Being (Being Saga, Book I)

IV

Caiden hoped her school days would've gotten easier to get through or at least more comfortable, but they hadn't. Not even close.

Being constantly in a state of anger, sadness, or on edge was all that she got from her peers. She understood that this was normal, considering the time of life they were all in, but none of them had to feel all of that every day all at once. They didn't have to get used to it. Which was why she couldn't wait until the bell rang for her to go home. At least there, if Iela or Roxa's emotions got too much for her, she could just go to her room.

The bell rang for lunch and Caiden was about to follow the traffic when she felt that pull again. She looked around for that familiar energy, but couldn't find him yet. He was near though. At that point, the searching and the need to be with this total stranger was getting ridiculous.

Who was this guy?

She stood in the middle of the hall as it began to empty, but Timothy was nowhere in sight. Caiden caught herself as she felt something nudge her arm. She spun around.

"I'm gonna brave the free fare today. What about you?"

Aza was holding one of those vintage pail lunchboxes. It was lolita-themed and orange with a few shiny scratches on the bottom corners where the paint had come off.

"Bacon turkey wrap," he said, smiling and admiring what seemed to be a collector's item.

"Aza, right?" she said, distracted. She knew that was his name, she had no idea why she posed it as a question.

Timothy's energy was still in the vicinity, but she didn't know how long he would be there.

"That's right. Caiden."

Again with her name.

She wondered what he was trying to do to her or even if he was aware of what he was doing. Awkwardness arrived and a few clunky seconds of silence sat wedged in between them. Aza was usually more conversational than this, but he found himself losing natural word flow when he spoke to Caiden. He was more focused on not saying the wrong thing. And not saying something that would get him into trouble.

"I'm sorry," she said, which seemed to be her knee-jerk response to everything bad that happened. "About before, I mean. And now. I have to go."

He noticed her eyes wandering. "You're forgiven both times." He gently swung the lunchbox by the handle. "I'll keep this for myself if things go south."

"I'm gonna go to the restroom," she said, forever penitent, and turned down a hall.

A few stragglers were gradually finishing up in their lockers. All, but three boys. One's attention was split between his friend's raunchy jokes and his phone. The other two were intent on playing with Timothy. It seemed he knew them or he used to.

Caiden was standing by the lockers, not too far away, but she could tell Timothy looked different from the very first time she saw him. The bags under his eyes were heavier, his dark circles were more prominent, and his gait had slumped to where he looked shorter than he really was.

"Aye! It's that boy Tee-Tee. Nigga get hard hearin' his own name," one of them jeered. His expression indicated that he was enjoying every second of this teasing and it was going to get worse.

Timothy didn't have it in him to fight back. "Yeah and you can suck it," he fired, trying to escape into the boys' room.

"Ooh. He mad. Tee-Tee mad," the other boy joined in, laughing and following the leader into the restroom.

Like they were taunting her as well, Caiden began to follow them.

"Caiden?" The Voice called, sounding puzzled.