The Boy in the Gray Hoodie

26...

This chapter is dedicated to boblinah for the awesome music suggestion! If anyone has any media suggestions, let me know in the comments :D I love to know about any songs you think fit the story, or any pictures you think look like the characters. That stuff makes me happy, so don't be shy, let me know!

26…

The sofa was lumpy and it smelled weird, but the waffles tasted good. I wasn’t hungry anymore, and I wasn’t cold. But Lisa still wouldn’t look at me.

            She was sitting next to me on the cushions with her legs crossed. If I reached out, I could touch her. But I wouldn’t, because she still didn’t want me to. I wanted to understand her reasons, but I guess I never understood anyone’s reasons for anything they did.

I didn’t understand why Marley let me see her face, and then left me with James. I didn’t understand why James always got angry with me, or why he said I wasn’t sick anymore. I didn’t understand why James brought me to Lisa. And I didn’t understand why Lisa didn’t like me now.

I stopped thinking when Lisa switched positions and put her head on the arm of the sofa. Her eyes were drifting closed, and I knew she’d fall asleep soon.

            I wished that I could fall asleep with her. Like last night.

            Leaning forward, I pressed my elbows against my knees and put my chin in my hands. I was sitting on the edge of the sofa, careful to keep enough space between us so that I wouldn’t break her rules and accidentally touch her. I wasn’t comfortable, but I was being good.

            “You can lean back, Roy. The sofa isn’t going to bite you.” Lisa mumbled.

            I turned toward her, but her eyes were still closed. I wanted her to look at me. She had once, when she was talking to that person named Chris. She’d known I was scared, and she’d spoken to me then. But she hadn’t looked at me since and it made me wonder.

I wondered if her rules were changing.

Maybe now we weren’t supposed to look at each other either.

            Frustration settled over me and I frowned. How was I supposed to be good when the rules kept changing? I was doing my best, but I kept messing up. If I knew what I was supposed to do I’d do it.

I would probably do it.

            I would try, at least.

            I flinched when Doug started coughing in the other room. He was still sitting behind the counter with a book. It had a picture of an animal on it, although I wasn’t sure what kind. I knew what some animals were from the pictures Marley had shown me when I was much younger. She wasn’t supposed to show me, but she broke the rules sometimes, like I did.

            I felt curiosity tugging at me. My head started bobbing and I realized I was bouncing my leg, fidgeting. I glanced at Lisa. She was asleep.

            Biting my lip, I stared at the book. The animal had dark eyes. I wanted to know what it was.

            I got up from the sofa and inched slowly toward the door. I’d already glanced back at Lisa several times before Doug saw me, and gave me a confused look. I froze in the middle of the doorway.

            “You need something?” he asked me.

            I shook my head.