A Silver Lining

EXTRA: Second chance

EXTRA: SECOND CHANCE (CALEB'S STORY)

Caleb:

Walking out the principal's office never felt this uncomfortable. I tried to tell myself it was alright, I walked the walk of shame down this path way too many times for me to count. One of the event when I first met Stella.

Yet, this one was different. Sure, auntie pitied me like every other time, the other student stated and whispered when they thought I want noticing. I, as like before, covered my face with my hoodie. Seattle is not that cold in September, but wearing hoodies to disappear from the world was my thing.

However, unlike before, most of the faces were not unfamiliar. Or maybe not all of them, who cares. Before they mostly hated me. Famous Caden's brother turned out to such a rebel. But now they pity me. Seems like it does not take long to words to spread.

The Caleb, who won over dead, semi-cyborg, returned after been informed as dead after what was it? Two years? All of my friends have graduated high school. Or they are mostly all in colleges. And here I am. Trying to restart my life. I feel like My life had fallen behind the rest of humanity.

I could somewhat feel Ryan now. How brave he had been. But unlike him, I was not going to run from my fears. I want to embrace them and learn to move on with it.

I have to do this. If not for me, then for Caden, who did not even get this chance. I will cherish it. No matter how much my heart breaks. No tear, no sleepless nights was able to bring him life. This was the least I could do.

And not like everyone has a Stella like Ryan, someone to knock some sense into him. And for all I know, I will never have.

But I do not mind. I am lucky to have a friend like her. Her and the bunch of them. The look on their face when I went to visit them last month. It gave to hope to live. Yeah, I had goofed around with them, pretended I am the same Caleb who was gone.

But heart can not lie.

I sighed and tried to find my new locker. Unsurprisingly, it was the same one. The one beside Stella's.

A smile creeped onto my face at the thought of the day we first met. No, I do not regret joining to take revenge for my brother. Or going to the other side of the world to chase the guys who had been the reasons of our nightmares. Maybe not even getting shot, if that meant my brothers soul can Rest In Peace.

"Do you have a problem?" A sweet, bit-high pitched voice broke me out of my thoughts. I blinked and realized I had been staring at Stella's locker for way too long. Which meant I had been staring at her replacement for way too long.

Oh fuck! I might seem like some creepy delinquent to the poor girl.

The girl in front of me has light brown skin, long wavy hair, and definitely shorter than Stella. She, like me, was wearing clothes that seem way too soon for winter. Long pants, full sleeve shirt with scarf around her neck.

"Are you done?" She rolled her eyes. She does not have an accent. That meant she was probably from immigrated family.

I cleared my throat. "Sorry I..."

"I do not want your lame excuses," she cut me. "If you want to stare, do not be this obvious from next time."

And with that, she closed her locker and walked away to join a group of girls, probably her friends.

"Well, that was hard to watch," Phoebe said, joining me out of nowhere.

"Caleb no-good with girls, I wonder why that does not surprise me," Jenn said, joining us.

I groaned. Not only my friends have graduated high school, now I have to continue mine with Ryan's annoying little sister. Even Jenn is sophomore now.

"Don't you two have a life?" I asked them.

"Tsk tsk, lovely to see you too."

"Well, we are assigned to look after you," Jenn added.

The thought angers me.

"I can take care of myself," I said. "By who anyway?"

"Stella," they said in unison.

Of course she did. That leaves no room to argue. I sighed and continued walking down the hall.