This Girl Is A Delinquent!, Vol. 3

Chapter 30: Seeing Eye To Eye

Yet, no such punishment came as the gazes of the underclassmen still in the hall assaulted him from all angles. He knew that Lyra and Stella were mixed into the crowd somewhere, but he made no attempt to approach them. As guilt flooded him, various faculty descended on the area and Ken and the other students were escorted away while Sonya was taken away from the school. A blank stare was all Ken could muster as he was swept away with the other students and Sonya drifted even further away from his grasp.

As the memory replayed in his head, Ken sat on the courtyard bench that he had retreated to. The fast paced event had left him hollow and wishing that he could wake up from what most certainly had to be a dream. A vibrating sound caught his ear and he wondered how long his phone had been ringing for. In a lackluster motion, he slid his phone from his pocket and saw that he had several missed calls and messages. The current call was from Lucas and Ken halfheartedly silenced it before returning the phone to his pocket.

Noting the time, he stayed in place for some time longer before dragging his frame to an upright position. While he wanted nothing more than to go back to his dorm and seal himself inside his bedroom, he knew that the rest of the group would continue to reach out to him and wanted to avoid the trouble, if possible. With sluggish steps, he made his way to the student council room.

The usually quiet room was bustling with sound as Lucas lowered his phone from his cheek. Mary looked at him with a worried face before turning back to Lyra and Stella, who had arrived earlier and were just now starting to calm down. Having been informed of Sonya's collapse, Mary and Lucas were trying their best to keep their underclassmen's spirits up. Just as Mary stood to gather more refreshments, the wooden doors to the room groaned as they slowly pushed open to reveal yet another cause for concern.

"Ken! We've been trying to call... you..."

Mary's eyes fell on Ken first and she excitedly called out before culling her voice as her words fizzled out. Stella and Lyra looked over in shock before falling silent as well. Ken took a few steps into the room and came to a stop as if his energy was at his limit. The atmosphere in the room had become dour when the sudden thud of Lucas' hands against his desk made all eyes turn to him. Standing from his desk, he took an unnaturally serious tone.

"Everyone, club activities are canceled today. Not to be rude, but Ken and I need the room."

His brown eyes seemed heavy as they moved their gaze to Mary and she nodded in affirmation before speaking.

"Certainly. Girls, let's adjourn to the dorm. You may stay with me tonight if you wish."

Beckoning Lyra and Stella, Mary moved with purpose to help them collect their things. She stopped briefly to deliver one last nod to Lucas before disappearing from the room with the girls in tow. Now alone, Lucas casually walked closer to Ken while watching the tree branches obfuscate the sunbeams in the window sill. Despite his hardened tone before, Lucas' voice sounded gentle as he addressed his best friend.

"Miss Rose spoke with me earlier. Sonya is stable and recovering at home. According to the doctors, she hadn't been eating or drinking for a while and... Well, you already know. Everyone was trying to reach you to tell you the news. You were gone for hours..."

"It's my fault, Lucas."

Uttering the words without raising his head, Ken's shoulders felt heavy as the room spun around him. At this point, he figured that he should own up to his mistake and accept the retribution awaiting him. He clenched his fists as Lucas responded calmly.

"I thought you might say something like that, ya know?. You and Sonya really are similar in that regard. You both try so hard to carry responsibility when bad things happen-"