The Stars That Night [boyxboy]

The Stars That Night {5}

                "Need a ride?" I said.

                Silas jumped a little, spinning around to face me with his hand clenched into a fist. But his body relaxed as he realized who was speaking.

                My eyes widened a little though. Any other time, I would've been taking in the sight of his neat new haircut, the shaggy mess he'd called hair gone.

                But right now, I was a little distracted by the blood leaking from his nose.

                "I see why you need the tissues," I said at last.

                "What do you want?" he demanded.

                "A way to go back in time so I could avoid this awkward moment, but that's unlikely so I'm not really sure anymore," I said.

                "Huh?" He shifted the phone a little. "Nah, ran into one of your brother's friends in the store. Yea, yea, I'll call you later. Don't worry about it. Ain't a real problem. They're small time nuisances." He hung up and tucked the phone into his pocket.

                "South side trouble?" I said, gesturing to his nose.

                "Just trying to get some tissues and some witnesses," he said. "Mind your own."

                "If I mind my own, you'll have no witnesses," I said, gesturing to the empty store around us. "That defeats part of your plan. Beggars can't be choosers. Annoying witnesses are better than no witnesses."

                I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be witnessing, but I was going to take a wild guess and say Silas had found trouble with the south side. A lot of the south side kids I went to high school with had dropped out, or graduated and turned to selling drugs. They formed their own mini gangs and harassed anyone that wasn't one of their own, especially if they were out here alone.

                But if that was the case, then I couldn't just leave Silas here. I'd heard of people getting jumped waiting for the bus on a quiet day, when there was no one around to step in. Silas had been a troublemaker back in the days when he'd first come here, and I wouldn't be surprised if some of the south side kids still held a grudge against him. He clearly wasn't safe here.

                "I'm going to Akira's house," I said at last. "I can give you a ride. You were on the phone with Kaito, right?"

                "Don't need a ride," he said.

                "Look, buddy, if you want to go out and get your ass kicked, that's a strange hobby and I'm judging you a lot," I said. "I promise a ride to Kaito's house won't be super awkward. Just moderately awkward. I'll even let you pick the music."

                "Ain't afraid of a little confrontation," Silas said, wiping the blood off with his arm before it could drip onto his lips.

                "Apparently you're afraid of an English lesson," I muttered, snatching the tissue pack from him. He could play tough guy all he wanted, but I wasn't just going to leave him here. "Tell you what, grab whatever you want. My treat for eating your food."

                "I don't need you to buy me shit. I'll get those tissues and take the bus," he said with a shrug.

                "I will call Jack right this second and have him put me on the phone with Ray," I threatened. I wasn't sure how much authority Ray had over Silas, but if Silas lived there, surely Ray had to have some sort of control over him.