lonely || sidemen || completed

/companionless/

/ethan/

I knew when Vik arrived in our lesson together that day that something was troubling him. I knew from  the way he kept looking nervously around him, the way his eyes flicked back and forth around the room.

'You good, bro?' I asked him, my eyes creasing with concern. When he didn't respond, I laid a hand on his open, but empty, book.

'What?' he asked, blinking quickly and looking over at me.

'Vik.' I said sternly. 'What's going on?'

He sighed, his eyes still darting around the oblivious room of oblivious people.

'It's Tobi.' he began. I frowned.

'I stopped to talk to him, a few days ago, and we were walking together. He seemed so closed, so... sad? I asked where he was going, and he said to see his mum, but obviously that was a lie because when I asked a few minutes later, he said he was meeting his dad. Then, about twenty minutes later, I saw him- outside the hospital. I tried to shout his name. He heard- but he just walked in anyway.'

'Vikram.' called the teacher from the front of the room. 'Working, please.'

'Sorry.' he said, blushing. He dropped his voice to a whisper.

'Obviously, I couldn't follow him- that would be so rude, for one thing, and so stalky for another.' I nodded in response, deep in thought.

'Do you think he was there for himself?' I asked. I don't really know why I asked; I already knew the answer.

'No. No, I don't think so.'

'I think... Don't you know about Charlie?' My voice dropped to a barely audible whisper.

'Charlie?'

'They were best friends. She... She was in an accident. That's all I know, and all I could really say anyway- it's his story to tell, really.'

Vik was holding a hand against his jaw, eyes grazing the floor.

'Jesus.' he mumbled. 'That's so shit.'

I nodded, and pressed a hand reassuringly to his shoulder.

'We all have our demons, Vik.'

'Sometimes, it's easier to see them through.'

~~