45 Days to Save the Bad Boy

Twenty-Three

Mr. Joel asked me to “save” Breton

I met Breton when he saved me

Tried to befriend Breton, got there eventually

Looked for threats to Breton, didn’t find any

Heard him talking with Scary Voice Man (Peter’s dad)

Later found out SVM is Peter’s dad

Peter explained that whole thing, possible threat still?

Breton kissed me, maybe likes me, will this be a cliche “I need to save him from me and my train wreck of a life” thing?

(I hope not)

Made this list and gave it to Peter

Wondered if Peter knew anything that I was missing?  (Hint, hint)

Thoughtfully, Peter looked up at me.

“I think, maybe, there is one thing we were both missing,” he said, folding up my notes and putting them in his pocket.  “And it’s a cliche.  Just not the one you’re thinking of.”

I felt very confused.  “What?”

“It’s a thing,” Peter said, “that I thought of while reading your ideas.”

“Well?  Do share!” I urged.

“When we were younger, Breton was playful, loud, and outgoing.  He would greet strangers with a smile, and would have whole conversations with people he didn’t know.  As we got older, he became quieter and more shy.  He avoids eye contact with people who doesn’t know,” Peter began.  “Normally, people would mark this down as the result of a traumatic event.  But I was with him everyday, practically 24/7/365 with all the sleepovers and play days.  Nothing happened to make him shy, he just grew out of his loud phase.

“But as time grew on, his shyness got worse.  He wouldn’t talk to anyone, resorted to near-violence to avoid people.  His group of friends that surround him are there due to hard work on their part, as they took time to get to know him.  Breton’s really a nice guy, you know that.  But not everyone sees him that way, and his reputation of being a ‘bad-boy’ didn’t improve his social skills.

“Honestly, as strange as it sounds, I think we have to save Breton from himself.”

I stared at Peter, then tilted my head to the side and began to think about what he said.  In a weird way, it makes sense.  It explains why Mr. Joel would ask a random girl for help.  It tells me why Breton saved me from the basement closet that fateful day.  I’m sure if I thought hard enough, it would explain everything else too.

“Well, you could be wrong, but I’ll take that explanation!” I announced at last.  “So now the hard part is… where do we begin?”

We both looked at each other in silence, then simultaneously decided, “We’ll figure that out tomorrow.”

After school, I met Breton at his car.

“Hey Breton, how was your day?” I greeted as he unlocked the doors and moved aside so I could climb in.

“It was great actually.  We went out to a little malt shop for lunch, and then I had a free period right after lunch because the teacher was gone.  And I was prepared for my pop quiz in English.”