The Blue House of 1478 (18) (Patreon)

"I thought of a nickname!" I feel relieved when Kia approaches, sliding a plate of chips towards me. She's got a half-chewed hotdog in her mouth as she talks but doesn't seem to care much that she does.

"Theodorable.  Get it? Because you're pouty, angry, and adorable, and your name is Theo?  Hmm?  You forgive me now?"

She grins at me, and it's drunken and almost too big for her face.

I snort,

"That's terrible; I hope you forget it by morning."

"She won't," Hunter looks exasperated by the presence of Levi, watching him intermingle with the very few women around his age.  I take another shot to rid myself of my unfortunate farsightedness, "she told me to remind her tomorrow."

I glare.

"I have ten bucks I can give you right now if you forget to tell her."

Hunter nods in acceptance, laughing as Kia whacks him upside his head.

"... I read this article about a haunted highway last night," Hunter starts again, sober and excited. I rub my eyes and stand, moving to sit next to him. He's already got his phone out, trying to drag up the Paranews website, despite Sleepy Birch's lagging connection to anything outside of it, "And the photographer — amazing.  So good, I mean, look at it."

I crane over his shoulder, wiping off my hands on my knees before I reach to zoom in on the fog-covered road with two fingers.

"That's creepy, dude.  In a good way, of course," I frown, "but the fog is a little overkill."

"What?"

"Well.  Why does everything that's haunted automatically have to be dark and foggy? It's like no one thinks to go there while it's nice outside and take a pretty little Polaroid."

"That's not how you get hits on a site like Paranews, man, and you know it," Hunter laughs, mocking someone with a point-and-shoot camera, "No one goes frolicking through haunted highways on sunny days looking for a top photo."

"Um.  Heck yeah, they do because that's the only time you'd catch me near one."

"You're kidding."

I shake my head,

"Nope. I'm way less brave as I get older; my rational fear of dying is weighing out all previous ghostly curiosity."

"Too many realistic horror films lately," Hunter nods along, finishing his food with a large bite, "I'm getting more — want one?"

I shake my head, and he taps Kia's shoulder, who is listening to a video with her headphones in. She shakes her head without looking up, laughing at something on the screen.

I'm curious, but only for point two seconds, watching Hunter apologize as he sidesteps around a surprisingly polite Levi. The latter's eyes shift to me, and I immediately grab a leftover bun from Kia's plate and shove it in my mouth.

What was that?

"Nice," Levi says, evidently unimpressed by my diversion tactic. I smile around the bread because I'm mildly embarrassed, very drunk, and always petty. "Oh, that's good too. Very mature, Theo."

"Nick — Nicknames are a friend privilege," I say, after struggling to swallow, "it's Theodore to you, 'man who names his dog after himself.'"

Levi glares, ignoring that Kia is perched only a few feet away from us.

"You are like Jekyll and Hyde, aren't you?" Levi scoffs, and I scoff right back at him, "half this town probably thinks you're just as sweet as can be."

"What?"  My nose wrinkles into a sneer, and his eyes narrow,

"Oh?  They know you're an ass?"

"Some,"  I shrug, though my shoulders jerk a little harder than I mean to,  "It's called customer service with a smile. Don't sound so bitter about it."

"Yeah. Well, I don't get it. There are a lot of things I don't get about you," oh boy, he actually looks angry.  What the fuck. "— and I think we need to talk about that. Don't you?"

"Excuse me? Talk about what?"

"Matthias."  The way his voice simmers from rage into a whisper of Matthias' name seems strange. The way he looks jittery about speaking of him at all — feels... odd.  "I don't get you — and Matthias."

But men — angry, volatile men.

I hate them.

"... So, what am I? Your tutor?"  My eyes narrow,  "Sorry, you don't get things, but I'm busy enjoying my night, and I don't need to explain anything to you. Has anyone ever told you that your confrontational attitude gets old, like, fast?"

Levi glances over his shoulder and leans down like he's conveying something top secret, which is stupid. Like anyone would tell Levi a secret.

I flinch back,

"This is serious. I only came to this fucking party so that maybe we could,"

"Buddy." I sneer, hands up. If it trembles, I'll blame it on the alcohol,  "We're minding our business." I inhale, face warm with tequila, "I have no intention of discussing anything with some pissy dude while I'm drunk."

Levi's grey eyes slide to Kia, and back to me,

"We?" He rolls his eyes. "Am I interrupting you and your little girlfriend?"

I belt out a laugh before I can help it, partially blaming it on the amount I've had to drink.

"Little? Dude, fuck off.  And she's so gay," I laugh again at the look he gives me. "And so am I. So great powers of deduction, Spot.  Bye-bye."

I mean to give Levi a shitty sort of smile, forgetting that I caught him a few weeks ago with a man in his t-shirt, mussed hair, and glazed gaze. Then it dawns on me that my smile might seem a little flirty, a little ill-placed, especially given what I've just shared.

And just why did I share it?

I wave. Levi does not leave.

Does he maybe —

His smirk falls. It's a little odd and out of place for him, like he's a bit surprised, but his aggression has died a bit. He blinks at me.

Oh no.

Oh, no.

Did I accidentally...?

"No, I am not flirting with you. You just came out of your house to lurk around a party to fight me about — about meeting your roommate.  Not hot."

Jesus, why did I say it out loud. Backtrack, Theo. Backtrack.

"I mean. Yes. You are like, physically super hot or whatever, but," ugh, no. I cringe, "I didn't mean that. I don't think that either."

Levi's nose wrinkles before he laughs. He shifts his weight to one leg and slips his hands in his pocket, irritation coating itself with a falsely playful mask.

"Yeah?" His teeth show as his lip lifts. He shifts closer to me, for a split second, and I hate how my drunk body wants to grab his stupidly hot face, but I don't know if I want to punch it or make out with it,  "You sure?"

"Sometimes." I fire back, and since when were we arguing again?  Wait. What did I say? "Wait. What?"

"What's your deal?  You think this is a game?" Levi's head tilts, expression incredulous. "You seriously think I would flirt with you?"

The tips of my ears prickle with heat,

"Jesus Christ, dude.  Chill. Oh, suddenly it's-"

"Whatever," Levi shrugs, sounds downright vicious, "... Whatever — you can find out the hard way, for all I fucking care."

The words process a few seconds after he leaves, and I guffaw at the nothingness in front of me, jumping a bit — and making a squawking sound, and turn to Kia, who is gaping like a fish,

"That guy is such a,"

"Why is some random hot guy approaching you?" Kia gapes, visibly disturbed, "Oh my shit, was that angry eyebrows?"

"Were you even listening to him?"

"A hot guy came to you.  A hot guy."  Kia raises her hands to the sky like she can somehow drag down answers to how I just got approached by Sleepy Birch's heartthrob in my ugly raincoat.

"Okay, you are barking up the wrong tree, Miss Blitzed.  He just tried to pick a fight with me!  He's nuts!"

"Does it matter," she's flapping her arms out now, like it somehow makes her aerodynamic, scooting across the park bench,  "he talked to you!  And he's cute!"

"Oh, great! Good thing he's cute.  It was a lovely conversation, too."  I push her thigh.  "Go away.  You are so drunk!"

"Whatever. Shut up.  You're drunk."

"Kia.  You're ticking me off."

Kia slaps a palm over my mouth, one that smells vaguely of hotdogs, and it sort of stings.  I scowl.

"Shh.  You are going to tell me everything about Mr. Grumpy Brows, and I will decide who is nuts."

—

A/N:  big changes, I know, and I'm sorry.  This is all so that the characterizations can develop earlier and more naturally.  Levi seems like such an ass right now, but you'll understand his side of things eventually.  He really is a sweet man 😭 promise.  So is Theo.  They have their own issues that have them react the ways that they do.  ALSO, this is one of my stories where the side characters get nearly as much limelight as the main characters, so Kia and Hunter will have flaws, story, and development too.