“Stupid Callista,” Casper mumbled as he trudged through the streets of Mestras, his bunny held close to his chest.
Callista had been getting more snappy lately, he hadn’t even done anything! He just touched her earring.
Dad said it was hormones, apparently girls got those at eight, Casper was pretty sure it was made up, but there didn’t seemed to be any other reason he could think of.
Casper stumbled back onto his butt, dropping his bunny, as he ran straight into someone.
“Owe,” Casper mumbled, his eyes already filling with tears.
“Are you okay?” The boy he’d run into asked. He’d picked up Casper’s bunny and was holding it out to him.
“Y-yeah,” Casper muttered, standing right up and yanking the bunny out of the other boy’s hands, squeezing it tightly against his chest in hopes it would make his palms and rear hurt less.
The boy he’d run into had dark skin, and big dorky glasses, Casper giggled to himself, and the boy tilted his head in question.
“I’m Casper,” he introduced, holding out a hand to shake; that’s what his dad always did, so he assumed that’s what you’re supposed to do.
“Odward,” the boy responded, shaking his hand.
“Do you live around here?” Casper asked; he knew most people, but Mestras was huge, he couldn’t know everyone.
Odward shook his head. “No, we’re just here to watch Gorotama.”
“That’s cool, my mom used to take me to those,” Casper chirped; he loved gorotama, and if this boy liked it half as much as he did, he was alright in Casper’s book.
“Why’d she stop?” Odward questioned, he wasn’t trying to be mean, but it made Casper sad regardless; his smile fell from his face.
“She’s not here anymore,” Casper mumbled.
Odward nodded like he understood. “I get that, my mommy and daddy don’t live together anymore either.”
Casper hummed in response; he wasn’t about to correct Odward, he didn’t want to talk about it.
“Where are your parents?” Casper asked, there was no one else on the street.
“I don’t know,” Odward didn’t sound concerned about that at all.
“Do you want help finding them?” Casper offered awkwardly, and Odward just shrugged.
The silence hung over them for a bit before a man’s voice called in the distance, “Odward!”
“Is that your dad?” Casper asked.
“Probably,” Odward answered, “bye.”
“Bye,” Casper whispered as the boy left.
Odward wouldn’t remember ever meeting him, but Casper? Casper wouldn’t forget.
