Monochrome beat (boyxboy)✔

Beat 14

For once in a while I concentrated in class. I listened to the teacher rave on and on about the subject at hand. I still doodled, but it wasn't as bad as before. I got in 20 minutes of education. I had already done that part of the subject at my previous school, but I listened anyway.

The bell rang and we changed classes. Fortunately I didn't have any classes with the quintuplets that day, not that it was any relief. They were going to wait for me somewhere. I didn't help that I walked home. Outside school grounds they would probably rough me up. I didn't have Orlando's iPod anymore. There was nothing that was going to save me.

"Hey Jax, want to meet up after school and just chill?"

It was during my last period of the day. The teacher had seemingly disappeared. Orlando had repeated those words, only replacing Amy's name with mine. He'd just a second ago asked Amy if she'd like to chill. She'd declined, saying as much as she liked the offer, she had chores to do. She'd seemed really upset that she couldn't chill with Orlando. Orlando had turned his attention on me.

We hadn't talked since our encounter earlier. I focused on doodling whenever I wasn't concentrating. Just because we hadn't talked didn't mean I didn't feel his eyes on me. He looked at me occasionally. I knew he was looking, waiting for a chance to speak and so I pretended I was busy.

I hadn't gone back on my decision to be nice to him, but I didn't intend on becoming friends. It had occurred to me that maybe I could make a friend, but...my monsters wouldn't let me. They crept up, reminded me that the world was full of predators, pretenders and perverts. I wished I could shake them off, but I couldn't. They were there with me every day, and intensified as soon as someone showed any interest in me.

I was scared of letting go.

"I can't. I...uh...I have to do something for my aunt," I replied hastily.

"Oh you live with your aunt?"

I nodded and looked down, focusing on my drawing.

"Did you recently move here?"

I took a silent deep breath.

"Yeah"

"From?"

"Longstate view," I mumbled.

"I know that place; played the basketball regionals there against...what's that school? I don't remember. Anyway, if you don't mind me asking; why'd you move?"

I minded him asking. I minded him talking, but I minded him asking more. It brought back fresh memories of the night mom kicked me out. Okay she didn't do that, but she might as well have done that. She'd decided she couldn't stand the sight of me any longer.

I didn't want to be rude, but I didn't want to answer either.

"I don't want to talk about it," I said politely, but firmly.

"Tis cool," Orlando said. He didn't seem offended or bothered. "Hey, where do you stay anyway? I could have sworn I saw you around my neighborhood the other day."

"Wasn't me."

"Yeah it wasn't. That mop of black hair isn't hard to miss. It's screaming 'please notice me', not at all inconspicuous," he said.

I suspected he was grinning. I looked up. I wasn't wrong. I automatically smiled, something that scared me. My smile faded quickly.

"I don't have a mop of hair," I huffed.

"Yes you do," he contested.

"You are just saying that because you don't have any," I said.

"Hey! I do have hair. It's just very...tiny," he said and laughed. I laughed too. When he managed to stop laughing he said, "By the way, I didn't say your mop of hair is bad. I like it... moppy and all."