Over the Edge

Ch.32-Who We Are

My father basically threatened me with disownership if I didn't go to school when the next week rolled around. I figured I might as well, anyway. Visiting Emma seemed a permanent part of my routine now, but clearly she wasn't going anywhere so there wasn't really a need for the constant visits.

I had no clue what awaited me when I got to school. I was, however, very aware of the fact that the semester was over. And that entailed a certain thing I had not done a scrap of. English class should be interesting.

It was strange, walking onto the school grounds. I was used to people skirting around me, and they still did, but I felt like it was for a different reason. And there was no Emma to bound up to me insisting we put forth some work on the project. No Emma to put me through serous identity denial.

There was just no Emma.

I entered the school and headed straight for my locker. I hadn't been to the thing in God knows how long. I wrenched the thing open and dumped some books off.

"Um . . . R-Rhys?"

I kicked a book in that had started to fall out. "What?"

"Y-you are Rhys, r-right?"

I turned to look at the scrawny guy confronting me. "That would be why I answered. What do you want?"

He held out a folded piece of blue construction paper. I snatched it from him, eyes scanning the front.

"What is this?" I questioned suspiciously.

"It's for Emma," he said, just as I opened it and saw all the signatures and messages. "From my homeroom. Not a lot of us got the chance to know her but we wanted her to know we're thinking about her."

I had a ready retort on my tongue, but I held it, hearing Emma's voice in my head. She wasn't here to slap me a few good times, but that nagging scold was still ever-so prominent. "Thanks," I choked out. "I'll give it to her."

His eyes brightened. "Has she woken up?"

"No," I deadpanned, slammed my locker, and walked away.

"Rhys!"

I sighed. Was it going to be like this all day? I turned and was met with Rose, Luke, and another girl I had seen around but never cared to talk to. I still didn't. "Yes?"

All three of them held out cards. "From our homerooms."

I grabbed them without much thought. "How many fucking cards am I going to get today?"

"Probably a lot," Rose stated. "It was our student body president's idea, that each homeroom sign a card for her."

I scoffed. "Why don't you all just give them to her yourself?"

It was a good point, one they didn't have an answer to. I clutched the four cards and started back down the hall.

~*~

Throughout the day I had received a stack of cards so thick I had no choice but to take the risk of wrinkles and stash them in my backpack. Why everybody felt the need to give them to me I had no idea. She had to hang around with other people, right?

Lunch was an odd and slightly awkward affair. I sat in my usual spot, alone. If Emma wasn't there to bother me I didn't see a need for any other pointless conversation. Eyes bore through me and whispers circulated all around. A few people walked by and patted me on the back, saying they were sorry. It pissed me off. She wasn't dead, and they were acting like she wasn't coming back.

For probably the first time in my life I couldn't wait to get to class. I found I was the second kid to enter English. I slumped right down in my seat in the back, gazing flitting over Emma's usual spot. Some guy walked in and tried to sit there but one quick glare from me had him scrambling for a seat in the very front.