“After another moment’s silence she mumbled that I was peculiar, that that was probably why she loved me but that one day I might disgust her for the very same reason.”

― Albert Camus, The Stranger

No one else seemed to notice the transfer student except for Jackie. Jackie had always been friendly and wanted to greet the new guy, but when she said hello, all he did was nod and offer a half-hearted, “mm,” in response. She decided to chalk it up to his shyness and thought nothing of it until she realized that he didn’t seem to interact with anyone. During lunch time, he sat outside alone, and lived somewhere off campus. She wondered if he had roommates. After a few weeks, she tried talking to him again at lunch. She asked him questions and he gave her one word responses. She didn’t want to be nosey but felt bad that he didn’t have any friends. After classes one day, she noticed him walking and tried to get his attention, but he was too far away. When she finally caught up, the new kid was standing alone in an alley facing the wall. It was then that she would learn his terrible secret….

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Hello my little friendly geckos, thanks for the read! Just a reminder that you can see get a free copy of my poetry collection, The Moth that Haunts the Laundry Room, on Prolific Works. If you want to support my creative endeavors, you can also purchase the book on Barnes and Noble or Amazon. Don’t forget to check me out on Instagram (thegarrulousgecko) and twitter (@theheckingeck) for herpetofauna photos, poems, and more! If you write something based on one of my prompts and want to share it with me, you can use the Share and Recommend tab at the top of the page, I’ll even post it on the website! Happy writing.