A Lost Boy

02

"the heart is an arrow. it demands aim to land true."
~ leigh bardugo

I enter the cafeteria a few steps in front of Gary and Alexei, my eyes searching for Kaia. Despite several weeks passing, I was still scared that I would walk in and she wouldn't be here anymore.

After a car crash that had resulted in a three-month-long coma, I couldn't help but feel like she would disappear at any moment. She had been my best friend since kindergarten, and the months apart had been impossibly empty.

My gaze slides back to Alexei, whose eyes light up as he catches sight of her. It was painfully obvious how in love he was, and although a part of me wanted to gag every time, I also found it adorable.

Kaia, on the other hand, looked like she didn't give a shit whether or not she was with him, but I knew her well enough to know that she had fallen hard for my cousin.

When she reaches us, she smiles up at me before hugging me tightly, seeming to know that I needed it. "Hey, Cas. I feel like I haven't seen you in ages."

"It's been two days," Alexei mutters from behind me. "How come you never tell me you miss me?"

She eloquently sticks her tongue out at him before proceeding to hug Gary, laughing when Alexei pouts.

"You're a meanie."

I bite my lip to keep myself from laughing. Before Kaia, I doubted that anyone would have ever gotten him to act like such a child. Especially after all his effort to create an image of what could be considered as a bad boy.

Kaia smiles up at him before stepping onto her tiptoes and kissing him quickly.

Gary, being his typical self, starts squealing loudly, causing everyone to look over in utter confusion. Chuckling, I settle myself into a nearby chair, my gaze swinging over the rest of the cafeteria, trying to spot my friend's familiar blonde hair. "Hey, Ky-Ky, is Beth here?"

She frowns and checks her phone before shaking her head. "She went hiking and got sick."

Nodding, I let their conversation flow over me as I watch the clock slowly tick the seconds away. Words flitted in and out of my head, and by the time I came back to reality, I found my friends staring at me. "What?"

"Now you're pulling a me," Kaia says laughing. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." I give her a half-hearted smile before standing. "I think I just need to get some air. I'll be right back."

I leave their confused looks behind me as I hurry out the doors, taking a breath of the crisp, cool air. Until now, I hadn't realized how suffocating the cafeteria had been. However, the scent was soon tainted by the smell of cigarette smoke.

Sighing, I follow the scent to find a brown-haired boy leaning against a wall around the back of the building. He looks over at me with his strange multicoloured eyes, his lips tilting up into a crooked grin.

"Let me guess. You're here to tell me smoking's bad for me," he says in a low, husky voice, his words tinted with a slight accent that I could quite put my finger on.

I shrug. "That wasn't why I came, but you know, smoking is bad for you."

"Why did you come then?" he asks curiously.

"To think." I lean on a tree opposite to him. "You might want to put that out before Fleming comes," I say, my eyes flicking over to the incoming teacher.

He glances over as well before smoothly stubbing the cigar against the stone wall and hiding it behind him.

Not a moment later, Fleming glares suspiciously at us. "Who here has been smoking?"

The boy shrugs innocently. "No idea. We just got here."

I watch amused as she gives out a disgruntled sigh before she disappears around the corner. "Just got here?" I ask.

He flashes me another smile. "I technically did just get here, depending on how long that time frame is," he says. "I'm Eliott, by the way."

"Cassian."

"I know." When I raise an eyebrow, he laughs. "Everyone's heard of you and your cousin."

"Ah."

Eliott pushes himself off the wall. "I must say, you seem very different from Alexei. And much more different than how I imagined you to be."

"And how did you imagine me?" I ask curiously.

"Happier." The crooked grin resurfaces, making his handsome face much more so.

Quickly wiping out my thoughts, I look away from him. "Why happier?"

"That's what everyone says you are. Whenever I see you, you seem happy. Yet, I have a feeling that everyone's assumptions aren't exactly correct, non?" He gives me a thoughtful scan, and I find myself strangely uncomfortable under his astute observations. "Or maybe it is just today. I suppose I should be asking if you were okay."

"You could."

His smile grows. "Are you okay?"

"I believe so," I say in an equally teasing tone.

At that moment, the bell conveniently rings and students flood the campus in a last-minute rush to get to their classes.

Eliott gives me another intense stare, his eyes never wavering before he suddenly turns. "Well, I suppose I'll see you around," he says as he walks away before tossing a glance back at me. "Cassian."

. . .

idk. i'm trying to develop eliott's character but i'm 90% sure i'm failing terribly lmao. also, my sentences are not flowing well at all. imma blame it on sleep deprivation and my laziness to not get out a thesaurus.

and no, eliott is not british. sorry lmao.

also, if you haven't noticed, i'm trying to introduce kaia, beth, alexei and gary. but obviously, i'm failing. so if y'all are really confused, there's always a simple nobody waiting for you. ;)

thanks for reading! i hope you enjoyed. if you did, please vote, leave a comment and i'll see ya later!

~ Jells ♥