Watching The Boy fidget nervously in his seat was distracting Ellie from the conversation the group was having. She didn't mind so much, he was nice to look at. But it was pretty obvious he didn't want to be there. Maybe his parents were forcing him to do it. Or it was court ordered, or something. She'd been through all this before when her mom had gotten arrested a few years back and she'd been court mandated to attend meetings. Ellie had gone along to prop her mother's head up so she wouldn't nod out at the meetings.
But this Boy seemed different. He looked completely out of his element. It wasn't like her to be judgmental, but she was normally pretty good at reading people. She'd realized long ago that it made them easier to maniuplate. She cautiously raised her eyes off the ground and glanced to the side, trying to catch a better view of his face without outright staring. His hands were held together in front of him, every few moments he'd stretch them out to pop his knuckles.
The introductions had started and he started to get up out of his chair.
"It's okay guy, you don't have to talk if you don't want to. Just listen, see if you learn anything," the man in the leather jacket called out.
"Ummyeahokay," he mumbled and sat back down. He tucked his hands under his thighs, his feet crossed at the ankle in front of him. His right foot started to twitch back and forth.
Ellie reached out and touched his arm lightly. "Hey, you wanna step outside real quick? I could use a smoke."
The Boy jumped up and followed her to the door.
The breeze whipped her hair in her face, causing her to stumble for a moment as she walked outside. The Boy grabbed her elbow to steady her, catching the door with his hip. Ellie headed towards the right side of the building, out of the wind, The Boy followed.
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