Polokinz and ze Batcat :D Mature Content

Avery smirked, deciding not to let Rhys's tone get to him. "I decided to ditch, like you said." He explained simply, "I was searching for you in the caf." He chuckled, then slid down the wall and sat next to Rhys.
"Chocolate?" He asked, tossing Rhys a bar before tearing the wrapper off his own.
"Done playing emo kid now?" He asked cheekily, throwing Rhys a sideways glance.
Shrugging vaguely, Avery got to his feet and held out a hand to help Rhys up - deciding that it was best not to wait around when the Principal might show up at any moment. He actually didn't feel like getting into trouble today. He honestly wasn't sure he could take it... Things had gotten pretty stressful.

Rhys rolled his eyes. "Don't eat in the caf. Way too many food fights." He laughed lightly, nervously, when Avery sat down next to him. He gratefully accepted the chocolate, slowly peeling of the wrapper and breaking off bits of it.
He ignored Avery's comment about him playing emo boy but accepted his hand. "Get out of here and ditch?" He suggested, seeing his friend's nervous expression. He had world history next - he could skip that without the blink of an eye. The teacher was an old lady who could barely see the tip of her nose.
He started striding away without glancing back at Avery. Rhys twirled around to face him and yelled "Catch me if you can!" Before sprinting down the hall.

Avery considered Rhys's suggestion a moment, but before he even had a chance to reply, Rhys had started walking off. Avery frowned in confusion, tilting his head slightly to one side and wondering what he could possibly have done wrong in that small space of time. But then Rhys wheeled around and shouted his challenge, before turning again and sprinting off down the hall. Avery raised his eyebrows - standing with dignity for a moment and considering the boy's childlike actions.
Then he sighed, and with a helpless shrug, took off after Rhys - laughing cheerfully to himself. He was a pretty good runner, and it didn't take him long to catch up to Rhys and fall into step beside him - but by that time, he was tired. He'd always been more of a sprinter than a distance runner, and he was terribly unfit. "Hey... Wait up!" He gasped between panted breaths, a faint chuckle escaping his lips as he began to slow - quickly drained of energy.

Rhys grinned when Avery caught up but became nervous when he fell behind. In his old school, he'd been on the cross country team, so this was easy for him. But when Avery started to slow down, Rhys turned around and jogged back, panting lightly. "Can't keep up?" He asked, his eyes shining.
He laughed and walked more slowly, taking his time. "Where should we go? I still don't know this town too well." He chuckled. In all his time here, he'd only been on the bus route, school, and home. That was it. He didn't have his driver's liscence and his dad was always away on trips.

"Hey, hey, we're not all athletes!" Avery retorted with a chuckle, still puffing from exertion. He walked beside Rhys in silence for a while, catching his breath, then glanced up at Rhys's next question. He considered this for a moment, but he really wasn't sure. He didn't much like being out in the world... "Uhh..." Avery began, still thinking over his reply, "I suppose I don't know it as well as I should. I seldom get out and do things..." He laughed slightly awkwardly, then just made the first suggestion that jumped to mind. "Maybe to beach...? Good place to just take a stroll and relax a little." He offered a slightly sympathetic smile, thinking back to how nervous Rhys had seemed that morning. Poor guy... It wasn't easy starting a new school - getting to know new people...
Avery was glad that he had befriended Rhys, but at the same time, he kinda regretted it.

Rhys laughed at Avery. "Yeah, but it shouldn't take much to run through the halls at school." He grinned.
"Really? Well you should get out more; I can understand me not going out, but you? Well yeah, you don't look like you get much sun." He snickered but grew serious. "Sure, beach sounds good. Maybe we can pick up a few ledies, eh?" He wagged his eyebrows and almost pitched forward laughing.

((Last post for me tonight. Gotta sleep. I'll post again early tomorrow morning, though. Should be about 6 hours. ))

Avery yawned dramatically - in no way ashamed that he was tired out from his run. He just wasn't the sporty type, really... "I guess I should..." He trailed off with a shrug, then burst out laughing at Rhys's next comment. His expression was simply hilarious. "Yeah, yeah. Sounds like a plan." Avery chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. Ah, he had to admit... At times this little disguise of his could be fun.
Still... Hopefully that little comment meant that Rhys didn't know... That he hadn't guessed... It had been freaking Avery out to know that his secret could be in jeopardy. "Well, shall we be off then, before we get busted?" He asked with a grin, nodding toward the school exit and making his way toward the big double doors.
He had to admit, hanging out with Rhys was kinda nice... He hadn't had a friend in a while, and it made a welcome change - even if it did get him a bit worked up sometimes.

((Or maybe one more... *Coughs* If it's good, and quick... XD ... I'm not addicted. :3 ))

[I hate time differences ]

Rhys laughed and shoved his friend away - by the arm this time. He grinned at Avery and followed him towards the doors. "Yep. Come on best friend!" He said in the stereotypical blonde girl voice. He shoved the doors open and stepped out into the bright sunlight. Hopefully Avery'd tan up. His super pale skin was freaking Rhys out. "And now you'll have an excuse to wear those huge shades too!" He laughed.
When they got to the beach, Rhys belly flopped onto the saand and started making a sand-angel. The beach was deserted - it being in the middle of a school day had that effect. Rhys looked pointedly at Avery.

((I know, right? -_- *sigh* Anyway, I'll reply in the morning! *Glomps*))

Avery couldn't help but laugh at Rhys's antics, and though he was a little surprised at being shoved, it didn't freak him out quite so much. He still didn't much appreciate being reminded of how obviously stronger Rhys was than him, though. It unnerved him slightly... But this time, he didn't let it get to him, and he found that he was still in a relatively good mood when they reached the beach.
He flopped down beside Rhys in the sand, arms wrapped around one knee, and the other leg stretched out in front of him. He sighed in contentment, staring happily at the calm sea from behind his shades. Which, as Rhys had pointed out before, now no longer looked out of place. He stared at the sea a while longer, then suddenly became aware of the face that Rhys was looking at him rather strangely.
"What?" He asked, glancing uncertainly at his friend - his brow wrinkling in a frown.

"I really don't want to push you, but do you want to tell me what happened earlier when I shoved you?" He looked at Avery, but decided against it. "Hey, you know what, never mind. It's none of my business." He smiled weakly as he quoted Avery from earlier and glanced out to the seawater. It was still probably too cold to swim in, and he hadn't brought any clothes to either. He furrowed his eyebrow deep in thought about the way the sea slapped the shore, like it was angry or something. The air had a slight chill to it, too, and Rhys wished he'd brought a jacket or something. He shivered involuntarily and waited for Avery to say something.

[*sigh* Which'll be like midnight my time I know! I'll drink a lotta water to pee and go pee and reply then Hehe *glomps*]

"You're right, it's none of your business." Avery replied, a sharp edge to his voice, and a chill that far surpassed that of the sea-kissed wind that stabbed needles of cold into Avery's skin. Admittedly, he hadn't meant to sound that snappy... There was no need to bit Rhys's head off for a simple question. no, best make amends, and give him a vague answer... "I just prefer to avoid contact. Completely." Avery explained stiffly, rubbing the goosebumps from his arms. Why Rhys had to bring this up now... He was already just getting over his little freak-out, and now to be reminded of it... Great.

"Okay." Rhys said simply. "I can understand that." He nodded and gazed out too the beach a few yards away where a few seagulls were pecking around the sand.
He wondered why Avery was being so defensive about it but realized that he didn't really care - no that made him sound mean. He didn't really mind. That was the word. Whatever Avery was he didn't really mind as long as he was Avery if that made sense. He chuckled and stood up, offering a hand to Avery.
"C'mon, we should probably go back now. Too bad no one's here." He sighed cheerily.

((Ugh, sorry for the errors in that last one. Had to type it on that AWFUL laptop on my way to see Team Fluff, and that laptop has pretty much given up the ghost... o_0 *Sigh* ))

At Rhys's words, Avery relaxed so much that the relief brought a faint chuckle to his lips. He hadn't even realised how tense he was until he'd let it all go... Frankly, he hadn't expected Rhys to let it go that easily. It was a good thing he had, though. Very good... It made Avery trust Rhys just a little more, and of that he was glad. He liked Rhys... He wanted to trust him - but sometimes he couldn't quite bring himself to do it.
Suddenly, Avery was jerked out of his thoughts by the sight of Rhys's hand in his face. He flinched slightly - taken by surprise - then laughed at his own foolishness and grasped his friend's hand - bouncing eagerly to his feet with a brief word of thanks.
"Hmm..." Avery nodded in agreement at Rhys's suggestion, but added an alteration of his own.
"I'll probably head straight home. I'm in trouble for several things anyway, so it won't make much difference. Might as well have a well-rehearsed excuse to convince the old geezer not to expel me." He finished with a playful wink and a grin, then turned away - waving to Rhys over his shoulder.
"See you tomorrow!"

((Time skipping. If it interferes with any of your plans, just let me know and I'll edit it out. ))

After the parting, Avery did indeed head home - but he did not arrive at school the next day. Instead, Avery sat in the back of a music store, listening to the same CD over and over at the testing station. Fortunately, nobody had asked him to leave yet, despite the fact that he had well overstayed his welcome. This was probably due to the cold aura he was giving off... Or perhaps it was the suspicious hoodie and sunglasses?
Most likely, it was both.
Today Avery's attire was even more threatening than usual. Partly because he was feeling more vulnerable than usual, and partly to hide the bruises on his face. These, of course, were most of the reason he had avoided school that morning.
Avery hummed softly as the familiar lyrics pounded into his ears from the throbbing headphones.


...So here I am again.
In the middle of the end.
And the trust I wish I'd made
I always make too late

Welcome to my world
Where everyone I ever need always ends up leaving me alone.
I know that yes it burns
And I'm drowning in the ashes
Kicking
Screaming
Welcome to my world...


His foot tapped a rhythm as the song finished, and the next one came on. One of the shop workers edged nervously toward him, showing intentions of asking him to leave. But at the icy glare that Avery shot the man, he backed off and left Avery to his own devices once more.
Yawning widely, Avery picked up the case of the album he was listening to. It was by Sick Puppies, and it had some of his favourite songs on it. They often helped him shut out reality at times like this...
Avery shuddered slightly, then cranked up the volume on the headphones until he could feel the bass of the next sound reverberating of the inside of his skull.


...It's been a long time coming
And the tables' turned around
Cause one of us is goin'
One of us is goin' down
I'm not running, it's a little different now
Cause one of us is going

One of us is goin' down

This is hardly worth fighting for
But it's the little petty shit that I can't ignore
With my fist in your face and your face on the floor
It'll be a long time coming
But you got the message now
Cause I was never going
Yeah, you're the one that's going down...

The song played on and on, and Avery lost himself in the music - letting the deafening sounds consume his thoughts and block out the world around him.

My World

You're Going Down

The songs mentioned above. Totally worth a listen! I love Sick Puppies.

Rhys smiled at Avery's chuckle. He saw the boy's nervous muscles relax so quickly it was almost comical. "And really, sorry for bringing it up. I didn't know it affected you so much." He said sincerely. Rhys decided it was for the best Avery didn't tell him what was up now; it should be his decision when - and if - he wanted to spill.
He laughed when Avery flinched, and waved when he walked away. He shuffled down the lonely street back to his home. The scraggly apple tree in the front yard stared down at him accusingly, as if he was the one responsible for his dad being gone so back. He glared back at it and spat on the ground.
He flung open the door and called "I'm home!"
"Home..." Bounced back at him, the empty house echoing him back. Rhys muttered under his breath and threw his bag onto the sofa. He microwaved himself some burritos and sat down in front of the TV to do some homework.


The next day, as Rhys walked up the steps to school, he noticed one thing and one thing only: Avery was not in homeroom. He sighed but plopped down in his normal seat. Avery was probably going to be late as usual. He'd always unconsiously kept track of everyone's arrival habits. Like Claire, the pretty Asian girl with glasses was always there when Rhys came in. And Jonah and his gang of goofball friends were almost never in homeroom. They were usually ditching or stealing some kid's lunch money. And everyone else usually was there. Avery was usually late or ditching. Rhys sighed, knowing Avery was probably ditching. But why? Because of him and his stupid question yesterday?
Suddenly the bell rang, interupting his thoughts. He slowly put together his books, trying not to instigate the raging head ache he could feel looming at the edge of his temples. He moved robotically from class to class, his thoughts swarming his already short-circuted mind. When the dismissal bell finally rang, he quietly shuffled his papers and books and walked out the door, in a strangely calm manner. He didn't actually know where Avery lived, so stalking him was not an option.
As he walked home, he passed a music store - the same one, in fact, Avery was in. Rhys glanced into the wondows and saw a small hooded figure in the back corner. He grinned and stepped into the shop, the chimes above chiming merrily when he pushed the door open.

[I don't think I've ever written this much. o.- My tiny 8th grade brain is not this fit...]

((Hehe! Wooop, go you! You need to get that little 8th grade brain of yours into RP mode. Haha! Naaah, but seriously, don't worry about matching my length when I go on a type-spree. I just tend to write a lot sometimes when I only have 1 RP to reply to... Anyway, I really enjoyed your post! Good job! Looking forward to the next one. ))



Avery glanced up as he heard the chimes that indicated a customer had entered. At first, only one person came to mind, and Avery’s head whipped around so fast that he nearly throttled himself with the cord to the headphones.
But upon noticing that the figure was not his father, Avery attempted to breathe a soft sigh of relief, only to find that he couldn’t breathe at all. So he quickly clawed the cable from around his neck, drew in a gasp of sweet air, then glanced toward the door and studied the figure a second time – this time recognizing him almost instantly.

“Rhys!” Avery exclaimed jubilantly, obviously overjoyed to see his friend. Rhys was, after all, perhaps the only person he’d be willing to be around right now – and what better way to distract himself from his problems than to spend some quality time pretending, for Rhys’s behalf, that they did not exist?
Indeed, Rhys being here meant only one thing: He had the perfect excuse to ignore reality for a while, and pretend that his life was all puppy dogs and fairy tales.

So Avery leaped to his feet and started eagerly toward Rhys. When he reached the end of the cord, it was yanked out of his socket, and the music transferred to the speakers instead – loudly blaring out the music Avery had been listening to at a brain-baking, ear-splitting volume. Avery, of course, seemed neither to care nor to notice. He grinned happily as he trotted toward his friend. “What are you doing here?” He asked in a casually cheery voice – showing absolutely no sign of his inner distress. “I missed you today. Sorry I didn’t meet you at school… I know I promised, but something came up… Or rather, something came in! This old place finally got the new Sick Puppies album! I’ve been waiting forever…” Avery chuckled brightly, then beamed up at Rhys – clearly glad to see his friend. “Hmmm… We should exchange numbers, then I could have let you know I wasn’t coming in…” Avery added thoughtfully – a faint frown on his face.
It was a good thing his hood was so big, Avery reflected bitterly, else his entire act would certainly be given away when Rhys saw the ugly reddish-purple bruises looming over the swellings on his face. Last night had been a mild beating, but either way, a fist colliding with soft flesh was sure to leave a mark.

Rhys arched an eyebrow when Avery spun around, almost choking himself. The boy wasa clearly not at ease and was really quite frightenend and jumpy. He had to stop himself from laughing when he had to tear the cable from his neck. But he knew he couldn't, for he had only gotten him into that little dilemma because Rhys had come in - and clearly Avery had been expecting xome one else. He furrowed his eyebrow in thought, but relaxed when he was obviously recognized by his small friend.

He laughed when Avery called his name. "Hey!" He called, instantly forgetting how angry and annoyed he'd been this morning. So maybe Avery wasn't ditching because of him. But still, he could have been and was covering it up now...
Just shut up, Rhys, you're going to give yourself a brain tumor with all this thinking you do! He thought to himself.
But even still, he couldn't shut his mind off.

Rhys winced when the music started blaring out of the speakers and frying his brain for no apparent reason - until he saw the cord trailing Avery. He chuckled faintly, having had all the breath taken from him when the speakers came to life. "What am I doing here? What are you doing here?" He asked incredously, grinning gleefully. To his nxt stament, Rhys replied "Oh. I thought you were ditching me, just cause things go a little awkward yesterday. And really? Is that th music that's giving me brain cancer?" He laughed. One of the employees glared at Avery as he turned off the speakers. "Out. Out both of you!" He complained, shaking his fist at them.

Rhys laughed but grabbed Avery's shoulder and strode out of the store. Avery sure didn't seem like the frightened being Rhys had seen when he first walked in. But then again, Avery was a pretty good actor. And he didn't even have to because of those sunglasses hiding his eyes. Rhys could usually tell if someone was lying by their expression. He sighed. I guesss it's for the best I can't see what Avery's up to; he might not think I should.

He turned to his friend cheerily. "Hm, your house or my house?" Rhys asked brightly. "My house is a mess though, just saying. My dad's probably away on one of his business trips though." His face turned sour and he tried to keep his tone from sounding sarcastic when he said 'business'. This week's girl is Laura, right? The cynical voice in the back of his head muttered.
I don't care. He yelled back. I hope he gets AIDS or HIV or something.
He beamed at Avery, waiting for an answer.

[Bah. And sorry for any spelling in there, I'm supposed to be studying for algebra. Fun fun!
I actually got scroll bars this time ]

((Ooooh, I'm so impressed! Hehe! If you want any help with the algebra, give me a shout. I'm generally an okay maths student...

Ugh, sorry about this post. It SUCKED! Sheesh, I dunno where my brain was! ))

Avery didn’t much want to discuss the reason he was in the music store – nor the moment of awkwardness from the day before, so he was glad when the shop attendant finally summoned the guts to shoo him out – and Rhys with him.
Avery laughed, then scurried out of the store with Rhys at his side, and the weight of his friend’s hand on his shoulder. He tolerated it for a while, then rolled his shoulder out of Rhys’s grasp as they left the store.

’Your house or my house?’
The words ran through Avery’s head, and it took him a while to work out what on earth Rhys was talking about. Finally, though, he recognized this cryptic question as an invitation to ‘hang out’ – or whatever the modern term was for spending time with a friend. It changed so often, Avery couldn’t be bothered to keep track..
Well, that wasn’t really important now. In fact, it would never be important at all, so why on earth was he even thinking about it? Focus, Avery!
He forcefully turned his attention back to Rhys, and pleasantly answered the question he had been avoiding – managing to remain casual, even though the very idea of going home sent chills down his spine. “Ah, mess doesn’t matter. I’d love to see your place.” Avery replied with a bright smile. He had to admit, he had been tempted to say more after hearing Rhys mention his father, but somehow he was pretty sure that saying something along the lines of ‘My father is at work, hopefully getting his brains blown out so that he can perish in the bowls of hell for all eternity like the vile sack of sh*t that he is’ might just ruin the little disguise he had worked so hard to develop.

No, he wouldn’t say anything. Nothing at all… Everything was just fine, and his life was perfect. Or so he’d have Rhys believe, anyway. So he’d have the world believe…
It was funny, really. As a kid, he had hated liars with a passion. Now, he was a jolly good one himself. Lying was an art, and though it was not always easy, Avery felt he had nearly mastered it. Ah, lying… It was addictive. Perhaps because the prospect of being caught out gave him such a thrill… He was an adrenaline junkie, through and through. He’d do just about anything for a good thrill…
Wait, what did that have to do with anything? He was getting sidetracked again… Focus.

So Avery turned his attention back to Rhys, chuckling slightly awkwardly. “Sorry, I tend to drift off in thought sometimes…” He trailed off, shrugging vaguely, then tilted his head slightly to one side and considered Rhys for a moment. “Shall we go?” He asked, moving forwards and doing his utmost best to hide the limp in his step. The longer he stood, the more his bruised hip was starting to hurt. In fact, he had all but forgotten about it by now. Not that he minded the pain… No, pain was often a good thing. What bothered him more were the memories of how that pain had been born, and the suspense of wondering how long it would have to heal before it was inflicted upon him yet again.

[Be impressed Okay I'm still only on Algebra I so yeah hehe and it's okay xD I has no school on Friday, so I'll be online in the morning... or afternoon for you hahaha]

Rhys looked at Avery pointedly whle he thought about Rhys's offer. The poor kid seemed really confused. Maybe that was just cause he didn't speak the slang he'd used in his old neighborhood with his friends. It generally meant Who's house are we gonna trash today? or Who's parents aren't home so we can drink? and sometimes even Hey, can I bring my girlfriend over to someone's house later? My sister's going to be home all night. He chuckled at the fond memories of his old friends. Especially Micheal.
Oh, Micheal, he thought sadly, there's so much you could help me with here now...

He sighed but cleared his head and glanced at Avery to see if he missed anything when the thin boy said "Ah, mess doesn't matter. I'd love to see your place." Rhys laughed, but his eyes remained serious, seeing how close Avery was coming to saying something else; it seemed like something important. When he didn't though, Rhys didn't push it. After all, how important could it have been? Instead, he said "yes" to Avery's question of leaving, and walked forward cheerily.

Or so it seemed he was cheery. He noticed the dark splotches of bruises swelling on Avery's face, noticed his slight limp, and remembered how he tried to hide the breakdown inside when he mentioned going to his house. Rhys was finally putting two and two together and figuring out he was being abused at home. No wonder he always wore hoodies and sunglasses. If he didn't he'd have been taken away years ago, most likely. Even though it was a terrible situation, he had to admire Avery for his courage and his refusal to give up. Had it been Rhys, he would have run away months ago.

So he walked down the boulevard with his new friend and tried not to notice again all of the little things; his limp which was getting worse, the bruises he could see on Avery's wrists, the dark shades hiding the obvious marks on his eyes, and most of all the worried expression on his face which could only be described as terror. Rhys imagined what that would be like. Being abused by one of your own family members. He shuddered off the thought and physically shivered violently. He kept glancing at Avery, wondering how he could stand it. He would have offered his place for Avery to run away to, but he didn't want him to realize Rhys was so observant.

"So do I." He suddenly said. "I mean, drift off in thoughts sometimes. My dad always told me I'd give myself brain cancer. Well, before he got his new job." He muttered as an afterthought. He didn't mention his dad's new 'job' was that of really a glorified pimp. He sighed and gazed out across the builidings, missing his old home even more.

((*Yawns* I just dragged myself on at 4AM… Used your ‘drink a lot’ trick. Haha! It totally works. But anyway, I’m sleeeeeeepy, so this will probably be a short one.))

Avery stalked along beside Rhys – determinedly ignoring the sideways glanced his friend kept throwing in his direction. Rhys was pretending he hadn’t noticed, and Avery was pretending to believe him – at first. But now he considered it more logically, he knew that Rhys had noticed his injuries. His limp was becoming more pronounced now after all, and as they’d turned a corner the low afternoon sun had hit his face, erasing the safety of the shadows. Rhys had noticed, and he was probably making assumptions. Which, judging by the fact he had refrained from asking ‘what happened’, were probably the right assumptions. This, of course, was the last thing that Avery wanted.
He was about to say something, when suddenly Rhys spoke again – mentioning that he, too, tended to drift off in thought.
Avery chuckled politely, and replied with casual cheer, “Brain cancer, huh? Well, I’m glad to know I’m not the only one, anyway. Your Dad sounds like a pretty cool guy.” He finished with a grin – eyes darting searchingly over Rhys’s face from behind his sunglasses. He had noticed a faint edge of tension in the boy when he’d mentioned his father, and Avery wondered vaguely if something was wrong. Most likely, there was. Every family had its problems, and there was always trouble in paradise… That reminded him, he had something to say.

“And Dude…” Avery began seriously, glancing at Rhys with his eyebrows raised, “You can stop looking at me like that now. You’re pretty bad at hiding your thought patterns, you know.” Avery chuckled and shook his head, then looked back at his friend with a bright grin. “Before your curiosity starts giving you brain cancer, let me tell you: I fell down the stairs.” Avery fell silent a moment, his cheeks twitching with the desire to laugh at how cliché his explanation sounded. It was not completely a lie, either. He was extremely clumsy, and he had fallen down the stairs on his own plenty of times. The only difference was, this time he’d had a little help. But Rhys didn’t need to know that, and Avery wasn’t having him assuming, either. So, shrugging off his thoughts, Avery continued with his cheery explanation – trusting his acting skills to drag him out of this mess. He didn’t want Rhys involved in his personal life… He would only try to help, and that would just make things worse.

“I know… Totally cliché, right? But I swear it’s true! You’d think that after all these years I’d have learned where the staircase it, but no… Always tripping down it.” Avery shook his head in mock disappointment with himself, then turned back to Rhys with a joking grin. “I am the biggest clutz you’ll find anywhere. I actually gave myself a concussion from walking into a lamppost once. But in my defense, who leaves a lamp post in the middle of the sidewalk, anyway? It’s stupid, really…” He trailed off, frowning thoughtfully. Then, he suddenly realized how long he’d been babbling on for, and he cast Rhys a sheepish grin. “Sorry, Once I get talking I tend not to shut up…” Avery apologized with a laugh.

He walked beside his new friend for a while, gradually getting more and more comfortable with Rhys’s presence. He really was a good guy, and Avery liked him. It was good to have a friend again… Lost in thought, Avery forgot to look where he was going, and – as though to prove the point he’d just made – tripped over a loose stone in front of him. He stumbled, then lost his balance and fell backwards – landing in a most undignified position.
He hit the ground with a soft ‘thump’, and as he did so, his sunglasses slipped from his nose and landed on the ground.
“Gaaaah! The light, it BURNS!” Avery wailed dramatically, shielding his eyes and blinking against the sudden harshness of the sun, which instantly made his sensitive, pale blue eyes begin to water. Chuckling to himself at his silliness, Avery squinted against the sun – then grabbed his glasses and slipped them back on, breathing a soft sigh of relief when they hid the painful glare of the sun.

Muttering complaints about stones, and their abnormal tendency to leap out under his feet, Avery clambered up once more, and fell into step beside Rhys with a yawn – doing his best to maintain his dignity despite the fact that he was pretty much acting like a goof.
Still, maybe it was a good thing that Rhys had seen his fun side. He didn’t want his new friend to become bored of his constant seriousness and decide he wasn’t worth the time…

((Okay… It wasn’t that short. And it’s now 4:30… Haha! Second bed time! ^_^ ))

[You should see my face when I read your posts. It's apparently priceless lmao ]

Rhys became aware of Avery finally realizing he was being inspected. About time, too. He should be more alert, with his situation and all. Well, both situations. Rhys laughed evily at that in his head. But when Avery talked about his dad being a cool guy, well that just blew it. "Hey, can we get one thing straight? My dad is not a cool guy. I don't know how it is in your family, but my dad is not a good guy. He spends all his time fu.... never mind." He turned away angrily and began walking faster.

But when Avery mentioned why he had the bruises, he turned around again, full of interst, his anger apparently erased. He smiled shyly. "I'm actually pretty good at it. When I want to be." He wagged his eyebrows and laughed. And when Avery mentioned stairs, Rhys murmured, "Sure. You fell down stairs so you ended up with fist-like bruises? I don't really care. Unless you want me to do something?" He ended that sentence like a question, as if making an offer.

He arched an eyebrow though when Avery went on to explain how clmsy he was. He kept his face neutral with a hint of amusement on his lips, though his thoughts were whirling.

It was clear Avery was not the actor he thought he was. He could see the tense muscles in his neck and back. Rhys had taken a psychology course back home and had learned those were just a few of the telltale signs. Most of them, though, had to do with the eyes. Nervous flitting around, irregular blinking, watering, etc. But, as he'd noticed before, he couldn't see Avery's obviously dark eyes behind the glasses. He sighed and paid attention to what he was saying once again.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, it's fine. My older sister used to tell me that all the time." He laughed, reffering to the babbling issue, but still thinking about Avery's bruises. His girlfriend back home had been physically abused. She would come to school looking exactly like Avery minus the sunglasses and lack of color. Eventually Child Services took her away. What a shame, too. Rhys had been particularly fond of that one...

Rhys had to keep from laaughing out loud when Avery tripped - emphasizing the pont he had just made. But he didn't have trouble when he saw the glasses lying on the pavement. He inhaled sharply when he saw Avery's eyes. Pale sky blue. They looked so.... feminine? Vulnerable? Totally unlike the rest of his dark self? He'd become so preoccupied imagining him with dark eyes, mostly black, that this came as a real shocker. Rhys quietly pondered over this while Avery complained about the Sun.

"If I didn't know better," Rhys started in a teasing voice, "I'd say you were a vampire. 'Gaaaaaah! I burns!'" He quoted Avery from seconds before. "I will never let that go." He laughed and slapped his friend on the back, not commenting about his eyes.
"So," he began, "I'll make you a deal. I'll tell you what's going on in my family if you tell me about yours. Because I know something is not right there." All of the joking had left his eyes and only dead seriousness remained. They'd reached Rhys's frontyard with the bare apple tree. He swung open the front door and usheredd Avery inside, plopping down on the sofa after cracking two Cokes and spiking it with some beer. "Coke?" He offered one to Avery.

[Gah. I had to think.... so much.... *dies*]

((O.o How so? *Wants to see* … GAAAH! The curiosity, it BURNS! XD … Totally had to be done. ))

((… Eeeeh, I’m trying to start, but there’s so much to reply to and spread out so much that I just don’t know how to fit it in… That’s my fault, I made my last post too spread out… Humm, I may just have to skip out a few things… I’ll see what I can do. ))


Avery glanced at Rhys with a devious grin as his friend began teasing him about his vampiric habits. He was pleased, since he had made the same comparison once or twice himself. Strange, really, that somebody like him fancied themselves a blood-sucking fiend…
“Of course you won’t… You can’t let go of… The TRUTH!” Avery exclaimed dramatically – putting on his well-rehearsed horror-movie voice, then baring his teeth with a vampire-like hiss. Snickering at the funny situation, Avery rammed his shoulder playfully into Rhys’s – but that plan mostly backfired, since he just ended up bouncing off his friend, since his frame was so small and light. This actually brought a bark of laughter to Avery’s lips – and he was honestly in a good mood when they reached Rhys’s house.
Until, that is, he brought up the topic of family again.
If he was so smart and so observant, couldn’t he see that Avery had no intention of talking to him, and that the fact that he was making assumptions was really getting on his nerves.
Though his thoughts wandered, Avery’s hawk-like eyes remained glued on Rhys from behind his dark shades, and they watched the boy intently as he opened a couple of cans of Coke, then poured what appeared to be beer into them.
When Rhys offered one to him, he shook his head and politely declined. “I don’t drink. At all.” He explained simply.
Had he still been in his cheerful mood from before, he would probably have made some crack about only drinking blood, but as it were, he was not feeling overly friendly – so he stood around aloofly, yet with a polite smile on his lips.
“And Rhys…” He began, his tone so sickly sweet that it made his irritation and displeasure blatantly obvious, yet in the most subtle way possible. “There is nothing going on in my family. At least, not along the lines of what you’re implying…” He paused a moment, reminding himself to be nice, but he was in a mood now – and it wasn’t happening. His tone darkened, and he spat his next words out as a classic guilt-trip. “I don’t appreciate being accused of lying by somebody I just met. Might I remind you that you don’t even know me?”
Wow… Harsh, Avery. Reel it in…
But of course, he wouldn’t listen to the voice in his head. He wasn’t done scolding his ‘friend’ just yet.
“My personal life is just that – personal, and I don’t appreciate people snooping into it. I-“
Suddenly, Avery realized that the volume and pitch of his voice were gradually rising, and he hurriedly cut himself off before he got more upset – especially since there was a chance he’d fly off the handle into a typical girly screaming fit.
He calmed himself, then brought his tone back to its normal pitch and volume, and went on calmly, speaking with more warmth now.
“Look, Mate… If you want to talk, I’m here to listen – but I’m not going to pry into your life, especially if the deal is that you want me to talk about mine. I thought I made it pretty clear: There’s nothing wrong. My life is fine, it’s perfect – okay? There’s nothing to tell, and even if there was, I wouldn't want to talk about it.”

Avery sighed frustratedly, raking his fingers through his gelled hair. He knew he had just messed everything up. Rhys had only been trying to help, and he had completely ripped him to shreds. So much for having a friend…
Feeling hot tears prickling behind his eyes, Avery gave a growl of frustration and turned away, stalking toward the door. He could not be more annoyed with himself. Partially for what he had done, but mostly for tearing up at a time like this.
Damn it, eyes… Obey me! I’m your Master!
He jabbed his vicious thoughts as his rebellious eyes, and finally managed to regain control before any tears escaped. He didn’t look back, though. He wasn’t even sure when he had decided to walk away from Rhys… But one thing was for sure: He couldn’t have stayed there any longer. Everything was piling up and overwhelming him again… Rhys had been his excuse to escape reality, but instead he had just brought it all rushing back.
He had been right all along… Friendship just wasn’t worth the trouble. It was better to just do it all alone.
If only he had reached this conclusion sooner. Maybe then he would not be riddled with boiling guilt over the fact that he had practically attacked the one person who actually seemed to care about him – to some extent. But still – Rhys had stepped on a landmine. Avery had made it clear that he did not want to talk, yet still, Rhys had persisted. He hated being pressured like that… It made him feel weak and powerless, and he would not accept that…

As he walked, Avery felt the urge to cry return to him, but this time he shut it out instantly – slapping a cold mask over his emotions and returning to how he had been in the music store before Rhys showed up. The icy aura he gave off was palpable, and he held a threatening presence. To others, it would appear that he was completely devoid of emotion, and this more than anything gave off the impression that he was above them. Just by flicking one switch in his mind, Avery had gone from prey to predator – reinstalling the guard that he had let down as soon as he befriended Rhys…
Had he allowed himself to feel, he knew he would have missed Rhys. He had grown surprisingly fond of his new friend in the short time they had spent together… But as it were, any such thoughts were crushed in an instant, and Avery effortlessly resisted the urge to glance back over his shoulder… To see if Rhys had come after him.
He wouldn’t do it… He didn’t care…
And that was exactly what he reminded himself with each step he took.


((*Flicks Avery's nose* Stupid character! It's being bitchy.

Anyway, after this I'll probably be reverting back to short posts, depending on how much time and inspiration I have... Can't keep up with too many long RPs! Haha! Then again... I always say that, and it never happens... ))

[Sorry about my posts being spread out hehe. I'd appreciate going back to short ones lmao. And whatttt??? Avery's mean to Rhysssss!!!!]

As soon as Avery refused the drink, Rhys knew something was wrong. It wasn't that he had refused the drink itself. No, he had refused something far greater. It was like he was refusing the friendship. Rhys muttered an angry curse inside his head and set the can down onto a coaster. He sat down on the chair directly across from Avery and leaned forward, resting his chin in his hands and his elbows on his knees.

Avery started out sounding nice - though the irritation was clearly visible. But soon he escalated into one of those stereotypical fits girls get when PMSing. He pretended to listen but hiss thoughts were swarming his head.

His family's not okay, how could he convince you it was?
Are you really just going to let him yell at you like this?
Get your bum a** moving and get him! He's running out the door.
He's runninng, Rhys. Out the front door.
Get up!

Rhys wearily dragged his bum off of the chair and stood in the doorway, watching Avery's hunched form walk against the wind. He realized then just how small his frind was. He was incredibly short and thin with a build that was probably very feminine under that tough-guy getup. But where was he going? Rhys had to know, so he soon threw on a coat and chased after him, catching up easily because, after all, Avery was pretty short and his strodes were much taller.

"Done PMSing?" Rhys said as a joke, forgetting about the whole inferred dilemma. "And I'll try not to bug you about it." He said, pointedly making sure to emphasize the 'try'. "I didn't know you were so serious about it. Want to get some smoothies? Smoothies that aren't spikedD?" He chuckled and gazed around, looking for a smoothery. Or whatever they were called.

((No no, it was my fault, I started it. Haha! Gave you too much speech to respond to in one post. Bad Polo.
Avery's being horrible... *FURIOUS SNARL* *Attacks character*))

Avery tensed as he heard footsteps behind him, and the happy relief he felt at knowing Rhys had come after him just annoyed him even more. He wanted to be angry, damn it! He wanted to hate Rhys right now, but he just couldn't... And that fact was really p*ssing him off.
As Rhys's joking question echoed in his ears, Avery felt himself tense defensively - but he was relieved enough by the fact that his friend was still joking that he did not let the content of the joke get him too worked up. Instead, he merely grunted irritably and continued walking - slightly faster now, not that it helped much with Rhys being so much taller than him.
He ignored Rhys for a while, then sighed and grudgingly muttered "What sort of idiot spikes a smoothie?Completely defeats the purpose of 'smooth'..." He snorted at his lame pun, then shrugged and glanced up at Rhys - his expression still cold and defensive, but gradually becoming less intense. "Sorry for flying off the handle like that back there... I was out of line. Thanks for not holding it against me."
He sighed irritably, then finally managed to calm himself - his tense muscles slowly relaxing. "Okay..." He said finally, breathing out a long breath, "I think I'm done being a drama queen now. How about that smoothie?"
He glanced up at his friend, a faint, apologetic smile on his lips.

((Wow... Sorry, that was a terrible post. But hey - at least we're back to the short ones. Haha! Hope your eyes don't fall out from reading it... Yuck. ))