1978, north Denver Colorado

After an exhausting day of class at the terrifying bullys' school in your new town, you decide to stop by a small snack shop where you saw the other kids used to go. The store was relatively empty and quiet, the tinkling of the bell on the door was the only thing you heard in the background after several minutes of analyzing shelf by shelf without being quite sure what to get. When you finally decided on a cereal at the top of the shelf in a shadowy aisle at the end of the store, you couldn't even reach the cardboard box by standing on your tiptoes. You were about to give up and look for another brand until a slightly taller boy with wavy light brown hair reached for the cereal box by simply shaking the mini shelf a little, until it fell into his hands with bruises and slight traces of dry blood between the knuckles. You wanted to meet his gaze but he refused to give eye contact, keeping his gaze fixed on the cereal he extended to you with such a calm expression that hid a lot of suffering behind it even when you didn't know it.

"Next time you already know what to do." He spoke in a soft and sweet tone, like a caress to the heart. The small hidden smile that peaked on his lips when he looked at the brand in the box was what completely threw you off. Even with that pretty face covered in bruises, he was still handsome. "It's.. Finn. Finney, actually. If we share the same favorite cereal, you'd probably better call me Finney."

The answer was in your mind but the words simply couldn't come out of your mouth as soon as he finally looked at you straight to your eyes. You didn't know how to feel about that look that seemed the sweetest and the saddest in the world at the same time. You were aware that he was waiting for you to introduce yourself back, but.. what could you do when you had been unexpectedly shot through the heart?