tate.

_{Paper burned further up the length of Tate’s cigarette as he turned his attention towards the homeowners son ; He’d been lingering about, unseen, and he seemed kind-hearted. Maybe a bit naive in certain aspects, and that created a sense of sympathy within the haunt. The house that they shared was not for someone with either of those traits. Tate held his smoke at a distance, tapping his thumb against the filter to knock ash to the walkway ; Gray being blown from this nostrils all the while.  “No, I uh —”  didn’t have an explanation. So Tate just shrugged and smiled.  “I live next door. You probably met my mom, she likes to greet all the new neighbors. Blond. Real southern accent. Mediocre baking skills.”}

_{He used the railing to draw himself to his feet, meeting Blaine’s stepped with an outstretched hand.  “Watch her, she likes to steal jewelry.”  He glanced over towards his mother’s home, eyes casting over the window to see if she was creeping ; She’d always been a nosy bitch.  “I’m Tate. It’s nice to meet you. How old are you?”}

“I did.  She was nice.”  Blaine remembered the woman who came to say hello.  Her accent stood out the most.  With draw like the one that tinted her voice, it’d taken his attention off the piano he was playing when his mother let her in and lured him out to greet her.  She seemed nice enough.  Or maybe a little over-nice and very curious about what they were doing with the house.  But he didn’t think for a second she was a thief.  Did she wander off?  He couldn’t remember.  Still, he’d warn his mom about that later.

Side stepping past the cigarette smoke, Blaine climbed up the stairs and sat his bag down on the porch happy to have someone to talk to that seemed his age.  Or close.  Even though it was more than a little strange Tate was waiting for him when he came home from school, he’d brush it off as the other boy perhaps being a quirky as his mom.  “I’m Blaine.  It’s really nice to meet you too.  You don’t look familiar from school..but..I’m still learning faces.  Sorry.  I’ll be sixteen in two months.  How about you?”