Freaks

“Hey Ash!” Ash looked up from his phone and saw Oliver, rummaging through his closet. Ash slid off of the chair he was sitting in and approached Oliver. He looked over Oliver’s shoulder. “What is it?” He asked, towering over his friend. Ash always teases Oliver for his height, but then again Ash was abnormally tall for a seventeen-year-old. 6’6 to be exact. Ash glanced at the other half of Oliver’s room, there was a dresser, it was fairly messy with clothes and art supply’s spread on top of it and a round mirror above it. His reflection glanced back at him. Ash flipped his dyed, purple hair to the side. He still remembered when he dyed his hair. It was all out of spite of his father, but he really wasn’t expecting to like it this much. So he kept it. Ash smiled at the memory. Oliver’s eyes lit up once he had found what he was looking for. “Look!” Oliver turned around and was holding a skateboard in his hands. It had a design at the bottom; half red and half white with a skull in the middle. Cool. “Woah, you bought it?” Ash asked, taking the skateboard and observing it. “No, my sister got it for me.” Oliver chuckled. “You should have seen my parents, they were acting so worried.” Ash looked up from the skateboard to Oliver. “They were all like ‘what if he gets hurt!’ But they have nothing to worry about because you can teach me, right?” Ash handed the skateboard back to him. “Well, yeah sure, I mean I know how to skate.” “That’s what I told my parents! But then they said ‘he can also hear’” Oliver laughed. Ash opened his mouth but closed it again. “Oh c’mon big guy! Laugh! It’s no fun if I’m only laughing!” “But I mean, were they wrong? It’s easier for me to hear something coming like a car. I don’t mean to sound like a dick or anything but you have to be careful, plus, keep your hearing aid on, I know you don’t like wearing it outside but-” Oliver rolled his eyes “fine, if you want me looking like a fucking freak then so be it.” He threw himself onto his bed and closed his eyes, which is what he usually did when he was done with a conversation. Ash never made it easy for him. He shook Oliver until he sat up. Ash sat next to him. “You don’t look like a freak, you look perfectly normal!” Oliver once again laid down in his bed. “I’m anything but normal, I can’t hear shit, does that sound normal to you?” After a few moments of silence Ash lied down next to him. He wanted his friend to be okay with himself, he didn’t know how to, though. He didn’t know what being deaf was like, so he really couldn’t do much to help him.

Oliver stood on the concrete of his driveway, eyeing the black rough skateboard in front of his feet. “I can’t do this! It’s impossible!” He looked to Ash who was standing on his board with ease. “It’s not impossible, your just not trying hard enough.” Oliver looked Back down at the board. “Just put one foot on, and then the other, it’s easy as long as you keep balance.” Ash told him stepping off of his board and pressing his foot onto the nose, lifting one half of the skateboard upwards. Oliver, just as Ash told him, put one foot onto the board. It wobbled below him. “Good, now the other one.” Oliver glanced at Ash, pushing away the ginger hair from his eyes he put his other foot on top. The second his foot hit the board Oliver leaned left and right, trying his best to keep balance. “Careful!” Ash called out, but it was too late. The skateboard slipped from beneath Oliver and he fell, landing in his back. Oliver watched the board roll away and stop a short distance from him. “Oliver!” Ash was running towards him, concern and worry flooded his face. “Are you alright?” He kneeled down to Oliver’s level. “This is too hard…” He grumbled. Ash sighed, standing up. “It’s only been 12 minutes, you gotta keep trying or else you’ll never learn.” Oliver only mumbled a reply. “C’mon, get up, let’s try it again.” Ash held out his hand to the other boy. Oliver grabbed it hesitantly and was pulled to his feet. He wiped the dirt off of his red, oversized jacket. Ash placed the skateboard in front of Oliver. “try again, and focus this time.” He said as he walked a short distance away from Oliver, ready to rush in if he gets hurt. Ash knew how stubborn Oliver could be, and to be honest he didn’t mind. He did, however, find it ridiculous how Oliver never thinks he’s good enough at something. It always made Ash somewhat irritated whenever he criticized himself, or talked bad about himself. Oliver was capable, he was good enough, if Ash could make him see that then he would. The sound of a skateboard abruptly hitting the pavement interrupted Ash’s thoughts, and Oliver, on the ground yelling out of frustration. Ash once again kneeled down to Oliver’s level. “Can’t we just take a break?” Ash sighed and nodded. He was getting thirsty anyway. Ash took out his phone to check the time; 4:21. Crap! “I gotta go! My dad is going to murder me if I don’t get home!” Oliver watched him pick up his skateboard and run down the driveway onto the sidewalk. Ash placed his skateboard down and jumped on, giving it three pushes forward, he moved at a rather quick pace. “Bye!” Oliver called to him before he disappeared around the block.

“You finally remembered you have a father!” Ash rolled his eyes as he shut the door behind him. This was why he preferred Oliver’s house. “What? No hug? No hello?” Ash hugged his dad and scrunched up his nose. “You reek of alcohol.” He said. His dad laughed and wrapped one arm around Ash. “Ain’t shit else to do other than drink my sorrows away.” After his dad had stopped laughing, Ash spoke up. “You could get a job you know…” His dad stared at him for a long, uncomfortable amount of time. “Your mom’s death is still paying for the house, mind your own damn business and don’t tell me what to do.” Ash narrowed his eyes. “It is my business, I live here to! And we are almost always out of food.” The look his father gave him reminded him why he would rather stay quiet. “Isn’t that what you go to that boy’s house for? Or is it to get away from me? Or is it because your a faggot, huh? Do you like him or something?” His dad tightened his grip on him. “What- dad no-” “because if that is the reason then you better hurry the fuck up and leave this house, I don’t want no fag in my house.” His dad let go of him and laughed. “I’m kidding! I couldn’t care less if you were a fag or not, your mother is still dead and I gotta take care of you if I want this house. So hurry to bed.” As he walked to the refrigerator to get another drink Ash hurried towards the stairs. “Oh, and.” They made eye contact for a split second, causing Ash to immediately look away again. “Never tell me what to do again, got it?” Ash nodded before rushing up the stairs and into his room.