Sequel: Running With Scissors ›
Those Worse Off Than You
Part 8
"Guess what?" Ace asked me at lunch.
"What?"
"Well... in religious education, Mrs. Turner started talking about all these different religions and stuff... it was kind of cool."
I smiled, trying not to laugh." That's what was so exciting? No offense- but that's lame."
Ace started laughing, "Yea... I guess you're right," he looked down at his sandwich.
***
"Hey- do you believe in angels?" Ace asked after a few moments, finally taking his eyes of his sandwich, which he hadn't even started eating.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean like... God and the devil, and angels and demons and all that stuff..." He looked across the table and bit his lip, and his transparent grey eyes pierced through mine.
I looked out the window. "You mean like... life after death type thing?"
He put down his sandwich and started fiddling with his thumbs, "I... guess so."
"Well... I guess so a certain extent, yea. Sure, why not." I said, at first not thinking anything of it.
"Oh," he mumbled, picking off little pieces of bread and flicking them off the table.
"Why? What's wrong?" I asked.
"Nothing- I was just wondering..."
I tried to smile as I looked across the table at him, even though it didn't appear that he even cared I was there. "Oh. Alright then."
But after a few minutes of total silence and ripping apart his sandwich, Ace grabbed his bag and left without saying goodbye or anything. I just watched as he disappeared through the crowd and out the door, shocked. I finished my lunch and (feeling bad and thinking maybe there was something terribly wrong with my new friend), went outside with my bag over my shoulder, walking around the school, thinking maybe he'd be somewhere on the school ground. But he wasn't.
I looked down at my watch, and saw that there was still fifteen minutes before lunch was almost over. I walked in the main doors and down all the halls on the first floor, peeking in random classes to check if he was there. As I came up the stairs, I could hear a faint song coming from the music room and curiously approached and peered in the window. It was just a boy practicing guitar- maybe for his next class or something. I turned away and started down the hallway. I think I had just put myself in a bad mood. Feeling suddenly depressed, I got up and left. Walked right out the front doors and down the street, not caring if anyone would see me, or what my parents would say when they found out. Without thinking, my feet led me to the usual spot; a place where the grass had worn down in one spot from me being there so often. I dropped my bag on the grass and leaned against the crumbled tombstone lightly.
"What?"
"Well... in religious education, Mrs. Turner started talking about all these different religions and stuff... it was kind of cool."
I smiled, trying not to laugh." That's what was so exciting? No offense- but that's lame."
Ace started laughing, "Yea... I guess you're right," he looked down at his sandwich.
***
"Hey- do you believe in angels?" Ace asked after a few moments, finally taking his eyes of his sandwich, which he hadn't even started eating.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean like... God and the devil, and angels and demons and all that stuff..." He looked across the table and bit his lip, and his transparent grey eyes pierced through mine.
I looked out the window. "You mean like... life after death type thing?"
He put down his sandwich and started fiddling with his thumbs, "I... guess so."
"Well... I guess so a certain extent, yea. Sure, why not." I said, at first not thinking anything of it.
"Oh," he mumbled, picking off little pieces of bread and flicking them off the table.
"Why? What's wrong?" I asked.
"Nothing- I was just wondering..."
I tried to smile as I looked across the table at him, even though it didn't appear that he even cared I was there. "Oh. Alright then."
But after a few minutes of total silence and ripping apart his sandwich, Ace grabbed his bag and left without saying goodbye or anything. I just watched as he disappeared through the crowd and out the door, shocked. I finished my lunch and (feeling bad and thinking maybe there was something terribly wrong with my new friend), went outside with my bag over my shoulder, walking around the school, thinking maybe he'd be somewhere on the school ground. But he wasn't.
I looked down at my watch, and saw that there was still fifteen minutes before lunch was almost over. I walked in the main doors and down all the halls on the first floor, peeking in random classes to check if he was there. As I came up the stairs, I could hear a faint song coming from the music room and curiously approached and peered in the window. It was just a boy practicing guitar- maybe for his next class or something. I turned away and started down the hallway. I think I had just put myself in a bad mood. Feeling suddenly depressed, I got up and left. Walked right out the front doors and down the street, not caring if anyone would see me, or what my parents would say when they found out. Without thinking, my feet led me to the usual spot; a place where the grass had worn down in one spot from me being there so often. I dropped my bag on the grass and leaned against the crumbled tombstone lightly.