The Art Of Getting By.
Walking
As I walk home in the cool weather the boy with the skeleton gloves follows me. "Hey." He says to me.
"Hey." I reply.
I walk on, not looking or caring if he followed but not thinking he would.
He slows a little, probably unsure on weather to follow me or not, before hurrying to catch up with me.
"I'm Frankie." He tells me.
"I know." I say. He looks slightly put off by me but still follows me.
"Thanks for..covering for me. "
"Oh, no problem" I say as I sort out my collar and still speed walk back home.
"Why did you?" He asks.
"Uuh, I don't know, uh. You were doing something so renegade I thought you deserved to get away with it. I get in trouble with the authority so often I figured I could handle it better than you could. " he was obviously younger than me but not by much. Or maybe he's just short.
"You're really weird" he says to me, adjusting his backpack and looking at me.
I say nothing so he tried again at conversation. "So, why do you never do your work? "
I don't even have to think about it I just say the first thing that comes to mind. "There are so many more important things to think about, homework ends up seeming like an afterthought." I say as I turn to face him. His features are filled with questions as I smirk a little at him.
"Well... ADD?" He asks.
I chuckle "no, no they tried everything, Ritalin, lexapro, tutors, therapy. Nothing worked" I smile at him again. "I'm the Teflon slacker" i smirk at him. And he giggles a little. And smiles and turns away.
So I tell him; "We'll... It's more like we're living in a dying time y'know? We've got global warming, wars, terrorism, tsunamis..-"
"Okay" he interrupts me. And laughs, trying to show me he understands but I plough on anyway. "We're definitely on the downhill side, so what are we working towards.. What's the point?"
This time he speaks." I thought I had fears but they're pretty average. Pain. Death.-"
"Oh not me" I interrupt him this time, eyes wide. "I fear life."
He laughs a little and looks down, smiling that smile of his.
He goes to say something, inhaling breath, only to let it go and smile at me again. I just smile back.
"Do you have any friends Gerard?" He questions.
"I'm kinda a misanthrope, not a choice. Just a fact. " I tell him. Because it's true. He smiles and looks away, it seems we have slowed down a little while we've been talking.
We slow and stop as we see a brunette woman kiss and hug a man, also brunette, farewell. And Frankie turns to look at the male as he walks past, barely taking notice of him.
When w look back at the woman, I see she is only in a bathing robe and underwear and frank smiles at her disapprovingly at her "mum, Jesus. "
And the woman, apparently Frank's mum said "hey honey" and covered herself more with her robe, smirking and laughing, showing where Frankie got his perfect smile from.
"Hey." I reply.
I walk on, not looking or caring if he followed but not thinking he would.
He slows a little, probably unsure on weather to follow me or not, before hurrying to catch up with me.
"I'm Frankie." He tells me.
"I know." I say. He looks slightly put off by me but still follows me.
"Thanks for..covering for me. "
"Oh, no problem" I say as I sort out my collar and still speed walk back home.
"Why did you?" He asks.
"Uuh, I don't know, uh. You were doing something so renegade I thought you deserved to get away with it. I get in trouble with the authority so often I figured I could handle it better than you could. " he was obviously younger than me but not by much. Or maybe he's just short.
"You're really weird" he says to me, adjusting his backpack and looking at me.
I say nothing so he tried again at conversation. "So, why do you never do your work? "
I don't even have to think about it I just say the first thing that comes to mind. "There are so many more important things to think about, homework ends up seeming like an afterthought." I say as I turn to face him. His features are filled with questions as I smirk a little at him.
"Well... ADD?" He asks.
I chuckle "no, no they tried everything, Ritalin, lexapro, tutors, therapy. Nothing worked" I smile at him again. "I'm the Teflon slacker" i smirk at him. And he giggles a little. And smiles and turns away.
So I tell him; "We'll... It's more like we're living in a dying time y'know? We've got global warming, wars, terrorism, tsunamis..-"
"Okay" he interrupts me. And laughs, trying to show me he understands but I plough on anyway. "We're definitely on the downhill side, so what are we working towards.. What's the point?"
This time he speaks." I thought I had fears but they're pretty average. Pain. Death.-"
"Oh not me" I interrupt him this time, eyes wide. "I fear life."
He laughs a little and looks down, smiling that smile of his.
He goes to say something, inhaling breath, only to let it go and smile at me again. I just smile back.
"Do you have any friends Gerard?" He questions.
"I'm kinda a misanthrope, not a choice. Just a fact. " I tell him. Because it's true. He smiles and looks away, it seems we have slowed down a little while we've been talking.
We slow and stop as we see a brunette woman kiss and hug a man, also brunette, farewell. And Frankie turns to look at the male as he walks past, barely taking notice of him.
When w look back at the woman, I see she is only in a bathing robe and underwear and frank smiles at her disapprovingly at her "mum, Jesus. "
And the woman, apparently Frank's mum said "hey honey" and covered herself more with her robe, smirking and laughing, showing where Frankie got his perfect smile from.