The Hearts of Lonely People

It’s not that he didn’t know what Spencer looked like. He had brown hair, and weighed more than Ryan. If he had lost weight and changed his hair color Ryan was shit out of luck.

Independence was one of those cliché towns where everyone knew everyone and acted like they all liked each other. All the children went to the same school all their life and somehow that made them the best fucking little place on earth. Ryan didn’t know why anyone would live here, especially Spencer, he was awesome.

Another thing Ryan didn’t know is exactly where the high school kids hung out on a Thursday night. He had to resort to the basics.

“Excuse me, do you know the Smiths,” Ryan asked a cashier at a random store.

“Uh, I happen to be one of them,” He said.

Ryan squinted at him a little, turning his face to the side. He did have Spencer’s eyes, but he was way too skinny to be Spencer.

“Spencer,” Ryan asked.

“Who the fuck are you,” He asked.

Ryan smiled, that’s the Spencer he missed. He just wasn’t used to being the one Spencer was annoyed with.

“It’s Ryan,” He said, hopefully and innocent.

Spencer made a thinking face and frowned.

“Sorry, no idea who you are,” Spencer said.

Ryan couldn’t believe that the one friend he missed more than anything forgot he was a person. It didn’t surprise him, on many occasions people forget him. It took his teachers three months to learn his name, and those are just the classes he did okay in.

“We use to be best friends, like for six years. You moved away in fourth grade and I cried for like a week,” Ryan explained.

It didn’t help him though, Spencer confusion turned to a scared frown.

“We were friends when we were younger, so you just decided to stalk me until you found me,” Spencer said.

Ryan didn’t exactly plan for it to go this way.

“No, No. That’s not what happened at all. I was having a really bad day and I just well I don’t know,” Ryan said.

“What? The girl changing saw you in the bushes,” Spencer said, with a lot of sass.

“No, I just wanted to- never mind this was very fucking stupid,” Ryan said.

“Yeah, I have customers,” Spencer said, without a tone or added aggression.

Ryan sat at the bus stop, on the cold lonely bench, until he remembers he had no money. He drank the rest of his bottle and cried as bus after bus passed by.

It had to be early when he woke up, because by the soreness of his back he could tell he had slept on the bench all night. It didn’t take that long for him to walk home, he just felt a little sick.
No one in house said anything; Victoria glared at him, which was a difference. He crawled into bed, missing another day of school.