No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true.

[Nathaniel Hawthorne]

• • •

Kody was sitting on a creaky wooden table in the corner of the library, shielded by tall bookcases and long shadows. This was his favourite place to go during free periods; it was quiet, secluded, and blocked out all possible distractions. He worked best here, on his favourite squeaky desk right at the back of the library.

He was surprised to see someone else emerge from around the corner; he'd been using this space almost every day for the past couple of weeks and as of yet, no one had disturbed him. He was even more surprised when he saw Arlo's bright green eyes and fluffy blond hair. He was carrying an armful of books and wore a pair of big magnifying glasses - he definitely wasn't wearing those last time. He quickly turned to leave, but Kody stopped him, "Hey, wait!" He exclaimed in the quietest voice he could, anxious about not getting scolded by the librarian.

Arlo looked just as nervous as last time, "S-Sorry." He mumbled. "I didn't think anyone would be here."

Kody waved him off and began to pile his books up, moving them aside to create more desk space, "Here. There's space for two of us, you know?" He gestured for Arlo to sit down.

"I don't mind sitting somewhere else-"

"Hey, c'mon, I don't bite." Kody protested. "Unless I'm asked to." He added, but when Arlo looked at him blankly, he quickly adjusted his statement, "That was a joke, okay? Just sit down, I won't disturb you. I'm actually very studious." He teased.

Arlo finally complied, dropping his books onto the table and collapsing into the seat opposite Kody. He arranged his things in silence, opening his folder and beginning to make notes from a textbook. He must have noticed Kody staring at him because he shook his curls into his face in order to shield his mossy green eyes.

Kody wanted to talk to the boy some more, but Arlo had made it clear that what he wanted was silence, so Kody respected that. They worked quietly, trying not to look at each other, the sound of rustling paper and pages turning permeating the stale dusty air of the empty library. When the bell rung, signalling the end of third period and the beginning of the lunch break, Kody packed away his books and decided to break the hour long silence they had shared, "What are you doing for lunch?"

Arlo glanced up at him and once again, Kody was taken off guard with the brightness of his beautiful eyes, "I'm just going to stay here and work, I have a lot to catch up on." He explained, and it was probably the most Kody had heard him say in one sentence.

"You're not eating?"

"I'm not hungry."

Kody hesitated, "Come get lunch with me."

Arlo looked up at him again, "I'm not hungry." He repeated quietly.

"Well, you're not gonna be able to concentrate for much longer without food." Kody tried to convince him. "I really think you should eat."

"I'm not going to the canteen, Kody." He told him. That made sense; Kody hadn't seen him there all week.

"Who says we're going to the canteen? We've got an hour until fourth period starts, let's go out for lunch." He offered. "I'm buying."

Maybe it was because Arlo was tired of Kody's persuasions, or maybe it was because he was hungrier than he was letting on, but for some inexplicable reason, Arlo agreed. They left school and headed to a small cafe around the corner. No one from school ever went there, in fact, most students hardly left the grounds, even though it was permitted. Arlo ordered a black Americano, Kody ordered a one shot mocha, and they both got a sandwich. Despite Kody offering to buy them lunch, Arlo insisted on paying half.

"Why are you doing this?" Arlo asked once they had found a table in the far corner.

"Doing what?" Kody asked, sipping his mocha as he slouched back in the big cushy armchair, his leg draped over the armrest. His parents always scolded him for not being able to sit in chairs properly.

"You're being nice to me."

Arlo's words shattered his heart. Was the boy really so broken, lost, and frightened that he couldn't decipher between kindness and judgement? Was he so insecure that he couldn't understand why anyone would want to talk to him? "I'm a nice person, I think." Kody responded. "I wouldn't know how to be anything but nice if I tried."

"This town is full of nice people but most of them don't want anything to do with me." He argued.

"Well, I'm not from this town." Kody shrugged. "I'm from London, I've only been here a couple of weeks."

"Y'know, as the new kid you should be trying to make a good impression." He suggested. "If you want people to like you, maybe you should stop talking to me."

"I don't care whether people like me or not." He lied. Maybe he did care, just a little. "You're interesting, Arlo - more interesting than most of these people. I just want to be your friend, okay?"

"Why am I interesting?" Arlo rose his brows. "Because I'm the freak show psycho kid-?"

"Because you wear nail polish and clips in your hair. Because you have the same shoes that I once owned. Because you don't smile for the sake of it, and you don't pretend to be anything you're not." He rambled. "I like you because you're not like the rest of them."

His hands were trembling slightly as he picked up his warm mug and began drinking his coffee. He put the mug down again, absentmindedly tugging on the sleeves of his baby blue jumper. "Okay." He said quietly.

Kody laughed under his breath, "Okay?"

"Okay." Arlo repeated. "I-I believe you. I believe that you're sincere and genuine. I believe that you're not just trying to get a look at the fucked up kid who-"

"You're not fucked up, you know that right?"

Arlo sighed, looking down at the black liquid swirling around his mug. His reaction convinced Kody that Arlo really did believe that he was - as he phrased it - 'fucked up'. "Everyone says it." He shrugged.

"Everyone's an idiot."

Arlo smiled softly at that. It was the first time Kody had seen him really smile. It made his heart throb and fingers tingle. Oh no. No, Kody, no. You cannot fall for a boy, not now, not here. "You don't want to be my friend, Kody."

"Why not?" Kody pushed, ignoring how nice his name had sounded on Arlo's lips.

"B-Because." He said simply.

"Because...?"

"Because no one's gonna let us be friends. You're gonna get hurt from this."

"No, I'm not." He scoffed jokingly. "I've been here long enough to come to a pretty comprehensive conclusion about the people in this town. They care too much about their image, but I really couldn't give less of a fuck. They get satisfaction from knowing that they've gotten to you, but you can take their satisfaction away by simply not caring. Then they don't have any power over you." He said knowingly. "I do what I want and I'm friends with who I want. That's never gonna change"

Arlo sighed deeply, as if contemplating something profound. He finished his coffee, and then held out his hand. "Okay." He agreed. "Friends?"

Kody grinned, shaking Arlo's cold marble hand eagerly, "Friends."