Alone In The Dark With You By My Side

I had made it through the first couple months of school. I had obstacles thrown at me from all directions. What with Eric and Minnie being together, and the general asshole population of high school. However, I had made a new friend. Jimmy had ended up being in most of my classes, and I hadn’t even noticed. He had PE at the same time I did, so we often ended up being able to hang out during that class.

Jimmy and I were walking together at break when I saw Eric and Minnie arguing. I had to admit it. It really sucked because Eric and I rarely talked during the day. He had promised to sit with me at lunch, and he did, for the first few days. But, as he and Minnie were together, all of her friends sat at the table with him, which left no room for me. Those first few days alone really sucked. But, as though Fate was in my favor, it turned out that Jimmy had lunch with me as well.

We stopped and watched as the couple fought openly. Something was said and Minnie stormed off, leaving Eric with his mouth slightly agape. The bell rang before I had the chance to go talk to him. I walked with Jimmy to PE. Since both of the coaches were at a convention, the classes mixed and we were free to walk, play basketball, or some other form of exercise. Jimmy and I chose to walk.

“So, there’s a new movie playing at the theatre. It looks pretty good. I think it’d be worth going to see. So, I was wondering if maybe- “He was cut off by Minnie stepping in front of us.

“What’s up, Egor?” She smiled evilly. I just rolled my eyes.

“Go away, ”Jimmy muttered. Minnie just smiled at him.

“Oh, is this your boyfriend?” She asked me.

“No, ”I said quickly. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his expression drop.

“I think that he thought so, ”she said innocently.

“Don’t be such a bitch, ”I spat. Her eyes widened.

“Well, I never, ”she laughed. I rolled my eyes and pushed by her. Jimmy followed slowly. As soon as we were away from her, I spoke up.

“She is such a bitch!”

“Yeah, ”he muttered.

“So, anyways, what were you talking about before that? Something about a new movie?” I asked him. He just shook his head.

“I was just saying that it looked good, ”he said softly. I nodded slightly. We walked in an awkward silence. As soon as the bell rang, he grabbed his stuff and walked off toward his third period class without saying a word. I sighed on walked on to third period. The only good thing about third period was that I saw Eric in the hallway before class. I walked down the hallway and didn’t see him, which made me feel a little sad, but then, I felt a hand grab my own and I turned to see him, smiling faintly.

“Hey, ”he said breathlessly, as though he’d been running.

“Hey, ”I replied softly.

“I’m sitting with you at lunch today, okay?” He smiled. I nodded slightly.

“Sure.”

“Okay, I’ll see you then. Later, T, ”he said as he hugged me quickly. I stepped into the classroom just as the bell rang. I took my seat and listened as the teacher talked about fractions. I couldn’t stop smiling on the inside. After the bell rang, I walked to fourth period. Jimmy wasn’t in his seat a seat away from mine. I felt as though something was wrong. I sighed and took out my own notebook. After two pages of notes, the lunch bell rang and I walked alone to the lunchroom. I ran into Eric and we walked through the lunch line.

“So, where do you sit these days?” He asked after we punched in our numbers. I led him to the table where Jimmy and I usually sat. “You sit over here by yourself?”

“No. I usually have Jimmy. He’s just not here, ”I said, suddenly very worried. He was always here.

“So, how’s life going?” He asked casually, although I knew he felt bad about not already knowing.

“Well, it’s just life. I guess it’s okay though. How about you? What’s new?” I asked, taking a sip of tea. He just shrugged.

“It’s life, ”he mirrored my words.

“So, what’s the story? What happened with Minnie?” I asked him.

“I knew you’d ask. I don’t know. She’s too clingy. She’s always there, telling what to and not to do, ”he sighed. I nodded slowly. We continued our conversation until the bell rang.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you later, ”I muttered, unsure of when later would be. He thought for a minute.

“After school, meet me at the truck. I wanna hang out with you this afternoon, if you don’t mind, ”he added. I nodded quickly.

“That’d be great. Yeah, it’s been a while, ”I said softly. He nodded and walked me to my class.

“Well, I’ll see you later, then, ”he said, walking away. I watched as he walked away. Maybe things will change.