Three's A Crowd

the children\\lace

Pristine tiles. Echoing halls. Rough, red bricks. The lingering whisper of music that leaks from the band room. The shouts of victory from the gym. The sound of pencils dancing on thin paper.

Halls. People are like empty, long halls. You shout into them. They reply. They mimic you. There seems to be no end to them. There's a light at the end, or maybe its the absence of light. Maybe it's darkness. But you're running. Running towards the end. And maybe your shoes leave skid marks on the tiles. Maybe you walk so carefully that it keeps its beautiful cleanness.

Maybe the hall is so shattered, you can't walk through it.

I know its careless, but I'm running through one now. I usually walk. But I'm running, sprinting, trying to get out.

"So, do you? Do you want to go for a coffee sometime?" Another boy. Another hall. I can see the leftover of the presence of many others. Notes, graffiti, scribbled in some places. All indecipherable. They look like names.

Imprints.

"No. I'm not interested." I say. I can tell I've left a skid mark. The look on the boy's face says it all.

But it's minor. I'm only on defect in his scheme. One little mark that someone, someday, will take the time to clean up.

But that will not be me.

---

Tears soak my shoulder.

"It's not fair." She cries.

"Life isn't fair."

"Fuck life."

"Fuck the world too." I say, rubbing circles into her back.

Amy pulls away and then wipes her tears. "He did the wrong thing."

"He did a wrong thing. And that was breaking your heart."

Skid mark. A big one.

"Lace, Tristan meant everything to me."

"And now that everything has crumbled into dust. Pick yourself up and hold your head high. You don't have to take shit from the voices inside your head."

Amy smiles. "Thanks. I don't know why we haven't talked since 7th grade, I've missed you."

I hide a scowl. If you wanted to talk, you would've called, you insensitive bitch.

"No problem. Anything for an old friend."

I'm not gonna let you leave another little note. No more graffiti. Keep your words in your head instead of mine.