Before I Forget

Gravity

Fucking Counselor Blatt.

Hawk kept staring at his sneakers while listening to that cursed woman going on and on and on about the stupid guidelines concerning 'safe spaces', 'personal bubbles', and 'microaggressions'. He had never heard such bullshit in his life and at any other moment he would've laughed at the nonsense this woman kept blabbering, but now he was too fucking anxious and heartbroken to even open his mouth.

His sneakered foot kept tapping the floor impatiently, as he waited to hear his punishment. Whatever it was, he wasn't gonna put up a show or an argument. Not this time. He was going to just accept whatever Blatt decided to throw at him and then get the fuck out of here, as soon as possible

"—it is so important that you all learn to respect each other. That's the only way we can create a safe space for everyone—"

Hawk resisted the urge to roll his eyes. There it was again - a safe space. This school was anything but that. Hell, when he had still been Eli there hadn't been a safe place for him in all this fucking building and counselor Blatt had only made things worse—

But I can't blame her for what happened to Sky. That was on me.

The truth had a bitter taste and Hawk licked his lips to get rid of it.

He couldn't stop thinking about the look on Sky's face when she had rushed out of the cafeteria. The tears on her cheeks. The way she had ripped off the phoenix pendant and thrown it amongst the scattered Legos.

I wish I'd never met you!

Her words rang in his ears on repeat, they drowned the voice of counselor Blatt, they made Hawk's heart turn into a lump of ice in his chest, and it took all he had not to start crying right here in Blatt's office.

It was over. Sky would never forgive him now. Not for destroying her science project, not for bragging to his friends about what had happened in the janitor's closet—

And those fucking assholes had realized it was Sky. They would never shut up about it now.

That made Hawk's stomach turn. He leaned his elbows harder on his knees and forced himself to breathe through the nausea that washed over him. Crying or throwing up in here was out of the question - Blatt was one thing but Hawk wasn't going to break into pieces in the same room with Sam LaRusso and Demetri. He wasn't that fucking pussy Eli anymore - he was Hawk. He would let no one see how much this was tearing him apart.

"—you are all suspended for three days," came Blatt's voice, but Hawk didn't even look up.

Fine, he would take that and suffer his punishment like a man. Who needed this fucking school anyways? He couldn't wait to get out of here. He needed to know that Sky was alright.

He had a bad feeling about the way she had rushed out of the cafeteria. The hopelessness in her eyes was haunting Hawk, it was turning him all tense and agonized.

He fucking had to see her. Not even to apologize - he knew it would make no difference at this point - but to make sure she was okay. If she did something to herself—

Hawk couldn't even finish that thought, and still, it crushed him as if he was a beetle that got run over by a truck.

"—and I'll have to call your parents to come to pick you up."

Wait, what?

Hawk sat up in one swift motion and opened his mouth to protest, but Demetri beat him in speed.

"Do you really have to do that, counselor? My mom is at work, and—"

"I will call your parents and they can come to pick you up. You will wait in the hallway until they arrive. Do I make myself clear?"