Hold Me Close (Edited Version)

Chapter 2

I layed on my back, staring up at the ceiling as I pondered what the best thing to do in a big house that you were unfamiliar with would be. My dad had several gaming systems and he said I could play on them anytime, but I doubted I would be able to do much this them, let alone turn them on. I'd never used one before, so it was unlikely I would have the patience to try. Also, since my dad was working a lot of the time, I was alone, making talking to someone out of the question. For such a large house, there seemed like there was nothing to do.

Deciding that laying around uselessly was worse than wandering aimlessly, I sat up and went downstairs. Maybe I could find a book to read, I thought. I went into my dad's office and looked around. There was a wall with a ton of shelving and I began investigating to see what books were there. Unfortunately, after several minutes of hunting, I found nothing but work books and things about politics. I frowned, disappointed, and left the office to looked around the rest of the house. It was much bigger than my mother's place and had high walls with big windows. I frowned as I wondered why a man without a wife or kids would own such a spacious place. It seemed illogical.

I made the decision that staying at the house would drive me nuts, so I grabbed my shoes and went for a walk. I needed to get used to the neighborhood anyways if I was to walk to whatever high school I could be enrolled in. I walked slowly down the sidewalk, my hands in my pockets. Anyone who saw me probably thought I didn't have a care in the world. Probably shouldn't have either, considering my new situation. Such a lax life would be wonderful, I mused thoughtfully. 

Those thoughts weren't very uplifting and I shook my thoughts away. Spotting a girl who was about to pass me going the other direction, I asked, "Do you know if there's a park around here or anything?"

After pulling out earbud, she looked me up and down. "It's two corners down and one corner to your right," she said.

I waved to her as I hurried off. "Thanks," I said.

I followed her directions and soon came to a small, empty park. Though the neighborhood looked brand new, the park itself was a bit run down. The slide, made of plastic, was faded and a few of the children's toy knobs having broken off from old age. The swings were a little rusty, but I sat down and began swaying back and forth slowly. The air was perfect, not too cold and not too hot. It wasn't muggy or sticky out like it often was where my mom lived. It was just right for being outside.

I closed my eyes and concentrated on feeling like I was a cloud. Nothing more than wightless gas floating through the sky. Soft, beautiful, quiet. The world doesn't notice clouds like me, and that's alright. I was content to shift past along the sky like a forgotten piece of the world.

"Hey! Slow down!" a voice shouted

My eyes popped open right as I felt a shoulder hitting mine from behind me and I fell face first into the mulch of the park. I groaned and went to sit up; however, just as I was lifting my head someone tripped over me and landed on my back, squashing me into the mulch a second time. I let out a muffled grunt of pain and scrambled to push off whoever was sitting on me. The person gasped and quickly got off. "I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there!" he said.

Brushing wood flakes from my face and hair, I looked up and glared at the boy who had so inconsiderately used me as a door mat. "Watch where you're going," I snapped.

He looked away shamefully. "Sorry," he said. "I was just chasing my friend. I didn't see you there."

"Well, open your eyes!" I stood up and scrubbed all the mulch and dirt off clothes with my palms.

The guy reached out to help me clean myself off. "Here," he said, "I really didn't mean to."

I slapped his hand away before he could touch me. "I don't need your help. Just leave me alone," I said. I moved my hair out of my face before stomping away from him. I could feel his eyes on my back. "Idiot."

The sun had begun to set already when I left the park which meant my dad was probably home. It'd be best if I didn't stay out too much longer or he might think I had run away. I wouldn't have anywhere to go if I did so there wasn't much point to that, but adults seemed to think anyone younger than they had no brains. I took a long route back to the house and walked slowly, cooling off from my encounter at the park. I was still mildly fuming about the kid who pushed me down and the other one who stepped on me. I'd been bullied before, so I wasn't unused to being treated unkindly, but when it was just people being stupid, it pissed me off.

When I made it home, my dad looked up from some papers laying on the living room table and frowned. "Did you go somewhere?" he asked.

I went for the stairs. "No," I said. I headed towards my room, intent on keeping a fair distance from my dad. I barely heard him call that dinner would be ready in an hour before I closed my door and resolved to spending most of my evening in my room.

*******

I ate slowly, only half listening to my dad talk about different stuff he needed me to know for the next couple of months. I wasn't interested so it was difficult to pay attention. I was gazing out the window when the word 'school' passed by. My brain snagged on the word and I glanced at him for the first time that night. "What?" I asked.

"I said I'm going to have you transfered to the school in the area here. It'll be easier to get you there in the morning since it's on the way," he said. "You need to get back to school. You're missing several weeks due to the court stuff, but it can't keep going for much longer or the state will step in for truancy."

"Oh," I said. I looked down at my food and made a small hm sound. I didn't really care what school I went to, but I wasn't particularly happy about being transferred. It meant I'd be the new kid, the new chew toy, the one who got stared at until I got boring and I'd turn invisible.

My dad didn't notice my wary shift in attitude. "The school is not very big, so try to make some friends. It won't be too hard," he said with a smile.

I thought back to the boys from the park and my mood dropped. "Sure," I said, shrugging and looking back out the window.

My dad frowned and touched my hand. "Jacob, please. I'm not very good at this kind of thing, but can't you at least try to talk to me?" he asked. "I really want to you to be happy here."

I pulled my hand away without looking at him and put it in my lap. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'm fine by myself," I told him. "You shouldn't worry about me."

This set him back enough and he sighed and picked up his plate. I watched him out of the corner of my eye as he washed his dish and left the room to return to his work. I sat back and dropped my fork onto my plate; my apatite was gone. I heard my dad go into his office and close the door a few minute later, so I washed my dishes and went up to my room. I wasn't tired, but I got into some comfortable pajamas and crawled into bed.

I flipped on the TV and went through channels half heartedly until I came to one with some cop show on. Someone was shooting a gun and there were sirens blaring as I settled back in my blankets and watched the show until my eyes grew heavy. A short time later, I drifted off. Something I had learned from my first night here was that I may have been in a softer, more comfortable bed, but I didn't sleep any better than usual. I still tossed and turned wth nightmares all night long.

*******

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