Blue and Yellow

As I sat down in my seat I looked up at him and saw nothing out of the ordinary on his face. He didn't look like he was going to give me the third degree for our last meeting over a month ago. I stuck my plate down and my coffee and my ratty notebook on the table, how I had learned to carry all three items with a still sore wrist was beyond me. But I did.

"Long time no see," I said as I sipped my coffee.

"I've been away and busy. Nice cookie," B said with a smirk playing across his face quite brazenly.

"Did you buy this for me?" I asked pointing at my cookie, since it was the exact kind we had the first time we officially met.

"Yes. I'm ever so sneaky and sly arent I?" B said, a tone of self mocking in his voice and his smirk spread into a grin.

"Yes, very sly indeed. You're not per chance the one who is picking up my ever increasing tab are you?" I asked suspiciously.

"Nope. Not me," he said, but his eyes were laughing and I didn't know if it was because he was fibbing or not.

I summed it up to how they must always look judging and basing them on how they looked the other times I had seen him.

"Damn, I'm still trying to figure that out," I said as I took a sip of my coffee and then went and broke my cookie in half with one hand and handed him one half.

"Why thank you," he said all happy like.

"You're welcome," I replied.

We sat in silence for a while, but a comfortable one. One that I didn't mind or feel any impending doom from.

Eventually I went to my notebook and opened it and leaned it off the edge against my lap so it would still be private. Not that I thought he would snoop but out of habit more really.

"I think you need a new notebook. Yours looks like its been through world war three and if you sneezed too hard around it it would disintegrate to dust. It also looks like you are writing in any available space and not actual pages anymore," B said after a bit.

"Uhh, oh yeah. It's kind of ratty. But I dont have another one, nor the money to splurge on one," I replied, a blush staining my cheeks.

Cheeks that in fact held only very slight, very slight, traces of yellowing from the bruises. My side was healed as well, even the gash on my forehead was less Frankenstein looking. Only thing still giving me a pain was my wrist. And my side.

"You don't have the money to SPLURGE on a simple notebook? Since when did buying a simple notebook become splurging?" he asked sounding completely shocked at my previous statement.

It struck a nerve.

"When you don't have the money to spend on it and are living in the damn shelter is when," I said hotly as I jumped up, taking my notebook and leaving the rest of my coffee and cookie.

I stormed towards the exit.

"Eli. Wait," I heard B shouting behind me.

But I didn't stop, I quickened my paces and hurried towards the Haven. As I got almost there I heard fast paced footsteps behind me. After years of constantly watching over my shoulder I was able to pick out the fact that it was him following me. Great.

"What?" I asked hotly as I stopped abruptly, not even bothering to turn and face him, knowing he was close enough to hear me.

"How did you," he started to ask.

"Years of watching over my shoulder," I answered his unasked question of how I knew it was him behind me or that he had followed.

"I'm sorry for what I said in there. I had no idea, I," he said but again I interrupted him.

"What? You had no idea that I was poor? Or that I was living in the Haven shelter because I was homeless? What?" I asked, feeling like I was on the verge of breaking down.

He had gone and made me screw up any type of friendship we could of eventually had.

"It all. And I'm sorry for pushing you to the brink of having to say it. I shouldnt of been so stupid," he said quietly.

I looked up into his face and stared into his eyes. They seemed duller, the sparkling laughter that I always assumed was there, wasn't. And I didn't know if I liked it not being. Even more so being the cause of it.

"It's all right, I over reacted. I'm just having some difficulties right now and I shouldn't have taken it out on you. You only asked a question," I apologized, hoping to see the laughter in his eyes come back.

It did. Only a little. Well that was a step in the right direction I guess.

"It's not really your fault. So don't worry. And before you open your mouth to contradict me again and we go round and round in circles how about we just agree that it was both our faults, or agree to disagree or whatever they say in these types of situations?" he asked.

The laughter sparkle was back.

"All right," I said.

"Well since I know a little more about you that's sort of personal, I'll tell you something," he said.

"Okay," I said, unsure.

"My real name isn't B," he said, a grin hinting at the corners of his mouth.

"Really? Your mother didn't name you after a letter of the alphabet after all?" I said in mock shock.

He giggled at my response. Wait? He giggled? Oh yeah he definitely giggled, and he was still doing it. And I kind of liked it. Actually I liked it a lot. That is until that nagging feeling that his giggle was also overly familiar to me. I was starting to hate this. When he finally stopped his giggle, which I would have to say sounded very impish he looked me in the eyes. With his perfect hazel eyes that had that sparkle back along with the laughter in them.

"No she didn't. It's really Bert," he said, getting serious for a moment, almost sounding as if he was afraid of telling me his full real name.

Which was odd. I simply shrugged my shoulders like it was no big deal, which it wasn't. It was just his name, I didn't get why it was such a personal piece of information. Bert wasn't such a bad name or anything. In fact I liked the name. In fact I admired someone by that.... oh my god.

I quickly looked at him again, trying to not make it like I was staring. The face. The appearance. The demeanor. The giggle. The eyes with that constant laughter. His voice. I knew why he was so familiar.

He was Bert McCracken.

I think I was going to die from embarrassment. I couldn't believe I didn't pick up on it before. How could I be so dumb. How could I be so retarded. The CD I rarely took out of my disc man. The lyrics I repeated as my mantra that had brought me through so much. I was so stupid. This was Ohio after all.

But I must of somehow had luck on my side because when I snapped back to reality the look on his face said that mine hadn't revealed I knew who he was.

"Cool name," I said nonchalantly, well as nonchalantly as I could muster.

"Wow, that was easier said then done. So I was wondering if you weren't doing anything this Friday if maybe you'd wanna come see where I work when I'm here in this town?" Bert asked as he scratched his head.

I kicked started my brain out of berating myself into responding to him in a way that didn't give away I knew who he was.

"Where you work while you're in this town?" I asked, playing like I was confused.

"Yeah it sounds odd but it'd be easier explained if you just came," he said, his hand still in his hair, but the laughter in his eyes was still present.

"All right I'll trust you I guess," I said, playing it off.

"Umm do you know where the Grand Theater is?" he asked unsure.

Which was correct of him, to be unsure I mean. I had said that I never got out. But I did know where the Grand was, it was the only actual theater theater building here in this town.

"You work at a theater?" I asked dumbly, playing off.

"Uhh, no. Not exactly. But you'll see, that is if you know where it is," he said, trying to reassure me.

"Mostly. I have an idea," I replied.

"Well if you'd be ever so kind and come if you got there at like 8 or so it would be killer. And I'll have tickets for you and everything," he said, the giddy excitement coming back to him.

"Tickets?" I asked, like I had no idea what I would need tickets for.

"Just. Oh you'll find out when you get there. When did you start asking so many questions?" he asked as he got out a cigarette and lit it, passing it to me before doing one for himself.

"When did you start being so whiney?" I asked teasingly as I took the cigarette and took a drag.

"Since forever. Just ask my friends Friday night," he said, as he started to sort of sway in place, a bounce in his feet.

"You're odd," I said, which wasn't me playing anymore, he really was odd.

"You're pretty," he said, well more like it just slipped out.

"I gotta go, thanks for the cigarette," I said quickly and then turned and started on the like twenty feet to the haven.

"Wait, Eli, I," I heard Bert shout from behind me, though not following me.

Thank god.

"See you friday at eight Bert," I yelled back over my shoulder without even looking back at him.

"Smooth fucking move McCracken," I heard him say to himself.

I shook my head and entered the buildings doors.

That night when I went to bed I didnt put my headphones on and listen to my song on repeat. I just went to sleep without it