The next day i was getting ready to head to the bus to head home when i heard my name. I turned. I waved to Zane and picked up my pace. "Hey wait i just wanted to talk to you." I'm not sure how we went from me running out of here to sitting in his truck in the stall at Sonic.

       Sure the ice cream was great but i didn't want to be here at all. But i was. You know why? Because he looked so broken. So hurt so upset. I couldn't take that. I never could. And he gave me the puppy dog eyes. i hated those. And you know what else. He just wanted to talk. About what?  I wasn't exactly ideal company. But i couldn't stop the pit in my stomach from growing when i tried to run away.

       "I thought the truck was in the shop?" I wrote down. "Oh it is but nobody was using this one so. Here we are. Thanks for meeting me." "Sure." I wrote. "So let's play twenty questions he prompted." "What's that?" I asked. He laughed. "you've never played twenty questions?" He asked. "Can't say i have. How to you play?" "Well the name says it all we just ask each other a bunch of questions." He said. My eyes grew wide.

     "Oh no it's okay. I won't ask you anything embarrassing. And if i ask you anything you don't want to answer you don't have to." He said. "I'll go first okay?" I nodded still unsure. "I'm sorry if this first one is a dozy but i am really curious. So i'm just gonna put it out there. Why did you stop talking?" I thought about it. I guess maybe i could answer that.

     "I guess i had nothing good to say so i just stopped talking." I said. "I don't really know." I said. I guess once i stopped it was easier to just not talk anymore.  "Where did you move from?" I asked. "Colorado springs." "Sounds beautiful do you miss it?" He chuckled. "That's two you cheater." He said poking me. I rolled my eyes. "Fine, go." I said catching myself smiling. He pushed his shaggy light brown hair behind his ear and his bangs out of his eyes.

       "Do you miss talking? I mean do you think you'll ever do it again?" He asked. "I think i do miss it, and singing. But i was so young when i stopped i don't even know what it would sound like. But yea i guess i miss it. And i figure one day i will. I don't know i guess i stopped in protest so i wouldn't again until it was really important. If that makes any sense." I said. "It does." "Okay so do you miss Colorado?" I ask. 

       "Yes i miss it. I don't think i should've moved. At times i feel like i made a mistake." Now i was curious as to why he moved. But maybe that was his big story and i didn't need to know. I mean he said he would tell me but i didn't wanna feel obligated to tell him anything. I'd never tell anybody.

      That's part of the reason i stopped talking. My dad was always cruel about these things. He always told me how broken i was and how nobody would want me. That my mom couldn't of wanted me because if she had she wouldn't have made a risky decision to have me. He didn't have to say that he didn't want me and i wasn't going to bring it up. Guys wouldn't want me they'd take one look at me and see how weird i was and they wouldn't want me.

     Really it was fine. I didn't want any guy to like me until my life got better. Not even Zane. It didn't matter how blue his eyes were or how deep his dimples were. Okay fine so i wasn't blind. He was totally a babe. But i wasn't interested and he would spend enough time with me to realize he wasn't interested either. "you're up." I wrote. "Oh okay, who do you live with? You know siblings and what not." "Hey i was going to ask you that." I said. "Okay then we'll both answer it and i'll go again." He said.

        "It's just me and my dad. No siblings. You?" "I live with my grandparents. No siblings either. Do you ever wish you had siblings?" "I used to wish i had a sister or something all the time. I still think it would be cool." "Why did you want to hang out with me? I mean why me?" I asked.

        He chuckled. "You don't see it do you?" He asked. "See what?" I wrote. "There is something about you. You have this way. I am beyond curious to unwrap your amazing layers." He said. "Why i don't even talk, i'm weird i keep my hair in my face." I said. He chuckled. "I know and you're beautiful." He said pushing my hair behind my ear.

      He ran his finger over a jagged scar. "What happened?" He asked breathlessly. I pulled back to breath and so i could write. "Accident." "Did you do that?" He asked. My eyes grew wide. "Of course." I wrote down. "Oh, that was insensitive of me i'm sorry. Look i'm just trying to be your friend." He said. "Well please don't take pity on me." I wrote. "Like you took pity on me?" "Touche'" I wrote. "I didn't take pity on you. You just seemed cool alright and i'm the one needs the friend okay?" He said looking away.

       What a jerk i am. "Look i'm sorry okay? I've never done the friend thing. It's new to me." I wrote. "Fine we can learn together. I mean i had friends back home ya know but i'll be happy to help you learn." He said. "What do i gotta do?" I asked. "Well we eat lunch together. We wave to each other in the halls. We sit together on the bus and in class. And sometimes we hang out after school. Think you can handle that?" I sighed. "I guess i can handle that...friend." Just thinking it sounded weird.

      "Okay my turn." He said. "What happened to your mom?" He asked. My eyes once again grew wide. "Oh i'm sorry you don't have to answer that." I shook my head. "It's fine." I wrote. Then i wrote. "She died giving birth to me." And i left it at that. "What happened to your parents?" I asked. "Um that's part of the story that were not supposed to talk about." He said. I nodded. "Oh, i'll ask something else. Um do you miss your friends back home?" I wrote. "Yes, but we keep in touch when we can."

       "That's great." "Oh here's one. When you made the choice to stop talking why didn't you learn sign language?" He asked. "I guess i didn't want to be a bother to anybody else. You know cause they don't know it and writing just seemed easier." I never spoke to my dad. The few times i tried to write something down he got really mad and tore the paper up then he tore me up. So i didn't do that again. He always yelled that maybe if i spoke he'd go easier on me but we both knew he wouldn't. 

      "Will you move back to Colorado after graduation? I wrote as i scooped the last bits of melted ice cream from the cup. "Maybe, but i'm not sure if what i'd be going back for is worth it. My grandparents are here and i have other family from here." "Oh that makes sense." I wrote. "I think so.Thanks again for you know hanging out with me, i'll get you home." He said. I was grateful to not have to ride the bus. So i couldn't complain. This friend thing might be weird though.

     And i was right. We ate lunch together. He offered to take me to and from school because it was on the way. He didn't even bring up the fact that he knew the kids were being mean to me. We'd sit out in my driveway and talk about things. It didn't bother him that i wrote everything down. He laughed at all of my jokes. And it was weird being able to joke again. I hadn't done it in so long and i realized how lonely and isolated i had become. And it was so normal i didn't know i hated it.

       We had a three day weekend coming up and i was actually looking forward to it. It meant i could hang out in peace. Sure we didn't have cable but the things you could learn on youtube was astounding and i was so grateful for it until i wasn't anymore. The one thing i learned might just be the death of me.