FSE

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Chap. 1

"Why am I still here?"I though aloud.

My name is Lucas Palidas, and I am nineteen, majoring in Physics at Novas University, and sitting on a park bench waiting for someone who I had begun thinking wasn't real.

I pulled the note I had found taped to the windshield of my car the previous day out of my back pocket. It was a Starbucks receipt for a cappuccino, and looked to have been crumpled up and unfolded several times. On the back were the seemingly hastily written words, "Meet me at the park tomorrow around 4, and sit on the bench next to the lake." At first I thought that maybe somebody really did want to meet me, but it was six, so now I just felt upset with myself for believing that. Nobody has ever come to me for anything more than getting me to do homework for them.

I looked around, not really for anything. I saw a few ducks swimming in the large, oval shaped lake in front of me. The water was a murky brown, and reflected the trees of the forest that almost completely surrounded it, save for the walkway behind me that led to this stupid wooden bench.

I stood up and walked to the edge of the water, then looked at my reflection.

I am a wolf. My muzzle is short, my pale blue eyes lowered in disappointment. My ears drooped, and I felt my tail fall and wrap around my leg. My black fur was smooth and short, my navy blue hoodie was untidy, and my baggy blue jeans covered my feet.

I felt pathetic, worthless, and unloved. The tears came fast. I tried to hold them back, but I just couldn't. I fell to my knees, my hands began grasping the ground, pulling grass up while the tears fell to the ground, like rain in a storm.

"What did I do? WHAT DID I DO? Why? Why do people hate me? I... I..."

I couldn't bring myself to say anything else. I just fell on my back and sobbed.

After a while I slowed down and eventually stopped, as it was already dark. I felt the tears that had soaked into my fur grow cold at the winds gentle touch. I was calm. This was normal for me. I would get really screwed up about stuff, cry for a long time, then just stop and be quiet.

I stood up, brushing the dirt and grass off of my back, then began walking down the concrete path behind the bench toward the pavilion and parking lot. I looked at the trees on both sides of the path. They all looked... sympathetic, bending in as I walked past, or so it seemed. The leaves were bright with their fall colors, a few had already fallen, the breeze blowing them in my path so that I stepped on them, the small crunches my only companion in this cold, isolated place.

The pavilion slowly came into view as I rounded the corner, and I knew my car was just beyond it.

The pavilion really wasn't much to look at. It was a wooden, rectangle shaped, triangular-roofed building with a support beam in each corner. It had three rows of wooden benches and picnic tables. On the other side of the pavilion I could see the parking lot, my car parked in the far corner.

Suddenly I realized something. I looked up to see the moon was directly above me. I grabbed my sleeve and pulled it back to look at my watch. The green glowing hands marked the time as exactly twelve thirty four. I had been there for more than six hours.

"No way!" I screamed, and began sprinting to my car, "No way, no way, no way, no way!"

No sooner than when I reached the driver side door of that pathetic little grey car than I realized something. I stopped just as I was reaching for the door. I was so relieved that I couldn't help but voice it.

"Yesterday was Friday! Curfew didn't apply!" I screamed to the sky, almost falling to my knees as I did so, "I'm free to do whatever!"

I pulled the door open as fast as I could, sat down and turned the key, and, not bothering to even close the door until I was already moving drove out of the park and didn't stop until I got to the dorm building parking lot.

I ran straight through the front door, up the stairs to the third floor, and entered my room, careful not to slam the door, and collapsed on my bed. I could finally just sit in my room and be lazy. The entire week past I had been too busy to just sit and relax, so these few moments alone were enough to make me almost forget the whole park thing.

Then I looked at the door.

Chap. 2

There was an envelope in front of the door. I picked it up and began to open it. I pulled out a piece of folded up, lined paper. I unfolded it and began reading.

Dear Lucas,

_ I am sorry about the park. Practice was rescheduled so I couldn't meet you there. I understand that these letters will make you feel confused, awkward, and you probably think this is a joke._

_ I have had a crush on you for a few months now, and I can't ignore my feelings any longer. I want to meet you and get to know you. I am scared to tell you who I am, but I want you to go to the football game next Sunday. Everything will be explained there._

_ _ I read it over and over again, feeling so confused and shocked and a little angry. Why couldn't they just tell me? Is this real? I flipped it over, and found 10 dollars paper clipped to the back.

I dropped the letter, as I started to feel a strange sensation spreading through me. Fear.

I know this is real. Nothing is out of the ordinary. My small, square room had its usual blue walls, the white carpet floor had the old Pepsi stain just next to my little, one person bed in the left corner with blue sheets and the red covers tossed onto the floor. This is normal.

_"_The most important details... should be in my desk."

I turned to the desk in the right corner and examined it.

The Acer computer sat on the left side, with the keyboard next to it. The blue lava lamp that I got from my mom as a "get comfortable" gift was just jiggling in that way they do. Normal.

"It can't be..."

I pulled open the drawer open. All of my papers were sitting neatly in their stacks. This was normal.

I felt nauseated. Everything was real. The note was real. I picked it up again, hoping for some clue as to the identity of this person. The handwriting was definitely male. I felt light headed. Nobody knows that I am gay, not even my mother. I sat down in my swivel chair and stared at the note.

I just sat there, then one detail hit me. The time. The one thing that made no sense. I couldn't have been at the park that long.

I pinched myself.