Run-down

Chapter 2- I'll help you find your cat

After I made up an excuse about me living here having to do with the fact I'm trying to catch my cat who ran back here and won't come out from underneath, Andy left. I don't know if he bought it but even if he didn't, he got the hint that I didn't want him to question me.

It's dark now. I have no way of knowing what time it is since my cell phone died days ago. I can't stop thinking about Andy and how kind he was to me. I wanted there to be some special reason he helped me, but the truth is he's just a great guy. I'm just a loser who's still in school and hardly surviving it at that.

Now that I think of it, I kind of wish there was really a cat under this place that I could lure out and cuddle with. I'm lonely. All I have here is my school bag, a duffle of clothes, and groceries, non of which are cold since I have no refrigerator. It is cold in the shack, though.

I didn't think I'd be able to sleep, but I can feel myself drifting off, the thoughts of Andy and loneliness and cats fading away with my consciousness.

~~~~~

I wake up at 5 am, I know that because my body has developed its own habit of jolting awake around this time every morning since my first year in high school. The bell rings at seven so I always have plenty of time to get ready.

This morning I don't feel like getting ready. I never do but today I really don't want to. I ran out of meds and I can't get them on my own. I'm too afraid I'll fuck something up. I'm too afraid to talk to anyone ever. It's a shock I found myself talking so naturally to Andy last night.

There's a knock at the door.

"Knock, knock!"

I jump a few feet in the air. I could tell it was Andy's voice again. What the hell is he doing here?

"C- coming?" I stammer, not knowing what to do besides panic.

There's always the option to just open the door, but unfortunately for me, my brain doesn't work that way.

I get up and open it to see the tall, black haired boy from yesterday.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm off work today so I thought I'd come by and help you find your cat."

It's hard enough to keep myself from blushing just because of the presence of such a pretty man, but it's even harder when I'm just blatantly lying to him.

"Thank you," it comes out barely more than a whisper.

I look everywhere but at Andy. I feel guilty and scared. Now I either have to tell him or lie again. But I'm not clever enough to think of two lies, on the spot, in a row.

I wave for Andy to come in. I sit in the ground and cross my legs, resting my head in my hands with my elbows on my knees.

"You okay?" Andy asks again, just like the first words he said to me yesterday.

"I don't have a cat."

"What?"

I didn't know what else to say. A tear trickles down my face and I quickly wipe it away with the sleeve of my sweatshirt.

"I'm sorry, I just didn't want you to know why I'm really here," my voice cracks.

Andy scoots closer to me and rubs my back a few time. I feel comforted but awkward at the same time.

"You can tell me. I can try to help you if you need," Andy whispers. The butterflies come back.

I bury my face in my hands and sob. This is not how I intended today to go. Not that I had a plan, I just wanted to be alone. Next to Andy would be even better if it weren't for the current circumstances.

"It's my parents." I look over to Andy and see that he's paying close attention to me. I feel like he cares what I have to say, which is a new feeling for me. "They won't talk to me. The only time they do is to take out their anger. I don't have the money to move out so I'm just living here. And I'm staying home from school today because I just can't keep up. I don't want to be punched in the face and called a slur every waking chance those fuckers get."

My face feels hotter than it ever has before. I just spilled my guts to someone I met yesterday. There's no way he'll stay now. I just put the biggest burden on his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry," Andy said sympathetically.

I looked him in the eye with confusion. I don't know why he's still here.

"No, I'm sorry. You sh- should go." I stutter the tears as the flood gates behind my eyes completely collapse.