for anglais

Denver
Apparently-not-straight-boy (in hindsight, maybe I could have seen that) didn't seem too pleased with me interacting with him, and neither was I, but since he asked I was gonna answer., "Art" I said, and then felt the need to specify "Photography. "
After he clearly needed me to know about his sexuality, and a closer look at him, I didn't really need to give the question back, but I did so anyways. I may be drunk, but I still had manners.
"How about you guys?" I asked him.
Then I squinted my eyes to get a closer look at the group - most of which had already dismissed me and resumed their conversations. I had seen some of them before, but never talked to any. Except for Bailey obviously.

Denver
It wasn't exactly my first Christmas away from home, but still, the first Christmas time. I kinda missed going to the market and having some warm wine and punch with my friends, and I couldn't really do that here, mainly because the vendor here asked for ID. And I did miss my family just a little bit, so I was excited to celebrate an early Christmas with my friends before I went home this weekend. This should really get us all into that Christmas spirit and out of the post final depression.
So here I was, with a present for my secret Santa and a red nose like Rudolph. Thank you Minnesota Winter. I rang the doorbell to the address I was given. I still didn't know who lived here, but I guess I was about to find out.

Vernon

More than excited to give Jazz my secret santa gift to her, I sat there waiting impatiently in her living room where almost the whole crew had gathered by that point. Almost. I knew exactly who was missing and I wasn't particularly excited to see them. But I was in too good of a mood today to let anyone ruin it, so I didn't flinch either when the doorbell finally rang.
Skip the hellos and the snacks, it was time to give Jazz my gift already! It was a funko pop figurine she's been longing for for the longest time now and nothing would make me happier than seeing the excitement on her face when she finally would be able to call it hers. And boy, was she happy when she finally opened it, I never felt more proud in at least two weeks.
So that meant that my secret santa would rise from their seat now... wonder who would that be.

Denver
Okay, now was my turn I guess. I was a little nervous because, being me, you could never estimate this dude's reaction to anything. But then, I already asked Bailey and she said it was gonna be fine.
"Well, let's make this happen" I said quietly while standing up, took the two steps over to the place he was sitting and handed him the present. "I hope you like it"

Vernon

My smile froze when that guy just had to rise from his seat, but I quickly caught up and kept my composure. Let's see what he had thought of for me... oh boy.
Fine, alright, it probably wasn't anything serious behind his intentions, but my pride was cracked nonetheless. The others found it funny... I guess. I thanked him with a slightly bitter smile and watched as the rest carried on with their gifts. But he won't get away with this either.

Denver
Well, at least he didn't say anything, even though I think we all could see in his face that he wasn't too happy about it. At least I convinced myself that I could, maybe it was confirmation bias.
But what did he expect? He told me at our first interaction that he was gay, so it seemed like it was important for his identity, and so far that was the only time we had actually talked to each other. So if he expected me to know him better, I'm sorry but that was his problem.
I was still a little bit uncomfortable, but with that thought I found closure with the situation and smiled happily at the person who was giving me my gift.

Denver
Even though we stayed at Mr.I hate straight people's place and our last evening spent together wasn't what I would describe as pleasant, today was actually a pretty good time. We all watched a movie and made some food together, all while managing to coexist without offending anyone or getting upset over anything. You could say it was a miracle.
Still, after spending a full afternoon in a metaphorical minefield, I was glad to have arrived in the comfort of home. Before I took off my jacket I checked one more time if I had everything. Keys, ID.... No wallet. Alright, back to the car, maybe I lost it there.
When I opened the door to my complex, I was immediately hit in the face by approximately 3 inches worth of snow and reminded of the oncoming blizzard. I hurried to my parking spot and - nope, still no wallet. In that case.
I sighed as I sat down on the drivers seat and turned on the heating again. The radio wasn't working at this point, which probably meant they were probably telling people to stay inside now. But you know, I had walked home 3 hours from school in what felt like worse circumstances. I wasn't gonna let a little bit of snow stop me.
So I made my way back on practically empty roads and rang the dreaded doorbell.
Here goes nothing.

Vernon

"Your wallet? Yeah sure, go get it", I invited him in. The faster he found it, the faster he'd be gone again. Or so I thought. He'd been going at it for about 15 minutes now and I was starting to get fed up. I wanted some peace and quiet already and time to clean up the mess the crew left behind. This was when even less peace and quiet embodied by my phone going off came into play.
ACUTE BLIZZARD WARNING, the first line read. Just as Sir Ditzy proudly exlaimed the successful finding of his wallet, I had finished reading the message and it dawned upon me. I took a look outside. Oh boy.
"That's great and all, sweetie, but I think you have a different problem by now", I told him while motioning to the window.

Denver
"Found it!" I shouted as I entered the entrance area back through the living room door. "That's great and all sweetie but I think you have a different problem now." Vernon pointed at the window, and I immediately knew what was up. The glass was almost completely covered by snow even though it was a vertical surface, which meant there was absolutely no WAY I was going to get out of here any time soon.
I inhaled sharply and ran my hands through my hair as I tried to find a way to escape still, but as much as I didn't like that, I already knew I wouldn't even get into my car, if I was even able to find it at this point.
Well. This was awkward.
"If I help you clean up this mess, will you let me stay here until it at least stops snowing?" I asked a little hesitantly. It went against my upbringing to just assume people would help me, so asking first was more of an instinct than anything else, I didn't expect him to throw me out or anything, but still, you never knew.

Denver
It had been about an hour now, and though he didn't seem very happy about me being here, Vernon had been a good sport about our situation so far. The Internet was already long gone, and power had been out for a little while too, so we were sitting on his couch, a cup of tea in hand, watching the 3rd season of Modern family on his laptop. I hadn't seen any of the show before, but it was the only thing we had, and I wasn't going to argue with him about something petty like that anyways, not in my situation, so I just sat there and watched Gloria lecture her husband and son into the ground - until suddenly she stopped and the screen went black.
I guess that was the battery.
Well shit.
What were we supposed to do now? No power, no battery, no internet... All that was left was talking to each other. Which we had both been trying to avoid.
After staring at the screen for a few moments, in delusional hopes it might just come back on, I finally turned my head slightly to look at Vernon. He was doing the same thing, staring and hoping, and tensed up from the thought of having to actually make conversation now. Or maybe he was just cold, the heat had been out for a while and I was starting to feel it too after all. Or maybe both.
I leaned back and let out a deep sigh to defuse the situation a little bit.
"Well, I guess we're gonna have to make our own entertainment now"

Josh
"HEY! Watch your damn step, will you??" Yep, that's me. Your're probably wondering how i got into this situation.

"Governments in Europe advise population to stay indoors following global pandemic" The very first headline that popped up on my newsfeed this morning. Imagine the same thing happening over here as well... yeah, I don't think so either. Washing our hands will do it, right? Lovely. And the general population treats it as a holiday, crowding public spaces included. Splendid. No other choice than stocking up a bit on masks and desinfect since these idiots don't know how to act in public. Speaking of idiots – look who we have here! I can't believe he's here again, it has to be like the third time at this point. That Ikea bag blue head of his... I could spot it from a mile away. Whether he's standing around suspiciously or singing along to whatever the hell he's listening to, I can always rely on him doing something dumb. Let's see what he's up to today.
And so, we're back at the beginning, seconds after idiot boy tripped over his own feet and spilled unidentifiable contents right on top of my white shoes. "Couldn't have picked someone else to spill on, could you?", I asked the blue light looking fellow.

Mads
"Bollocks, I'm sorry..." I grumbled while taking my headphones out. "Well there's noone else around to aim at innit?"
It was the American boy who I'd been seeing around the streets since the days had started getting longer. He was a right fellow, talked to him a couple times. But in God's name, what was he wearing these posh looking trainers for on a grocery run?
"Those expensive?" I asked in a muffled tone, hoping for him to defy my expectations because I could not afford to pay up for my actions right now - not if it cost me more than 50 quid anyway.

Josh
Get a load of these puppy eyes, I was kinda impressed there. "No, I can throw them in the washer, no big deal, dude." Hoping that white canvas would get all nice and white again though, I wasn't exactly what you would call a household fairy. "I think tying your shoes every once in a while would help you out with that tripping problem of yours", I pointed down at his untied rough looking boots. They must've seen a lot of shit in their day, poor things. I did feel a little bit bad for idiot boy as well, he did lose his precious pre-made coffee after all.
"Hey, I was gonna go into the store anyway, you want me to grab a new coffee for you?" Why was I offering him compensation anyway, I was the victim here... puppy eyes maybe.

Mads
"Nah mate it's cool, I was gonna toss it anyways. 'S kinda disgusting to be honest, though I could use the caffeine..."
But I wasn't gonna make him pay for my drink when I just fucked up his shoes, even though temporarily.
"I'll come with you, grab a red bull or something" I decided and started walking back towards the entrance with him.
"So, what were you lookin at on there?" I broke the silence before it could get awkward. Also I was interested, he had looked a little concerned before. Lot to be concerned about in these times...

Josh
"Masks...", I mumbled kind of to myself, as if I'd forget to buy them now. "Some hand sanitizer couldn't hurt either... other countries are putting themselves on lockdown while the folks here use the time to run around a little extra. I get it, the weather is amazing right now, but do we really need to crowd every public space like that? The bus too, they're coughing and sneezing without filter. It's not the first time I'm wearing a mask outside thanks to these idiots", I finished off my little rant by bending down to get a pack of the brand I wanted. "But enough on worldwide crises, what are you using the caffeine for? Looking a bit more rough today than usual", I walked towards the drink aisle along with him.

Mads
"Gee thanks, and I thought I looked like a jolly young lad today"
I grinned, grabbing the bespoke can of energy drink from the shelf.
"Just work, I'm trying to get a few extra hours in before well, you know... They close everything down like you said. Not looking forward to it though." I then answered his question.
He seemed to be focused on his groceries for a bit, collecting everything he needed. I think I hadn't done a shop that planned out since my mum last sent me with a list. Speaking of, I recalled to grab some toast on my way out. I'd forgotten that last time I came in here.
"Do you work? Or study, " I asked when we arrived at the checkout line.

Josh
"I'm studying, yeah. Economics. Real exciting I tell you. What else to make a living out of these days... I'd rather be one of those teenage TikTok stars who can do jack shit for money. But on the other hand I'd rather be spared from that high class embarrassment", I chuckled. "What about you, what do you work as? Looks like you can't exactly work from home from what I heard." To be honest, I felt a little bad for having gotten that scholarship and not having to work now. I only live in a dorm myself but there was a bitter taste to it, assuming papa smurf isn't exactly well off. What's his name, anyway...

Mads
"Nah mate, I work at gamestop. But I'm gonna be home alright, just not making any money".
I bagged my items.
"Figure I could try becoming famous on TikTok in the meantime, make a little money on the side. Might be good to change it up a little this job isn't good for nothing anyways" I joked while the cashier was scanning his items. Really though, gamestop employee wasn't a career, so I'd better take this unpaid leave as a chance to think about leaving, for good.
"Right, what's your name then?" I asked after he was done paying. It had totally slipped my mind until now to ask him, but well, better late than never...

Josh
"The name's Josh, nice to... formally meet you, I guess?" Not gonna lie, I felt a bit awkward introducing myself after having "known" him for longer than just a chance encounter. But I'd finally be able to put a name to the face, I started to run out of blue things to call him... "And you?"

Mads
"Madoc. Call me Mads" I smiled, "yeah, nice to meet you". I would have shook his hand, but considering he just stocked up on stuff that would help him not catch anything, I'm not sure that he would have accepted the gesture right now.
"So, are you self isolating from now on or are you still gonna be around?"

Josh
I grinned. "What, like you're gonna miss me? I'm just gonna go out when I have to, for shopping or for some fresh air in case my room makes me go crazy. My uni already closed so I'm already doing my classes online." We came to a stop in front of the store. "Say, you live around here too, right? I live in the student dorm a block down from here", I pointed in said direction.

Mads
"A block, right... See mines two up over there", I showed my arm in the opposite direction, "we're practically neighbours".
So, that was it then, huh? Our ways parted here, and with this quarantine shit coming, there wasn't much hope of running into each other again. I would actually have to start hanging out in my godforsaken backyard for my daily grab of fresh air. Marvellous.
"Alright then. That's it" I spoke my thoughts, and after a short pause added "Unless you fancy a chat sometime?"
I held up my phone.

Josh
"Don't mind if I do", I took the phone out of his hand and punched in my digits. "Shoot me a text when you're bored, you can call me too, I don't mind either one, hell, send me a meme if you're that kinda person." I smiled at Mads, he seemed like a fun guy despite being an idiot most of the time.
"So then, I'll get going, see you around sometime? Whenever that sometime may be", I laughed.

Mads
It was about days later and I had run out of orange juice, the only food item in my house that was currently supplying me with the vitamins I needed to sit out this pandemic thing, so I had a reason to get out of my apartment and go to the store. I hadn't been doing much else outside than commute to work since I'd properly met Josh even though self quarantine wasn't mandatory yet. A little bit of his concern must have trickled over to me.
Speak of the devil - there he was, standing in front of the shop. He was staring at his phone, probably getting updates as usual.
"Josh!" I waved at him and jogged over. "What's up man?" I asked.
He didn't look at me immediately, whatever was on that screen had to be important. He looked a little dishevelled, too, more than last time.
"You alright? What's going on?"

Josh
Hearing Mads' voice, I couldn't help but smile a bit when I looked up at his face. Been a while since I've seen that fella. "Hey, Mads..." I quickly let my gaze pass over the e-mail on my phone again. "Yeah, I'm in a bit of a pickle right now. Dorm's closing temporarily. Everyone's required to go into quarantine, either alone or with their family or significant other. I don't know if you've noticed yet, but I have neither of these things in my immediate surroundings, so I'm gonna have to find a place for myself. But who in their right mind would give someone a whole apartment for rent for such a short time? I can't afford paying for a hotel room either, so that's out of the question as well. It's kinda messed up how they didn't fully think this through at all...", I sighed and dropped my shoulders a bit. "Other than that, it's nice to see you again."