OVERPOPULAS

Chapter 20

The class at Yurinami ended and I never wanted to die more in my life. It was such an uncomfortable experience that, just like yesterday, I immediately left and didn't look back. My whole motivation to even talk to Slinca was lost and I just wanted to go back home and lay down. Just like yesterday again, Slinca called out for me before I entered the manhole. Or I thought it was, instead it was the person I suspected the least, Jesse.

"Lee!" Jesse frantically said, out of breath. "I need to talk to you!" Unlike yesterday, I didn't listen to her and continued to open up the manhole cover and was ready to go down the ladder. "Goddammit listen to me!" I went down the ladder a little bit to make room to close the manhole cover. When I went to do it, Jesse grabbed my hand and yanked me up from the hole. "This is very important! If you're not willing to talk to me here, then I will follow you home!"

"What the fuck do you want?" I snapped. "I told everyone there that I just want to be left alone!"

"Then why did you even come here!?"

I was about to say the reason why, but I stopped.

"I don't know."

"I think I know why. Despite that tough attitude you have back there, you're still looking for someone to talk to. Aren't I right?"

I pulled back my arm and went down the ladder, not even closing the manhole cover. Like I expected Jesse followed me down the ladder and into the sewer. She followed me through the route I took to get back to the homeless camp I was now a part of. When we both turned the corner to the homeless camp she didn't immediately follow as I walked over to Nancy's tent to check up on Alice.

I walked into the tent and looked inside to see a surprising sight. Alice was actually smiling and laughing. That was the most shocking thing to see today, my jaw basically dropped.

"Lee!" Alice left Nancy and directly ran over to me and hugged me.

"I told you he'll be back." Nancy rejoiced. "He'll never leave you here."

"I'm so glad you came back!"

"It's not like I was gonna leave you." I smiled, for the first time in a while. I smiled.

"Who is that behind you?" Alice asked, pointing behind me. Jesse was standing directly behind me, and looking down at Alice.

"Hello there." Jesse said in a high pitched tone.

"This is Jesse Daster. She's a classmate of mine." I said.

Alice was a little hesitant to greet Jesse, and even hid behind me a little bit.

"I've seen that you've gotten along with Nancy." I butted in to break the uncomfortable silence.

"Yeah, we were having lots of fun. She's so nice, did you know she had a daughter?"

"Really? That's interesting."

"It sure is!" Alice's smile was overwhelming to me, and I didn't want to ruin it.

"Me and Lee have something to discuss." Jesse said. "And we would like to be alone please."

"Sorry, we'll leave." Nancy said. "Come on Alice, let's go meet Will." Nancy took Alice's hand and they both walked out of the tent, leaving Jesse and I alone.

"What is it that you're so adamant about talking to me?" I asked, sitting down on the ground.

"First, I need to make sure no one else is around to hear us?" Jesse said, looking out of the tent. Once she felt comfortable she closed the tent up and sat on the ground in front of me. "You're most likely not gonna believe me, but you need to hear me out."