Playing Poker [BEING REWRITTEN]

7| Disappointment

Rayland

"Happy mother fucking birthday to me." I muttered.

"Your birthday is on April Fools?" He asks.

"Yeah, means my whole life is a fucking joke." I laughed. He looks like he doesn't know whether to laugh or comfort me. He decides to change the subject.

"What are you doing out so late?" He asks.

"I could ask you the same thing, bench boy." I say.

I don't understand the big deal about birthdays, it's like celebrating another year closer to the grave. Along the years, my birthday always ended in tears.

Hey, that rhymed.

Read the room.

I hadn't noticed that the boy was still here until he took a seat next to me.

"Well I asked you first." He rebutted.

"I got in a fight with my... family, you?" The word 'family' felt like acid on my tongue. "Same."

We ended up talking for what felt like hours. It was refreshing to talk to someone about your problems who doesn't treat you like a fragile doll. He said he lived in New York when he was younger but he had to keep moving around because of his dad's job, his family settled in Maryland for a few years and he just moved to Virginia less than a year ago; his parents are always arguing but they try to contain it around him.

I didn't tell him my whole life story, just how I moved her about a week ago with my aunt's fiance and his sons. I only included minor details about my life before I moved.

I didn't realize I fell asleep until I woke up with the sun blinding my eyes.

No nightmares.

I looked to the right only to be greeted by an empty bench. I was about to get up but I heard a voice in the distance.

"Wait." I saw a familiar boy. He was carrying a brown bag of food with a drink carrier. His features were easier to see because of the daylight.

Oh my fucking...

"Max?" I cannot believe I had a heart-to-heart with my middle school bully.

He looked at me and his eyes widened as he came to the same realization.

"Stingray... I'm so sorry-"

"Save it, I'm gonna go. Don't you have school or something?" I stood up trying to leave.

"Suspended. Look, I want to apologize for all the trouble I caused you in middle school. I was a douche, I hope you can forgive me in the future." He says, I can tell he is genuinely sorry.

I looked back at his pleading eyes, begging me to say something; anything.

"I'll do anything, please forgive me." Who would've thought I would see my middle school bully beg?

That didn't sound right.

"First, tell me what's in the bag." I told him. He looked at me in disbelief and quickly handed me the bag with a drink.

I opened the bag to find two bagels with cream cheese containers. I banged the straw on the bench until the straw popped out of the wrapper. The straw poked through the top as I took a sip of the tart drink. Orange Juice.

"Bagels were always your soft spot." He chuckles.

"Before I consider forgiving you, why?" I question. His smile faltered slowly before he responded.