You Can't Hurt Me

Youse smart smart

Race's cigar tickled his chapped lips, the smoke creating an art piece that changed every second. He loved looking at the retreating smoke from his lungs, loved the feeling of the thick paste filling them up, swirling around.

It was day time, so instead of Race counting the stars, he searched for the shapes in the clouds. Unfortunately it was pretty clear today so his cloud searching was bare minimum, it did not stop him from creating the scenes in his head though.

"Hey! Racer, c'mere," Jack called from the fire escape next to him.

Race turned his head sharply, to see Jack waving his arms like a banny rooster. He grinned and snuffed out his Corona, climbing onto the surrounding fence.

"Hey what are you doin-"

Race jumped off the fence and grabbed onto Jacks, hauling himself up. Jack screamed like a dying owl and grabbed Race's arms hauling him up.

"If I eveh- eveh, seeing you do that again, I'll kill you myself, you hear me? I swear I'll do i-"

"Uh hello?"'called a new voice from inside the house, a man the same age as Jack came out, with a prominent nose and clean cut black hair, his eyes producing a calm over the area Race had never felt before, his face was smooth save for a few acne scars giving texture to his pale face, long slender fingers with smooth hands, free from the callouses that Jacks artist hands possessed. He was dressed sharp, the dirt under his fingertips wiped clean with a well-kept nail shape.

Race was intrigued immediately.

He wore an easy face, extending his hand out, "I'm Antonio Higgins."

"That's your name?" Jack asked suddenly, giving him a weird look.

"Yeah that's my real name," Race responded, turning his attention back to Davey. "And you are?"

"Davey," the man replied cooly, smiling. "Based off Jacks description I expected you to be more, er- energetic. I didn't see you enter the front door, how'd you get out here?"

Race's face faltered into something a bit more genuine, "Jack talks about me?"

However, his question was overshadowed by Jacks immediately reply, "he jumped."

Davey's eyes got wide. "You jumped? That could kill you!"

Race waved him off, "I do it all the time."

He paused, "wait, are you the teacher friend, writer friend, or the cookie brother."

Davey laughed, "I'm the teacher friend."

Race couldn't say he wasn't a bit disappointed, he really wanted a cookie right now.

"Ah dont look so disappointed Race." Jack laughed at the sour expression on his face.

"Say Antonio, I hear you're very smart."

Race smiled wide, "you do now? Or maybe it's that Jacks missing a few cards in his deck."

Jack gasped, while Davey burst out laughing, wheezing almost, tears sprung in his eyes leaving Jack to smack his arm.

"You shut it, I swears Davey, he's smart not just a smart as-" Jack looked at Davey, "smart Aleck."

"What grade are you in?"

"Seventh."

Davey blinked, "wait aren't you 15?"

"Yeahs I 15, what of it?"

"Were you held back a few grade?"

"Was I what."