Dream Ave

Chapter One

I still remember the first time I saw him. He looked so out of place here, it was almost laughable. He had tried to disguise his wealth, but you can't fake the desperation that comes with being one of us, the discarded ones. I had never seen someone like him here before. They tend to avoid what makes them uncomfortable, and we make them unbearably so.  I've always wondered what it's like to be one of them, rather than one of us. I wonder what it could be like to not feel the fear that lurks behind hunger pangs, the constant looming shadow of knowing there is no way out. Such a boring life it must be; God how I wish I could be bored like that. 

I wonder if that's why he's here- boredom. I wish he would leave. I'm tired of being leered like by passersby as if I'm something less than human. I'm tired of entertaining people who go home to sleep in their warm beds every night, never thinking about me again. I'm about to leave, when he turns his head towards me. I meet his eyes, and am surprised to see them mirror what's reflected in my own. Sadness, desperation, hope. I look away, but don't leave. Instead I watch him, this time with more curiosity. I've never seen eyes like that from someone outside of here. Maybe I've just never looked. 

I see something in the way he moves, the way he holds himself, that makes me think he belongs here after all. This place suffocates something in you, changes you. He walks like there is a great weight upon him, the weight we all get the longer we stay. But I've never seen him before, and I know he isn't from here.  He isn't one of us, so why does it feel like he could be? 

I see him again and again for the next week, hanging around my street. What is he playing at? Is hanging out with the poor kids some kind of make-believe game for him? The anger boils under my skin to the point that by the seventh day, I move from my spot leaning against the house. I need to ask him what he's trying to do here. My walk is brisk, the wind whipping past me, and I stalk to where he's been every day. I'll wait for him here. I can see my house across the street, and realize he must have seen me every day, watching him out of the corner of my eye. I hear footsteps coming around the corner, but it's not just him. I dart behind a run down shed and hope I don't get caught. He rounds the corner, with three guys in tow. They shout things at them, some of which I don't quite understand. He keeps walking, but they circle him, blocking him in. He looks down at his feet, and I can see by now that this is not a friendly encounter. I peek my head out from behind the shed, and he turns his head towards me. I can see his eyes again, a deep brown swimming with thoughts I suddenly wish I could hear. His movement must have alerted one of the other guys to my presence, for I am suddenly being shoved from behind until I'm next to the boy. I avoid eye contact with the thugs, and listen as they shout their way through a list of insults I've heard a million times over. I'm so tired of these people. People who treat others like it's all of our responsibilities to put up with their shit. I know they say we should be kind because they're hurting inside or whatever, but at the end of the day, who isn't? 

The anger wells up, but I force my face to remain dull and emotionless, my body to remain steady. They turn back to the other boy, who stands just behind me. The words continue to tumble from their careless mouths and I feel the hurt building a wall in my chest, even though they aren't aimed at me. It hurts anyways because I remember all the times they have been. The Ringleader steps forward, one step too close. My fist seems to draw back on its own accord, and a crack echoes down the desolate streets. Not sticking around for the repercussions of my actions, I turn around to the boy and say my first word to him since the day I saw him, "Run." Then I take off, not turning around to see if he listened to my advice. 

I reach my house, hearing footsteps behind me. I sprint the run down front steps and turn to face him. 

"You don't have to follow me. Just get out of here before they come after us."