Hello My Name Is...
New Kid On The Block
After school that same day...
Seth and Reese made their way to their homes. Seth was glad it was a long walk, and would walk it as slowly as possible. He knew the moment he stepped into that house, a shitty day at school would seem tame compared to what was to come.
"You should do something about this man, it ain't right," Reese said, kicking a rock with his faded gray Etnies.
Seth spat onto the sidewalk, not looking at his friend. There was no point having he same conversation over and over again.
"I mean, call the cops, or get child services involved! Something!" Reese exclaimed.
Seth continued to walk, ignoring everything that was said. Reese was irritated, feeling helpless. He hated seeing his best friend like this all the time, everyday. He had first found out about the beatings the night Seth ran away from home. He ran all the way to Reese's house, and hid out there for a couple days in the basement. His parents called the police, and they eventually found him at Reese's, where they hauled him off back to his home. The next day at school, Reese found cigarette burns on his friends shoulders.
"Look, if you don't do something about it, I will!" Reese shouted angrily, quickening his pace to get home as quickly as possible.
He was stopped when Seth caught up to him and shoved him into a parked car.
"Don't you dare!" Seth hissed into his friends ear, "Don't you dare do that to me!"
Reese tried his best to free himself from his friends powerful clutch, but gave up when he felt Seth squeeze his neck even tighter.
"You go and do that, my father will beat me even bloodier, then my mother. Then, when they take him away, they'll put me in a foster home, take my mother away. Who is going to look after her man?! Who's gonna spring my brother out of the joint?!" Seth shouted, pounding the car with his fist.
Reese squirmed and freed himself, getting distance from Seth.
"I'm only trying to help man! If someone doesn't get you help, your old man is gonna end up killing you!" Reese shouted as he rubbed his neck where Seth had clamped his irate hand.
"Forget it man, I'm out of here," Reese said, and walked off alone.
Seth cursed under his breath, giving the parked car a hard kick, denting in the exterior of the drivers side door. He didn't care, wasn't his car. Seth continued his dreadful lonely walk, cursing himself still. He wished he hadn't been to hard on Reese, but he didn't anyone else to find out. Reese had been about keeping the matter a secret, but this was Seth's problem, not his.
"Excuse me! Hey you!" a girls voice called out from nowhere.
Seth looked around in confusion, trying to pinpoint the voice. He finally rested his eyes on a girl standing in a front yard of a townhouse up on a hill in the suburbs. He sighed in annoyance, he had to get home. He couldn't be too late, or his father would another reason to beat him.
"What?!" Seth replied rudely, glaring at the girl.
She responded to his rude reply with a smile and a wave, "Hey there! How are you?
He grumbled to himself, another one of those peppy prep girls. He tried to keep walking, but she stopped him again.
"I'm sorry dude, but could you give me a hand?"
Seth stared at her, what did she want?
"What?! What do you want?!" he said wearily as he looked at her.
"Could you come a little closer? So we don't have to keep shouting at each other? I just need some help real quick is all!" the girl responded, waving him over.
Seth shrugged and climbed the crooked worn concrete steps that would lead him to where she stood.
"You know you're in the Ureno's yard right?" Seth said, setting his bag down heavily.
"Who? Oh, they must be who used to live here! I'm Elle, I just moved here yesterday!" the girl said happily, extending her hand in greeting.
Seth accepted it reluctantly, not wanting to be rude. Especially to this girl, she was actually fairly attractive, with brownish red hair and light brown eyes. She smiled at him and blushed, aware that he was looking her up and down. Seth cleared his throat, trying to break the tension.
"I'm Seth, I live down that ways. Ugh...welcome to the neighborhood.." he said plainly as he pointed a little further down the beat up sidewalk and road.
"You seem like the skater type, so I thought maybe you of all people could help me with this," Elle said, bending over to pick up a brand new skateboard.
"What do you mean? It looks good to me.." Seth said, looking the skateboard over.
"Well it is...sort of. I mean, I went and assembled it together myself, but it doesn't seem to want to work right. When I ride it, the wheels swerve and won't stay straight. I thought maybe you could help," she said, looking embarrassed.
Seth felt bad for her, a cute girl like her, trying to work a skateboard. She was wearing skater attire, the label and clothing, but yet, she didn't know how to use a skateboard?
"How long have you been skating Elle?" he asked, taking the skateboard from her and giving it a better inspection.
"Not too long. I've never had to worry about putting one together myself, cause my ex-boyfriend would always do that for me. Oh, I'm originally from Cali by the way, lots of skaters there aside from Seattle," she said with a little giggle.
Seth found himself annoyed by her carefree attitude. He flipped the skateboard over and found the problem.
"Nice board, a Burton double kick flip tail. It's not a recent model, but it's still a choice board. I found your problem though," he said, turning the skateboard over and pointing at the front and rear trucks.
"They're the wrong size nuts and washers first of all, and you don't even have them tight enough," he said, a slight tone of annoyance in his voice.
She smiled bashfully, "Oops, silly me right? It's a good thing you came by, or else I'd be stuck doing nothing today!"
Seth grumbled to himself and returned the board to her, "Look, I gotta get home now. But that is your problem, so now you know how to fix it okay? Be careful using your daddy's tool box okay?"
Elle's eyes darted down to the ground, "I won't. I'll be okay. Thanks again."
Seth grabbed his bag and headed back down the rickety old stairs. He looked back at her, this new girl who moved into his neighborhood. She was sitting quietly on the front stoop, holding the skateboard on her lap. Her long hair hid her face, and it looked like she was crying. Oh well, not his problem.
Seth and Reese made their way to their homes. Seth was glad it was a long walk, and would walk it as slowly as possible. He knew the moment he stepped into that house, a shitty day at school would seem tame compared to what was to come.
"You should do something about this man, it ain't right," Reese said, kicking a rock with his faded gray Etnies.
Seth spat onto the sidewalk, not looking at his friend. There was no point having he same conversation over and over again.
"I mean, call the cops, or get child services involved! Something!" Reese exclaimed.
Seth continued to walk, ignoring everything that was said. Reese was irritated, feeling helpless. He hated seeing his best friend like this all the time, everyday. He had first found out about the beatings the night Seth ran away from home. He ran all the way to Reese's house, and hid out there for a couple days in the basement. His parents called the police, and they eventually found him at Reese's, where they hauled him off back to his home. The next day at school, Reese found cigarette burns on his friends shoulders.
"Look, if you don't do something about it, I will!" Reese shouted angrily, quickening his pace to get home as quickly as possible.
He was stopped when Seth caught up to him and shoved him into a parked car.
"Don't you dare!" Seth hissed into his friends ear, "Don't you dare do that to me!"
Reese tried his best to free himself from his friends powerful clutch, but gave up when he felt Seth squeeze his neck even tighter.
"You go and do that, my father will beat me even bloodier, then my mother. Then, when they take him away, they'll put me in a foster home, take my mother away. Who is going to look after her man?! Who's gonna spring my brother out of the joint?!" Seth shouted, pounding the car with his fist.
Reese squirmed and freed himself, getting distance from Seth.
"I'm only trying to help man! If someone doesn't get you help, your old man is gonna end up killing you!" Reese shouted as he rubbed his neck where Seth had clamped his irate hand.
"Forget it man, I'm out of here," Reese said, and walked off alone.
Seth cursed under his breath, giving the parked car a hard kick, denting in the exterior of the drivers side door. He didn't care, wasn't his car. Seth continued his dreadful lonely walk, cursing himself still. He wished he hadn't been to hard on Reese, but he didn't anyone else to find out. Reese had been about keeping the matter a secret, but this was Seth's problem, not his.
"Excuse me! Hey you!" a girls voice called out from nowhere.
Seth looked around in confusion, trying to pinpoint the voice. He finally rested his eyes on a girl standing in a front yard of a townhouse up on a hill in the suburbs. He sighed in annoyance, he had to get home. He couldn't be too late, or his father would another reason to beat him.
"What?!" Seth replied rudely, glaring at the girl.
She responded to his rude reply with a smile and a wave, "Hey there! How are you?
He grumbled to himself, another one of those peppy prep girls. He tried to keep walking, but she stopped him again.
"I'm sorry dude, but could you give me a hand?"
Seth stared at her, what did she want?
"What?! What do you want?!" he said wearily as he looked at her.
"Could you come a little closer? So we don't have to keep shouting at each other? I just need some help real quick is all!" the girl responded, waving him over.
Seth shrugged and climbed the crooked worn concrete steps that would lead him to where she stood.
"You know you're in the Ureno's yard right?" Seth said, setting his bag down heavily.
"Who? Oh, they must be who used to live here! I'm Elle, I just moved here yesterday!" the girl said happily, extending her hand in greeting.
Seth accepted it reluctantly, not wanting to be rude. Especially to this girl, she was actually fairly attractive, with brownish red hair and light brown eyes. She smiled at him and blushed, aware that he was looking her up and down. Seth cleared his throat, trying to break the tension.
"I'm Seth, I live down that ways. Ugh...welcome to the neighborhood.." he said plainly as he pointed a little further down the beat up sidewalk and road.
"You seem like the skater type, so I thought maybe you of all people could help me with this," Elle said, bending over to pick up a brand new skateboard.
"What do you mean? It looks good to me.." Seth said, looking the skateboard over.
"Well it is...sort of. I mean, I went and assembled it together myself, but it doesn't seem to want to work right. When I ride it, the wheels swerve and won't stay straight. I thought maybe you could help," she said, looking embarrassed.
Seth felt bad for her, a cute girl like her, trying to work a skateboard. She was wearing skater attire, the label and clothing, but yet, she didn't know how to use a skateboard?
"How long have you been skating Elle?" he asked, taking the skateboard from her and giving it a better inspection.
"Not too long. I've never had to worry about putting one together myself, cause my ex-boyfriend would always do that for me. Oh, I'm originally from Cali by the way, lots of skaters there aside from Seattle," she said with a little giggle.
Seth found himself annoyed by her carefree attitude. He flipped the skateboard over and found the problem.
"Nice board, a Burton double kick flip tail. It's not a recent model, but it's still a choice board. I found your problem though," he said, turning the skateboard over and pointing at the front and rear trucks.
"They're the wrong size nuts and washers first of all, and you don't even have them tight enough," he said, a slight tone of annoyance in his voice.
She smiled bashfully, "Oops, silly me right? It's a good thing you came by, or else I'd be stuck doing nothing today!"
Seth grumbled to himself and returned the board to her, "Look, I gotta get home now. But that is your problem, so now you know how to fix it okay? Be careful using your daddy's tool box okay?"
Elle's eyes darted down to the ground, "I won't. I'll be okay. Thanks again."
Seth grabbed his bag and headed back down the rickety old stairs. He looked back at her, this new girl who moved into his neighborhood. She was sitting quietly on the front stoop, holding the skateboard on her lap. Her long hair hid her face, and it looked like she was crying. Oh well, not his problem.