I'm Just the Boy Who's Had Too Many Chances
Interested
Gerard heard the clack of three of his watercolor pencils roll off his desk. He widened his eyes as his bed shook.
"Mom?" He called. Then he remembered that both his parents were still at work. Only he and Mikey were home, and Mikey was probably lying in his bed with his headphones on, reading a comic book. That was two floors above him.
Instead of panicking, Gerard crawled to the end of his bed and looked out the window. Maybe half of him was expecting the ground to be splitting open and hellfire to be spewing from newly formed volcanoes in the Reesers' yard. After all, he'd never felt the ground vibrate like that.
The chill from the September air blew through his window, and for the thirty-ninth time that day, he wished it would be October already. He hated September; the month for the rest of his life would remind him of the beginning of a new school year, and even after he would graduate, he'd get nauseous on the first of September for years to come.
The ground rumbled again, and before Gerard could tear his eyes from the barely-oranging leaves, a moving truck entered the small neighborhood. It joined the first outside the house across the street. A moment after the drivers left their cabs and started unloading the tarp-covered furniture from the back, a blue SUV and a black pick-up truck turned onto the street, the SUV claiming the driveway of the house, and the truck parking on the curb.
A woman stepped out of the SUV. She was pretty, young, and dressed in jeans and a pale blue turtleneck. She opened the backseat door, and a large Great Dane hopped from the seat, immediately running toward the large oak in the yard to relieve himself. Gerard giggled in spite of himself. Poor dog.
The dog dug a small hole, before a whistle from the pick-up drew his attention, as well as Gerard's.
From the passenger's seat climbed a kid, who looked not much younger than Gerard. He looked a lot shorter, however. Gerard couldn't see his face that well, but his hair looked unusual. It was bright red on the back and sides, and black on top, with something of a small devil's lock hanging in his face. Even from this distance, Gerard had a feeling he was really cute.
He slammed the car door with an icy look thrown toward what Gerard assumed was his father, who stepped out of the driver's seat. He grabbed a duffel bag from the bed of the pick-up.
"Do you wanna help, maybe?" He said, in a gravelly tone.
The kid scoffed as he pulled something from his pocket. "No," he replied, before Gerard saw him bring his hands to his mouth, and the distinct orange of flame.
He put the lighter back in his pocket, and blew out a large puff of smoke. Gerard was instantly jealous. If his parents ever saw him smoking, they'd thrash him.
Apparently, this boy's father had a similar mindset, because as soon as he saw the smoke billowing from his son, he dropped the bag, stomped his way over to him, ripped the cigarette from his mouth and threw it in the street. He set a firm hand on the boy's shoulder, and brought their faces close together. He was probably getting yelled at; Gerard couldn't hear.
The kid went to walk away, but the man grabbed him by the back of his pinstriped suspenders and yanked him back, giving him another, somewhat louder warning to 'mind his elders'. The boy didn't look like he cared. He let go of him, and the kid called for the dog, which was having a gay old time rolling around in the flower bed.
"Sinatra! C'mere, boy!" The kid met the dog halfway, and the two rolled around on the ground together, playing. Gerard didn't know how long he spent watching this mysterious kid wrestle with the dog, but the parents caught his eye again. They were standing near each other, both with their arms crossed, engaged in silent conversation. Gerard had a feeling it wasn't a nice one. After a moment, the woman walked away, yelling "Then go!"
The man got back in his truck without another word toward his son, and drove away.
Before the truck had even turned off the street, the kid had another cigarette lit. His mother walked over to him, pulling it from his mouth. Gerard felt bad for the kid; his parents wasting two full cigarettes? But his mother just took a long drag and gave it back to him.
The mother and her son, along with the dog, entered the house, and the movers kept bringing furniture in for the next three hours.
Gerard watched them the entire three hours, hoping to get another glimpse of that kid. He finally got it when he glanced at what he thought was the attic window. The kid had popped the screen out and was sitting on the sill, swinging his legs out the window. Gerard's heart skipped a beat, because with the simplest movement, the kid could end his life.
The kid leaned even farther out the window, reaching for a tree limb. Gerard squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to see the kid break a leg, or possibly his neck, falling from a third-story window. But the kid grabbed the limb securely, pulling himself out of the window, his feet finding a nearby bough to walk on. He made his way to the center of the tree, and from there used the old wooden planks the previous neighbors had nailed to the trunk to make his way to the ground. As soon as his feet were on solid ground, he took off, running out of the neighborhood like he was being chased by a murderer.
Gerard was already interested in this kid. Where did he come from? What was he running from? Was he running to something? His mom seemed cool, but his father seemed like a first-class prick. Were his parents separated? Divorced? Why?
Gerard spent an hour staring out the window, waiting for the kid to come back. He didn't, and his mother didn't go looking for him, so either she didn't notice he was gone, or she didn't care.
~~~~
"We've got new neighbors," Gerard announced that night at dinner.
"Oh?" His mother said.
"A woman and her son, I think."
"How old is the son?" His father asked.
"I'm not sure. Maybe about Mikey's age. I just saw them from the window."
"Creep-ster!" Mikey sang, and Gerard threw a pea at him. Mikey laughed, and retaliated by ripping a piece of his roll off and throwing that at Gerard.
"Boys!" Their father said, just slightly raising his voice. Both Gerard and Mikey snapped to attention. "Please do not start a food fight."
"Sorry, Dad," They said at the same time, lowering their heads.
"I swear you two were separated at birth," Their mother said, shaking her head.
Mikey and Gerard snickered.
~~~~
Gerard was woken up at midnight by a dog howling. He looked out his window, and saw the Great Dane from next door howling at the window, looking at the Oak in the front yard. When Gerard looked, too, he saw the kid climbing the makeshift ladder and crawling back through his window.
"Mom?" He called. Then he remembered that both his parents were still at work. Only he and Mikey were home, and Mikey was probably lying in his bed with his headphones on, reading a comic book. That was two floors above him.
Instead of panicking, Gerard crawled to the end of his bed and looked out the window. Maybe half of him was expecting the ground to be splitting open and hellfire to be spewing from newly formed volcanoes in the Reesers' yard. After all, he'd never felt the ground vibrate like that.
The chill from the September air blew through his window, and for the thirty-ninth time that day, he wished it would be October already. He hated September; the month for the rest of his life would remind him of the beginning of a new school year, and even after he would graduate, he'd get nauseous on the first of September for years to come.
The ground rumbled again, and before Gerard could tear his eyes from the barely-oranging leaves, a moving truck entered the small neighborhood. It joined the first outside the house across the street. A moment after the drivers left their cabs and started unloading the tarp-covered furniture from the back, a blue SUV and a black pick-up truck turned onto the street, the SUV claiming the driveway of the house, and the truck parking on the curb.
A woman stepped out of the SUV. She was pretty, young, and dressed in jeans and a pale blue turtleneck. She opened the backseat door, and a large Great Dane hopped from the seat, immediately running toward the large oak in the yard to relieve himself. Gerard giggled in spite of himself. Poor dog.
The dog dug a small hole, before a whistle from the pick-up drew his attention, as well as Gerard's.
From the passenger's seat climbed a kid, who looked not much younger than Gerard. He looked a lot shorter, however. Gerard couldn't see his face that well, but his hair looked unusual. It was bright red on the back and sides, and black on top, with something of a small devil's lock hanging in his face. Even from this distance, Gerard had a feeling he was really cute.
He slammed the car door with an icy look thrown toward what Gerard assumed was his father, who stepped out of the driver's seat. He grabbed a duffel bag from the bed of the pick-up.
"Do you wanna help, maybe?" He said, in a gravelly tone.
The kid scoffed as he pulled something from his pocket. "No," he replied, before Gerard saw him bring his hands to his mouth, and the distinct orange of flame.
He put the lighter back in his pocket, and blew out a large puff of smoke. Gerard was instantly jealous. If his parents ever saw him smoking, they'd thrash him.
Apparently, this boy's father had a similar mindset, because as soon as he saw the smoke billowing from his son, he dropped the bag, stomped his way over to him, ripped the cigarette from his mouth and threw it in the street. He set a firm hand on the boy's shoulder, and brought their faces close together. He was probably getting yelled at; Gerard couldn't hear.
The kid went to walk away, but the man grabbed him by the back of his pinstriped suspenders and yanked him back, giving him another, somewhat louder warning to 'mind his elders'. The boy didn't look like he cared. He let go of him, and the kid called for the dog, which was having a gay old time rolling around in the flower bed.
"Sinatra! C'mere, boy!" The kid met the dog halfway, and the two rolled around on the ground together, playing. Gerard didn't know how long he spent watching this mysterious kid wrestle with the dog, but the parents caught his eye again. They were standing near each other, both with their arms crossed, engaged in silent conversation. Gerard had a feeling it wasn't a nice one. After a moment, the woman walked away, yelling "Then go!"
The man got back in his truck without another word toward his son, and drove away.
Before the truck had even turned off the street, the kid had another cigarette lit. His mother walked over to him, pulling it from his mouth. Gerard felt bad for the kid; his parents wasting two full cigarettes? But his mother just took a long drag and gave it back to him.
The mother and her son, along with the dog, entered the house, and the movers kept bringing furniture in for the next three hours.
Gerard watched them the entire three hours, hoping to get another glimpse of that kid. He finally got it when he glanced at what he thought was the attic window. The kid had popped the screen out and was sitting on the sill, swinging his legs out the window. Gerard's heart skipped a beat, because with the simplest movement, the kid could end his life.
The kid leaned even farther out the window, reaching for a tree limb. Gerard squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to see the kid break a leg, or possibly his neck, falling from a third-story window. But the kid grabbed the limb securely, pulling himself out of the window, his feet finding a nearby bough to walk on. He made his way to the center of the tree, and from there used the old wooden planks the previous neighbors had nailed to the trunk to make his way to the ground. As soon as his feet were on solid ground, he took off, running out of the neighborhood like he was being chased by a murderer.
Gerard was already interested in this kid. Where did he come from? What was he running from? Was he running to something? His mom seemed cool, but his father seemed like a first-class prick. Were his parents separated? Divorced? Why?
Gerard spent an hour staring out the window, waiting for the kid to come back. He didn't, and his mother didn't go looking for him, so either she didn't notice he was gone, or she didn't care.
~~~~
"We've got new neighbors," Gerard announced that night at dinner.
"Oh?" His mother said.
"A woman and her son, I think."
"How old is the son?" His father asked.
"I'm not sure. Maybe about Mikey's age. I just saw them from the window."
"Creep-ster!" Mikey sang, and Gerard threw a pea at him. Mikey laughed, and retaliated by ripping a piece of his roll off and throwing that at Gerard.
"Boys!" Their father said, just slightly raising his voice. Both Gerard and Mikey snapped to attention. "Please do not start a food fight."
"Sorry, Dad," They said at the same time, lowering their heads.
"I swear you two were separated at birth," Their mother said, shaking her head.
Mikey and Gerard snickered.
~~~~
Gerard was woken up at midnight by a dog howling. He looked out his window, and saw the Great Dane from next door howling at the window, looking at the Oak in the front yard. When Gerard looked, too, he saw the kid climbing the makeshift ladder and crawling back through his window.