The Fireplace (BoyxBoy)

03. Oxeye

The hallway was completely silent as Jake exited the room. There was no noise, no other sound except for the gentle clicking of his shoes against the tiled floor. His books clutched under his right arm, he rounded the corner to where his locker was. He reached his locker without any mishaps, he didn't trip and fall or get lost on the way, and placed his books on the floor. Gripping the lock in his left hand, he spun the dial onto the numbers that would unlock it. Twenty-nine... two... eleven... click. The main body of the lock slid downwards from the latch, allowing Jake to open it and the locker door to swing open. Gathering the books he needed for his homework - for which he only had English and Modern History - he packed them in his bag and zipped it up, before closing his locker and attaching the lock again.

Jake then walked out of his school building and began his trek home. He hadn't made arrangements for either of his grandparents to come pick him up, in fact he flat out refused to get into any form of vehicle. Truthfully, Jake feared getting into one again - after the car crash he felt as if the only safe method of transport was walking. It took a lot of persuasion (and some sleeping pill powder mixed into his hot chocolate) to convince him to get in the car that drove him from Liverpool to Brighton, and he hadn't been in any since.

He knew the way to his grandparents' house. After all, he had walked to school from there in the morning; the route was locked in his brain. But he didn't want to go back to the house, not immediately at least. Instead, he let his feet guide him, ignoring the gaping stares he got from the people around him and the eyes that followed his motions. He couldn't help but snort at that, it was as if they'd never seen a physically deformed person before. Knowing the types of people who lived in that area of Brighton, of all places, they probably hadn't.

Jake's feet led him to turn left, then right, then left again. He didn't know where he was, he just trusted his instincts. Finally, after a while, he stopped at a park. There was a small, metal fence encompassing the grassy surface peppered with trees - with a lake close to where he was standing. A sign at the entrance read 'Queen's Park, Brighton and Hove'.

"Huh, fancy." he commented, walking into the park.

It was a beautiful place, prettier than he had seen from the outside. There were two white swans lazily paddling on the lake followed by a hoard of cygnets, eight grey birds who were excitedly splashing about in the water. Jake smiled as the smallest cygnet swam next to one of its parents, nuzzling into its side. The larger swan's neck bent as it rubbed the down of its baby with its bill. The other swan paddled to the back of the group, letting all the cygnets pass it before it began swimming - staying behind.

Taking a stroll around the lake, Jake finally found a spot that was perfect to sit - under the shade of a large tree. However, a small glint of light of light caught his eye and he turned to stare in its direction. Laying back on the grass, staring up at the sky, was the boy he sat next to in Art; Jake would recognise those tattoos anywhere.

He sat down next to the boy from his class. "Hi." was all he managed to get out. The resemblance was utterly striking - it reminded Jake of his time with Kolby. The two of them had sat under the shade of a tree, where the younger boy had begun a conversation with that same word. A conversation that would stick with Jake for as long as he lived. Maybe even longer.

Instead of replying though, the other boy turned on his side away from Jake. Jake repressed a sigh, reaching out to place a finger on the boy's semicolon tattoo. It was a simple tattoo - extraordinarily simple when compared to all the others.

"What are you doing?" he spoke, turning again to face Jake, severing the physical connection between them. He didn't even flinch when he saw Jake's scar. He just continued looking straight into his eyes.