TW: Self h@rm!!!!!
——————————————
"Ran, stop fucking around right now! I don't care about why you aren't attending any lessons anymore, but we paid for you to go there. If I get one more call from your professors or even principal, I am personally gonna drive over there and drag you to your classes every morning. This is my final warning, Ran!" She had not even said hello when Ran had picked up the call. His mother had started yelling at him as soon as the stopwatch for the phone call had started.
He did understand why. It was Tuesday evening. He had not attended any classes ever since Wednesday. Which meant almost an entire week.
-
The next day's morning was hard. Ran had to force himself out of his bed at 6am, with max two hours sleep in his system, and a terrible headache. The mirror did not make him feel any better about himself. Dark circles around his eyes, possibly because he hadn't slept for more than four hours a single day ever since it first happened. Which meant he did not only look like shit, he felt like it too.
But the necessity to attend at least some classes today was too high. Therefore, Ran forced himself to brush his teeth and hair, put on his white shirt, red tie and black pants. Afterwards, he decided to put some of the concealer on that he had bought a few days ago, because everyone kept questioning his wellbeing due to the huge eye bags.
The hickeys had luckily faded for the most part, just some little dots remained. Today wasn't too long of a school day anyway, so Ran put his best effort into begging that he won't meet Haruto anywhere.
-
Twenty minutes later, he stood in front of his locker. Inside, next to all his books, It was decorated with photos of his and his friends, some with his teammates as well as some significant moments like the Olympics or VNL matches. Everyone and everything that brought him joy was there, captured on a simple piece of paper.
Suddenly, someone tapped his shoulder.
Ran almost let his science book drop to the floor. Straddled, he turned around. He had not only expected the worst, he made eye contact with the worst too. Well, not Haruto, but his dear friends. The girl that he had encountered in the bathroom, the one that had called him a slut, stood there. Alongside one other girl, the one that had been with her back then.
There was an evil smile resting on her face. "Ran, long time no see! Wow, it must've been actually really long, because look at you." She eyed him up and down to clarify what she meant. And Ran knew. "Lost a little weight, huh? But between us, you wouldn't have to, I saw the photos. Which is also the reason I wanted to say hello. One wrong step, and you won't see daylight again." "W-what photos are you talking about?" His voice was quiet and scared, he could feel himself nearing a panic attack.
"Remember why I was angry with you, slut? Yeah? Seemingly, you were such a good fuck that he had to take a picture. I have the photos too, so you better fucking listen to me if you don't want me to leak them. Now, fuck off and get out of my way, Takahashi." Ran, still completely baffled, disappeared into the nearest bathroom.
He had to remember to breathe. Crying may remove the concealer. He couldn't. He had to breathe. In...out. Just like Yuki had showed him. In... and out...
-
"Ran! Glad you decided to join us! Take a seat, please." Mrs Ling had never been a strict teacher. Which was also the reason Ran hadn't forced himself to immediately calm down and instead breathe through it.
Kanta waved at him as soon as he sat down. The sound of his school book hitting the table was the only sound in the room. Everyone had shut up, intensively staring at him.
