Fragments of His Being | ✓

CHAPTER ONE

In a small town, just a few miles off the main city of Edmonton, a group of teenage boys were throwing hoops at the central court. The place was battered and run down. The clay ground was corroded, and the paint that set the lines was fading off. Despite all that, there was a smile on everyone's face as they passed a worn-out basketball amongst themselves in sweat-drenched tee-shirts and pants.

"What are you looking at? Pay attention, man," One of the boys, Karl, said to Quinn before tossing the ball at his friend. It hit Quinn in the back, making the boy turn around in shock as the ball bounced off his back and on the floor for a while before sitting still. The other boys laughed. Quinn seemed to have snapped out of his daze. He bit down on his bottom lip, pushing his dark hair away from his face before picking up the ball and throwing it back to Karl.

"Shut up, I was thinking," Quinn said as Karl caught the ball with a grin on his face. The boys weren't tall or anything. Most of them stood between 5'7 to 5'10, but there wasn't much to do in such a small neighborhood aside from playing sports, smoking blunts, and drinking alcohol.

"Of course, you were," Karl said, sarcasm lacing every word. He passed the ball to Hozier, the tallest lad in the group who then made to throw a basket. The game picked up again, and soon the little quibble between Karl and Quinn was forgotten and drowned out with the background noise of yelling boys, the bouncing ball, and stampeding feet.

From time to time Quinn would look towards the gates again, catching the figure of the boy that was sitting at the stairs. He had been there for hours, and Quinn wondered why he didn't just come up and join them.

Why does he come here? Quinn wondered before someone yelling at him to move out of their way pulled him out of his thoughts. He ran into the game again, shaking in head and deciding that it was not his business if the boy wanted to be a loner.

The game calmed down when the boys called quits and ended another round. Hozier, bounced the ball, staring at the ground as he asked a question, "Do any of you want to go to the pub? I heard there's a band playing there at eight."

Ever since Hozier became old enough to drink—eighteen—he'd been asking if anyone would like to follow him. Maybe there was something about getting a bottle while being old enough to have a drink that made him feel proud of himself. Half of the boys in grade twelve had turned eighteen, but a few people were still seventeen or even younger. It didn't matter though, as long as there were adults with them anyone above the age of sixteen was allowed to drink. The barkeeper didn't care much. There weren't that many adults in town to keep him in business anyway.

"I'll come," one of the boys said after a moment of brief silence. A few 'me too's rang in the group as a follow up to his response.

"Great!" Hozier said with a grin. He was wearing black converse and ripped jeans. He gave the others some details before turning his attention to Karl who was resting against the crisscross court gate. "How about you?"

"Nah, I can't come. I'm heading home with Quinn right after this," he said, wiping the sweat off his forehead. before looking down at Quinn who was crouched down under him and using him as a shade. It was six in the evening now, but it got dark fast, and the boys would have to end their game soon. They had come here right after school was out at two in the afternoon. Early—like it was every Friday.

"Yeah, that's true. Our mums want us home early. We promised," Quinn confirmed and Hozier nodded, combing back his blond hair with the fingers of his free hand. He was holding the basketball under his hand and would be taking it home with him for safekeeping.

"Maybe next time," Hozier said, and the two boys smiled.

"Of course," Quinn said as Hozier turned away and walked in the direction of the exit with the others. Quinn's gaze shifted to the stairs, wondering if the boy at the gate was still there, but just like always he had disappeared before the group had called it a day.