Different (Scomiche)

fifteen.

I was walking with Esther. She was a really sweet girl. I had been getting to know her for the past few days, ever since she sat next at lunch that one time. She had a bright personality, something I wasn't really used to. I liked it.

She did talk a lot, but I never really have anything to say. She makes it less awkward by always providing some type of conversation to start between us, or anyone really.

"This is what the gang like to call 'the Shack'!" She says, a grin on her face. It was another hidden place. Apparently there was a lot of these, this one just the best hidden. It was almost completely underground, a small latch in the grass that you could crawl inside and drop into.

"The gang?" I ask. She nods.

"You know! Me, Avi, Kevin, Scott, and Kirstin now I think." She explains. Kirstie? She was friends with them? I felt myself scoff, but try to hide it. She was hiding so many things from me. Maybe it was best to just stop talking to her for good. We both drop into the Shack, our feet colliding onto the floor.

It was bare just like everything else. Only two chairs and a small table, a few blankets on the floor. She quickly sits on the blankets, I take that I should too.

"So Kirstie comes here with you all." I say, wanting to not believe it.

"Well, not really. She came once because she wanted to find out how to get you back, but no one really helped her." Esther says. "Scott was a big asshole about it and told her to just leave you alone."

"Sounds like Scott."

"What does?"

"A big asshole." She chuckles, a small snort noise erupting from her.

"He thinks he can run my life because he is like three years older than me." Esther says, playing with the end of the blanket. "He is so annoying. Like, he always yells at me! That's why I love my brother so much because he always defends me."

"I wish I had siblings. It's just me and my parents."

"Avi doesn't talk to our parents. They also don't know that I talk to Avi. They said that once he became a Different, the he was no longer their son. Boy, if they ever find out how close Avi and I still are, I'm done for!" We hear a loud noise, something resembling a creak mixed with a squeak. Esther looked frightened when looking at the latch opening above us. When someone drops down, she looked more nervous than scared. I just wanted to leave, but ended up looking down.

"Esther." Scott says, walking closer. "What. Are. You. Doing."

"You can't control me, Scott. I'm allowed to do what I want." She says with a sassy tone.

"We made a deal. We all made a deal." Scott says, looking angry.

"No. You made a deal. Kevin and Avi agreed. I sat in the corner and said nothing. I didn't agree, and even if I did, you can't tell me that I'm not allowed to talk with Mitch." She snaps.

"Really?" I ask, looking up at Scott. "You went out of your way to make sure people didn't talk to me?" I didn't want to cry, even though I had been doing an awful lot of it lately. He looked stressed and regretful, but it didn't change the fact that he actually did that.

"Mitch, I didn't mean it like that. It's because you said not to talk to you anymore and-"

"I told you not to talk to me anymore. Not everyone else. And Kirstie tried to talk to me again and you told her not to as well." I say quietly. He looks down. "Esther was right. You are a big asshole."

"You said that, Es?" Scott says and looks Esther. She shrugs. "Mitch, can I explain?"

"You want to know what you can do? You can help me out of this damn shack and not let my name come out of your mouth again, got it?" He looks down. "Stop trying to interfere with my life and start living your own." Esther gets up and grabs a ladder, opening it up and holding it towards the latch.

"Hold down the lever and push." Esther says as I climb up the ladder. I do as told and climb out. Before I finish:

"One more thing, Scott. Will you do something for me?" I ask him.

"What?" He asks almost genuinely.

"Go fuck your self." I hear Esther snicker and Scott sighs before climbing out completely. I was outraged. Who goes out of their way to tell people not to talk to someone? Even tells my best friend not to. She was trying. She was trying to get me back and asked for help, and he fucking told her to not talk to me. Told her to leave me alone.

I couldn't stand him. Why would he think that is okay? That would never be okay, ever. Trying to ruin a friendship that was partially ruined already. Trying to destroy it even further and potentially for good. I scoff.

I hate him. No, I wanted to hate him. Everything just didn't make sense. Why I still felt this strange attachment to him, even after every asshole thing he had done. I wanted to keep talking to him. But what I wanted even more? I wanted to not want to talk to him. I wanted to hate him and hurt him and be a complete jerk to him, but I couldn't. Because I didn't hate him, and I couldn't bring myself to hurt him. I couldn't do it, no matter how hard I tried to. My body stopped itself.

He had no problem doing it to me, though. That's the thing. All of the things he has done to hurt me, I can't do back. I wanted to, but couldn't. And it really sucked.