𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐘 ― e. moskowitz / hawk [ COMPLETED UNTIL SEASON SIX ]

xx

╔.𖥸. .════════════════╗

𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗬

chapter twenty
you better step away from the
mirror long enough to check
the damage that will always
be right behind you

╚════════════════. .❀.╝

ROUGH COULDN'T EVEN encompass what Alyssa had been feeling lately.

The aftermath of what happened at the arcade had brought the words upside down to a whole new meaning in Alyssa's life. Just like after the school fight, she hadn't been sleeping well at all. The whole fight, and especially the snap, haunted her dreams. Not to mention that she had told everything, and she meant everything to Hawk outside of her house before she had a chance to even think about the consequences. At least Hawk knew now what he had made her feel the past couple of months.

Everybody could tell that she was absolutely tired — not just physically, but emotionally. Dark circles were constantly under her eyes and although she always had a coffee in school, it was way larger than what it used to be, mostly to keep her awake.

Alyssa walked into school that day, clad in a zip-up hoodie over a tank top and leggings, her hair tied back in a braid with two pieces framing her face. She had chosen the comfiest outfit she could — unlike the beginning of the year, she didn't want to fake it till she made it anymore. Maybe she didn't have the strength to. That strength would probably rebuild, but right now . . . it wasn't looking too good.

She approached her locker by herself, which was by Demetri's. Sam wasn't coming to school today, and Demetri would probably be a little behind because of his broken arm. It was also Miguel's first day back at school, and Alyssa had a mission to find him later. She opened up her locker and put some books away before grabbing some, putting them in her backpack.

"Ally," a familiar voice called.

She turned, only to see Cam walking in her direction, and she grinned a little, although it didn't reach her eyes. "Hi, Cam."

Cam stared down at her in concern, taking note of her tiredness. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Alyssa answered, even though she was anything but okay. "It's been a . . . rough past couple of days. But it's whatever. What's up?"

He cleared his throat. "Um . . . can we talk?"

"Yeah, totally." Alyssa shut her locker and leaned her shoulder against it, looking up at him. "What's on your mind?"