Malicious Reign: Preview

Preview: Achre and Arin

The rain pattering on the roof is thick and proud. It dominates over us as we huddle in a small office. The noise drives me crazy and I whine in tongues, or at least that's what it sounds like, even to me. The boy by the name of Achre Todson pulls me closer to him.

"Hey, crying isn't going to help... we just have to wait it out."

"I... I..."

I can't say anything, the storm is killing me. When I open my mouth, rain comes in. I look to my left to see Achre, with glassy eyes and his mouth hanging open as he gasps for air. My body goes still... I can't breathe! Achre, he's... he's...

"NOOOOOO!" I yell at the top of my lungs which pierces all the noise around me into strict silence. My eyes close as tears run down my face, this seriously can't be happening.

"Arin, hey dummy wake up. You're going to get in trouble."

My face goes cold as I hear the sound of Achre... older Achre. Is it a ghost? No, wait. That's not right, Achre didn't die. That was a long time ago, and we fixed everything after, when he went to the emergency room. I remember being there every day after school, even though I barely knew the boy. It wasn't because I liked him, I swear! It was because he was the one who had risked his life to comfort me. It's my fault he was in the hospital. It would've been my fault if he died. Although neither of us were supposed to be there that late.

"Arin! Mr. MacMill will be pissed if you don't wake up right now. Now!"

I finally snap to my senses. Achre isn't dead... he's sitting right next to me, but wait...

This isn't science.

My head nods up and I glare at the handsome young man in front of me with his eyes on his paper.

"This isn't Mr. MacMill's class." I say grudgingly pointing to Mrs. Connery asleep at her desk.

"I know but you were talking in your sleep so I figured I should wake you up..."

His gaze focuses on me and he freezes. My hands are still shaking from the nightmare, or memory, I guess. Not to mention I was crying in real life.

"Hey, what happened? Why are you.... Arin, look. You're in the real world now. It's done and passed. No need to be afraid anymore."

I burst out crying again, and Achre grabs my arm before standing up and slipping out of the classroom. He closes the door behind us.

"Hey, are you okay?"

I pause, my face red and wet. Then I shake my head.

Achre sighs and pulls me to him as I'm sucked into a warm and comforting aura.

"I'm sorry.... I-I shouldn't b-be like this."

I wish I could say that my crying was cute, but it's not, for it comes out in loud, embarrassing sobs. So for the next 5 minutes, I let Achre practically hold me as I wept, even though me hurting him was the reason I cried. This is the selfishness of mine own being.

" Arin... It-.... you're not the reason that I'm sick, okay?" He says reading my mind. "I've been like this since before I met you, and it chose to act up that night. I want you to know that, well... I'm glad I heard you in that room, and that I even almost died. Maybe if it didn't happen, we wouldn't have ever seen each other again, and we wouldn't be 'bffs' today." I feel him smile, which is a rare sight I couldn't pull myself away to see.

There's something about him today, I can't put my finger on. Today he's... not exactly isolating himself? Yeah, he's really cheerful.

Yet, how can he be so grateful for that night?