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priscaTitle: Shared Secrets
Character: Zeke Tyler, Casey Conner
Word Count: 495
Prompt: friends, grandpa, secret
Rating: PG13
:::
„So, what are you doing today,“ Casey asked, his blue eyes sparkling.
„Huh?“ Zeke frowned. „Why do you ask?“
„Just curious. You are so cagey about it that you vanish almost every afternoon lately. They are already suspecting that you might have a secret lover at school. Or are you in trouble and... “
Zeke rolled his eyes. „That's so ridiculous. I am just not interested that everyone knows all about my life. Not a big thing.“
„Hm. I am not everyone; we are friends. Maybe, if you need help, I could...“
„It's none of your business, okay.“ Zeke snapped, noticing instantly Casey's hurt face, and sighed. „Sorry. I didn't mean it that way. But it's family stuff, nothing you need to worry about.“
„You have a family?“
Zeke huffed, slightly amused. „Geez, Casey. Of course, I have a family; everyone usually has one. Even if my family is not half as caring for each other as yours. My parents own a big company and spend most of the time in Hongkong; I have been used to that since I was a child.“
Suddenly, he looked distressed and sighed. „My grandpa was always there for me; when I was not in a boarding school, I spent my time in Ohio with him. He owned a small garage, thaught me all I know about cars. On my 16th birthday, he found a GTO at a scrapyard, and we started to restore it together.“
„Wait.“ Casey swallowed. „The GTO?“
„Yeah.“ Zeke's eyes darkened. „ I know what happened that night was not Delilah's fault, but I can't forgive that she crashed it. The last time I worked together with my grandpa at his garage, and the GTO felt like his legacy.“
„Oh, no!“ Suddenly, Casey felt miserable; yes, he had been curious, and it happened only rarely that Zeke let him into his life so deeply, but it was hard to find the right words now. "He is..."
Zeke shook his head. „He is still alive. But already back then, he showed the first signs of dementia; I just wasn't aware of it. Until it got worse; already one year later, he couldn't live alone anymore. My parents found a nursing home for him here, in Herrington. I left boarding school and came back to be closer to him.“ Zeke was breathing harder now, but he continued. „It's getting worse, the doc says, maybe still a month or two. He often doesn't recognize me lately, but I try to spend as much time as possible with him."
He shrugged. "Making memories, I guess, even if only some stolen moments. I've learned to live on my own, but it's hard to imagine how to move on without him around.“
When Casey noticed tears sparkling in hazelnut brown eyes, he couldn't hold back any longer; he put his arms around Zeke, pulling him closer. "I will be there," he murmured, "I will be there for you whenever you need a friend."
The older boy stiffened for a moment, but then, he let it happen.
Character: Zeke Tyler, Casey Conner
Word Count: 495
Prompt: friends, grandpa, secret
Rating: PG13
:::
„So, what are you doing today,“ Casey asked, his blue eyes sparkling.
„Huh?“ Zeke frowned. „Why do you ask?“
„Just curious. You are so cagey about it that you vanish almost every afternoon lately. They are already suspecting that you might have a secret lover at school. Or are you in trouble and... “
Zeke rolled his eyes. „That's so ridiculous. I am just not interested that everyone knows all about my life. Not a big thing.“
„Hm. I am not everyone; we are friends. Maybe, if you need help, I could...“
„It's none of your business, okay.“ Zeke snapped, noticing instantly Casey's hurt face, and sighed. „Sorry. I didn't mean it that way. But it's family stuff, nothing you need to worry about.“
„You have a family?“
Zeke huffed, slightly amused. „Geez, Casey. Of course, I have a family; everyone usually has one. Even if my family is not half as caring for each other as yours. My parents own a big company and spend most of the time in Hongkong; I have been used to that since I was a child.“
Suddenly, he looked distressed and sighed. „My grandpa was always there for me; when I was not in a boarding school, I spent my time in Ohio with him. He owned a small garage, thaught me all I know about cars. On my 16th birthday, he found a GTO at a scrapyard, and we started to restore it together.“
„Wait.“ Casey swallowed. „The GTO?“
„Yeah.“ Zeke's eyes darkened. „ I know what happened that night was not Delilah's fault, but I can't forgive that she crashed it. The last time I worked together with my grandpa at his garage, and the GTO felt like his legacy.“
„Oh, no!“ Suddenly, Casey felt miserable; yes, he had been curious, and it happened only rarely that Zeke let him into his life so deeply, but it was hard to find the right words now. "He is..."
Zeke shook his head. „He is still alive. But already back then, he showed the first signs of dementia; I just wasn't aware of it. Until it got worse; already one year later, he couldn't live alone anymore. My parents found a nursing home for him here, in Herrington. I left boarding school and came back to be closer to him.“ Zeke was breathing harder now, but he continued. „It's getting worse, the doc says, maybe still a month or two. He often doesn't recognize me lately, but I try to spend as much time as possible with him."
He shrugged. "Making memories, I guess, even if only some stolen moments. I've learned to live on my own, but it's hard to imagine how to move on without him around.“
When Casey noticed tears sparkling in hazelnut brown eyes, he couldn't hold back any longer; he put his arms around Zeke, pulling him closer. "I will be there," he murmured, "I will be there for you whenever you need a friend."
The older boy stiffened for a moment, but then, he let it happen.