of pandas and superheroes
Sitting on the ground and leaning back against a tree, Tancred Torsson pulled out his iPod. Surrepstiously looking around, he flipped through the artists. His thumb came down hard on the center button and he pulled the iPod closer to him as he popped in one of his earbuds that had popped out. Casting a quick glance behind him, he quickly chose a song. Turning up the volume, he backed out until he was on the main menu. Setting it on hold, he shoved the iPod in his pocket and let out a relieved breath. He hadn't been caught.
But of course, he had said that too soon. Just as the blast of music exploded in his ears, one of his earphones was pulled out. Tancred immediately scrambled to his feet to see a certain Jo Piety holding it. "What are you listening to?" she asked curiously, making the move to put the earbud in her ear.
"No!" Tancred exclaimed, reaching forward to grab it from her. The movement surprised her and she dropped the earphone into his reaching hand. Tancred reclaimed it gratefully, but he wasn't quick enough to prevent her from hearing a snippet of his music.
Her eyes widened as she reached for the earbud again. Tancred pulled it away from her grasp and watched in exasperation as her jaw dropped from blank astonishment. Jo looked at him to the minty green iPod and back again. She struggled to make words come. "No way. No friggin' way, Torsson. Avril Lavinge?"
"It was an accident!" the boy lied, trying to smooth back his frizzy blond hair.
Jo's eyes lit up and she burst into laughter. Raising an eyebrow, she began to sing under her breath. "Hey Hey You You, I don't like your girlfriend..."
"SHUT UP!" roared Tancred. "I told you it was an accident! I hate Avril Lavinge."
"Why is she on your iPod then?" Jo asked, a gleam in her eyes. Before Tancred had the chance to answer, she continued. "If it was an accident, then why were you glancing around sneakily before playing it? Do you have your all of her albums?"
"Idiot," he grumbled under his breath, turning off his iPod. "I was not glancing around sneakily- wait, you were SPYING on me?"
Trying to stop the chuckles, Jo doubled over with silent laughter. Refusing to answer, she looked up at him and smirked. "Do you want me to spy on you?"
Exasperated with the moronic excuse for a girl in front of him, Tancred rolled his eyes. Like her, he refused to answer. Instead, he shoved his tanned hands in his pockets and looked up at her. "What do you want, Piety?"
"I wanted to show you something," she answered mysteriously, winking at him.
"What?" Tancred groaned, looking at her groggily. "Does it involve me getting up?"
Jo shook her head, pulling a piece of paper from her pocket. She unfolded it gingerly and straightened it, showing it flamboyantly to him. Holding it up by her face, she gave an indignant pout. "So what do you think?"
"It's a really crappily drawn panda," Tancred muttered dismissively.
Jo moved the paper so she could look at it. It was a panda with an admittedly bad anatomy. The colour went outside the lines, and the eyes looked like something from a really bad manga. "IT IS NOT CRAPPILY DRAWN -- can you do better? -- THIS THING IS AMAZING -- had to put up with Roy while I was doing it -- CRAYON IS AWESOME, TORSSON - you're such a retard, honestly -- YOU KNOW YOU'RE JEALOUS OF MY DRAWING SKILLS -- so what if the foot is up there? -- THIS PANDA OWNS YOUR PATHETIC ASS!"
Tancred looked it over once more and rolled his eyes at her. "This is me not caring."
"Look! Look at it. See, it's even labelled!" protested Jo, shoving it in his face.
Somewhat taken aback, Tancred blinked twice. "Yes, I see. 'Snout' is very informative. So is 'Large Black Splotch'."
"UGH!" exclaimed Jo. She held it up beside her face once more. "Look! Look, Torsson! Torsson, are you looking? DAMNIT TORSSON LOOK. Honestly, I don't know how Lysander copes."
"Looking," Tancred told her, plugging one of his ears after her outburst.
They waited in silence as Tancred boredly observed the drawing. Jo stood there triumphantly, occasionily flitting her gaze from Tancred to the- wonderful, amazing- drawing of a panda. After a few moments, Tancred look up at her. "I don't get it."
"What do you mean, you don't get it?" she asked, flipping her hair behind her shoulder and glaring down at him.
"Whatever, Piety," grumbled Tancred, taking out his iPod and this time putting on 3 Doors Down so Jo wouldn't be able to accuse of him of liking 'girly' music. Avril Lavinge was so totally acceptable for guys to listen to! This was exactly why he had to be sneaky before listening to her.
"It doesn't look like me!" Jo cried, shaking the paper so furiously that the panda blurred into one black and white blob.
"Uh huh," Tancred nodded, not listening to her. He turned up the volume, humming under his breath. "If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman?"
"You said it did but it doesn't!" Jo stomped her foot and prepared to punch Tancred if he refused to listen to her.
Tancred looked up, finally having an idea of what she was talking about. "I don't care. You're still a panda, Piety."
"YOU'RE DENYING MY LOGICAL CORRELATION!" screeched Jo, stomping her foot once more. Tancred didn't reply, only kept humming Kryptonite under his breath.
Sighing, she shoved the paper in her pocket and sat down beside him. Reclining against the tree, she took one of his earphones and put in her ear. Tancred didn't do anything except turn up the volume. They sat there in silence, shoulders pressing, legs touching and listening to Tancred's iPod.
I took a walk around the world to
Ease my troubled mind
I left my body laying somewhere
In the sands of time
I watched the world float to the dark
Side of the moon
I feel there is nothing I can do, yeah
I watched the world float to the
Dark side of the moon
After all I knew it had to be something
To do with you
I really don't mind what happens now and then
As long as you'll be my friend at the end
If I go crazy then will you still
Call me Superman
If I'm alive and well, will you be
There holding my hand
I'll keep you by my side with
My superhuman might
Kryptonite