A Lunatic's Lament

1

"Do you guys want to hear a horror story?" the boy asked his friends who were sitting across the couch from him at the party.

"You? Tell a scary story? Oh please," his friend laughed at the notion.

"Trust me, I know a good one. In fact it's said to be a true story which happened to two boys a couple of towns over a few years ago," he enticed the others who had dared to listen in. Eager people gathered around, curious to hear of the story.

"It all started on your average Saturday night."

----

Kellin's POV:

It was loud in the arcade section that night. Pinball machines pinging at every chance they got. Teenagers talking, laughing and cheering on their friends who were competing in whatever game had captured their interest. It was your typical Saturday night here in the small town country town that I lived in. My friends, Jack and Gabe, were playing skee ball as I watched on happily.

"Do you guys want a drink?" I asked them.

"Nope," Gabe responded.

"Nah, we're good. Thanks though," Jack said.

Both of them were too immersed in the game, so I left them to it and went over to the concession stand. This place was a sort of hang out, it had everything for your entertainment really, like an arcade, pool tables and movie theaters, just to name a few. I got to the cashier and she smiled brightly, her dark red hair bouncing over her shoulders.

"How can I help you today?" she asked cheerily.

"Could I just get a regular coke?" I smiled back at her.

"Sure," she said and turned to retrieve it.

I felt a presence next to me and looked to my side, surprised to suddenly see another boy there, or more like a man. He was the same height as me, had pale skin, blonde hair and blue eyes. He looked older than me though. I think it was the scruffy stubble on his face that made him look that way.

"Hey there," he said, flashing a charming grin, "Let me buy that for you."

I had to admit, I was surprised that a guy was hitting on me. That didn't usually happen here. Almost everyone here knew each other, in fact almost everyone in town knew each other on a first name basis. This man I had never seen before in my life. Perhaps he was new to town or just passing through.

"Um, thank you for the offer, but I'm capable of paying for myself." I said, politely rejecting him.

"No really, I insist," the man said, being much too persistent for my liking.

"No really, I've got this," I said firmly.

I handed my money over to the girl who gave me the drink.

"Can't you tell when a guy is trying to win you over?" he asked.

I frowned in confusion. Why would he pick me? There's nothing particularly different or special about me.

"There's plenty of other people here you can win over. Why me?" I asked.

"Oh come on, pretty boy like you..." he said and smiled.

I admit, the attention was nice, but rules are rules and I can't date. He seemed a little too old for me anyway. The more I looked at him the more I saw he could probably be in his early 30s. Maybe he thinks I look older. Unlikely though.

"I, uh, I appreciate the thought, but I should really get back to my friends," I said, dismissing the conversation. I went to walk away but he stood in front of me.