The Art of Life and Love: The First Spark Chapter 3 [mm]

Dillon had awesome parents. He loved them very dearly, and they him. This he knew as fact, but he still felt unaccepted and unloved by them at the same time. It may be that his fear of the consequences if they found out about that have affected his perception of reality. Whatever the reason, because he was afraid, he couldn’t be himself around his parents. This caused him to distance himself from them, in the hopes that he’d minimize the risk of a slip up. Dillon was sad that he had to keep them at a distance, but there would be a day when he would tell them everything.
They had seemed to figure that Dillon needed space to grow, so they didn’t restrict him much in the way of where he could go. So long as he checked in, was back before ten o’clock, and didn’t do anything dangerous or illegal. Otherwise, they stayed out of his way since he wasn’t a troublemaker. His mom was upset, however, when he wouldn’t go to church. Why attend when he didn’t buy into it? God hadn’t helped him through anything, but Dillon tried to be respectful with his parents in terms of their different views. Besides, they didn’t talk about it much. Dillon thought about what he wanted to say, then started to type out his reply.
Dillon 2:07 PM: Hey ma, just wanted to let you know I’ll be at Vinnie’s, that autobody shop on Main. Remember the friend I made at tech school I told you about? He works there so we’re gonna hang when he’s done. Should be home before dinner, if not I’ll text. Love you! Hope your day is going well! ^_^
He hit send, and refocused himself on the walk to the shop. It was quite a bit closer to his bus stop than his home is. On the way, he daydreamed about what they might do. What does ‘chill’ even mean? Not that it mattered to him. He wanted to learn about Tony as his friend, so setting didn’t matter. Dillon was definitely curious about what he had done to the Subaru without side mirrors. It was fun to watch him work. One time he even let Dillon help. Tony had him wet sand a couple door panels to smooth the primer coat so the paint stuck evenly. The smell of the shop combined with the feel of the metal as he sanded calmed him. The more he learned about body work, the more interested he became in the industry.
Up the road he saw the shop, adjusted his clothes and backpack, and ran his hand through his short sandy blonde hair. Dillon was happy he was at the point now that he didn’t get nervous when he was around Tony. Dillon genuinely enjoyed his company. As per usual, when he walked up, Tony’s garage door was wide open. The Subaru was still in really bad shape, but at least had one side mirror reattached. Tony loudly ground away at a patch of rust on the other detached side mirror. He looked up at the ceiling of the shop, and saw spools of tubes that hanged from the rafters. The air tube above Tony’s station was hooked up to the grinder he used. Dillon assumed that most of the shop’s power tools ran on compressed air. It was a lot cheaper and renewable, which was an excellent choice for a city like theirs.
As Dillon walked slowly up to Tony, he craned his neck to see up close what he was up to. He didn’t wanna scare the shit out of him while he used a power tool, so he looked for a stool to pull up. The only one he could find was a ridiculously tacky Iron Man stool. Dillon was horrified. He visited the shop fairly regularly and he never noticed it before. Was this new? Why would Tony get this? ‘Who the hell wants to park their ass on Iron Man’s face?!” Dillon shivered.
Finally Tony took his hand off the trigger for the pressurized air, and the grinder hissed as it slowed to a stop. Dillon crossed his arms and stayed totally silent as Tony took off his goggles and gloves. He was covered in black dust, probably the metal and rust he had grinded off. As he pulled a partially soiled shop towel out of his pocket, Dillon coughed loudly and dramatically. Tony started and whipped his head around.
“‘Bout time! It’s rude to keep guests waitin’, fuckhead!” Dillon scoffed, nose in the air. Tony cracked a big smile.
“How long have you been there?!”
“Like five minutes. You were intent on your grindin’ and I didn’t feel like scarin’ you while you had a power tool. Yer welcome.” Dillon gave him two thumbs up and got up to shake his hand. “Oh, and what the absolute fuck is this?” He pointed to the Iron Man stool.
“That’s my Iron Man stool, dipshit. Hahaha! You like, yes? Or are you a hater?” Tony narrowed his eyes.
“I-I mean Marvel is a’ight, I guess? Only hero I ever liked was DC’s Batman, though. But dude, why do you have this abomination of a stool?” Dillon furrowed his brow and grinned slightly.
“I’ll give you that, Batman is a good choice, but not as good a choice as Iron Man bitch. He’s modern day Batman. Gotham’s in another universe, too. Don’t diss my stool you snot!” Tony pointed at him with two fingers.
“It’s sooo tacky, man. I don’t want Iron Man eatin’ my ass out everytime I sit.” He cringed.
“Hey I needed a higher stool to use under the lifts, ok? I saw this Godly Iron Man stool at a thrift store and couldn’t resist! Look at it! It’s hand painted! That’s talent!” Tony insisted.
“Yea, I’ll admit whoever painted it was talented, but that doesn’t invalidate the fact that Iron Man’s lips are on my hole! Hehehehahaha!” He laughed at Tony’s shocked expression.
“Whatever, you millennials don’t know the classics or the finer things. Y’all just wanna be sucked into Facebook n’ shit.” He grumbled.
“Oh, yer right about that. Farmville is very addicting. It’s a problem for me. I’ve missed my bus playin’ it.”
“Damn it, I’ll admit I’m into Restaurant City myself…”
“Yooo, me too! Add me later! Actually, just friend me. At Dillon Valente. Spam-gift me ingredients, please!”
“Haha, sure you scratch my back I’ll scratch yers.” Tony winked.
Every time Tony winked at him he felt his stomach twist and his face heat up a couple degrees. He needed to be careful and keep and eye on his body language, and where he rested his gaze. Dillon knew that people could feel when someone looks at them while their back is turned. At least, he thought he read that somewhere. Regardless, he should be careful just in case. Though, luckily his nerves got better and better each time they spent time together. Dillon also made sure to keep himself ‘satisfied’ in that way, so his frustration didn’t leak out. Tony was his friend, and he was grateful. However, at times Dillon would get frustrated with the strain the friendship took on his mental state and libito. He would get over the frustration in a day or two, but it always came back.
Tony had eventually gotten back to work so he could finish up and go. He looked tired, which made sense because he always started super early. Not to mention, the fact he was here on a Saturday meant he likely had work to catch up on. To be a mechanic seemed tough, with high physical demands, just like a chef. He had seen in-shape baseball players not have the stamina or agility to keep up in a busy, crowded, chaotic kitchen. Explosive, instantaneous strength wasn’t always helpful in either industry.
Dillon felt Tony’s pain and sore muscles after a long day’s work like that. He kept Tony company while he finished up various things he had to grind and fill. They talked about this and that, and would have companionable silences when Tony had to focus on something. While Tony started to organize his work bench and clean up, Dillon remembered he wanted to ask him something.
“Hey Tony, I wanted to ask you somethin'”
“Yea kid, shoot.” Tony replied as he continued his cleanup.
“I know you moved here from Pittsburgh, but… I’m just curious why you chose to move here? Our city doesn’t exactly work very hard to attract residents, as you can tell with all the potholes. Is yer family from Pittsburgh? What’s yer last name again?” Dillon asked.
“Needed a change of scenery. Strike out on my own y’know? I lived in Pittsburgh for a couple years before I moved here, but I was born in Dresden, Tennessee.” Tony explained, still with his back to Dillon. “Oh, It’s Gerace.”
“Yea, I definitely feel ya there. I’d love a change of scenery from all the city around here. I figured you were from there when you said you repped the fuckin’ Titans. Must’a been nice down there, though.”
“Yea, it was a’ight. Nothin’ remarkable. I like it up this way. Aside from the cold. Fuck the cold.” Tony said. Dillon thought he sensed the slightest bit of hesitation.
“That’s good, we might not be the nicest hood outside Philly, but the people are usually cool, and the food is dope as hell!” Dillon said with a bright smile.
“Yea, I’m startin’ to see that. I met you after all. With my work schedule I don’t have a lot of time to make nice with the locals.” Tony said with a thin smile. “All I really got is my job, my friend Adrian that got me said job, and you.”
“Thanks man, it means a lot. Really. I always got yer back! So was it Adrian that got you to move out here? Tell me if I’m askin’ too much.” Dillon asked.
“Nah nah, yer good. Yea, I guess you could call Adrian a family friend. He lives like fifteen minutes from here. I called ‘im up and asked if he had any work for me, and he recommended me to the owner. Showed ‘im I could do the job. He hired me and I moved out here a week later.” Tony finished as he scratched his cut jawline.
“Man, you been lots of places for a twenty year old. I’m kinda jealous.” Dillon grinned.
“Yea, I’ve been movin’ around my whole life pretty much, it gets old after a while. Trust me. Don’t take stability for granted.” He responded casually.
“Hmm… Yer pretty wise, Tony. I’ll take that advice.” Dillon gave a narrow eyed grin.
“N-no shit? Haha thanks, brother.” Tony chuckled.
Something occurred to Dillon. Tony had many wise moments like these. He must have seen a lot in his travels. Dillon realized he had started to look up to Tony. He seemed like a really stand-up guy, and Dillon liked the example he set. Just a down to earth hard worker that loved his friends and all things Marvel.
Dillon had been raised as an only child, well, he did have two elder brothers. His brothers and he were seperated when his parents split. He went with dad his brothers went with mom. So for all intents and purposes, he was raised as an only child, since he was way too young to remember any of it. So to have a male figure closer to his age to look up to was new and cool to him. Tony was almost… like a brother, actually.
Tony eventually finished up his cleanup, and hit the switch to close his garage door. This shop had to have been pretty new for it to look this nice and be so modern. It was an unusual sight for Dillon, who grew up in a lower class neighborhood where everything was old and decrepit. It was around quarter after four, and there were still a couple mechanics and a receptionist there, so Tony was able to leave. A lot of times, Tony was the last one out and had to lock up. Once they were both outside, Dillon made to shake Tony’s hand. He assumed that was a good first start, and didn’t want to appear clingy. He stopped mid-handshake when Tony raised his brow.
“Yo where you goin’? C’mon s’go!” Tony smiled wide.
“Uh- yea sure!” Dillon beamed.
“I’d take you on Harley, but I don’t have a ‘Baby On Board’ sticker to slap on yer back yet. So instead, we’ll take my lovely ’94 Bronco. Her name’s Big Bertha. She’s built like a tank!” He explained excitedly. He was like a little kid when he talked about any vehicle. It was cute. Dillon didn’t miss the smartass comment about the sticker, though.
“Oh, yer real cute, fuckhead! Ahaha! So, where we be goin’?”
“I was just gunna ask you that. Any ideas? I don’t know the good spots ’round here.” He shrugged.
“Mind a bit of a drive? You ever heard of the King of Prussia mall? It’s one of the largest malls in America. It’s pretty dope- and dude! The food court! Bourbon Chicken from the Chinese place! Bitch, fuck me up!”
“Yea I was down the second you said food court haha. So how far is a “bit of a drive”?”
“Like a half hour, maybe? But it’s worth it! Think of the food! That’s what our tired bodies need, and I’m a teenager so I’m immune to fullness.” Dillon slapped his belly.
“Hahaha dude you really love your food, eh? How are you not six hundred pounds?”
“Of course I love it! I’ll eat anything that’s delicious, no matter how much! Besides, I burn a ton of it off in the kitchen, where I happen to be a chef!”
“Ain’t you one o’ dem there diabetics?” Tony asked.
“Oh fuck you hahaha yes I am and proud of it! I keep the insulin manufacturers in business with my infinite appetite.”
Tony and Dillon had their usual back and forth banter, and it was fun. Except for Tony’s insistence that Superman had any place amongst any hero lineup, Marvel or DC, ever. Loser! Around five o’clock, they arrived at the King of Prussia mall. Dillon had never been a mall person because of all the people and the ungodly prices, but the KOP mall was pretty dope. Especially around the holidays, when it had the most people and the worst prices. However, it had incredible Christmas decorations and some of the wildest food Dillon’s ever had.
As usual, it was a grand time. There was a lot of sights to see. Dillon realized it was the perfect thing for new friends to do. A giant building of potential interests and hobbies that they may share is a great way to get to know someone. Tony was drawn to places like the fucking lego store, whereas Dillon liked places like EB Games and the food court, of course. They had a heated argument in EB Games about which Final Fantasy was more popular that devolved into a near fist fight. They got kicked out because Tony can’t just admit the tenth Final Fantasy was the best and grossed more than all the others combined. What could they say? They loved their games.
Tony had chased him the rest of the way to the food court because he tried a couple times to shoot rubber bands into the crowd. Once he had finally caught up, Dillon turned around and shot him in the ear. Then after they got their food and sat down to inhale it, Tony almost fainted when Dillon took his insulin shot. Its always the manly tough guys that are deathly afraid of needles. Once they’d eaten the best meal they’d had in weeks, Dillon pulled out his phone to see if his mom had gotten back to him. It was a quarter of eight already? He swiped his phone open and saw he had two missed texts.
Kat 3:18 PM: Have fun, Dill! Be careful and be yourself. And yes, you can use me as the girl yer currently with should the need arise! You’re welcome :) <3
Dillon snorted and rolled his eyes. Of course she would always and forever read him like an open book. He felt a pang of affection for Kat. She really did have his back and cared about him and their buddies. If Kat accepted him like this, well maybe it wouldn’t be so horrible if he told the other guys, too. They might joke and pester him for it, but if Kat could so easily say they agreed with her, then they likely agree at least somewhat. However, that’s a mental debate to be held at a later date. Dillon clicked open the other text, which was from his mom.
Mom 6:34 PM: Ok sweetie thanks for lettin me know. No problem, just be home before 10. If I see you on the eight o’clock news for having your illegal drug ring exposed, I’m gonna be pissed. So behave, idiot son! Love ya kiddo<3
Dillon grinned and shook his head. The woman in his life were nuts, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. Half the men in his life were nuts anyway. He shot off a quick thanks to Kat and an affirmative to his mom, and slipped his phone back in his pocket. When Dillon looked up, he saw Tony’s head turned to another table a few feet away. A blonde girl with a couple of her friends got up and left. Tony looked her up and down, then looked to Dillon and smiled.
“Sight for sore eyes, eh? It’s always the super hot ones that end up screwin’ you over, though. Heed my wise words young padawan!” Tony knocked on the table.
“Haha dude even as a wingman, you still be throwin’ that Star Wars shit in there! But regardless, I, uh I’m seein’ a gal now already.”
While Dillon had already resolved to slide out he was with a girl, it still was difficult to lie to his friend. He needed a cover, though. Especially when Tony’s eye was drawn to some dumb blonde bitch that cared nothing about him. Tony deserved more than that. He deserved someone that would love him like Dillon did. As he thought about it, he felt that still unknown emotion. It made his heart rate pick up, and he wanted to punch the girl Tony looked at with eyes like that. Jealousy! That’s it. He must control it, so he made himself smile and act normal. It wasn’t difficult anymore to fake what went on in his head.
“Oh you are! Have I seen her? You done anythin’ with her? With any girl? You got Junior Prom next year, right? Better get thinkin’!” Tony rambled off questions. Damn it, he needed to knock it off with the adorable shit.
“Haha, yes I am, yes you’ve seen her, it’s Kat, I’ve pointed her out before. No I haven’t been with anyone at all before. Yes i have prom but I don’t really care. Did I complete the survey satisfactorily?”
“Ohhh yea! She’s a cutie. I got a lotta respect for gals like her that are just themselves. And from how you talk about her, you seem pretty into her. Nice, man. I hope things work out.” He winked.
Once they had gotten up and started to make their way to the car, Dillon was able to put the green-eyed monster to sleep inside him. That type of jealousy can be incredibly risky for him to feel, especially around the object of said jealousy. As a whole though, it was really fun. Their friendship dynamic worked well. Dillon got into the Bronco with Tony, a grin on his face over the whole thing. Tony liked him and wanted to be his friend! An awesome guy like Tony thought of him as such. Luckily it was dark, so Tony wouldn’t have been able to see the blush that creeped up his face.
Around nine o’clock, they arrived back in their neck of the woods. While Dillon had to be home by ten, he wasn’t quite ready for it to end yet. Besides, he still had an hour, and they were right up the street. What could they do, though? Honestly, he was hungry again.
“Yo are you hungry again?” Dillon asked.
“Bahahaa dude! We’re gunna be best pals. Our appetites align perfectly. Wanna hit up Burger King or some shit? Maybe Wawa? I like Wawa. The name’s still weird to me.” He replied with a wide grin.
“YESS! Wawa sounds sweet. Their pancake sizzlis are off the charts delicious.”
“What’s a pancake sizzli?”
“Oh yea, I forget that Wawa ain’t everywhere. It’s like a breakfast sandwich but the bread is two pancakes. So fuckin’ good, man. Ah! ‘Fore I forget, I gotta be home by ten. We still got like an hour, though.” Dillon shrugged.
“Heheh, I wonder how many of these pancake things we can eat in an hour? No prob brother, we’ll make it in time.”
The closest Wawa was only a couple blocks up the street from Dillon’s house. Tony got three sausage, egg, and cheese pancake sizzlis, and Dillon got two. He couldn’t go too crazy or he would drive his blood sugar up, even if he compensated with more insulin. They decided to just eat in the Wawa lot. Again, Tony reacted very poorly to Dillon’s insulin shot. The second the needle was away however, he started to rapidly inhale his food again. He really was like a toddler sometimes. Tony also apparently had a big problem with bugs too, a trait that Dillon shared strongly. A week ago, there was a spider on his work bench, and he saw it and jumped a foot in the air. He refused to get within ten feet of his work bench until Dillon caught it under a cup with a piece of paper. The spider didn’t do anything, even if it was terrifying. They do a lot of good for ecosystems around the world.
Once they were done, Tony backed out to drop him off at home. Dillon was tired yes, but he had had so much fun, he didn’t want it to end. Well, it’s not like Tony wouldn’t be at his usual spot at the shop during the week. There would definitely be plenty more opportunities to hang out again. After this night, Dillon had pretty much gotten over all his nerves and reservations about Tony. He was incredibly relieved that he could finally enjoy their friendship fully. At the same time, his lack of nerves and reservations meant he had to be very astute in how he controls his outward image. Just because he wasn’t nervous and awkward around Tony didn’t mean he wanted him to find out about that. The day he found out about that, Dillon would lose a good friend, and feel what a punch to the face feels like. Not that he could blame Tony. Dillon was a sick fuck.
Tony parallel parked in front of Dillon’s townhouse and turned off the engine. The lights were on in the window, since his folks expected him inside in ten minutes. As Dillon started to check that he had his phone and his drawstring Phillies bag for his diabetic supplies, he saw Tony scratch the back of his neck. To Dillon that screamed nerves or insecurity. He had a small smile on his face, though.
“You good, guy? What’s up?”
“Huh? Haha yea man I’m more than good. I’m happy. Yer one of the very few friends I’ve ever had…” Tony’s smile faded and he looked at Dillon with a small frown. “Thank you man. You’ve given me stuff to look forward to. I appreciate it.”
Dillon was ecstatic. Not just because it was Tony that said that to him, but also because he was happy he could be that kind of friend to anybody. Tony might be a stubborn, pig-headed, unsympathetic, and indifferent fuckhead, but he had rare moments like those when he would show he had a good heart. They had their arguments, but they got over them quickly. No grudges held. It likely even strengthened their friendship in some ways. Two people of strong will are bound to get into spats. That’s just how it worked. He beamed at Tony.
“O-of course man, you don’t gotta thank me, that’s what friends are for. But… same here. I could flip everything you said right back at you. I’m really happy you permanently disfigured me with yer screwdriver.” Dillon smiled fondly and pointed to the still visible scar on his right elbow.
“Ahahaha you had to bring that up didn’t y-” Tony snorted, but was cut off when they heard a knock on Dillon’s window.
Dillon whipped his head around and saw his mom outside with a smile. She waved to Tony. It drove him nuts when his mom would do this. The few times he would make a friend, his mom would accost them with questions about their life’s story when she met them. Luckily, Dillon didn’t think she would do that this time, since it had started to get late and she had to be up for church tommorow. Naturally, she was tired. Her job had her in front of a computer screen all day or on dull conference calls. As he begrudgingly rolled the window down, he gave his mom a subdued look of ‘please don’t say some dumb shit?’ She probably didn’t even notice. His mom was unapologetically herself. She liked to have a little fun and mess with her kid now and then.
“Hey ma, told you I’d be back in time! O-oh this is Tony! We met at the tech school like I said.”
“Yes I remember! How are you Tony? I’m Tracey. Yer the mechanic at Vinnie’s, right?”
“Yes, ma’am! Came in from Pittsburgh last year.” Tony said with a thousand watt smile.
Man, this dude was charismatic. Did he really have so few friends? It’s not like Dillon can really judge, since he could turn on the charm when it was called for, too. Besides, he didn’t know Tony’s past or what he’s been through. Just because he has a nice smile doesn’t mean life was easy for him. Either way, he was good at introductions. Dillon was relieved Tony had put up with his mother’s random appearance so well. After they had talked for a few minutes with Dillon uncomfortably in between them, the conversation finally came to a close.
“Yer a nice guy Tony. Thanks for seein’ my idiot son home in one piece.” She said as she grinned and cocked an eyebrow at Dillon.
“Of course, Dill’s a good kid. Whip sharp. Good friend, too.
“Alrighty Dillon time to wrap things up ’till next time.”
“Ok. A’ight Tony, peace man.” Dillon shook is hand. “We gotta chill again, that was awesome. We get on so well! Hit me up whenever, you know where to find me.” Dillon smiled broadly at him.
“Definitely brother, count on it. I’ll take you up on that. Even though yer a shitty brat, I guess I can spare a text every blue moon.” Tony shot him a peace sign.
Dillon gave him one last wave as he rolled his window up and pulled away. When his mom and he went inside, Dillon dropped his his bags at the top of the steps and yawned loudly. He was content. It had been an action packed day. That morning, he had popped in on Tony at the shop to say hi before the bus. After, he had a kick ass day in the kitchen, although, he did spill almost three dozen raw pre-cracked eggs all over the floor. It’s not easy to clean up egg. It was stil enjoyable as a whole though. Then on the bus home, he had broken ground with his friendship with Kat, and she now knew and accepted him for that. Once Dillon got home from school, he met up with Tony again, and they had a blast the rest of the day. It was the best day Dillon had had in a long time. Perhaps things would finally look up for him.
Dillon flopped down on the couch and sighed. He really was wiped. Thank heavens he had off tommorow and could sleep in. Right as he sat down, however, his mom came from the kitchen and leaned on the wall with her arms crossed. She didn’t say anything, she just looked at him with a ghost of a smile. Dillon knew exactly what would happen next. She would grill him for info, and wring every detail out about how they met and all. Its not like she did it to suffocate him, she only did it out of curiosity. A mother like his was hard to come by. One that is there for her kid and at least tried to keep up to date and close to him. There are many kids out there that never get to experience that. Dillon confused himself sometimes. He flip-flops between affection, anger, and insecurity towards his parents. Part of adolescence, he supposed.
“What? Do I have food on my face?” Dillon said shortly. Mom smiled wider.
“Oh, nothin’. I’m just happy to see you makin’ more friends. Tony’s very nice. I’m guessin’ he’s a classmate of yers?”
“N-no, actually uh… he turned twenty last month. Sometimes he uses the shop at the school for work projects.” He replied nervously. His tongue wouldn’t allow him to lie, so he just crossed his fingers that mom wouldn’t freak.
“Twenty, huh? I have my concerns, but if yer tech school lets him in, he must be alright. He doesn’t have the appearance of a hood rat.”
“He’s really cool. He’s twenty yea, but we’ve been hangin’ and talkin’ for a month now, though I met him a bit before then.”
“No drugs and or illegal sex trafficking right?” Mom narrowed her eyes.
“Really, mom? No, we just hang. We went to the mall that’s all. When have I ever been a troublemaker?” Dillon groaned. He knew it was her job to ask, but still. Dillon sat on the edge of the couch about to get up.
“Ok, ok, just wanna make sure you aint fallin’ into a bad crowd.” She walked up to him and put her hand on his shoulder to stop him. “Hey, I’m happy yer makin’ friends. Just… be careful, and know I’m here if you ever need me. You can tell us anything. We’d never stop lovin’ you.”
“… Yea. I’ll keep that in mind… Thanks.” Dillon replied softly. “Where’s dad? How was yous guys’ day?”
“Oh, you know him. He’s watchin’ his Eagles highlights from this past season he didn’t get to watch ’cause of work. And he is not happy with their performance.” She snorted.
“Heheh, it was a bloodbath. Well, tell him I said g’night. Its been a good day, but a long one, so I’m gonna go pass out. Can’t wait to sleep in tomorrow! Don’t get me up ’till like ten earliest?” Dillon asked excitedly.
“Yea yea, no later than eleven, though. You gotta take yer insulin and eat.” Mom hugged him. “Night bud. Love ya.”
“Right back at’cha.” He said quietly.
Mom went back to bed while Dillon went into the kitchen to put his insulin in the fridge. He took out his Eagles themed insulin case, and stuck the whole thing in the door. With that, he went downstairs to his room. As he entered, he saw that Mom had put all the animals to bed for him. She must have figured he’d be tired as hell when he got home. Mom had her awesome moments. It was a little thing, but it was big to Dillon.
After the day he had, he didn’t care how tired he was, he wanted a shower first. Life as a chef can be a dirty one, and he had had to clean up a ton of eggs. His room was like a den, and had a full bathroom that was one step up opposite to the entrance. He sat on the bed, and rubbed his face with his hands a few times. Like he told his mom earlier, it was a good day, but a long one, both physically and mentally. It felt like he had experienced every emotion there is today. He’s been excited, sad, scared, angry, envious, happy, and more. It was a lot for him to absorb while he also battled school, his attraction to Tony, and his lies to everyone. Dillon felt his eyes start to sting as he got in the shower. Why did he have to be cursed with that? It tainted his friendships, and made everything so complicated. How long could he keep this up for? How long can he lie to himself and everone else for? Not forever, that’s a given.

Source: reddit.com/r/Erotica/comments/i17ddv/the_art_of_life_and_love_the_first_spark_chapter