Work Text:
Dezel always did his homework when he returned home from school. It didn't matter if it was a Friday; it wasn't like he had anywhere else to be. He admittedly didn't have friends, and he didn't have parents. He had foster parents, but they could hardly be called that; while they provided for him, they were too busy working to ever see him. With their conflicting schedules, the family couldn't even share a meal together.
Was he lonely? No, he wasn't. Dezel had trouble getting along with other people, and that was something he learned early in life. Everyone around his age always thought he was odd or creepy or weird. Even the loudmouthed, redheaded daughter of the new neighbors screamed when she first met him, and that meeting had only lasted a few seconds.
And it was that very same girl who could be heard shouting and playing with her siblings from outside his bedroom window.
What a pain.
He always preferred to keep the window open at this time, when the weather was nice. Yet the younger neighbors—roughly three grades below him, he'd guessed—considered it their time to play, and given his room's location on the back of the house while they laughed and shouted in their own backyard, concentration became difficult.
Dezel tossed his pencil down onto the desk as he stood. When he reached the window, he had a clear view of the neighboring yard as well as the kids that played in it. Two boys and two girls, and they seemed to be playing tag or maybe hide-and-seek or something. Either way, it didn't look like the rules were being completely followed, though it was clear that they were still having fun.
He watched them for only a moment, but seeing as how they didn't appear to be stopping their noise anytime soon, Dezel shut the window with a loud thud before returning to his desk.
Over time the neighbors became a little less noisy, or maybe he was just getting used to them. Dezel found that he could keep the window open despite their loud games, and he apparently learned to multitask, as he could study and listen at the same time. He didn't really want to hear their laughter, it just became a natural background noise and a part of his everyday.
Sorey was kind; Alisha was quiet; Mikleo had a surprising amount of dignity for his age; Rose was the loud one. It was surprising what one could learn just by keeping the window open.
On some days, Dezel found that he actually did look forward to catching the sound of whatever silly game they played, or even the Wednesdays when their parents would play with them while grilling out.
It was hard to explain, but something about this family had begun making him feel both warm and lonesome, and oftentimes he wanted to join in on their fun.
Weeks later and those feelings never perished. It was clear that he wanted to join them in their dumb games, but he just couldn't; in an embarrassing realization, he found that he was too shy. How was a 12-year-old supposed to ask some 9-year-old kids if he could play with them? It wasn't like he had much experience with people, anyway; some cashiers and passersby here and there, and the few people he did know wouldn't want to be his friend anyway. How could he be confident that they'd feel differently?
But he did try.
Sometimes, when Dezel walked one of the dogs from the neighborhood, the mother—Lailah—would take notice of him and ask friendly questions. While the talks were short and, admittedly, a little hard for him, Dezel still appreciated the little bit of company they provided. Even so, he would always take his leave whenever Lailah's husband decided to join in, as Zaveid's boisterous personality was, at times, a little too oppressive for a kid still learning to leave his own shell.
On another occasion, Dezel paused for a little too long while the family was playing in their front yard, prompting Sorey to wave and greet him. But, having been caught doing something so embarrassingly lonely, Dezel decided not to engage in conversation and instead continued on his way.
Dezel sat in his window. He wasn't really looking forward to when the other kids came out to play, as it would only serve as a reminder of this annoying situation he found himself in. He could hear their backdoor slide open and, in seconds, saw the kids run into the yard, chatting about something or other. Everything was the same as always, except...
"Hey, Dezel," Sorey shouted with a wave when he noticed the older boy. "Why don't you come join us?"
Was he lonely? No, he wasn't.
