Nothing Much At All (PG-13)
As I looked up at the sky, there was nothing much going through my head. There never really was at times like this.
The park where me and my five friends hung out at almost every night ‘closed’ at 10 pm, so we usually ambled up at around 11:30. The walk from our house to the park wasn’t far, but we always managed to make the trip take as long as possible. Well, I always managed to make the trip take as long as possible. I was by far the slowest walker in our group, something I was quietly proud of. I stepped out of our alley and immediately loped into the middle of the street, not fearing for cars or the like. It was the middle of the night for most people; there was no danger of getting run down or something equally tragic.
I always started out in the street alone, but the others migrated there eventually. Seph would end up next to me, my hands either in my pockets, or one of them gently bumping into the one next to his at our sides. We rarely spoke, not seeming to need the words. I was never sure if we were just that comfortable with each other, or if we never had anything to say.
Ollie, my rambunctious and ever-mobile twin, almost always tried to start up a game the minute his feet hit the pavement, whether it was tag, twenty questions or something else just as childish. Louie and Bella, my two best-friends-since-we-were-in-diapers, did cartwheels and round-off’s behind or in front of us, never paying much attention to Ollie, which usually left Ollie out of luck for the duration of the walk.
When we reached the park, our first stop was always the kiddy playground. What with the woodchips and uneven ground, it was in no way conducive to gymnastics, so Louie and Bella gave up their exercises and finally joined Ollie in his game. It started off with tag and just progressed into one thing after another from there. I spent the time while they goofed off at the top of the structure, looking across the park, where the old playground used to be, mourning it’s loss. Now some metal tree contraption sits there, and yes, Seph and I love to come up and sit under the tree on the benches there, but I’d much rather have the playground back.
At some point during whichever game they’d ended on, one of them (usually Louie or Bella) make a mad dash for the swings, which were barely 15 feet away from the play structure. With Louie being the fastest, she usually got the first swing, and Bella, always hot on her heels, claimed the remaining swing for her own. Ollie joined them by running in between their legs, avoiding getting hit as best as he could.
I claimed my spot on the bench behind the swings, content with watching my twin make a fool of himself with my two friends. Seph took his sweet time following us, taking a seat next to me. Never too close, but close enough to make me wonder. Again we were almost completely silent, unless he had something to say, or I had a question I wanted answered. But it was never awkward and somehow I always ended up laughing at something he’d said or done.
Harry would come waltzing up right around then, and it was the boys turn to sprint behind the big building in the middle of the park, all of us knowing what Harry’s arrival meant. Louie and Bella never showed as much enthusiasm as Ollie and Seph did for this portion of our night, but they always made it to our little alcove before me. I always showed up just in time to see Harry open the bag of weed and get the makeshift bowl ready. I sighed a little, knowing there was never any reason to stick around at this point. We’d never gotten caught, and we probably never would, but I think I stayed for the sole reason that if we did get caught, I would never let the rest of them take the fall for something that I was still a part of, even if in spirit only.
“Oh come on Mary-Jane, just one hit. Be a sport. Everyone’s doing it.” Ollie said jokingly, using the nick-name he only brought out at times like this. He was making fun of the fact that I’d only ever done this with them once, and had sworn to never do it again. I much preferred the nights when instead of meeting up at the park, we congregated in the basement, and instead of weed out of Harry’s pocket, it was the booze we had stored behind the bar. Alcohol was definitely my drug of choice.
I rolled my eyes at my brother and flipped him off as I turned around and made my way back to the front of the building. I knew it would only be a minute or so before they were done, and would join me on the steps. I walked up a few steps and sat down, leaning back against the ones above me. Seph sat down next to me when they were done, starting his tradition of spitting a pool between his feet and holding a rambling conversation about gay sex and porn magazines with Harry. Ollie tried unsuccessfully to flirt with Louie and Bella just laughed it off, knowing her girlfriend could hold her own against the pathetic advances of my brother.
I sat and listened, easily seeing through the flimsy disguises Harry and Seph tried to use to mask their conversation. It was the same every time and to this day, they both think I have no idea what they’re talking about. No matter how many ‘basketball’ comparisons they came up with, deciphering the real meaning was almost too easy.
Something that could keep their fogged brains occupied for countless hours always proved to bore me after only a few minutes. I got up from the steps and started walking, the stars capturing my attention and luring me out into the middle of the big circular field. I stopped when I reached the center, and could only stare.
As I looked up into the sky, nothing much was going through my head. There never really was at times like this. It was easier to let my mind wander, taking in the beauty of the night and the stars above me. They had always fascinated me, and trying to think of something productive always ruined the moment.
The attack from behind was almost expected, but still startled a laugh out of me as Seph and I landed in a heap on the dew-wet grass. I rolled away, coughing a little to get my lungs working again. He was on his feet again in the blink of an eye, crouching over me as I coughed up a lung on the ground.
“All right, all right, come on. Back up. For real this time.” He said, backing away from me and starting to bounce back and forth on his toes like a boxer.
I grumbled to myself as I got up off the ground and faced him. I kept my eye on him the entire time, knowing this game well and knowing that he was a shameless cheat along with it. He watched me just as intently from his position in front of me, waiting for me to be ready to play.
When I was fully on my feet, he crouched down again, and I mimicked his stance. He lunged forward, trying to grab me around the middle and hook a foot behind my leg at the same time, so as to pull me back down to the ground. This game rarely lasted more than a few minutes but it was our thing, and practically tradition. He took it as his cue to start it up when I wandered out into the grass to peruse the stars. It was the same every time, just like everything else, and it never mattered how childish it all was. Even 19 year olds had to go a little crazy sometimes. We were pros at it.
Our two minutes up, I made a quick dodge, hooked my foot behind his knee, yanked back with all my strength and brought him down with me, effectively ending and winning the game in one strike.
We were sprawled in the grass again, and he rolled a little so I was resting on his chest, and he was the one mostly on the wet grass. It was rare that he let such a public (even if it was only the six of us; that was public to him) display happen between the two of us, but I enjoyed it while I could. You never knew when he was going to decide that it was too public and cuddle time was over.
As I lay there, contemplating the stars yet again, I thought about Seph and me. I wished that this wasn’t it
I wished that we could get past this weird limbo phase of being not quite just friends, but not a full fledged couple yet either. I wished I could work up the balls to ask for more.
Like a gift from the gods, the next sentence out of his mouth saved me from having to think about it at all.
“So, I’ve been thinking.” He said, staring at the stars himself. They seemed to be captivating their fair share of souls tonight.
“Really? What about?” I asked, suppressing the need to giggle. If our relationship was anything to go by, all Seph did was think. Either that or he just didn’t think at all. It would explain all the crazy and impossible ideas he came up with daily, and not just when he was high.
“About us. We should be together.” He answered. Seph tended to get a little philosophical when he was high, so this last statement came out in a very formal and final voice. One giggle escaped.
“Is that so? Did you just figure that out now?” I asked, lifting my head up to face him and not entirely feigning interest for his benefit. It would be nice to know if our relationship status had been eating away at him like it had been with me.
“Well no, not really. It’s something that I’ve been considering for awhile. But now just seemed like the right time to bring it up.” he responded, nodding to himself. He looked at me then, as if remembering he was talking to a real person, and not just the stars above him.
“I see. Well, thank you for the update.” I told him, laying my head back down on his chest. I smirked, waiting for the next bit.
“Well, don’t you have anything to say?” he asked, shaking me a little as if I’d fallen asleep on him.
“Well, is there anything you’d like to add?” I said, lifting my head back up to look at him again. He knew exactly what I wanted, as we’d very subtly discussed this subject before.
He narrowed his eyes, trying to catch the answer in his jumbled mind. Realization dawned, and he sat up, bringing me with him.
“Olivia Jane Tybalt, would you do me the honor of becoming my girlfriend?” he asked, as if he were proposing marriage instead of just asking me to go out.
“Why Joseph Mason Phillips, I would love to.” I said, just as formal. He smiled and leaned forward, pressing his lips to mine gently. The kiss was sweet and slow, like many of the kisses we’d shared throughout this little dance. He lay back down, tugging me along with him, running his fingers through my hair when my head came to rest on his chest again. I sighed in contentment, and let my eyes close at last.
As I lay there with him, there was nothing much going through my head. Nothing much at all.
.
That's all for now!
*pads
The park where me and my five friends hung out at almost every night ‘closed’ at 10 pm, so we usually ambled up at around 11:30. The walk from our house to the park wasn’t far, but we always managed to make the trip take as long as possible. Well, I always managed to make the trip take as long as possible. I was by far the slowest walker in our group, something I was quietly proud of. I stepped out of our alley and immediately loped into the middle of the street, not fearing for cars or the like. It was the middle of the night for most people; there was no danger of getting run down or something equally tragic.
I always started out in the street alone, but the others migrated there eventually. Seph would end up next to me, my hands either in my pockets, or one of them gently bumping into the one next to his at our sides. We rarely spoke, not seeming to need the words. I was never sure if we were just that comfortable with each other, or if we never had anything to say.
Ollie, my rambunctious and ever-mobile twin, almost always tried to start up a game the minute his feet hit the pavement, whether it was tag, twenty questions or something else just as childish. Louie and Bella, my two best-friends-since-we-were-in-diapers, did cartwheels and round-off’s behind or in front of us, never paying much attention to Ollie, which usually left Ollie out of luck for the duration of the walk.
When we reached the park, our first stop was always the kiddy playground. What with the woodchips and uneven ground, it was in no way conducive to gymnastics, so Louie and Bella gave up their exercises and finally joined Ollie in his game. It started off with tag and just progressed into one thing after another from there. I spent the time while they goofed off at the top of the structure, looking across the park, where the old playground used to be, mourning it’s loss. Now some metal tree contraption sits there, and yes, Seph and I love to come up and sit under the tree on the benches there, but I’d much rather have the playground back.
At some point during whichever game they’d ended on, one of them (usually Louie or Bella) make a mad dash for the swings, which were barely 15 feet away from the play structure. With Louie being the fastest, she usually got the first swing, and Bella, always hot on her heels, claimed the remaining swing for her own. Ollie joined them by running in between their legs, avoiding getting hit as best as he could.
I claimed my spot on the bench behind the swings, content with watching my twin make a fool of himself with my two friends. Seph took his sweet time following us, taking a seat next to me. Never too close, but close enough to make me wonder. Again we were almost completely silent, unless he had something to say, or I had a question I wanted answered. But it was never awkward and somehow I always ended up laughing at something he’d said or done.
Harry would come waltzing up right around then, and it was the boys turn to sprint behind the big building in the middle of the park, all of us knowing what Harry’s arrival meant. Louie and Bella never showed as much enthusiasm as Ollie and Seph did for this portion of our night, but they always made it to our little alcove before me. I always showed up just in time to see Harry open the bag of weed and get the makeshift bowl ready. I sighed a little, knowing there was never any reason to stick around at this point. We’d never gotten caught, and we probably never would, but I think I stayed for the sole reason that if we did get caught, I would never let the rest of them take the fall for something that I was still a part of, even if in spirit only.
“Oh come on Mary-Jane, just one hit. Be a sport. Everyone’s doing it.” Ollie said jokingly, using the nick-name he only brought out at times like this. He was making fun of the fact that I’d only ever done this with them once, and had sworn to never do it again. I much preferred the nights when instead of meeting up at the park, we congregated in the basement, and instead of weed out of Harry’s pocket, it was the booze we had stored behind the bar. Alcohol was definitely my drug of choice.
I rolled my eyes at my brother and flipped him off as I turned around and made my way back to the front of the building. I knew it would only be a minute or so before they were done, and would join me on the steps. I walked up a few steps and sat down, leaning back against the ones above me. Seph sat down next to me when they were done, starting his tradition of spitting a pool between his feet and holding a rambling conversation about gay sex and porn magazines with Harry. Ollie tried unsuccessfully to flirt with Louie and Bella just laughed it off, knowing her girlfriend could hold her own against the pathetic advances of my brother.
I sat and listened, easily seeing through the flimsy disguises Harry and Seph tried to use to mask their conversation. It was the same every time and to this day, they both think I have no idea what they’re talking about. No matter how many ‘basketball’ comparisons they came up with, deciphering the real meaning was almost too easy.
Something that could keep their fogged brains occupied for countless hours always proved to bore me after only a few minutes. I got up from the steps and started walking, the stars capturing my attention and luring me out into the middle of the big circular field. I stopped when I reached the center, and could only stare.
As I looked up into the sky, nothing much was going through my head. There never really was at times like this. It was easier to let my mind wander, taking in the beauty of the night and the stars above me. They had always fascinated me, and trying to think of something productive always ruined the moment.
The attack from behind was almost expected, but still startled a laugh out of me as Seph and I landed in a heap on the dew-wet grass. I rolled away, coughing a little to get my lungs working again. He was on his feet again in the blink of an eye, crouching over me as I coughed up a lung on the ground.
“All right, all right, come on. Back up. For real this time.” He said, backing away from me and starting to bounce back and forth on his toes like a boxer.
I grumbled to myself as I got up off the ground and faced him. I kept my eye on him the entire time, knowing this game well and knowing that he was a shameless cheat along with it. He watched me just as intently from his position in front of me, waiting for me to be ready to play.
When I was fully on my feet, he crouched down again, and I mimicked his stance. He lunged forward, trying to grab me around the middle and hook a foot behind my leg at the same time, so as to pull me back down to the ground. This game rarely lasted more than a few minutes but it was our thing, and practically tradition. He took it as his cue to start it up when I wandered out into the grass to peruse the stars. It was the same every time, just like everything else, and it never mattered how childish it all was. Even 19 year olds had to go a little crazy sometimes. We were pros at it.
Our two minutes up, I made a quick dodge, hooked my foot behind his knee, yanked back with all my strength and brought him down with me, effectively ending and winning the game in one strike.
We were sprawled in the grass again, and he rolled a little so I was resting on his chest, and he was the one mostly on the wet grass. It was rare that he let such a public (even if it was only the six of us; that was public to him) display happen between the two of us, but I enjoyed it while I could. You never knew when he was going to decide that it was too public and cuddle time was over.
As I lay there, contemplating the stars yet again, I thought about Seph and me. I wished that this wasn’t it
I wished that we could get past this weird limbo phase of being not quite just friends, but not a full fledged couple yet either. I wished I could work up the balls to ask for more.
Like a gift from the gods, the next sentence out of his mouth saved me from having to think about it at all.
“So, I’ve been thinking.” He said, staring at the stars himself. They seemed to be captivating their fair share of souls tonight.
“Really? What about?” I asked, suppressing the need to giggle. If our relationship was anything to go by, all Seph did was think. Either that or he just didn’t think at all. It would explain all the crazy and impossible ideas he came up with daily, and not just when he was high.
“About us. We should be together.” He answered. Seph tended to get a little philosophical when he was high, so this last statement came out in a very formal and final voice. One giggle escaped.
“Is that so? Did you just figure that out now?” I asked, lifting my head up to face him and not entirely feigning interest for his benefit. It would be nice to know if our relationship status had been eating away at him like it had been with me.
“Well no, not really. It’s something that I’ve been considering for awhile. But now just seemed like the right time to bring it up.” he responded, nodding to himself. He looked at me then, as if remembering he was talking to a real person, and not just the stars above him.
“I see. Well, thank you for the update.” I told him, laying my head back down on his chest. I smirked, waiting for the next bit.
“Well, don’t you have anything to say?” he asked, shaking me a little as if I’d fallen asleep on him.
“Well, is there anything you’d like to add?” I said, lifting my head back up to look at him again. He knew exactly what I wanted, as we’d very subtly discussed this subject before.
He narrowed his eyes, trying to catch the answer in his jumbled mind. Realization dawned, and he sat up, bringing me with him.
“Olivia Jane Tybalt, would you do me the honor of becoming my girlfriend?” he asked, as if he were proposing marriage instead of just asking me to go out.
“Why Joseph Mason Phillips, I would love to.” I said, just as formal. He smiled and leaned forward, pressing his lips to mine gently. The kiss was sweet and slow, like many of the kisses we’d shared throughout this little dance. He lay back down, tugging me along with him, running his fingers through my hair when my head came to rest on his chest again. I sighed in contentment, and let my eyes close at last.
As I lay there with him, there was nothing much going through my head. Nothing much at all.
.
That's all for now!
*pads