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A/N: 12.11.20
Hello, Homies 💕 Can we get this chapter to 400 votes? It would mean a lot 🥺🙇♂️
You can now get early access to Conan The Dandelion for 4.5$! I’ve received a lot of messages, and made the prices on my Patreon more affordable. Link is in my bio. I hope you enjoy the updates 💕
🌻🌻🌻
I woke up early in the morning and got ready for class. I picked up my bag and headed upstairs to Freddie’s house. We were going to school together. I knocked on his door.
“Goodmorning, Freddie,” I smiled when he stepped out. “How are you?”
“I’m okay,” he smiled, rubbing his eyes.
“You don’t look okay. You look tired.”
He blinked, then let out a sheepish laugh.
“You’re right, I’m doing absolutely terrible. I spent the entire night working on an essay due in two weeks. It counts for 60% of my grade, and it’s stressing me out,” he sighed. “But thank you for asking how I’m doing.”
“Everyone asks how the other is doing,” I said, having read it in multiple books. Freddie shook his head.
“No, not the way you do,” he said with a small smile.
As we were about to leave, Parker’s door opened. He stopped in his steps when he saw us. He was wearing sunglasses that hid half his face. They matched his leather jacket and his natural sex appeal, but it wasn’t sunny outside. In fact, it was rather grey today. Despite the dark tints that hid his eyes, I could feel him staring at me intently.
I was worried that he’d get mad at me. He must have noticed by now that many of his belongings were gone, and that the culprit of their disappearance was me.
Instead, he said, “I was hoping to catch you two.” Parker slung his bag over one shoulder. His voice was huskier than usual.
“Why?” Freddie asked, raising a brow.
“Aren’t you two heading to uni?”
Freddie bit his lower lip.
“Yes, we are,” he slowly said.
“Great, then the three of us can go together like the merry friends we are,” Parker said. I wasn’t sure if he was being ironic or not.
“What about your motorcycle?”
“The alcohol from last night is still running through my system. To be honest, I’m seeing three of you,” Parker casually said. “Besides, I made a promise to Dandelion to try and not kill myself on the road. Now let’s go, I have a biology test to ace.”
Before Freddie could say anything else, Parker headed downstairs whistling a cheerful tune. Freddie made a funny noise with his nose.
“The audacity.”
We followed Parker downstairs and went to Freddie’s car. I normally sat in the front, but I thought that it was only normal that I let Parker sit there since he was taller. The front seat had more space for his long legs. I sat in the back, but when I did, so did he.
“Don’t you want to sit beside Freddie?” I asked.
He scowled at me. “What kind of stupid question is that?”
“I’m this close to kicking you out of my car,” Freddie warned him.
“Love you too, babe.”
Parker took off his jacket, revealing his starch white shirt and sturdy chest. He pulled up his sleeves that showed the muscles and veins in his arms. I looked away, feeling a fuzzy.
The drive to school was quiet. I told them that I had made a new friend named Zev. Parker remained silent while Freddie seemed happy for me. I told Freddie that Zev called him “the cute boy with freckles,” and he immediately flushed red. We almost crashed into the car in front of us.
We arrived at our university.
“I have to get going. I need to print the rest of my papers before class starts. I’ll see you guys!” Freddie said, giving us a quick wave before running off. Parker and I were left in the parking lot alone, and without Freddie, the atmosphere suddenly shifted. I guess this is what people called an awkward silence.
“What class do you have?” Parker asked, breaking the silence.
“Philosophy,” I answered.
“Building C, right?”
“I wouldn’t know,” I smiled. Parker ran a hand through his dark hair, looking both amused and annoyed.
“Of course,” he sighed. Parker looked around and his eyes stopped on two girls. He stopped them in their tracks, and began to talk with them. The girls suddenly started touching their hair and giggling. They seemed to know who Parker was, but it didn’t go the other way around.
Despite not knowing them, Parker seemed at ease. While the girls struggled to keep eye contact, Parker stood there, confident and unwavering. He knew he had appeal and was indifferent to the compliments given to him.
“…Do you girls have a cigarette?” Parker asked.
“Oh, yes, I think I do.” Both girls began rummaging their bags as if they were having a race to see who could get Parker a cigarette first. The brunette won and she quickly handed Parker a cigarette. He set it between his lips and leaned forward, letting her light the tip.
“Thanks for the info, and the cigarette,” Parker said.
“Don’t you want to stay a little longer? Class doesn’t start until another thirty minutes,” frowned the blond girl who kept ogling Parker’s strong arms and chest.
“Someone’s waiting for me.”
“Your girlfriend?” frowned the brunette, disappointment flashing through her eyes. Parker took a drag from his cigarette, then turned towards me. The girls followed his gaze and they seemed both confused, relieved, and annoyed when they saw me. I smiled and waved at them.
“No, a friend,” Parker said, letting out a puff of smoke. The girls continued to try and convince Parker to stay, but he seemed distracted, focusing on me as he smoked his cigarette. They finally gave up, but they gave Parker their numbers in case he changed his mind. Parker came back to me, tossing his cigarette bud aside.
“The girls over there said that philosophy majors have class in building C,” he said. “Let’s go.”
“Just a second, please.”
I crouched down and picked up his cigarette bud. I pressed the burning ashes against the concrete to make sure the fire was completely out, waited a few seconds just to be completely sure, before throwing it in away in a cigarette receptacle.
“Okay, I’m ready,” I smiled. Parker stood there, staring at me in silence. It was hard to tell what he was thinking as he looked at me.
“What is it?” I asked.
“I was thinking,” he said, perplexed.
“About what?”
“You. About how you’re too good for this world.”
He began to walk away and I quickly followed him, doubling my pace just to match his.
“You’re really good at making friends,” I told him. He raised a brow.
“You mean the two girls at the parking lot? They’re not my friends.”
“They aren’t?”
“No, they’re just two people who happen to know where the philosophy building is,” he shrugged, slowing his pace to make it easier for me to walk with him. “And perhaps two girls I’ll eventually sleep with, but definitely not my friends. I keep my friend circle small.”
He smiled at me which sharpened his features. “Surprised that a jackass like me actually values friends?”
I was more surprised by his hypothesis.
“No, not a bit.”
Parker’s smile slowly vanished and he looked straight ahead, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets.
“Then you’re the first.”
We walked in silence afterwards. I had the feeling that Parker wanted to tell me something, that he had a lot on his mind, but couldn’t find the words to express his thoughts. That often happened to me too, so I decided not to say anything and let him think. I enjoyed walking in silence anyway, his presence was enough.
He walked me to class and we stopped at the door.
“Hey, dandelion?”
I looked at him and he seemed nervous. I’ve never seen Parker nervous. Well, not until now anyway. He ran his hand through his hair and let it fall to the nape of his neck.
“I’m sorry about last night,” he finally said.
“It’s fine.”
“No, it’s not. I said and did a lot of stupid things, and worst of all, I hurt you,” he mumbled miserably.
“I don’t think your sadness is stupid,” I said. Parker’s jaw tightened, and he looked away an instant, before turning back towards me.
“Can we forget what happened last night? I don’t remember everything that happened, but I wouldn’t be a surprise if I talked about…” his voice drifted away, and he dismissed the unfinished sentence with an, “Anyway.” Then, he said, “You’ll do that for me, right? You’ll forget about it?”
Parker was taller and strong than me, and his height dawned over mine, but despite his mature and manly appearance, I always thought that there was something innocent and child-like about him. Not in a pejorative way, but the same way a child struggled to apologize after making a small mess, whether it was because they were too young to know the right words to express their feelings or they were in the stage where they were beginning to learn what was right from wrong.
“I don’t know if I can forget what happened.”
He flinched.
“I would if I could, but I don’t think my brain would cooperate,” I explained. “But I can avoid bringing it up, if you’d like.”
Parker gave me a small smile.
“Yeah, that works too,” he said.
“I’m sorry for throwing away your alcohol and cigarettes. I was upset.”
“It’s fine. I would have done the same.”
“Thank you for forgiving me. I’m glad we’re friends. I have to go now. Goodbye, Parker,” I waved and was about to walk into class. He reached out to stop me but quickly retrieved his hand, curling his fingers and pressing his lips together.
“Dandelion?” He called. I stopped in my tracks. “You’re not mad, right?”
“No, I’m not mad.”
He didn’t seem to believe me.
“Really?”
“Yes, really,” I said, being completely honest.
He frowned. “Aren’t you going to scold me? Tell me how messed up I am or how terrible I treated you? There has to be something you want to get angry at me for.”
I paused.
“I can’t think of anything right now, but I’ll get back to you if ever I do.”
“I’d actually prefer it if you were mad or yelled at me,” he chuckled darkly.
“I think you torture yourself enough.”
I wish I could see Parker’s eyes. All I could see were two dark tints. He took in a slow breath.
“You’re absolutely terrible,” Parker said with a sad smile.
“Oh,” I said. I wanted to apologize but Parker would scowl again. “Thank you.”
It was one of the rare moments I heard Parker laugh.
“Conan being Conan,” he chuckled. I watched him walk away, and as his silhouette disappeared around the corner, I found myself smiling.
Conan being Conan. What beautiful words to say.
🌻🌻🌻
A/N: Have you guys acquired new skills during quarantine? I’ve been drawing, reading, and playing the piano more 😊
Btw, do you guys use your computer or phone to read on Wattpad?
Btwww, my digital artist and I have been brainstorming and working on a new paperback book cover 🤭 Which book you ask? It’ll be a surprise ✨
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