Status: This story is finished:)
Lonely
001 - Alex
I went to school that day. It was a day like any other. Dark, rainy and awful. I didn’t know at the time why every day felt the same, why every day the clouds came over my head and my head only. My life was so bland. I still don’t know why I let myself feel like that. As I was walking into the schoolyard, I saw what I saw every day. I saw groups of three or four, standing together, laughing, having fun, and there were certainly no dark clouds over their heads. I also saw the empty bench, the bench I would be sitting on every time we had a recess. I would be listening to music, I would be leaning against the wall and look at the life, the fun, that happened around me. Everything I didn’t have.
I sat down at the bench, where I was until the school bell rang five minutes later. No one had talked to me. No one had made any notice of me. I don’t think anyone had even realized I was there at all.
I went inside the classroom. An hour later, an hour of math, boring math, I was walking towards the bench again. But it wasn’t empty this time. There was a boy there. Someone I had never seen before. I stood in front of him, expectantly. If I would stare at him long enough, surely he would understand and move away? But no, obviously, he kept sitting.
”Excuse me,” I said. “Can you please move? That’s my bench.”
He looked up at me, smiling. “Oh, really? I didn’t realize. Because, you know, I couldn’t see any name on it or anyone sitting here.”
Oh great, a smartass. Well, I figured, I could be a smartass back.
“What a shame. Please move.”
“Nope,” he said, still smiling. “You know, there’s plenty of space next to me.”
“Oh, well, that’s great, but you could move, and there would be even more space there, for me,” I answered. Why couldn’t he just go away? Was it really that hard?
“Oh come on,” he said, a bit more annoyed now, “Just sit down, for Christ’s sake. I’m not contagious.”
Reluctantly, I realized he wasn’t going to move, so I sat down. As far away as I could, of course.
“I’m Alex,” he said, extending his arm.
“Ok,” I answered, shaking his arm. He didn’t say anything more. We sat there, through the recess. The school bell rang again. We went in, silently. But next to each other.
I sat down at the bench, where I was until the school bell rang five minutes later. No one had talked to me. No one had made any notice of me. I don’t think anyone had even realized I was there at all.
I went inside the classroom. An hour later, an hour of math, boring math, I was walking towards the bench again. But it wasn’t empty this time. There was a boy there. Someone I had never seen before. I stood in front of him, expectantly. If I would stare at him long enough, surely he would understand and move away? But no, obviously, he kept sitting.
”Excuse me,” I said. “Can you please move? That’s my bench.”
He looked up at me, smiling. “Oh, really? I didn’t realize. Because, you know, I couldn’t see any name on it or anyone sitting here.”
Oh great, a smartass. Well, I figured, I could be a smartass back.
“What a shame. Please move.”
“Nope,” he said, still smiling. “You know, there’s plenty of space next to me.”
“Oh, well, that’s great, but you could move, and there would be even more space there, for me,” I answered. Why couldn’t he just go away? Was it really that hard?
“Oh come on,” he said, a bit more annoyed now, “Just sit down, for Christ’s sake. I’m not contagious.”
Reluctantly, I realized he wasn’t going to move, so I sat down. As far away as I could, of course.
“I’m Alex,” he said, extending his arm.
“Ok,” I answered, shaking his arm. He didn’t say anything more. We sat there, through the recess. The school bell rang again. We went in, silently. But next to each other.
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This is really short, because it's a relatively short text that I think would be a bit too long for one chapter.Comment?:)