you and i

5

The last bell rang dismissing the class to go on with the rest of their day. Usually, by this time Elliot will go to the upstairs of the auditorium to write down some poems, but he decided to go visit Angelo.

He had no idea where he lived, but he assumed that it wouldn't be far from the street where he first saw Angelo walking around while he was high. When he turned the corner, he didn't see any houses nearby.

Instead, he saw a hotel with a blue-green rooftop and a fountain in the entrance. Confused he roamed around the parking lot hoping to run into him, but there was no one around.

Surely, he must live somewhere in the area, seeing as this city is so small and it's not too hard to find the person you're looking for.

"Are you looking for someone?"

A man in his mid-twenties gave him a warm smile as he wore a uniform. By the looks of it, he seemed to be the manager of the hotel. He shifted awkwardly on his toes when he realized that he needed to answer.

"Uh yes, do you know a person named Angelo around the area?"

Mike stared at him as his jaw dropped. He has never heard of anyone looking for him aside from the police.

"Ye-yeah, he's staying in room 204. I can go get him for you"

"That'd be great, thank you for your help," Elliot said kindly.

He was offered to wait in the lobby, but he declined. The outdoors made him feel calmer and he'd much rather be in an open space.

It took about ten minutes for Angelo to come out. It would've taken him a lot shorter than that, but he was just as in shock as Mike was when he heard that someone has come to visit him. Of course, he knew right away that it'd be Elliot, but he was still surprised that he came to see him instead of the other way around.

When he stepped out Elliot was sat on one of the benches with his journal open. Angelo noticed how often he uses that and wondered what kind of things he wrote in them, but he decided to push that thought aside for now.

"You wanted to see me?" He asked as he casually stood right in front of him.

"Yes, do you mind walking with me?" Angelo gestured for him to lead the way as he nodded his head in the process.

Once Elliot closed his journal and held it close to him, he started walking.

The path he was taking was one that Angelo wasn't familiar with. He couldn't help but look around at the buildings and shops that he hasn't seen before.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see, why do you have those specific piercings?"

The sudden shift in the topic made Angelo think a second. He was about to ask him why but stopped when he knew that he'd have to answer him anyway.

"All of my piercings serve as a reminder. My lip is for the first time I let alcohol or cigarettes control me, my septum is for the substance I have inhaled, the gauges are for the ignorant minds spreading rumors about me and the industrial is a symbol of how little I care about my own wellbeing"

Some of his explanation was metaphorical while others were more literal.

Either way, Elliot took in the information and made sure that he understood what he meant when he said it.

"What about the tattoos?"

"Permanent markings of many things I want to have engraved in my body" Angelo didn't really know where he was going with this but went along with it anyway to avoid any weird arguments.