After school, I walk with Dane to the parking lot. It's still raining. Great."We can run for it?" suggests Dane."I guess so," I say.My clothes didn't dry, so I ended up staying in my gym clothes. Securing my backpack, I nod to Dane, and we run across the parking lot to the car. The rainy water splashes and hits us as we do. Other kids run around and a few times we almost run into other running teens.But we make it. Dane fumbles with the key for a second before he unlocks the car and we hop it."Whew. That was wild," says Dane."Yeah," I say as I push back a lock of wet hair out of my eyes."I guess it's good that you're coming to my house, huh?" he says as he starts the engine."Do you have two showers?" I ask."Yeah. We can both get cleaned at the same time," he says as we pull out the parking lot."That's good. I wouldn't want to make you wait," I say."I would make you go first," he says with a grin."You wouldn't be able to," I say."I could pick you up and bathe you myself,"
After dinner, and the dishes, we go over to the living room to just sit around and chill. I sit with him pressed to me, and his arm is around my waist. One of my arms is on his chest, and the other just rests in his loosely gripped hand. Watching TV has become out little pastime. We started watching a TV series that I honestly do not remember the name of. But it's got a lot to do with science and aliens, and some weird teen drama. I just watch it and mentally criticize all the things that seem unreal to me. "How is that even likely to happen?" I ask as we watch the protagonist's girlfriend come back to him after they both split for at least the third time, "They're obviously not meant to be together." "Maybe they are, which is why they split so much," says Dane. "What?" "Think about it. Sometimes even the most harmonious couples don't agree on everything, and they go through a little period of rose thorns," says Dane, his hand rubbing my arm, "but eventually they see past
"You really can't stay today?" asks Dane as he walks with me to his car. "No. I need to get back to my apartment and check in on it," I reply. "I could wait until you finished checking in? It wouldn't take more than a couple of minutes, right?" says Dane, his brows knitted together. "No. It would take a while. I need to be thorough," I say. "But couldn't I spend the night then? I can go and grab some clothes and sleep in your living room or something," says Dane desperately. Turning to look at him, I see that he's really upset that I'm spending the night at my apartment. It's Sunday, and I told him that I would need to go back. It's only one day, or one night really, but Dane is more than reluctant to let me go back to my apartment. His whole body language shows his feelings. Not that they're not present in his voice. His whole body is leaning forward, and his palms face me. And not to mention how he's very close to me. Even though he's always close to me. "It
Driving into the parking lot, I just manage to pull on my shoes. Not the ones that I used to break into the house with, but my tennis shoes. My black pants and shirt are folded up and sit in the bag next to me. One that I won't be taking to school. Now that we've parked, Ves can change. Jack was in the passenger seat, but he didn't want any cars passing by to see him half-naked. That would no doubt have raised a lot of questions. Coming to school was a part of the plan that I added on earlier yesterday night after I met up with everyone and we discussed our course of action. We originally thought of just taking the whole day to find the files, but I said how I wanted to be at school so I could be able to meet up with Dane, and not raise suspicion. Which is why we were pretty quick in searching the house and doing our little arson stunt. "So you didn't find the files?" asks Ves as she slips on a shirt. "No. But as you may have gathered, any files that were there are no
Can't you just say sorry? The question they ask again and again like a broken machine. Or the audio they play at fares. When you sit by one of the rides for so long that the recorded voice is familiar to you like your shadow. They ask it again. And again. And again. I wish it would stop. But not really. Talking helps to not think of him. Only a little. But it's more than what I can ask for. For now, I can only pretend that I don't feel guilt for what I've done. I've never felt it before. But I want it to stop. Almost as if a chain were around my neck and dangling into my hollow chest, it holds me down. Not nicely. I want it to stop. Sitting at the mall's food court, I look at the table blankly. Pike sits with me as the other three go and buy whatever. He tries to make conversation, but I'm too short to keep it alive. But that's natural. I'm a killer. Harboring life isn't in my nature. Mentally or physically. "How is art?" asks Pike. I look up from staring at the table and lo
Sitting in bed, I wait to see if whoever is ringing the doorbell has gone away. It's probably Ves or Pike. Maybe Mia or Jack. Or all of them. They've come around to pick me up to go to school, but I've skipped for about a week now. Maybe two. Days melt together when you don't have a routine.Ever since that day, I've been at home. I haven't even bothered to go out to shop. I just sit in my bedroom and sleep. And I go to the bathroom, and sometimes the kitchen to drink. But I hardly eat. Maybe an apple a day. Sometimes nothing.My phone I threw behind the couch and let the battery die. I don't care about talking anymore. To anybody. I just want to sit and die. And I'll never go back to school again. Ever.So I sit here and try to think of nothing. As my body slowly withers away.But whoever is ringing the doorbell is terribly persistent. Much more than anybody else who's come around to ring.I slowly turn my head to the side to look at the clock on my nightstand. It's ten in the mornin
Maybe I will go to school. I have been thinking about it. After I went shopping two nights ago, I've started to leave my apartment more. I haven't gone to school, but I've gone out. A small step to closure. I do eat too. A little. It's more than the previous amounts. I've at least stopped losing weight. But I'm not gaining any either. I guess it's good. But I still feel sad inside. Less from before, but still numb. Walking from my bedroom to my kitchen, I pull out a bowl and make some oatmeal. I usually eat this for breakfast and lunch. And dinner is usually some bread I toast with jam. Sometimes I go out and eat at one of the restaurants in my neighborhood. I thought of what Sean said. He said to find closure, and move on. After thinking about it for a while, I made a rough plan of what I could do in the future. After I turn eighteen in December, I intend to leave Lonewood. Reverting back to my original plan. Maybe I'll travel around and find a place I can be. In some island
After a week of school of avoiding Dane, as well as most of everyone else, I start to feel better. I can at least think about Dane without really feeling any form of regret or wistfulness. I feel a bit as if Pike betrayed me. Once in the cafeteria, and another at the parking lot. He most likely had some reason, but I still feel a bit of loathing for him. Small, but it's there.I don't care. I probably will not see anybody from my crew once I leave. And when I do see them again, I'll probably not hate them.Walking home, I swing by that little store I stumbled into the night I decided to turn my life sideways. Where I met Lewis. He's been sticky with me ever since that day at the cafeteria. We sometimes end up in the same place.Lewis happens to be in most of the classes that I take where Dane isn't there. We sometimes have conversations. He does most of the talking and I just watch him talk. Observing how his lips and his hands move around when he talks. It's entertaining. What he say
"Happy birthday, Reza," says Dane as he gives a sweet hug."This wasn't necessary," I say into his arm and chest. His soft red sweater is comfy as it forms a cocoon around me."I would do this even if I had only ten cents left," says Dane sweetly.He rocks me softly from side to side as he nuzzles the top of my head. A gentle waltz in place."I'm happier than I appear," then I say happily.I hug him tighter, and he does too."Aww, that's so sweet," remarks Dexter from behind Dane at the kitchen island."Yeah. It's amazing," adds on Ves.Letting me untangle from him slightly, Dane lets me take in the scene before him. A vanilla cake sits on the kitchen island and a few gifts sit on the counter beside it. Some balloons in red and pink float to the ceiling.Everyone present, Ves, Mia, Pika, Jack, Dexter, and even Rupert has a hat on their head. A cone with colorful lines. Lewis and Irene came by earlier in the day to leave their gifts, and gave a hug and kiss on my cheek.Sweet people."
"Don't you want to text your friends that you're okay?" asks Evan as he pulls the ropes on my body away. "I'd rather you take me back to the mall," I say flatly. Meeting back up with everyone, especially Dane, is something I want to happen in the near future. Right now to be precise. "I will, but I want to chat first," he says, well whines really. "And it'll take more than thirty minutes?" I ask. "Probably. So even if we talk in the car, we won't have time," he says. Having untied the chains and ropes around me, he sets them in the corner and puts my Ruger and phone on the table in front of me. "I'll text them then," I say. Evan nods and I send a quick message to Dane and Ves. They're the people in need of knowing what is happening. "So, what do you want to chat about?" I ask as I slip my phone into my pocket. "So you're the third most dangerous person in North America?" he asks. He leans on one arm of his chair. I sit back in my chair, one arm on each of the c
Walking around the mall with seven other teens, I think of how if this was under any other circumstances where I was in my former occupation, I would be absolutely ballistic. No agent with a third of a brain would ever need any kind of hint or clue to gather that this would not be an acceptable situation. It just stands out too much.But, I'm not that, and I have to tell that to myself. Eight people walking around a mall is probably not an unusual spectacle. Eight teens walking around is probably what every American has seen or imagined once in their life.Entering a retail store, we disperse into groups of two or three to look around. I drift around with Mia and Lewis."Look at this shirt. It's so pristine," remarks Mia as she pulls out a baby blue shirt that looks to be made of cotton. The pearly buttons glisten with the shiny surface of the shirt."It looks good with your hair," complements Lewis as he looks over from a rack of jeans."He's right," I say.Looking around, I notice a
"Have you heard what happened to Avezedo?" I ask Dexter as he sets a plate of eggs and pancakes on the table in front of me. Butter slowly slides off the steaming surface of it. I pick up with my fork and eat the food gratefully. "Nothing, zilch, nada," replies Dexter with a shrug. "But he's definitely alive?" I ask. "Probably. No body was found in the woods or anywhere else. After they released him from the police station they didn't keep a tab on him. Needless to say," says Dexter as he sets a plate in front od Dane, "we know he's out there somewhere." "That's ominous," I say flatly. "Yeah," says Dane. His plate clearly has more food on it compared to mine. "But knowing you, it shouldn't be a problem," says Dexter. "Don't say that. You'll make him want to go out and find Avezedo to end him," says Dane with a frown. "Reza wouldn't do that, would you?" asks Dexter. "I might now that I have that idea," I say with a grin. Dexter grins with me as we look at Dane who
"I think they're here," calls Dexter from the kitchen. Looking up from a book I snatched from his office, I glance over at the wide doorway to the kitchen. Dexter leans on it and grins slightly."Noted," I reply. Dexter flashes his teeth. "That means, Reza, that you should go answer the door," he says. "Also noted," I say tersely. Dexter nods with his grin and walks back to the kitchen. Setting my book down, I hop off the couch with Rupert and make my way to the door. Making Rupert get behind me so he doesn't run out, I unbolt the door and open it. Dane, Ves, Mia, Jack, and Pike stand outside. The sun has already set and most of the sky is covered in heavy lead-colored clouds. Seemingly drawn into the sky with a shaky hand and soft pencil. "Hey," says Dane. He steps inside to give me a hug, to which I return a quick one. "Hey, Reza!" says Ves. She and Mia step forward after Dane steps back to give me a hug too. I smile slightly as they embrace me tightly. I see Jac
"Do you want to sleep together tonight?" asks Dane as he begins to clean up the living room couch where I spent the day laying. "Do you want to?" I ask simply. "Well," says Dane as he sets a pillow down and angles it, "I had a nice time yesterday night. So I thought that I might ask so I could do it again," he explains. "We're not doing anything," I say ahead. "Definitely," he responds. "I guess. As long as your dad is fine with it," I say as I look over at Dexter who is also picking up the blanket I laid under. "No problem. But don't do anything crazy. You're young, but that doesn't mean no consequences," says Dex. "Will do," I say simply. Dexter grins. "I love how your boyfriend happens to be somebody like Reza. He's so obedient," he says to Dane. "What? And I'm not?" asks Dane with a scoff. "You can be. And you mostly are. But Reza doesn't miss a beat. And when he does, it's undetectable," says Dex. "Whatever you say," says Dane as he rolls his eyes. I look a
Because I lost some blood, I sit on the couch with Rupert and Dane and try not to move around excessively. I needed some heat that isn't my own. Rupert and Dane were more than happy to provide it. After the time we spent apologizing, Dane's father finally made a sound that alerted us of his presence. He 'didn't want to disturb', in his own words. He said he saw the whole thing, Dane breaking down and crying, me forgiving, and the rest. He didn't have it in him to stop us. But whatever. The doctor came by about an hour ago. He pulled open my wound and checked to see if the bone was cracked. I hissed and snarled, but none of them really got scared by that. Rupert actually snuggled closer to me. Big teddy bear. The doctor, Dr. Carrier, said that my skull was intact. My upper dermal layer would need time to heal, but I should be fine. He said to rest and drink and eat plentily. Dexter said he would make sure that I ate. After Dr. Carrier left, Dane just lay down with me and hu
The Mobius curve is like a bridge folded in onto itself. Grotesque architecture. Unlicensed surgery, really. It looks terrible. When I first saw it in my math class in the program, I thought it was somebody's kidney that got carved out to that shape. The diagram itself was red in hue, and that's what came to mind.A wicked mind to have as a ten-year-old.But I guess the Mobius curve has some 'mercy', unlike me. Because the roaring and endless ride breaks and I feel the rush fading. My body is not detached from my head, and I can feel reality becoming flat and smooth. Not the crazy Ferris-wheel it turned into.A certain smell makes me alert and my eyes fly open. The smell of...Dane.My eyes see the color of skin. The shape of Dane's naked chest materializes before my eyes. And trailing my eyes upwards, I look into his sleeping face. Sleeping thankfully. One arm is draped over my shoulders.How did I get into this position? My eyes widen, but I don't make a noise. I realize slowly that
Slipping into clothes that are warm, I look in my bathroom mirror. I guess part of me is into parties.My black knitted sweater hugs my body lightly. The turtle neck is loosely wrapped around. It helps to draw out the natural red color of my skin. My hair is straight and it sits nicely. Some of the longer strands poke out, but I don't bother doing anything.Turning off the bathroom light and stepping out, I walk over to my bed and sit. I hadn't bothered going to school after I got chased down. I just stayed home. It was a Wednesday anyway. Only two days left in the week. Not much of a loss.Checking my gun, I make sure I have six bullets in. Seven, including the one in the chamber. Nothing will most likely happen, but I'm always prepared. And I don't give chances.Not even the first one, anymore.After stowing it in my pocket, I grab a coat and head for the door. It's the leather one. The one from last winter. The smell of myself is twined into the fabric, and I can tell that the once