Deluge of Desolation | l. ackerman

Feel the Present

(chapter fifteen)

"You're cool, let's be friends!" A boy, maybe two years younger than me, said. His blonde hair tousled and small body, frail. He had prominent eye bags and a healing bruise on his left wrist in the shape of a hand. His voice was weak, but despite that he spoke with enthusiasm and maintained a large smile. His teeth were clean, at least.

"No," I say, bored with whomever this kid was. It was not often I had people coming up to me and asking to be friends. I was not very popular amongst the neighborhood kids, neither was Zeke. I am not sure why, I had not done anything wrong or demoralized...to my knowledge.

Despite my lack of friends, I was not necessarily looking for anyone other than my family to find solace or a  relationship in, let alone a kid younger than me. He made the newt I was staring at scurry away, too, which made me annoyed. If only he wasn't so loud, maybe then I could have watched the slimy little creature for a bit longer.

"What? Why not?" The boy asked in exasperation. His smile fell.

"You made the salamander run away. We are enemies by default, now," I say, glaring at him. I sat upon the gravel bank of Liberio's one reservoir. Very often do I come here and watch the free critters of the water go about their simple lives.

"Huh?! That doesn't make any sense! It's not like I knew you kept stupid, ugly bugs as pets!" The boy exclaimed.

"It's an amphibian. A lizard. And it's not stupid," I begin, "Now I like you even less. You think we can be friends after you just insulted my companion?"

"It's stupid either way. And the fact that you'd rather have that as a friend and not me in extremely insulting,"

"Oh, good. I'm glad I accomplished my mission," I roll my eyes and look back to the bank where the midday sun reflected the serene ripples that followed in bugs' and fishes' wakes. Perhaps if I ignored him, he would go away?

The boy sighed and for a second, I thought that my plan worked, but I jumped the gun on that belief because he, rather obnoxiously, collapsed on the grass next to me. Great. "Okay, fine. The past's in the past and I apologized—"

"No you didn't," I cut him off.

"—That's beside the point!" He exclaimed, then sighed and continued, "Anyway, let's be friends! You looked lonely out here by yourself and, honestly, I'm a bit lonely, too. So I thought that maybe we could be friends!"

"I'm not lonely,"

"You sure looked it,"

"How old are you anyway? You speak fine for your age. It's weird," I say.

"Six! Guess I'm just smarter than you, huh?" He laughed.

"Hardly believe that's the case. I'm seven, by the way,"

"So you do wanna be friends?!"

"I didn't say that,"

"You implied it. What's your name?" He asked.

"It's rude to ask someone their name before you offer yours. Have you no manners?"

Again, he ignored me. "I'm Reiner Bruan, now tell me your name,"

"I don't like being ordered around," I mumble, the lower half of my face tucked into my knees. I tightened my arms around my legs and closed my eyes in languor.

Reiner groaned, exaggerating his voice, "Fine, may I know what you're called?"

"June,"

"No last name?"