"I've called you all here today for a grave and tragic matter."
We all watch as The Dean of our school talks into a table mic. She called us today into the gloomy Assembly Hall decored with nothing but rows of wooden benches and stained glass. It looked more like a church without a cross.
The Dean clears her throat. "As you know, there have been multiple terrible genocide attacks caused by an anonymous attacker. These will not go unnoticed. As a result, the entire school of G.H. Academy has asked you to not speak about the attacks unless necessary." The Dean scrutinized all of us. She was a Texan lady who never left her house without her pearl earrings.
I saw Touma sitting a few rows ahead of me, head down in silence. As of Innes, she wasn't here.
"We have long reported to the police and are ongoing investigation. G.H. Academy, as of now, is not a safe ground. We will be shutting down all school activities for the next few months. Students will be asked to move out of their dorms. For your safety, the school premises will be thoroughly searched. The victims have said the attacker was wearing a black motorcycle helmet and a leather motorcycle strap jacket. Teachers and students will be questioned by police after our assembly. If you have any concerns, please ask me now."
A huge wave of yelling and arguing bombarded the hall, angry and confused about why this was happening.
"You can't just make us move out!" A girl cries out.
"What the fuck?!?" Seth shouts from beside me. "Who cares if some students got attacked anyway?!? It doesn't affect the whole damn school!"
"Hey!" Touma stands from his seat and snaps around, his infuriated gaze finding the boy beside me. Oh God, why does he have to be beside me? "Tough talk for a fucker like you."
I grumble as I sink deeper into my seat with my hand covering my eyes. Not again.
Seth scoffs and jabs a sharp finger his way. "I should be saying that to you! You're the fucker here. Your pussy ass fucked that TBB guy or whatever."
A bunch of Ohh's and muffled laughter came from each row of students, living for the drama.
"And you attacked him!" Touma bit back. "I know what you fuckin' did! You gave him a note to meet in the Library and attacked him!'
Molly leaned closer to me and whispered into my ear. "Oh shit."
Everybody looked at Seth in disbelief and confusion. Was he really The Hazard?
Seth narrowed his eyes. "And he fucking fell for it."
Touma froze, staring at him from across the room. Tension locked and fists tight. He took a deep ragged breath in.
Touma marched aside all the benches until he finally reached face-to-face with Seth. Aka, right in front of me, innocently sat.
Gasps filled the room as Touma punched him right in the throat.
Seth faltered back with a hand on his neck, coughing. He forced a chuckle, tilting his head in disbelief, and tackled Touma to the ground. And again, right against my shoes.
Astra stepped in and held Seth back in one pull. By then, a mob of students were swarming us.
"Oh my God!-" I clustered my legs to my chest as I had to duck in my seat! I covered my head with my arms and started screaming in fear. There was literally a fight going on right in front of me!
Seth wiggled out of Astra's grasp and just went all out with Touma. Can't they just be civil for once?!?
But I hope Touma wins.
"Enough!" The Dean's warning went unnoticed as the fight continued. "Eno-"
"Shut up!!!" The whole school yelled in union.
How could these two anger-issued boys make the whole school unite?
Touma managed to get the upper hand and jabbed his arm up to punch Seth's face.
Except his elbow hit my face instead.
***
I sat on the cold clinic chair with ice held to my black eye.
I glare at Seth beside me. He was being treated by a nurse. He didn't deserve to be treated by a nurse.
"I hate you."
He almost grins. "I hate you more."
My eyes narrow with resentment. I despise him so much. In fact, I think he's The Hazard. He didn't even feel any sort of remorse for Mystery Boy.
"You're unbelievable, Woody." I grumble. Woody was me and Pandora's name for him. Seth Greywood. God, I hate that guy.
The nurse leaves him to get more cotton swabs, making it just the two of us.
Touma fled the scene before the Prefects dragged him away. Right now, we have no idea where he is. But one thing's for certain. He's all bloody, roaming the halls.
"Why do you have to be such a scumbag?" I genuinely ask.
"Why not? Do you always have to whine, Paper Boy?"
Paper Boy. That's what Pandora used to call me.
I press the ice lighter on my wound. " . . . How's Pandora?"
"Normal."
"Normal?"
"Normal means something that's a casua-"
"I know." I slump back to my seat before standing up and heading for the door. I absolutely cannot take Seth Greywood.
He leans back. "Bye, bitch."
I sigh as I leave the clinic and head for the bathroom. I like washing my face when I'm stressed or have a lot on my mind. It just refreshes me, I guess.
As I walk to the CR, Naomi Vegas rushes past me. He bumps into my shoulder and looks at me. He was . . . crying. He was trembling as his hand twitched. His eyes were filled with horror before he ran away from me.
What's up with him . . . ?
Before I knew it, I was where I needed to be.
I open the washroom door and open the sink. I splash the cold water on my face before spotting a wet dripping sink.
The sink leaked little droplets of never-ending water as the bowl overflowed with water, leaving a pool on the floor.
I wiped my face with a handkerchief and placed the ice pack on my eye again.
That was before I heard a noise coming from a certain bathroom stall.
"Hello?"
"Oh my fucking God. You again." Touma groaned. Again?!? "Why do you always know where I am?"
"Why do you always stay in that exact stall?!?"
" . . . "
I quickly regret my sarcasm. " . . . Are you okay?"
"I wanna fucking kill Seth." He says in such hate that his anger seeped into my skin.
If I were in Touma's shoes? I would too. "Seth is a complete scumbag. It's like he wasn't the reason TBB was there in the first place."
"Ah." Touma softly chuckled, remembering the memories. "TBB. I created that name."
I felt bad for him. He lost someone dear to him. Someone he really loved. I felt hollow inside and clutched my ice pack. The worst part is . . . I could've saved TBB.
We both stood in silence, with a door separating us. Touma was loved by someone who didn't care what his identity was in a harsh world like this. TBB was one of the only people who accepted who he was. And he's gone.
I was about to say my condolences before he opened the door for the first time. He looked at me with a sorrowful sense of trust.
His face was all bloody with a busted lip, red dripping down his black Converse.
I panicked. "Touma! You need to go to the clinic!"
"Yeah, yeah." The faintest of smiles curled Touma's lips. If you didn't pay attention, it was like it was never there. "Steph . . . thanks for not being an asshole"
Touma Hirota was . . . thanking me? I was taken aback but cleared my throat. " . . . No problem."
"Just- Don't tell anyone I go here often."
"O-of course! But, if I can ask, why don't you go to your own dorm?"
"My dormmates are annoying."
"Oh."
He walks past my shoulder, leaving. "Bye."