"Hey, Jayden," I called to him the next morning, when the front of the school was thriving with students big and small. He was standing alone, hands in his pockets, back relaxed and leaning slightly forward, when he looked at me and smiled.
"Sorry we got off on the wrong hook." I held a hand out to him. "Thomas Valdez."
Pleasure rippled through his smile as he shook my hand. His hand was, I noticed, softer than Ryan's. Though I didn't know if Ryan's was rough or if Jayden's was soft, since the feeling of anything I touched as Theodore I'd lost. In this new life, I had relearned what it felt like to touch things -concrete, hair, paper, skin. Just before it became awkward again, I felt the familiar feeling of Ryan grabbing my shoulder, and when I turned to look at him, he frowned in concern. "What was that about yesterday?" He didn't even notice Jayden. He shook his head, realizing that maybe that wasn't the right thing to say. "Hi, how are you today?" Then he turned to Jayden. "Who's this?"
"Someone I met yesterday. This is Jayden," I gestured to the boy, who was taller than both of us. I hadn't realized the day before, but he had eye bags, very noticeable ones, but I didn't want to bother asking and unfold a sensitive topic. We all had trouble sleeping sometimes.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Ryan," They smiled at each other, and at that moment I could tell we were all going to be good friends.
YOU ARE READING
Gift of a Lifetime
قصص عامةTheodore's asthma has developed into lung cancer. His body too fragile for any procedure, he passes. But in the afterlife, he has a dream. A dream where he is given a second chance. A man surrounded by darkness gives him pity and another chance at l...
