Mercy, Love, and Other Useless Things

In The Words of Oliver Mason, "Fuck Soulmates."

When you grow up in a world void of colours you find beauty in other details. The intricacy of a design or the feeling the scene gives off. The dull world is one that so many reside in because there are so many people that don't meet the person that colours the world in a split second. There were times as a child that Oliver even doubted that a single look could blossom the colours around him. It sounded like a fairy tale. So he grew up believing the hues of gray were the only ones of which he'd ever see. He was okay with that.

That was until he met him.

~|~|~|~|~|~

    They said when you met your soulmate colour would suddenly swirl your vision. Nothing could've prepared Oliver for it, though. There was nothing as beautiful as all the colours of the rainbow suddenly painting your world as if an artist ran wild with a paintbrush in a split second. The breath caught in his chest all at once and Oliver could barely stand. The grays were gone and everything was so gorgeous. The prettiest thing, though, was the boy right in the middle.

    Light hair and tan skin, eyes the prettiest shade Oliver had ever seen in his seconds of colourful life. That boy had given him the gift of colour. He was the person who Oliver was meant to spend his life with... until he wasn't. Because he continued to walk, unphased and unbothered. While Oliver was breathless, the boy was calm and collected. Because he didn't see the swirls that Oliver couldn't take his eyes off of. If he did, he would've reacted. But he didn't. Suddenly, the colours didn't seem so bright anymore. How beautiful could they be when you're meant to have someone to admire them with, and you're staring at them all alone...?

    But Oliver held out hope. Just a sliver, at best, but it was something at least. Maybe he just hasn't seen me, yet, he'd told himself. It was unlikely but possible. Oliver couldn't help but hope for the best. He needed it.

    Before class, Oliver used the school computers to search up colours. Names and objects that surrounded the colours. He could've decided that red was his favourite colour if he hadn't gotten such a front seat view to the prettiest shade of green he's ever seen. Though, that could've been saying little to none considering his newly found colour awareness.

And then class started and the teacher introduced a new student to the class. It was him. Of course it was, and it was only more comical when he was seated right next to Oliver. His name was Alex. Alexander Holmes. He was tall and had the biggest grin. Oliver never had a chance.

    They didn't talk at first. It took ten minutes for Alex to introduce himself and only five after that to invite Oliver to have lunch with him and a friend. It turned out that friend had been the jumpy kid in class, Noah. Oliver didn't have any qualms with the boy, they didn't talk enough for that, all he knew was he got bullied sometimes and that he'd only moved to Lake Charles two years before. Oliver felt bad, he did, but there wasn't much he could do. Class went by quietly after that.

    Noah and Alex were glued at the hip as soon as the lunch bell rang.

    "We've been friends since we were kids!" Alex squealed. "He's my best friend."

Noah laughed.

"Yeah, after I moved we could only send letters," Noah explained, then moved his hand up in front of his mouth and leaned in toward Oliver, "his mom's crazy strict about phones."

"I can hear you."

"Am I wrong though?"

"...No."

"My point exactly," Noah huffed triumphantly.

"Let's just get lunch," Alex suggested. He ushered Oliver and Noah out of the classroom and into the hallway. "Lead the way, dude, I don't know where I'm going." Noah just nodded and the three started their walk to the cafeteria.