Prone To Injury

Four: Like A Normal Person.

"So you've just been purposefully hurting yourself just to spend time with him? Why can't you just ask him out like a normal person, Silve?"

Issac shook his head, taking a sip of his flat Mountain Dew as he balanced on his skateboard. His sleek black hair hung over his eyes, but Silvestre could see the annoyance and amusement brewing in his dark irises. Chugging the last of his drink, Issac burped before chucking the bottle somewhere in the skatepark.

"That's littering."

"Don't change the subject," said Issac, pointing an accusatory finger toward Silvestre.

"He makes me nervous, okay? Besides, it's not like I can just go up to him and ask him out."

"but you can, though."

Silvestre just grumbled, placing his face in his hands.

He had never been shy about his personality, mostly because he didn't care what people thought of him or what anyone said. But everything was different with Rayyan. The boy made Silvestre's stomach churn and erupt with butterflies, his cheeks blush, and his mind foggy with such warmth he had only experienced with Rayyan.

He figured the only way he could get his attention was by doing what he did best: fucking up.

"I thought you were supposed to be a completely new man this year, Silve?"

"I was! But I guess the injury-prone part of me is the only way I can get close to him!"

"It's gonna bite you in the ass, just watch," said Issac, shaking his head.

"Well so is Mr. Moszkowski's dog," said Silvestre with a fearful laugh as he saw the untrained Rottweiler closing in on them.

"Mother fucker!" yelled Issac, slaying away as Silvestre ran beside him.

Screaming and frantic, Silvestre and Issac zoomed out of the trash-filled skate park, into Pinckney Drive: where the houses were big, the lawns green, and the cars more expensive than a month of rent. Beside the Quarry, next to the corner store, Pinckney Dive was where the more well-off folks resided.

Full of doctors and business people, the houses on Pinckney Dive had pools in their back years and driveways larger than Silvestre's living room. He stared at the houses in awe and without jealousy. People were different, and so were their lives, but the large houses were still cool in Silvestre's mind.

"I think we lost him," yelled Issac, promptly stopping his board.

"God, that dog is scary," said Silvestre breathlessly as his eyes wandered over the houses.

"Do you think they have a hot tub?" said Silvestre, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Rich people's houses aren't hotels, dude."

"I mean with that amount of space they could be," he said before walking off.

"You want a Gogurt? I want a Gogurt," said the boy, craving his favorite snack as he caught his breath.

"Am I normal?"

"You? No."

"That was a rhetorical question!" yelled Silvestre to Silvia as they did their homework at the dinner table.

"Then why'd you ask?"

"Why are you so brutally honest? Sugar coat it for once, Jesus."

"Why do you two fight like that? Be nicer to each other. My brothers and I never fought like that."

"Lies," said Silvestre, pointing an accusatory finger at his mom.

"Why were you asking if you were normal anyway, Silve?"

Silvestre shook his head with a blush, finishing the last problem in his math problem. Playing with his hair, Silvestre tried to ignore his mother's knowing look as he moved to his English homework. As he read through an article about The Green Revolution, his mom grew closer.

"Silve," she said as he clutched his shoulders.

"It's nothing Ma, seriously."

"Might it have something to do with Rayyan?"

His face flushed and his stomach churned.

"No," he said shifting his eyes around the room.

"Come on, you're a terrible liar and you know it."

Graning, he covered his eyes with his hands and rested his forehead against the table, the cool surface soothing his burning skin. With a whine, he knew his mother wouldn't let it be. It wasn't anything to be ashamed of or hide, and he knew he could talk to her about anything.

"I'm not sure how to, um, yknow," he said with a small shrug.

"You want to... grow closer?"

Silvestre only nodded, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I guess you could find something you have in common. You're good with people Silve, so I'm sure you'll figure something out. Rayyan should know how great you are, considering the number of phone calls I've been getting from the school."

Silvestre froze as he stared into his mother's eyes.

"I thought your visits to the nurse's office were normal until Mrs. Espinoza and I started talking about her new assistant."

A blush coated his cheeks as he gulped.

"Look, I know you're clumsy, you have been before you could even walk. But if you're purposefully hurting yourself just to talk to this boy, then maybe that relationship isn't worth it, Silve," she said, caressing Silvestre's cheek, "You may think that its the only way, but I promise Silve, there are so many paths in life, but the easiest ones tend to be the messiest."

"If you want things to work out, then maybe don't slip down the stairs every day just for him to look at you."

Silvestre bit the inside of his cheeks, letting his mom's words resonate within him as he squeezed his shoulder.