OVERSEAS!

“A copycat killer is what I was wondering too. Wouldn’t surprise me if someone was deranged enough around here.” Someone their age would’ve been even less of a surprise considering there were a few students who were out there. Colin took a quiet breath before nodding his head. “You’re right. You ever wonder if they’re purposefully leaving clues behind, like one of those narcissistic cases that want the notoriety for their crime?”

He nodded slowly “Maybe there was an unknown relative involved. Who knows, there’s really no way to know for sure who this is until they’re caught red handed.” At this point, there was no telling who it really could be and if anyone would ever be able to stop it. He shook his head slowly, “I really don’t know. If they were doing that, I feel like the police might be doing a slightly better job of having something to go off of. Which they don’t seem to have.”

it was hard not to notice dylan’s reaction when leo told him he’d been the only person he’d slept with in the last while, making him smirk a bit himself as he took the joint back and took a hit from it. he almost had a witty comment to respond with, but instead he simply listened to dylan as he spoke again; the smirk still pulling at the corners of his lips. the expression on his face was quickly replaced when he heard dylan commit to their little inside joke, the play on words making him chuckle as he took an other drag from the joint before he moved a little in his spot. he shifted, slowly leaning in towards the other male as he hummed a little- studying him with a playful look etched into his grin. “oh, really?” he mused a little, smoke escaping his lips as he spoke before he exhaling the last bit when he grew closer to dylan; their noses nearly touching as he spoke in a low tone then. his smile never slipping from his face once. “that’s good to know- i’d even say it’s almost convenient information, considering where we are and what we’re doing right now.” the bout of confidence that leon seemed to adopt around dylan was surprising even to himself, it had been so long since he’d been the one in this position he was a little impressed with the fact he wasn’t making a complete idiot out of himself; but it was hard to feel that way when dylan genuinely seemed to enjoy his company. leo tried to push the rest of that train of thought aside as he watched for dylan’s facial expressions- part of him hoping he wouldn’t push him away while the other tried to remain confident.

As the other moved a bit closer and asked him ‘really’ it was hard for Dylan to keep as much composure and confident as he had moments ago. There was something about the look on Leo’s face as he drew near that made the other’s heart start to beat a little faster. “Mhm..” He bit his lip as he looked back at him, puffing his smoke. “I’d have to agree with you there.” He said, slowly smirking and locking eyes with the other. Leo was just so fascinating to him. And attractive in a multitude of ways as well. He glanced down as his hand came up and fiddling with the edge of Leo’s jacket, “So, tell me, Leo,” he glanced back up. “What is it we’re doing we’re doing right now?” He asked, looking back up to him. Right into his eyes and giving him that same look right back.

“We’re gonna die eventually, so it’s not the end of the world to do something utterly stupid once in your life. Kind of? I was a baby, so I don’t remember him. He was my uncle’s first husband that we don’t talk about. For obvious reasons.”

“Yeah, but we still only have one life to live, and we’re not exactly in the safest place to walk around town by yourself past dark.” He also added to the remark. “Wow, that’s um... a connection.” He nodded slowly. 

Dylan’s attempt to explain this fell short for Thomas - he felt so much was being skirted around, being left unanswered. None of his questions had really been touched upon bluntly but in a vague ‘it is the way it is’ sort of way, where people aren’t supposed to question the why of it anymore. “I’ve never encountered anyone I’ve been the utmost unattracted to..” it was the truth. In northlake, there wasn’t a single person he would put on a list of never going to touch with a ten foot pole. He hated limiting himself on such options, and everyone had some sort of thing about them that could be worth something, worth time and effort, if you only bothered to pay attention. Thomas followed onto the property, bypassing the mobile home and heading into the backyard, where the small treehouse was situated safely in the biggest and strongest trees on their land. “I just don’t see how a gender makes touching and kissing different,” he murmured, losing the fight to question much anymore. “You’d think someone grabbing your dick would have the same effect, regardless which hand it belonged to.” Friction to something that required it to get hard was hardly discriminate, but maybe he was wrong. Maybe he just had to be gay to understand and since he wasn’t, he couldn’t. “Go ahead first,” he said then, pausing before the ladder and gesturing for Dylan to head up. “Try not to fall… My arms feel like Jell-O.”

It was fairly interesting to hear Thomas rant about gender and sexuality, something many people bring up these days. But honestly, he didn’t expect this kind of talk from Thomas of all people. He wasn’t sure why, but it surprised him a little. But not in a bad way at all. “You’re thinking years beyond your youth, Tommy.” He grinned over at him. “The things you’re saying and the things you think, that’s what many people these days are also wondering. But only a few. Most people are still too stuck in their ways of being black and white.” He explained. Now that they were in the back yard and have come into contact with the tree, he was ready. He nodded his head and reached up for the ladder as he started to pull himself up and climb to the top. “I’ll try not to fall then!” He chuckled, climbing up and into the tree house first.

“Yeah, the whole thing has kinda had me wracking my brain if there’s any connection in the recent events, you know?” Colin admitted, never really saying as much to anyone before in case it sounded on the morbid side of things. “Aw, cool. Okay, what’re we doing?” He asked as he sat across from the other in the aisle, setting his things beside him. Growing quiet, Colin took a moment to respond. “Are you worried there’s gonna be another attack?”

“There must be.” He thought so, at least. “Something like this just doesn’t start happening again in a small town for no reason. Even if the connection is a copycat killer trying to be something their not.” It still counts, in his mind at least. “Of course there’s going to be another attack. They haven’t been caught. There seems to be no leads. This sicko is still free to do whatever the Hell they still want, so of course they’re going to do it again, right?” He just hoped maybe the next target can be saved first, before another classmate goes down.

“In my defense, it was once and she told me to ‘live a little’. I wouldn’t do it again though. I mostly stick to good ol’ alcohol. Great. Does anyone have any idea what’s going around here? Oh, the serial killer from like 17 years ago. It was creepier cause I knew him.”

“Plenty of other ways to live than poisoning your body, but to each their own, I guess.” He blinked and paused for a few seconds. “Wait, did you just say you knew him?” 

leon couldn’t help but chuckle again at the play on words they’d kept up between them until now, leo giving dylan a bit of a smirk as he toyed with the joint for a moment before he took another long hit from it before he replied again. “well, i’m glad. you’re the only person i’ve taken for a ride in a little while honestly,” he laughed despite it having been the truth. dylan had been the only person he’d had a good encounter with, in what felt like weeks now that he’d actually had things looking up a little; even if it was something that could’ve easily ended as quickly as it started. and yet, even with the underlying fear that he’d fuck this up too somehow, he decided to just try and enjoy his time with someone new that didn’t seem to have some premediated assumption of who he was and what he was about. “both suggestively and literally.. if i’m being honest, things haven’t been so great. this is actually the best day i’ve had in a while, so thanks.” he gave him a grin before taking another long hit before passing it back to dylan, adding to his thought after exhaling and thinking for a moment. “i’m actually surprised you were willing to hang out with me after the party anyways. i’m sure someone by now has tried to tell you how much of an asshole i actually am.”

He looked over at the other warm, not trying to smile too wide or even smirk too obviously. But the other said he hadn’t even been with anyone else. It surprised him to hear, the boy had game after all. It all happened so casually and easy, it was like Leo had a lot of experience. But maybe it was just their connection? “Well, I hope it was a good ride then.” He smiled back. If he hadn’t gotten laid recently, hopefully it was good. Not that he’d gotten complaints before. “You’re welcome.” He gave the other a wink before he took the point from him and listened again as Leon assumed that Dylan probably heard some shit about him by now. After taking another long hit, he breathed it out and shook his head. “Not really, no.” He glanced back over to him. “Didn’t think anyone really knew, and if they did, I don’t really care.” He shrugged. “I’ve never been much for what people think, if we’re being honest. I do what I want and I don’t really care about the consequences.” He took another hit and handed it back to him. “I’d still take a ride, any day, any time, and any place.”

“Yeah, alright. Fair point.” Colin said before laughing quietly. He knew it’d be a long shot for anyone to look back for the simplistic things. Lifting his brows, he perked up with sudden interest. “For real? The other week I was up looking to see if there was any archives online about it. There of course wasn’t, or not much other than the obvious. You mind if I join you? – Yeah, well. Seems like the police don’t give much of a crap about anything outside of a speeding ticket, sadly.”

His curiosity grew two fold when the other mentioned his own research on the matter. “You’ve been looking it all up as well?” Probably not too uncommon right now. Some people around here must be curious about how it all started. But how many were as devoted for answers as somebody like Dylan? That he didn’t know. “Sure, I guess I could use some help.” They all did, honestly. “Nope, they really don’t. It’s only a matter of time now..” He let out a soft sigh. 

“I can’t even remember when I tried pot for the first time. Like I said, my school had a huge drug problem. My school and my cousin who says things like ‘you ever watch the movie Gravity on Molly?’ Which usually ends up being more of a suggestion than a question. I knew mine. He’s in a bunch of old photos from when I was a baby. I didn’t know it was him until a few months ago though. Do they just not care? There has to be someone in this town with a motive.”

He made a slightly disturbed face. “Molly, seriously?” Of course teenagers were so dumb they were even willing to try that bad shit. Shit he’d never touch. No amount of high was worth fucking his brain up. “Honestly? No fucking idea. It’s pretty fucked all around.” He then gave the other a look, “Wait, who were you talking about, again?”

He simply appeared confused at Dylan’s words, unable to comprehend the how or why. “How.. How is kissing someone gross? Like, was she a terrible kisser or something? I mean, really think about it - what exactly was so ‘ew’ about kissing this person that you just can’t stomach the thought?” Thomas actually paused his progress to turn and face the younger boy with a rather shrewd stare, intent to understand how this all worked because he wasn’t sure he understood a damn thing. It wasn’t that this bothered him, Dylan being gay and enjoying only other boys.. He just wanted to know the thought and emotions that went behind such a thing, that a person could actually come to realize they could only have it this one way. “Because to me, kissing is enjoyable.. I think about kissing a lot, mostly girls but like, kissing a guy isn’t crazy either. I could kiss you and it’d probably be some kind of experience, you know?” He gestured towards Dylan as if this suggestion was totally ordinary in any man’s thought diary. “But there’s a disconnect for me somewhere.. I get people like what they like, they have preferences, and I’ve got stuff like that about myself - I’ll burn a bag of plain m&ms but peanut m&ms are my shit, you see? And I don’t get how that works in people.. Like you really have sensations in your body where being touched and kissed by a girl is somehow less thrilling and intoxicating as being touched and kissed by a dude? And if so, why? What makes it like that? How does it feel different?” Thomas was on some philosophical quest for knowledge here. 

He shrugged at the comment “Do you go around kissing anyone you’re the utmost unattracted too?” He asked as a more rhetorical question than anything else. “No, because you don’t want too. And kissing somebody you don’t find attractive or want in any shape or form would be gross, at least to most.” He explained, hoping it was a better example. “Oh, I promise you, it certainly would be an experience.” He agreed, with a nod and simple grin. “It’s just called life. That’s how people are. You’re typically not sexually attracted to everyone you meet. It’s also partly relationships. Like, if you were in love, would you want other people all over you?” He paused for a second, “Okay, well you’re a teenage boy, so maybe you would! But do you see what I’m saying? Everyone is just different like that. We want different things. Whether it’s a boy or girl. Or a blond or ginger. Or maybe smarts verse looks? It’s all of that. Can’t be into everything.” He explained as they started to walk into the property. “I’m not even sure if it’s making sense, but you’re asking question that nobody really has an answer for.”

“Isn’t the entire state of Florida on something? I can’t imagine anything can get that wild. Fair, but we also had a serial killer back in the early 2000s and then again a few years ago, so as terrible as it sounds, we’re kind of used to it. Not a single lead? At all? How bad is your police force?”

He shrugged and nodded “Probably, to be honest. That was when I tried pot for the first time- living there.” He admitted, though to be honest, he was a pretty open book most of the time. “Well this one’s has been around since the nineties, so, I think it’s worse than yours.” It was pretty sad, but true. “Pretty bad, apparently! Not even any leads, I guess.”

leon rolled his eyes for dylan as he spoke of his uncle and his countless dates, but grinned still as he finally pulled up to the spot he’d been headed for when dylan told him he could pick where to take them. he couldn’t help but laugh when dylan mused about leo asking the important questions when it came to where he wanted to smoke, only to raise an eyebrow with a bit of a smirk at the others suggestive words and wink in his direction. “sounds good to me. at least one of us thinks ahead,” he teased lightly before he finally climbed out of his car and moved around to seat himself on the hood of the ‘69 camaro to wait for dylan. when he finally joined him- which gave him enough time to think of an answer that wasn’t just leon bitching about the current state of his life. “in all honesty, its been a bit stressful but it’s going pretty good now,” he smiled before he reached for the joint after digging his lighter from his pocket, getting it lit and started enough to pass to dylan again. “here, you can hit it first- i just wanted to get the thing lit first. these papers don’t burn right sometimes but i stole them from my dad. old people don’t know shit,” he rambled a little though he didn’t seem to focus on it, the familiar feeling that usually loomed of saying something stupid wasn’t present and made it easier to just talk. “i’m glad you wanted to hang out though. i’d have called or something after the party, but i didn’t get your number before i showed you my car.” he smirked and nudged the other playfully, relaxing back on his elbows after taking a hit from the joint and passing him back. 

“I’ll always be that guy, if we’re being honest.” He was the one to think ahead, the one who liked to make plans and sometimes even lead somehow. He was a director after all, it was all part of how his mind worked. They got out and he traveled around to the hood, jumping up to take an easy seat next to Leo the precious car. “Well, that’s good, right?” He took the joint after it was lit and nodded. “Old people.. always trying to be young with the times.” he let out a sigh and slight roll of his eyes before he finally brought the joint to his lips and took a hit. He kept the smoke in as he passed the joint back over to Leo, smiling before he let it all escape from his lips. “Don’t worry, neither of us really thought about it after we got back inside.. we were pretty distracted.” He let out a chuckle as he looked at the other. “It was a really good ride though.” 

“Yeah but like, have you ever kissed a girl before? They’ve got super soft fucking lips man.. That feel great,” he felt the need to add, as if it somehow wasn’t implied from the term ‘soft’. “And boobs are awesome too - I’ve always been more of an ass man myself, but I don’t turn down a good pair either.” Thomas thought of Olivia suddenly, because she had breasts that fit her small frame and it all looked rather nicely put-together… He was only of the lucky few who’d gotten to know this intimate fact plenty times. “But like dudes.. I dunno man..” Thomas wound up shaking his head and shrugging. “It doesn’t gross me out to consider it but I’ve never had that urge to ever shut up and kiss one, know what I mean? You’ve had that feel before right? I’m making sense? Maybe I’m too high.” He was definitely high, but his thoughts were sobering some, as he lead them towards the shitty mobile home on its small piece of land. “What else did you expect? Maybe a makeout session or something…” he assumed, musing aloud, smiling towards the younger boy. “Oh yeah, I got one of them. It’s not much but we built it solid so like, it’ll hold us,” he told him confidently, finally able to point it out as they got closer to the residence. “See? Right there, behind the house.” It wasn’t a house, but a double-wide mobile home in desperate need of a modern update and repairs. But what else was he supposed to call his home? “That’ll work,” he said, not even questioning this thought now. “You’re not afraid of heights are you?”

He nodded with a sigh, “I have sadly, yeah. Kinda gross, not going to lie about that. I did not enjoy myself. That’s how I knew for certain I liked guys and only guys.” He already thought he was pretty gay back in seventh grade, but being dared to kiss Cassandra Baxter back in Florida is when he knew for sure. “An ass man, huh?” He gave the other a look. If that wasn’t some sort of sign, he didn’t know what was. “No, you’re making sense. But you never know, because that feeling to grab somebody and kiss them.. was that there before you ever kissed somebody? You could kiss a guy for the first time and then feel that after because you want more.” It was a simple explanation, or at least he hoped. “I wasn’t expecting much, just wanted to see what he’d do, to be honest. I did consider indulging him, though, if he was charming and nice enough about it.” he shrugged. Clearly, he was not. The approached the mobile home and he cocked his head to spot the tree behind it and the tree house. “Oh, yeah! Not bad, for two boys.” He chuckled and started to approach. “Heights? Love’em! I love to take risks, after all.” He winked back over to the other.

“Yeah, that. Kinda makes you wonder if twenty years from now students will be looking at yearbooks from our year and judging us.” Colin joked as he adjusted his shoulder against the shelf. “Oh, shit. I’m sorry, man. – What kinda research?” He wondered, not wanting to pry.

“Twenty years from now, I doubt the hair is going to be a main topic of discussion.” He shrugged, knowing their being murdered and still throwing dumb parties was definitely what they’d get shit for someday. “Just, um..” he cleared his throat. “Just stuff regarding the students that went missing back in the nineties.” He cleared his throat “Nobody else seems to be doing anything to figure out what’s going on around here, and the police are failing, so.. thought I’d look into it myself... plus I was done with my homework anyways.” 

“uh … deal.”  this whole thing was ridiculous, but he couldn’t fight the smile on his face.  so what if he’d definitely just nonchalantly told him how down he was.  “i think we already established that i’m thirsty,” josiah remarked, under his breath.  maybe it was childish, but like …  who cares?  “let’s get to it,”  he said, following dylan onto the picnic bench.  “this is fun. who woulda thought?”

He let out a chuckle “Shameless humor, I like it.” He said, looking up to him and flashing him a quick smile. Once they found the picnic table, he took the pack of beer from the bag, tossing it aside as he set it down. “Who would have thought a party was fun?” He chuckled as he opened the box and took out two cans. One for Josiah and one for himself, setting them down. “I’m guessing you were expecting the worst.”

Colin narrowed his eyes out of curiosity seeing the other’s reaction to his greeting. “Not your hair, man. The yearbook hair – are you good?” He asked as he gestured his hand pointing to the book. 

He chuckled once he heard what he was other was saying. “Right, their hair.” Dylan took a deep breath. “I’m good, yeah, sorry. You just, uh.. surprised me.” He glanced down at the yearbook. “I was just doing some.. research.”