"Lyra... Aren't you in class?"
Ace slowly walked alone around the school grounds, her phone pressed to her ear. Her eyes were trailing down on the concrete as she heard the sound of her shoes scraping against it.
"I excused myself to the restroom." Her friend responded. "How much time do you have?"
The girl glanced at her watch. "Around seven minutes before class starts."
"Okay. I'll get straight to the point then." There was a short pause. "I heard there was an accident at your school. Are you okay?"
She remained silent for a moment. "If I were to be completely honest, no. I'm not okay. I got the experience of watching that girl die."
"Did it trigger anything?"
"Yeah."
"Are you okay with telling me?" Lyra's voice sounded urgent.
She stopped walking. "It was a memory of you, Lyra. The time I found you beaten up." She shuddered. "I can never get rid of that picture from my mind. And they.. They said that infection you got.. they.. had to.." Tears began pricking at her eyes. "You lost.. a piece.. of..-"
"Ace, get a hold of yourself. That was six years ago! I would be lying if I said I didn't feel crushed on the inside, or if I didn't go through depression. I'd be lying if I said I was very anxious of what people would think when they saw me! Sure, I have nightmares about that procedure, but I am fine! Living, breathing, alive. Happier than I have ever been before!"
Ace began to walk again. "I know you're happy... But you would have been so much more happier you didn't meet me. You wouldn't have been dragged into everything I brought onto you."
Silence.
"Ace. You know, ever since I met you, I was terrified of you. I thought you would be just like them, enjoying the sight of me helpless and in pain."
"I'm no sadist." She chuckled dryly.
Lyra scoffed. "When you talked to me, I was surprised. You weren't the person who I thought you would be. I think that all the hardships we went through leads up to who we are now. Those challenges made us strong and confident, knowing that taking action is the right thing to do if someone was getting hurt. If I didn't meet you, then I would still be that pathetic coward that I use to be. I am so, so happy to have met you and I would happily go through all that again just for you."
The girl frowned as her mind suddenly remembered what Lyra would always say once they had culminated from middle school.
"I'm not being forced to help you. It's like a volunteering gig!" And this- She pointed at her arm that had gone through the procedure. "I'd do it all over again because you're my friend."
Surprisingly, Ace found it within herself to laugh. "You haven't changed at all."
"Of course I haven't. It's only been a week since you moved!"
"Fair enough."
"But you on the other hand-" Lyra continued. "Seem very sad and traumatized. I don't blame you. However, things won't change if you can't find the courage to move on. So ask yourself this. 'Am I going to remain sad and feel worthless, or am I going to move on and better myself?'. Give yourself adequate time to grieve. Then, move on. Don't let it hold you back."
The bell rang.
"..You're right." She smiled. "Thank you."
"Don't get all soppy on me, girly. You're supposed to be the strong one." Lyra laughed. "I should get back to class."
Ace sniggered. "Gee, you reject me when I get all sentimental. Alright. I should too."
"Bye! I'll message you or something. If you need to talk, I'm always here for you."
"Okay."
Pulling her phone away from her, she ended the phone call and walked to class with a tiny flare of hope inside her chest. It wasn't magnificent at all, but it was enough to keep her going.
~
Her 2nd-period class went by without much interaction. The entire class carried a grim atmosphere as they silently worked on their essays for the entire class time.
Raiden had only asked her how she was feeling before allowing her time to think about things herself.
3rd period was nearly the same. Mr. Stewart went over the day's lesson and allowed his students to work on the homework for the remainder of the time. Allian, Raiden, and Ace silently worked on their assignments with the rare occasion of the girl requesting help.
Packing up her things, she stuck her binder into her backpack and tossed it over her shoulder. The two boys were still packing everything into their backpacks. "I'll see you guys later." She said, waving her hand ever so slightly at them.
"Ace, hold up." Allian said, zipping his backpack. "We want to talk to you about something."
The girl paused. "Is it about my bad memory?" She frowned.
"No." Raiden smiled. "On the contrary, it's something completely different."
The three of them walked out of the classroom together. "What about?"
"Well," Raiden started. "It has come to my attention that winter break is coming upon us soon. With what had happened, I thought the best way we could cope with these foul memories is going on a trip up north."
"..A trip?" Ace looked at him in confusion.
"A trip to the mountains." He smiled slightly. "It's snowing up there. I thought it would be a good experience staying in a lodge and ski board right outside."
"I'm sure that'll distract us from what happened," Allian added. "I think it'll be fun."
Ace pursed her lips. "I'll have to ask my family. They aren't very.. trusting of strangers. No offense to you guys."
"Of course." Raiden smiled. "I respect your parents' decision. After all, you are their first priority."
Ace felt a wave of sadness spread across her body.
Her sudden change in expression had not gone unnoticed by the charming male."I'm sorry. DId I say something wrong?"
"Oh," She frowned. "I never met my mom. I've just seen her in pictures." She forced a smile. "It's just me, my dad, and my aunt."
There was a slight pause before she suddenly felt arms wrap around her from behind. "I'm sorry, Ace." Allian murmured. "It must be hard for you."
Raiden glared at Allian discreetly. "I agree. Growing up without a motherly figure must have been difficult. Not just for you but also for your father."
Ace gently touched Allian's wrists that were situated around her abdomen, which signaled for Allian to let go. "Well, I have my aunt. She stepped in when my dad went through a mental breakdown."
"She must be a very selfless and generous woman." Raiden replied.
"She is the nicest person that I know." Ace muttered. Her mind had wandered back to the days where her Aunt would read her bedtime stories every night, or when she would teach her how to bake despite having a bad ankle.
The old tree and the grass field came into view. "Well, I'll see you guys later." Ace smiled slightly, waving her hand.
"Ace," Allian smiled. "We figured that you may not feel very comfortable going on a trip with just us, so you can invite anyone. We'll be happy to go together."
Ace tilted her head. "Okay. When are we going?"
"We're planning to go Monday morning." Raiden answered. "You'll have the weekend to prepare for the trip. It'll last for approximately one week."
"Gotcha."
~
"You want to go on a trip?" Faith questioned, surprised.
"I don't know." Ace shrugged. "I just got invited, so why not? I think we all could use some distractions anyways."
Akia looked doubtful about the whole thing. "Are you sure? After what happened.."
Startled, Ace looked at the girl with wide eyes. "You're not implying that.."
Faith shook her head. "Akia, I think you're just getting extremely paranoid. I doubt someone killed her on purpose. This school isn't that bad. Bullying is a problem but Ace took care of that situation for now. And besides, if the bullies were really behind that, why would they target Stephanie? Wouldn't they target someone that had hurt their reputation? Someone like.. Ace?"
Ace bit her lip. "Bullies don't aim to kill. They aim to hurt others to feel better about themselves, but they never kill."
Akia rubbed her elbow nervously. "I wasn't talking about bullies. I was talking about.."
"..The guys?" Ace questioned, her lips parting in surprise.
She nodded slightly.
"But why?" The girl asked, furrowing her brow in confusion.
"I.. I don't know!" The girl pressed her palm to her face. "They just seem.. so.."
Faith took a quick glance to the grass field, where all of the guys had opted to sitting on the bleachers instead of playing football. "Do you really think that those guys are capable of murder?" She whispered.
Ace frowned. "They don't seem like the people who would do such a thing."
"Ace," Faith looked intently at her. "Tell me how they act. You've spent the most time around them than any of us."
Ace pondered for a bit. "They're.. Nice. It feels like they have good intentions."
"Then tell me about every single one of them."
"Okay." Ace started. "Allian is very cheerful and seems to make the best of everything no matter how grim situation is." Ace began keeping track by counting her fingers. "Kai is very generous and seems good-hearted. He doesn't judge people instantly. Raiden is straightforward and genuinely cares about the people he knows- even if he doesn't seem that way. Evan is shy and can get very nervous but he knows his values and treasures his friends. And Ryoma carries a tough and intimidating persona but is very kind and caring on the inside."
She had counted five on her fingers. "That's all of them."
Faith nodded. "Okay."
Akia crossed her arms. "Ace, I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me that you trust them. Tell me that you know they are good people."
Bringing her eyes to the smaller girl, Ace nodded. She met her eyes and kept a steady gaze. "From all of my experiences with them, I believe they are all good people with good intentions. I don't believe that they are people who would intentionally harm others at all. I trust them."
Letting out a long sigh, Akia nodded. "Okay. If you're going on the trip, then I will go with you."
Faith smiled. "I'll tag along."
Surprised, Ace looked back and forth between the girls. "Really?"
They nodded. "After all," Faith leaned her cheek against her palm. "We need to be there for you if you end up in a pickle."