School Story - 007

And so, it came to be that I spoke to Arthur Davies again, despite his strong insistence that I don't do so, and the advice that I got from Josh and his friends.

"Hey."

In response, Arthur looks over at me wide-eyed, but quickly looks back away.

"I told you to leave me alone."

"No, you advised that I leave you alone. I'm just choosing to ignore that advice."

"Why?"

"Because I'm curious. What makes a person say things like that?"

"Surely you have a general idea."

"Yes, I have an idea of the kind of things that would make someone say stuff like that, but I want to know specifically what made you say it. And I want to help you."

"Help me?" Arthur laughed, "help me how? Your just some teenager, right? How can you help me with anything?"

"I don't know. But at the very least, I'm sure having even just one person you can rely on would make things better for you, even if it isn't by much."

"No, I've been fine on my own for this long. I don't need anyone else."

"Maybe. I used to think that way as well, but for me at least it became too much to bear."

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing really. I wouldn't mind telling you, if you agree to be friends with me."

"I don't really care. It'd be better for you if we weren't friends anyway."

"Why would you say something depressing like that?"

Arthur really worries me. He just seems so down. So… depressed. There isn't any other word for it.

Talking with him, both now and earlier, as well as when I was confronted by Josh before, it all seems to point to, remind me, of one thing. How I used to be.

My past. That's what I see when I look at Arthur. It wasn't like I was bullied or anything, but back in Wellington I was alone. Not completely alone, I had some friends, but none of them very close.

None of them people I could count on with my life.

Arthur certainly doesn't have anyone like that either. And what are the chances that he'll take the same path that I have?

That he'll run away from home.

Or perhaps worse.

Maybe he'll harm himself.

Maybe he'll lash out in violence.

Maybe he'll hang himself.

I can't possibly walk away and leave him alone, when I consider all of that. It wouldn't be right to. It would go against everything I set out to change about myself when I left Wellington, and came here.

The things that made me want to save Tayla. That have made me into a busybody.

I can't go against all of that. Because then I'd slip into the same thing that I'm seeing Arthur going through now.

Self-loathing. Denial of the self.

I remember what it's like to have feelings like that, and I want to do what I can, for both my sake and Arthur's, to make sure I don't have to feel that way again.

When we reach the school gate, I turn left towards the bus stop, but Arthur turns right.

"See you tomorrow," I say to him.

He doesn't reply. Not even a look over the shoulder. I suppose it isn't that surprising. He's trying to do whatever he can to make me ignore him, and hate him. I wonder what it is that caused him to feel like this.

What he's suffered.

I make my way back home, but I take my time. There isn't any rush, after all. I no longer have a shift on Tuesdays, so there isn't any need to race home and then head off to work as soon as possible. It probably took me perhaps half an hour longer than usual.

I got my key out of my pants' pocket. I don't even have it on a keyring. There isn't any reason, given that it's a singular key.

When I put it in the keyhole and twisted, I didn't hear the familiar sound of the lock clicking open.

Huh?

I tried the handle, and the door swung open. I guess I must've forgotten to lock it. Strange, I wouldn't have thought that I'd forget. It's one of those things you just do without thinking about it. Well, we all make mistakes.

I step through the door, and take care to shut and lock it behind me.

Now that I'm home, I'm not sure what to do with my time. It's not like I have much to do when I'm not at work, or school, so I have a bit of a conundrum. What to do…

"Stay where you are! This is a robbery!"

The sudden voice from behind startled me, and probably lost me multiple years off my life, but even so I recognised the voice before she even finished her gag.

"Some burglar you are! Anyone could tell there's nothing to steal in this house!"

Tayla responded quickly, saying, "yeah, your right. It seems I've got the wrong address. Excuse me," and began to make her way back down the hallway.

"Stop! Your waiting here until I've called the police."

"Why would I want to do that? Au reservoir."

"Okay, you've gone too far, that play on words was horrible! It might all be French, but it has no complexity to it."

"Yeah, I seem to have got ahead of myself. I should've brought damsels into it first."

…

I'll admit that it would've been funny if she'd somehow worked that in there, but it's fallen flat now.

"Seriously though, how did you get in?"

"I picked the lock."

"You know how to pick locks?"

"It's general education, no?"

"What do you learn at school…"

"No, my father taught me."

"What kind of parent teaches a child to pick locks?!"