Crossing the Line

I barely slept at all.When I did, it was the kind of half-sleep where every sound made me wide-awake again...the pipes groaning, a dog barking down the street, my brother stirring in the room next door. And every time I let my eyelids fall, I saw Eli standing under the streetlamp across the street, hands jammed into his pockets as if he had all eternity.By the time my alarm clock went off, my head was fuzzy and my body felt heavy, but my chest was revved, whirring like I'd consumed three cups of coffee.At breakfast, Mom glared at me across the table. "You look pale.""I'm fine." My voice was creaky."You sick?""I told you, I'm fine." I dug into my cereal, attempting to make it the most engrossing thing in the room.My little brother smirked. “Maybe he’s got a girlfriend.”Heat shot up my neck. “Shut up.”Mom gave him a sharp look, but the damage was done. He grinned wider, drumming his spoon on the table like it was his victory song.My sister didn’t even look up from her phone. “

Last Updated : 2025-09-05

Restless Night

Dinner was chaos, as it always was. My brother tapped his fork on the table until Mom shouted at him. My sister just flipped through her phone, oblivious to everything. Dad complained about yet another night in the plant, staring glassy-eyed at the TV across the room.The comforting roar filled the house, bouncing off the walls. It typically enveloped me. Tonight, though, it was like it was happening a mile away.I sat there watching my plate get cold in front of me, nodding when Mom asked if I'd done my homework, uttering a "yeah" she wasn't serious about but didn't ask me about. None of it made sense.All I could do was think about Eli.The weight of his shoulder on mine. The heat of his voice when he said Maybe I like being here. The way he looked at me...silent, unflinching... like he was asking me to see it for what it was.I poked my fork into the potatoes, barely paying attention to the flavor. All sounds in the room became indistinct, overshadowed by the thumping in my head.I

Last Updated : 2025-09-06

Behind Closed Doors

When the final bell rang, my nerves were worn thin. Those words before... Darren's smile, Eli's tone, that seemingly impossible Maybe I have—spun around my head until they were all tangled up so densely I couldn't untangle them.I stuffed my books into my bag and hastened towards the doors as fast as I could, hoping the outside air would jolt my head clear.But as soon as I left the stairs, I heard him."Caleb."I came to an instant stop. Of course he was there...Eli, leaning against the railing as if he'd been waiting in the first place."You're not walking alone today," he said. No hesitation. He fell into step beside me before I could complain, his hands deep in his coat pockets, pace unruffled like the whole world bent to his stride.The street continued before me, known and cracked. Houses huddled together, chain-link fences sagging with rust, children screaming a few blocks away. My world.. not big enough, not new.Beside me, Eli was silent. But it wasn't a silence of ignorance.

Last Updated : 2025-09-07

All Chapters of The Quarry Boy: Chapter 21 - Chapter 23

Crossing the Line

Restless Night

Behind Closed Doors