The heartstopper 2

Chapter 2

The Paris trip felt like a fever dream to most. For instance, Elle couldn't quite comprehend how the trip had actually happened. She had been spending her days locked in her room, her mind in a fog. One second, it would feel as if it was nothing but a bad dream, another she was sitting in her bed, her knees brought to her chest.

Normally, when she was bored, she would open their friend-group group chat, it's a habit, she does it without thinking. So, when she clicks on their instagram groupchat labeled 'The Paris Squad', she is faced with the reality that Charlie is gone, Nick is unable to respond and Imogen, who's in the groupchat since rooming together, although she didn't talk much, her icon wouldn't pop up to say that she at the bare minimum read the messages.

She hated the fact that it was summer break, even so more that the return to school was being postponed. School, although not always enjoyable, not with the transphobes, nor with all the different cliques, was at least a distraction from her ongoing life.

Elle wanted to at least message her friends to check up on them, especially Tao and Issaac who had known Charlie the longest, but she didn't want to create a new group chat to avoid the pain when two of their friends didn't even open the message, but she felt that by messaging the same thing separately, it felt like she was avoiding something, and that too felt wrong.

Instead, she waited. Eventually, she would go to their houses, assuming they didn't reach out first, but for now, she couldn't bring herself to act out.

---

Social media was filled with everyone who hadn't gone on the trip posting their regards and commenting on how much everyone will be missed, while those who had actually experienced it first handedly, remained silent, some having deleted social media altogether, others not seeing them due to having lost their phones in the fire.

Tara and Darcy had been sure to keep in touch, checking on each other whenever they could. They had even spent multiple nights on video chat, just so each their own could be assured that they were not completely alone.

After a week of being back home, they finally saw each other in person for the first time since their parents picked them up from the school bus drop-off. Darcy had gone over to Tara's, needing a reason to get out of the house. She felt like she was drowning in her own house.

"I'm glad you're here," Tara commented, leaning into a hug with her girlfriend.

"Me too," Darcy mumbled a reply into Tara's shoulder.

The two girlfriends sat in mostly comfortable silence for what felt like ages, enjoying each other's comfort, because neither one of them were going anywhere.

"Do you think that they'll catch the person behind it all?" Tara asked, trying her best to avoid directly mentioning the deaths.

"I hope so," Darcy responded. Truth be told, they both knew that whoever did it was out of the clear. They could have easily fled the country, even the continent by now. The friends and family of the victims were not going to get justice, and their grieving period would never quite be over.

---

Days, weeks, and months went on, yet no one got over it. It was time for school to start back up again, which meant facing classes in which they knew certain people were supposed to be in but weren't.

It was odd. Even the absence of people such as Harry Green or Ben Hope was off-putting.

In both Truham and Higgs, the halls were quieter than people remembered them being.

Those who had experienced the trip held their head low, avoiding noticing the absence of faces, while those who didn't go were going out of their way to check in on the people who least wanted it.

Issaac had a random boy from the year below him come up to him asking if he were friends with Charlie Spring. He and Tao were seated outside during lunch, escaping the lunch rush and had friends of Nick's from the Rugby team, Ottis, Christian, and Sai come up to them and begin talking, and apologizing for their actions over the years, knowing that it is what Nick would have wanted.

Death both brings people together and tears them apart.

After lunch, Tao had art, a class normally taught by Mr. Ajayi, but he had yet to return to his job. Instead, the class was taught by a long-term substitute teacher, who too didn't know how long he'd be teaching the class until their regular teacher would return.

Tao felt guilty. He had caused everyone, even his teachers, so much stress. At first, he only wanted to get rid of Ben Hope and Harry Green. He couldn't stand those boys, but with them gone, he realized how horrible everyone else was.

The students of Higgs were not doing any better. People were acting... different.

Like the boys' school, people were talking with those who they otherwise wouldn't have, and people were struggling to look their peers in the eyes.

Elle, Tara, and Darcy met up by the front gates, waiting to walk through the school together.

Some people remained silent, while others were whispering back and forth about who died and who was friends with their now deceased peers.

"Oh! Her, she's Charlie Spring's friend, the one that died in the fire," a girl whispered rather loudly as they passed through the halls, pointing.

"He's the gay one, right?" The friend replied, earning a hum in response.

"Didn't she transfer mid-year last year?" Friend number two questioned, right as the three friends turned the corner, no longer being able to hear the gossiping.

"People infuriate me," Darcy muttered under her breath.

Their first class, a class they all had together just like the previous school year, was French. The mention of French was an instant reminder of their trip to Paris, France, the small magnetic France flag that was stuck to the black board was jumping in their faces.

No matter where they go, they can not leave the memories behind. They can not be burned.