Status: grey.
His Car Crash Heart
II
Chicago wasn’t something very impressive, at least not to Aria. She had always hated cities but somehow she always ended up here, down Clark Street, watching the horizon light up with different shades that she used to like.
She doesn’t. Not anymore.
It was around five, and she was sitting on a lone bench shivering from the cold of the morning. She was contemplating various topics and one of them was her brother, who she had fought with a few hours ago. He had come home drunk and demanded their father to get her out of the pills that made her numb, and their dad hit him when he crossed the line. That happened a lot with Ash, but he never learned. She guessed it had been the alcohol talking but at two he had moved to her room and asked her why in the world didn’t she kill herself already.
That also happened a lot.
But the difference between a few years back and that morning was that she didn’t feel tears pickle her eyes. And, if she had, then she had her faithful pills on the pocket of her jeans. She pulled on the sleeves of her oversized green sweater and sighed, a wave of something—she couldn’t feel, how could she know?—washing over her.
Aria turned around when she heard a twig snapping, and with much surprise she saw the boy from a few months back—Pete.
“Oh,” she let out without really thinking.
“Hey,” he shrugged, looking uncomfortable and drifting his eyes to his shoes.
He seemed lost, although Aria was pretty sure that he was inside the café behind him, where a few boys about his age were sitting in a corner booth by the window being rowdy. Maybe he was lost inside. Maybe he didn’t know where he stood, or why he had gone to the café with those boys, or why was he talking to her. It seemed like the latter one was the right answer, because he ran his hand across his face and sat on the bench with her, sighing just like she had done mere seconds ago.
Aria didn’t know what to say, so she didn’t say anything. Instead, she kept watching the sunrise, which wasn’t as exciting as she had previously thought.
“You’re up early,” he said.
“I could say the same to you,” she whispered back.
He kept silent for a while until he spoke again.
“I don’t know your name.”
“Do you want to or is it just curiosity?” Aria inquired.
“Curiosity, I guess. To be honest I don’t give a damn about you.”
“Me neither,” she shrugged.
Pete didn’t say anything else, and she was guessing that since he was probably an over thinker, he had known that she meant herself and not him. Those are the kind of people that you should be careful about, was all she thought.
Pete never learned her name that morning.
He stood when the sky turned a red hue, turned to her, as if about to say something, and then nodded, mumbling a quick goodbye. It was funny, how he didn’t even try to learn her name harder but messed up kids like him and her, who went to see a specialist, weren’t really the kind of minds inside the box.
But Aria had liked his company—she had been alone for so long that she almost couldn’t remember what it was like to be with him. Of course, it terrified her to no end whenever he started whispering as the pills wore off, but it was still someone, nonetheless. Pete had been a quiet companion, a thinking one, and he didn’t really insult her at all.
So as a Mustang flew past her on her way to her car, she wondered what in the world could trouble such a handsome and quiet boy. Did he have his own demons, like her? Did he believe that ending this all was the easiest way to stop hurting when he didn’t take pills? Did he even have pills of his own? Or was he just another image of her rotten mind that didn’t let her sleep for weeks?
Aria liked Pete.
Aria really liked Pete.
And she hoped she would see him again sometime, even if it was as short and meaningless as the encounter they just had.
She doesn’t. Not anymore.
It was around five, and she was sitting on a lone bench shivering from the cold of the morning. She was contemplating various topics and one of them was her brother, who she had fought with a few hours ago. He had come home drunk and demanded their father to get her out of the pills that made her numb, and their dad hit him when he crossed the line. That happened a lot with Ash, but he never learned. She guessed it had been the alcohol talking but at two he had moved to her room and asked her why in the world didn’t she kill herself already.
That also happened a lot.
But the difference between a few years back and that morning was that she didn’t feel tears pickle her eyes. And, if she had, then she had her faithful pills on the pocket of her jeans. She pulled on the sleeves of her oversized green sweater and sighed, a wave of something—she couldn’t feel, how could she know?—washing over her.
Aria turned around when she heard a twig snapping, and with much surprise she saw the boy from a few months back—Pete.
“Oh,” she let out without really thinking.
“Hey,” he shrugged, looking uncomfortable and drifting his eyes to his shoes.
He seemed lost, although Aria was pretty sure that he was inside the café behind him, where a few boys about his age were sitting in a corner booth by the window being rowdy. Maybe he was lost inside. Maybe he didn’t know where he stood, or why he had gone to the café with those boys, or why was he talking to her. It seemed like the latter one was the right answer, because he ran his hand across his face and sat on the bench with her, sighing just like she had done mere seconds ago.
Aria didn’t know what to say, so she didn’t say anything. Instead, she kept watching the sunrise, which wasn’t as exciting as she had previously thought.
“You’re up early,” he said.
“I could say the same to you,” she whispered back.
He kept silent for a while until he spoke again.
“I don’t know your name.”
“Do you want to or is it just curiosity?” Aria inquired.
“Curiosity, I guess. To be honest I don’t give a damn about you.”
“Me neither,” she shrugged.
Pete didn’t say anything else, and she was guessing that since he was probably an over thinker, he had known that she meant herself and not him. Those are the kind of people that you should be careful about, was all she thought.
Pete never learned her name that morning.
He stood when the sky turned a red hue, turned to her, as if about to say something, and then nodded, mumbling a quick goodbye. It was funny, how he didn’t even try to learn her name harder but messed up kids like him and her, who went to see a specialist, weren’t really the kind of minds inside the box.
But Aria had liked his company—she had been alone for so long that she almost couldn’t remember what it was like to be with him. Of course, it terrified her to no end whenever he started whispering as the pills wore off, but it was still someone, nonetheless. Pete had been a quiet companion, a thinking one, and he didn’t really insult her at all.
So as a Mustang flew past her on her way to her car, she wondered what in the world could trouble such a handsome and quiet boy. Did he have his own demons, like her? Did he believe that ending this all was the easiest way to stop hurting when he didn’t take pills? Did he even have pills of his own? Or was he just another image of her rotten mind that didn’t let her sleep for weeks?
Aria liked Pete.
Aria really liked Pete.
And she hoped she would see him again sometime, even if it was as short and meaningless as the encounter they just had.
♠ ♠ ♠
Updated!