The Art Of Loving

Dico looked over at Ville, who was sitting under a tree, drawing in his sketchbook. “Hey look, it’s that weird foreign kid,” he pointed out, causing the rest of the gang to glance over at him.

Bam recognized him. “I think he’s from Finland or something. He’s in a few of my classes.”

“He’s been here for like… two months and he still doesn’t have one friend,” Raab told them, laughing.

“Well he can barely speak English,” Bam explained. “I think his name’s like… Ville or something.”

“What the hell kind of a name is that?” Dico asked, laughing along with Raab. Bam shoved him.

“A Finnish one, fucktard.”

“I’ve seen him staring at us before,” Dunn added quietly. “And he sits there every morning.”

The bell rang and Ville looked up at the school, capping him pen. He looked up at the gang, quickly looking down again when he saw them watching him. He quickly packed his things into his side-bag and got up, walking swiftly towards the building. In his haste he’d accidentally left his sketchbook behind.

“He forgot his book…” Bam noticed and called after him “Hey! Ville!” The Finn had already disappeared into the building and Bam walked over to the tree and collected the book. Dico snatched it from him and flipped it open, looking through all the pictures. His eyes widened slightly.

“Uhh… Dude?”

“What?”

“… All of these pictures are of you.”

Bam took the book from him and Dunn and Raab stood next to him as he studied the pictures. Raab pointed to a word in the corner of one of the pictures.

“Look look look.”

“Perfection,” Bam whispered, blinking. He kept flipping through, finding pictures of himself in his room.

“… Well that’s a little creepy,” Dunn admitted.

“He’s been watching me?”

“Looks like,” Dico replied, also looking over Bam’s shoulder.

“But my room’s upstairs… And there’s a tree outside my window,” he said as an answer to his own question.

“Dude, that’s so creepy,” Raab thought aloud.

Bam stared at the pictures a while longer. “I’ll give it back to him. Ask him about it.”

“What if he kidnaps you and keeps you in his closet?” Dico questioned, earning another shove.

“Shut up, idiot.”

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Where is it? Where did it go?

Ville searched his side-bag again thoroughly.

Did I leave it somewhere? I have to find it.

He was panicked at the thought of someone finding it and showing it to Bam.

He can’t see it. He’s not ready.

He dumped all of the contents of his side-bag onto the lunchroom table he was sitting out and sifted through everything. Bam, who was sitting a few tables down, spotted him.

“Ville’s right there…”

“Right where?” Dunn inquired, turning around in the direction Bam was looking.

“I think he’s looking for the book…”

Dunn spotted him and nodded. “You think he sits there everyday? So he can watch you?”

Bam blinked and Raab laughed. “Why is this kid so obsessed with you anyway? You’re not that great.”

Bam ignored him. “I’m gonna go give the book back.” He stood and took the sketchbook out of his backpack.

“Don’t get ass-raped!” Dico called after him.

Ville looked up as Bam approached. His eyes were wide in surprise and fear, and they widened even more when he saw what was in Bam’s hand.

He found it. He knows. He’s not supposed to know.

“This yours?” Bam asked him.

He’s talking to me. My beautiful boy is acknowledging my existence.

But… he shouldn’t be. Not yet.

The Finn gulped and nodded slowly.

“I’m not going to hurt you or anything,” Bam assured him, concerned by Ville’s fear. He placed the sketchbook on the table and Ville stared at it.

“You saw them?” he asked softly, almost as though he didn’t really want Bam to hear him.

The boy shown in the pictures nodded. “Yeah, I saw ‘em. You… You should meet me at my house after school. I think we need to talk about… all of this. I’m guessing you won’t have any trouble finding the place.” Ville shook his head. “I’ll see you then.”

Bam returned to his table just as the end-of-lunch bell rang and Ville packed up everything into his side-bag.

How did I let this happen…?