Fools

Two

Jack broke the silence first, asking Ralph if he wanted something to eat. Ralph bobbed his head and they awkwardly went down to the kitchen. Jack's younger cousin, Leonard sat at their dining room table, scribbling with pens on a blank sheet of paper.

"I'm going to be an artist like Jackie." Leonard squealed at Ralph. This made Ralph chuckle a bit.

"You do that." Ralph smiled and continued into the kitchen. Jack pulled out two plates and a loaf of bread.

"Is a sandwich okay with you?"Jack was trying his best to act normal, but it was difficult for him. He didn't know how to act. He'd just kissed his friend on the lips. How is one supposed to act after that?

"Yeah, that's okay." Ralph hoisted himself onto the tall counter top and sat down with his hands in his lap. Jack glanced at the boy and smiled softly. He cut both sandwiches into triangles and added a small amount of potato chips on the side. Jack slid the plate over to Ralph and hopped up next to him. "Do you think that our psychology project will get a good grade?" Ralph wondered.

"I hope so." Jack mumbled through a mouth full of peanut butter and jelly. "We worked ages on it."

Ralph nodded his head. They sat in silence again, but this time it was less awkward. Ralph swung his feet softly and finished his sandwich, he slid his plate away with the untouched chips.

"You don't like crisps?" Jack asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"I'm not very fond of them, no." Ralph replied, his cheeks tinted pink and he slowly sunk back.

"That's okay." Jack assured him, gently taking his plate and dumping the chips onto his own plate. "I'll just eat them." Ralph smiled at him.

"Do you think I could ever see your drawings?" Ralph asked. Jack's chewing paused and he tensed ever so slightly.

"One day." He said. Ralph nodded his head, not wanting to push Jack. He wouldn't want Jack to do that to him.

Jack sighed and set his now empty plate down. He wiped his mouth while sliding off of the counter top. Ralph was about to do the same, but Jack stopped him by standing in between his small legs. Jack was now eye level with the fair boy. He gently put his hands on Ralph's thighs. "They mean a lot to me, okay? I just don't want to scare you away because of them." Jack said, his voice was low and serious. Ralph nodded his head slowly, glancing down at Jack's lips.

"O-okay," Ralph whispered. Jack smirked at the small boy, gently rubbing Ralph's thighs. He gently grabbed the backs of his knees and pulled him forward so their chests were close together. Ralph's breath hitched in his throat. Jack leaned forward and pressed his lips to Ralph's.

They were interrupted by the front door slamming open. "Jack are you home?" He heard his dad call. The two boys jumped apart and Jack quickly went to aid his father. Ralph slid off of the counter top and put the plates in the sink. He turned to see Jack's father holding a brown paper bag full of groceries. This made Ralph tense. He's only met his father a handful of times before, but Ralph had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that his father wasn't very fond of him.

Jack walked in next to his father, Gregory. They were carrying brown bags with groceries. Jack resembled his father in many ways. Both were well built, Jack was almost as tall as Gregory was, but not quite. Gregory's hair was more rust colored while Jack's were a deep orangey red. Jack had freckles, but his father did not. Ralph assumed that Jack might have inherited them from his mother instead. While Jack's eyes were dark blue, Gregory had dark brown eyes.

When Gregory stood, he was well over a foot taller than Ralph, and the scowl didn't make Ralph feel anymore welcome.

"D-do you need help with those, Sir?" Ralph stammered. He felt his heartbeat quicken when Gregory rolled his eyes.

"No, I think we can handle it. Wouldn't want you to break a nail." Gregory grumbled. His voice was deep and made the back of Ralph's neck tingle in fear. Ralph nodded his head and stood out of the way while the other two put the groceries in their rightful place.

Jack didn't like the way his father was towards Ralph. His father had the poor boy afraid for his life anytime he was around. He wanted to hurry with helping his father so that he can take the anxious boy to his bedroom. When Jack glanced over at Ralph, he could practically see him shaking. His cheeks were tinted pink and he had his bottom lip between his teeth. His chest rose with every breath he took and Jack could tell that he was panicking. This made his stomach clench. He didn't know why his father hated the boy, but he wasn't willing to start the conversation.

Ralph let out a quiet sigh of relief when Jack asked if he wanted to go back into his bedroom. He followed the taller boy to his bedroom and shut the door quietly behind them.

"I'm sorry." Was the first thing that Jack said.

Ralph forced a smile and sat on his bed. "It's okay, Jack. Don't worry about it." To that, Jack sighed. He sat down next to the fair haired boy and took Ralph's small hand into his own. Neither of them really said anything after that. They just sat in silence.