Alone

***

      Books were just one of the interesting things that kept Kieren from getting bored at home. Some classes were over, so the boy came home earlier than usual. His soul just wanted to enjoy the evening without listening to anything on TV or watching some news and funny videos on his phone.       James had gone to work part-time as usual, replacing and fixing faucets for his roommates. The upstairs neighbor’s kids were noisy and were right above the guy’s room, which was a bit of an inconvenience. With a sniffle, Kieren covered his eyes and pulled away from his book, waiting for the little ones to do something else or go for a walk with the adults, if there were any. It seemed the neighbor had a nanny who looked after the children while she spent much of her time at work, supporting herself and her two children, ages ten and eleven.       When the buzz had died down and the children and nanny had left the room, he exhaled. A faint “thank you” drifted through his mind as he sank back into the world of Shining.       Getting everyone to go for a little walk was no easy task. Simon hadn’t answered messages for a while, which Kira wasn’t happy about. She shared her concerns with Alice. She reassured her friend by suggesting that the guy might be busy and would answer later. At the same second, the phone in her hand vibrated with messages. “I will,” “But don’t do anything without me,” and disappeared from the network again. Alice, on the other side of the screen, was the quickest — after a few minutes of deliberation, she agreed and begged her mother to let her go for a walk. Kieren, on the other hand…       The ringing of the phone broke the silence, and as soon as she picked it up, a girl’s voice came from the other side.       — Shit, Kira, I’m trying to concentrate here! I’m reading!       — Oh… I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t know I could distract you right now. — I heard a heavy, soft sigh. — So… what do you think about the idea of walking with us for a while? I think you should really get out, take a walk. At least an hour in the café.       — So you distracted me, took me out of my comfort zone to ask me out? You’re not yourself. — The young man said clearly, putting the book with the pencil in it on the bedside table. — Okay, I’m going out. Tonight?       Glancing at the clock on the shelf, he nodded and, memorizing the time, said he’d come for a walk, insisting they wouldn’t loiter wherever they could.       Jones waited for everyone at a table by the window and waved to the guys who were slowly making their way to the meeting place, leading them right inside. She fixed her bangs and let Simon sit next to her, Alice across from her and Kieren next to her. Everyone was finally together and it was safe to order something for themselves.       — I’ll… I’ll probably just have a small cocktail. What do you have, one of the cheap but tasty ones? — The guy showed the cheapest cocktail they had on the menu, and Kira took it.       Simon followed and also ordered one of the cheap ones, mango flavored.       Alice and Kieren ordered theirs, which was a bit more expensive, and they all thought about what to do with the food. They agreed to buy just two plates of cheesecake to share between the four of them. It was a rather small amount, but when they realized that the amount they got was enough to pay the bill, they calmed down.       Having received what they had ordered, the boys, breaking the cloak of awkward silence, decided to start somewhere. And the conversation would go on forever…       — I… I haven’t been getting much pocket money lately. — Kira admitted, taking a few more sips of her cold watermelon cocktail. — She was stable on the walks, though.       — Wait, you didn’t tell us that. When we were in the park, you didn’t say anything.       Alice’s words made the girl cringe, hugging her shoulders and fixing her hair. Obviously to hide her shame from her friends. She tried to make her assumptions, but all it boiled down to was that a few bad grades had reduced her expenses, as well as a small crisis at the Joneses'. The girl declined offers of help, saying that everything would be fine, trying to put a smile on her sad face.       Simon didn’t dodge the question. The thin-looking boy looked away, biting his lip. He didn’t want to talk about what was going on in his life, so he tried to make a joke out of it. And somehow… It worked. At the suspicious looks, Simon shrank back. It was embarrassing, and the smile disappeared from his face, so he just sipped his cocktail and ate small pieces of cheesecake. A dark spot peeked out from under his sleeve. No one seemed to pay attention to it, but Kira noticed it and just stared at her boyfriend intently before she stopped, her eyes moving back and forth. She tried to keep her mind on something else.       Once again, someone tried to change the subject to cover up some of the awkwardness. After a while, laughter could be heard and the tension was almost gone. Luck.       The plates were empty, the glasses the same — just a few sips left.       Alice leaned over to Simon.       — Hey. What’s wrong with your arm? — She turned her attention to the guy’s sleeve, and he quickly covered it with his hand, his eyes racing.       — N-nothing. I just banged it yesterday, so I got a bruise….       Obviously not saying anything, the guy corrected himself on the spot, tried to change the subject. But nothing more came to mind. It seemed to Alice that her friend was hiding something, but it was not very pleasant to ask what happened in such a place.       As soon as she stepped outside, the girl whispered her question in his ear and pulled him forward.       — What’s wrong with you? — She held his hand. Simon turned away without answering:       — Really, nothing. Are you serious, Alice?       She could hear the disappointment in his voice. But it was worth being a little honest, Simon admitted that his father had hit him, leaving a bruise that lasted for days. Kira leaned over to Kieren and whispered in his ear:       — What are you whispering about?       Bebin shrugged.       — Let’s not go into details yet.       They came closer and, together with Alice, put their arms around Simon, who was clearly upset. Jones smiled and wiped a tear from his eye. They led the boy to his house and let him go, but he didn’t pull into the driveway right away. He looked back at his friends, smiled, and ran quickly inside, closing the heavy iron door behind him.       — I don’t like his behavior. — Kira noticed. She looked around the small apartment building skeptically and sighed, crossing her arms.       Kieren slipped his hands into the pockets of his hoodie and hummed. The girls looked at the guy standing calmly at the door, staring intently out. Not a muscle in his face moved.