Just a kid yourself...

[Parker James]

This was the hardest decision he had ever faced. Parker crossed the school in quick, long strides. You would have thought he was in a hurry, but far from it. He was hoping he could escape everything in the last two months. Ever since school had resumed, this damn school had been nothing but trouble! He bit his lip as his vision blurred. What was he thinking?! Where was he going? Who cared?

Fletcher just didn't get it. He was after Andrew, and wasn't going to get the best of both worlds. Parker was done with that garbage now. It killed him to think that way, but now he discovered how charming Kaden could be. You just had to be able to look past a lot of quirks. Still, that wasn't the biggest issue. Emma was by far the most difficult part of this year.

Parker loved his daughter, but it was impossible. No matter how he looked at it. He was only a child himself. Trying to go to school and figure out his own life. Where would the child sleep? Certainly not in his dorm. Who would watch her while he was in school? What about working to get his own place in a few months on his birthday? Who was going to watch her when he had to do both? If this was only a year or two from now. Maybe then it could work out. He decided he had to get in touch with his parents, or someone, and soon.

He sighed as he stumbled onto a familiar place. The place he came to clear his mind of all thoughts. Parker was at the edge of Winterthorne's indoor swimming pool. This was the key element in his muscular body. How many hours had he spent here? He couldn't recall. Gazing around, Parker noted that nobody was in plain sight before stripping down to his underwear. He plunged into the water head first as the tears streamed down his cheeks. Thank god he was now soaking wet. No tears were to be found.

This whole situation seemed unfair. He had an unfair decision to make, regardless of how you look at it. Parker made several laps around as he instantly remembered why he loved this pool. Indoors meant it was heated. He had been so used to the cold lately that he forget what it meant to be warm. It didn't take long for him to relax and everything started slipping away. Suddenly, it was only him and the water, and that was just the way he liked it.

((enter samson!!! ))

[Samson Jones]

"You can't escape now,
I've got you locked inside this room."

Samson pulled his jacket tightly around himself as he stomped through the snow after the distant figure that he recognised as his friend Parker James. He had tried calling Parker's name a few times, but whether the wind was carrying his voice away before they reached the other boy, or whether Parker was too caught up in his thought to listen, it seemed that he didn't hear. That didn't matter though; Samson knew where he was going. That accursed place that the majority of the school seemed to like for reasons that escaped him was his ultimate destination - the pool.

Sure enough, only a few moments later, Parker was pushing his way through the doors that led to the indoor pool. Damn. Even though he had known this was where Parker would be heading, Samson hadn't been able to stop himself from hoping just a little bit that he was going somewhere else. Somewhere that wouldn't leave him feeling so nervous.

As he made his own way through the doors to the pool, Samson's ears were met by the sound of a large splash. Supposedly Parker had already dived into the pool. Unsurprisingly, as his eyes scoured the area, Samson's eyes found the pile of discarded clothing that he recognised as Parker's, before spotting the dark shape under the water that must be Parker.

Even though he knew that Parker was a great swimmer, Samson couldn't help but take in a sharp inhalation of air. He just wasn't comfortable with this. He didn't like to let people know how uncomfortable he was around the water though, so by the time Parker's head broke the surface of the water, he had replaced what must have been a terrified expression, with a more relaxed one.

"Hey..." Samson's voice was calm and casual as he took a few steps nearer to the water, but stopping well clear of the edge. "How are you?" He was struggling to concentrate, and that was showing in the unoriginality of his words. He had meant to see how Parker was doing with his new baby. He hadn't had the chance to talk to his friend in quite a while, and it was care that had made him follow. Now he just had to somehow ignore the water that engulfed Parker to show his concern properly.

[/blockquote]

[Parker James]

Parker couldn't believe how out of shape he felt. It had only been about a month since he had been swimming. Why did it feel like he hadn't been swimming for years? He could feel his lungs screaming to take a breath. This was nothing compared to how long he could go underwater just six weeks ago. Surfacing, he realized that he wasn't alone, which he fooled himself into thinking. At least it was only Samson. He could trust him.

"Hey!" Parker smiled as he swam to the edge of the pool. He hadn't seen Samson in a while. He forgot how beautiful his friend was. All the good ones were either straight or taken. At least there was one person in the world who understood him. "That depends. What answer do you want?" Parker couldn't help but give Samson a sad smile. He should be able to talk to his good friend about it, but so much was different now. Why hadn't they spoken these last few months?

There was something in the air between them. What was it? Parker tapped into his powers to feel Samson's discomfort. He knew it was probably wrong, but he hated being left out of things. So, what exactly was making him feel that way? He sighed as he pushed out of the water and sat on the edge of the pool. "I wish you had been around lately. Things have gotten so messed up." Tears filled his eyes, but thankfully water was still running down his face. Parker's tears went unnoticed, but the pain killed him.

Looking up, he couldn't help but smile at his friend. Samson was such a sweet guy. Too bad he was straight. Parker would really love to have a chance to be with him. They would have the potential to share something magical. Having a friend like Samson was enough for him. Love could wait. He had learned that the hard way. Crossing his arms over his chest, he moved his feet around in the water, while thinking. How in the world could he begin to explain thing to his friend? What would he think? Was he even ready to admit the thoughts that were running through his mind?

Ignoring the question was fair game, right? Okay, so maybe not, but he could try. "Enough about me. How are you? What's kept you away so long?" Parker did his best at giving Samson a smile. Somehow, he was pretty sure his friend saw through it. He had a hard time wrapping his head around why they could be apart for months and still feel so connected. At least, that's how Parker felt. All he really wanted to do was get up and wrap his arms around Samson, but he decided against it. Soaking his friend probably wouldn't be the nicest thing to do. After all, he didn't have a change of clothes. Hmm, maybe that wouldn't be such a bad idea, Parker thought to himself with a gleam in his eye.

((crappy >_<))

[Samson Jones]

"How do I get closer to you,
When you keep it all on mute?"

Even as Parker closed in on the side of the pool, Samson felt himself ease up a little. He became a little less choked up. He found it a little easier to concentrate on Parker's sad smile and the way he hinted at things being as bad as he had feared.

He almost wished that he had stayed in the middle of the pool.

As Parker boosted himself out of the water, Samson took a few steps closer, refusing to take in the site of the water that lay beyond his friends form. Better to force partial blindness then to not be able to pay attention to his friend.

Samson bit lightly into his lower lip as Parker begun to respond to his question. He hoped that maybe things really weren't that bad, but he knew that the chances of that weren't high. Before he had been told more then what he already knew though, Parker clammed up and shifted the question over to him.

Damnit.

Samson only shook his head in reply to the question. He was vaguely conscious of the fact that he was doing an even more complete job of dismissing the question then Parker had done. He rationalised this by thinking that it was alright that he was doing it, because unlike Parker, he wasn't doing it to try and avoid a painful topic.

Of course, this did also help him to avoid having to face the guilt of not being there for Park-- no! That wasn't the reason. He was just trying to focus on Parkers problems. This wasn't about him.

"I know what you're doing," he said, his voice ringing with a light note of annoyance. "You're trying to avoid answering me properly."

He couldn't blame Parker for this. Even the rumours of cheating and heart break had sounded terrible to him, and he knew that the reality was pretty much always a little less dramatic then the rumours, and a little more crushing to the people involved.

Still, he was here to comfort, and he couldn't comfort unless Parker opened up.

[/blockquote]

[Parker James]

Awww! How adorable! Parker smiled as he noticed Samson bite his lip. That means he probably was a little uncomfortable, but it was a cute expression. Why did his friend care so much about him? He watched as Samson shook his head no when he turned the question around. Parker sighed when this happened. Samson was always such a good friend. He always tried to help, but what would happen when he needed help?

"Oh really? What am I doing?" Parker questioned and tried to give off a playful smile. He frowned as his friend seemed annoyed. That was the last thing he wanted to do to someone who has always been there. Somehow, he wished he could give Samson something to show his appreciation for his friend. Mental note to self: find a present for Samson. Parker started to frown as his friend hit the nail on the head.

"Well, what if I am? Do you really want to listen to me whine about my problems?" He let his head fall to his chest. Parker kicked his feet in the water and watched the ripples. "Samson, why do you put up with me? You're too good of a friend." A sigh escaped his lips. He wished he could reach up and just bury his face into Samson's chest. There had always been some form of attraction, but he didn't know why. His friend was straight and there was no chance of anything happening.

[Samson Jones]

"When you feel all alone,
and the world has turned it's back on you..."

Samson rolled his eyes at Parker's question. He could be so irritatingly presumptuous at times: always thinking that people didn't care, or that he wasn't worth it. Or perhaps that wasn't it. Perhaps it wasn't so much that Parker thought he didn't want to hear his problems, and more that he didn't want share his problems with him. That sucked of that was the truth. He hoped it wasn't.

For now, he had to assume that Parker was simply showing signs of self-loathing.

So with a gulp that sounded horribly loud to his ears - but which in reality was quite inaudible - Samson moved closer to Parker. So close, that if he had wanted to, he could sit and mimic Parker in the way he sat with his legs in the water.

Samson did sit, although he opted for a cross-legged position rather then the legs in water approach like his friend. He told himself that it was more due to the fact that he was wearing jeans that he did this. It was easier then admitting that his fear of drowning controlled his life so thoroughly.

"Of cour--" Samson's words stuck. The soft noise of Parker's legs kicking through the water tore his attention away from what he was saying and back to the water.

He had to admit, the water looked beautiful. It was perfectly clear, and Parker's movement had made the water move and cause ripples that moved away from him in symmetrical patterns. This was possibly why people liked the water so much, he couldn't say for sure. All he could say was that this was one of the things he hated most about it - the lure.

Looking back at Parker, he wondered whether he had noticed that he had become distracted midsentence. If he had noticed, then Samson couldn't tell. Parker had continued speaking, so maybe he hadn't even heard him say anything at all. That would probably be a good thing.

Realising what it was that Parker was saying, Samson felt somewhat startled. Why did he put up with him? What sort of question was that? It was certainly one that he didn't feel very well equipped to answer.

He knew that he had to comfort the other boy somehow though. So moving slowly, Samson moved his arm around Parker's bare shoulders, giving his arm a light squeeze in what he hoped would be construed as a supportive action, and then pulled him slightly closer.

This half-hug felt awkward to him. Samson hoped that the awkwardness was all one-sided, that it was all in his head maybe, and that Parker wouldn't feel the same discomfort in the action that he did.

"If I was that good a friend, I would have been here for you sooner," he muttered. It was easier for him to focus on that part of what Parker had said then to answer his question. "I want to be a better friend though, that's why I'm here now."

Letting his arm drop, he hoped that he had somehow convinced Parker to open up to him. He didn't think that he had though. His verbal incapacities were going to be his downfall, he just knew it.

[Parker James]

"Buried way beneath the sheets I think she's having a melt down..."

Parker wasn't sure how to handle everything anymore. Nothing in his life made sense. Everything he did seemed to land him in more trouble. He started to wonder if he was enjoying being one of the bad kids, so to speak. At least he got some sort of pleasure and knew what to expect.

He suddenly got pulled out of his thoughts by Samson. Parker really didn't deserve a friend this good. Sure, maybe several months ago he did but not now. He was so sure his friend had been about to say something, when he looked over he wasn't speaking. What was up with that? Suddenly, he felt an arm wrap cautiously around his shoulder. Something warm spread throughout his body.

Parker bit his lip and took a deep breath. He wasn't sure how to treat this. Samson was straight as far as he knew. Still, it didn't stop him from always looking at his friend out of the corner of his eye. Sometimes he wished they could randomly share an intimate kiss. Parker almost chuckled at the thought. He was pretty sure even if Samson were gay, intimacy would still make him uncomfortable. Samson always knew how to make him smile in one way or another.

He felt the squeeze as he was pulled closer to his friend. Samson's body felt extremely warm and comfortable against his bare skin. Parker tried to hide the slight blush that sprung to his face. Did it just suddenly get very warm in here or what? He shook his head, when he heard his friends words. "That's not true, Samson. You know you are a good friend. You are the only one who has been there for me unconditionally." Parker started to choke up though he wasn't sure why. They were just sitting here as friends after all.

Parker hesitated before wrapping an arm around Samson. This seemed odd, but what was wrong with giving his best friend an innocent hug? It's not like he was going to try and come on to him or anything. He sighed before he pulled away and looked Samson in the eyes. "Samson, stop talking like that. You are perfect the way you are. I'm very thankful to have you as a friend." Parker took a deep breath between his words. "I do kind of need your help though...." His eyes misted over as he bit his lip and lowered his glance away from his friend. Here goes nothing....