Charity Case (Creepypasta/Jeff the Killer Love Story)

Chapter 3

I made absolutely sure to get to my volunteering early, though it did mean losing more sleep than I liked. Marcy seemed to be in a bit of a better mood, and she had looked genuinely impressed when she saw I hadn't lost my nametag, which confirmed I really had made a terrible first impression. I had a lot to try to fix in my next few days, and I wasn't sure if I was happy or upset about that.

Since I got there early, I ended up helping set up the tables. As I did this, I saw the boy in the hoodie was still next to his pillar. Actually, he looked like he had barely moved. He was in the same position and everything, and that meant that I still couldn't quite see his face. I hoped he would get something to eat that time since he saw that I was trying to be friendly, but who knew what he had been through? People didn't just randomly end up on the streets. If he was having an issue trusting people, then he probably had a good reason for not wanting to take food from strangers. He had taken it from me, though.... Maybe I proved myself trustworthy or something? I chalked it up to that in an effort to not drive myself crazy.

Without fail, when we announced we were ready to serve, we were immediately swarmed with people looking for perhaps the only meal they would get until the next day. I took a second to watch him before I was swamped with people, but there wasn't much to watch because he didn't move. He didn't even look up at the commotion. Was I missing something?

After finishing serving, I thought about asking Marcy if I should leave him alone, but she really didn't seem to care the day before. Besides, I needed to show her I could make my own decisions, right? Starting small was at least starting. So, I grabbed a sandwich and water and walked over to him, slightly more confident than the day before.

Of course, that completely crumbled when he didn't look up at me when I stopped in front of him. "Hi, sorry, it's me again. I just, uh, saw you still weren't in line, so um... I brought you this," I said, offering the food and drink again. He finally looked at me, but I could tell his eyes were slightly narrow. Was he suspicious of me, then? Was he surprised I'd do it twice? Maybe he wouldn't take it a second time. Despite the thoughts running through my head, I smiled.

He took the sandwich and water out of my hands again, but he wasn't as fast that time. I guess he knew I had already seen his skin, which after seeing it again, I knew my eyes hadn't been playing tricks. It was definitely white. Still, my smile widened, "I've gotta get back to work, but I'll see you tomorrow." Once again, he did nothing but look at me and chose to eat after I had gone back to work.

The next day hadn't been any different, and I wasn't irritated by it, but it did make me wonder. After giving me the food and water, I asked, "Do you mind telling me your name? I just wanted to know." I pulled my coat tighter around myself as he kept staring at me. Maybe he wouldn't reply. What if he was mute or something? I had no way of knowing if he was being rudely secretive or couldn't speak.

"Call me Woods," he spoke after a long while. His voice wasn't too deep, and he definitely didn't sound much older than twenty.

I raised an eyebrow, "Woods? That's... unique."

He told me, "It's my last name." I wanted to know his first name, too, but I didn't want to push it too much. He might clam up again.

I nodded, "Alright. Nice to meet you, Woods." I sat on the ground, and I saw his eyes widen a bit. "So, are you from around here? You don't look much older than me, so I know I haven't seen you around my school."

He paused before answering, "I got here a few days ago. I used to live far from here. I'm passing through."

"What about your family?"

"What makes you think I need a family? I'm eighteen. I'm a legal adult," he snapped, making me lean away from him unconsciously. Maybe I should have realized it would be a touchy subject.

I apologized, "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. You're just quiet. I haven't seen you near anyone, so I wanted to know if you were with them."

"I didn't run away if that's what you were thinking," Woods told me in a sharp tone.

I pressed, "I never said you did. I'm not accusing you of doing anything wrong. I only just met you, so I really don't know you. I'm not going to judge you so quickly."

He spoke, "Are you sure about that?" The question completely threw me off.

"I...." I trailed off. Then, I took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes, I am sure, but I've probably spent longer than I should have talking to you. I'll be back tomorrow, though." I stood up, and his eyes followed me. "Oh, and I don't know if you've heard, but it's supposed to be unusually cold tonight, so try to stay warm, alright?"

"Don't worry about it," he said.

But I was going to worry about it. I could feel it. He might not have known it, but I was just that type of person, worrying about random strangers. I would have much rather him just lie to me than say something like that because the rest of my time was spent thinking of the very strange boy I knew as Woods.