Darkness' Delusions

Chapter three

CHAPTER three

"Are you okay?" I sit my chocolate milk on the ground and bend down to offer the boy a hand. My nose wrinkles as I do, the olfaction of the boy and the garbage is horrendous. In my other hand, I hold my donuts. The smell from them still releasing in the air.

The boy turns down the offer. He keeps his head down and avoids any type of eye contact with me or Gabe. Which must be easy with all that hair he has. His wavy dark brown hair covers his eyes and most of his face. He only pushes it slightly out of the way when he decides to answer me. "I'm fine, thank you." He stands up all the way and wipes off any extra garbage debris that might still be on himself. And now that I get a better look at him as far as his stature, it's clear that he is not a little boy as I was picturing before. He's a little shorter than Gabe, but that's not new. Gabe's always been taller than most boys around his age. From the looks of it, although I still can't see his eyes or face all the way, he looks to be around the ages of sixteen or seventeen. I don’t know. I’ll have to ask.

"What were you doing in there?" Gabe walks over to sit the garbage can upright and looks at the boy.

His face still held down, the teen boy answers, "I-I wasn't...doing anything-I mean I was just looking for something. That's all." He puts his hands in the pockets of his very worn out jean pants.

"Where do you go to school?" I ask him. In this country, it's either school or juvie and homeschool, of course, is not an option. So, he must attend somewhere.

"Umm...I have to go right now." he says.

Gabe and I look at each other. We both know it's obvious that the boy is lying. So, now I do wonder how he hasn't been taken to juvie yet? Surely, we're not the only ones to have come across him. Surely a policeman somewhere has spot him walking about in the streets. I wonder what made them not arrest him? Maybe they felt bad for him. He does look very skinny and in need of taking a good bath. He's probably hungry too. And it looks like he hasn't groom himself in a great while. Must be homeless...that's my only conclusion. Gellvin sure seems to think so. He's asking him right now if he's hungry or not. But the boy, probably lying again, shakes his head no. Gellvin lets out a sigh and decides to just walk on, nudging me to do so to. But I just can't seem to go on. Those skinny arms of the boy speaks louder than any words. And since food has always been something dear to me, I can't imagine how it would feel to go days and days without it. Yes, he was looking for something in that garbage can. And what was he looking for? Food. That's what it was. And even though I would like to eat every bite of the donuts I have left, I decide to do what I know is right. I hand my half bitten donut along with my whole one that is wrapped inside the wax paper over to the boy. "I want you to have it." I say.

He starts to shake his head to object, but it's obvious that it's a struggle for him. He knows as well as I do that he's very hungry. "I...I can't— "

I quickly cut him off. "Please take it, I'm not hungry. I just didn't want to waste it or anything. You'd be doing me a favor by accepting it."

His lips creep into a smile. "Thank you. God bless you." And I don't exaggerate when I say those donuts are gone in two bites. I try to offer my chocolate milk to him too but he won't accept it by any means. He just tells me thanks again and bids me a farewell. I tell him goodbye too and watch him walk down the street until I can't see him anymore.

"Where do you think he'll go?" I ask Gabe.

"I'm not sure. Maybe a shelter or an abandon building. I do hope he does have a place to stay." He says earnestly.

"Me too." I tell the ground. I pick up a rock and throw it somewhere for good measure. Ugh what’s my issue with rocks?

We end up being five minutes late to school which really elates my Grammar teacher, Mrs. Spits, with joy. She loves witnessing the bad things I do since I'm a Christian. It gives her something to use against me. And she certainly takes advantage of those opportunities. "Enza!" Her extraordinarily high voice addresses me when I first walk into her classroom. "I heard you were late today. Your first hour teacher, Mr. Standford, said you were exactly five minutes and thirty seconds late to your class. Tsk...tsk...what a shame. Although, Mr. Stanford did not require it, I want you to give a two minute presentation tomorrow in my class on the importance of being on time for school."