Chapter Text
Jimmy’s stomach rumbled painfully.
It was his reward for skipping breakfast in order to catch a few extra minutes of sleep before his morning classes started. Although his stomach felt painfully hollow, the sheer smell of the university’s cafeteria was enough to put him off food forever. He idly considered his many food options, shifting his weight from one leg to another as he thought.
Should he get a sandwich today, or try the new curry they were rolling out? Definitely not a salad. Last time he had eaten one of the cafeteria’s salads he had gotten sick with something that he was certain was food poisoning, although Pete hadn’t thought so.
“James?”
Jimmy had nearly decided before his name pulled him from his deliberations. His full name, no less. Confused, he looked around the cafeteria trying to pinpoint where the voice had come from. Spinning around, he was met with the sight of a man with a shock of dark auburn hair.
Gord.
He was wearing a sleek button up dress shirt and equally sharp pants with a suit jacket draped over his bent arm. The last time Jimmy had seen Gord was at graduation. He looked different- it was a good kind of different- now that he was out of the Aquaberry Bullworth school uniform.
“Gord.” Jimmy spoke to him with familiarity.
Gord smiled at his name. “Yes, you remember me.” He beamed, stepping up closer to Jimmy now that his fears of not being recognized had been assuaged.
“Well, don’t you look smart?” Jimmy complemented, a smile tugging at his lips.
Gord held out his arms, proudly allowing Jimmy to take in his outfit. “Why thank you, James. I wasn’t elected ‘Best Dressed’ in high school for nothing.”
“Jimmy.” Jimmy corrected Gord in a small voice.
Gord paused. “Sorry, what’s that?”
“I’m Jimmy, not James.” He said with a smirk.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Gord apologized with a polite smile, placing a hand on his chest.
“Yeah, you better be.” Jimmy told him. Gord paused, making a confused, flustered face. Jimmy slapped a hand between his shoulder blades. “I’m fucking with you.”
“Ah.” Gord chuckled. “Well I’m sorry, Jimmy.” He put an emphasis on his name that made Jimmy’s chest feel tight. It shouldn’t have, it was a perfectly normal inflection in the context, but there was something else behind it that Jimmy couldn’t place.
“I didn’t know you were studying here. Haven’t seen you around.” Jimmy commented. “I thought you’d be in some fancy Ivy League school somewhere.”
“You really think that of me? How kind.” Gord teased. “But no, I’m not usually out on this side of the campus but my class ended early so I’ve got about an hour and some change to kill.” He mentioned, checking his watch.
“You wanna catch up over lunch?” Jimmy asked.
“I’d love nothing more.” Gord replied before turning back to look at the options for food. “Anything you suggest?” He asked Jimmy, leaning down to speak in his ear.
“Fuck no.”
—
“What are you majoring in, if you don’t mind my asking?” Gord asked him after they had sat down to eat.
“I don’t know yet.” Jimmy replied with a half-shrug. Gord hummed, as if his answer was to be expected. Jimmy might’ve taken offense to it, if he was still the hot-headed youth he was in sophomore year. “You?” Jimmy turned Gord's question onto himself.
Gord inhaled, sitting up straighter and swallowing his bite of food before answering. “Pre-Law.” He responded, seeming less-than enthused.
“Hefty.” Jimmy commented. Gord chuckled at his gibe. “So how come you’re here anyways? I think Derby’s studying in Switzerland. I’m sure that you could afford better than this shithole.”
Gord looked down and shrugged, taking a long sip of his drink. Something in his face changed. “It’s close to home. My father's gotten ill, so it's easy to take care of him from here.”
Jimmy mentally kicked himself for prying. “I’m sorry, man.”
Gord smiled and shook his head. “It’s alright. You didn’t know. Actually, he’s doing very well now.” Gord mentioned.
“So he’s getting better?” Jimmy asked.
Gord hummed in thinking, as if debating whether or not to say something. “It’s Parkinson’s.” He told Jimmy simply, “But he’s doing good.”
“Fuck, ok.” Jimmy rested his head in his hands to hide the embarrassed flush he felt creeping up his neck. “I’m just going to stay quiet- you can keep talking.”
Gord audibly laughed at Jimmy’s bashful display. “I've found that I very much like this shithole.” He commented.
Jimmy tried not to visibly cringe at the sound of Gord swearing. “Don’t do that.” He told him.
“Do what?” Gord asked innocently.
“Swear.” Jimmy answered. “It just- feels wrong.”
“You do it.” Gord pointed out.
“I do a lot of things that you wouldn’t do.”
“Like what?” Gord asked with a smug expression. Jimmy looked up at him and couldn’t help but smile at the ridiculous look on Gord’s face. In a strange way, he looked so much like his younger self. That haughty and self-important high school sophomore, the first version of Gord that Jimmy had met. Up until now Jimmy had thought that he looked so much older, more professional, with his fancy iron-pressed dress shirt and leather cross-body briefcase, but all of that had suddenly gone out the window.
Gord checked his watch. “Ach. Sorry, Jimmy. I should probably get going. My class starts soon, but I’ll keep in touch, yeah?” Jimmy watched as he stood and tucked his chair underneath the table, gathering his coat and bag. Gord fished out a compact, flat phone from his bag and tossed it onto the table. It was a touchscreen. Jimmy’s phone still had buttons and flipped open. “Give me your number?” Gord requested.
“Well I guess, but only since you paid for lunch.” Jimmy teased. Gord tried to shake the smile off of his face as he unfolded the sleeves of his dress shirt. Jimmy reveled in punching in his number on the sleek, uncracked touchscreen of Gord’s phone. He must’ve taken notice of Jimmy’s surprise.
“It’s nice, right?” Gord flaunted when he took his phone back from Jimmy.
“Whatever.” Jimmy replied. He wasn’t even sure if Gord heard him before he turned away and walked off to his class.
—
The sound of Pete's graphite pencil brushing against his sketchbook and the cold hum from the dorm's mini-fridge were the only sounds occupying the small room.
Jimmy stared up at the ceiling, laying on his back on the stiff twin size mattress. He hadn't kept track of how long he had stared at nothing, thinking of everything but it was clearly long enough that Pete had taken notice of it.
“What're you thinking about?” He asked from his corner of the room, hunched over his desk. Pete didn't even look up from his drawing when he spoke.
Jimmy took a deep breath and moved to sit up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. “You remember Gord?” He asked Pete.
Jimmy watched Pete's profile as his nose scrunched up at the mention of Gord. “Wasn't he that stuck-up rich boy with the big ears?” Pete asked, clearly more invested in finishing whatever studio art project he was working on than the conversation at hand.
Jimmy glared at the side of Pete's head but when that failed to catch his attention he flopped back onto the bed. Maybe teaching Pete to speak his mind in those remaining years of high school wasn't such a good idea. “Yeah.” Jimmy rubbed his eyes. “I bumped into him today. We got to talking.” He tried to manage the most inconsequential tone he could.
“No.” Pete put down his sketchbook and turned to look at Jimmy.
“What?” Jimmy shrugged defensively.
“He's just… odd.” Pete mentioned.
Jimmy scoffed. “Says you.”
Pete huffed and shook his head. “Not like that.” He mumbled, turning back to his sketch pad. “I mean, like, the guy hated anyone below his tax bracket, but also seemed to exclusively date them. I think he's gotta have some kind of complex… and there was that rumor he got Christy pregnant senior year and that's why she moved away.”
“Yeah, a rumor.” Jimmy emphasized.
“All I'm saying,” Pete butted in, “Is that he definitely broke up more than one relationship back in the day.”
“So did I.” Jimmy mentioned slyly. “Who cares, maybe he's changed. It's been a few years. I mean you've definitely changed since sophomore year.” He pointed out.
Pete glanced at him, a slight smile on his face. “Yeah, okay… Whatever.”
Jimmy hopped up from off the bed and walked over to Pete, ruffling his curly head of hair that he had grown out after high school. “You know, I think your problem- Petey- is that you need to get laid.”
Pete tsked and elbowed Jimmy's hand away. “Cut it out, Jimmy. You're starting to sound like Gary…”