The Lost Boys

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Oliver met Parker when he was 10 years old. Oliver was a very shy but cheerful boy, always trying to make friends. Always trying to please.

And one day, he saw a little boy hanging upside down from a tree.

Oliver had approached him warily, afraid that if he startled him, the mysterious boy would fall and break his neck.

So he started to whistle. It was his favorite song by G-dragon as he approached the swinging child.

To his surprise, Ollie heard the boy humming along slowly. His eyes opened.

"Oh hello there!" The boy whispered in a thick English accent.

Oliver was positively delighted.

"Hello yourself." Ollie whispered back, grinning. "What are you doing, why are you hanging, and why are we whispering?"

The boy easily pulled himself up and sat on the branch. "Cause Momma Nature doesn't like screaming kids."

And he motioned to the crazy kids having a circus as recess. Oliver himself had initially moved from there to get away from the noise.

It reminded him too much of how his parents and siblings yelled at him when he messed up.

So he nodded solemnly. "I agree with Nature then."

The boy smiled widely. "I do too."

A frantic tweeting noise was suddenly heard from above the trees. Both boys looked up. "Bye bye, eye-smile." The tree boy went and climbed up the faster than anything the ten year old boy had seen before.

He uncertainly looked back at the teacher that was pulling his friend Jojo off of a kid that he had been holding in a chokehold.

Typical Jojo.

Since she was distracted, and his best friend was no where to be found, Oliver decided that he would make sure the mystery boy was not a mystery to him anymore.

So he put down his lunch pail, tightened his scarf, put on his gloves and started to climb up.

He was fairly high when he saw the little grey shoe of the boy he had been so intrigued by. "Its been a while, tree child." Oliver greeted casually hoping to scare him.

Ellie never got scared.

And neither was the boy. All he did was turn away from whatever he was doing to say, "Shhhh." and turn back.

Oliver climbed one more branch to see what had the kid so occupied.

It was a bird in his small hands. It quieted down from the loud cries it had been making.

"Aw." Oliver said.

Without saying anything, the boy reached around and gently placed it into Oliver's hands.

He had wanted the bird to himself, but the tree child had a feeling this boy needed comfort too.

"Maybe I shall name it Parker, after me." He announced softly.

"Or Oliver after me." Oliver countered, holding the animal close to his heart.

Now they knew each other names without having to ask.

They giggled together when the bird wiggled out of the grasp and hopped onto a nearby thin branch.

It whistled once, twice, and was gone.

Parker turned to Oliver and winked. "This is my secret spot, so keep it that way."

Ollie smiled so wide his cheeks hurt. "Really? Cool!"

And Parker saw how excited the older child was, and even though he had wanted this quiet place for himself, he figured Oliver needed it too.

"It can be our secret place." He suggested shyly.

Oliver practically shook with excitement. "YAY!" He exclaimed but after the other boy's stern stare, he fixed it. "I mean yay."

Parker swung swiftly onto the branch Oliver was on and pinched one cheek.

"You're so cute, why?" Parker whined.

Oliver immediately blushed in shame.

His sister's words came to him like a storm on a sunny day.

YOU think you are so cute don't you? Because you are the chubby baby right? Well you thought WRONG. You are not cute or just chubby. You are FAT and UGLY and anybody who says otherwise, just pities your worthless self! Spoiled brat.

He smiled weakly. "No I'm not. But thank you."

Parker himself knew what those words mean. They meant that someone told him that the words aren't true. And though all he wanted was to be alone for once, he held the boys hand.

Oliver weakly smiled. He remembered Elliot, his protective best friend (though he was nothing compared to Jojo).

Oliver couldn't have a secret spot with this mystery boy, without his best friend.

"Sorry. Parker but-"

Just then there was a loud yelling.

"Oliver Christian Harrison where the hell are you AND IF I FIND OUT THAT YOU WENT UP THAT TREE I AM GOING UP THERE TO DRAG YOU DOWN."

Oliver face palmed. "And that is the reason I can't have this place with you. That is my best friend."

Parker tilted his head to the side.

"And if this is our place, it's have to be his place too. But he's too loud. Sorry." Oliver apologized.

Parker was rather relieved at his chance to have his place to himself again, but saw the disappointed look on the other boys face.

Even as the headache pounded behind his eyes from the loudness underneath the tree, he decided that if this new friend would like his best friend to have this spot, they should.

"It's okay." Parker said softly. "Y'all both can be here."

It was almost worth it to see the delight in Oliver's face.

He could hear the excitement in the boy's voice as he yelled. "I'm coming down Ellie!"

He obviously forgot the no screaming rule, but the pain in his eyes was gone, so even has the pain behind Parker's eyes pounded his head like a freight train, he smiled.

Oliver was so happy to hear the news he didn't notice how the pain had transferred.

How he left the boy there alone, going to his best friend. Talking in loud voices on how they would have a new hideout.

Parker always made sacrifices. It was worth the others smiles. But nobody every noticed that he never smiled as much after doing those things. Did they care? Did he matter?

Does it matter?

"I never see you smile anymore."

"I never see you smile either. Thought I wouldn't notice?"

"Hoped you didn't, figured you would. I'll smile if you do."

"Deal."