1000 Casual Lies
Riley was eight when he met his best friend for the first time. It wasn't a spectacular moment for either of them - Riley was too busy pulling Sally's braids to notice Jonathan glaring at him until the blond boy poked him in the side.
"You're standing on my book!" Simultaneously, Sally smacked Riley's hand and pouted, stalking away hautily. Reluctantly, Riley lifted a foot.
"Ooh, you like big kid books too!" He picked up the tattered paperback copy of Harry Potter. Jonathan scowled, pushing too-big horn rimmed glasses back up his nose from where they'd slipped.
"I am a big kid. Can I have my book back?" he held out a stubby hand. Riley passed it over. "Thanks." He shot Riley another petulant look, but it just made the shorter boy grin.
Riley decided Jonathan was his best friend then and there.
---
Riley was rather dismayed when Jonathan developed the habit of poking people in Jr High. 'Jesus, would you quit it?!" he cried, swatting at his friend's offending hand. Beating Halo was hard enough without distractions.
Jon stuck out his tongue - Riley had the insane urge to rip it out.
"Just because you can't concentrate on a little bit of shooting-" he didn't get anymore words out before Riley tackled him.
---
"You know you suck at fighting, right?" Riley shut his eyes - his head hurt too much to bother looking into the his friend's covered eyes. Jon was a bit weird, because he always wore sunglasses outside, even on cloudy days. He switched them with ugly horn-rimmed things indoors. Riley couldn't understand why he wore them. He'd said more than once "just get some contacts, man!" but Jon never listened. And somehow he still managed to be a total manwhore (Jon's own words, not Riley's ), and he'd been in the pants of more than half the girls at school. Riley was not jealous. WAS. NOT.
"Hey man, you alright?" Jon's hand clamped down on his arm, attempting to help him up.
"Fuck, let go man! Your hand's freezing and I'm-" Riley stuttered as a jolt of pain swept through him, one hand clapping down on his side. That jock Davis got in a good hit or two.
Jon didn't ask if he was okay this time, simply slipping his arm under Riley's shoulders and helping him to his feet at last. "I'm tellin' ya, Rile, either you need to stop provoking Davis or you need to get some kick-butt judo lessons." His droll tone made Riley laugh, which in turn made Riley hurt.
"Maaan..."
"Need asprin?" Jon practically hauled Riley over to his truck, both their backpacks already tossed in back. He opened a chippped-blue door and Riley collapsed on the dirty leather with a groan.
"Yeah. Can I hang at your place a for a while? You know how Mom gets." They rolled their eyes simultaneously. Riley's mom was a worrywart, and even though her boy was seventeen she acted like a scraped knee or two was the end of the world.
"Whatever." They both knew he meant yes.
----
"You're standing on my book!" Simultaneously, Sally smacked Riley's hand and pouted, stalking away hautily. Reluctantly, Riley lifted a foot.
"Ooh, you like big kid books too!" He picked up the tattered paperback copy of Harry Potter. Jonathan scowled, pushing too-big horn rimmed glasses back up his nose from where they'd slipped.
"I am a big kid. Can I have my book back?" he held out a stubby hand. Riley passed it over. "Thanks." He shot Riley another petulant look, but it just made the shorter boy grin.
Riley decided Jonathan was his best friend then and there.
---
Riley was rather dismayed when Jonathan developed the habit of poking people in Jr High. 'Jesus, would you quit it?!" he cried, swatting at his friend's offending hand. Beating Halo was hard enough without distractions.
Jon stuck out his tongue - Riley had the insane urge to rip it out.
"Just because you can't concentrate on a little bit of shooting-" he didn't get anymore words out before Riley tackled him.
---
"You know you suck at fighting, right?" Riley shut his eyes - his head hurt too much to bother looking into the his friend's covered eyes. Jon was a bit weird, because he always wore sunglasses outside, even on cloudy days. He switched them with ugly horn-rimmed things indoors. Riley couldn't understand why he wore them. He'd said more than once "just get some contacts, man!" but Jon never listened. And somehow he still managed to be a total manwhore (Jon's own words, not Riley's ), and he'd been in the pants of more than half the girls at school. Riley was not jealous. WAS. NOT.
"Hey man, you alright?" Jon's hand clamped down on his arm, attempting to help him up.
"Fuck, let go man! Your hand's freezing and I'm-" Riley stuttered as a jolt of pain swept through him, one hand clapping down on his side. That jock Davis got in a good hit or two.
Jon didn't ask if he was okay this time, simply slipping his arm under Riley's shoulders and helping him to his feet at last. "I'm tellin' ya, Rile, either you need to stop provoking Davis or you need to get some kick-butt judo lessons." His droll tone made Riley laugh, which in turn made Riley hurt.
"Maaan..."
"Need asprin?" Jon practically hauled Riley over to his truck, both their backpacks already tossed in back. He opened a chippped-blue door and Riley collapsed on the dirty leather with a groan.
"Yeah. Can I hang at your place a for a while? You know how Mom gets." They rolled their eyes simultaneously. Riley's mom was a worrywart, and even though her boy was seventeen she acted like a scraped knee or two was the end of the world.
"Whatever." They both knew he meant yes.
----