Three houses below my own dwelling was a filthy, white residence shack. The windows, stained with dirt, were still dark and devoid of any activity; however, today the windows reflected red and blue flashing lights. A police officer stomped towards the dilapidated house, while his partner hovered near the vehicle. Thaddius Clutch, a lanky young man with shaggy black hair, sat in the backseat, his head bowed. Unkempt grass dominated the sidewalk where Ms. Clutch stood as the officer approached her. Looking out the window, I watched Mrs. Clutch place a hand over her mouth as lines appeared on her forehead. The officer spoke to him as if a burden were weighing on him, leaning back on his heels and placing his hands on his hips. From time to time he pointed to the vehicle containing Thaddius, and Mrs. Clutch's shoulders began to shake. This continued for a few minutes before the officer returned to the car, turned off the lights, and pulled away from the curb with Thaddius still in the backseat. Mrs. Clutch remained on the lawn for some time. My heart ached for her, but I couldn't move away from the window, I just watched her cry before dragging herself into the house. Persistent murmurs buzzed the halls the day after Thaddius' scandal with the police. One of the benefits of living in a small town was that everyone knew about your business before even you. In this case, speculation about Thaddius' arrest ranged from the most innocent delinquent acts to some high-class crimes. “I heard he stole a woman's purse at a gas station. » said one boy. “He threatened the woman with a knife, didn’t he? » asked by another passerby. " No ! » Alice shouted. She pushed her hair back in the middle of a piece of paper... onto the sidewalk. I was ready to apologize, but the words died on my lips as I looked up. It was Thaddius. Anger lit his face, but it softened once he recognized it was me. There was a cigarette between his lips, but he took it between his fingers and pushed it away. Slowly, his eyes connected with mine and the world seemed to slow down. I saw a familiar glint in his eyes, yet they belonged to the face of a stranger. Maybe I couldn't stand Alice or anyone else slandering Thaddius' name because he reminded me of myself. He reminded me of everyone. He reminded me of the person who fell because no one was there to help him. He couldn't face or conquer his demons like others could. “I like your freckles.” I blurted out, trying to kill the silence between us. His eyes found my shoes as a half smile graced his lips. And he still loved my sneakers..