#stndpipe

    ruler in hand, patrick watched as the fly inched      over his desk, tiny thing buzzing forward. then      SMACK, with great accuracy he hits the fly. 

    DEAD ON. it turns and crumbles underneath      and he opens his pencil box to brush it in with      ease. snaps it closed and puts it underneath      his desk for safe keeping. 

    when the teacher calls his name, he thinks      he’s been CAUGHT    but the teachers had      learned long ago to leave hockstetter to his      twisted amusements. she frowned at the      paper in her hands     they were getting      partners and she always frowned like that      when having to partner someone up with      HIM. the devil of a boy. the class held it’s      breath        

sure, he hears the birds CHIRPING.  the flutter of their wings doesn’t  bother him, he’s at WORK now. it  wasn’t him who had killed the small bird, tiny and brown. he had only  come across it first. had he poked it  bloody with a stick? yes. 

he feels weird staring at this stranger. he’s just moved into the city and he’s at a bakery to see if their coffee is even remotely decent and there’s this curly haired man in front of him and he just looks so familiar. he hears the other give his name as he orders his coffee and ryan is still staring. STAN ? did he know a stan ?

after ordering his own coffee, ryan moves to stand next to the other who is waiting for his coffee. “ i’m so sorry to bother you, “ he finally says, looking over at stan. “ i just ----  i feel like i know you from somewhere ? “ usually he’s the one who hears that, with his career and all, but this man and his curls and ryan is just looking for an answer.

                    𝐒𝐇𝐄  didn’t  love  it  here  .  she  wondered  how  many  times  would  they  have  to  move  before  they  could  just  𝐒𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄  in  one  spot  .  derry  ,  maine  .  not  the  most  𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐋  spot  .  but  it  sure  was  a  pretty  town  .  and  that’s  about  the  extent  of  it  .  the  school  was  wretched  .  the  young  girl  is  certain  that  she  hasn’t  spoken  𝐎𝐍𝐂𝐄  outside  of  any  of  her  classes  .  math  was  difficult  ,  her  eyes  focus  on  the  paper  of  questions  laid  before  her  and  she  swallows  the  sickly  feeling  in  her  stomach  that  she  might  have  to  𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐒𝐄  her  hand  .  and  ask  for  help  .  coraline  might  be  a  bright  kid  but  she  still  struggled  .  the  sound  of  the  door  opening  to  the  classroom  brings  her  back  to  the  room  ,  difficult  not  to  considering  that  the  entire  room  empties  in  chatter  to  pure  silence  .  “  stanley  uris  !  ”  her  teacher  almost  seems  ecstatic  to  see  the  kid  ,  coraline  𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐆𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐄𝐃  him  .   she’d  seen  his  crowd  wander  the  hallways  and  joke  about  .  she’s  also  heard  one  or  two  things  from  the  other  kids  around  .  the  𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐒  club  as  they  were  referred  to  ,  she  believed  .  her  teacher  speaks  quietly  to  him  ,  looking  around  the  room  for  an  empty  seat  and  she  points  .  at  her  .  “  𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄   𝐉𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐒   !  there  ,  you  can  sit  next  to  her  ,  her  seats’  usually  empty  .  ”