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 Posted: Sat May 14, 2022 8:26 pm
Chad shifted nervously, twisting what was left of the Pop Tart in his hands so that it crinkled loudly and made him jump a little at the noise. He laughed, of course, because it was always easier to brush something off as funny. But it was superficial at best, and he soon went back to chewing so hard on his lip that it turned white.
“Shouldn’t I be doing it alone?” he asked, genuinely curious. “It’s no one else’s fault but my own. I just…” Wait, he didn’t want to admit to Elliot everything that was wrong with him. That would definitely scare him away.
He didn’t know what anyone else would be able to do if he wasn’t alone. It didn’t seem fair, and if Elliot was offering… well, he didn’t want to put Elliot through the things he was used to living with.
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Posted: Sat May 14, 2022 8:35 pm
“What’s the harm?” Elliot asked. He hadn’t laughed when Chad startled himself. “Students don’t learn alone, that’s why they have teachers, right?”
He didn’t really see what fault Chad was talking about, but he’d quickly come to suspect that there might not need to be one for him to be convinced he was somehow in the wrong.
Chad seemed lost and confused, and maybe he didn’t even know it. Or maybe Elliot was overstepping his boundaries and just assuming. Maybe he didn’t know what he was talking about. What he did know was that none of his friends ever talked about their parents like Chad talked about his father, and none of them were expected to just not get dirty.
“If you could have any one thing to help, what would it be?”
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Posted: Sat May 14, 2022 8:50 pm
Any one thing?
Chad stared at Elliot, still not sure how he was supposed to answer. He didn’t know what would help, or what he was even allowed to suggest. Elliot had already given him clothes to change into. That was one thing that helped! And he gave him some food the day before, so that helped too!
If nothing else, Chad just really, really wanted a friend.
He hadn’t noticed all the people that had been slowly filling the hall while they talked, but before he could figure out a way to respond, the bell letting them know they had five minutes before class started rang.
Of course, Chad jumped again, although he didn’t laugh this time.
“I-I should go,” he stammered and took a step back from Elliot. “You shouldn’t be late for class. Thank you for the Pop Tart!”
Maybe it was a good thing that he didn’t get a chance to answer. Maybe Elliot would still want to have lunch with him. Or maybe he would change his mind. Either way, Chad quickly turned to head to his class before Elliot had a chance to respond.
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