Walking With The Outcast

Chapter 11 - Lucilia

Traipsing down the deserted sidewalk, I watch a leaf skitter away from me.

Even foliage want to avoid me.

My feelings escape their prison in my chest through a heavy sigh. The wind silently carries them away, leaving me in solitude once more. The loneliness is a living being inside me, clinging to me and choking the joy I want so desperately to keep. It seems that the only cure for it is Ace's presence, but I should not have to rely on him to keep me sane.

Why did they leave? What did I do wrong?

I last saw my parents two months ago, and even then, they were only home for two weeks. Two weeks of stiff, formal conversation. Two weeks of me hoping that they wouldn't leave again, despite the awkwardness their presences wrought.

But they did.

And here I am. Alone with my thoughts for company.

Trudging through town, I scrape my shoe soles along the sidewalk, slowly wearing the rubber down. My attention is solely on the ground and the way the sunlight makes it brighten, almost burning my eyes.

"Oof!" I exclaim when I run into something. I look up. Or someone.

A woman stands before me, tear tracks beginning at her ocean eyes and ending at the bottom of her cheeks. Her auburn hair catches the sunlight and flashes red momentarily. The trembling bottom lip catches my attention, as does the forming of another tear about to fall. It does, trailing over the wrinkles that exist around her forlorn eyes.

"I'm sorry," she croaks.

"No. It was my fault."

I begin maneuvering around her, but the lost look in her eyes call to the lonely one in mine.

"Are you okay, ma'am?"

She appears surprised that I would bother to ask. "Yes." Glancing at the dubious expression on my face, she amends. "No. I'm not. I'll be fine once I get to my husband, though. He works at the school."

"Well, I'm going there right now. Would you like to come with me?"

Her face brightens slightly, and the wrinkles on her forehead smooth out a bit. "Yes, thank you. What's your name?"

"I'm Lucilia."

"My name's Anna. It's nice to meet you, Lucilia."

"You, too."

Silence interrupts the conversation, followed by a hint of awkwardness. However, I don't try to get rid of them; Anna does.

"You know, most kids try to stay as far away from school as possible."

I snort quietly. "I'm meeting a friend there," I explain.

"Ah, a boy?"

A pink flush seeps onto my face, and I clear my throat.

"It is a boy! Are you two dating?" She is squealing by this point, something uncharacteristic for someone middle age.

I vehemently shake my head. "No! No. We're just friends."

Anna's excitement deflates like a popped balloon. "Oh. Do you want to be more than friends?"

I hesitate, but nod.

"Then why don't you tell him that?"

"Because it could ruin what we have now, and I don't want to lose him if he rejects me. Also, I want the guy to make the first move."

"I can understand that. When I first met my husband, he was kind of a rule breaker, always getting into trouble. No one thought he was going to get anywhere in his life. So, I tried to avoid him after that meeting. Obviously, that didn't work though. He'd come banging on my window in the middle of the night, convincing me to sneak out."