A Loaded God Complex.

"Brendon," Ryan tossed down his shoes on the bench behind me and I started dressing again.

"Hey." I welcomed absently mindedly looking at my locker in front of my while I applied deodorant.

"What classes do you have left?" A small grunt came from him as he shoved on his shoe. I stared glancing around the locker room, eyes were beginning to watch me. They seemed curious this time…

"History, art, study hall, and biology." Turning stiffly, I shut the my lock and turned my focus completely on Ryan, "Why? You don't have any of them with me."

"Good, we can skip." My eyes grew wide.

"But- I can't." I'd never skipped a day of school in my life, in fact I didn't even know how you skipped school.

"I can give you my history notes, and there's a sub in biology." He stood up and motioned with his head, "We have to catch the lunch crowd." Never in my life would I think of Ryan to skip… then again I didn't have afternoon classes with him. It'd explain why I didn't see him after school some days.

"Ok." I answered, a warmth filling my body at the thought of being with him alone. He talked to me in school, he never acted like he didn't know me, it's just that he had a lot of friends.

"Cool, let's go." His cheeks rose as a smile covered his creamy face.

We waited for the bell to ring and then made our way. My feet were moving on their own it seemed as we went to the cafeteria. Ryan led me down a hall that many students were exiting from, only they were all going to the pizzeria for lunch. Casually we walked past the restaurant and veered into the woods, ignoring the yellow no trespassing sign. He led us to his house.

"We can grab some food and go to the grave yard. Just be quiet, my dad's sleeping." He advised and then held the unlocked screen door open for me. It clicked as he latched it behind him, "It isn't much, but it's home." Ryan whispered after noticing I was taking in the surroundings.

I thought it was a sweet home, the kitchen had flowered wallpaper, blue tile countertops with painted white cabinets, and a small kitchen table. My eyes were drawn to the stairwell for the basement and past that I saw the living room. It made me uncomfortable, from what I could see the wood paneled walls were covered with taxidermy. Moose, fish, and antlers on plaques covered the area. In between what room there was around the heads and other various body parts, were ribbons and medals.

"We're ready to go." Two sandwiches were made and wrapped in cheap sandwich baggies, "I hope you like peanut butter and jelly."

"Wha-" I unglued my eyes from the bizarre sight and then sensed the need to leave, "That's fine."

Ryan shifted his load uncomfortably and stared at me with a corner of his mouth twitching trying to muster a smile. Sadness covered his face otherwise. He must have been opening his mouth to explain, but then started heading out. In minutes we were in the cemetery. We staked out a spot on the stairs on the mausoleum and then began eating our lunch. Neither of us talked, which was fine and most of the time faced forward concentrating on our feet or ground.

"This is good." I said after finishing a massive bite.

"Thanks… oh, here," He placed his thumb on the corner of my mouth and dabbed. Only halfway through his meal he set it down and brushed off his hands. Patiently he waited for me to finish my last bite, "So, what are we going to do?"

"I don't know, you are the one who wanted to skip." Ryan snorted and nodded.

"Fair enough, Mr. Urie." Scratching his chin and wiggling in his seat he tilted his head towards the light autumn sky, "I say we cloud watch."

"Cloud what?"

"You've never heard of the Beatles and you've never cloud watched!" Ryan exclaimed tugging at his hair with much animation.

Laughing loudly at the sight I shook my head. "No."

"What do you do for fun?"

"I used to like youth group." This received a cocked eyebrow and a small giggle.

"Come on." Dragging me by the hand he picked a spot next to the edge of the river. We were lying on the grass next to the mausoleum, surprisingly I didn't feel weird-ed out. Positioned on his back he squirmed until he was comfortable, doing the same I laid on his right side, "See, that one looks like a tea pot." Ryan traced over a mound with his finger, I squinted and couldn't see it. "There's the handle and there's the spout."

"I see it." I recognized in amazement. Finally understanding what we were doing I found a different cloud do depict, "That one, over there, looks like an elephant."

Nodding, the drying grass crunched under his head. We went back and fourth for about half an hour before Ryan placed his hands on his stomach and his eyes drooped. Placing my hands under my head, I let him be in what appeared to be, a peaceful somber.

"Brendon," He mused aloud, without opening eyelids "how did you get horns?" With no shame I told him the story, the day I thought I was going to dread. Afterwards he glanced over at me, "How is it anyways?"

"Healing." I answered simply, it didn't hurt, nor bleed anymore. All that was going to be left from that day was a scar that resembled a bubbly ring; Otherwise there was no other harm done to it.

"That's good. So, I think I want to ask someone to the homecoming dance." His tone was optimistic and then filled with shyness.

"You're going," my voice cracked and I shielded my face from the sun that wasn't actually all that bright, "sounds fun." It was unbelievable, insincere and flat.

"Aren't you going?" Ryan propped himself up on his shoulder causing his body to loom over me.

"I might, only if Nicole and Pete are going. Nicole is always out voted though," One 'ha' left his lips. Staring at the clouds again and ignoring Ryan I was afraid, but asked in spite of it, "Is it- is it Nicole?"

"No," I swallowed hard and dropped my hands to my sides, "Do you think she'll ask me?" Shaking my head he sighed, "Good. I don't have the heart to tell her."

Chuckling nervously, both of us let it die away into a serene silence. Smelling the air, I saw flaming orange leaves, bare spots on trees, and geese flying over head. My limbs felt lighter now. Ryan ripped up some grass and then promptly laid back down, discarding the faded green pile. This time he placed one hand behind his head.

"Brendon," He hesitated and I didn't respond, rather I held on to let him finish, "Never mind… If I had one super power I'd wish I could read people's mind." Ryan started again, although I found it odd on such an out of the blue note.

"I wish I could be invisible."

"Who'd want that?"

"Everybody." My chilly hands were growing rapidly hotter.

"If you think that they will. If you embrace your flaws they can't get you." I've heard it before, I just never could believe anyone when they said it. When he said it there was a meaning to it.

"It sounds easy when you say it, Ryan." I chortled, yet it was short and I took a moment more to take it in.

He gave an agreeing chuckle, "Yeah, I know."

"You do?"

"Uh-huh," He mumbled and shut his eyes again.

"I haven't seen any," It came out louder than I intended and he smiled, apparently he didn't think it was strange.

The air filled my nostrils and I too shut my eyes, the red soon turned to black as I fell asleep. It must have been an hour or two, because when I woke up it was to Pete yelling.

"If I would have known you liked to sleep in graves, Ross, I would have helped you sooner!"

Ryan was just sitting up and bending his knees. I glanced down and saw our hands were intertwined, it baffled me a little. Nicole and I didn't hold hands, Pete and I sure didn't as heck didn't hold hands. Pete made his way on the terrain holding the straps of his back pack. Sore from sleeping on the ground, I sat up.

"Hello Pete." Ryan said politely. Pete's face grimaced without a desired effect from Ryan, "I'll go." I understood why, and didn't protest. Pete stood with his weight on one leg waiting for Ryan to be gone.

"I can't believe you skipped! You never do it with me!"

"I just thought that we were going to eat lunch and leave, Pete." He cocked his head suspiciously.

"It didn't look like just that." Unsure of what he meant, I scratched my chin, scowling at his attitude. I was sick of it.

"Stop being a jerk." I stated bitterly and lowly.

"Sor-or-ry!" He held up his hands and parked himself next to me, I shifted my body away. This time he took it seriously, "Look, we're freaks as it is…don't make it worse." Lost, once more I put my attention toward the currents in the river.