Sitting in the school’s cafeteria, rice bar bowl in hand, I stare at the boy in front of me with confusion. His constant fidgeting, his racing eyes, his little smile. What’s up with him? I try to consider the possibilities as I eat the old, hard as raw rice thanks to the heat lamps. Eventually, even eating can’t quell the discomfort of this quiet, and I decide to break the silence.
“So, uhm, do you need anything?” I ask, making him bite his lips.
“J-just to hang out. I don’t like eating alone is…all…” Hm. I guess that makes sense. I decide to accept the answer in my head before returning to eating my food. “P-plus I wanted to get to…know you, uhm, better, you know?” He sucks in his lips, making him look rather dumb, but I’m more caught off guard by his words.
“Uhm, I think there are a lot of better guys to try to get to know than me.” I try to assure him, but he shakes his head.
“But I wanna know about you.” He whispers. Now I’m starting to get nervous. Is this some kind of trap? I gulp.
“W-why?” I ask, my stutter coming on. Harley doesn’t look up from the table as he says it, but I can still catch the words as he says them.
“Cause you’re hot.”
“. . . w h a t ?” My what comes out so awkward it sounds like each letter is leaking out like chunks of mud. Harley seems to find it entertaining, chuckling a little, lifting his face. Wait, why am I ignoring that he just called me hot?! I’m not hot! I’m not!
“I-I meant what I said!” He speaks a little more confidently, a smile on his face. It’s…wait…did he always look so cute? Damnit, is him saying what he did messing with my head, or is he actually hot too?! Wait, what do I mean too?! AHHH! I hold my head, making a pathetic sound. “You’re…not used to getting hit on, are you?” Harley asks, holding in a laugh.
“N-not really, no.” I mumble, earning me another giggle.
“W-well, yeah. I think you’re…hot…and we like the same kind of books. I don’t have anybody to talk about those to outside of online friends.” He admits.
“You-you realize friends can talk about books, right?”
“But you’re also hot.”
“Ughhh!” I don’t get it. Is it really easy to make someone like you? Am I just his type? This is…awful. “So…do you like me?”
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“U-uhm…I, uh…wouldn’t mind…going out…if you wouldn’t…” His response makes my heart hurt.
“Sure.” I whisper. His face lights up.
“U-uhm, right, great! M-my number, where’s my phone?” He begins scrambling with his pockets as I watch with rapidly draining spirit. He eventually manages to pull it out and I manage to get his number from him, promising him I’ll send a message later. He doesn’t seem to wonder why I won’t send one now, something I’m thankful for.
“I’m…I gotta head out now. I’ll…see you later, okay?” I say, getting up.
“Y-yeah, ok. Uhm! P-please do…message me later…” He asks with a pleading look.
“...yeah, definitely.”
…
I stare down the long road to the school’s sign before looking down at my phone. 5:27. The bus is supposed to come at 5:15. So, where the hell is it? It’s the last one too, if it doesn’t pop up, I’m fucked. Grrr…this sucks. I was banking on this! I clutch my school id tight. Doubling as a bus pass till it expires, its convenience can’t be understated. A bus pass, taking me as far as the next state. Where my uncle is. If anyone knows how to disappear completely, it would be him. I remember finding stuff from his old identity in the attic. I promised not to tell anyone, and it managed to bring us closer. Surely he’ll understand and help me. Surely…as long as this bus comes! Which, oh yeah, it clearly isn’t! I suck air through my teeth before angrily throwing my Id on the ground.
Now what? Making my way out of the cold, I entered the school once more. I…know that I can’t go home. I promised myself I wouldn’t. I won’t break another promise to myself. So, with that silent pledge doubled in my mind, I take a breath, and decide that I’ll stay the night here. There’s gotta be somewhere I can hide out for the night. I try to think of every inch of the school I’ve visited to imagine a place. The only one I can think of is…the basement area. Yeah, those classrooms are hardly checked past this time of day. I’ll just hide out down there until tomorrow and catch the first morning bus.
With my plan decided on, I make my way to the staircase and hop down each step, arriving at the basement level. Thankfully they haven’t turned off all the lights in the are yet. It’ll give me time to adjust to the atmosphere before it’s too dark to see. I make my way to the study area and find a plug in spot that I happily plug my phone charger into. Having video essays to listen to will definitely help the time pass. Getting comfy in a chair, I type in my favorite essay channel and tap play on their longest playlist. With my earbuds in, I relax, ready to begin my 13 hour wait till the next bus.
“Message me later…”
Harley’s words echo in my head, keeping me from fully relaxing. I hope he doesn’t come here tomorrow. Please don’t have any classes tomorrow…I don’t think I can face you again…I try to force him out of my head, but he’s all that will show up. Crap. This is gonna suck if it’s all I can think about. Something, please distract…me…huh?
Just ahead of me, stretching and messing with her phone, is the weird yellow head from earlier. What the hell, no one comes down here this late in the day, especially not someone who looks like a student. What’s she doing here?
She stops fiddling with her phone, turning her head and staring back at me. Her eyes widened in response.
“Well now, this is interesting.” She whispers.