The Invisibles

He's a stranger to many, which is a fairly strange concept; you'd think that, since he's been going to the same grade school as them since kindergarten, that people would know him. However, several times before the girls and boys in his high school class would pass him, whispering about the 'new kid'.

Nobody knew him. Nobody wanted to.

Every day, he sat on the bus alone. He sat at his own lunch table, a fortress of solitude, too many walls build up protectively around him for anyone to bother tearing down. No one would talk to him in classes; the teachers tried to understand him, look past those jade green eyes and see through the smokescreen he hid behind each day, but to no avail. By now, he was an expert at going unnoticed, at being invisible. Living under a mask day by day, nobody evening wondering what he was really like, everybody just going along with their boring routines. It was too much of a hassle to try and figure out the young juvenile. So they left him be, just like all students did; bystanders, just watching the internal battle ravage the mind of its host.

Once in awhile, a girl would notice him; now past the curse of puberty, his slightly accented tenor voice rang lucidly and warmly, like freshly made chocolate being poured, his acne clean off his sun-kissed skin, only replaced by the scars of his life. A shock of short ebony hair with bangs that fell into his eyes, which were as green as the grass. He was tall and fit, without a doubt a looker. But with every friendly smile he gave, everyone knew he was hiding something, that at least one part of that smile was fake. Nobody wanted to associate themselves with a liar. They steered clear.

He wasn't always this way. He had parents, a loving mother and father, who were very close even as they grew in age. His dog and parrot were very near and dear to him, seeming to almost sense his emotions. His neighbor, a pretty young lady, an aspiring artist, cared greatly for him and always checked in on him every day. But not even she could reach out to him, offer him a way out. Instead, he remained stoic, hiding his thoughts and emotions and just playing it cool.

But it wasn't cool. As time went by, he was slipping away. His grades plummeted, he cut his hair so he could see, his tan complexion paled in comparison to the color it was before. He seemed hollow, like rotten wood, his unshakeable resolve suddenly beginning to crumble.

Even with these changes, nobody saw him. He was invisible, unseen by the world.

Until one day. On this day, some kids in the neighborhood stopped by his house. There was a new girl with them, who would be starting school in the grade below him in just a month. They'd chosen to help her out; she wasn't invisible, she wasn't quiet. With ivory skin and long brown ringlets, she was quite the looker, and she had a lopsided smile. He was very taken with her, as were the two kids whom had brought her to meet him. After all, she lived not even a block from him, now. They talked, and she eventually went home. He liked her enough, that was true. Her outlook on society was nice, refreshing. But she didn't know him. The month passed, and he never saw the girl again in between that time period. He fell deeper and deeper into the darkness of his soul, all alone. Eventually, he made a plan; nobody else cared about his life, so why should he?

That day, he headed toward the back doors of the school, skipping his final class of the day. Nobody would know. No one would realize it. His shoes made soft, stifled thuds on the marble floor as he made his final walk through his school, ready to leave. Suddenly, he heard a warm, welcoming voice shout his name. Only a few feet from the door now, he debated ignoring it; it must be a fluke. He was invisible.

And then he heard it again; more uncertain now, but still warm. Warm and musical, like a riverbed trickling over pebbles. It rocked him down to his core.

He turned to look at the new girl.

She knew. That realization hit him like a punch in the gut. She knew exactly what his plan was, what he was going to do. He looked at her, wordlessly. He didn't know what to say. Nothing he could say would make this better. Her bright blue eyes bore into him, cold as a glacier, yet as hot as a gas flame. Blazing blue fire, iridescent in the light. This must have been her first day at school--he hadn't seen her until now. And apparently, she'd gotten lost. So she asked him for directions. Helpful as ever, the soft-spoken boy replied. But inside, he was glowing. He'd never felt useful before. Not like this. Not as if he were honestly making a difference. He made brief small talk; she laughed. Those eyes seemed to smile along with her. He really loved her smile, he decided, the barest traces of his own smile on his face now.

Then she did something unexpected. She stepped forward and reached out, taking his large hand in her small ones...a child's hands, he thought numbly. Nobody had ever done this before. He didn't like this; she was confusing, unpredictable. All the other students he knew, he knew they'd never confront him, never tell him to stop. But this...he wasn't used to such contact. Then she smiled up at him, blues meeting greens.

"I like your eyes."

That was all she said. Giving his hand a squeeze, she grinned quickly and turned on the balls of her feet and walked away, a bounce to her step. He stared after her. Who had ever made a comment as such before? ...Nobody that he could remember. He gawked, watching his savior leave right before his very eyes. Honestly, he could have ran after her and hugged her for those words. Those simple words, those life-saving words, reverberating in his soul for all eternity. Slowly, he looked over his shoulder at the door, reaching out for the handle. Then his face closed off, and he thought better of it. He needed to complete school.

Silently, he left the door and walked off in the direction of the new girl. His heart had never felt lighter.