HIDDEN [SAMPLE] [BOYXBOY]

TWO

JAKE CRAWFORD

Alone.

 That's what I'd been for most of what I'm forced to call my life; overcome by loneliness, I simply exist in a world of people who live and breathe with some kind of purpose.

Despite what people may think, being alone isn't what anyone needs; we need life, and people are full of it.

 Maybe if I liked being alone, everything would be different. Maybe I would be content with what felt like an eternity of wandering the streets of this wonderful city, completely assured that nobody would speak to me, or even acknowledge my existence.

But I don't, I'm not.

 Having to live my life without anyone else had certainly taken its toll on me, but I still had hope that someone would actually notice that I'd bumped into them instead of having to bear with being looked through instead of looked at.

It drained every sliver of emotion that I'd ever been capable of having.

 With a sigh, I crept my way through the crowded streets, being looked and walked through. To this day, I found walking stupid, when I could easily stroll through the alleyways and be free of all this disappointment.

 But no; some part of me had hope that I'd be noticed.

And every day, that part drowned itself in disillusionment.

 The only days that I had felt the hope stir frantically within me were when she frequently visited. But as soon as she arrived, her sarcastic entity swallowed whatever faith I had left.

"Roaming the streets on your own, I see?" she chuckled, appearing beside me in the chaos of the crowd. I sighed, making a beeline for the closest alley.

 "I was hoping that you would stop all of this nonsense so I could actually live again," I grunted.

"It's going to end soon, Jake," she whispered, matching my pace effortlessly. For someone so petite, she had the fastest feet I'd ever seen on any human. "Just like I always tell you."

 "Don't taunt me," I grumbled, stepping into the alleyway. The sudden abundance of air engulfed my soul in a familiar sense of comfort, one that I had almost forgotten how to feel. "Remember five years ago, when you said that the end to this harrowing life of mine would come soon?"

She brushed a strand of her thick strawberry blond hair away from her piercing green eyes, blinking in shock.

 "I may have lied to stop you from doing something stupid," she muttered, her gaze meeting mine instantly. "Like, I don't know, taking your own life? You aren't as dead as you wish you were."

 "How nice of you," I spat. The dusty air filled my lungs as I ambled towards the end, the familiar crates stacked against the wall greeting me with soft creaks of fatigue. "In case you haven't noticed, my current phase of nonentity is all your fault."

 "And there's the blaming again," she grunted, rolling her eyes. "You can't be saved from this if you're dead, Jake. Is that so hard to understand?"

"Go away," I sighed, flopping onto one of the crates, earning another creak from it. My head fell into my hands, and tears stung at my eyes.

 "Stay strong for me," she said, placing herself beside me. Her arm wrapped itself around me, her head resting on my shoulder comfortingly. "Only for a little longer."

 Then, she was gone, just like my will to live.

XXX

Sorry if this was short, but don't worry, they'll get longer in time :)

- jay.