Fragments of His Being | ✓

CHAPTER SIX

A little convenience store was located at the center of the small town. Like everything else in the town and its neighborhood, it was old, rundown, and badly managed. Nevertheless, it offered snacks and comic books, and was it was well-loved by students who wanted to grab something on their way home.

It was early in the evening on a Thursday, and Quinn had split from his group of friends in other to get a drink. When Quinn walked in, he strolled through the store a bit, surprised to find the person he's been looking out for the past week. Cody was in the store, standing at a nearby aisle and looking through the small comic section the store had.

Where have you been? The question was at Quinn's tongue. He wanted to run over to Cody and shake him by the shoulders for disappearing into thin air, but they weren't that close for him to be that upset. Quinn stood still, not knowing what to do. It was the first time he had seen Cody in over a week, and just when he had told himself he would try to stop thinking about him the small boy reappeared—doe eyes and baby face intact. With a deep breath, Quinn decides to approach him. He walks behind him, tapping his shoulder.

"Hey!" Quinn's voice was a bit shaky, even though he'd just wanted to sound friendly. It annoyed him. Why was he nervous?

Cody turned his head. His eyes were wide, but they went back to their normal size when he saw who it was.

"Oh, hey," his voice was low, and he didn't match Quinn's enthusiasm at all. Quinn started to feel nervous. Maybe Cody didn't want him there. He contemplated making an excuse to leave, but he pushed himself, deciding to continue the conversation.

"So, what are you doing?" Quinn asked after a bit, letting go of Cody's shoulder before tucking it into his jean pocket. Stupid. He scolded himself, squeezing his hand in his pocket. He touched his friends all the time, so why did his face feel warm and stomach twist up with nerves?

"I'm just looking around," Cody replied. The boy's face was blank, and he seemed oblivious to Quinn's inner turmoil. "Just looking," he repeated, staring at a row of comics. Quinn noticed the glint in his eyes, and he immediately reacted.

"Oh, you like comics?" Quinn asked, cocking his head at Cody who seemed to be avoiding his gaze.

"Yeah..." the boy trailed, running his hand through his dark hair. It was wild and flopped around his face. It didn't look like he had combed it in a while. It was a lot longer compared to the first time Quinn had seen him.

Quinn didn't say anything in response, so the conversation died, and the two boys stood in silence. Quinn wondered if he should just walk away, but a part of him didn't want to give up on talking to Quinn, so he kept going. "I came here to grab a pack of biscuits and a Pepsi. It's rather hot outside. Do you want anything? I could get it for you."

Cody frowned a bit, staring straight at Quinn with his deep brown eyes. "Do I want what?" The way Cody had asked the question shook Quinn a bit. He didn't seem interested at all, and Quinn was on the brink of apologizing and just leaving.

"Do you want a can of Pepsi or anything for that matter? I'll be paying, so don't worry," Quinn forced himself to say, suddenly feeling like Lindsey when she had kept bothering him. Did Cody think he was a bother? Was he acting weird? He didn't know, but what he did know was that he wanted to hang out with Cody. He hadn't seen him in a week, and if he slipped away now he wasn't sure where he'd find him.

Quinn watched as Cody's frown left and was replaced with a deep red blush that made Quinn's chest squeeze up. "Don't worry about it," Cody said, waving Quinn off before looking over the boy's shoulder.

"Come on now, don't hurt my feelings by rejecting my offer," Quinn said in a light-hearted joking way, but he meant it. Deep down the fact that Cody was saying 'no' hurt him and chipped at his confidence. He watched as Cody's face turned even redder as the boy fidgeted with his fingers.