The Hollow Days

My head was spinning, replaying the memory of Elliot's fist slamming that kid's face. I think his name was Tyler? I'm pretty sure I heard someone call him that. My mind was reeling, thinking of everything, noticing the tiniest things about that memory -- Elliot's eyes brimming with pure hatred, and Tyler's eyes showing fear. Nobody else noticed the fear, just me. I notice a lot of things about people.

The door swung open, breaking the horrified silence. I looked up to see Tyler walk back in, holding a tissue to his bleeding nose. I watched the tissue get coated in blood, then turned my head away sickly. I can't handle blood; it makes me dizzy. The metallic smell invaded my nose as he passed my desk, and I wrinkled my nose in disgust. My thoughts went back to Elliot, and despite my years of being a good, faithful little student, I took my phone out of my pocket and sent a quick text to him.

You okay?

My phone vibrated in my hands, making me jump a bit. I glanced up to see Mr. Landry still staring at the ancient-looking computer, completely oblivious. The girl next to me looked down at the noise, and my eyes widened in fear. She smiled at me, mouthing 'I won't tell.'

Yes :)

My cheeks burned red, and at the sound of Mr. Landry's chair swiveling, I shoved my phone back into my pocket and focused on my work. Only thing was, I couldn't focus. I didn't want Elliot to be gone for a week! I hoped he would want to hang out with me tomorrow, or maybe even today. I was going to miss him a lot, he's the only friend I have. Maybe I should start making other friends.

As if that girl could read my mind, she whispered to me, "Are you and Elliot dating?"

"No, but we like each other." I murmured, keeping my tone quiet.

"Tyler tells everyone that Elliot killed Cyrus, but I know it's fake. Why would he kill his best friend? Plus, I saw the news, and so did everyone else. I don't know why they want to shit on Elliot. He used to be kinda popular, and so was Cyrus. I think Tyler was so stunned by the death, he just made up something to cover it up. I don't know why something so awful, though."

"I just don't get why everyone chose to believe it." I whispered, and she nodded, agreeing with me.

"So what's your name?" I asked as she shook out her brown hair, and began to gather it into a ponytail.

"Lauren." She answered, releasing her hair from her hands and letting it fall back onto her shoulders. Her hair was pin straight and perfect. My eyes slid to the clock, and I watched the minute hand tick over the twelve. My attention suddenly snapped back to my work, and I realized I had only finished three questions.

Shit.

Mr. Landry stood up, clearly stressed after today's fight. The bell was about to ring. He ran a hand through his thinning hair, pinching the bridge of his nose before addressing the class.

"Whatever you didn't finish is homework!" He announced. I flipped through the two other pages of work and sighed, shoving the papers and my book into my backpack. I swung it onto my shoulder, wincing from the new weight as I stood up with the rest of the class as we waited for the bell to ring.

"You're in my second block, right?" Lauren asked. I nodded, remembering seeing her yesterday. "Do you want to walk with me?"

I nodded, smiling. Finally. I had a new friend. I felt accepted.

The bell screeched, and me and her walked out into the hallway, chatting about our next class.

***

School was a blur. I sat with Lauren at her lunch table and met some really nice and cool people, who were each in at least one of my classes. Their names were Ashley, Hannah, Joyce, and Alexa. Well, at least that's a start. They asked me a bunch of questions about Elliot, but I didn't mind. The only bad thing was it made me miss him more. I had about five pages of homework for tonight, but at least it would give me something to do, instead of sitting around and waiting for the week to pass.

School had just ended. I hopped onto the bus. I could feel so many eyes watching me, nearly burning holes into my skin, and then whispers followed. My head snapped up and I saw a bunch of kids quickly look away. Faggots.

"Hey, if you're gonna say something about me, come say it to my face!" I snapped, giving them a death glare. They seemed stunned by my outburst, gawking at me as I chose a seat and calmly sat down. Apparently, one girl decided to take it literally and sat across from me. She leaned toward me as I watched her movements carefully.

"Why are you dating Elliot? He's a murderer."

I rolled my eyes. "One; we're not dating. Two; he's not a murderer. You know he didn't kill Cyrus, so shut the hell up with that bullshit. Who the hell would kill their best friend? I don't understand why you guys can't just accept the fact a kid was depressed so he killed himself. It happens every day, everywhere and anywhere in the world." I leaned back in my seat, proud of my words, but surprised I had said all that at the same time. The anger still burned in my eyes, and I turned my glare to the window.

I watched the girl's reflection. She looked at me, her mouth opening and closing, trying to figure out what to say. I continued to stare out the window, watching the school recede into the distance. I heard the bitch get up and move back to her original seat, ignoring the angry yells from the cranky bus driver. I pushed my headphones into my ears, watching the orange and red leaved trees pass.

Just after I bounced back off the bus, I looked up to see that mom wasn't here to pick me up today. Then, as if on cue, my phone went off. I struggled to force it out of my pocket and saw Elliot was calling. My cheeks reddened into a blush as I tapped the answer button.

"Hi!" He cried cheerfully. "Hey, look up."

"Wait, why--" I cut off, my eyes widening. I dropped my phone in surprise, my bag sliding off my shoulder as I stood paralyzed. There he was, waving at me, and despite myself, I sprinted up to him. He wrapped his arms around me and I breathed in his smell -- oh god, his cologne smelled so good. His arms were so tight around me, and it made me squeeze him tighter, and I was just so lightheaded--

Then, he let go, and my shoulders sagged. I pouted, hoping to look cute. He grinned, laughing in a nervous way, and gently tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. I giggled, covering my face as I felt heat assault my neck and cheeks.

"No, don't cover your face--" I could feel his breath on my face, and it smelled like minty mouthwash. My hands slid from my face, uncovering the blushing. I felt myself smiling like an idiot, but I couldn't help it. His face slowly leaned in inches toward mine, and I took a small step closer, begging him in my mind to kiss me.

He was staring into my eyes, his lips just grazing mine. I swallowed nervously, and his eyes were filled with wanting. I brushed my hand through his hair, which was newly washed. His hair was really soft.

"Just kiss me already!" I cried. He grinned and pulled me towards him, crushing his lips against mine.