A young man with dark brown hair and soft gray eyes walked down the sidewalk of a small town , hands shoved in his pockets . A cool breeze blew through his wavy hair and raised goosebumps on his arms , he wasn't used to this weather . After passing rows on rows of townhouses , he finally reached the center of the town . The road he was on lead to a moonlit river the town was based on . He decided to follow this path and walked past various food shops . He reached an older restaurant that had a patio made of wooden beams and string lights under which teenagers his age sat . Pulling open one of the entrance doors , the boy walked planted his feet onto the checkered floor and closed the door behind him .
His gray eyes inspected the unfamiliar restaurant as he planted himself at the bar .
"Hey , kiddo . What can I getcha ta drink ?" The boy spun around on his stool to see a larger man with gray hair and a warm smile drying a cup .
"Sorry . I'm not really ... uh .. a regular here ." the boy chuckled at himself and smiled with the man across the counter .
"I can tell ," the man said , gesturing to the boy's loose fitting short sleeve shirt . "It's mighty cold out there , you're gonna catch somethin' , kid ." He reached under the counter and tossed the brown haired boy a gray sweatshirt that read 'Butler's Lighthouse Grill' . A slight grin grew on the boy's face as he pulled it over his head and inserted his arms through the sleeves .
"You're Butler , I'd assume ?"
"Nah . Just a guy servin Pepsis and cheeseburgers and listening to his boss ." The two shared a laugh . "You can call me Mr Gibson or just Gibson - that's what the other kids call me ."
"It's very nice to meet you , Gibson . My name's Casey ."
"Cool name , kid . I'll start you off with a Pepsi and we'll go from there ." Gibson placed a bottled Pepsi in front of Casey and they embarked in a conversation . After taking the last sip of his Pepsi , Gibson's brows furrowed as he peered to the back of the restaurant . Casey followed his gaze to a guy about his own age smoothing out a white line of artificial sweetener on a table .
"Chas , that's the eighth time this week . Come get a rag and clean that mess up before I call Deputy Morris ." The guy smiled and stood up , walking over to the bar and receiving the white rag . When he turned around , another guy with blond hair and blue eyes' nose was powder white and he swung around dizzily . The entire restaurant burst out laughing and even Casey let out a chuckle . Gibson trotted over to the table where the blue eyed guy sat and grabbed him by the collar , instructing him to never do it again or say goodbye to his meals at Butler's .
"I'd better get going ," Casey said , a smile on his face . Gibson chuckled and nodded , taking the empty glass bottle and putting it in the trash . Casey pulled a twenty dollar bill out of his wallet and set it on the bar , standing up and leaving the sweatshirt on the table as he exited the mellow restaurant . Casey ran his hand through his hair and began the walk back to his house . As he walked on the ledge between the road and the river , he whistled 'Dancing in the Moonlight' . He kicked a rock into the river that rippled the reflection of the moon .
After walking for a while down a dirt road along the river , Casey neared a gate between him and a large suburban house . Hopping the gate , he maneuvered his way around a large moving truck to the side of the house . He climbed up a tree and stepped onto the roof of the house and slid through a window into a bedroom - his bedroom . Several cardboard boxes were scattered around the room and an air mattress yet to be inflated lay on the ground . He made a pillow out of a blanket and laid down , staring at the ceiling as the caffeine in the Pepsi slowly faded .
Next Morning
Around three hours later , Casey found himself unable to sleep and stayed up all night - rather , morning . He stepped into his bathroom and got ready for his first day attending Pine Hills High School . Pulling a loose fitting shirt over his head , he slid a dirty pair of white shoes on and opened his window , setting one foot out . Someone began knock on his door .
