Love Fireworks

4

That was an experience full of emotions.

Sadness, anger, awkwardness...

Heartbreak.

Although Clyde and I are in the same school for 2 years, we are the same age and I felt like I'd just known him, I couldn't help but feel bad for him.

I didn't know he went through a lot.

And I'm not his girlfriend. Or even a friend.

I felt like comforting him but who knew what was going on in his head if I ever brought up the topic of Mackenzie.

But he seriously looked like he was beaten up badly and about to break down or something.

So, I should do the right thing and go approach him, noticing him sitting on one of the bleachers with his friends.

Ben and John saw me coming as I smiled at them.

"Alright, I'll see you later, man," John said as Ben fist-bumped Clyde. They then left both of us at the bleachers.

Clyde's face soon became brooding.

"Mind if I sit next to you?" I gingerly asked.

"Yeah, sure," he said, his voice emotionless.

I nodded and sat next to him, putting my backpack on my other side.

"Hey, you okay?" I asked softly. He just scoffed as an answer.

"Yeah, I guess so... I... don't know..." he then trailed off, sighing.

He turned his face to look at me, his eyes showing a bad mood but there was a spark of gentleness.

That made me smile reassuringly at him.

"If you want to tell me anything, don't hesitate. I'm open to anything." I said.

I wanted to put my hand on his shoulder, but I felt weird doing it since we barely knew each other.

But he smiled warmly at me and turned back to look at the field.

There was a peaceful for 5 to 10 minutes until I heard Clyde say,

"'Hearts can break. Yes, hearts can break. Sometimes I think it would be better if we died when they did, but we don't.'

Stephen King said that from Hearts in Atlantis. Feels like that's what Mackenzie did to me."

I love it that despite him being a stereotypical 'complicated bad boy who is always immersed in himself', he was also a slight bookworm, remembering quotes from works of famous writers.

He then sighed deeply, each breath of carbon dioxide containing despair.

"Mackenzie and I were a thing in Freshman year. Rumors were saying that I confessed to her but it was the other way around.

I didn't have feelings towards her at first but I simply accepted her confession to not break her heart." he narrated.

I felt my heart melting for him.

He is a gentleman he looks like a silly jock.

"So, we became a couple in school. Our parents didn't know, neither did anyone else until..." he then trailed off, as if he didn't want to look back on a memory.

A memory that might've been so horrible that if he were in a cannibalistic tribe, he'd be the first person to eat himself garnished with onions and tomatoes to avoid recalling that memory.

He then scratched the back of his neck, looking nervous. Something I rarely see in Clyde Harrison.

"Well, there's a memory I don't want to bring back. But I'd been keeping it for so long, I need to tell someone what happened..." he said.