Page 21 of Fair Catch

I have every intention of sneaking in as quietly and unnoticed as possible; harnessing those mouse-like powers he claims me to have and slipping into the safety of my bedroom. But then I notice the movie playing on the flatscreen happens to be my favorite, and I’m halted in my tracks.

The words fall from my lips without permission, startling both Kason and myself.

“Oculus?”

His eyes slide over to me, and even in the dim glow from the screen, I see the apprehension in his expression. “Yeah, why?”

I’m certain he’s expecting me to admonish him for his taste in films or to turn it down so I can’t hear it from my room. His face says it all.

“No reason,” I tell him, rolling back on my heels. “It’s a good movie, that’s all.”

He blinks in surprise. “You know it? It’s one of my favorites.”

Well, damn. And here I thought we’d never agree on anything.

“Same,” I say slowly, not trusting the alternate reality we’ve just fallen into. That’s the only explanation for the bit of personal information I willingly let slip free. “I used to watch it once a week as a kid. It gave me nightmares from hell for years, but it didn’t matter. I had to keep watching.”

“A trainwreck you can’t look away from, yeah,” he says, a little hint of a chuckle in his voice. “I definitely get what you mean.”

I definitely get what you mean?

My hackles rise on instinct, suspicion and distrust immediately rearing their heads as I stare at him across the room. Because just earlier this week, we were in a screaming match.

Now, we’re—

“Do you wanna watch it with me?” he asks, cutting through my thoughts. His tone has the same tentativeness one might use approaching a trapped, rabid animal. “I’m only ten minutes in, so I don’t mind starting it over.”

My eyes shift from him to the screen, indecision warring within me.

This is pretty much the only decent interaction we’ve had in nearly a month. Extending it into an entire movie’s length would be asking for shit to hit the fan. For one of us to piss the other off so badly that this movie is completely ruined for the rest of our lives, especially considering the last conversation we had.

Yet, for some unknown reason, the lure of my favorite film has me slowly dropping my bookbag to the floor and nodding.

“Uh…yeah. Sure. As long as you don’t mind.”

Kason shakes his head and scoots over to one end of the couch while I round the other, dropping on the cushion. With a few clicks of the remote, he’s restarted the movie from the opening credits, and I’m filled with the tiniest thrill.

I love horror movies. I’ll watch them alone whenever I can, but it’s always more fun to do it with other people around. Watch their reactions, guess if they’ll jump or hide behind their hands, that kinda thing.

It’s actually one of the few instances where I’d prefer to not be by myself.

We settle in to watchOculus, and as the familiar terror Tim and Kaylie go through—all due to a haunted antique mirror—plays across the screen, I find myself slowly relaxing more and more. The silence between us is surprisingly comfortable, the only sound coming from the television and him opening a package of candy that I’m damn near positive isn’t on whatever plan the team dietitian gives them.

He catches me looking at him one of the times while he’s popping a few round candies in his mouth before holding out the package toward me.

“Want some?”

At first I think they’re Skittles, but the faint scent of peanut butter hits me, and I realize they’re either peanut butter M&Ms, or—

“Reese’s Pieces?” I ask. When he nods, I hold out my hand for him to dump. “Yeah, sure.”

I pop a few in my mouth, the delicious mix of chocolate and peanut butter coating my tastebuds. Kason does the same, the two of us silently munching on the bite-size candies.

“These are twenty times better than the actual cups,” Kason says, breaking the silence as he refills my palm. “Especially when you toss them in popcorn.”

I stare at him, mouth opened. “Are you messing with me right now? Or somehow get in contact with Quinton?”

He frowns. “No. Why?”

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