Enter The Boyfriend

Who: Caleb and Isaac
When: right after this scene
where: Jamie's front yard

Caleb was walking up the street towards Jamie's house, mp3 player playing as he trudged up the sidewalk, hands shoved into his pockets. His mind was about a million miles away, milling over far too much. Too much had been hapening lately, and he was still feeling like the rug had been pulled out from under him. He still wanted blood for what happened to Ten, and Jamie was sick...from another attack, which was just weird. He'd brought a stone for Jamie, a polished hemetite that looked like a black mirror. He thought she might like it, even if he was pretty sure she wouldn't remember that he'd brought her a flower yesterday. Or that he'd been there at all. Either way, he took the stone out of his pocket, looking down at it before he turned into her yard. He looked up when he heard the door opening, and stopped, staring.

Isaac was in the middle of closing the door behind him when he glanced up. He looked troubled and frowny and his eyes met those of a guy around his age, standing in the front yard. He was deliberately looking at a house he didn't have any business looking at unless he was who Isaac thought he was. After a heartbeat of them staring at one another, he knew. Oh shit. A couple of possibilities crossed his mind, not least of which was running. Or turning around to call for Jamie to warn her, or ... or something. Shitfuckpiss this was what he'd been antsy about. Isaac decided casual might be his best option. He lifted a thumb to point behind him to the door. "She's inside," he said, amiably enough.

Caleb looked in a word, guarded. He had taken in the expression on Isaac's face when he'd come out, then the transition into playing it cool, or whatever it was he was doing. Really, that didn't help his disposition. Then again, knowing that until recently he'd been the only person who'd ever managed to get in the door at Jamie's house and now seeing this guy waltzing on out? Not much was going to. Eyes unreadable, he leveled them on Isaac, and didn't have a fucking clue what to say. "I see." came out of his mouth, tone neutral. Bailing seemed like a good idea. A very good idea, because he was kind of feeling sick to his stomach at the moment, and if he'd been feeling like the rug had been pulled out from under him five minutes ago? That didn't hold a candle to how he was feeling right now.

Isaac was a pretty empathetic guy. He was able to put himself in other people's shoes pretty easily, and if he was standing on the other side of the yard from himself? He probably would be highly suspicious. Not that he knew this dude or anything. Which was another good reason to leave now. Isaac started to walk down the porch steps, keeping his eyes on Caleb. He really really really didn't want a fight on his hands. Maybe he should introduce himself? Or would that make it worse? Oh god, had she talked to Caleb about him? Jesus H. Christ. But he felt like he had to say something, if only to save her some possible trouble. "She had a lot of groceries," he said. That least was provable, just let him walk into the kitchen. "She didn't look like she felt good, so I helped her bring 'em in."

Caleb swore under his breath, and looked away, shifting slightly so that Isaac wouldn't have his back, or even his side, though he wasn't conscious of doing it. It was an automatic sort of reaction. "She was supposed to be in bed, resting." he said, because that's what she'd said. And he was going to come over today and check on her and if she wasn't any better, he had been going to take her into the fucking hospital. Apparently, that didn't mean shit to her and she was too fucking stubborn to call him. Awesome. And some other guy was here, and who knew what the fuck had gone on there. Bailing seemed like an even better plan now, as tension sang through his frame and he really felt like being anywhere that was Else was the best plan he'd ever had in his life.

That at least confirmed that she was sick. Yeah well, she's not, so you should go in and check on her 'cause she's not really okay and put her in bed and you guys kiss and make up or whatever. Isaac noted the way Caleb turned to keep him at his front, but didn't take offense to it. They didn't know each other from Adam, after all. He could be the crazy one for all Caleb knew. "Yeah, she threw up when we got back here," he told him. See? There was puking, not making out or whatever it is you're worried about. He was still heading for the sidewalk, hands loose at his sides. "I'm Isaac, by the way." Just so he knew. Isaac wasn't gonna hide from him.

That didn't make him feel better. Isaac. The guy who had liked her as well. "She told me about you." Caleb answered, feeling worse. Isaac-she-didn't-want-to-hurt had just been in there with her. Where she didn't bring anyone else. "Caleb." he added as an afterthought. His head was doing a slow grinding spin, unhappy in every sense of the word.

Yeah, why had he thought helping her was a good idea again? She told me about you. Awesome. So he was known universally as the stupid sap she had to ditch. Now was going to be the best time to get the fuck out of dodge. "Yeah I know," he said, reaching the sidewalk. Saying 'nothing happened' would only be more suspicious, so he didn't. Caleb was Jamie's boyfriend that she'd chosen -- over him -- so let her deal with it. "Take it easy, man." Putting his back to Caleb, Isaac started down the sidewalk away from the house. He was listening, though, and every nerve in his back was aware.

Caleb's eyes followed Isaac, and he turned again to make sure his back wasn't to him. "Later." he said belatedly, realizing other people said things like goodbye. Even though he very nearly told Isaac he could go right back in if he wanted to, because Caleb really needed to be somewhere the fuck away from Jamie. He didn't, though, letting him go. It was weird. Usually, he probably would have been upset with the guy. Back home he might have even started a fucking fight over something like this, but knowing Jamie, and knowing how she did(or more specifically didn't) deal with shit--he didn't immediately leap to the conclusion that it had been Isaac's fault. If there was fault involved at all. In the end he walked up the porch steps and sat down, staring at the sidewalk silently. Deciding if he was going to go in, or just leave.