Thomas heard the sounds of hurried shuffling and excited voices slowly start to fade around him as people filed out of the room. Chuck hung around for a few more minutes, apparently not in any hurry to get home.
"Your parents are kind of late, aren't they?" Thomas asked, his head laid on the table and his arms stretched out in front of him.
Chuck gave a one-sided shrug. "They're not coming. I don't live far from here. I can get back on my own."
Thomas let out an incredulous laugh. "What? Where are they?" he asked.
"They just had some kind of dinner to go to," Chuck replied. "I told them I wasn't coming today just so they wouldn't worry about it. I like going around by myself anyway."
Thomas shook his head. "No way, man. My mom'll drop you off. Just wait a few minutes."
Chuck didn't respond. They fell into a sort of impromptu game of lazily flicking a pencil back and forth across the table. When he was in a particularly competitive mood, Thomas could manage fine, but today the pencil just kept rolling into his face. This continued until he lost the energy to flick it back, and he tried to blow it across the table. It never made it very far before rolling back and hitting him.
He was surprised when he heard Teresa approach. "Hey, do you mind if we join you guys and...whatever thrilling thing you're doing? Our ride's running late."
Thomas turned his head toward them, his voice flat. "Oh, good. Then you've met the first requirement of the club we're forming. Welcome."
Whatever tension had existed between Teresa and Aris earlier was gone now, to Thomas's relief. He knew he liked Teresa well enough, but Aris took some time to warm up to. He mostly distanced himself from the rest of the group for the first few minutes, only throwing in comments when he felt it was completely necessary or after a round of persistent goading from Teresa. In the end, all it took was bringing up the subject of movies, and suddenly the guy wouldn't shut up.
"He's really into the cinema type stuff," Teresa explained with an amused smirk.
"Cinema type stuff?" Thomas asked.
"Yeah," Aris said with a shrug. "I've always wanted to get into all that. You know, the background stuff. Like script writing or something. But, now, I'm not..."
Teresa barely held back her groan. "Oh, don't start again. You know every bit as well as I do that you can still do that. This isn't changing anything."
"I guess."
"Dude, if there are blind architects, I think you're fine," Thomas said. "Trust me. The sighted have this amazing habit of underestimating what all can be done without eyes."
A reluctant smile broke its way across Aris's face. "If you say so, man."
"Yeah. I do."
The mood began to lighten as the conversations between the four of them went on, even Aris laughing along with the rest of them. After a while, Teresa's phone vibrated against the table, telling them their ride was here. She and Aris said goodbye, promising to see them again next week.
Chuck waited until they left the room before he pulled the brake off his chair. "I guess I'll go too. It's already as dark as it's going to get."
Thomas straightened. "I thought we were waiting for my mom."
"I need to get back before my parents do. I'm already pushing my luck, hanging out with your ugly face as long as I have."
He crossed his arms. "Just be careful. I don't think I have to tell you that you're... kind of at a disadvantage if something happened."
"You're one to talk."
"Hey, I have a cane," Thomas countered. "Not on me, but I have one."
"Yeah, okay. I'm gonna go." Chuck wheeled himself away from the table before turning towards the door.
Thomas yelled after him. "And if a shady kid with a weird accent tries to pick you up in his truck, just run. Jump out of your chair, and run."
Chuck looked back at him, trying to decide if he should even ask, then continued out the door.
Thomas heard the sounds of hurried shuffling and excited voices slowly start to fade around him as people filed out of the room. Chuck hung around for a few more minutes, apparently not in any hurry to get home.
"Your parents are kind of late, aren't they?" Thomas asked, his head laid on the table and his arms stretched out in front of him.
Chuck gave a one-sided shrug. "They're not coming. I don't live far from here. I can get back on my own."
Thomas let out an incredulous laugh. "What? Where are they?" he asked.
"They just had some kind of dinner to go to," Chuck replied. "I told them I wasn't coming today just so they wouldn't worry about it. I like going around by myself anyway."
Thomas shook his head. "No way, man. My mom'll drop you off. Just wait a few minutes."
Chuck didn't respond. They fell into a sort of impromptu game of lazily flicking a pencil back and forth across the table. When he was in a particularly competitive mood, Thomas could manage fine, but today the pencil just kept rolling into his face. This continued until he lost the energy to flick it back, and he tried to blow it across the table. It never made it very far before rolling back and hitting him.
He was surprised when he heard Teresa approach. "Hey, do you mind if we join you guys and...whatever thrilling thing you're doing? Our ride's running late."
Thomas turned his head toward them, his voice flat. "Oh, good. Then you've met the first requirement of the club we're forming. Welcome."
Whatever tension had existed between Teresa and Aris earlier was gone now, to Thomas's relief. He knew he liked Teresa well enough, but Aris took some time to warm up to. He mostly distanced himself from the rest of the group for the first few minutes, only throwing in comments when he felt it was completely necessary or after a round of persistent goading from Teresa. In the end, all it took was bringing up the subject of movies, and suddenly the guy wouldn't shut up.
"He's really into the cinema type stuff," Teresa explained with an amused smirk.
"Cinema type stuff?" Thomas asked.
"Yeah," Aris said with a shrug. "I've always wanted to get into all that. You know, the background stuff. Like script writing or something. But, now, I'm not..."
Teresa barely held back her groan. "Oh, don't start again. You know every bit as well as I do that you can still do that. This isn't changing anything."
"I guess."
"Dude, if there are blind architects, I think you're fine," Thomas said. "Trust me. The sighted have this amazing habit of underestimating what all can be done without eyes."
A reluctant smile broke its way across Aris's face. "If you say so, man."
"Yeah. I do."
The mood began to lighten as the conversations between the four of them went on, even Aris laughing along with the rest of them. After a while, Teresa's phone vibrated against the table, telling them their ride was here. She and Aris said goodbye, promising to see them again next week.
Chuck waited until they left the room before he pulled the brake off his chair. "I guess I'll go too. It's already as dark as it's going to get."
Thomas straightened. "I thought we were waiting for my mom."
"I need to get back before my parents do. I'm already pushing my luck, hanging out with your ugly face as long as I have."
He crossed his arms. "Just be careful. I don't think I have to tell you that you're... kind of at a disadvantage if something happened."
"You're one to talk."
"Hey, I have a cane," Thomas countered. "Not on me, but I have one."
"Yeah, okay. I'm gonna go." Chuck wheeled himself away from the table before turning towards the door.
Thomas yelled after him. "And if a shady kid with a weird accent tries to pick you up in his truck, just run. Jump out of your chair, and run."
Chuck looked back at him, trying to decide if he should even ask, then continued out the door.
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