Boy. 17. Lost.
Aaron is at his last year in high school when he sees his reflection in the mirror and cries. His whole life is a mess, with him always fighting with his thoughts. Depression has always been in his bloodstream, with dark clouds circl...
Aaron stares at his own reflection in the locker, recalling everything he did in his previous class. ''God...no...'' comes only after he could stop the turbulent shaking of his legs. ''What...just happened?''.
His dread towards his reflection multiplies when the combination of the locker just wasn't favoring him. 6146, wasn't it? Infuriated, Aaron bangs the locker, his palm reddening to reflect the pain inflicted, both in and out. As he stares at his grim reflection again, another, more grimmer one just appeared next to him.
'' Hey new kid....who do you think you are !?! '' . Before he could even turn back, he pins Aaron's neck to the same area Aaron banged on the locker and lifts him. Aarons eyes need not open any wider as he could smell the cheap leather of his biker jacket and know exactly who it is. Shae Donnogan, of course. Also known as the Biker, his attitude towards biking has made him an admirable model across the whole school. Aaron feels the rough, torturous texture of the cowhide leather of his half-fingered biking gloves as his strengthens the grip . '' I saw you from the first day; eyeing Irina's shoes then her thigh and I wished I could run you over with my bike. Listen kiddo, if you evvvveerr----''.
'' Looks like someone just got friendzooooonnneeed!!!''. Aaron feels like the grimmest of all reflection appeared in the scene, but quickly changed his mind. '' Boy, Shae. You should've asked Irina out a loonnng time ago. Last year she rejected one valentine offer just for you!''. Shae releases Aaron as he rubs his neck and focuses on the woman with the cheerleader uniform and a velvet scarf round her neck. ''Shut it, Ash. You know nothing!''. As her brows shoot up in an mocking way, Aaron doesn't waste a second recognizing who it is.
'' Don't spill and splatter your friend-zoned emotions on this poor lad'' she says before he notices it's Aaron and her blushing indicates she wants to take her words back. '' Oh, my bad. Isn't it Aaron the wrapper-eater? Heyyy. I'm Ashley--''.
''South. I know you. You are the daughter of the former mayor, right? Also the lead in the cheerleading team.'' Aaron says in a struggling voice. '' O-kay...that's nice! Well...nevermind my knucklehead friend here. He's just...desperate for a date ever since I took his bestfriend Zach'', she says with a smile that brings vibrant dimples on her cheek. If not for the locker and Shae freaking Donnogan, he'd definitely fall for her. ''Well...Irina is really sorry for that incident, on behalf of this oaf. Anyways, it's really nice meeting you, Mr. Aaron-?''
"Reeves. Try not to say Wrapper -eater next time, I guess? Hehe'' and they both exchange nervous smiles. ''And YOU TRY NOT TO BECOME THE SON OF KEANU REEVES NEXT TIME AND B*TCH AROUND, I guess?''. Shae gives one robust push, and then they both leave for class, leaving Aaron still struggling with his locker.
He cycles home faster than usual. Rushing through the hall, he pauses as his mother calls from the kitchen. ''Aaron, dinner!''. He proceeds without listening what she has to say afterwards. As he ascends the staircase, his eye catches the photo gallery next to it, on just that one picture.
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He doesn't bother running his fingers on the photo, leaving finger-prints all over it. It's him, just 7 years ago, during his 10th birthday when his parents decided to call a superb party to celebrate a decade of Aaron Reeves. Little Reeves insisted t it would be a 'friends-only' party, and so was agreed. He'd wish he never said that. As his parents made a pompous arrangement, it soon struck them that guests weren't coming. It was until after 10 pm when the intimidated eyes of their son proved that they were the only guests in this party. The present-day Aaron feels like breaking the glass of this picture like it's a fire alarm, as if to extinguish the fire inside him.
Reaching his room, Aaron tears a page from that same textbook meticulously. He clears his head, and clutches his pencil as he focuses all his emotions in it. With hands still shaking and two half-sobbing eyes, Aaron writes ' FRIENDS' and then cuts it and writes ' PEOPLE I HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT' on top and starts listing.
'Irina'
' Shae Donnogan'
'Ashley South'
'Mr.Nestor' but cuts this soon.
He spends full 10 minutes on the next name. Doesn't find any . Aaron wonders why he left a line gap after every name. What does he intend to write there? Descriptions? More names? He looks at the blankness of this paper. Only 20% of it is filled up, only if you include the 15% of the gaps. He looks at the border of the paper; no margin and that stretches to infinity. His eyes sprinting on the edges, Aaron wondered if he can ever get this paper filled. With no names on his mind, he clutches his pencil further, and as it was about to break, a knock is heard on the door.
'Aaron, this is your last goddamn call for dinner'. Aaron throws both the paper and then pencil out of the window and looks at his injured palms while washing his hand, shell-shocked.
