Bonnie

"My mom is going to kill me!" I cried.

We played until I hadn't realized how long past it was that I had to be home. The sun was already gone past the cliff. He told me that he would see me tomorrow, if I was still alive. A cut on his cheek glistened in the waning light as he waved a bruised hand. It was like nothing affected him, as if he paid no attention to his body. He collected his shoes and ran in the other direction, I assumed back to his own house. My mom told me off that night, and grounded me for a week, but I survived. The next morning, he was right outside my bus stop. I gave a nervous smile. I asked if he was new at our school.

He nodded effusively, then told me that he was so excited to start school again. He said that he hoped he was in all of the same classes as me. His smile was almost unsettling, when it wavered. I asked what was the matter. He dug his tattered sneaker into the sidewalk. He wouldn't look at me. The school bus rumbled in the neighborhood, still out of sight. He dug his hands into his pockets, but not before I noticed the cuts on his fingers.