Keep Away

“Hey um....what did he say was the homework assignment?” The new kid Connor pleadingly whispered. “I didn't hear it!”

“Read chapters three and four of Jane Eyre and go look up some vocabulary words.” I quickly said, looking around. Hopefully no one saw me speaking to him. “Got it? If you have anymore questions, go talk to someone else in the class.

“Do you hate me or something?”

“No. I just don't like to be bothered.” I replied, half lying. I was a reluctant to have him sit next to me, but I kind of liked the company I finally had. Besides, the only time I didn't want to be bothered was when I was writing and relaxing in my tree.

The tree...I better go straight after school, before that bastard gets there first.

“Um....you know how I don't want you to talk to me? Well... I wanna ask you something. If someone claims something first, does that mean it's rightfully theirs? You know, like the saying, Finders Keepers, Losers weepers?”

“Huh?” He furrowed his eyebrows, trying to comprehend what in the world I was talking about.

“Oh forget it.” I grumbled, turning the other way. I was either acting very childish or very stupid. I'm pretty sure it was both. I just didn't like the fact that when I finally find a place of peace, it gets stolen from some stranger I don't even know.

xxx

After school had came quicker than I anticipated, and almost immediately, I sprinted all the way to the tree. I caught my breath and took a glimpse. I didn't hear a single sign of movement in the branches. Could it be that he wasn't here today?

“Hey? Are you up there?”

“I am.” The voice I loathed so much replied. I sighed, I knew it was too good to be true. It sounded slightly different than usual, drained actually.

“Heh,” I smirked. “Sounds like you ran here too.”

“How can you tell?” I could picture him grinning from his spot.

“Your breath. You think I'm oblivious to it, but I can hear your little quick huffs from your chest. That is a sign of active movement, aka running..”

“You're pretty observant.”

“Well, when you live lonely life like mine, you gain a habit of studying those around you.”

“To live a lonely life,” He murmured. “is quite tragic.”

I plopped down on the grass and hugged my legs together, staring down at my worn out shoes. “Yeah, it is. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.”

“Let me get this straight, you have no friends at all?”

“Since when are you very nosy about my life?”

“Since when do you tell people how lonely you are?” That struck me hard.

“Touche,” I fell back on the grass and felt it's blades prick my skin. “But sadly, I have no friends at all. Even if I did try, no one would want to associate with me anyway.”

“Why does everyone hate you so much?”

Why did everyone hate me? I had no idea. For my entire life, I just assumed it was because I was different. In English class, I was the one who get actually excited when we get a new book to read. I'm the one who's the first to turn in an essay, asking who my favorite protagonist from any novel was. I'm the who refused drugs when everyone was into it.

“I don't know.”

“Is it because you're....different?”

I sat up immediately. “Lucky guess. Too lucky in fact. How did you come up with that assumption?”

I imagined him doing a shrug. “You just seem different, that's why.”

“How?”

“Well for one thing, no normal person just comes and sit in trees for long periods of time. Plus, I noticed that you always carry that notebook with you. No one definitely does that.”

“Normal?” I echoed. “What is normal then? Like everyone else? I'm not normal? Hah, you better choke on your next words because you just sit in that tree too.”

“Don't try to flatter me. I already know that I'm not normal.”

“Flatter? You like being called weird? You like being...” I swallowed hard. “Not normal?”

“Are you kidding me? It's the best. It just means people like you and I, have character. Everyone else are walking clones of each other. Being different is not caring about what other people think. In reality, we're the stronger ones. And for the fact, I happen to think your personality is fascinating.” I suddenly hear a loud pounding in my chest.

“If that's what you think, then why am I not strong? If it's the best, then why am I not happy?”

“Because you've accepted that fact that you're alone. That's not the right path you should be taking. You should be embracing who you are. Once you start ignoring the simple things like being teased, then you can start to overcome things more larger than that.”

“But...if you continue to look at it, I'm still alone.”

“You have me, don't you?”

I held my breath and I felt my cheeks flush. Slowly, I raised my hand and touched my now-warm skin. This was such a strange and alien feeling to me. What was it? I thought harder and suddenly it started to feel a little familiar. This feeling reminds me of something Shamin has. Was it love?

Impossible! No one falls in love after knowing someone for just one day. Especially one you haven't seen the face of. Romeo and Juliet's love didn't exist. It were mere infatuation for each other. They were sexually frustrated teenagers, that's what they were. Kissing in the couple of minutes they meet, wanting to marry each other after three hours, dying for each other after knowing each other for two days or so. The media did a terrible job of portraying them as 'kids in love'.

“But you don't even know me!” I protested.

“Do you want to know me?”

“Ergh! Stop doing that!” I shouted, my cheeks growing hotter and hotter.

“Doing what?” Argh. I had completely forgot he couldn't see me right now. If he did, he would've witnessed how red I was quickly becoming.

“Ugh never mind. You and I are mortal enemies!”

“Mortal enemies?”

“Don't forget who the ignorant bastard is sitting in my tree!”

“You're still rambling on about that nonsense? Boy, are you stubborn.”

“Seriously! It's rightfully mine. A long time ago, I carved my name into that tree. You can see it on the branch that has three leaves.”

“Hm really? The one that says 'Gangstah Boi was here bitchez' ?”

“What? No! It's way above that one!”

“Ahh, I think I see it now. Tri-ne-tee.”

“See! It's mine!”

“No, according to what you said, it means you share this tree with Gangstah Boi.”

“You've got to be kidding me!” This boy was touch competition, having intelligence and sarcasm match mine.

“Hey it's your rules, not mine. And since Gangstah Boi doesn't seem to be complaining, I think there's enough space for another roommate. Don't you think?”

“No! Don't you dare!”

“Too late!” To my horror, I heard rough carving into the wood. It went on for about three minutes, before it fell silent. I now imagined my stranger with a huge grin on his face, probably thinking how fun it was to mock me. “Ahh, do I have some beautiful penmanship.”

“You're a dick, you know that? And here we were! Having a meaningful conversation! I was actually beginning to think you were decent company.”

There was brief silence before he started laughing. “Oh my god! You are such a hypocrite, you know that? Didn't you just say I was your mortal enemy?”

“I-I can't control the things that come out my mouth!” I grabbed my backpack and angrily stomped back home.

I really couldn't control the words that slip out of my mouth. I was just being stupid as always. Because inside, I knew that I had finally met someone who understood me perfectly.