Painting Flowers

As soon as I got off the bus, I ran home, quickly giving the usual 'Hi! Yeah, school was good. Nah, not much. I'm going up to my room, bye!' to my parents, before whisking the phone out of its socket and carrying it upstairs with me as I rushed into my room.

I sat on my bed, shrugging off my school bag and shoes as I stared at the phone, waiting for it to ring. It was ridiculous how impatient I could be; meet a new friend, give him my number, look at the phone til it rings.

Sighing, I lay back on my duvet covers, gazing up at the ceiling which was covered with posters of Blink, New Found Glory, Good Charlotte, Green Day and The Offspring. I tried to amuse my racing mind by counting how many guitars there were in all of the combined pictures, but I knew there was 42. I always counted when I was waiting on something to happen, but there would just always be 42 inanimate guitars staring back down at me.

Suddenly, the shrill ringing dragged me out of my thoughts, and I grasped desperately at the covers underneath me until my clumsy hands found the vibrating phone. I brought it up to my ear, pressing the green button and hoping it was the call I'd been waiting for.

"H- hi, is this Jack?" a voice said quietly down the line, and I grinned.

"Yeah, hi," I said, lying back down again and instinctively going to count the guitars again.

1.

2.

3.

4.

"Hi, um, it's Alex... from school? You gave me your phone number?" he stuttered, and I smirked at his shyness.

5.

6.

"Yeah, hey, Alex," I said into the phone. "So... How's it going?"

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

"Um... Y- yeah, it's alright. I, uh, didn't call right away because I had to feed my dog, Sebastian, he's just a puppy," Alex said. "It's sorta a chore, but he's a really cute dog, so... y'know..."

14.

15.

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18.

"Yeah, I get you," I laughed. "Did you walk home from school? I, um, didn't see you get on the bus."

19.

"Yeah, actually, I just walk home, since my house is on Walker Street in Towson, and it's only a few blocks away from Dulaney High," Alex said.

20.

21.

2-

Wait.

"What?" I said. "You live on Walker Street?"

"Um... Yup? 23 Walker Street. Why?" he said.

I smiled. "No shit. I live in 21 Walker Street."

"What? Really?" Alex said, excitement evident in his voice. "That means... That means we live right next to each other! How come I've never seen you around?"

"How come I've never seen you around?" I corrected him, my eyebrows raised, and my gaze drifting from the ceiling to the window, and to number 23 Walker Street. "I'm out loads, on my skateboard and stuff. You must have seen me fall at least once!"

"Hey, I skateboard, too! But I've never seen you around. And I moved here nine years ago! Are you sure you just haven't been avoiding me?" Alex teased.

"Oh, I just moved a few months ago," I explained. "I used to live in Pennsylvania, but, like, my sister... You know what, never mind."

Silence.

"What happened?" Alex said quietly.

"Look, I barely know you, and it doesn't even concern you, so just butt out," I hissed, my blood boiling at the memory.

Even more silence.

"Sorry," Alex and I both whispered at the same time.

"Sorry for being mean. Maybe you know why I don't have any friends now," I sighed eventually.

"I'm your friend," Alex said simply, and I couldn't help the grin the slid onto my face. "But, um, sorry for being too nosy. Damn, I'm picking up your traits already, Jack."

I laughed, which made the tension hanging in our words float away.

"So, uh, you live next door to me?" I asked, standing up from my bed and leaning against the windowsill.

"Yeah, I've got the room at the very left of the house, overlooking this big tree," Alex said, and I gazed out at the big tree between mine and next door's house.

"Yeah?" I said, smirking. "Look out your window."

He was silent for a moment, before I heard the phone being put down; Alex opened up his bedroom window and stuck his head out to face me, grinning widely.

"Hi!" he called into the warm afternoon air, and I slowly put the phone down. "Uh, d'you wanna come over?"

"Sure," I said back. "Is that tree stable?"

"You're gonna walk across the tree!?" Alex exclaimed, and I shrugged. "Are you crazy!? It could fall, one of the branches could snap and you'd crash to your death!"

"Don't you think that's a little over dramatic?" I asked, smiling slightly as I ducked my head out from under the window, swinging my legs over the windowsill and finding the branch.

"It looks dangerous," Alex said uneasily, staring at me as I began to tightrope over the tree, clinging tightly onto the trunk when I reached it.

"Well, it feels fine," I smiled as I managed to make my way over to his window without falling. "Can you, uh, help me in?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, sure," Alex said, and he held out his arm. I grasped it tightly, and he pulled me inside of his spacious bedroom. As soon as my feet hit the carpet, I looked around and began to wander.

"You're room's huge," I observed, and I gave a grin at the massive Amélie poster smiling down at me. "Isn't it scary with that German lady staring down at you when you sleep? Fuckin' creepy, dude."

"She's French," Alex snapped, and I raised an eyebrow at him, turning round. He was avoiding my eyes now, fiddling awkwardly with his watch. "Uh, s- sorry. It's, like, one of my favourite movies. It's about this girl called Amélie, and she works as a waitress in this café in Paris, and it's basically all ab-"

"Hey, Dookie," I interrupted loudly, picking up the empty CD case which was lying on Alex's dresser. "You know, this is my favourite Green Day album."

"Mine too," Alex said quietly, appearing beside me and staring at the cover. "I love the artwork."

"Yeah," I agreed, smirking faintly. "I like the, uh, monkey throwing the shit."

"Mhm," Alex murmured. "Um, do you play any instruments, Jack?"

"Yeah, guitar. Why?" I asked, putting the CD case back on the wooden surface, and spinning around to see Alex staring at me. We found ourselves gazing at each other for a few moments, before he broke eye contact, shaking his head and glancing down to his feet.

"Uh, no, I was just wondering," Alex said, and went off to the opposite end of his room, picking up an obviously dropped quite from the carpet. "I'm on grade 7."

"Oh, I don't have lessons. My big brother Joe teaches me," I smiled, following Alex and looking at his few guitars; two electrics, hanging up on the wall, and the acoustic in his hands.

I faintly saw the knuckles of Alex's hands go white, and I nervously looked at his stony face, his eyes glaring into nothing, and his lips pressed so tightly together that his mouth was just a faint line. I tried to follow his gaze, but Alex eventually shut his eyes completely, sighing deeply.

When his eyes snapped open and finally met mine, I found my heart thudding in my rib cage. I brushed the thought away, trying to ignore how fucking gorgeous his eyes were, and cleared my throat awkwardly. "Uh, Alex, a- are you alright?"

"Yeah, I was just thinking," he said shortly, swinging the guitar strap over his shoulder and gently strumming a few chords. "I tend to think about things and block out reality for a while sometimes. Sorry." He didn't sound sorry in the slightest.

"Right," I nodded, watching his fingers glide over the frets, and I frowned slightly at how good he was at it. "What were you thinking about?"

Alex shrugged, continuing to play a quiet rhythm. "Just... Y'know... Stuff."

"What stuff?" I questioned, and his head suddenly snapped up, and he glared at me.

"Why do you want to know so bad?" he hissed. "Why are you so goddamned nosy all the time? Can't you fucking tell I don't want to talk about it? Jesus Christ, you're like, the most oblivious person ever."

"Talk about blowing something out of proportion," I laughed. "I was just asking, Alex, calm yourself, alright? Wow, you can be really neurotic..."

"Why are you so mean?" Alex sighed, taking the guitar strap off of his shoulder and lifting the acoustic back onto his wall, beside his other guitars. "You intrude my privacy, then you have the guts to call me neurotic."

"It wasn't invading your privacy!" I smirked, shaking my hand at his naïveté. "God, I was just asking because you were being so vague. You're really mysterious."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Alex asked, his tone not so harsh now.

"Well, you were writing poetry when I first met you this afternoon," I said. "And then you became really outgoing when I said you were my friend. But now I come over and you're being all secretive and snappy and just generally bitchy. What the hell is up with you?"

Alex folded his arms crossly. "It's not my place to tell you right now. You wouldn't tell me what happened with you in... Pennsylvania, wasn't it? And I didn't go on and on about that. I just accepted it. But that seems impossible for you, doesn't it, Jack? You can't let things lie."

"You have no idea what went on," I growled, stepping away from him. "You... You don't even know what happened. You can't even imagine what it's like when you... You know what, I don't have to tell you. Because I don't fucking know you."

"Well, fine!" Alex shouted, throwing his arms up. "Call me a name! I don't care! I've had it worse than that; I've had it worse than you. Now get out my house."

"Alright," I said, moving to the window and clambering out of it. "You're a douche, though. A fucking ignorant douche."

I saw Alex give me the finger as I navigated my way back over the tree, and slid through my bedroom window. I was sour-faced as I collapsed on my bed, folding my arms across my chest and glaring at the ceiling.

"What the hell happened?" I whispered to myself, sighing and tossing over to bury my head into the pillow. I was so angry that I fell asleep.