Paper Planes

11.

(Liv)

It's been a few weeks since school had started again. Today, it had ended early today and so I was here, in my room, doing homework. These stupid science exercises really had me going insane.
Annoyed, I threw my pencil on the desk and crossed my arms. I would never get it.

Just as I stared at the book angrily, I heard a child laugh on the street.
Curious as I was, I peeked out of the curtains of the window.
Outside I spotted Nathaniel walking hand in hand with the little girl, who I had assumed to be his sister.

He was wearing his usual black hoodie, contrary to his sister, who was dressed in bright colors and wore her dark brown hair in pigtails decorated with yellow hair ties.

I smiled when I realised that he was carrying her schoolbag, a light blue bag that had teddy bear ears. Cute.

His sister was skipping next to him while excitedly talking to him. He nodded and she giggled happily.
This made me wish I had a little sister. Sadly though, I didn't have any siblings.

Nathaniel and the girl approached their house. Through the window I saw him reach into his pocket to get a key out.

He opened the big door when the little girl jumped up and threw her little arms around his waist. Nathaniel stumbled back a few steps, then looked down and patted her head with a smile.

They went inside and a warm feeling spread in my chest. I loved seeing people be happy.
And for Nathaniel, that didn't seem to be the case too often.

On the way to school, we often chatted and I couldn't help but notice how exhausted, even sad he looked most of the time.

He always had intense dark shadows under his eyes, which led me to the conclusion that he didn't sleep enough.
Something else I often noticed was how tired he looked. Not physically tired, but mentally tired. His eyes lacked that sparkle, that sign of life that I adored so much in other people. It was like there was no life at all inside of him. Like he was just an empty shell.