Itty Bitty Stories

Me and the Weirdo

Me and the Weirdo

I’ve always found him…different. He’s different than all the other guys at this lousy high school. The other beefed up, testosterone-filled jocks are always talking about who won what football game that was on last night. He just sits there, hood up, and doodle. He isn’t as beefy as the others, but you can tell there’s muscle. He doesn’t like people, I presume, because he never talks to them.

His eyes are hard to spot because of the hood. They’re a hazel. Not too dark, not too light. Like honey. His hair is the same color. But he likes to keep his head covered by his hood. He can’t ever sit still. Always tapping a pencil or his foot. And he always sits in the back; most of the time, near me. That’s why it’s so easy to observe him.

I never act upon anything. I just sit and observe. I don’t dare talk to him. I keep quiet, like him. I spend half my time worrying about the class assignments, and the other half watching him. I’ve done it since junior year. It’s when I first had classes with him.

I’m pretty sure he has no clue who I am. If I asked him if he knew my first name, he’d probably say ‘no’. Not that I mind; not many people really know me. I blend in with the walls, I go unnoticed. Like shadows. And I love it. It’s more fun to observe people than be the people that are being observed.

The bell rings, making me jump out of my thoughts. In this process, I somehow manage to jerk my hand. My hand hits my pencil, and it flies off the table. I sigh, bending down to get it, but I stop. I stare at the hand that caught it. My eyes trail up the arm to see I’m staring into Cody Earely’s hazel honey eyes.

“Here, Taylor,” He says lowly, eyes never leaving mine.

He knows my name.

“Thank you,” I say slowly, grasping it from his hand. I try hard not to think how warm they are, and focus on shoving my pencil into my backpack. I don’t say another word; I grab my bag and twist out of my seat, rushing out the door. 

The last class of the day. I can go home and relax for a couple of hours; then start on my homework. I like when it gets dark out, towards the night time. I can sit out on the balcony and do my homework. I can watch the lights of Chicago dance. The whole city lights up and I have the whole view of it. It relaxes me even more.

The only thing that does suck is that I have to walk to my mom’s apartment. It’s a long walk, but I don’t mind it. I watch people as I go. Sometimes I take shortcuts; there’s alleyways that I know my way around. But that’s only if I know I can be quick. I don’t like thinking about what crawls around in there.

So, as I leave the school, I don’t even see Cody watching me as I leave.

________________________

Three cartons of Chinese food and five hours later, I’m outside, finishing up my homework on the balcony. The balcony is more like a huge patio, but raised about twenty stories off the ground. My mom owns it; it’s gorgeous. The whole city lights up and I can watch it all. There’s a TV and everything; so usually, I play music while I do my homework.