Care For Me ✔️

7

trigger warning; mentions of abuse, blood and vomit.

L I L Y

When the final of the group performances has been, we still have a half hour left of our double music lesson.

Mr Norris says we can sit and discuss our thoughts on each of the performances we've witnessed in groups and make notes on how best they could be improved or write down what we liked best about them. If we get that done before the time is up, we're free to chat about anything we'd like as long as we don't disrupt his marking.

Luke, Atlas, Maya and Bella squish themselves around our table with the boys taking the spare to seats beside Leo, and the girls across from them in the space between myself and the twins.

The conversation is upbeat, all of us praising each other for our performances. Atlas rants on about my perfect use of the triangle, and I don't think I've ever smiled so hard.

Fifteen minutes later, we finish the work assigned by Mr Norris and move on to personal chat instead. We talk about our favourite musicians and bands, most of which I don't know but that's okay, Atlas promises to make me a mixtape, whatever that is, so I don't miss out on the greatest artists of our generation. His words, not mine.

Maya brings up the vampire diaries again, and the boys groan. She ignores them, cheeks aflame as she tells me about a vampire named Damon, how he's old enough to be her dad but that she'd still tap that. I want to ask her what tap that means, but I don't.

Even the Lombardi twins eventually get involved as Killian gushes about his new favourite book series. Bella and I seem to be the only ones interested in what he has to say. I sneak a few glances at Leo every now and then, but he doesn't look back at me.

His eyes are on his phone, paying no attention to the world around him. At first glance, anyone would think he's texting a friend or scrolling through whatever things you'd find on a phone, but he's not. I know that look. He's lost in his head, drowning, sinking, spluttering in a silence I know too well. Small beads of sweat coat his forehead, and the slight tremor of his fingers prove my thoughts to be correct.

He's panicking.

Just as I pluck up enough courage to ask if he's okay, the bell rings; indicating my first day of school has come to an end. When I look back at the spot where Leo had been sitting, he's gone. The twins offer us a goodbye, Killian with a soft smile and wave, Kaden with an arrogant bow, and then they're following after their brother with quick steps.

I adjust the strap on my backpack over my shoulder, trying not to let it rest on any of the tender flesh, and follow my friends out into the packed corridor. We wave at Mr Norris on our way out, he tells me he hopes I had a great first day. I tell him it's been the best.

"Do you wanna hang out with us tonight?" Maya asks. "We're gonna go to Betty's I think."

"Betty?" I tilt my head. I've never heard them mention a Betty before.

"The diner downtown." Luke provides the answer. "The milkshakes are insane. You have to try them, Lily."

"Maybe next time," I murmur, feeling nerves pierce my stomach like needles. I'd love to hang out with them, but there's no way for me to do that outside of school. I hope this doesn't make them not want to be my friend. "My p-parents want me home."