The Grim Reaper Effect

-N I N E-

Chapter Nine: Where's the Fight Happening?

"Uh, sure?" It came out as more of a question than a statement. "I mean, you're already sitting there."

He nodded, turning to look out at the night. His skin seemed paler under the moonlight. Whatever he used to slick back his hair was wearing out. His hair was becoming a mess. I noticed he was holding his vest in his hands. I could see the small rose patterns on it. It was beautiful.

His eyes were shut like mine were. Just like me, he was thinking. He seemed tired. Then again, a party can tire anyone out. Especially if you don't party much. I was right about Griffin not partying much. He prefers quiet places and peace. It was understandable. He was given the life of a Reaper. He's had to lead people to their deaths for 3 years. Not only that, he's been dealing with elders. I'd prefer peace too.

"Your family is very... interesting," He commented, his eyes still closed.

"Yeah, they're a bit much at times," I sighed. "But they're pretty cool when you know them like I do. We've never had it easy. But you probably know this already."

He shook his head, "I'm only told about deaths and conditions you may have. I pretty much only know you went through depression."

I hung my head, "Yeah. Worst years of my life."

"What caused it?" I tilted my head his way to see his gray eyes staring back at me.

I let out a sigh, "My grandma died. She meant more to me than you know. It felt like the end of the world to me. It was a truly dark time for me."

I could see a flicker of pain cross his face before it was hidden. It was gone before it was even there. Death must be a touchy subject for him. Though it was a bit confusing how considering he was surrounded by constant death. Before I could start thinking more about it, Griffin stood up.

"Your parents are really worried about you. You should get back to them," He said, not turning to look at me. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Wait! You're not walking me home?" I shot up.

He shook his head, "I had a good time tonight."

"Wait-" He was gone before I even got the full word out. "You forgot your tailcoat."

With that, I walked Mufasa home.

-*-

I woke up covered in sweat. I glanced at the clock above my door.

4:53 AM

I groaned and fell back onto my pillow. Lately, I've been having more nightmares lately. They've been getting worse. They've also gotten more frequent. Sleep hasn't exactly been my friend. I decided to get up and take a shower. I couldn't just continue to bathe in my sweat.

Once I got out, I changed into a comfy outfit. I had on a light blue sweater with dark wash skinny jeans. I slide into my black socks with white stripes at the top. I decided I wanted to wear my hair down today. I sprayed it with water and applied leave-in conditioner. Once I felt satisfied with my hair, I got to work on my makeup. I just winged out my eyeliner a bit and put on a nude pink lipstick. Afterward, I did my nails simply because I felt like it. I painted them white, nothing too extravagant.

I checked the time.

6:30 AM

I still had time to have breakfast and go. I made myself a bowl of oatmeal and headed to school. Despite the way my morning started, I felt like I was going to have a good day. It was the first day of November. Once I got to school, I was immediately proven wrong. Kira rushed to my side and pulled me into the janitor's closet.