Quiet
2003-03-23 - 7:00 p.m.

They thought it was cute. They thought it was funny. He would just open his mouth, let spew some inanities, and they would laugh and fawn over it as though it were comedic gold.

They had never shown much interest before. Before, he had always been the quiet, slightly weird kid who never talked. Tonight, in this tiny cabin, he was the center of attention.

The days would pass, and life would go back to normal. He would go back to his quiet self, and they would go back to their peer groups. They would talk about how funny and nice he was, and wonder, as they always had, why he didn't talk more.

Only he would ever know the answer.

The answer didn't matter much anyway. His smile said far more than any explanation ever could.