Strangers In A Dangerous World (Frikey)

Chapter Three: We All Have Demons

We swung on the swings for hours until the stranger pulled out his phone and checked the time. He sighed as he closed it and stopped swinging. I slowed down and watched as the stranger stood up and starting leaving without saying goodbye. I stopped completely and jumped up from the swing. He never told me his name. I ran after him and he stopped by the gate and turned to face me. He raised his eyebrow in question while I signaled for him wait a minute while I tried to catch my breath. I was definitely out of shape. I huffed for a little bit while the stranger just watched with concern stretching out and covering his face. I shouldn't have run. The bruises on my ribs and the cuts on my back really didn't like me running and agreed with me never running again. But I had needed to get his name, it seemed like the most important thing right now.

"You," I paused and let out another wheezing breath and gripped my torso tightly, "never told me you name."

The stranger helped me stand up straight and he looked down worriedly, "I'm Mikey. Are you okay?"

I stood up and tried to fake normality, "Oh, I'm fine. I'm just, you know, out of shape. I'm Frank, by the way."

Mikey looked at me and smiled slightly. He didn't look convinced, "No pun intended, right? I mean you are standing by a Way, but you don't have to say so."

I smiled while he laughed at his own corny joke. I couldn't help but feel my heart squeeze and beat nerously in my chest. He had a nice smile and a contagious laugh until I ruined it by speaking what was on my mind, "You don't smile much. You should, though. It's really nice."

Mikey frowned, but his eyes still held the smile, "You don't either."

"There's not much to be happy about." I looked down at my hands and played with the zipper on my jacket. I remembered the other jacket I had brought for Ray to fix and I saw it on the ground by the swings. I'd have to go back for it. It was my favorite jacket.

"Yeah, believe me, I know." I met Mikey's eyes and he pulled his lips up lightly but he didn't achieve the same smile from before. I just nodded and Mikey looked at me once more before he turned around and walked back the way he came from.

I walked to the swing set and sat on my usual swing that I loved oh so much, but I didn't move. I picked my jacket up frok the ground and tried to think of the things that made people happy. I didn't have a lot to be happy for but maybe someone else did. I looked in the direction Mikey had gone and wondered why he was so sad. I wondered why he didn't smile. I slowly moved back and forth through the thoughts and was startled when my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and recognized the number. It was Ray. He was most likely calling to make sure that I wasn't lying in a dumpster somewhere. I picked up the phone and let out a sigh.

"Hey Ray, what's up?"

"Don't 'what's up' me, dude. You skipped and left Bob and I to fend for ourselves. Why didn't you call?" Ray sounded agitated but I wasn't ready to put up with the usual bullshit. I couldn't go one day without making someone pissed off at me, and I didn't want them to see my bruises. They would ask questions and I would be forced to make up answers.

"Calm down, 'fro. I forgot to set my alarm last night. I overslept and decided that I couldn't just walk into the school during the middle of the day. I'm totally fine, though. How were the jockstraps?" I casually omit bits and pieces from the truth and selected the information I could give against the information I couldn't.

"They missed you. You get an extra beating the next time they see you." Ray sounded sad and he talked solemnly as if it was my funeral. I knew that it possibly could be and I almost wished that it was.

"This is just great," I groaned loudly and remembered my jacket, "Oh, can I come over tonight? I broke my jacket again and I need you to fix it." I bit my lip nervously as he answered.