you and i

4

He watches from a distance, as my feet stop in an instant.

After letting that out he exhaled and felt himself calm down. He put away his journal and casually walked up to his house as he ignored the boy who stood a few feet away; he had nothing to say to him and hoped that he didn't either.

When his fingertips hovered the surface of his front door, he heard the boy step closer to him. A wave of panic washed over him as his heart started to beat a thousand times per second. He heard him clear his throat before he began to speak.

"809-5567" As soon as Elliot recognized that number, he dropped his keys. All of his muscles turned to jelly as he felt his stomach drop.

"Hey, Elliot" This made him turn around as he caught something in the in the air. It was his wallet.

"You dropped this yesterday.... don't worry I didn't take any cash" Angelo was expecting him to look into his wallet to make sure that nothing was gone, but instead he put it into his pocket without giving it another glance.

"Thank you"

With that, he turned around to leave but was stopped by Angelo yet again. His hand lightly touched his shoulders and that triggered something within him as a sudden image ran through his mind.

You're cute...stop trying to get away.

Haha, don't worry I'll make you feel really nice.

At this point, neither of them knew what to say.

Elliot was trying desperately to calm down while Angelo tried to form a well-worded sentence to explain the things he truly wanted to say.

Last time he was here he missed the opportunity, and he wasn't going to let that happen again. He bravely broke the ice and started talking.

"Look, the real reason why I followed you home yesterday was that...everything you said to me the day you spoke to me at the cemetery was true. I am turning into those that I hate the most and I couldn't realize that until you openly said it"

The words seemed to flow right out, and his tone became softer; less condescending. Slowly Elliot stood up and turned around to hear him out.

"And I just want to know, how? How did you come up with the words that you did and how did you learn to think the way you do? I need to know since, without it, I will forever be just a delinquent and maybe with your knowledge and guidance I can change to become something worthwhile; something to be proud of"

Angelo looked off into the distance since he was really saying all this for his parents. Ever since he was a child, they would say how proud they were of him and he knew for a fact that if they were alive right now, they'd be very disappointed.

And as lame as it may be, Angelo never wanted to upset his parents because of something he was responsible for.

By receiving help from Elliot, he may be able to get out of this funk and change into something good; something his parents would be proud of. Elliot watched him and knew that his words were genuine and sincere.

"Okay, I will agree with helping you, but you will adhere to my methods" Angelo looked up and noticed that he was closer than he thought he'd be.

"Thank you...I'm Angelo by the way"

"Oh yeah, here"

He chucked his ID and the piece of paper back to him.

"I took that out wanting to know your name and I only said that number cuz I knew that I needed to get your attention somehow"

Elliot swallowed a lump in his throat but made sure that he didn't show anything on his face.

"Okay....just never do that again"

"Huh?"

The door was slammed into his face before he could question him further. Angelo didn't know exactly how to feel.

Sure, he was happy that he was getting somewhere with his life, but he felt like there was something that Elliot was trying so desperately to forget.

He can relate to that since he also has a past to which he wishes he could forget. So, he decided to leave him be and not pester him with his usual pushiness since if he was placed in his shoes, he wouldn't want anyone to bother him about it either.

So, he quietly turned around and made his way back to the hotel.

Through the small window, he watched as Angelo walked further and further away. This was actually the first time he has spoken to anyone for as long as he has.

Elliot is very distant with people after the things that have happened, but when he saw him talking to his dead parents in the cemetery, he was moved.

To see someone with tattoos, piercings and dyed hair kneeling down to pay his respects to his parents made him see his true self.

And he believed that with the right methods, he can make Angelo see who he really is.