Street Art (Kodi)

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Yeah, that’s the same thing he heard from one end….but from the other end, girls seemed to rave it as a ‘romantic’ love story. Jackson shrugged, looking away. “I don’t read that kind of stuff anyway.” He wouldn’t have any place to keep it even if he did. And the only internet access he had was at school, so that fanfic stuff was out of the question. Though…yeah, no, it really didn’t interest Jackson. He’d rather be out doing things than be in reading some boring book. “I don’t—I don’t know what any of that means!” Sorta. Mostly. But it was rather self-descriptive, wasn’t it. “Yeah, thanks but no thanks.” The last thing he needed was this kid pulling him down the path of perversion(Rue was doing that to the blonde enough already).

“Yes mom,” he griped with an eye roll. Childish yes, but since when was Jackson an adult? Why else would he be so flustered and nervous about topics like….like that? “I’m not gonna ask him.” Probably wouldn’t have the opportunity to anyway. Jackson glared at the red-haired deviant then shifted to get out his phone. “As it so happens, I do have pictures.” Weird ones too, especially when Rue decided he wanted to drunk-text the boy. “There, you happy?” he said sourly, handing the phone over to Kodi to show him a few example pictures(1, 2, 3). He’d take back his phone when Kodi was done to make the call home.

“Wait for it, it’ll come if you’re patient,” he advised when Kodi accused him of being ungrateful. Even if it was just a joke, Jackson was a lot less likely to feel like thanking those who expected it…then again, Jackson frequently expected it for himself. Of course he’d never ask, though, not like this rude guy. “I will, I will,” he said with a sigh. “Unlike you, I’m not as stupid as I look.” He wasn’t expecting Kodi to bring up the church thing again. That he did actually brought a smile to Jackson’s face. “Yeah, sure…I’ll let you know.” Somehow, it seemed…nice…the idea of going back to services with a friend. Even if that friend was a fiend like Kodi. Jackson pushed himself up, and searched for his stuff. “Where’s my shirt? Can’t go home and let my Grams see these, y’know? She’d kill me dead outright, ha ha!” Yeah…despite the lecture he knew he was in for…Jackson was feeling a lot better. Strangely enough.

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Girls that thought that shit was romantic made Kodi despise them even more. Stupid, ignorant bitches. “Eh, I don’t either,” he replied casually, trying to hide the fact that he did read in general pretty much all the time. Kid didn’t need to know he was a nerd. Not that he was! “Heh, look it up sometime if you’re interested. I really think it’d be right up your ass- alley. Right up your alley.” Kodi just hoped that he’d made the blonde curious enough to want to know more. Hehehehe…

He snorted and smirked at that behavior. So childish. “Suit yourself,” he shrugged. “Sometimes it’s nice t’know what to expect, though.” Someone like Kodi, for example, wouldn’t be expected to be as… ahem… Gifted as he was. And he was very (overly) proud of that fact. “Oh yeah?” Kodi leaned over in interest as Jackson began looking for pictures of his mysterious tall & handsome. He took the phone when it was given, and immediately his blood began to boil, seeing that douche’s face. “You’re seeing that bastard?” he huffed, scowling something fierce. “Why? The fuck’s interestin’ about him?” Kodi would never admit that Rue was actually very attractive. He couldn’t get over knowing that the man had once gone out with Gryphon – overly jealous much? “Ain’t he like, thirty, too?” The dentokinetic grumbled and handed the phone back. Stupid Rue, stupid hot face….

He wasn’t really expecting thanks, not from this kid. Kodi was just being a dick. Well, Jackson was kinda being a dick too, wasn’t he? So the dentokinetic didn’t feel bad about it. “Keep tellin’ yourself that,” he replied with false venom, then snorted and laughed a moment later. Maybe they were both stupid. Sure seemed that way, if they were really going to try going to church. “Alright,” he replied with a nod, leaning back against the counter. Kodi looked around until he spotted the article of clothing and motioned towards it. “Heh, I’m sure my mom would do the same,” he chuckled understandingly. “Now get outta here, ‘fore my boyfriend comes home and sees my sins.” Kodi knew the older man would not be happy with this either, even though the Chinese boy thought it was harmless (enough).

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Just one crude line after the other, didn’t this guy ever get sick of it? Or was his mouth born with a potty inside? “I’ll think about it,” he said, if just to get Kodi off his ass. He wasn’t going to, though. Maybe.

“I won’t have to worry about that, so it’s not a problem.” Because Jackson had no intention of going down that road anytime soon. Probably. Maybe. It depended on whether or not he and Rue ever spoke to each other again. That dummy. Dumb dumb dumb old man Rue! Though apparently Jackson wasn’t the only one who had a chip on his shoulder about him. “You know Rue?” he asked when Kodi exclaimed his distaste at seeing who it was in the pictures. Jackson pulled back his phone, listening to Kodi’s gripes and complaints. “What? Are you an ex-jilted lover of his?” Jackson knew Rue had been with a lot of people before. He suspected he was still with a lot of different people now. That was Rue’s business, though. “He’s twenty…..two?” he guessed. Jackson knew Rue told him once before, but he couldn’t for the life of him remember. “And yeah, so he’s an old man, that’s my business, not yours.” Jackson could date an old man if he wanted to.

Wait, were they dating? Well, they were doing something like it…maybe. If he ever saw him again.

Jackson wasn’t sure entirely how to feel about Kodi. On the one hand, he was irritating as hell. On the other hand, he was interesting as well. And fun to be around. And Jackson didn’t feel the need to put up a front around the guy, though that might just be because they met when Jackson didn’t feel like extending his usual courtesies. Jackson grabbed his shirt and pulled it over his head. “Don’t worry, I’m on my way out, and you’l never have to see my ugly mug again.” Well…hopefully that wouldn’t be the case. Jackson grabbed his bag, considered it a moment, then set it back down. “Here, you can keep this junk. I don’t have a place to keep it anyway without people asking questions.” Spray paint cans usually weren’t a normal thing for a normal student to be toting around. He thought for another moment, then managed a smile up at his new…friend? Yeah, friend. “Hey, um…thanks for hanging with me tonight. And stuff. I needed it.” Because bad days. And today was one of them.

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Dumb dumb Rue indeed. If Kodi was any normal person, he wouldn’t be so irrationally jealous over some stupidly handsome older guy. But he was himself, and he was a very jealous sort of person, even if he didn’t know the aura reader all that well. “I know of him,” he grumped vaguely. He growled and glared at the suggestion that he’d been with Rue before. “Hell no,” he snapped. “….. He and my boyfriend dated for a while, that’s all.” Maybe he was over-reacting, whatever. Gryph was his! Even if Rue was taller and more attractive than he was… nyehh… “Meh, that’s still old for a… what… fifteen-year-old?” he guessed, incorrectly. Still, he held up his hands at Jackson’s protests. “Fine, fine, if you don’t think it’s weird datin’ a pedophile, that’s up t’you.” Seriously, though, was was Rue seeing someone so much younger?

Kodi was hard to get along with, period. It was amazing Gryph had been able to put up with this side of him long enough to see his softer, much rarer side. “Oy, I never called you ugly, twerp,” he replied with a slightly playful smile. Hell, the kid was better-looking than him, if he was honest with himself. But that wasn’t that hard to be. He blinked and looked down at the offered bag. “… Thanks,” he replied, sincere surprise in his voice. “Heh, that can be payment for the piercin’s, how about that?” Seemed fair to him. He was poking around at the cans inside when the second surprise came – Jackson’s thanks. Kodi’s expression softened into probably the most genuine expression he’d had all night. “Ain’t no problem,” he said with an awkward shrug. “Glad t’help, and whatever.” He wasn’t good at accepting thanks, obviously. Kodi waved a little as the kid left, turning to cart his new goodies to stash under Gryph’s bed. He wouldn’t find it there, right?

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Jackson was surprised to hear that Kodi knew Rue, but then maybe he shouldn’t have been? His hometown was a lot bigger than Pilot Ridge and it was common for people of similar groups or interests or ages to know all the same people without knowing they know the same people until they all happened to meet several months down the road. In Pilot Ridge, where the population was even more stunted, it was a lot more likely. “Oh….so your boyfriend was the jilted lover?” And Kodi held the grudge for it? Yes, he was making assumptions. Jackson scowled. “I’m sixteen, I’ll be seventeen in September, and I’m old enough to make those kind of decisions myself.” He scowled even more. “Don’t call him that! The last guy who did got their face turned into ground beef.” Not by Jackson, but…..damn, why’d he have to say that, it just brought up the memories he was trying to forget.

That said, he was glad to leave on a friendly note. If that’s what you called friendly. Jackson wouldn’t mind hanging out with this kid again, is what it meant. “Works for me, I’m broke as hell, and stole those from some guy’s toolshed.” Whoops, confession. Jackson shouldn’t be proud of that one either. The relaxed expression Kodi gave him at his thanks, as Jackson was about to leave, was a refreshing one and just reaffirmed Jackson’s stance that…yeah, he wasn’t so bad. And completely redeemable, even if Kodi didn’t think so himself. Jackson was definitely going to invite him to church…someday. When he was ready to go back himself.