All The More Reason ✔

Chapter 8 - Bend or Break

Tuesday

The next day, Senn swung back and forth slowly on the swing, not taking his feet of the ground, as he stared at the white house on the other side of the road. The swing set was part of a playground in the park, that also held a pond, a small skate park, a recreational soccer field and lots of trees and grass. He had spent endless of hours in this park in the past years. With his friends, with his ex girlfriend, by himself or with his family. It held so much memories that he felt overwhelmed by them.

Mainly by the emotions that came with those memories.

But the park wasn't the main reason for Senn to feel overwhelmed. It had been the endless staring in school. The whispers, the stares, the pity. He had felt like screaming at those people to mind their own business. But that was probably going to gain him even more attention, and lately all he wanted was to be invisible.

He had remained silent most of the day, and luckily teachers left him alone for the most part. But his friends' actions had been weird, uncomfortable and most of all different. Different from how they used to act.

During lunch, they had decided to go over to Shakies after school, a local lunchroom that had the best milkshakes in the area. They had asked him to come, but he felt no need to hang out with people more than necessary. Again, he just wanted to disappear for a while. Having to go to school was more inconvenient than ever.

He had eventually fled the school halfway down a class and went straight to this swing set. By the time it was dark, he had finally reached a calm state in which he didn't feel like crying all the time. The house across the street was strangely soothing to stare at.

The beautiful white house, with a small tower, big windows that seemed to suck in every ray of sunlight and a green garden bordered with flowers in all possible colors. The house he grew up in, that his parents fell in love with the moment they found it. The house that held more memories than anything in the whole wide world.

But it stung to see lights in it, knowing it wasn't his family that was inside.

"Senn?" a voice sounded behind him.

Senn stiffened but refused to look around. Maybe if he pretended that he wasn't who he really was, the guy would leave again.

"Ah, I thought I recognized that hoodie."

In the corners of his eyes, Senn noticed Elio taking a seat on the other swing.

"You left school out of the blue. Your friends are worried."

"Why do you care?"

"Who says I do?" Elio chuckled, actually starting to swing back and forth the way you're supposed to on a swing. "I'm just telling you what's up."

"Well, I don't care either. Leave me alone."

"Sure."

Senn let out a breath, relieved Elio wasn't a dick that was going to bother him... but then why wasn't he leaving? Senn's eyes went from left to right and back as he followed Elio on the swing going back and forth, not showing any intention to slow down. It wasn't like Elio was speaking, or bothering him with words, but his presence wasn't much appreciated either.