Screamed the red tree, the sky is falling! That’s how I felt. Even if I dyed my hair I would still stand out, there was nothing I could do about it. I wanted so bad to be normal. It was like my whole world was crashing down around me, first my brother, then the incident with Nate. I would’ve been lucky if I survived until the next day. What did you say? I shouldn’t feel that way? I know that, you don’t have to say it, but if you had my kind of day, you’d say the same thing.
I always hated those days where it was really obvious that I was different. I didn’t know what to do, what to think. So you know what I did? Of course you really don’t, it was just a hypothetical question. I didn’t want you to really answer it. Anyway, after I tripped over the root, I just laid there for I while. It was here with these thoughts, that Sequoyah caught up with me. He dropped to the ground beside me, breathing heavily. I guess you can tell, he wasn’t a runner like myself.
“Didn’t you hear me calling you, Nickel? He wanted to know. I didn’t want to answer him, he knew the answer already. If there was anyone who knew a lot about my weirdness, it was him. I don’t know why he asked such a ridiculous question. He didn’t deserve an answer, did he? Nope, that’s what I thought. He knew I heard him loud and clear. “Nickel,” he said, waving his hand in my face. “Are you listening to me?”
“I’m trying to think. You’re distracting me Sequoyah.”
“So what Nickel, come on back to the house.”
“No,” I told him.
“No,” he said puzzled.
“How do you expect me to go back there after what I did?” Sequoyah was always like that; missing the obvious. I couldn’t go back there. Could you? Well who asked you anyway! I know it was accident but still…Sequoyah wasn’t convinced either.
“Who cares what you did? Nate’s okay, you didn’t him that much. Besides he deserved it anyway. So come on, let’s go home.”
“I don’t have a home.”
“You know what I meant Nickel. Let’s go back to the house. My mother isn’t mad. Come on.”
“Not mad but she’s afraid of me. Don’t try to tell me she isn’t. I saw her face before I left. I’m not going back there. I’m not, and that’s final.” I said jumping up with my metal box. There was no way Sequoyah was getting me back in that house. I felt guilty enough without having to see Mrs. Lovell’s face.
“Fine,” Sequoyah yelled. “Let’s just go to Park Place. It’s early so no one will be there. Not a lot of people anyway. What do you say?”
“Fine, but I’m not going back to your house Sequoyah. No matter what, I’d rather sleep outside.” Okay so I didn’t really want to sleep outside, but I was determined I wan not going back there. So it was off to Park Place. What’s Park Place? Well it was sort of like an arcade and movie theater in one. It was a really cool place to hangout. Well, it is when no one is around. You should know by now that not a lot of people like me. They tolerate me but, I know they would rather see me dead, like my Dyconis, like my brother.
