Kapitel 12: Chapter 10
" I have to get to work, I don't wanna be late, " he said and attempted to turn and walk away but I held his right wrist with my left hand and stopped him from doing so. He slowly looked down at where I held him, then he glanced up at me and blinked a number of times before he once again returned his attention to my hand.
" Come on Stevens, friends?" I stretched out my other arm to him and he stared at it for the longest while. I knew where his mind was because mine was in exactly the same place.
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KYLE'S POV
Finally! I had been waiting for the class field trip for two weeks and now that the day had arrived, I couldn't be happier. We were supposed to go visit this jungle where some rare minerals used to be mined long ago. Well, it was more of an artificial forest than a jungle but I had never been on a field trip before so I was excited. My mom never took me anywhere, she always said she was too busy and that I was old enough to go by myself. But I was only nine. I had actually turned nine a month ago, she had forgotten my birthday again but I'm sure it's because she had a lot on her mind. Maybe that's why she always looked so tired, but it was okay, I had told her she didn't have to worry about me. I could take care of myself. The teacher asked us to queue up and get into the school bus in an orderly manner. All my classmates were in small groups, talking to their friends. I didn't have any of those, no one ever wanted to talk to me. But I preferred it that way because those who did approach me either wanted to tease or make fun of me. I liked being alone, with my textbooks. I was too young to be reading about physics but I didn't care, I found it fun and interesting.
I sat down and after a while, this boy from class came over and sat next to him. I knew him well even though we had never talked.
Austin O'Grady.
We had been in the same class since kindergarten and he always had really nice clothes and toys. I'm sure they were rich. I had seen his mom pick him up in a really nice car. But I was sure he wouldn't want to talk to me and I didn't want him to think I was weird so I moved closer to the window and focused on my book. A while later I felt him staring at me and I wondered what was wrong, I ignored him at first but after a while I looked up and found him still staring. I frowned and stared back.
" Is that a comet?" He asked gesturing to my textbook. I slowly nodded.
" Cool, I like comets. They smash into things. "
After saying that he looked away and I watched as he closed his eyes to take a nap. Then he asked me to wake him up when we got there and I told him I would. No one had ever talked to me before, the other kids must have looked at my clothes and known that we were poor, no one wanted to be friends with a poor kid. But Austin didn't seem to care. I went back to my book, wondering why after each page I kept turning to look at him. He looked really cute while sleeping. Was I allowed to think that? Why did I even think that?
We arrived and I tapped him awake, he stretched, his hand finding my head and he gripped my hair as he yawned. Had it been another kid I would have been sure they were trying to hurt me, but he wasn't. He finally let go, then he looked at my hair and muttered a sorry before he gently tried to put it back in place, I told him it was okay and asked him to let it be. I always liked how cool his haircuts were. My mom waited ages before she gave me a haircut, she said it was too expensive to take me to the barbershop. So I was saving my own money and next time I'd take myself.
As the teacher led us around the forest, I felt him continuously stare.I chose to ignore him, but why was he staring? I looked down at myself, I had picked the best clothes I had, they weren't nearly as good as his but they weren't torn either. Maybe he was mocking me in his head, I was sure of it. I moved as far from him as I could. Everyone else was walking in pairs and groups, laughing and talking excitedly, except us.
We stopped because the teacher wanted to explain something about some large rock we had come across, but in the distance I could see a plant I had seen in an eighth grade biology textbook. It looked so familiar, and the book said it was really rare. I turned to the teacher,she was busy and I was sure she was going to take a lot of time explaining things I already knew. I always liked to follow the rules, and it was against the rules to wander off alone. But it was only going to be for a while and it wasn't like anyone would notice. No one ever noticed me.
I slowly crept away, and the closer I got the more fascinated I became. There were a lot of rare species of plants there, I jumped from one to the other, studying them and remembering everything I had read. Moving closer when I saw another one I liked. My young nine year old mind was curious so it took it's time. But when I finally looked up I realized I had been gone for quite sometime. I decided to head back, only to find the other students gone.
Panic washed through me!
I desperately looked around, wondering where everyone was. I run around in circles, shouting the teacher's name and hoping that she'd hear me out and answer. But no response came.
" The bus is gone, " I finally heard someone else say and I gasped and turned around, quickly wiping the tears that wouldn't stop falling.
Austin O'Grady was leaning against a tree a short distance away. I wondered how long he had been there.
" What?" I asked and he shrugged, then he turned to face the tree and started hitting the bark with some stones that he had stuffed into his pockets.
" You heard me! They're probably back at school by now. "
" No. "
" Yes. "
I shook my head and called out the teacher's name once more, as loud as I could. But I got no response. The tears came back and I didn't stop them, I was going to be in trouble, the teacher would be mad but I was more scared of my mom. If she found out then she'd beat me for sure. Austin stopped playing with the stones and turned around, then I watched as he dropped the stones in his hands and walked over to where I was.
" Hey, don't cry, " his words sounded concerned. I sniffled back a cry and turned around, not wanting him to see me humiliate myself. I couldn't stop the tears, he didn't know my mom. he had nothing to worry about. And it was getting dark.
" We'll probably die here!" I said in between my sobs.
" It's going to get dark and snakes and other large scary animals will come out and eat us!" I added. Then I thought of my mom and I buried my face in my small hands, if night came and I wasn't back, and she learnt that I had wandered off then I was going to really regret having gone on the field trip in the first place. I was in the middle of my breakdown when I felt Austin's hands on both my shoulders, then he moved closer and I immediately stopped crying and stilled.
" Hush now, don't cry, " I was so shocked that the tears automatically stopped falling, then he wrapped one arm around me and used the other to wipe my tears.
" Everything will be okay, "
His tone...no one had ever used that tone of voice with me. Like he really did care, and no one had ever hugged me either.
Never.
I slowly turned around and he smiled on realizing I was no longer cry.
" That's it. You have nothing to worry about, "
" But--" he put his hand up and reached into his back pocket, then he took out a cellphone and told me had already called his mom and she was on her way there.
I was actually more shocked about the fact that he had a cellphone than anything else, we were the same age. His birthday had been a week earlier than mine and his mom had surprised him at school with the largest cake I had ever seen. So the fact the he actually owned a phone was really shocking.
" Problem solved, " he cheerfully said, then he reached up and wiped whatever remained of my tears, I couldn't stop looking at him. He was being so nice....
But then I realized that I was staring too much and I was beginning to get very nervous for some reason so I decided to step away a few feet. Keep some space between us.
" Hey, where're you going Ken?" He asked, his left hand wrapping around my right wrist. I looked down at his hand and then slowly back up at him, and I would have answered had I not realized....
" Wait, did you just call me Ken?"
His eyes widened, like he'd just realized he'd done something wrong and felt guilty all of a sudden. The level of disappointment I felt in that moment was too profound to put into words. I felt like I truly was invincible, like no one ever saw me.
" Ummm..." he scratched his head and I could see him racking his brain as he tried to remember.
" Kelvin?"
I shook my head and he furrowed his brows.
" Connor?..Not that either? Chris, no?...Caleb?.."
" Just stop, " I told him. We had been in the same class for all those years yet he still didn't even know my name, how was that even possible. The things I knew about him were endless, one would think we actually talked. But he didn't know something as basic as my name.
" It's not that I don't know your name, " he suddenly said and I fought to not scoff and roll my eyes at him.
" I know the second one, Stevens...right?"
I suddenly felt a rush of relief wash through me. It wasn't something great but at least he wasn't completely clueless. I nodded and he sighed in relief.
" My name's Kyle, " I told him.
" Kyle! That's it, I knew that. "
" Yeah right, " he hung his head and smiled. His hand still holding my wrist. He apologized once again and I told him it was okay. I don't think anyone had ever told me sorry before him. And for something as simple as not knowing my name. He was nothing like the other kids.
" Let's start over, cool?" He raised his brows and I wondered what he meant. I also couldn't stop asking myself why he looked so cute! and why I was still thinking that. Was I really allowed to think that?
I finally nodded and he smiled, he had a really nice smile. I don't know whether I was allowed to think that either but I did.
" My name's, "
" I know your name Austin. "
" Oh, "
He tried to hide his smile but failed. Then he looked at me and the smile was gone. He was back to staring, I didn't like it when people stared at me because I always started worrying about how I looked.
" You're not mad are you?" He asked and I slowly shook my head, then I looked away. I know I wasn't supposed to be upset, but I didn't like the fact that he really hadn't known what my first name was. The teacher herself had called it out a lot of times.
" Are you sure? You seem upset. "
I shrugged and asked myself why he wasn't letting go of my hand. It was better if we didn't talk because by tomorrow he would have already forgotten my name. Maybe even both of them. And we'd go back to not talking, there was no need to talk now.
" You know, I think I'll stick to Stevens, that way I won't forget it, "
I glanced at him. Then I tried to gently pull my hand away but he didn't let go. He stood up straighter and then he extended his other arm, his eyes fixed on me entirely.
" Come on Stevens, friends?"
My lips parted and I wondered whether he was being for real. I had never had a friend before. I didn't even know what it felt like to have one, what did you do when you had a friend? I imagined you'd never get bored. But I was hesitant, and I was sure that this was only for the moment because the second we went back to school, he would forget about everything. But I figured there was no reason to refuse, I was willing to play along.
" Friends, " I told him. Then I placed my small hand in his.
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Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein