***TRIGGER WARNING - Homophobic language and bullying***
The halls were always crowded at school. Between the lack of sleep and the caffeine rush from the energy drink though, today it felt worse.
I stopped by my locker. I didn't need anything; it was actually the one next to mine that caught my attention. It was covered in sharpie graffiti and crude stickers that were bound to get someone in trouble.
"S'cuse me." a quiet voice came from behind me.
I turned and took a couple steps back instantly. "Of course, I'm so-" my voice faltered mid-sentence from shock "-s-sorry..."
The guy behind me was tall, pale, and hid most of his face behind a half-burned cloud of black bangs. Dark clothes hung loosely on his slender frame, probably two sizes too big so they were long enough to cover him properly.
He ignored the graffiti on his locker and quietly retrieved a few books.
A wad of paper hit the back of his head with surprising accuracy, and laughter erupted on the other side of the hall.
"Hey, emo freak! How do you like the new locker? It totally fits your vibe right?"
I glanced at the guys across the hall. A member of the football team, like every high school cliché would have, and a couple of weight-lifting rejects who'd lost their spots on the team when their grades dropped.
Their laughter faded as their target walked away silently, without acknowledging any of their taunting.
"Awww sheesh, he really is no fun. With that whole tormented outcast mindset, the fag is probably enjoying the attention."
"Shhhh, not so loud," one of his buddies purposefully changed his tone to mock a stereotypical queer voice, "you don't want to get in trouble for hate speech. This school is a safe space, you know? It's progressive."
I ignored them too, and headed towards my first class as the bell rang.
Lunch time rolled around, and I found myself back at the lockers.
I couldn't help it. There was no way to prove who had done the damage, so the school wouldn't do anything. Those stickers would be a royal pain to get off if you didn't know the trick to it. I probably couldn't do anything about the sharpie until it was a couple days older, but the stickers alone would make a huge difference.
The majority of them peeled off ok, and a quick rub of my special cleaner took the adhesive residue right off. Some of the sharpie came off, but I didn't waste my time trying to get more off than what faded easily. That bottom layer would be the worst, and I didn't want to get in trouble for scratching the locker.
Funny how I was worried about being punished when I was removing the vandalism.
I had just finished putting the cleaning supplies back in my locker when I heard someone stop behind me.
"Thanks."
He spoke as I clicked the lock shut.
I shrugged. "I could only get the stickers. The sharpie is going to take time to fade."
"Still..."
"Don't worry about it. Since you didn't react at all they might not mess up your locker again, but you should probably watch your back. Those guys get bored easily. That's what happens when you're failing everything and don't care."
Up close, his appearance was just as striking as I remembered. We were probably the same age, but he was almost a foot taller. His clothes coordinated different shades of black, and his hair must have taken hours to style the way he had it.
He shuffled his feet awkwardly and shrugged. "I'm used to it. Don't worry."
I smiled at him. "Ok. Just... be careful. Your locker is right next to mine so I'll keep an eye out for new stickers."
He shrugged again, and an awkward feeling settled between us. I excused myself and headed to my next class.
When I finally got to head out for the day, I was tired again. Lunch hadn't gotten me very far through the day, and the energy drink had barely gotten me to lunch. Briefly, I considered stopping by the corner store again, but decided to save my money for another day. The tiny allowance I got didn't go very far.
Instead I pushed on to the pavilion.
I could barely hear myself push out the words to open the way to the carnival, but I refused to lose this chance to explore in the daylight. I'd be fine after a solid night of sleep.
It was amazing, the difference a bit of sunlight made.
As the carnival shimmered into view, sunlight glinting off the strands of lights, I felt a breeze drift through the pavilion.
The exhaustion started to leak out of my body as I stepped across the threshold.
My fairy guide nowhere to be seen, I decided to see if I could find the other part of the carnival that had come to life when I entered.
Slowly, listening for the hum of electricity or a whirring of machinery, I wound my way through the various attractions. There was a hotdog stand, a tilt-a-whirl, and vaguely creepy giant puppies with doors into their bellies and a wheel in the center like you would expect to see in a teacup ride. The entrance to a haunted house was appropriately left open as though someone had just left. The funnel cake food truck still smelled like the cakes were being made fresh, but the generator was silent.
Then I found a miniature roller coaster.
It barely qualified as a coaster, so be honest. There was a pole to measure your height against, and a sign that indicated it was a children's ride. It was one of the rides that had a fence left around it, and a little station off to the side for the operator.
The operator's panel itself was simple and labeled, very easy to understand.
And the buttons were lit.
There was a sound of surprise from behind me, and I turned to see the boy from school standing not far away.
"I... How are-?"
"You know-?"
We both stopped abruptly, then stared for a moment.
Then I laughed. I don't know why I laughed. Maybe I was just too tired to do anything else. Maybe I wouldn't have known how to react even if I wasn't exhausted.
But it was alright, because he smiled at me and relaxed as I fought to breathe again.
"I'm Cameron."
I smiled back at him.
"Hi Cameron. I'm Aili."
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