Chapter 2: Kindling
Stupid. It was stupid. Absolutely stupid and entirely unreasonable. He wished he could say with conviction that ever since he talked to a certain tittering idiot, his life had gotten worse by the day. Only he couldn't, because it hadn't. Quite the opposite, in truth. It was going on three weeks since he had first encountered him and Neku had begun to enjoy showing up to class, even if it were for a purpose not entirely educational. Somehow, it felt both longer and shorter at the same time.
Anyway, he tried to get back on his mentally indignant rant after being momentarily derailed, it was ridiculous! Neku had known him for less than a month and already they got along better than he and his old childhood friends did. Granted, that an outsider would think that they were ready to murder one another at the drop of a hat but none of it was serious. He wondered absently when acknowledging people you would consider friends with insults instead of greetings became commonplace. Back in the days of yore, otherwise known as middle school, calling someone shithead would result in a call to the parents, suspension and a good stern talking to. Now for any number of reasons, it was a term of endearment. Go figure.
Following the train of thought onward, Neku narrowed his eyes while thinking. Joshua had this habit of calling him nicknames at every opportune moment. At first it had been an irritating, belittling trait, then a passing annoyance, and currently it didn't register with him at all. It had ceased to be aggravating and simply a part of Joshua's vernacular. However, there was one part of it that dawned on Neku with equal parts confusion and embarrassment. Despite what had been claimed by Josh when they first talked, Neku had never heard him call anyone else by 'dear'. He wasn't sure what to make of that. He was definitely going to use that against him tomorrow. Neku reached forward and pulled the string hanging from the light fixture above his bed, instantly drenching him in a satisfying darkness.
"What's up, dipshit?" He asked, pulling his chair up the desk. Neku sat down with a grin.
Joshua looked up from his phone, "You're actually cognizant and responding at- what is it now- 10:36? It's a Christmas miracle."
"It's September, idiot."
"It's an expression." He countered but let his gaze be drawn back to the device in hand and left it at that.
Neku waited for further bickering to ensure, yet he was disappointed. Joshua was firmly focused on whatever he was doing with his phone. Trying to find a tool to engage him in conversation, he questioned loudly,
"Sending dick pics are we?"
He waved him off dismissively, "No such luck. Sorry, dear."
Ah-hah! The perfect chance to bring up his vocal grievances. Neku had been on the verge of starting to say what was on his mind when the phone rang in Joshua's hands. He stood up and said shortly, "I've got to take this." Bringing to phone up to the side of his head, he quickly strode from the room.
If the change in demeanor and tone hadn't been a deterrent from inquiring, the speed at which he left certainly was. But reminded of his own personality when they had bitched at each other in the halls, Neku thought it was only just to return the favor. Pushing in his seat at the desk, Neku pursued him.
Luckily, there was a square glass porthole in the door to the class, allowing him to determine which direction Joshua had turned. He had made towards the restroom at the end of the hall. Neku had stepped into the corridor at the right time to see his friend vanishing into the facilities.
As Neku neared the door, he heard snippets of the conversation between him and whoever it was. It caused him to pause at the door listening, instead of bursting in yelling profanities.
"-And yes, I'm sure." Joshua heaved a sigh in response to whatever was said on the other end of the line. "You know how she is. Look, that's what she said. I'm fairly confident she meant it."
"Probably, but what does it matter if she was? She still meant it, she just wouldn't have had the guts to say it if she wasn't." He sounded bitter.
"I don't know. I'll figure something out. Or not. Who knows?" It was halted momentarily by a cynical laugh, "I'm sure I can do better than a newspaper tent, but thank you for your concern." This was followed by a pause long enough that Neku nearly left.
"Mmhmm?" He finally mumbled, inquisitive. "That wouldn't be awful. If it's not too much trouble, of course."
"You are a saint and a treasure, Sanae. I'll call you later. Oh and Neku says hi, don't you Neku?" There wasn't even the slightest hesitation as he said it.
Being caught red handed, he replied meekly as he walked into the restroom. "Uh, sure."
Joshua was standing with his back against the sink, facing the door and the pale faced Neku. He didn't fully acknowledge the interloper. "Sanae says hi back. Chat with you later then. Bye." After pocketing the phone he greeted Neku in a reserved manner.
"Can I help you?"
"I didn't mean to listen in to-"
"But you did." Joshua calmly interrupted. "You could have turned around and gone back to class at any moment, but you did not."
"No. I didn't. I fucked up and I admit it, okay?"
The calculated, slow blink in response spoke words that Joshua did not need to articulate. Some people when angry are loud, threatening and perhaps even explosive. Then there are those like Joshua whose arctic contempt hangs in the air, a thick and menacing cloud. The restroom felt uncomfortably small as if the presence of disdain overwhelmed the space provided. Neku was reminded of the first impression that he had given him. A certain degree of disquietude lingered around Joshua like the trailing cape following a royal. Neku got the feeling that he should leave.
"What, might I ask, was so interesting that you felt the need to eavesdrop, hm?"
"Josh, I'm sorry-"
"Answer the question please, Neku." He enunciated the words carefully as if speaking to a child.
"I-it… the thing is, it sounded too serious for me to barge in and curse you out like I planned on."
"So you chose to invade my privacy instead of waiting for another time to engage in your prank?"
"No! I mean… I guess? I don't know, it just kind of worried me."
His brows creased in bafflement. "It doesn't concern you."
Trying to lighten the mood, he cracked a weak smile. "If you're out camping hobo-style, then who the hell am I going to annoy in class?"
Joshua stood in silence for a moment, evaluating Neku. His shoulders loosened and the disturbing aura dissipated. He still spoke coldly, yet the tone was not as sharp as it had been moments ago.
"Glad to know that I'm a fount of amusement for you."
"Can I ask about the whole situation though, or-?"
"You heard the important parts of it anyway, so why does it matter?"
"I'd like to get the full picture."
"Maybe some other time, Neku." He slid the phone out of his pocket just enough to see the time, "it seems while you were being immature, the rest of the class has expired."
"Shit, really? I should head out then."
"Yes," Joshua concurred, "you should."
Neku took a step back and pushed the door open, leaving with a friendly 'see you later'. There was a sound of acknowledgement from the figure leaning against the sink. Neku could feel the eyes following him until the door behind him swung shut.
While he was still friendly after the incident, Joshua was no longer his flowery, talkative self. He would engage in small talk, speaking about the state of the weather, the economy, and society at large but the flowing river of sarcastic humor and remarks lessened. Hearing him speak idly about the current chance of precipitation for the evening did not fit him. He willing to say that it was worse than when Joshua was upset and full of contempt. This had gone on for several classes. Neku was thoroughly kicking himself for being such an idiot, feeling like he just botched any budding friendship with Joshua. Math was beginning to resume flat experience that he remembered.
Class was ending and those who still attended put their belongings away as they had done many times before, Neku one of them.
"Say Neku?" Joshua said to the emptying classroom.
He responded, "Yeah?"
"I have a favor to ask. Or call in rather, since you still owe me one."
He had forgotten about the 'favor' of the first day, "What?"
"Be a dear and break into this place for me." He scribbled something on a piece of paper, handing it to Neku. It was an address.
Very nearly dropping the paper, he yelped "What?!"
"Break into this place. That means enter illegally."
"I know what it means, but why the hell-?"
"Because I'm asking you to." It was said matter-of-factly.
"That's not a good reason. If I get my ass hauled off to jail are you going to bail me out?"
Joshua raised his hand to his chest as if offended by the thought, "Oh god no! If you get caught it means you weren't doing it right. Jail is as good as punishment for inadequacy as I can think of."
"Are you serious?"
"Dead."
"Guess what, if I get pumped full of lead by a trigger happy redneck, that's what I will be too. So no, I'm not breaking into a fucking house."
"The people that live there don't have guns, don't be ridiculous."
That raised alarm bells all over the place, "How do you know that?"
"I have my sources."
This was the longest they had spoken since Neku listened in to his call. He really did want to be back on good terms, but this was taking it a bit too far. It seemed unfortunately fitting that Joshua's attempt to give Neku another chance involved a felony. Was he surprised? Initally, sure, but now he didn't know why he didn't see it coming. Nothing with this punk could ever be simple or easy.
Joshua shrugged, "It's your call."
Neku doubted that. It felt like a 'my way or the highway' offer. He would have scoffed at the suggestion to get back on speaking terms by committing a crime (not because he was a particularly outstanding citizen, it was just more effort than it was worth), but he got along well with so few people that he was hesitant to decline.
"I-I'll… think about it. Since you have your sources can you at least tell me what I might get myself into over there?"
"And ruin the thrill of uncertainty? Hardly. I've got to run along now and do some errands. Whatever floats your boat, after all. Who knows, maybe you'll end up on TV." Joshua gave a little wave, walking away with a newfound spring in his step. He was enjoying this far too much.
The rest of the day was spent distractedly mulling over how to tackle the problem. How was he supposed to even start with this? He could drive over at night and-
Wait, what the hell was he thinking? This is a felony, breaking into some random person's house for the sake of entertaining that squirrely ass Joshua. He could get caught, shot, kicked out of college if they ever found out who it was, and any number of other equally terribly outcomes. It was 100% idiotic and obscene.
But why did he feel like he had been issued a challenge? And more so, why did he almost want to do it? It couldn't be for something as menial as impressing Joshua, he assured himself. Maybe he had some deep seated urge to be a criminal. Picturing it, he imagined himself confessing to the cops that he had broken into some poor person's house because a classmate he had known less than a month had asked him to. Great, they were sure buy that one.
This dawned on Neku as the single stupidest idea that had ever dared to cross his brain, which is saying something seeing as he survived high school. It continued to dawn on him as he waited until eleven at night, got into his car and sat behind the steering wheel. Both hands gripping the top of the wheel until they were white at the knuckles.
He shouldn't be doing this. He damn right shouldn't be doing this. But he was, and he was regretting it every second of the drive to this place.
From the address, it seemed to be a few miles west of his apartment. The light ahead of him felt like it was red for an absurd amount of time, silently glared down at him in rigid judgement. He was the only person at the stop. The air itself wanted to be hostile, there was not even a breath of wind. Neku cruised for another handful of minutes before the building appeared, the numbers stuck on the mailbox matched the address. This was it.
Not sure what to expect, the house didn't match his notion of the perfect 'target' home. It wasn't a grandiose mansion, or a large house, or even a particularly well kept dwelling. The wood paneling on the sides were flaking off big chips of white paint and the yard was unkempt, scraggly looking with weeds and vines creeping up the walls. Neku knew this part of the neighborhood could be unfriendly to those caught out after the day hours. He didn't want to be here long.
Actually, he didn't want to be here at all! This place was raunchy, the thing he was here for was illegal, and all fingers pointed to the fact that he was going to have a bad time. He parked the dinged up grey coop his in a discreet spot down the road, where the flickering and popping streetlights didn't reach. Sitting in silence, he leaned back in the driver's seat, coming to terms with this whole deal.
This is so fucking stupid. He thought, not for the last time of the night. Neku got out of his car, careful to shut the door quietly and lock it. Then he made his way on foot to the residence, pulling the hood of the sweatshirt over his head. A dog barked a few houses down. All the lights in the windows facing the street were out. It was quiet.
Only a certain level of appearing to be normal person out for a stroll can be achieved when you are repeatedly glancing over the shoulder and power-walking. Picking up the pace, he arrived at the edge of the property, cutting through the lawn around to the back. There was no fence and no distinction between tangled, overgrown front yard and tangled, overgrown back yard. One continuous mess of dew laden grass that tried to ensnarl in his shoelaces. Neku trudged his way to the back door, a beaten and dented metal rectangle that looked like it could fall off the hinges at any moment.
He tentatively tried the door knob and, to his surprise, found it yielding. The door was open. Gingerly pushing it further, it gave a muffled creak and provided space enough to where he could slip through. Hesitating, Neku looked through the gap in the door that emptied into the blackness of the home's interior. It was now or never. Here's hoping that it wasn't occupied at this hour, he stepped foot inside the unknown dwelling.
Neku's first thought, upon stepping into the house he had now technically broken into, was that he should turn around and bolt like a hare from hounds. He could say that he broke into the place, he just hadn't taken anything or gone more than a few feet into the darkened alcove. Joshua hadn't specifically said to steal anything, just break into the house.
Ugh, but then how could he prove that he had? He didn't ever want to have a repeat of this. Deciding against his thready morals, he scanned the room around him. It was a narrow projection of the house, with a battered washing machine to his left and several mounds of presumably funky towels heaped near it. There was a doorway off to the side and one ahead that looked like it went to the living room or main area. Neku inched towards the threshold on his right as noiselessly as the wooden floors allowed him. Air inside his lungs ached because he wanted to make as little sound as possible.
Peering around the corner he froze, looking into the dimly lit space. A bed centered in the room had a suspicious pile and for a few moments Neku could have sworn it was moving. After staring, unblinking at it for well over a minute, he realized that it was in fact, stationary. On the wall next to the bed, the closet stood open with hanger strewn about in disarray and a trail of clothes leading up to the bed.
The gears turning in his head practically let out a victory screech when he realized it was a pile of clothes and not a person. Daring to have a moment of relief, he let out a tiny sigh and proceeded. Thankfully, the room was pretty empty. A short bookcase near the closet held a couple of books and an odd ornament that played with the light from the reflecting window. Neku eyed it for a second, deciding that it was the only object worth taking in this room without going near the massive load of laundry. Tip-toeing towards the bookcase, he caught the scent of old clothes from the pile. Not dirty, just ancient.
On the dusty shelf was a glass, metal and wood shape. The dark wooden base at the bottom supported a weird, short pane of glass that stuck up from it vertically. There was also metal (or at least, fake gold colored plastic) that lined the outer rims of the base. It was too dark in the room to see what the tiny cursive inscription was on the plaque facing outwards. An award or art statue of some kind, probably valuable but not 'life in jail' valuable. Without giving it second glance, he shoved it in his backpack and creeped away toward the exit.
Air! Fresh air free of funky clothes and illegal activities, Neku thought, he had the urge to laugh due to pent up nervousness. The scolding feeling of guilt which he had kept away from being caught up in what he was doing returned.
Shit. He'd just broken into someones house and stolen their belongings.
Echoing again through his mind was the word of the week that wouldn't leave him alone. This was such a stupid idea. Joshua had better stop being an asshole or he would- he would- okay he didn't know what he would do. It was going to be unpleasant and painful though.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
~~~Author's Note:
Still no idea where this is headed, I'm running with it for now! Thanks for reading, folks, it's always appreciated. Apologies for the delay, finals were rough this semester. (also ack, typos.)