‘That’ Side Character Chapter 2: Jeff Dude

“Oh… her keys. She might need them.” He had thought, looking from the window back down to his game where his character had just been decapitated by the boss on that level.

He scrunched his nose with annoyance, and restarted the level, aiming to get to the boss and clear it before having to go to school.

…………………………..

You ran back across the oval and stopped at the bent over wooden fence and looked down, looking around to see if you could find ‘Jeff’ anywhere.

Dear Jeff wasn’t there, so you jumped the rickety wooden fence and checked on the other side.

Still no Jeff.

You were so engrossed in looking for your keys that you completely missed a boy from your class, sitting crossed legged on the grass with his back up against the brick fence, and you milled around a bit more then looked up towards where you had jumped down from the brick fence- intending to climb it and look for your keys on the other side.

It was then that you saw the guy, and you stopped in your tracks.

“Oh damn it… I can’t jump the fence with him there it will look like I’m trying to rob the place.” You looked down at your school clothes, then back up. “Well, I mean… maybe not, because who robs a place in their school clothes? But still…”

You pretended to be really interested in something else on the ground and crouched down to inspect a moss patch a little closer.

“Maybe he’ll leave soon?” You looked up at him. He was still deeply engrossed in his gaming device and you thought that maybe he hadn’t seen you… since he hadn’t looked up at all.

“Maybe I can climb the wall a little way down and then crawl across the top like a cat? I’ve always wanted to do that. Oh, wait… I’m in a skirt.”

You looked down again and poked at a piece of bark with your finger.

“Should I just ask him to move?”

You stood up and turned to face him. Then walked over.

“Hey,” you greeted him.

He looked up at you, then back down at his handheld console again.

“Uh… can you move? I’m looking for Jeff.”

He looked up at you again, then nodded, and stood up and stepped aside, leaning with his back against the wall.

You eyed him, then looked up the wall, then down on the ground, then stepped back a little.

“I don’t think I can get back up that high,” you thought, staring up at the wall, “well, not without a run-up…” You looked back over your shoulder to see if you had room behind you for a sprint.

The guy still hadn’t moved on and you were a little agitated that he was standing there still.

“He may as well help me up.” You thought as you looked at him.

“Hey,” you said again, “can you boost me up this wall? I need to find Jeff.”

He paused his game and looked at you from between his long blond fringe with black roots. 

“Who’s Jeff?” he asked.

“My keys,” you replied.

“Oh,” he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling your keys out.

“JEFF!” you gasped with delight, snatching them from his hand, “agh! My Jeff!” 

And without even so much as a thank you, you turned and bolted back towards the half bent over fence and cleared it easily then raced back across the oval for the second time that morning. 

Your lack of manners were lost on Kenma though, as he had gone back to playing his game the second the keys had left his hand, unfazed but your unintentional rudeness.

Needless to say, you were a half hour late to the committee meeting and got in trouble… again… 

You had convinced yourself that aside from the teacher hating your guts, maybe she was just lonely and liked your company, so kept picking on you to give you detention so that she had someone with her when she stayed back at school in the afternoon??? – as that was the only logical explanation for your getting in trouble all the time. Nothing else made sense.

The fact that you had gotten Jeff back, and then gotten in trouble, had occupied the majority of your thoughts that day at school so you hadn’t even thought to thank the guy who had returned your beloved Jeff to your hands.

It was 3:03am that next morning that you suddenly remembered the quiet guy and woke with a start.

“Thank you!” you shouted into your dark bedroom, “I need to thank him!” you said, turning to your bedside table where a pad and pen were always set up there. 

You would wake at the weirdest of times, most nights, and suddenly remember something or feel the urge to write something down and so the pad and pen were set up there permanently- for such occasions as these.

Not bothering to turn the lights on to see what you were writing, you scribbled out a ‘thank Jeff dude’ then promptly fell back asleep.

…………………………..

The next morning your alarm woke you up at the 6am usual and you started your day, getting everything ready for school and then checking that note that you had written in the early hours of the morning.

“I remember writing something, but I don’t remember what I wrote,” you thought as you wandered back into your room to get the note.

It had something like ‘Tmk Jsss’ and then ‘dude’ – ‘dude’ being the only legible word on the note.

“What the hell is this supposed to mean?” You wondered scratching your head but deciding to take it with you just in case it jogged your memory.

Off to school you went, having enough time to take the proper route to school, and walking in a few minutes before the first bell.

Wanting to put the note where you would see it and hopefully remember what it meant, you stuck it to the inside back of your locker with some bluetac, then got your stuff and closed your locker door.

As you stepped back, you bumped into someone and spun around to apologize immediately.

“Oh my god! Sorry, sorry, are you ok?” 

Two cat like irises looked doefully at you from behind a blond fringe and you paused.

Then everything suddenly clicked.

“THANK JEFF!” you shouted, pointing at the poor guy who gave you a confused look. “Sorry, I mean, dude, thank dude!”

He still remained frozen, both hands on his PSP as he stared at you so you spun back to your locker and retched the door open and pointed to your scribbled note that was stuck to the back of your locker.

“Thank Jeff, dude!” you said proudly, “see! I knew I’d remember at some point!”

The poor guy just stood there bewildered.

“Thanks,” you said again with a grin, “thank you for finding my keys. My names Y/N.”

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‘That’ Side Character Chapter 3: Y/N, Sticks Like Glue >>>