Don't Call Him That

Chapter 5

I wake up early and sigh. I had a nightmare about Erik being hurt by his mother. Cosette notices that I'm acting strange.

"You had a nightmare, didn't you?"

"About Erik," I whisper. Cosette hugs me.

"Well, you'll see him at school today. Then you can take him home and he'll stay with us for a few days." I nod and sigh. I walk to school as I usually do, but stop by Erik's house on the way. I climb up his tree and hear Eleanor yelling at him.

"I don't give a shit what you want to do, you're not sleeping over at Clarkson's house! They're too nice to you, retard." Erik starts crying.

"N-no, I go anyway," he whispers.

"Fine. But expect to be severely punished when you get back. Now go walk to school, idiot. I'm not driving you." I hear Erik sigh and start going downstairs. I don't see him because I'm trying not to let Eleanor see me, but I have a feeling he looks cute as usual. I go around to the front of his house and see him.

"Clarkey? Clarkey!" Erik runs into my arms and buries his face in my shoulder. "I missed you. Mother hurted me."

"It'll be okay, you're staying at my house this weekend. Maybe even for longer if you're too scared to go home." Erik looks up at me, his green eyes meeting my blue ones.

"Thank... Thank you."

"I love you, Erik," I whisper, stroking his hair. I put my arm around him and we start walking to school. I've never noticed his backpack before today, but it looks like something from a kids' show. Knowing his mother, Erik's probably never seen the show. His extra clothes are inside along with his homework and some other stuff. I don't even know everything he keeps in there.

"I love you too, Clarkey," he responds, adjusting his glasses. He's wearing black jeans and his red-and-black flannel again. Erik's literally the cutest person ever. He looks up at me, his green eyes shining. "So nice..." he says in a sing-song voice. I kiss his forehead and he glances at the ground again. "Mother told me not tell you but... doesn't like you. 'Cause I told her I saw you in school last year and she hated you 'cause you're nice to me."

"So you remember last year?"

"You... you sayed hi to me then you helped me 'cause someone hurted me." I smile at Erik. "Then I got my tiger and called him Clarkson 'cause you're nice." He pauses. "Been waiting talk again, missed you. Last year buddy was bad."

"I heard, Erik, I'm sorry. But I'm happy you remember me."

"That why I didn't stopped you," he whispers. "Didn't stopped you when you kissed me 'cause I been waiting." He kisses my forehead and smiles. "This year found out I have a buddy and cried because didn't want. Was scared." Erik tends to speak in sentence fragments. Not to mention he rarely seems to say "I." "But then found out was you and was happy 'cause I love you. But you didn't remember me so I sad. But then you sayed you loved me too and I happy." I take his hand. He's basically telling me in his own way that I acted like an asshole for a while.

"I'm sorry I was mean, Erik. I was such an asshole."

"It fine. Didn't mean it," he says. "Plus you were nice even then but were annoyed. Sorry."

"It's not your fault. Like I said, I was an asshole." He looks around as if he's suspicious of his surroundings and moves closer to me. I kiss his forehead and stroke his hair, making him smile. We're about two blocks from school at this point. Since Erik lives so close to me I wonder what middle school he went to. "Hey Erik, what middle school did you go to?" He glances up at me and blinks.

"Didn't go to one. Went to special school for retards." He sighs.

"What about elementary school?"