Albaer’s entry into class normally drew few looks to none, but if it was one thing that was guaranteed to draw the notice of boys and girls alike, it was the unexpected entry with him of two very pretty girls.

Raziel and Lialah gave polite waves, though Raziel complimented her wave with a brash, toothy smile when compared to the relatively slim, shaky smile of her sister. With their hair down and loose, bouncing about with every step, they followed Albaer up to the front.

The teacher, a mouse spirited woman, looked at them in surprise. “Albaer, who-”

He cut her off. “Isadora” He stepped aside and put a hand on Raziel’s shoulder, “and Isabella Blackworth. They’re the daughters of a friend of my mother. They’re shadowing me today before they get books and everything. They’ll be in school here.”

“Oh.” The teacher blinked back her surprise, Albaer was not normally one to interrupt, she looked him up and down, something was off, the hairs on her arm stood up, she felt it, but couldn’t place it. Then she appraised her new students. While they wore ratty jeans with patches aplenty, and old shirts a little too large, the long silken hair, the curve of their hips and slender legs, their bright eyes and sharp featured well defined faces marked them as easy rivals or better versus the ‘popular’ clique of cheerleaders.

“Go ahead and sit down, Albaer, and let your friends introduce themselves.” The teacher suggested, while a wan attempt at a friendly smile crossing her face only briefly.

Albaer shrugged without a word and went to his seat. The chair on either side of him was empty, but the ones in front and back were not.

While he seated himself, Raziel spoke up. She bounced once on her heel, making her chest stand out for just a moment with a light rocking motion before she folded her hands behind her back. One hand came to her front again and pressed to her chest as she spoke, “I’m Isadora Blackworth, seventeen, Isabella’s sister, I’m from California, and I like computers, video games, indecent clothes and decent people.” She gave a pearl white smile and locked eyes with Albaer, she winked.

He tensed, ‘This is how it has to be.’ He told himself and tried to make himself okay with it. He closed his eyes, ‘They’re more alone than I’ll ever be, I can let them have this.’

“The only one I know here is Albaer, for now, and he…” Raziel cleared her throat, “Is my oldest friend in the world.”

‘It’s technically true as long as I don’t explain what world I mean.’ Raziel ruefully thought.

Lialah spoke next, her voice was softer, silkier, she didn’t bounce or have the aggressive, squared posture of her sister, instead she looked each of them in the eye, as if they were some small injured animal and she were an angel of mercy. Her sky blue eyes loomed larger than they had any right to in the moment as she said, “Like my sister told you, I’m Isabella, we’ve been friends with Albaer’s family for a long time. Things… got hard at home, the jobs dried up, our mom couldn’t afford us, so she asked if we could stay here for a little while, a semester, maybe more, till things get better behind us. Ah, I like reading a lot, and also fashion and just relaxing.”

“Are there any questions for our new students before we get started again?” The teacher asked, a hand went up.

Albaer knew without a doubt that the hand belonged to the person behind him. The one who made him cry so openly, so shamefully before.

“Yes? You in the back?” Raziel asked, pointing toward the boy.

“Uh, you know what his dad did, right?” The gruff, young man asked with a sneer of derision at the back of Albaer’s head.

“Yeah… Albaer told us about it. Sad, but it wasn’t Albaer who did it, so…?” She gave a large, heavy shrug in answer and cocked her head at him, “So why bring it up? The guy who did it is dead, what more do you want? It seems kinda dumb to bring it up now.” Raziel matched his derisive sneer, and the young man turned red and went sullen.

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“Alright, take your seats.” The teacher instructed, “There are plenty, so sit wherever you like.”

They didn’t need to be told twice, multiple heads looked at the empty seats nearest to themselves and tried with little pointing gestures with fingers or cocky nods that were meant to look attractive or confident, suggesting an empty seat or two.

But instead the pair went and sat on opposite sides of Albaer himself.

‘Great. I can feel it, they pissed him off.’ Albaer told himself and waited. A twinge of the familiar fear washed over him as he heard a backpack open behind him and the rustling of a hand in search of something, continued for several seconds.

The teacher was droning on about ‘something’ but Albaer barely heard the lesson.

A moment later, he felt a stinging pain in his calf, and heard Jason’s stupid laugh behind him. The stupid grin, he couldn’t see it, but Albaer knew it was there.

Albaer said nothing.

It struck again.

And again.

Raziel and Lialah saw it.

They glanced at Albaer out of the corner of their eyes.

“Knock it off.” Albaer said without turning around. It was a rough whisper, loud enough to be heard. Instead he looked forward, the teacher saw again. But she never stopped droning on.

He felt Jason’s eyes leave him, and even though he still couldn’t see the bastard, he could feel the smug look deepen. ‘He wants to make me cry again, in front of them.’

The snap of the thick rubber band against his calf stung him again. “I said… knock it off.” Albaer spoke through gritted teeth, and a little louder, eyes began to turn toward where they sat.

Albaer’s eyes roamed around only briefly, part of him took on a preternatural calm. ‘My mother’s advice… I’m just ‘done’ with it… I promised myself that I won’t let this keep happening!’ Anger, it wasn’t the first time he felt it, but it was the first time he embraced it.

“Or what?” Jason asked with a shit eating grin on his face. It wasn’t loud, he was making a pretense of doing nothing, but it was an act that fooled no one.

“Do it again, and find out.” Albaer hissed.

Jason drew back the rubber band as Albaer looked back at him, they locked eyes, Jason hesitated, Albaer did not look away, but nor did his leg move.

So dared… Jason’s smile vanished, it became a scowl with a deep set frown, and he let the end of the rubberband go, it snapped with a loud crack against Albaer’s leg, and Jason waited.

Albaer raised his hand.

“Snitchy bitch.” Jason whispered, snapping back up straight to pretend his innocence.

“Excuse me,” Albaer ignored him, “Could I use the restroom?”

“Go ahead, but be quick, we have a quiz in a few minutes.” His teacher insisted, and Albaer nodded, made his exit, and vanished from the room.

When the young man was gone, Jason leaned back and propped his feet up on the undercarriage of the chair, he folded his hands behind his head, smiling like the cat who ate the canary, he glanced at Raziel and Lialah, fairly daring them to say something.

Raziel’s fury burned white hot as only a demon could, ‘That is the most punchable face I have ever seen in all my life.’ She thought while gritting her teeth. Only the tiny shaking of Lialah’s head got her to stop.

‘Wait.’ Lialah said without vocalizing it.

Albaer returned as quietly as he left, he stood at the door, shutting it so slowly that it made not even a click, then took the long route around the front so that he would pass directly in front of his teacher. She was silent, waiting for him to take his seat, he paused for half a step, looked at him, their eyes met, but hers could not meet his for a moment. He gave a little half nod to her, then returned to his chair.

And took one step further.

His arm came up, his hand made a fist, and just as Jason was starting to understand what was happening, but before he could assume any posture of defense or alarm, Albaer’s fist slammed into Jason’s ear.

The young man tumbled out of his seat and fell face first into the paper thin carpet floor.

“That.” Albaer said, and to add insult to injury, he spat on the fallen Jason, who was already scrambling to his feet, stumbling around as he tried to orient himself.

The teacher found her voice almost immediately as the voices of the class went up in pandemonium of “ooohs”, cheers, jeers, and calls of “Fight! Fight! Fight!”

“Albaer! Get to the principal’s office! Now!” She shouted, taking up her ruler in desperation to drown out the noise. She began beating it against the chalkboard until the students became quiet again.

Albaer didn’t argue, but as he reached the door he looked back at her and said, “So you can talk.” Venom and contempt dripped from his tongue, and she stepped back on one foot, her mouth open in shock at what he said before he slammed the door at his back.

“Someone- Someone help me get Jason to the nurse!” She exclaimed as the boy found his feet again, he was hunched over, his left hand on his head, he stammered out.

“No… No, it's fine! I’m fine! It didn’t hurt at all, it was nothing.” Jason cleared his throat and sat back down again. But under his breath, so that Raziel and Lialah could hear him, but the teacher would not… “He’s leaving school on a stretcher, fucking believe it.”

Raziel and Lialah responded only with laughter that turned his face even redder than his ear.