Shoplifting Hearts | ✓

11. brim's peak

walking up the steep rock, i gaze down at the sight before me. nearly the entire city can be seen from up here: towering buildings lighting up the city, cozy homes lining the countryside, and roads interconnecting everything in between.  

as i tear my eyes away from the breathtaking scene, i spot a certain curly-haired boy staring up at the dark sky.

i sit down wordlessly beside him but he doesn't turn to look at me. "hey," i finally say softly, not wanting to disturb him or the quiet atmosphere.

he doesn't reply, and i can feel the pesky thorns of concern pricking at the edges of my brain. stop that, i think to myself. he'll be back to his normal, annoying self in no time.

my body goes rigid when he lets out a soft exhale from beside me, finally looking at me with glazed eyes. "the reason i called you up here..." he whispers, playing with the strings of his hoodie. "...it's gonna sound so stupid."

i shake my head, my forehead creased as i scoot closer and awkwardly wrap an arm around him. "no, it won't. just tell me."

"i just needed to talk to someone, you know?" he pauses before shifting so that he's directly facing me, features suddenly contorting into something not unlike disgust. "i saw my mom with another man today."

i feel my heart clench at his words, feeling incredibly sorry that he had to witness that. sure, his parents are divorced, and his mom has the right to be with anyone she wants...but it still always hurts.

"i mean, i know i shouldn't be sad or angry at her — it's so selfish of me. but the thing is, it physically pains me to see that she actually moved on...my dad still loved her when they split. the only reason he agreed to sign the damn papers is 'cause she so desperately wanted to be away from him. for what reason, i have no idea."

why is he telling me this? i wonder, not knowing what to say. i haven't attempted to comfort anyone for a long time because no one ever seemed to want to open up to me like this. i guess the expression on my face reflects my thoughts perfectly, though, because he speaks up again.

"i don't know why the hell i'm telling you this. i guess it's because you're a stranger, it's easier to trust you...as odd as that sounds." he starts to pull out dark, dew-tipped blades of grass from beneath him before he looks back at me. "besides, i can blackmail you anytime i want if you let our conversations spill to anyone."

i roll my eyes at the smirk pulling at his lips, though a smile tugs at my own, a sympathetic one. "i'm really—"

"don't say you're sorr—"

"don't interrupt me. you've done that too many times in one day. i have the right to feel bad, even if you don't want me to. i can't help what i feel," i say, pointing an accusing finger at him.

he huffs, crossing his arms over his chest like a baby, his back slumped.

"you aren't going to get anywhere in life with silence. tell your mom how you feel if it bothers you. i'm sure she'll understand."

"this is my mom we're talking about," he scoffs.

i cock a brow. "and...your point is? all good mothers take their children's wishes into consideration. they never want to see you feeling sad."

his eyes are skeptical as they stare down at me. "you must have a very caring mom."

"had," i correct, only a small hint of sadness in my tone as i say the word. i'd learned long ago to get over the past, though there were still times when it plagued the present. "i had a caring mother. my parents died in a car crash."

his mouth falls open, but i'm used to the reaction. "i'm so sorr—"

"see?" i interrupt, a grin stretching across my face. "it's okay to feel sorry for others."

he shakes his head, and it's clearly his turn to be confused. "how can you not look like you're about to break when you talk about them?"

"i taped up my broken pieces a long time ago," i say with a shrug, standing up and holding my hand out towards his. "now, it's your turn."