East Avenue
8
"G-Garrett?" The smile on his face made me think of a time when we were kids, we'd spent the day making a fort out of couch cushions and eating trail mix made of marshmallows and pretzels. Between chewing and turning a page of a book, I told him that I thought something was wrong with me. I was different then, cared far too much, didn't know what to understand and what to accept as a permanent feeling. His face had fallen at the word ugly, I didn't realize at the time but that might have meant something. There was more relief under the surface that wasn't shown when I told Joey he was different, he carries emotions in his smile. I want that talent. But I'm not like him.
"What are you doing here? I'm on like page eight in that book you gave me if that's-"
"Can I come in?"
Everything at his house is familiar, he hates it. The blue striped chair in the corner of my bedroom is his favourite.
"Is everything okay? Not that I mind you're here, but fuck... it's almost ten and well, you're here."
My lip twitched. There was dirt under the nail of my pointer finger so I stuck that hand in my pocket. "Am I a freak?"
His eyebrows shot down, contorting his face into an immediate frown. "Did someone say you are?" I nodded, reluctant to mention Margaret's name, silence would be enough. Elaborating would be unnecessary, maybe he'd eventually put it together on his own.
"Well that's a fucking joke. Of course you're not, and I don't want you to ever think that. You're great, seeing the world the way you do shouldn't mean shit to anyone. You appreciate what's important, and if someone can't understand that then they clearly don't know the Garrett I do. And they don't deserve to."
His face was red now, I smiled at him.
I'm not going to take advantage of Joey anymore.
"What are you doing here? I'm on like page eight in that book you gave me if that's-"
"Can I come in?"
Everything at his house is familiar, he hates it. The blue striped chair in the corner of my bedroom is his favourite.
"Is everything okay? Not that I mind you're here, but fuck... it's almost ten and well, you're here."
My lip twitched. There was dirt under the nail of my pointer finger so I stuck that hand in my pocket. "Am I a freak?"
His eyebrows shot down, contorting his face into an immediate frown. "Did someone say you are?" I nodded, reluctant to mention Margaret's name, silence would be enough. Elaborating would be unnecessary, maybe he'd eventually put it together on his own.
"Well that's a fucking joke. Of course you're not, and I don't want you to ever think that. You're great, seeing the world the way you do shouldn't mean shit to anyone. You appreciate what's important, and if someone can't understand that then they clearly don't know the Garrett I do. And they don't deserve to."
His face was red now, I smiled at him.
I'm not going to take advantage of Joey anymore.