Where We Began

Hayden North

The black hoodie zipped up to keep the night air away. The moon is set high in the sky as the trees blow in the wind. My legs crisscrossed on the park bench. I listen to the silence.

My hands stop trembling from my anger. It's pitch black with nobody here. I like being alone. My heart hurts from everything that happened today. Nobody is here to comfort me or tell me that they have been through what I've felt. It's me, myself, and I.

I'm the only child to two parents that see my appearance and not the inside. I push one of my braids from blowing into my eyesight. I can feel the creaks of the bench. Almost as if someone had sat down.

That would be impossible if I have sat here many times before. Never was there a warmth so close to me. I look at my panda slippers that squeaked the entire way here. I didn't get the chance to grab actual shoes. Afraid to look up, I let the braids cover half of my face.

My eyes travel to a black-haired boy that sat with a jacket and worn-out shoes. The only thing I can make out from his face is his smug look.

"What brings you here?" his voice is crisp and hoarse like the crackle of the road whenever a car passes. I'm so trapped in my head that I didn't respond.

"I said, what brings you here?" he asked again.

"I don't know exactly." My lie comes out quicker than I expected. He's a stranger and probably not my age. The mysterious boy's eye catches mine, the only light in a night like this. I'm not alone anymore. I feel my stomach flutter. When he looks my way, I turn my head.

"Fine then. I'm not in the mood to talk anyways," the boy huffed.

The silence was worse than him talking. "I'm just confused and lost right now. I lose my temper when I don't intend to. Whenever I try to tell someone how I feel, they use it as a way to reprimand me," I replied. My words kept coming one after the other in a jumbled mess. I feel my cheeks hurt from the loss of air to my speaking. The mysterious boy drank in everything I said. He was hesitant about what to say. It may have been my big mouth going off again. I'm about to leave when the mysterious boy grabs my hand.

The bolts of heat from his smooth hands find mine. I didn't want to let go. "I get it. People sometimes don't see it your way. It happens," he turned me to face him. My hand felt like it was burning. I pulled away and sat back down.

"It's crazy how society works. People care more for your status than what you are on the inside." The mysterious boy combed his hair back. His adam apple showed with his prominent jawline.

"Yeah. As crazy as this sounds, this is the first time someone's listened," I said truthfully. A gulp followed down my throat at the cheesy lines. The braids couldn't hide my face anymore. His eyes searched my dark appearance. It made sitting still hard for me. If only I could see him in the light.

"At least you aren't limited to only becoming one person in life," he remarked. His knees bounced from time to time as he spoke. I'm guessing he has been through some rough shit on his own but, so have I. Something crossed my mind when I thought about both of our situations. An itch came to my nose as I'm talking.

"I want to say th- achoo!" I sneezed into my arm. The mysterious boy turned immediately at me with his hand on his jacket. He took his arms out of it and pushed the sleeves around my arms.

"I think it's time I get you home. Where exactly do you live?" he asked with his arms that left me.

The signs of safety came off from his jacket. It's warm. There's a scent of cologne and sandalwood. Today has been a long day. I've got work and school tomorrow. I don't know how much I trust this mysterious boy.