Some Drugs, No Cash, And A Lot Of Trouble

[Red Rumble]

"My parents are gonna be home in about an hour. Sorry, man."


Andy already had his rucksack packed and ready to go. He'd been staying at some kid's house for the past week, the only student at his school who he knew the address of, and he'd been counting down the days until he'd be kicked out. Luck was on his side, fortunately, because he wouldn't have had known where the guy lived if he hadn't attended his party that one time, and it turned out the kid's parents were gone often enough to give him a place to stay until they came back. It wasn't often that Andy found someone generous enough to give him a place to stay, especially for that long.


"Thanks, anyway," Andy said, then adjusted his rucksack and left through the front door with a high head. The cold air bit at his ears and stung the inside of his nostrils, and it reminded him of the near-winter and the thin layer of clothes on his back. He wasn't sure how he was going to manage the next few months.


The sound of crunching and crackling echoed through the quiet streets. His feet held no mercy for the dead leaves on the ground. He walked til he made it to a decently crowded part of town, and he sat on the concrete near a bakery that emitted sweet aromas. Andy wouldn't have been able to idly sit there if he was starving. He would have to thank the kid later for feeding him well.


He spoke quietly out for money whenever someone walked by. Most of them didn't give him a glance, and those that did only apologized and claimed that they didn't have any extra cash. He didn't believe any of them.


His scalp began to erupt with itches, and he cursed himself for not asking for a shower before he left. The brown of his hair was already getting slick with grease - he hated the feeling of unwashed hair. He thought about going to the gym for a shower, but remembered his membership expired since he never paid it on time. He'd have to pay twice as much to get it back.


The frustration was getting to him - of dirty hair, of money - so he dug in the front pocket of his bag for his lighter and his pack of cigarettes. It took him until his fingers touched the bottom of the pocket to realize that both was missing.


Andy checked the side-pockets to see if he still had the few dollars that he had been saving up for a meal, and after awhile, he felt like he was looking for a ghost.


The kid stole his lighter, his cigarettes, and the rest of his cash.


Figures.

 

[qwtp]

Nat idly pushed at the doors leading out of the main school building, he runs headfirst into the hardwood door, oops it's a pull door. He giggled to himself, this always happened, he was embarrassingly forgetful when it came to important things like door directions, and how to drive stick shift; even though he did these every day.


After adjusting his equilibrium he pulled dramatically at the door, letting the afternoon sun hit his slightly stubbly face. He jumped down the four steps down onto the pavement in the school front campus littered with a few stragglers. School got out at 2:15, but on Tuesdays and Thursdays Nat had Enviro Club; which was basically the school dopers planting a pathetic little garden and getting high on the school's back campus. They would usually talk about everything that meant nothing. Today it was what they planned on naming their children. There was bubbly excited spouting of names like 'Rainbow Moonflower' and 'Crystal River'. One kid suggested Maryjane Patchouli but we all knew he was too high to say anything intelligent so we told him to go back to sleep on the bag of unopened fertilizer.


He smiled to himself as he briskly walked to the campus parking lot, grabbing his keys from his pocket after rummaging around a pack of Marlboros and a half-eaten oatmeal raisin cookie his mom gave him this morning in a cute little paper bag with a heart scribbled across it. He approached his van door and quickly unlocked the drivers door, hopping up into the van and shoving the keys into the ignition. The car screeched for a few seconds before going silent and Nat quirked his lips, twisting the keys again and his car flared to life. " You still got it!" he said smugly to himself, his mother always nagged that his car was 'too old' and 'dangerous', and 'smelled like a headshop'. It was all those things, and it was beautiful.


He pulled out of the parking lot quickly and slowly started making his way through town, it was a small town, everybody knew everybody and you could get downtown in a ten minute walk from your house. He contemplated where he could go for the next half an hour or so, he didn't like going home right away and his mother wouldn't be home until 4:00. A long and loud beep from behind him startled him into action, flooring on the peddle when he realized he was sitting idle at a green light while he was thinking. He did that a lot too, drifting off. He calls it The Land, when you're either high off your ass and just sitting and thinking about crazy shit like whether or not insects go to Heaven, or if you're just day-dreaming in class with the window open and the clouds drifting by, wishing you were elsewhere.


Nat quickly decides to pull off into a side lane and park in a no-parking zone, specifically there, cause fuck the system, man. Feeling quite content with his daily dose of rebellious and anti-establishment actions he locked his car and pocketed his keys. Looking left, then right, then left again he skirts across the rode into a small crowd of people. Most were wearing suits, looking very Wall Street for a bunch of nobodies living in a small town in the middle of beautiful scenic nowhere Kansas.


Knowing he was blocking the flow of foot traffic Nat swayed slightly, reaching for his cigarette pack and lighter, lighting a quick smoke before he decided upon going into any of the stores. He glanced down at his feet, which were disgustingly grimy and probably would track dirt into any store he went into. While glancing at the filthy atrocities that were his feet Nat noticed a familiar face on the ground a few feet away. Being the ever so smooth operator and social prodigy he is, he immediately decides to strike up a conversation.


" Hey you, you're in my Calculus class right?" he takes a moment to study the situation and yet again, amazes everyone with his skills of perception.


"What are ya doing sitting on the ground like that? Looks mad depressing."

 

[Red Rumble]

Andy could recognize that guy anywhere, even from across the street. Nat was his name, he thought. He was the one who obviously didn't know the simple concept of self-hygiene, and who always reeked of pot and something else. He gave Andy a headache, with his loud voice and funky clothes and obnoxious stride. Andy tried to avoid him during school, and everyone else who resembled his demeanor. He thought they were all just bad news.


There was no way to avoid him, however, as Nat made his way up and somehow stopped right in front of Andy to have a cigarette break. Was tjere no other place he could have tainted his lungs with smoke? Maybe I should just get up and leave, he thought. Once their eyes met, however, he knew there was no backing out. Andy understood how Nat worked. He was always fresh for conversation, addicted to fine discussion almost as much as he was addicted to weed.


Christ, his voice annoyed him. It was so distinct, so loud, so utterly pained to hear that Andy thought that if he stayed quiet, the sound would go away. Maybe he was just being harsh - and he didn't exactly crave to be shown off as a rude, callous asshole.


Andy thought about asking for change, or bumming a cigarette. He wasn't up for small talk like Nat was. He just wanted to get things he needed. "You know that's a no-parking zone, right?" he said instead. Better to smooth it out than be blunt. "What, are you trying to get a fine?"


Nat was making it hard for Danny to beg for money. People walked around them, probably assuming they were having a nice conversation, the deadbeat on the ground all too busy to mooch off of strangers. What was a polite way to tell someone to screw off, Andy thought.

 

[qwtp]

Nat blew out some smoke and gave him a wicked grin," Fuck the system man, you can't tell a man where he can or can't park, it's blasphemy". He sucked in another puff of tobacco," Wheres my manners man, here" he reached back into his pocket and pulled out his Marlboro pack, offering up a cig to the obviously disgruntled kid sitting like a bum on the concrete.


" You're totally avoiding my question man, not cool."


Deciding it was too much effort to be standing while he was still buzzed, Nat dusted some of the stray leaves and stomped out cigarette butts away with his barefoot and plopped right down next to his new buddy; Anthony, Andre, uhhhh Antoine? Despite not remembering his name he didn't let that get in the way of trying to help the guy out. He seemed sad, and there ain't allowed to be any frown clowns while Nat Wren was here, sad people were like such bummers. Bummers were one of the worst people on the list of people that Nat hated most, right under chickens, he hated flimsy candyasses with no sense of what's what.

 

[Red Rumble]

Even with his crooked dislike for the guy, Andy silently thanked him when he sacrificed one of his cigarettes. Andy must have been blessed with generous things recently, if you quietly excluded the fact that he had gotten robbed. "I'm pretty sure you know fully well why I'm sitting here," he said, "so I didn't think your question really needed answering."


With nice things came undesirable things, and Andy definitely didn't desire to be in close proximity with Nat. The nearness made him immediately awake from abrupt alertness, and he stiffened and he coughed and he huffed in a bit of smoke. Did Nat want something - was that it? It was unbelievable that the guy had ambled thoughtlessly over to the corner that Andy was in, then somehow ended up starting a conversation for no means necessary - then again, Nat was out of it most times during high school.


"What about you?" Another puff from the cigarette, another conscious moment of their closeness, and another suspicious but smooth glance at Nat's way, and Andy felt as calm as he would ever be. "You looked like you needed to be somewhere, so why're you just sitting here?"

 

[qwtp]

Nat finished off his cigarette with a flick of the stub to the ground and a quick twist of his heel, which promptly burnt the bottom of his foot, it seems doing stupid things was a habit of his. " Yeah I guess you're right man, you seem like a cool cat though, so I thought I'd start a conversation."


In all honesty he knew the guy wasn't coming to school anymore, and he was apparently living out and about on the streets, but the reason why was lost to him. There weren't many bums around here, too small, once people get the boot they usually beat feet out of this circus and head for the big city. Nat scratched absentmindedly at his scruff , it didn't really make sense to stay around here, barely any charitable folks willing to flip you a coin for a pack of smokes, just wise guys that'll steal your blanket from right on you while you're snoozing.


Nat cocked his head to the side at Andy's question," We all gotta be somewhere man" he nodded, thinking he just spewed some philosophical far out prose that would make Socrates crap his pants. " Nah man, I was just killing time by cruising the town, I was gonna hit up a 7/11 if you wanna snag some pop." He motioned towards the dingy convenience store down the block, it was rarely stocked with new produce, Nat usually just kiped some dirty magazines from the back and paid for a Mountain Dew that expired in '62.

 

[Red Rumble]

"A 7/11, huh?" If he stayed on the corner long enough, maybe he could get a spark of luck and manage to pull in a few dollars before the day was up. Plus, he needed to plan where he was going to make his bed for the night, or see if there was maybe anyone left who could loan him their couch. Andy thought about it, but the conclusion ended on a mere fuck it, because he was tired of sitting around. "Sure, I'll go, but I don't have enough to buy anything. Just got a couple cents." He noticed how he sounded like he was indirectly hinting for some cash, so he stood, dropped the his smoke and killed it with his feet, then shifted his rucksack on his back and said, "I'll just hang out for a bit."


Andy knew where to go, as only an idiot could miss the store's bright lights that were only half-hidden behind a building, so he took the first step without giving a considerate glance back to see if Nat was following. They must have looked like an odd pair, he thought. A hippie and a bum. Dark, over-sized clothes near flashy and baggy attire. They had to have looked like a real laughing stock.


"So, is this what you do everyday?" he called back. "Meet some kid on the streets and then ask him if he wants to snag some pop?" A chuckle stirred in his throat and seeped out in a bubbly manner, quiet but still there. Nat's way of speech was strange but surprisingly appealing, he had to admit, even if he thought that the voice that came with it was annoying. "Who even says that?"

 

[qwtp]

Nat stumbled to stand up, too fast brother, slow your roll. He re-adjusted himself by brushing the leaves off his pants and popping his collar, the epitome of hip. He then proceeded to shake his head," Man I'll always be willing to spot a brother in need, especially one with only a couple of cents to his name". He was a strong believer in paying it forward, the cosmic powers work in mysterious ways and he didn't wanna get on karma's bad side.


Walking casually a few paces behind Andy he gathered all his functional brain cells and assessed the situation again. The kid's been MIA at school for a few weeks now, usually only a couple of kids mentioning off hand when his name was called for roll call in Calculus class. He's probably bouncing houses, catching a lucky break with a few kind souls looking to score brownie points with God. Nat scrolled down the list of questions in his mind, attempting to connect the dots; but why is he out here like a tramp dog with no place to call home? Ding ding, the million dollar question goes to Nat Wren, detective extraordinaire. He briefly considered taking up a profession in personal investigation before realizing he didn't actually have the answer to that question, time to put his master sleuth skills to work.


He jogged to catch up to Andy who was still walking like he was on a mission, jeeze this kid's really bookin' for a smoker. Finally walking in pace with the living equivalent of speed racer he smirked at the question flung towards him. " Nah man, you're special, I only do this every other week" he pouted slightly," No need to chop me down, next you'll be smack talking groovy". If there was one thing he wouldn't stand for, it was the ridicule of the most prized word in the history of the English language, and that was groovy.


Opening the door to the 7/11 went without incident, it was a push door, thank God. The light jingle of the bell caused the glaringly apathetic cashier to briefly lift his eyes to look from one boy, to the other, shake his head, and look back down at the Playboy mag he was thumbing through. The air smelled freshly like those stupid little car fresheners that were shaped like trees and hung on your rear view mirror. Nat has one of those once, leading him to almost set his van up in flames. He thought he was supposed to light them up like incense, it was an honest mistake anyone could have made. Well, at least that is what he told his mother who was clutching her chest, looking faint as her son who was at the time smacking the passenger side seat with his shirt, which then proceeded to catch on fire too.

 

[Red Rumble]

The store itself didn't look friendly, but it was still cozier than it was outside. Andy went through the aisles and paid no attention to the man at the cash register, who only looked their way occasionally. He was an exhibit of a boring man with a boring life, not much to him to give him great complexity, and Andy felt like they held a shared disinterest towards each other.


"Don't worry, I won't smack-talk groovy. That word's pretty popular now a'days, so I'm sure I'd get a heap of torches and rakes thrown at me if I did." Except, didn't people like Nat claim to make love, not war? Andy didn't know - he thought those people were too strange to be able to understand. "What was it you wanted to grab here again? A soda?" The awkwardness of just mindlessly walking around was beginning to seep in, and Andy and the cashier both knew that his intentions weren't to buy something.


Then, when he walked to one of the the snack aisles that blocked the cashier's view, Andy thought that maybe he didn't have to buy anything.


Stealing wasn't much of his thing, since he grew up to deem it as a negative and shameful act, but with the store's security being as lacking as it was, and with the fact that he'd probably be hungry later, Andy figured he could look past the guilt. Anything concealed with a plastic bag was out of the question - loud and crinkly, they were sure to attract attention. Andy aimed for something quiet, and reached out his hand for a small container of nuts, slowly inching it into the pocket of his jacket.


He then looked up at Nat, conscious of his facial expression, and said, "Hurry it up, will you?"

 

[qwtp]

Nat followed around Andy, trailing like a lost puppy, eyes scanning left and right on the half empty shelves. He wasn't really thirsty or hungry, but he liked wasting time so the mindlessness of walking around a convenience store was good for his scatter brained soul. He narrowed his eyes upon seeing Andy look around quickly then creep his hand towards a can of peanuts, ooooo looks like he's gone full klepto!





He honestly didn't expect this from him, not that he particularly knew the guy; but he could read his aura and the vibes he gave were that of, well, a bit of a square, at least when it came to rules. His lips curled into a shit-eating grin and he raised his eyebrows," Well, well, well what do we have here then?" he whispered. He wasn't truly being accusatory, he isn't the best moral compass, he would be doing the exact same thing. He just wanted to see his reaction.


"I never took you for being a man of the five finger discount code" as he said this he grabbed a pack of bubblegum and shoved it into his pocket.

 

[Red Rumble]

Great. He knew he wasn't that good of a thief, but he didn't think he'd be so dreadful that he hadn't noticed Nat watching him from over his shoulder. His cheeked burned from the taunts, and the virtuous part of his brain told him to put the nuts back. He didn't like to be seen as a crook, and it embarrassed him to know that that was exactly what he was being. A crook - it was just a shameful name to have.


"Don't give me that tongue. I'll pay it back when I can - " A quick swipe of a hand was caught in the corner of his eye, and Andy snapped his head to Nat's direction with an opened jaw and horror-filled eyes. Looking at the cashier with his panic being as clear as day didn't make them look any less innocent. "What the hell are you doing?" he whispered angrily and grabbed at Nat's arm forcefully. "Put that back!"


What a way to sound like a hypocritical shithead.


"...Alright, look." He put the nuts back on the shelf. He felt a little bit better about himself, but was still conscious about the fact that he probably wouldn't get to eat that tonight. "I'll put my stuff back if you put yours back. Jesus Christ, dude - seeing me take nuts off the shelf wasn't a go-ahead for you to do the same thing!"

 

[qwtp]

Nat pouted," Fine, if you're gonna be a stiff" he tossed the gum back at the shelf casually, the pack hitting the edge of a shelf and promptly falling to the floor. Nat stared at it for a second before shrugging and looking back up at Andy. Nat frowned, the kid seemed pretty desperate, just wanting to steal a plain old bag of nuts, but to back out and put it back? Dude had way too much sense of respect for a stupid chain business.


" You're just submitting to The Man dude, you can't let him bring you down.."


Nat clicked his tongue, pointing a finger at the frazzled boy in front of him. " I know exactly what'll make you happy, keep you from being all mopey" he was smiling a bizarrely surprised smile. As if he had just heard the words of God whispered in his ear by the big man himself, bestowing him with the most radical and brilliant of ideas. " You could totally crash at my place for tonight!" He dramatically switched directions of his finger to point at none other than himself. " I've got a spare mattress from when my big brother right up and ditched town to get married to some fox he met only a week before." Whoever taught him boundaries should probably be smacked, these weren't exactly the things you offered to people you've only just met. He still hasn't remembered his name.

 

[Red Rumble]

Andy shook his head and gave the peanuts a long, desirous stare. "I'm not submitting to the man," he said. "Well, I am, but - do you know how fucked we would be without rules? We would be seriously fucked." His father would have beaten him for his mouth, but Andy would have just crossly claimed that there wasn't any better way to express himself. "Some rules are stupid, I get that, but stealing," he motioned to the nuts, "is something that we need to be an offense, or else people would be stealing left and right." Why he felt the need to explain this to a hippie, he didn't know. Nat could be a thief for as long as he wanted, he could break as many rules as he wanted, and Andy couldn't say anything. It wasn't his job to judge.


He looked up at the cashier, and, unsurprisingly, the guy didn't pay a lick of attention. Andy hadn't exactly been quiet during his weak speech about thievery, so there wasn't a way the guy didn't hear. I guess some people just really don't give a shit, he thought.


After their trip to the 7/11, Andy expected that him and Nat would split and part ways, and that he'd continue the rest of his day as if he hadn't spent some time with a smooth-talking, dirty flower child, but his plans were immediately scrubbed off after Nat's sudden proposal. "You're serious?" A night in a bed? Andy couldn't pass it up. "That'd actually be really nice of you. Thanks."


Maybe this was the reason why most of the students at high school took a liking towards Nat. Andy first thought it was because of his silly and rambunctious demeanor, but after the selfless proposal, he thought that it might have been a little more than that.


Still, if he was planning on staying the night, he'd consider keeping a close eye on his bag. If Nat was so willing to steal a pack of bubble gum and not receive even a small string of guilt, Andy wouldn't doubt that he wouldn't try to steal from him.

 

[qwtp]

Nat shrugged off Andy's little speech about the merits of society and rules, boring shit. To each his own man, to each his own. The kid was opinionated, strong-willed, he could dig it. " Well let's get down to it then, before my van get's towed!" Oh shit, he didn't plan on making this long of a trip, making the possibility of his car being taken by the fuzz go up ten-fold. " Let's bounce man I really don't need to pay another $185 for that shit back, my mom would go ape."


Nat walked at speeds he never thought he could reach, honestly, he was always stoned on something, which really impaired your motor skills. Searching around his pocket for his keys he grabbed the cookie that was still in his pocket, he shrugged, split it in half and offered a piece to Andy. "It'll hold you over till we can get some real food in you my man."


Approaching his car he let out a breath of relief, no need to fight the power today. He unlocked the driver side door, then went around and unlocked the passenger door, offering the seat with a regal pose with his hands, he thought he was cool.


Running around back toward the driver's seat he hopped in, slammed the door, and put the keys in the ignition. And for some odd reason, the car powered to life, Nat thanked whatever random God happened to be looking down at him and thinking 'Yeah that kid right there, he's gonna have a good day.' He pulled out with a whoop, punching Andy a little more than painfully on his shoulder. " Mi casa is only about a seven minute ride away, so don't get too settled man" he smiled, glancing over quickly at Andy, who seemed less than impressed by his radical driving skills.

 

[Red Rumble]

"Maybe you could slow down a little bit." Nat had been high earlier, right? Could that have an affect on his driving?


Andy hated being inside cars, hated being on the road, and Nat's careless driving didn't do much to make it better. "Maybe you could slow down, just a little, Nat." What would it be like to die with a hippie who couldn't keep his sprightly hands on the wheel for more than a few seconds? Andy tugged on his seat belt, and he noticed it sagged loosely to his thighs. He couldn't make it tighter no matter how much he tried to get it to readjust. Looking down made him feel sick, and the last thing he wanted to do was look over at the road, so he focused more on the cookie in his hand.


It just sat there in his hand senselessly, a few feet away from his face. He hadn't exactly been hungry, so the first logical and instinctive thought that came to him was to conserve it. He'd ask Nat later if he could have it wrapped in some plastic.


"Your mom will be okay if I stay tonight?" he asked. Was his mother just like him, parading around peace and the destruction of the government? Andy didn't think he'd be able to handle two of the same personality type. "If you don't think she will, then I'd rather not have you drive me there." The worst thing in the world was to get your hopes up, and he didn't want to meet another person who'd only look down at him and tell him to go find a job.

 

[qwtp]

Nat laughed while easing on the gas, he didn't want to totally freak the guy out, cars are mad scary. He huffed an amused breath," Of course she'll be cool dude, she'll just be stoked I have friends who aren't total dopers." He had the suspicion his mother would really like Andy, well, not that she didn't adore everyone, but him especially. His mother, while being a total worry-wart and a bummer to his vibes, was a great lady. " She can get... over excited, but I swear she loves everything from a flea on a dog to a Hollywood hotshot."


" Oh, by the way, are you allergic to any animals, we've got a goddamn circus, almost literally." They both had the affinity of soft-hearts for wide eyed animals that scratch sadly at their door drenched in rain and mud. This unfortunately led to the accumulation of four dogs, three cats, and a blind pigeon, which was Nat's favorite by far. Nat found the pigeon one day in the park, stumbling around pathetically, all the other pigeons swiping up food quickly before the poor thing could even get a crumb. So being a logical, level-headed human being, Nat took it upon himself to swipe up the bird softly and take it home.


He pulled off onto a side road leading up to a small house with a moderately large yard. Nat parked the car, the engine wheezes back to sleep, he patted the front console almost lovingly," That's it girl, you take a break." Quickly he jumped out of the car, which was an immensely stupid move on his part, leading him to fall sharply in a patch of mud. " Welcome to my humble abode my friend!" He laughed, the mud smearing into his ripped up jeans and button-up.

 

[Red Rumble]

Nat's characterization of his mother sounded tolerable, so he took Nat's word and let himself look forward to meeting her.


"No, I don't think I'm allergic," he said. "Though I've never really been around a cat before, if you can believe it." Pets were restricted from the house, besides that small dachshund that he had when he was five, before it met the front of a speeding truck. He couldn't remember much of the dog itself, but he could remember the feeling of not wanting an animal after that.


"My dad doesn't like cats. He always told me they were assholes." He was pretty sure he could confirm it himself, even if he only saw the them in videos or from a far away distance. Stray cats weren't too friendly around each other, he figured out - he could sometimes hear screeching and hissing, and then the sound of scrambling legs.


When the car came to a stop, he looked up with the expectation of seeing a considerable amount of houses, but was only met with a few here and there, all spread out and expanded away from each other. Really, he could see only four or six houses with his range of view. "I didn't realize you lived in the middle of nowhere," he said, voice deadpanned and less bewildered than how he felt. "Are you sure it only took us seven minutes to get here?"


The sight of green grass was definitely a different and more appealing look than gray buildings and dirty cement. No garbage, no fast speeding cars - just green grass and green trees.


Maybe there was more to the town than he knew about. It wasn't like he ever explored it or went anywhere else but to the store and school. Even the scent of the air was different. More welcoming, more fresh. Less tense. "How long have you lived here?"

 

[qwtp]

" All my life man, I was born in there" his mother at the time was raised during the first generation of hippies, guess she didn't believe in hospitals. Nat awkwardly stood up, wiping the wet dirt from the back of his pants and sleeves of his shirt with a disgruntled face. " Ah man she's gonna kill me, this was my nicest button-up." She already yelled at him for popping the collar constantly, now with all the stains she'll have to scrub out, she'll have a cow.


He motions for Andy to follow him as he starts walking across the front lawn to the front door. He thought back on what Andy said about not having animals, what a shame, animals were great! He hoped they wouldn't be overwhelming, they can get excited around new people.


He picked a small golden key from the keychain already in his hand from locking his car, did he lock his car? He couldn't remember. He unlocked the front door and flung it open with a flourish, waiting for the onslaught of barking dogs to tackle him. He giggled when he saw his dogs all perk up in sync, their tails automatically wagging at the sight of their zealous friend. They bounded over, barking and jumping up to lick his face, he continued laughing and pushed passed them with affectionate pats to their heads.


"Hey Ma, I'm home, and I have a friend!"


He watched her quickly pop out from around the corner of the hall from her bedroom, her hair was in a messy bun and she had a suspicious face. She walked out into the kitchen where they entered, with paint stains all down her jean overalls, the most stereotypical artist mom there was. She looked Andy up and down before giving a brief sniff and smiling widely at him," Hey, you aren't one of his doper friends are you?" She whipped her head to glare at Nat," But you, you smell like you just came from a head shop, do you do anything but smoke?"


Nat gave a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of his neck," Nope, I pick up kids off the street for fun too" he pointed at Andy," He needs a place to stay tonight, is that okay?" His mom stared at Andy curiously, then warmly," Of course you can stay! What's your name boy?" Forever the charity case, she'd never turn him down.

 

[Red Rumble]

The door opened, and all his senses veered to a different perspective where everything around him felt unreal. The smell, the things he saw, even the feeling of existing had a new layer to it. It was like seeing a movie - he was there, but he really wasn't. Was this how people usually felt when they entered an entirely new environment?


The house stank of pets, and Andy held his breath whenever one of the dogs would brush against him or sniff at his legs. One of them was relentlessly curious about Andy's crotch, so he had to constantly push its face out of his business. The energy of the house was much different than what he was used to back home. Just stepping inside the house felt like an intrusion. If there was one place he didn't belong, it was here.


Nat's mother was close to what he expected, except with the usual feeling of intimidation whenever a parent quietly judged their child's friend. Andy had the reputation of being disliked by parents, especially mothers, so he could only imagine what she was truly thinking.


"Andy," he said. "Name's Andy. Thanks for letting me stay here." They had a real nice kitchen. Small, but clean and welcoming. The whole place looked rather homey. "And no, I've never smoked pot in my life." That wasn't quite true. There was that one incident that involved a party and peer pressure, but he didn't feel like he needed to mention that to her. "You have a nice house."


Having one person knowing his situation and having to take care of him is one thing, but having two? He hated being looked down on as some helpless little child. Just one night. You need a place to stay. Just one night and you'll be fine.

 

[qwtp]

Nat's mother grinned kindly at him, glad that at least one of her boy's friends wasn't a total doper. Her standards have been lowered gradually over the years, Nat has a reputation of hanging around not the most respectable of characters. " Glad to know my Nathaniel is making friends with people of such a vibrant aura!"


Nat cringed, though not because his mothers choice of words but Nathaniel. " Mom I told you it's short for Nature." This was unfortunately an arguement too comonly brought to light in the Wren household. " Well that's not what I remember signing on your birth certificate dear, and honestly it makes you sound a bit silly."


"It's not lame, it's totally bitchin' ma!" His mother's eyebrow twitched, profanity was something Nat tried to filter around her; but he drew the line when it came to how rocking his name is. He was around eleven when he came home one day from junior high after his first day of his new school; he claimed he made some cool friends that had long hair and told him about 'hippie names'. He has demanded to be referred to as Nature ever since.


To avoid the shit storm he most certainly was starting, he grabbed Andy's forearm and started dragging him off towards his room. " Thanks for letting him stay Ma we'll be out in twenty for dinner!" He slammed the door behind him, sighing with relief and an exasperated shake of his head," Love the lady but Nathaniel, how lame is that?"


Nat whistled sharply and put out his hand, a bird suddenly bursting out from an open cage on his book shelf in a surprisingly neat corner of his room. The bird flew haphazardly, swooping slightly down and flapping it's wings at a struggling rate. Nat whistled again to help the bird orient itself and land desperately on the curve of Nat's hand. He smiled proudly, presenting the bedraggled pigeon to Andy in the manner a newly engaged would show her ring to her friends. " This is Heraldo, my friend the pigeon!" He stroked the pigeon's head softly, the small bird letting off a soft cooing noise.


" Well, mi casa es su casa brother!" Nat plopped down on his mattress that laid without a bed frame on the floor, his mother offered to buy him a bed frame, but he claimed that this made him feel closer to Mother Nature. Whatever that meant. He steadied the swaying Heraldo on his hand, then placing them on his shoulder.


" Is there anything you need? You look a bit scraggly at the moment. Maybe a shower, some clothes?" He suggested shrugging his shoulders.

 

[Red Rumble]

It was an odd feeling. He figured he'd be more uncomfortable than he was, encountering a person so vibrant as Nat's mother. But it was different, almost relaxing, to stand there in the sidelines and watch the two of them quarrel.


"I think Nathaniel's a cool name," he said once they entered the bedroom. The heat inside was getting to him, so he shed his jacket for the first time in two weeks. "But Nature is cool too." Andy never said he was honest about everything. Nature did make Nat sound silly, but the guy could do whatever he wanted.


Once he awkwardly let himself sit in a worn out chair beside Nat's bed, he almost fell to his side when he saw a blurred figure zoom past from the corner of his eye. It took him a couple of horrific seconds to recognize flapping wings and a pointy beak. He could see a full bird once it landed into Nat's hand. "Jesus Christ," he rasped. "A bit of a warning would've been nice, y'know?" Andy wasn't sure how they had the money to take care of so many animals. It made him wish his father had given him another opportunity to own a pet. A furry companion might have made things less gray, seeing as how Nat's house was much more colorful.


"And, uh... A shower would be nice." Andy was used to reusing his own clothes instead of borrowing from others, and he didn't want to be more dependent than he already was. He also wasn't sure if he'd be willing to return fresh clothes. He always liked the feeling of fresh clothes. "It's kind of weird how nice you're being."