DEVIATE / / (An unOrdinary fanfiction)

XXIV.

John.

"None of this would've happened if I was there by your side, watching you and protecting you. I'm a horrible friend. To you and Seraphina."

I can't get what Delta said out of my head. I've never seen her so broken-hearted and helpless, when she usually emulates such a passionate and confident persona. Why, in a million years, would she ever think of saying that to me? Or better yet: why would she think of that at all?

Sunlight invaded my eyes as I swung open the heavy roof door. Just as expected, Arlo stood at the edge, glancing down at the bustling students roaming around campus. Like a King looking down on his subjects.

"Hey, I really wanted to talk to you. It won't take long." I said as I approached Arlo. "Please."

He whirled around silently before sighing in confirmation.

I grinned in relief, prepared to sit on the ledge, but he spoke before I could do so.

"Hey. What are you sitting down for? You'd said it be quick." Arlo said. "Hurry up and say what you need to say."

Pressured by his intense stare, I floundered around in my head to prepare what I was going to say. It was so much easier to figure out what I was planning on saying before. Why am I drawing a blank now?

"Well?"

Well....I just wanted to thank you for saving me earlier. And uh....sorry for punching you in the face. When I woke up, I wasn't really myself. And I kinda overreacted." I admitted sheepishly, scratching the back of my head.

"Yes, you did." Arlo replied blatantly.

"Sorry...."

"Is that all you came up here for?" Arlo snapped abhorrently. "To waste time with your corny speech?"

"Hey, this is important!" I cried defensively. "I just didn't want you getting the wrong idea, because I really do appreciate you sticking up for someone like me. You and Delta especially." I said nervously. "Not many people are willing to do that (high-tiers especially), so thanks for that."

"Let me clarify," Arlo said as he shifted his stance towards me. " Unlike Delta, I didn't help you because I wanted to become BFFs. I did it because my biggest peeve is disruption in the hierarchy. Four people can't team up on one guy, beat him up, and say he was put in his place. Just like how Delta, a high-tier, shouldn't have taken on four mid-tiers. That's not how order works. That wasn't a reasonable fight, because it's evident that she was going to win during that scenario." He said. "It should've been a fair fight between two people, with the same power range, a one on one fight."

Arlo scrutinized my perplexed expression before taking a jab at me.

"If you had fought each of those four separately, you wouldn't necessarily have lost. Don't you think....John?"

W-what is he trying to get at...??

"U-UM-"

I waved my hands in front of me like a klutz. Was I selling this facade too much?

"Y-you're giving me way too much credit! Don't forget, i'm a cripple after all." I stumbled with my words nervously. Was I trying to convince him, or myself?