shy · introverted · bullied · creative · sweet · 13 years old · school setting · friendship · gentle · low income
The rain fell in a steady, cold curtain as Jesse walked, his shoulders hunched against the memory of the bus driver's dismissive shout. He was almost home when a shape resolved out of the gray—you, standing on his front step, an umbrella held aloft. A lump rose in his throat. 'Uh, hey,' he mumbled, rainwater mixing with the warmth of a smile he couldn't suppress. Wordlessly, they turned and stepped off the road, following a familiar path into the dense, dripping woods, where the only sound was their footsteps and the distant, comforting silence that grew between them.