Open Making A Mark

[Santiago Torres]

It was the dead of winter now and Santiago was taking advantage of how early it got dark. It was early enough his uncle wouldn't be looking for him but dark enough he could slip around corners without being spotted right away. It had been a challenge to find the right paint but he finally got his hands on some spray paint and was ready to play into the way everyone in his family seemed to see him. A trouble maker with a bad attitude. Graffiti had been what had got him in trouble and sent here in the first place all those years ago, and he hadn't even been the one with paint on his hands. But now, Santiago was feeling reckless. His parents didn't seem to care about him. They sent him away for most of the year and the one time they could see him they tell him to stay? Sure sounded like people who cared. Santiago had never actually done this before but he had practiced drawing his tag on paper quite a bit before he put this plan into action. When he found a good blank stone wall out of the way of most traffic he took the can of spray paint out of his bag and started to draw.

 

[Friday Weeks]

Friday had bought the one book she needed for the semester, and was walking when she spotted Santiago. She liked the other boy, he was just about the only person that she did like in the school. She followed him for a moment and then noted what he was looking to do. She let him draw, noting that it wasn't bad. "What are you doing?" Friday asked, making her voice sharp, though she didn't really care about it, she was hoping to see what his reaction would be.

 

[Santiago Torres]

Santiago wish he had known to pack his headphones with him. But it wasn't like he could have predicted this would happen. Being stuck on the opposite side of the world from all his stuff. He really wanted to listen to something to distract himself even though he knew he should be staying alert. Part of him didn't even really care if he got caught. And apparently he didn't need music to be come oblivious, because he had barely gotten started when he heard someone snap at him. His heart leapt into his throat and he whipped his head around. The emotional roller coaster from fear to relief and then to something close to happiness in the span of a few seconds left him a little breathless. "Not. Funny." he said in a low voice but grinned a moment later. "Are you going to go tell on me?" he asked but he was pretty sure he knew the answer.

 

[Friday Weeks]

Friday got exactly the reaction she was looking for from him. He jumped, and then seemed to have six different emotions before he realised who had spoken. She smirked at him, and then laughed. "It's a little funny," she retorted but then shook her head. "Please, you're improving the place," she replied. She liked Santiago enough that she wasn't about to tell on him for this. "What exactly, are you spraying?" she didn't ask why he was doing it, though she was curious. Just what he was aiming for in what he was doing. "Can I have go or is this a you only thing?" she teased

 

[Santiago Torres]

Santiago forced a smile. His heart was still racing but he somehow felt a little better to have company even if it probably made this thing a whole lot riskier. It became a little less forced when she said he was improving the place. It wasn't even a real compliment but he still took it. But then he turned back to the wall feeling a little embarrassed. He was apparently confident enough to do this but having to explain it to someone was different. "It's my name, kind of." he said. "It spells Santi, it's like...a tag." he explained lamely. But he laughed when she asked to join. "I feel like if I even try and tell you no, you wouldn't listen." he said before nudging the bag of paint with his shoe next to him.