Chapter 2: Close but Not Too Close

So, the next couple of days were weird. After that first encounter, Isaiah started sitting next to me more. Not every day, but enough for me to start wondering if he was doing it on purpose.

I tried not to think too much about it. I kept telling myself it didn't mean anything. He was just a cool guy who didn't care about the usual bullshit, right? He probably sat next to me because I wasn't a loudmouth, wasn't all up in his face. I was just... quiet.

But that didn't stop my mind from running wild every time I saw him.

We'd talk, casually. Small stuff at first—stuff about school, music, whatever. But slowly, the conversations started getting deeper. Like when he asked me what I liked to do outside of school. And when I told him I didn't really have any hobbies, he was like, "Man, you gotta find something you're into." His voice wasn't judgmental, just curious. Like he actually cared.

And then there were the little things—the way his leg brushed against mine when we sat next to each other in class, or how he'd catch my eye across the room and give me a small smile that made my heart beat too fast. Every time it happened, I had to look away, because I couldn't handle it. I didn't know how to act around him.

There was this moment during lunch. Isaiah and I were sitting by the bleachers, eating our sandwiches, when he suddenly turned to me and said, "You ever think about what it'd be like to just... leave all this behind? Like, just get away and do something different?"

I froze, feeling like he could see straight through me. He was talking about freedom. About escaping. And for a second, I thought maybe he saw me. The real me. The one who was too scared to trust anyone because every person I ever loved either died or left me.

"Yeah," I muttered, looking down at my sandwich. "Sometimes I think about it."

Isaiah didn't press. He just nodded, like he understood more than I wanted him to.