Conflicted Eyes, Confusing Feelings | Complete

n i n e

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One of the hardest tasks for the human mind is convincing yourself that you no longer care.

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Sage hadn't seen the mysterious black-haired boy since he saved him from the juniors, who sent him glares whenever they saw him. He didn't know what or how the boy did it, but it happened, and a flood of relief, albeit minuscule, washed over him.

At least he felt as though he could walk to halls in peace, for a short time anyway. So far, he'd steered clear of Carlos and Carter, as they seemed to always be preoccupied with one girl or more. He'd seen Xander's car parked in the parking lot, but Sage still hadn't seen him.

Sage couldn't understand; after Xander beat him up in the hallway, he still couldn't help wanting to see him, if even from afar. He just wanted these feelings gone. They were lethal enough to put him in this position, so who knew where he'd be next?

Sage slipped out of class a few minutes early, eager to make it to the bathroom before all the students started pooling in the hallways. Sure, some kids were already out-most likely without a hall pass-and they instantly focused their eyes on him. At some point in time, they burst out laughing to something, causing Sage to walk even faster. A wave of relief washed over him when he'd arrived at the bathroom, even more so when he discovered that it was isolated.

Out of nowhere, a voice was suddenly heard, making Sage almost pass out like the day before. "I knew you'd be here." wheeling around, Sage released a small breath of relief when he saw the oddly familiar boy from yesterday, standing there. A smile curled up the corner of his lips. "Hiya."

Clutching his bag even tighter, Sage glanced down at his feet. "H-h..." he tried to normalize the situation by clearing his throat. "Hello." just then, he realized that he was the same boy being yelled at by Carlos for rear-ending his car, a few weeks ago.

"You have any chicken? I smell chicken." the boy started taking small steps forward, while Sage took one back every time. The boy suddenly stopped. "Oh, crap. Where are my manners? I'm Randall Kuusisto, your Prince Charming."

Sage's eyes turned saucers. What the hell?

Before he could get a word out to Randall, he continued speaking. "You know, every damsel in distress needs a prince? Or was it a knight in shining armor?"

"I'm n-not a girl," Sage spoke up. He could feel the tension disappearing from his body, slowly but surely. He felt as though he could trust Randall, but then again, that was one of the many flaws in his personality-he was gullible. He absolutely detested it.

Randall nodded. "I know," he said. Seconds of awkward, yet comfortable silence drifted by. "Come on. Let's get out of here." he was gesturing for Sage to follow him, but of course, Sage just stood on the spot. Didn't Randall know?"

"I-I can't." he squeaked, stepping back until his back hit the wall behind him. "L-leave me alone." his eyes were suddenly darting about, devising a plan for escape.

"It's gross to stand in here, much less eat. Do you know how many germs are in here? Millions! So stop griping and let's go." Randall declared, but Sage still didn't move. Just the thought of going out in the open, where hundreds of people could see him and attack him made him sick to his stomach.

"I won't let anyone touch you. As I said, I'm your P.C. Have a little faith?" the next thing Sage knew was that warm hands covered his own, gently pulling him along until his feet got the memo. One after the other. It's just walking.