The year John turns twelve his mom dies. That summer they stay at the base, John's father spending most of his time either at work or hunched over his desk at home, grey-faced and staring at his fists. John dreams about Rodney a lot that summer.
The thing is that Rodney was just some kid John met for one day years ago. They weren't even friends, except in that instant way only young children can manage. But for some reason he that one day stands out, and from time to time he dreams about the boy he met on the beach.
More often than not Rodney is the same age as he was then, forever preserved as a chubby five-year-old, yellow ringlets drooping over his forehead in the heat. Sometimes, though, sometimes it's as if he'd grown up with John and they are the same age, in his dreams. He'll be walking through some surreal dream scene and Rodney will turn up, irritable and pink-cheeked. He never thinks about Rodney unless he's asleep, but in his mind they are friends, which is why when they meet again he has to stop himself from yelling out a greeting. Instead he kicks at the sand with the toe of his worn out sneaker, reminding himself that the real Rodney is a completely different person from the one he knows -- the one he imagined for himself -- and it's pretty pathetic to hope he remembders John. (It's also pretty pathetic, he knows, to have an imaginary friend once your age has left single figures, even if that imaginery friend is technically real.)
Rodney starts off shy but as soon as he's made certain John isn't going to be weird over the fact that they're two teenage boy building a sandcastle, he begins to talk non-stop. John finds out that Rodney is Canadian, and has "The most annoying older sister in the world, I swear she has a different boyfriend every week and I don't mean that she's a slut or anything but seriously, she has the worst taste ever, some of them aren't even good-looking at all, and they're hardly ever even AP students." He's here with said older sister and their parents, who are divorced but are both psychologists and have agreed that it's important to maintain a secure family unit so as to avoid the children growing up with relationship issues. "Although I'm pretty sure that's backfiring already because they haven't actually spoken to one another in two days and, hello, their daughter is already a serial monogamist at fifteen."
He's already two years ahead of John at school, although he says his parents won't let him attend high school in case it warps his social development. "Like I have some kind of malfunction, which I don't, right? I mean, all geniuses have certain idiosyncrasies, and it's not my fault if my peers fail to understand me."
John blinks down at hims, wondering why anyone would want to draw attention to themeselves by being the only thirteen-year-old Senior. "Hey, is it really that big a deal?"
Rodney narrows his eyes. "Uh, yes. I intend to win a Nobel prize by the time I turn forty -- Physics or Math, I haven't decided yet -- and if I don't it's all on my parents for holding me back." John can't help laughing at that, and Rodney glowers, "What, what?"
They work on the sandcastle until Rodney starts grumbling about hypoglycemia and they have to track down an icecream truck for supplies. John peals a slightly damp, salt-stained five dollar bill from the pocket of his cut-offs and gets a hotdog for himself and cotton candy for Rodney. Rodney realises he's going to have to stop talking order to eat, and waves a hand at John, saying "Come, on, what's your story? I'm assuming there's some tragic electric storm accident in there somewhere, what with the hair." He pauses. "Uh, not that it's bad. Am I allowed to insult your appearance yet? I'm never clear on when that becomes okay. Possibly one of the reasons my parents won't allow me to go to highschool yet, in fact. I'm not a very good fighter," he adds, matter of fact.
More commentfic (pt1)
The thing is that Rodney was just some kid John met for one day years ago. They weren't even friends, except in that instant way only young children can manage. But for some reason he that one day stands out, and from time to time he dreams about the boy he met on the beach.
More often than not Rodney is the same age as he was then, forever preserved as a chubby five-year-old, yellow ringlets drooping over his forehead in the heat. Sometimes, though, sometimes it's as if he'd grown up with John and they are the same age, in his dreams. He'll be walking through some surreal dream scene and Rodney will turn up, irritable and pink-cheeked. He never thinks about Rodney unless he's asleep, but in his mind they are friends, which is why when they meet again he has to stop himself from yelling out a greeting. Instead he kicks at the sand with the toe of his worn out sneaker, reminding himself that the real Rodney is a completely different person from the one he knows -- the one he imagined for himself -- and it's pretty pathetic to hope he remembders John. (It's also pretty pathetic, he knows, to have an imaginary friend once your age has left single figures, even if that imaginery friend is technically real.)
Rodney starts off shy but as soon as he's made certain John isn't going to be weird over the fact that they're two teenage boy building a sandcastle, he begins to talk non-stop. John finds out that Rodney is Canadian, and has "The most annoying older sister in the world, I swear she has a different boyfriend every week and I don't mean that she's a slut or anything but seriously, she has the worst taste ever, some of them aren't even good-looking at all, and they're hardly ever even AP students." He's here with said older sister and their parents, who are divorced but are both psychologists and have agreed that it's important to maintain a secure family unit so as to avoid the children growing up with relationship issues. "Although I'm pretty sure that's backfiring already because they haven't actually spoken to one another in two days and, hello, their daughter is already a serial monogamist at fifteen."
He's already two years ahead of John at school, although he says his parents won't let him attend high school in case it warps his social development. "Like I have some kind of malfunction, which I don't, right? I mean, all geniuses have certain idiosyncrasies, and it's not my fault if my peers fail to understand me."
John blinks down at hims, wondering why anyone would want to draw attention to themeselves by being the only thirteen-year-old Senior. "Hey, is it really that big a deal?"
Rodney narrows his eyes. "Uh, yes. I intend to win a Nobel prize by the time I turn forty -- Physics or Math, I haven't decided yet -- and if I don't it's all on my parents for holding me back." John can't help laughing at that, and Rodney glowers, "What, what?"
They work on the sandcastle until Rodney starts grumbling about hypoglycemia and they have to track down an icecream truck for supplies. John peals a slightly damp, salt-stained five dollar bill from the pocket of his cut-offs and gets a hotdog for himself and cotton candy for Rodney. Rodney realises he's going to have to stop talking order to eat, and waves a hand at John, saying "Come, on, what's your story? I'm assuming there's some tragic electric storm accident in there somewhere, what with the hair." He pauses. "Uh, not that it's bad. Am I allowed to insult your appearance yet? I'm never clear on when that becomes okay. Possibly one of the reasons my parents won't allow me to go to highschool yet, in fact. I'm not a very good fighter," he adds, matter of fact.