Secrets we keep in bottles

Strawberry gummy sharks

                              Jacob
                         -----------------

"Ugh!" He growls in frustration. School textbooks and assignments pepper the bed around him in an unorganized fashion. Running a hand though his unkempt curls, he aggressively erases something off the loose-leaf sheet of paper, etching down what looks to be the correct answer. He was off his game today and he knew it. Practically a straight A student and he was ready to give it all up over this one silly science quiz.

Take a breath..

With a heavy exhale he abandons his work to avoid a burnout, if he hadn't stumbled upon it already, and makes the short trip down the stairs to the kitchen for a snack. It wasn't a secret to him that last night was what was throwing him off. 

What the fuck kind of response was that? Dumbass. 

He knew he couldn't have come up with a better one at the time which frustrated him most of all. He wasn't the best at expressing how he felt. Not when it really mattered. He knew a lot of things in his life would be a lot different, maybe not better but different, for him.  After he spent the night crying into his pillow, his eyes had a reddish bloodshot tint around the whites. As the morning had painfully dragged on despair turned into anger and unfortunately for his homework they were what he took it out on. Not the best idea for someone who was trying to get a passing grade.

He reached up to the high shelf by the fridge and took a packet of shark gummies from the box of ten sitting in the corner inside, sliding it back into its designated spot on the shelf soon after. Ripping it open he tosses the excess paper in the direction of the trashcan. 

He missed. The silver sliver of aluminum floats wildly to the ground.

Groaning internally he takes two steps, bends down and scoops it up, putting it in its intended destination. It would have been a lot less work if he had just done that to begin with but he hated admitting it to himself.

Popping a gummy into his mouth, he leans against the sink and draws his brows together.

He was just checking to see if I was a freak.

The soft jello squishes satisfyingly between his teeth, flavor exploding onto his tongue and fills his mouth as he chews. Delicious. He crushes two more gummies between his teeth, delighted to find they were strawberry flavored as well. Looking at the label he could see he had luckily grabbed a pack of one solid flavor as apposed to its usual mix with peach and grape. Maybe the day was going to turn around. His fingers were crossed. He pours the rest of the tiny packages contents into his mouth and tosses the wrapper into the trash, properly this time. Returning to his work right now didn't feel like such a good idea so after a brief discussion with himself he padded along to the front door and slipped on his Converse.

"Going out baby?" His mother called from the living room. She was tending to some knitting yarn she had recently purchased from the In-and-out store just outside the neighborhood.

"Yes Mama. I'm just going to take a walk." He replied, peeking his head into the den. "Do you need me to pick anything up while I'm out?"

"No I'm okay today." His mother glanced up at him and smiled warmly. "Just be back before dinner. Your fathers making Ratatouille." She pulled another loop of yarn through the opposite loop, muttering to herself as she pulled it back off and tried again.

"Alright." He pats his pockets down to make sure he had his key on him then shuts the door on his way out. Pulling his hoodie tighter around his body, he sets off down the road. Unsure of where to go in particular, he wanders around.

                                                                                         - - - -

A large chalk swirl decorates one side if the road and he steps aside to avoid smudging it. No doubt the Watersons kids drew it. They weren't too bad for second graders. It seemed like a few kids had the same idea he had, a small group of them flying past him on expensive looking bikes. Their laughter and playful insults echo as they continued to speed down the road.

"I vote for a re-spin."

He stuffs his hands into his pockets agian, picking off fuzz and rolling it into small balls. His feet take him down to the creek at the end of his neighborhood and he shrugs absently, finding a damp spot in the grass. Water ripples gently a few feet from him, rolling over stones and long strands of algae. For the first time all day he feels at peace. Previous anger no longer clinging to his nerves like rotten tar. Maybe things would turn out okay. Maybe the kiss would turn into a distant memory and they could return to how things were beforehand. Back to norm-

"Hey faggot!" Came a loud shout from the road behind him.

Startled, Jacob turns around, greeted with the towering sight of Mark Rull. A nasty taste begins to build up in the back of his throat and he makes a face of disgust. "What do you want, Mark." His tone drops to a dull volume and he turns back to face the water.

"Heard about your little game yesterday. Shame you didn't invite me, we could have made it a three way." He smirks venomously, making his way down the small hill twords where Jacob sat.

"Three way?"

"Yeah. You, Me, and your Boyfriend." He spits out the last word in clear hatred.

The word boyfriend shoots a ripple of anger into the smaller boy. "He's not my boyfriend. Even if he was we would never be interested in you, dick head." He grits his teeth and raises from his place in the grass. Anxiety buzzes through every inch of his body but he doesn't dare show it.

If looks could kill Jacob would be 6 feet deep in the ground right now. Mark reaches out and gives a hard push against his shoulders. His feet slip out from under him and he crashes into the earth. Mark chuckles and crouches over him.

"Dont get any ideas, gay boy. I wouldn't drean of kissing those lips." He hissed, amusement spreading across his face as he sees Jacob's pale. The smaller boys anxiety gets the better of him and he begins to tremble.

"Im not gay." He mutters, unsure if hes talking to Mark of himself.

"Keep telling yourself that. Better hope I don't see you around, maggot." He gives his palm a good lick and drags the moisture down Jacobs face before raising to his full height and walking off.

Jacob lets out a shakey sigh. Yuck. He wipes his cheeks off with his sleeve and sits up, glancing at his right elbow. Red flashes through the ripped seams and he frowns. Damnit. Raising to his feet, he decides its probably best to go home now. Pulling his hoodie over his head, he begins the walk back.