Love from the fire

Our Conversation

"My name is Gray." The boy said once we reached the school playground.

I nodded as I stared into his eyes. For some reason, his name kind of suited him with his appearance and personality. There was some distance between us. He took a step closer to me then.

"So, what's your name?" He asked.

"Skylar."

You know what he did next? He gave me this look that showed he was trying to solve me like a puzzle or a mystery or something like that.

"You really don't have any friends. Do you?" He asked. Damn, how does this guy figure stuff out about me so easily? Is it really that obvious?

I looked away for a moment. "Maybe not in school. I don't know, but maybe my neighbour counts as a friend. I don't really need so many friends." I then looked at the ground.

He chuckled slightly at my response. "You may not see it yet, but you and I have some similarities."

I looked up again. "We're both human. We both go to this school. We both speak English." I quickly said.

He laughed harder. "I didn't mean it that literally. You're kind of funny for someone so..." He trailed off.

"What?" I asked.

He looked a bit uncomfortable for a second before saying. "Ahh, let's change the subject. I should get to the point now." He looked kind of flustered as he moved around on the spot.

"Go on." I told him.

"Look, you know those annoying popular twins in the younger year?"

I shook my head. He seemed shocked.

"They cause, like, all the drama in and out of school. And I happen to be kind of close to them."

He paused for a second. Then he continued. "Anyways, they gave me this dare. I'd like you to help me because you seem really smart.

"So what if I'm smart?"

"Well, we should really be talking about this somewhere else. Would you like to follow me?"

I was a bit suspicious, but I still decided to go along with it. Why not? My self defence skills are really good for reasons that I won't share. So, I'll be fine.

"You know that park? You know which one I'm talking about, right? The nearby one." He said.

"Uh, yeah. I do."

"We're going there." He said.

"Don't a lot of people go there?" I asked.

"True, but it's not the park we're going to. You've probably never been into the forest behind it, have you?"

I thought about it for a second. Actually, he was right. I've been to that park so many times. But have I ever really noticed the forest behind it?

"No."

"Exactly!" He exclaimed. "I've got lots to show you!"

We soon reached the park. I looked at the trees behind it and realised that there was a thin pathway there. It was easy to overlook and miss it.

Gray lead me towards the path. For a few minutes, we walked down it. There were a few branches that got in the way. I don't think anyone saw us.

Soon, we reached a large grassy clearing. It overlooked the sparkling sea.

"So?" I asked. I was impressed by the scenery, but tried to hide it.

I failed though. "You look quite impressed there." He immediately noticed.

It's like he can read my mind. That, or he's just really good at reading people. Or maybe I'm the one who's easy to read. I can't tell anymore.

He adds. "Don't over think it. I haven't even told you anything important yet. All I've said so far are the basic introductions. Listen closely. Now I'll tell you what I've really been wanting to tell you."

He suddenly looks so intimidating. It caught me off guard.

Gray. His name really does suit him. He isn't completely kind or completely mean. He isn't completely sweet or completely scary. He isn't completely one type of person either. He is Gray. Somewhere in the middle of the two extremes.

I really wonder how this is going to end.