Panic surged through me. "Secret?! Can she see the window?" My mind raced as I struggled to find my voice. Just as I was about to ask her if she could see it too, she cut me off.
"The secret that you have an antique bottle!" she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
I let out a sigh of relief, feeling the tension drain from my shoulders. So she doesn't know about the challenges. "Yeah… so don't tell anyone about this, okay, kid?" I said, trying to sound more serious than I felt.
She tilted her head, a playful pout forming on her lips. "Why are you calling me a kid, though? Aren't we the same age?"
I was taken aback by her quick-wittedness. "O-oh, are we?" I stammered, awkwardly flashing her a smile. "So what's your name?"
I finally stood up, brushing the dirt off my clothes. "Christina," she replied, her voice a mixture of pride and annoyance.
"Hi, Christina! Hehe, go home; it's late." I ruffled her hair affectionately, trying to lighten the mood.
Her cheeks flushed a bright red. "S-shut up!" she shouted, embarrassed, before she took off running, flustered by the unexpected interaction. I watched her go, still a bit confused by the encounter.
"Uh..weirdo...well… I guess it's time for me to head home too," I muttered to myself, glancing back at the dark street.
I walked over to the side of the building where my window was, ready to climb back up. That's when I noticed it: the rope I had made had loosened and fallen onto the dumpster below. "Shit," I cursed under my breath. I was left with no choice but to ring the doorbell of the main door.
With a reluctant sigh, I approached the front door and pressed the bell. A moment later, the door swung open, revealing Gramps, his brow furrowed with concern.
"Where have you been?" he asked, the worry evident in his voice. I lowered my head in shame, guilt washing over me.
"I'm sorry," I blurted out, my voice barely above a whisper. The silence stretched between us, and I could feel the weight of his gaze.
After a moment, he broke the silence. "Why were you outside at this time of the night?"
I froze, searching for an answer. What should I say? Christina flashed through my mind, and I decided to stick with the simplest excuse. "I was out to meet a friend," I said, trying to sound casual. "A girl called me over, but then she just… ran away. Maybe it was a prank."
Gramps raised an eyebrow, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth as he sighed assuming that i just had a strong desire to make friends. "Well, no matter how much you desire to make friends, it's wrong to stay out late at night, especially for a young boy like yourself, okay? you tell the same to the young lady who called you over alright?"
I nodded, grateful for his understanding yet embarrassed at being caught. He ruffled my hair, a familiar gesture that somehow made me feel lighter. "Just be careful, alright? Now go on to your room and get that weirdly shaped teddy bear outta your bed."
"Did he already know that i had gone out?" , i thought to myself as I made my way back to my room. I couldn't shake the feeling that he knew more than he let on. He had probably checked on me while I was out, and yet he chose not to pry. I smiled to myself at his wisdom; he must have understood that I needed to navigate this new life on my own, even if it meant making mistakes.
Once inside my room, exhaustion hit me like a freight train. I collapsed onto my bed, the events of the night swirling in my mind, and I drifted off almost instantly, the fatigue of the long run finally catching up with me.
It was already morning, marking the second day of school, i woke up excited despite last night's run's fatigue a smile spread across my face as soon as the thought of seeing my first friends including Galvin crossed my mind ,but i had no idea that a wave of humiliation awaited me.