𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐘 𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐃𝐒 .

22.

the little boy hummed, yielding a stuffed kitty and dog.

he sat mindlessly in front the glass patio door, looking outside the window as her engaged his stuffies in a rather important conversation with each other about the summer- their favorite season, because of course, it was his favorite. he decided to stay in that day. though he was quite used to hot weather, he didn't feel like playing with the other boys- he hadn't in a long time. mai wished his brother wasn't with them all the time- then maybe they could hang out more.

it was mahi'ai's second summer staying with his father, and coincidentally his fathers second year out of jail. mahi'ai didn't know if he liked him much; he never wanted to talk about his stuffies and his voice wasn't soft like mama's, but he did get mahi'ai new ones and gave him hugs before bed, and sometimes his dad would hold him for a long time in his arms, so mahi'ai held him back.

sometimes, papa cried when he looked at mahi'ai's face. mahi'ai didn't know why.

sometimes papa told him sorry.

what was there about him to be sorry for?
mahi'ai didn't know.

he knew that he missed his mama a lot. he missed home and the water, but the end of summer had rolled around. it was the end of august, when it was hot and unbearable in the day and drafty and warm in the night. it was the end of august, when the fireflies came out. it was the end of august when the hawaiian finally began to grow a little bit, just like his developing, free thought. it was the end of august when mahi'ai was the loneliest.

it was the end of august, right before his father went to jail again and he did not see his brother anymore.

the six year old glanced back behind him, seated on the living room floor as he inspected the door which swung open abruptly. though mahi'ai expected it to be his father or his brother, it wasn't. instead, it was another little boy; mahi'ai recognized him easily, and with his face came a subtle embarrasment mahi'ai did not like to feel. they often had friends over, but to see him alone, without anybody else being there was somewhat odd. mahi'ai figured he was just late that day to whatever they were doing. the two met eyes for a split moment before mahi'ai turned around, looking back down at his stuffies and engaging them in a much louder conversation so as to distract him from the brunette he knew was watching him, hoping to look occupier.

"hey." the little boy called, but mahi'ai did not respond. he wished he would go away. he was the boy who he had held hands with at the park last summer, and the little boy's feelings were just as freshly hurt as they were that very day. the little boy did not pay attention to much, but he did pay attention to him; he spied on him when he came over, and sometimes he managed to play with him and all the other boys when they weren't doing whaterver they did when locked up in his older brother's room, but he didn't try as much anymore. the older boys looked at him a little funny now, even his own brother. they didn't really wanna play- that's what mai thought, at least, so the timid soul never worked himself up anymore to ask. it was the end of august, and mahi'ai had grown quiet. "i know you can hear me."

"can't." the younger murmured quietly to himself in an almost triumphal spite before he relaized the boy was standing right in front of him, scaring him nearly out of his skin. the older laughed at the sudden, jumpy reaction from the six year old who only glared, looking down in a rather bashful embarrassment that plastered a genuine hurt all over his large, amber eyes as he looked down.