you and i [BxB]

2

Today was November 5th the day that Angelo will never forget. The image of that day is etched deep within him; almost like it is now embedded in his veins. It was currently five in the morning and everyone in the hotel was asleep. Angelo was already up with his hood on, ready to visit his parents. Not the ones in foster care, but his actual biological parents.

At exactly six in the morning on this day, his parents were murdered right in front of him; he was safe, only because he was hidden well enough for the killer to not see him. Angelo has always lived in the rough ends of town where crimes happened left and right. What seemed to be an ordinary robbery, ended up killing both of his parents.

He was only nine at the time. It has been exactly eight years since then. As soon as he had the things he needed, he walked out the back doors and headed to the cemetery. He got there at quarter to six and he stood in front of his parent's grave. Thoughts of sadness, anger, and regret were covering his mind. He wanted nothing more than to be able to see them and tell them how much he truly loves them.

If there was one thing, he wished he could've done, it's to take back the last things he said to them in exchange for a simple "I love you." He knelt down and traced his fingers onto the engravings of their names and the date they passed away. Before he began talking, he glanced at his phone and made sure that it was six o'clock exactly.

"Hey...I bet you're shaking your head at me right now and I don't blame you" Angelo let out a chuckle that sounded sad to anyone who heard him.

"I can't tell you how much I miss and need you right now" His words were trembling as he played with his hoodie strings.

"Why do people leave when you need them the most? Mom, Dad...I love you and I'm so sorry for being the way I am. I just wanted to tell you that I don't know how much longer I can take. Without you being here, I don't think there really is a reason for me to stay" Just then he heard footsteps and the rustling of tree branches. He quickly turned around and balled his fits in rage. How dare someone eavesdrop on such a sensitive moment?

"WHO THE HELL IS THERE?" Angelo screamed in utter frustration. He saw a sliver of a face and instantly recognized the person. It was the same boy that he caught staring at him the day before.

"I-I am so sorry, I wasn't trying to interrupt or anything-"

"Tell me why you did" The boy had a maroon beanie and a dark green jacket. His glasses were a bit slanted as he readjusted them on the bridge of his nose.

"Well, this is the path I take to school, and class starts in about forty minutes. So, I was simply walking, nothing more nothing less"

Already Angelo hated this kid. He wasn't buying his explanation claiming that he always takes this path. It couldn't be true since this neighborhood was full of homeless people and by the looks of it, Angelo could tell this kid came from a wealthy home. The boy had a maroon beanie and a dark green jacket. His glasses were a bit slanted as he readjusted them on the bridge of his nose.

He hated being lied to by someone who clearly wanted to barge into his life unwelcomed. He glared at him before he began doing what he does best; making people feel weak. "Wow and let me guess, you're going to admit that you're an actor who has won an Oscar now aren't you? Or wait, were you just headed to your private jet to get the hell out of this small town?"

"Excuse me?"

"I do not repeat myself and don't play dumb cuz I know that you heard me loud and clear" The boy was just about to question him again, but Angelo wasn't letting him.

"You're just another rich kid pretending like he cares only to meddle into the business that has got nothing to do with them. You wouldn't understand the struggles that what you call commoners go through. I bet your father and mother are proud of your many accomplishments and your generosity but let me make one thing very clear I AM NOT YOUR DAMN CHARITY CASE SO FUCK OFF!"

Rage has taken full control of his body as he breathed heavily. The boy now stood a few feet away from him with a blank expression. Angelo was confused by this since whenever he yelled at people with the same intensity that he had right now, they'd do one of two things. Either run away crying, or fight back, but this boy wasn't doing anything.

He just stared at him like he was waiting for something.

"What? Too scared to say anything-"

"It's ironic, isn't it?" Angelo looked at him with a frown of confusion." What did he mean by that?

"People will only take into account the outer appearance of an individual, but still demand to be looked at deep inside, even you" Angelo was about to protest, but was stopped when the boy continued.

"There are posters and flyers of a missing child. The words that describe this certain individual are things like drugs, alcohol, tattoos, and piercings, but by the looks of it, you do not like that at all. You want to be looked at from a different angle, but too afraid to let others inside. You were hurt once and refuse to be again. Am I right?"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!"

The tables have been turned; Angelo is now the one feeling weak at this point. Nobody has ever even tried to talk back to him the way this guy was, and Angelo didn't know how to fight back.

"See that's exactly it. You're mad because I have only made random assumptions that I have gathered from the way you look. Even if I was able to get some of those correct, I am missing a huge part of who you are; something that can only be understood if the person is looking at them from the inside" They both stood there as the boy paused for a few moments longer.

The way he spoke drove Angelo crazy. He couldn't fight back since he agreed with most of what he was saying. Everything that Angelo has felt or was feeling current was being worded perfectly by this boy he doesn't even know.

"Neither of us tried to look inside to where it counts. And that was our mistake. But do not judge me by my appearance alone because then you will miss something that explains it all"

He scanned Angelo's expression before he continued.

"For a person who cares about what is on the inside, you have looked at me in a shallow manner' "What are you trying to say?"

"You are turning into those that you hate the most" With that, the kid turned around making a detour in order to avoid making any more contact with Angelo. After he turned a corner Angelo started reflecting himself. The boy's words were really getting to him.

He was right, after all, he was being a hypocrite. He hated being judged by and labeled into a group, yet he was doing just that. No one has ever made him feel this way before. Angelo actually felt remorse for hurting another's feelings which is something that doesn't happen to him.

The hate that he felt for the boy was now changing to curiosity. He wanted to know more. He needed to know more. A person like this cannot simply waltz into his life just to say something incredible and then leave. Angelo had to figure out this guy on his own. What made him the kind of person to say the things he has just said and thought the way that he thought?

Whatever it was, Angelo needed it in his life, and he was going to get it whether the kid wanted it or not.