The Otherworlders Academy - An Original Teen Fantasy

Ep. 4.1 (R) - It's Good to Be Back

A/N - I'm soooo sorry, guys! Posting late this time was totally on me. I don't know what happened. I was making great progress, but yesterday, I totally spaced out. It wasn't like I hit writer's block and I LOVE writing thist story. I LOVE hanging out with our gang. But my mind just kept drifting off and I couldn't concentrate.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter. :-) And don't forget about the poll at the end of the chapter.

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Back from the mission, Farid is standing by his bed, unpacking his duffel bag when there's a knock at the door.

Without turning around, he calls out over his shoulder, "Come in!"

As the door creaks open, Farid turns to see Sebastian pop his head in. Their eyes meet for a long, tense moment, both reminded of the pain they caused each other arguing the night before Farid left.

Without saying a word, Farid turns back and resumes his unpacking.

Sebastian stands in the open doorway, hovering, not sure if he's welcome. Then deciding to ignore the awkward chill in the room, he makes his way inside.

He quietly heads to Farid's desk where he pulls out a chair, turns it around backwards, and sits on it to watch Farid unpack. After a while, he asks, "So, how was your trip?"

Farid's shoulders tense, and Sebastian's question is met with nothing more than stony silence. But after a few beats, Farid relents and replies flatly, "It wasn't a trip. It was a mission."

Sebastian throws his head back and laughs. "Okay then... how was your mission?" he corrects himself.

Farid grits his teeth. "It was fine," he grumbles, continuing to give Sebastian the cold shoulder; and instead, concentrating on sifting through his bag, pulling out his clothes, sniffing them, and trying to determine what needs washing and what can safely go back in the drawer.

As the silence grows unbearable, Sebastian shifts uncomfortably in his chair, then finally says, "Okay, so how long is this gonna last?"

Farid freezes. Swallowing his anger he asks, "How long is what going to last?"

"You ignoring me," Sebastian retorts. "You freezing me out like this."

Farid tosses a dirty pair of jeans into the corner of the room, then turns around, eyes narrowed, and says, "What do you want from me, Bash? Seriously, why are you here?"

"Oh, I don't know." Sebastian flips his hands up and shrugs. "Maybe I just wanna make sure my brother's doing okay. Is that a crime? I mean, you didn't return any of my texts. You didn't come see me when you got back from your trip—sorry, your mission. You didn't even—"

"I'm fine, Sebastian!" Farid huffs out a breath. "The mission went fine. We all got along fine. Everything's fine, okay?" He slides Sebastian an irritated glance as he turns back to his unpacking. "Now, you're up to speed. Are you happy?"

Sebastian scowls as he stands and pushes the chair aside. "Look, Farid, I'm here to apologize, okay? I realize that I crossed a line when I said the things I said to you and I'm really, really sorry."

Beyond frustrated, Farid whips around and throws his hands up in the air. "Okay, great, you're sorry. You're sorry! So what? You're always sorry, Bash. And yet nothing ever changes."

Sebastian lets his head fall back as he stares up at the ceiling. "What do you expect me to do, Farid?" He sighs, lowers his head, and then captures Farid's gaze. "You know me better than anyone else on the planet, right? So, you know that when I lash out like that, I'm far angrier at myself, than I am at you."