The same morning routine as always; wake up, dress, hair, teeth, and run the fuck out of that house.

I felt my stomach growl as I hit the only-half-a-mile-left point to my bus stop (a relatively-new park) and had to stop from the sudden queasiness rooted in my stomach. God I'm going to be sick… I thought and held my stomach. "Real bad…" I added under my breath and felt an elbow on my back and the scent of a ripe fruit behind me filled my nose. I couldn't help but look up. There he was, an angel sent from heaven above, and he held a ripe peach out for me, another one in front of his mouth like he had just taken a bite.

"Link?" I mumbled and looked at him, the feeling of queasiness in my stomach being replaced by the pain in my back—though it wasn't as hard as it normally was, it wasn't a blazing agony hurt; just a stub-your-toe-one-too-many-times hurt.

"Hiya Dark!" He cheered. "You want this peach?"

"You're… You're sure?" I stuttered and stood up fully again.

"Yeah, you look like you're hungry or something; want it?" He asked again and held it out further for me.

"Thanks." I grinned at him again, halfheartedly before taking a bite and walking away with him.

"You live near here?" He asked as we continued down the street.

"Not really, no. Do you?"

"Yeah, you passed by it shortly before I walked out… It's just down there." He turned slightly and pointed to the house that was for sale not too long ago but now had the "SOLD" sign in large red, block, letters on the hanging information sign.

"I guess that makes sense…" I muttered and shrugged slightly. "So are you really from the city?"

"Yep!" He smiled wide again and I got lost in his dancing eyes for a moment. I broke the gaze to take another bite of the pink-orange-and-slightly-red fruit in my hand, savoring silently when its rich juices flooded my mouth; I hadn't realized how hungry I was. I didn't have dinner last night since I haven't gotten my pay check yet this week and my mom's still at the Call-Girl joint and dad… well, you saw dad he was snorting coke.

"What's the best part about it?"

"I dunno." He shrugged. "Probably how easily it is to get lost in a crowd."

I know he expected me to shoot him a "what-in-the-world" glance, but I didn't, only one full of sympathy. You wouldn't be able to begin to understand my life right now, trust me…

He smiled and watched as I bit the pit out and held it in my palm so that I could finish the last of the peach.

"You know what, Dark, you're weird."

I flashed a smirk at him. "Thank you."

His arm wrapped around my shoulders and I grinned, more to myself then him, he finally didn't touch my back. Score. I sighed and leaned against the half-wall near the fire hydrant that marked the exact location of where the bus always opens and closes, stupid.

"What's the matter?" He asked as he leaned next to me.

"I'm just really tired."

"You look like you're in pain."

My head snapped up to his face, the peach pit safe between my teeth, and I could feel the wave of fear and anxiety rush from my head down to my toes as my eyes widened. "W-What?"

"You look like you're hurting… Every time I touch your back you either cringe or wince or do something. Are you ok?"

"Yeah…" I nodded slowly with my eyes shut. "Yeah, why? I just don't like people touching me."

"Then why didn't you pick me off when I touched your shoulders?"

"Too tired."

"Why're you so tired?"

"I've got a weird life."

"You do realize you're not supposed to eat the pit, right?" He asked as we walked up onto the bus with the rest of the bus-riders.

I directed him to my seat in the back before turning to him with my answer gripped between my teeth. "Weyl, you don'th eath eit, you sthuck on it." (well, you don't eat it, you suck on it.)

He laughed and poked my nose, which made me cringe away again. "Like I said, I don't like people touching me."

He shot me an apologetic smile and leaned back in the seat. I ended up falling asleep against the side of the bus.

A light shaking on my arm made me groan.

"Come on, Dark, we've got to leave soon. We're pulling into the school yard."

"Five more minutes." I mumbled and left my eyes closed and rubbed my head on whatever was warm against it.

"Sorry, but it's time to get out. Get up."

I finally realized what that warm thing was and my eyes shot open as my cheeks went a dark shade of red.

"Are you ok?"

"YeahyeahI'mfinedon'tworry! Justgotalittlehot!" My sentence came out as a jumble of words, but apparently he understood because he nodded his head and stood up. I followed suit and fished the pit out of my cheek so that I could throw it away when we got to a trashcan.

I ended up falling asleep in every one of my classes except PE… again.

I changed in solitude rather than with everyone else since for my own reasons; I won't expose them just yet.

"Why do you always wear that jacket?" Link asked as we jogged around the track—I know, old school, right? Don't ask me, ask my slut of a teacher.

I shrugged. "Just because."

"Just because why? Does it have anything to do with that no-touchy rule of yours?"

"Probably, yeah." I shrugged again.

"Do you ever give a straight answer?"

"Sometimes."

"Nope." He remarked and patted my arm before hurrying in front of me. I held my arm as he left my sight; god damnit that hurt!