Chapter 2

Sammy Walcott

Rumors, I hated them. And gossip too, no matter how beguiling it is, it sucked.

If I had my way and the right I would have loved to see Crystal's friend gasping for her breath as I strangled her with my bare hands. I'm usually violent and now I feel murderous.

"Dude, that tapping is distracting." A guy sitting beside me said calling my attention by tapping me with his ruler.

I turned to him with my trademark glare and Do not mess with me look, thankfully and easier for me, he understood the look perfectly and backed off, raising both palms up in surrender. That always works, unless the person on the receiving end had a death wish. And right then, I was feeling particularly generous.

I was the fucking fairy Godmother. Or genie.

I sighed running a hand through my hair. I was making a mountain out of a mole hill. So what if Crystal's friends lied, it doesn't... it shouldn't matter. It also doesn't matter that I've spent a better part of today looking out the windows and snapping my attention to doors whenever someone walked in.

I shouldn't be doing this but— but I'm waiting for him.

You're such a fool Sammy, I mentally scolded myself. Shutting my eyes tightly and balling my fist. Waiting? Again? You've been waiting for six bloody years, I should be tired. He's not coming, they lied.

I exhaled through my mouth, balling my fist and releasing it continuously. I stopped tapping my finger on the desk and I heard the guy from before sigh in relief. I'm used to this. I'm used to getting disappointed.

I tried to distract myself by staring at the digital clock hanging on the wall. Thirty minutes more before this detention class is over and done for. The clock was failing me because my mind kept wondering back to the name Elijah Gracia.

How tall is he now, I wondered. Will he still remember me? Does he have tattoos and piercing? Stop it Sammy, he was just your best friend — six years ago. This curiosity is undeserving because it's never going to get satisfied and is probably reserved for lovers and that's certainly what we weren't. I bit my lip to hold in a shudder just thinking about it, nothing makes sense.

I started on my English essay ignoring the looks the other guys were giving me for snapping my pen into two.

Detention ended sooner than I expected (wanted). As weird as it may be, I would much rather stay in this quiet detention class longer. The stupid gossip was the only reason this class was less pleasing to me, I usually enjoyed it. Even though it was sitting in a class or working it out in the library or some other punishment, it was way better than going back home.

Yes, I couldn't stand the other boys but at least that place was kinda keeping me sane. Being out now was like letting an angry bull out of its den or cage, whatever.

I was usually always angry but today it was doubled and I had all this bottled up energy inside me. I wanted to punch something, somebody or even be punched— for someone like me who cherishes his face, that's saying a lot but— maybe that would snap my senses back. I was on a look out for trouble. And then...

"Watch it dude, you almost stepped on me." Some guy said, I knew he was referring to me but for his own good, I kept walking.

Stop me, fucking stop me.

"Dude, I'm talking to you." He said placing a hand on my shoulder.

Yes.

I stopped walking and turned back to him. "What did you say?" The voice coming back to me was one I was getting used to, not me and that's okay because it's with this new Sammy that I don't find myself banging my head against a wall, threatening to spill my brains out.

He opened his mouth to talk and from the corner of my eyes I saw his friends pulling and pinching his hand. From the look in his eyes, I could tell he was foolish. My suspicions were accurately proven when he didn't keep quiet. "I said, you almost stepped on me."

"So?" I asked taking a step forward. I know guys like new me, I hate guys like new me.

"So, it right that you apologize."

"And if I don't?"

"I— if you— if—" he shuttered at a lost for words. I smirked, feeding off his fear he was trying so much to hide and confusion from his failing false bravado, I felt sick in the stomach but my veins pumped with life.

I grabbed his t-shirt pulling him forward, his eyes widened and the emotion he's been trying to hide finally showed through his eyes. Fear. His look was so sickeningly familiar and that's the more reason I wanted to punch his face in.

I sneered.

"If you don't want me to almost step on you, then clear out of my fucking way." I pushed him back, causing him to slam his back against the lockers. Then I stepped on him.

He was supposed to fight back but he wisely didn't and with a semi satisfied smirk, I pulled my hoodie lower and walked out. I could hear them grumble and mutter behind me. I was feeling a little bit better.

Thankfully my walk back home was trouble free, just me occasionally kicking any glaring stone, rock out of my way. The clouds were beginning to gather and the wind was picking up. This weather plus the little walk helped release more of the anger boiling inside me. I felt freer. Still angry but not murderous anymore.

Reaching my house, I noticed unusual things. Unusual things being; two giant moving trucks. On a more closer look, I deduced that people were moving into the house next to mine. New neighbors.

Seriously? Its just been a week since the last meddlesome neighbors left. Why can't I get at least a year free, or even a month. Was that too much to ask?

"Yes."

My head wiped around in alarm. Wondering if someone was listening in on my thoughts or if I was going crazy and speaking out loud. The latter was more likely.

"Yes, dad. We didn't forget the ball stack, it's still on one of the trucks." A male voice spoke again and I caught myself asking if I have ever heard anything more masculine.

Someone inside the house shouted something I didn't hear completely, only catching the end part "—rain's coming."

"Of course the rain is coming. I've told you before, this day is jinxed." The guy outside said again, he sounded young but I wasn't that good enough to guess someone's age by just their voice.

My lips twitched for a second in morbid amusement. Everyday for me is jinxed, but for them I guess the day was pretty horrible. The rain was coming fast if the clouds we're anything to go by and it was definitely going to beat some of their stuff. I resumed walking and my curiosity about the new neighbors shocking me slightly.

I wanted to see the guy speaking, if by his voice he wasn't too young or old, then my age mate? Who was my new neighbor and was that the new voice that's gonna be waking me up every morning or maybe this time calling the police to any unusual noise? Before the kettle, our former neighbors were my alarm clock— they woke up too early for my liking and made a hell lot of noise doing so.

I heard a grunt as I came into view with the building and then a base ball bounced on the floor and came rolling towards me. Now the wind had really picked up and was blowing everything in sight, I had to pull my cap lower in a bid to avoid it flying off. I watched the baseball until it came to stop at my feet.

"Great. I bet something fell off right now," The guy grumbled blindly, legs tapping on the floor to find what fell.

He was carrying a huge box, really huge and I mentally commended his strength. The box was blocking off half his body and I could only see his khaki pants adorning his long legs, blue Nike shoes and the sleeves of his blue shirt plus his fingers. Big, long apparently strong hands.

I picked up the ball choosing to help and maybe get a name when instead I should be running inside and avoiding any form of socialization.

"Yes, something did fall off."

I don't know what made me talk. I should have just ignored the ball and walked home but I did talk and now the only thing I could hear was the wind slapping against my ears. My voice wasn't as great as his, that's for sure.

I hear him chuckle and I stop comparing voices in my head to listen.

"Please tell me its not something valuable."

He's talking back, that's a nice step.

"Depends on how you value a baseball." I started walking closer, my fingers playing with the ball.

"Shit, very." He said and makes a sound really close to chuckling.

My lips twitch in an almost there smile and I noted how weird that is for me. Then I stopped right in front of him, my sneakers clad feet next to his. The only thing separating us was the giant box. I was curious to see his face but it seemed impossible in this situation.

"I'm just gonna put the ball back in here," I said placing the ball carefully, back into the overflowing box.

"Thanks Man."

"You're welcome," I said, I think he nodded but I didn't see.

He turned around with another grunt walking into his new house and I jogged into mine.

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