Butterflies Preview
Steven was running. He liked running. He was good at it too, better than anybody else he knew, and he enjoyed being singled out for something positive, something other than his autism. Being ‘that running kid’ was much better than being ‘that autistic kid’, ‘that kid who cried in the bathrooms that time’ or ‘that retard’. Although, to be fair, he hadn’t been called that for a good while and that had just been a couple of jerks who had wanted what Jennifer wouldn’t give them…and what she wouldn’t give to him either but the race was months ago and it really didn’t bother him much anymore.
In fact, there were a couple of girls at school who seemed to be friendlier to him than before…but he didn’t really know them and while talking to them was different from talking to other girls he didn’t get butterflies or feel anything but uncomfortable.
The summer vacation was almost at the point where, having done everything there is to do at least twice, boredom begins to set in. sure his mom, Doug and Phillip had been around and they’d had fun but both of them worked and Philip was constantly expanding his musical repertoire. Aside from a weekly run with the team he’d barely seen anybody at all…let alone a girl.
He didn’t normally think so much when he was running but he could only pass every house in his neighbourhood a certain number of times before running stopped being fun. Seeing as running was to him almost what boxing was to Rocky he let his mind wander wherever it wanted to go rather than focusing it on pacing, breathing or his supposedly unchanging surroundings.
The boxes on the front yard on one of the houses he was approaching didn’t escape his notice but the ironing board lying on the grass did.