Ten
"The State of Being"
He fills the room like champagne
Into an empty glass
As they slither to him like snakes
Through the grass
His stance is quiet with grace
Before they throw him
Into the rat race
And he turns to me to say
I'm a lonely boy
Even with the life, I asked for
--from "Lonely Boy" by Leona Naess
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You might think that the revelation that his father murdered one of our classmates would have made Logan less popular. You'd be wrong. I could tell he was unhappy, but what was I supposed to do about it? He seemed to be handling everything pretty well, all things considered. When Lilly had died, he began to act out. Now, he was just really quiet. Almost broken. It was a little worrisome.
I ran into Logan a few times in the hall during the first term of school. It was mainly awkward.
Apparently, today was one of those days when I Logan and I were meant to cross paths. I looked up, and there he was.
"Logan. Hey," I said, startled. I was still at a loss as to what to say to him. This wasn't like when Duncan broke up with me. In this relationship, I was the reason we weren't together, and I still felt guilty about that.
"Hello, Ronnie. How are things?" He was talking to me, but I could tell he was looking for a way out of the conversation.
"Umm, alright, I guess. Well, better get to class." Did I mention that Logan makes me feel like a tongue-tied dork sometimes?
It didn't matter, anyway. Several girls became aware of Logan's presence, and they swarmed around him to 'see how you're doing.' I saw him roll his eyes the slightest bit before speaking to them.
Again, what was I supposed to do about it?