I'm sure it could have been a worse mistake. Like... that guy from before, he said he killed someone but didn't realize it, or... something." Greg said, giving Jacob a pat on the back.
His brain was a bit too foggy to remember the specifics there.
...
He wondered how that guy was doing now. Who'd he been going back to when he'd said he "had to head back"? Greg was pretty sure he remembered him mentioning a Betty, and he remembered hearing the name "Betty" on... at least one announcement.
... Ah well, no matter, there wasn't really any use in wondering about it now.
Greg yawned on purpose. It was a trick he'd read about online to help calm down stressed dogs, and he wasn't actually sure if it worked or if it was even a good idea. But maybe, if it did work, the same principle applied to people. He didn't know. He was... sleepy.
...
Yeah, he was really sleepy.
"Maybe... let's get some rest, I think that should probably help."
The doors to the gym were all barricaded. They'd be fine.
((Gregory Craigory continued in Burning Down the House (Naive Melody)))
His brain was a bit too foggy to remember the specifics there.
...
He wondered how that guy was doing now. Who'd he been going back to when he'd said he "had to head back"? Greg was pretty sure he remembered him mentioning a Betty, and he remembered hearing the name "Betty" on... at least one announcement.
... Ah well, no matter, there wasn't really any use in wondering about it now.
Greg yawned on purpose. It was a trick he'd read about online to help calm down stressed dogs, and he wasn't actually sure if it worked or if it was even a good idea. But maybe, if it did work, the same principle applied to people. He didn't know. He was... sleepy.
...
Yeah, he was really sleepy.
"Maybe... let's get some rest, I think that should probably help."
The doors to the gym were all barricaded. They'd be fine.
((Gregory Craigory continued in Burning Down the House (Naive Melody)))
none of you can prove im in v8
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
-
almostinhuman
- Posts: 230
- Joined: Sun Jul 12, 2020 3:20 am
"... yeah," he replied, sniffling again. "Sleeping it off is usually a good call."
Jacob wasn't actually sure that it helped, really. But it beat sitting around idly, letting all the same shit continue to nag at him. Really, any wink of sleep was a blessing nowadays.
He pulled the jacket Greg had given him around himself a little tighter. It wasn't much of a blanket, but it wasn't really about the warmth of it. It was just... it was sweet, kinda. Greg clearly wasn't all that great with comfort, but he was offering it nonetheless, in whatever ways he could, and after having seen and dealt with far worse than what Jacob had, too. Maybe he was just feeling sappy and sentimental, no thanks to the weed, but out here all those tiny little offerings suddenly meant a whole lot.
Jacob had known of Greg before now. They'd run in similar circles, they'd known some of the same people, but before Greg found him on that cliffside, they'd been practically strangers. Jacob wasn't sure they'd even spoken before that moment.
And now Jacob really wished they had.
((Jacob Winters continued in Burning Down the House))
Jacob wasn't actually sure that it helped, really. But it beat sitting around idly, letting all the same shit continue to nag at him. Really, any wink of sleep was a blessing nowadays.
He pulled the jacket Greg had given him around himself a little tighter. It wasn't much of a blanket, but it wasn't really about the warmth of it. It was just... it was sweet, kinda. Greg clearly wasn't all that great with comfort, but he was offering it nonetheless, in whatever ways he could, and after having seen and dealt with far worse than what Jacob had, too. Maybe he was just feeling sappy and sentimental, no thanks to the weed, but out here all those tiny little offerings suddenly meant a whole lot.
Jacob had known of Greg before now. They'd run in similar circles, they'd known some of the same people, but before Greg found him on that cliffside, they'd been practically strangers. Jacob wasn't sure they'd even spoken before that moment.
And now Jacob really wished they had.
((Jacob Winters continued in Burning Down the House))