And All the Electric Stars Are Shining
Open Up Your Worried World And Let Me In
The cafeteria buzzed with the busy students rushing in and out of the lunch line. Tables filled with children laughing, eating, talking, living. Even in elementary, cliques already starting to form.
A lanky boy of about ten scanned the lunchroom for an appropriate table to sit, looking just as out of place as he felt. His blue eyes darting from table to table, group to group. He sighed, knowing that he would most likely be alone like he always was in every school he’d been to in his colorful, hard young life.
He just transferred after another one of his mother’s spontaneous moves. Sometimes the boy wondered if she even truly cared for him or if he was just another burden for her to carry.
Those same azure eyes found an empty table. Well, empty save for the small, shaggy haired boy residing on the far left side. He was slumped over his tray, not even eating although by the looks of his somewhat hollowed out cheeks, he could use a bite. He simply stared at it like he could eat the most likely despicable food with his look.
With his mind made up, the blue eyed boy carried his wobbly legs over to the smaller boy’s table. He placed his tray down, making a horrible clanking noise of plastic meeting faux wood. Recovering from his not-so-smooth entrance, he glanced at the smaller boy who suddenly moved and stood up quickly, about to leave him. The taller reached an arm out and grabbed the smaller.
“Hey, s’alright. You can stay.”
The smaller froze, a bit in shock that anyone would talk to him, let alone ask him to stay. His thick, reddish brown hair still obscuring his face as he lifted his head to see the owner of the arm for the first time.
“Wh-what?”
“It’s okay, dude. You can sit here. I’m new and I-I didn’t really know where else to go. If you wanna be alone I can sit somewhere else.”
“No. Uh, I mean…yeah, okay.”
Something struck the smaller boy. He just couldn’t bare to let the tall boy go. He only caught a glimpse of him and he already felt this warmth, this connection to him. He couldn’t stand to be left by yet another person.
“Alright, cool. Well, you can sit down again now,” the taller boy grinned, feeling his nervous, bad vibes quickly disappear being replaced with a feeling he was sure he hadn’t felt since he was three and without a care in the world. He liked the feeling a lot.
The smaller blushed softly and sat back down. After a few awkward moments with little or no chatter amongst them, the smaller resumed his stare down with his food. The taller watched him curiously.
“Why don’t you just eat it?”
“Huh?” the smaller snapped out of his daze.
“The food. I’m pretty sure it won’t eat itself.”
“Oh, um…” the boy blushed again. “I’m not that hungry.”
The blue eyed boy cocked an eyebrow at the poofy haired boy and glanced over him again once more. He wasn’t just small height wise, but all over. Thin, petite, looked like he hadn’t eaten in days.
“Hey, you really should eat something. You look like you need to.”
“Yeah, and you don’t?” the boy shot back, empty annoyance masking the fact that he embraced the caring gesture. His sad look would have given it away if his thick mess of hair didn’t cover it up.
“Well, at least I am eating it,” the blue eyed boy replied without skipping a beat, eating another forkful of Monday’s surprise.
The smaller boy grumbled, knowing he was beat and took a small bite of food. Happy that the taller no longer pestered him or even asked why he was so set against not eating anyway.
“So, what’s your name?”
“Michael. Yours?”
“Billie Joe.”
“Billie Joe?” the taller boy laughed.
“Yeah. You gotta problem with that?” spat Billie, obviously fed up with being made fun of about his mother’s strange choice in names.
“No, I like it. It’s cool. Billie Joe,” Michael repeated again, truly liking the way it sounded rolling off his tongue.
“I guess I like Michael too,” the smaller boy said after praying another blush didn’t escape the shroud of reddish brown hair.
“Call me Mike. My mom calls me Michael and I don’t like it. Makes me sound like a little kid and I’m not,” he added the last bit with a pout.
“Then call me Billie. How old are ya? I’m ten,” Billie said proud of his now two digit age as most adolescents are.
“Oh, I‘m ten too.”
“You still in fourth grade?”
“No, fifth.”
“Cool, I’m a fifth grader too. I think I saw ya in math class earlier.”
“Really? I wasn’t really paying attention. Just kinda nervous about today and all.”
“Oh. Yeah, well, I sit in the back too. And I um, I don’t really talk to people much,” Billie said quietly. He was always a bit shy around people, now he barely talks to his family anymore, not that he doesn’t want to, he just can’t. Not after what happened.
“You sure talk to me a lot,” Mike smiled.
“I dunno. I guess you’re different.”
Billie knew Mike was different. He hadn’t opened up to anyone in the last month since his father’s death. His mother can barely talk to him and yet he met this boy ten minutes ago and he already trusts him more than anyone else.
“People always say I’m different.”
“Well, I meant it in a good way,” Billie quickly answered, hoping he hadn’t said something wrong like he usually did.
Mike smiled. “Okay, cool.”
The bell rang shortly afterwards as the boys were in the middle of a pretty deep conversation about music. Billie was a bit apprehensive about telling the boy about his favorite band. When most kids their age had already started growing out their hair and listening to Ozzy and Iron Maiden, Billie stole his older brother’s Beatles’ records.
“Oh man, I guess we gotta go. Um, see you tomorrow.”
Mike really liked the smaller boy and the little discussion they just had. He hadn’t felt so normal and just wanted. He wasn’t like anyone else he ever met before. Maybe they could really be friends. Maybe he’d stay long enough for that to happen.
Billie glanced down, already becoming attached to the taller boy and wanting nothing more then to spend the rest of his day with him, getting to know him better. He’d always been a bit clingy but right now he needed a friend more than ever. Mike seemed like just the friend for the job.
“Um, okay. Yeah, I’ll see ya tomorrow.”
Mike smiled brightly at his only friend, icy blues shining happily.
“Bye, Billie.”
Billie looked up and pushed his hair out of his face and smiled back weakly. He really didn’t want to leave him. Billie knew he wasn’t going to class anyway and an idea struck him.
“Hey, you um. I-I know it’s your first day and all but, well, I’m not really gonna go to class. You wanna skip and, I dunno, go to the bathroom or something?” Billie tried to hide the extreme neediness in his voice and kept his look hopeful.
“Sure, yeah. Okay. How much fun would Social Studies be anyway?” Mike smiled back at the smaller boy whose eyes lit up as if all the electric stars were shining in them.
Both boys walked off towards the bathroom together, getting back into their previous conversation of music and laughing and joking more than they thought they ever could, neither knowing just how important the other will come to be.
A lanky boy of about ten scanned the lunchroom for an appropriate table to sit, looking just as out of place as he felt. His blue eyes darting from table to table, group to group. He sighed, knowing that he would most likely be alone like he always was in every school he’d been to in his colorful, hard young life.
He just transferred after another one of his mother’s spontaneous moves. Sometimes the boy wondered if she even truly cared for him or if he was just another burden for her to carry.
Those same azure eyes found an empty table. Well, empty save for the small, shaggy haired boy residing on the far left side. He was slumped over his tray, not even eating although by the looks of his somewhat hollowed out cheeks, he could use a bite. He simply stared at it like he could eat the most likely despicable food with his look.
With his mind made up, the blue eyed boy carried his wobbly legs over to the smaller boy’s table. He placed his tray down, making a horrible clanking noise of plastic meeting faux wood. Recovering from his not-so-smooth entrance, he glanced at the smaller boy who suddenly moved and stood up quickly, about to leave him. The taller reached an arm out and grabbed the smaller.
“Hey, s’alright. You can stay.”
The smaller froze, a bit in shock that anyone would talk to him, let alone ask him to stay. His thick, reddish brown hair still obscuring his face as he lifted his head to see the owner of the arm for the first time.
“Wh-what?”
“It’s okay, dude. You can sit here. I’m new and I-I didn’t really know where else to go. If you wanna be alone I can sit somewhere else.”
“No. Uh, I mean…yeah, okay.”
Something struck the smaller boy. He just couldn’t bare to let the tall boy go. He only caught a glimpse of him and he already felt this warmth, this connection to him. He couldn’t stand to be left by yet another person.
“Alright, cool. Well, you can sit down again now,” the taller boy grinned, feeling his nervous, bad vibes quickly disappear being replaced with a feeling he was sure he hadn’t felt since he was three and without a care in the world. He liked the feeling a lot.
The smaller blushed softly and sat back down. After a few awkward moments with little or no chatter amongst them, the smaller resumed his stare down with his food. The taller watched him curiously.
“Why don’t you just eat it?”
“Huh?” the smaller snapped out of his daze.
“The food. I’m pretty sure it won’t eat itself.”
“Oh, um…” the boy blushed again. “I’m not that hungry.”
The blue eyed boy cocked an eyebrow at the poofy haired boy and glanced over him again once more. He wasn’t just small height wise, but all over. Thin, petite, looked like he hadn’t eaten in days.
“Hey, you really should eat something. You look like you need to.”
“Yeah, and you don’t?” the boy shot back, empty annoyance masking the fact that he embraced the caring gesture. His sad look would have given it away if his thick mess of hair didn’t cover it up.
“Well, at least I am eating it,” the blue eyed boy replied without skipping a beat, eating another forkful of Monday’s surprise.
The smaller boy grumbled, knowing he was beat and took a small bite of food. Happy that the taller no longer pestered him or even asked why he was so set against not eating anyway.
“So, what’s your name?”
“Michael. Yours?”
“Billie Joe.”
“Billie Joe?” the taller boy laughed.
“Yeah. You gotta problem with that?” spat Billie, obviously fed up with being made fun of about his mother’s strange choice in names.
“No, I like it. It’s cool. Billie Joe,” Michael repeated again, truly liking the way it sounded rolling off his tongue.
“I guess I like Michael too,” the smaller boy said after praying another blush didn’t escape the shroud of reddish brown hair.
“Call me Mike. My mom calls me Michael and I don’t like it. Makes me sound like a little kid and I’m not,” he added the last bit with a pout.
“Then call me Billie. How old are ya? I’m ten,” Billie said proud of his now two digit age as most adolescents are.
“Oh, I‘m ten too.”
“You still in fourth grade?”
“No, fifth.”
“Cool, I’m a fifth grader too. I think I saw ya in math class earlier.”
“Really? I wasn’t really paying attention. Just kinda nervous about today and all.”
“Oh. Yeah, well, I sit in the back too. And I um, I don’t really talk to people much,” Billie said quietly. He was always a bit shy around people, now he barely talks to his family anymore, not that he doesn’t want to, he just can’t. Not after what happened.
“You sure talk to me a lot,” Mike smiled.
“I dunno. I guess you’re different.”
Billie knew Mike was different. He hadn’t opened up to anyone in the last month since his father’s death. His mother can barely talk to him and yet he met this boy ten minutes ago and he already trusts him more than anyone else.
“People always say I’m different.”
“Well, I meant it in a good way,” Billie quickly answered, hoping he hadn’t said something wrong like he usually did.
Mike smiled. “Okay, cool.”
The bell rang shortly afterwards as the boys were in the middle of a pretty deep conversation about music. Billie was a bit apprehensive about telling the boy about his favorite band. When most kids their age had already started growing out their hair and listening to Ozzy and Iron Maiden, Billie stole his older brother’s Beatles’ records.
“Oh man, I guess we gotta go. Um, see you tomorrow.”
Mike really liked the smaller boy and the little discussion they just had. He hadn’t felt so normal and just wanted. He wasn’t like anyone else he ever met before. Maybe they could really be friends. Maybe he’d stay long enough for that to happen.
Billie glanced down, already becoming attached to the taller boy and wanting nothing more then to spend the rest of his day with him, getting to know him better. He’d always been a bit clingy but right now he needed a friend more than ever. Mike seemed like just the friend for the job.
“Um, okay. Yeah, I’ll see ya tomorrow.”
Mike smiled brightly at his only friend, icy blues shining happily.
“Bye, Billie.”
Billie looked up and pushed his hair out of his face and smiled back weakly. He really didn’t want to leave him. Billie knew he wasn’t going to class anyway and an idea struck him.
“Hey, you um. I-I know it’s your first day and all but, well, I’m not really gonna go to class. You wanna skip and, I dunno, go to the bathroom or something?” Billie tried to hide the extreme neediness in his voice and kept his look hopeful.
“Sure, yeah. Okay. How much fun would Social Studies be anyway?” Mike smiled back at the smaller boy whose eyes lit up as if all the electric stars were shining in them.
Both boys walked off towards the bathroom together, getting back into their previous conversation of music and laughing and joking more than they thought they ever could, neither knowing just how important the other will come to be.