'Dysfunctional: not operating normally or properly'
That was one way to describe Clara Campbells family. Dysfunctional; not operating properly. That was just what happened when your older siblings leave you.
Or that's what Clara had always believed...
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| Third Person POV |
7 years ago
Sitting in their usual spot for lunch, with Clara and Wyatt on one side, while Hazel and Levi were on the other, they were more than happy with their spot in the back of the cafeteria. None of the seniors ever bothered with the middle schoolers, as the only thing that connected the two sides of the building was the cafeteria.
Clara would occasionally glance around at her older brothers, checking in on them without needing to say anything. Caleb was with his friends, near the middle of the middle schooler side of the cafeteria, with Colton near him. Elias was the king of middle school, so he sat right at the centre, where the high school clique sat, but if you looked close enough, you would know his table is not even touching the high schoolers.
Then she saw Carter walk in with Lewis Blakely, Wyatt's older brother, before she saw Ethan sitting in the corner with his friends, his head bent over a book, usually doing the homework he never finished at home, before Clara flicked her eyes to the table beside Elias, seeing her older sister there, with a guy that she knew all too well.
The boy that Elias aspired to be, if anything. In other words, Mackenzie was dating Ryland Hartley in her senior year of high school, and everyone thought that he was the coolest guy to be around. Clara didn't think her sister had to have a boyfriend, but it kept her and their mother happy, which is all that mattered at the time.
As Clara zoned back into her friends conversation, after she had locked eyes with Caleb, who was checking in on her from a few tables away. "I cannot understand why she did that?!" Hazel exclaimed, as she was talking about some girl in her class. Being in middle school meant that they were all in structured classes still like they were in elementary school.
Levi and Clara were together, while Wyatt was in a separate class, but his class was usually with Levi and Clara's as his teacher rarely showed up, while Hazel was stuck on the end, by herself. "What did she do? Who?" Clara questioned, as Wyatt wrapped an arm around her and tugged the smaller girl into his side.
Back then, no one knew how much Wyatt liked Clara. No one thought much of the little tugs and pulls into the side of his body, but now, it was a sign of him protecting her, so he could put his mind to peace. To rest, knowing that she was safe with him. "Fallon Hartley spilled paint all over my workbook!" Hazel groaned, as she pulled out the book from her bag.
Clara just shrugged in response, knowing there was nothing much she could do to console the girl. She didn't know this Fallon girl, but Fallon had always been nice to her, and she presumed she was the same to Hazel, as Hazel was one of the most approachable and kind girls at the time. Clara didn't understand why they didn't get along, as everyone got along with Hazel. It was hard not to.
"It's ok" Clara muttered, shutting the book and pushing it back to Hazel, who grumbled something. As if the girl knew that she was being talked about, she entered from the middle school entrance into the cafeteria, and it felt like everything stopped. No one was talking or laughing. Everyone was looking at the small girl in the hallway.
