Parallels

Part 8

Niko walks out of the school building at 4:30. Some teacher had found Zach bleeding in front of the school doors, and some younger year had snaked. Kenny usually waited for him after the detentions, either having one too or just lurking around the school block until Niko was done. However he had something to for his dad so had to rush home after school. Niko walks over to  the side of the road sitting where the pavement  falls into the road. He pulls out a cigarette, placing it between his lips and taking a drag. He watches as the smoke swirls Infront of his face, the golden sun accenting the patterns within. He doesn't know why he got so mad over Zach talking about Aj. Aj wasn't his, he'd could never be his. Even if some twisted reality Niko fell for Aj, he couldn't allow himself to be official with him, Aj deserved the world and Niko just simply couldn't provide that. 

As the topic of Aj plays in his mind, he swears he sees the boy exiting his own school, wrapping his arms tightly around himself, as he looks around awkwardly. Niko thought he was seeing things, Aj being so fresh in his mind, but as the figure steps closer, it becomes clearer that he was right, it was Aj.  

Aj walks out of school, and looks around the empty area. Suhaila had sent him a simple message saying to pick the twins up from their afterschool club at 6, so he'd stayed behind to finish some school work cause the school was closer to the twins school than it was to home. He had wanted to tell her he couldn't as Chunkz was coming over at 6:30, but after their argument this morning, he'd delayed his meeting with Chunkz till 7-7:30.

 After standing in the cold for a little while, Aj remembers the hoodie in his backpack which he had brought by 'accident'. He slips it on, before taking a look across the street to the public school.  Aj hadn't expected to see Niko sat on the road, but he can't say he was disappointed to either. He looks both ways before crossing over to him, giving the boy a small wave. 

Niko smirks as he watches Aj approach him noticing the boy had just put on his hoodie that he'd left the night before.

"Hey Niko, what are you still doing here?" 

"Could ask you the same thing." Niko takes a drag of the cigarette, releasing smoke into the air, "Got a detention. Tried to escape it, as usual, but they locked the classroom door."

"What? Why did you get a detention?"

"I punched some guy, no big deal."

Aj gasps in shock, "No big deal?! Why would you punch someone?"

"Aren't you just so nosey today. Don't worry about it. He said somethings, and I told him to keep his mouth shut, and he wouldn't that equals a bloody fist and a broken nose. Oops."

"What could've been so bad you had to break his nose!" 

"Aj, I told you it's not a big deal, I've done worse. He deserved it thats all that matters." 

Aj rolls his eyes, "Ok Mr. Tough-Guy, whatever. I need to go. Bye." Aj turns and starts walking in the direction to his sisters school. He didn't know why he was so mad, hurt, that Niko punched a guy. He just hadn't expected Niko to be the violent type. And especially because he wouldn't tell him why, it made him wonder.

"You know home is that way." Niko points in the opposite direction to where AJ was walking.

"I'm not dumb I know that. I'm not going home."

Niko sighs, before standing and chasing after Aj.

"Where are you going," He quizzes.

"None of your business."

"Come on Aj, Don't be like that."

"No. You won't tell me, I won't tell you. Now leave me alone."

Niko pauses and grabs Aj's shoulders, forcing him too to stop and turn towards him, "Fine. Just, ugh fuck- you make this so complicated. Can I just tell you who it was and we can leave it at that. Then you'd understand."