I Hold On

The kids aren’t bad. I’m just worried that they won’t listen to me since I’m new. I can’t get fired. I’m not at university or even college, I still live with my mother and I’m utterly broke.
There was a very different mix of kids here. There were some emo kids, rich preps, somewhat looking goths and then the normal people. It was like being back at school. Only they only seem to get on with each other. My eyes wander over them as they introduce themselves. Some only saying their names, others giving their life story. Everything went quiet until a little blonde boy spoke up.

“My name is Lyric, I’m fourteen. I’m an only child and I live with my mother,” he said quietly. I silently scoffed to myself, I’m still living with my mother and I’m nearing twenty. God I feel like a kid. I grin at him, he reminds me of a younger me because he seems to damn shy. That is, until he winked at me. What’s a fourteen year old boy doing winking at me? I hate kids these days. But he is cute, in a total non-paedophile way. I mentally slap myself.
Lyric keeps staring at me and I’m two minutes away from snapping. I look up at him and he stares right back.

“Vander” Tom calls.
“Yeah?” I get up of my stool.
“There’s some surveys I want you to hand out to the kids, and I want you to get started on a topic after lunch, as it is in,” he glances at his watch, “fifteen minutes, here, take these” he hands me a stack of paper which I can only imagine are the surveys. Poor kids, I hate these things.
I hand them out, trying to be as nice as possible, until one of the kids holds out their hand saying what sounded like “Pre-vuut” I take her hand slowly and shake it.
“It’s Russian for ‘hi’” she tells me and stalks off. At the rate, I slightly regret taking this job.

Feeling a tap on my shoulder I turn around and see the female team leader.
“Hi, Vander? I’m Debbie. I was just going to ask you if you minded taking Lyric out to lunch with you, it’s just he doesn’t like to go by himself because of certain people bullying him” said Debbie.
“Oh, yes, it’s fine” I put the remaining papers on the table to my left.
“Okay! People! It’s lunch!” Debbie shouted, clapping her hands, “be back in an hour, Lyric, come over here”

I watch as he nervously walks towards Debbie and nods his head slowly as she talks. He didn’t look very pleased. First he winks at me, and now he’s acting as if I’ll take him to an alley and kill him. I stride over, “so are we ready?” I ask him, again he nods and makes a bee line towards the door. I follow.