What's The Point of Falling (Lumity, Human Au)

Chapter 5: Old Friends (Part 1)

Luz POV

After I'd cleaned myself up, Amity led me to the cafeteria.

It was smaller than I'd expected. Though, I guess that made sense. Hexside was a small school. "Elite," my mother had called it.

I scanned the room, and was surprised when I saw her.

Willow Park.

I felt my face break into a grin. I'd really thought... I thought I'd never see her again. Incredible.

I turned to Amity, a smile still on my face. "So, um, apparently, one of my really goods friends actually goes here. So I think I'll sit with her? Uh, thank you. For showing me around. But now you don't have to babysit me any more, ha. Thanks. Uh, see you later." I said, waving and already walking away.

"Okay." She said faintly. She looked almost... disappointed.

I shook the thought from my head. That was insane. Besides, I had something far more pressing to attend to.

I had met Willow when I was fourteen. We'd both been sent to a summer camp that was meant to "fix us." Their claim was that, for kids to succeed, they had to be happy, and that you can't be happy without fitting in.

The whole thing was bullshit. How would ostracising kids who are different and then basically telling them that they're broken help them in any way?

All that really happened at the camp was that a bunch of really weird kids were put in the same building. Cliques formed, but they were much different there than at other places. Everyone there knew what it was like to be rejected, so bullying was rare. Being unusual was usual, since that's what everyone else was. If the most charismatic and likable person there is weird, everyone else is going to follow suite.

The camp ran for one year and then closed. Turns out, isolating a bunch of people who didn't fit into society from society just caused those people to become even more comfortable with who they were. Of course the whole operation didn't work.

As a final attempt to fix their mistakes, staff made sure that no-one exchanged contact information.

I'd felt more connected to the friends I'd made at that camp than I'd ever felt to anyone else. They understood what it was like.

It had broken my heart a bit, knowing that I'd never feel so accepted again.

My mom couldn't tell the difference between me being depressed and me being finally "normal." So she was actually pretty happy with me for a while.

But here, a few tables away from where I stood, her back to me, sat the truest friend I'd ever had.

I made my way to the table, a grin still present on my face.

As I got closer, I noticed Gus (another old friend!) Sitting across from Willow. He was concentrating intently on a laptop that sat in front of him.

Gus mostly looked the same as he used to, though maybe a bit taller. He hadn't changed much.

And Willow... her hair was still it's signature dark teal, but she'd gotten... Buff. Really Buff.

Does Hexside have a gym or something?

As I stepped directly behind Willow, Gus finally noticed me, a look of surprise now plastered on his face.

"Luz!?" He basically yelled. Willow turned, her eyes widening.

Now it was my turn to be surprised. I'd been wrong, Gus definitely has changed.

"You're voice!" I laughed. "It's so much deeper, oh my gosh!"