Meh {Open}

Jarod's eyes glittered as Sera talked. The thought of getting a pet excited him; he'd been wanting a bunny since he was little, but he never told his parents, too afraid they'd laugh at him and say no.  It was a ridiculous thought, of course, seeing how Alec and Topaz were the kindest ad most loving people anyone could know, but nine-year-old Jarod didn't know this. He thought it was wrong to want such a "girlie" pet, but he grew out of that in a few years and began to worry about bigger things, namely how cute that boy in his P.E. class was. "No," he answered. "I didn't really know that they sold pets, to tell you the truth," he said with a small smile and his pink cheeks, "but now that I know, I think I might go down and buy one sometime." He shifted in his seat to stop his butt from getting numb, like whenever you sat criss-crossed on the floor for too long. "Do you have any?"

Her gaze dropped a bit as he said no. She'd always loved pets and thought they were absolutely amazing, but she listened as he continued. She brushed the hair out of her face quickly. "I have four dogs, a parakeet, and a hamster at home. I'm planning on getting a rabbit or snake here, though." She said in reply, a bright smile on her face.

The boy saw her lower her stare a little, and looked down at his notebook, biting his lower lip. Did he say something wrong? He shifted his gaze back up to the girl as she named off all her pets, his jaw dropping slightly. "Holy hell," he said quietly, though not as soft as a whisper. He couldn't imagine having that many pets, even in his wildest dreams. "Rabbits are nice," he said, his smile returning to his face.

She giggled a bit at his reaction. "Yeah, they are. I've actually never had one before." She replied, eyes brightening. "What pet d'ya think you'll get, if you end up getting one?" She asked.

He thought on what he'd answer carefully--he wanted to say he'd get a rabbit, but he didn't want to sound repetitive or annoying. Finally, after a minute, he spoke: "I think I'd get the bunny," he said. "You?"

"Hm, yeah. Probably a snake, actually," she replied with a casual smile. Her smile dropped a bit though as she fussed with the page of her book. She cleared her throat. "So, what struck your interest in bunnies?" She asked, hooded eyes unblinking.

Jarod shuddered a bit at the mention of a snake. He hated the reptiles with a burning passion, mainly out of fear. He put back on a smile when she mentioned the bunnies, a warm, cozy feeling growing back inside him. "Oh, uh, when I was younger, I went to stay with my grandparents on my mom's side. They lived out in the country--right outside of this one small town near where I grew up--o they had a lot of land and stuff. So anyway, we went over to their younger friends' house, and they, with so much land, went hunting often," he explained, his blue eyes wild and alive. He loved to tell stories, especially if he knew them well. "God, they're son was so cute," he thought aloud, losing focus for a second before getting back to the story. "But yeah. They, my grandparents and all of us kids went out hunting once, and there was a bunny hopping along. I hadn't  seen one in real life before, and I instantly fell in love. I was going to try and keep it, but my grandparents' friends killed it and ate some of it for dinner that night." He remembered that night. Carter, the cute boy, offered some of his part of the rabbit to Jarod, but Jarod refused. The two didn't talk much after that, but it was for the better; Carter, much like his conservative parents, was pretty hardcore Christian and wouldn't be too happy by twelve-year-old Jarod's wishes to kiss him. Jarod looked down at his notebook, his pencil back in his hand and doodling, his face a bright red from gushing so much of his past. "Er, sorry," he murmured, looking back up at Sera, his eyes showing his apologies. "I went a little crazy on you there, didn't I?"

She listened intently, a smile on her face. She loved hearing stories. "Oh, that's cool! Aw, nah, not really, you're good," she replied, eyes twinkling. She then remembered what he said about the boy. "Oh, did you end up with the guy, then?" She asked, unblinking.

"Th-the boy?" he stuttered, not realizing he'd said his feelings about Carter out loud. Jarod's cheeks began to darken and he looked down and his lap, mortified at himself. He hadn't ever actually come out to anyone before, and the thought of it scared him even though he knew it wasn't a big deal. He drew his head back up so he could see her. A second went by before he zoned back in and could manage to get words out of his mouth. "No," he said, grinning a bit, his nerves already calming down slightly. "It was good though. He was an absolute prick." A prick with a very, very nice ass, Jarod spoke in his mind--and he made sure it was, in fact, in his mind this time.

He could feel his cheeks lightening a bit more and more now, his heart slowing down and everything becoming better. It wasn't as hard as he'd always thought it'd be, admitting his attractions. In Newton, the widely Republican community was full of homophobes who would gladly kill him just for being who he was any day and it would just take time for Jarod to adjust to this new, more welcoming environment, he guessed. "Are the guys here any better?" he asked, wincing even as he said it. He had to at least try to carry on the conversation, didn't he? Of course, he regretted it right after he finished, understanding how God-awful that sounded.

She listened, cocking her head a bit, and thinking. She always thought and she put the pieces together. So, a nice guy with a falling out with his ex-crush? Hmm... She only half listened to his question before saying a 'huh?' in response, before taking in the entire question. "Oh! Well, yeah, they're pretty nice. A few jerks here and there, but most everyone here is probably less of a 'pulă' than there." She replied with a wink. Of course, saying 'pulă' would most definitely confuse him if he didn't know Romanian, but whatever. It was a good use, right?

"Have you tried talking to anyone yet?" She asked, eyes twinkling a bit.

He nodded his head as she talked about the boys here. Someone telling him themselves that the guys weren't too awful was reassuring, and he felt a bit more motivated to get out there now. He didn't know what a "pulă" was or what language it came from, but he could tell it was an insult and let out a small laugh. "That's good," Jarod said quietly. "I haven't really talked to anyone, no," he admitted. "I don't know. This past year's sort of been like a dream." He sighed. This was the first real conversation he'd had with anyone here. It was pathetic, yes, but these next three years would be better he hoped.

(Yo. Sorry I haven't been able to post as often, but this past week has been finals for me and I've had to study and prepare for summer a lot. School's out tomorrow, so I'll hopefully be able to post more next week.)

ooc- same here. have a nice summer, though, enjoy your freedom ;)

ic- "Ah, I see." Sera said in response. She wasn't sure whether or not she should state her sexuality. She decided against it after a moment, shaking her head a bit. She cleared her throat. "You should get out there! I'm sure tons of guys would like you!" She playfully punched his shoulder, lightly, in case he was a bit more sensitive than others. "I mean, it's different for everyone, though. I hope you find a good guy other than your trashy guy friend from back where you're from." She said, a smile pulling at her face.

//edited

Jarod nodded in agreement with Sera, glancing back down to the hard table as she slugged him, smiling at the light playfulness. "Me too," he said, thinking back to Carter and feeling himself growing repulsed. With a sigh, he repeated himself: "Me too." Jarod looked back up at Sera and chuckled softly, laughing at the situation and how odd it seemed for Jarod now, after a year of silence.