Notebook

Three

Anxiously, Aiden looked at the time on his phone again. He knew he was really early, and the others weren't due for another thirty minutes, but that didn't stop him from checking constantly.

He kept looking to see if he had a message from Evan.

He was half expecting a text saying they weren't coming, and they had only invited Aiden as a prank. But every time he looked, nothing but the white digits reminded him just how early he was.

That morning, Aiden woke, showered, dressed, and was ready to go before nine o'clock.

The problem was that he wasn't due to meet the other boys until eleven, so he sat on the edge of his bed, silently staring at the clock, chewing on his fingernails until there was nothing left to bite, and scratching at the back of his hand until it was raw.

Aiden then spent fifteen minutes in the bathroom, looking in the mirror, turning his head in every direction, trying to catch the light and ensure the lifelong blemish was invisible and completely covered.

When he was finally satisfied, he went back to the bedroom but started pacing back and forth, forcing him to leave the house before he walked a hole in his carpet.

That was how he found himself sitting alone on a stone planter outside the large, glass-walled shopping mall, waiting for any of the group to arrive. The pink-haired boy kept staring at the door, watching people pour in and out like a waterfall.

Any second, Aiden thought he would see the group of boys laughing as they walked around him, heading into the mall without him, leaving him isolated and embarrassed, outside alone, as if he meant nothing.

The thought scared him to death and was almost enough to make him run away. He didn't want to be rejected again, not like before. His fragile heart couldn't take the pain.

Huffing at his negative thoughts, Aiden forced a pair of earphones into his ears and tried to drown his mind with music—anything to quiet his overactive brain.

The boy ran his hand through the pink hair strands, his fingers tightening for a few seconds before releasing; he was convinced no one was coming, so he pulled his phone out in defeat to text his cousin.

Aiden could make up some bullshit excuse about having to stay and help his parents unpack the last of their belongings, apologise and promise to make it up to him. Then he would never face the group again. If they didn't want him around, that was fine. He knew how to disappear. He was good at that.

Just as he was about to send the message, Aiden felt a large hand clasp his shoulder, making him jump a mile into the air and instantly panic.

"Oh, man, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you!" Matt exclaimed, raising his hands as a peace offering as he stepped back to allow the wide-eyed, shaken boy some space.

The younger boy yanked the earphones out a little more aggressively than he meant to and forced a chuckle as his heart pounded. "It's okay," He started, rolling up the wires and pressing them into his jacket pocket, keeping his hands firmly buried for protection. "The music was too loud; I didn't hear you coming."

The older boy nodded and perched on the planter's edge, checking his watch before pulling his sleeve down and covering it again.

Matt was a great hulking creature which Aiden feel tiny and insignificant, but as they made small talk, he soon realised how easy it was to talk to the older boy.

He was incredibly confident and charismatic; he didn't hesitate for a second to ask or answer questions and always seemed to have the following topic lined up. He asked Aiden about his new home, how he liked it, and if he missed his hometown. Matt then asked about his friends, how he felt about school, and his plans when the next break in the school year came.