Looking out the window, the students were engaged in sporting activities. To my right, groups of them were chatting away all gathered around with their lunchbox. There I was again, alone in a corner, at my desk.
Maybe I should find Chloe... No... As if I haven't tarnished her reputation enough...
*Baam*
Falling off my seat, I grasped onto my forehead in pain, my left eye was covered red by the blood that had emerged from the wound.
"Oh shit! My bad man, didn't mean for it to hit you."
Kuroshi mocked before returning to his group of friends who began laughing at my clumsiness, disregarding the pain I was in.
"Shouldn't we do something?"
One of the girls asked, only to be told to keep silent and not get involved. I couldn't remember the details all too well as my head started to spin, I managed to pick myself up before making my way to the infirmary.
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"That's a deep wound young man, are you sure it was just a fall?"
"Yes... Ow..."
Finishing the final stitches, the school nurse taped a piece of surgical cotton over my wound before passing me some medicine for the pain.
"Thank you..."
Silently thanking her, I got off the bed, walking out the infirmary with the medicine in my hand. On the way out, there my sister was, standing along the corridor with a shocked yet angered look on her face.
"Rey! What happened?"
Leaving her group of friends behind, Chloe ran over towards me, looking at the dressing on my forehead.
"It's nothing, just a fall..."
"Stop it Rey! Is it true? I've heard rumors about... I know people have been saying mean things to you, but if this was done because of that, I... Tell me Rey, who did this?"
"Stop...stop."
Ignoring my pleas, Chloe grabbed me by the arm, storming straight into my class. Approaching Kuroshi and his gang, Chloe slammed her palm onto his desk.
"Which one of you did this?"
Darting his eyes at me, Kuroshi let out a grin as he got off his seat and rushed to my side.
"Rey? What happened man?"
Chloe looked at him in confusion as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders.
"You must be Rey's sister. Chloe, am I right?"
Nodding her head, Chloe asked.
"And you are?"
Bowing and showing respect to my sister, Kuroshi introduced himself even stating that my sister was a role model to him and was one of the reasons why he chose to attend our school.
Following suit, Kuroshi's friends circled me and all began showing concern about my injury and began assuring my sister they wouldn't let anything happen to me.
Friends? They were my friends? What is a friend?
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"So you really fell down and hurt yourself? Try to be more careful next time ok? You're friends seem nice, maybe we could invite them over to our place. You know, for dinner some day?"
"Yea..."
The day came to an end as we walked down the pavement, making our daily stop to the bakery before heading back home to prepare dinner together with mum.
"Oh dear? What happened to you honey."
"Rey fell down today, got stitches. Told him to be more careful next time."
"Oh poor thing, come here. Let mommy see the stitching."
Brushing my mum off in annoyance, I headed back to my room keeping quiet this whole time before shutting my door and putting on my earpiece. Sitting alone on my bed, my vision became blurred, tears formed, trickling down fast and free. It hurts. It was suffocating me. Someone, help me. That was all I could think of. Help.
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"Where's Chloe?"
"Oh, she had a council meeting today. Left early, there take the bread over at the counter. Slightly buttered, just the way you like it. Now hurry on or you'll be late sleepy head."
It was another day, though I didn't look forward to it, there was always this glimmer of hope, an optimistic thought that maybe today would be different. Maybe, just maybe, someone would want to befriend me. A silly thought, but one I desperately held onto. As I took the usual path to school, I noticed a girl from afar, she had a neatly combed blonde hair that was shoulder length. She had our school uniform on and I noticed on her collar, there was the badge of Athena.
A senior? No, she kinda looks young.
Not thinking too much about it, I looked away realizing I was about to be late soon and dashed towards the school gate, barely making it on time.
Seven fifty-nine. One more minute and I would have been...
"Late!"
"What? You have to be kidding me, it's eight on the dot, can't you just let it slide?"
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Turning back, there she was, the blonde girl being held up by the security guard who requested for her name as he filled it into the attendance book for late students.
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Placing my bag underneath my desk, I took out the usual learning materials for the first period, along with my stationary. Just as I was about to flip open the textbook to the current chapter the teacher was going through, a hand slammed against my desk, sending my body jolting back in shock.
"Called your sister over for backup? Bold move."
Kuroshi ordered the two of his friends to kick my chair down, forcing me to stand on my feet.
"Enough Kuroshi!"
A spectacled girl stood up ganering the attention of the class.
"Stay out of this Monica, I am a Royal so I'll do what I want, understand peasant?"
Left speechless, the class kept quiet as Monica clenched her fists in frustration, but didn't dare continue as the guys each grabbed onto one of my arms.
"Rey. This is what happens when someone tries to make fun of me and make me look like a loser."
Pulling back his arm, Kuroshi snarled as he rolled his hand up into a fist, ready to send it my way when suddenly a familiar voice came from the front door.
"Loser? You know you're pretty loud, I could hear you all the way from the stairs. I don't what that dude even did, but to me, you just made yourself look like a loser. Now let the poor guy go, stop making yourself look like an idiot."
"What? Who said that?"
Turning his attention to the door, there she was, the same blonde at the school gate. With her arms at her hips, she mocked Kuroshi before stepping into the class and walking my way.
"Name's Alice, Alice Gaelburg. Nice to meet you idiot!"
Bursting into fits of laughter, Kuroshi couldn't help but shed a tear before ordering the two guys to release me.
"Gaelburg? Never heard of that name, so I guess you are just like the rest of them. A peasant. Now let me show you what happens when a peasant like you speaks to a Royal like me. Tear them off, I want her humiliated."
I have to do something, I don't know what this girl is trying to pull off but she's in trouble and the homeroom teacher isn't here... I'm scared but... I must...
"Leave... Leave her alone... We are in school Kuro...shi. You want me not her."
Darting her neck to Kuroshi's left, her eyes met mine, those ruby red eyes, they glistened under the sunlight shining through the window pane. Beautiful.
"What's your name? You seem way less of a loser than this Kuro dude, that seat behind you is empty right? Mind if I sat there?"
Without warning, Kuroshi stepped forward himself, forging a bat made out of ice, swinging it with full force towards Alice. Everything happened so fast but I heard a snap, before I knew it, Kuroshi was on the floor, grabbing onto his wrist in pain.
"My wrist, you broke my wrist!"
The class taken aback by what had happened, all turned their attention to Alice who let out a laugh as she crouched down before Kuroshi.
"Can't even tolerate a bit of pain? Humans really have gotten weak over these years haven't they?"
Reaching out her hand, Kuroshi closed his eyes in fear of what's to come, curling up his body defenselessly.
"There you go, the pain should be gone."
Opening his eyes slowly, Kuroshi looked at his wrist which had been healed completely.
"The pain... It's gone. How?"
Ignoring the guys, Alice made her way to the desk behind me, sitting down and placing her bag onto her lap.
"Rey. Rey Kiyara. Thanks."
Her smile was radiant and warm as she looked in my direction.
"No problem Rey, nice to meet you."
Her smile was genuine.
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Ever since that day, Kuroshi stopped picking on me, probably due to fear of Alice since she was seated right behind me. On her third day, I began noticing that she had packed lunch but would always walk out of class alone. Curious as to where she went, I decided to follow her on the fourth.
"Pervert."
"What?"
After walking up the final flight of stairs, there she stood with her arms across her waist.
"Why are you following me?"
"I...I was just wondering wher you've been going...I wanted to ask but...Sorry."
Laughing at my reply, Alice bent forward looking me straight in the eyes.
"Follow me Rey. Come, hurry."
Turning around, Alice hinted at me to follow her which I did as we slowly made our way to a glass door.
"You see when I first came to apply for the school, I did some exploring of my own around the campus. Apparently they have an indoor garden here near the rooftop. Though it's only for the staff and authorised students, their ummm security really isn't that tight, a little bit of seal breaking did the trick. I even masked their seal with my own so those who come in with me are mistaken as staff members."
Opening the door, the view of the garden took my breath away. There were butterflies glistening under the sun's rays. Flowers of all assortment of colours dripping morning dew onto the soil below. Calling the air here fresh was an understatement, this place felt like somewhere that came from a fairy tale.
"Wow."
"Wow? I guess that pretty much sums up your thoughts, haha, take it really is beautiful huh. Come on, we only have fifteen minutes left before the next class."
Pulling me with her, she showed me to a spot right below a tall golden tree, creating a large blanket, Alice set it down before lying on it, looking at the wonderful view above. Nervously, I sat on the blanket, unwrapping the hankerchief around my lunchbox before opening the lid, ready to satisfy my hunger.
"What do you have in there? Woah, egg sushi? Omelette? Scrambled eggs with sausage. You really like eggs huh."
Without hesitation, Alice reached into my lunchbox, grabbing one piece of egg sushi, devouring it instantly letting out a squeal of delight.
"That tasted so good! The rice was spot on! Who made it? Your mum?"
"Errr... Sushi was actually done by me."
"You're kidding? You?"
Shocked by my reply, Alice smacked me on the back in disbelief.
"You have to teach me how to make sushi, the only thing my mum can make, is chicken, barbeque chicken and her potatoes, those are really good. Apart from those two dishes, everything else is really just average. See?"
Opening her lunchbox, there was some brocollis, rice and finally accompanied with some slices of barbeque chicken and potato.
"Here, try it! Her star dish!"
Using her chopsticks, Alice picked up a slice of meat and pushed it onto my lips. Red with embarrassment, my eyes looked away as I opened up my mouth, biting off the chicken.
"Holy shit..."
"Exactly! See?"
"That's really good."
"I know right?"
This feeling, it's strange, yet comforting. Her smile, her warmth it brings, this is what I needed. A friend, is this what a friend is?
"Hey Alice... Can I ask you something?"
Turning her face towards me, her mouth was completely filled with rice and chicken.
"Mhmmm? Mhmmm! Gwwwoooo aheeadd."
Unable to stifle my laughter, I laughed, I laughed for the first time in a long time in my life. I laughed.
Swallowing the food in her mouth, Alice pinched my cheeks in frustration, asking me to stop laughing, pinning me down on the blanket.
"Alice..."
"Yea?"
"Are we...friends?"
"Friends?"
Gently releasing her grip, she sat back up with a smile on her face.
"Honestly, I was going to ask you the same. If we could be friends. I'm not really good at making friends..."
"Yea, you did scare the entire class on the first day. I guess I'm the only candidate left..."
"Don't say that, you were the standout out of all those humans. You shone differently. You might not have the magical aptitude, but I feel like you are special, different from the others."
Human. Why does she keep saying human? Weird. Then again, I'm weird too...
"Human. Thanks Alice, thanks for choosing to be friends with this human, alien."
"Alien? Yea, I guess you could call me that. Human."
*Lunch period is over, please return to your classrooms for lessons immediately*
Upon hearing the announcement, Alice immediately wolfed down her whole lunch, standing back onto her feet, strecthing her body before looking back at me.
"Hurry up human, or we'll be late."
Getting off my back, I grabbed onto my lunchbox, desperately trying to fit the remainder of my lunch into my mouth as we ran out of the garden, making our way out of the garden, back to class.
Thank you Alice. Thank you for saving me.
Looking at her beautiful gold hair floating in the air as she ran, my heart skipped a beat, two beats, who knows. I don't know why I had that feeling but I do know what it means. I have a friend.