Obsessed [book: one] // Thiam

Chapter 13

I walk into the school hallways, both my headphones in to avoid any unwanted conversations. I make my way to my locker, keeping my head down. It's not that I hate anyone at school or anything, it's just that I can't be bothered with unwanted conversations, with people who probably don't even like me.

I unlock my locker, throwing my bag into it and grabbing out my chemistry books. Not only is chemistry literally the worse class ever, but it's also first up on a Thursday morning, which just sucks even more.

"Heard you got a B," Mason says excitedly, leaning on the locker next to mine. "Knew you could do it."

"That's only because you helped me, I don't know what I would've got if you didn't," I laugh, locking up my lock and walking to class. "Now all I have to do is pass this chemistry test and then I'm all set."

"Well, we only have a week left to study, so I suggest you get cracking." He laughs, throwing his arm around me.

I roll my eyes, walking into class and scanning the room. I look towards the back corner, seeing our usual spots, but my eyes quickly divert to somewhere else. A couple rows ahead, Theo sits there, alone.

I grab Mason's arm, raising my eyebrows in Theo's direction, dragging him towards the other two spare seats. I sit down, dropping my books on the table, giving Theo a fright. He sits up quickly, turning his head towards me, his breathing heavy.

"Sorry," I whisper, trying not to look at his freshly bruised lip.

I furrow my eyebrows in concern, watching as he places his head back on his desk. I sit down, leaning in closely too Theo, lighting tapping his shoulder to get his attention. He slowly lifts up his head, his lip worse unclose. It was bruised and bloody, indicating that it can't be anymore than a day old.

"Are you okay?" I whisper, soften my eyes as he stares at them.

"Yeah, I ju-just fell over," he stutters, laughing nervously.

I lean back into my chair, not believing anything he just said. I look over to Mason who gives me a concerned look, also knowing that his story was complete bullshit. I shrug my shoulders, knowing that there's nothing we can do right this minute.

Mr. Harris finally walks into the room, his face expressionless as usual. He starts writing down notes on the board as we copy them down. I try to concentrate and listen as he writes, but all I can think of his Theo.

He was scared to tell me what really happened and I could tell he wanted to. I've fallen over many times before, but I've never once gotten a busted lip from it. The only time my lip has been busted like that was when I got into a fight and someone punched me right in the corner of the mouth.

And it looked exactly like Theo's.

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My eyes begin to droop as Mr. Harris continues to talk, the lecture getting more boring with each passing second. As my eyes slowly begin to close, the bell goes, waking me up right away. I quickly pack up all my things and head straight to my locker.

I quickly throw everything in, not caring if it looks messy or neat. I make my way through the crowded hallway, pushing through the groups of people, making my way to Theo's locker.

I walk over to his locker, looking around and sighing as he's nowhere in sight. I walk around the hallway, going to the cafeteria and giving it a quick look over, looking for the tall boy. I spot Mason and run over to him, sitting down next to him and leaning in.

"Have you seen Theo?" I ask him, smiling as Corey tries to eavesdrop.

"No, why are you looking for him? Didn't know you two were friends," he asks me, a questionable look on his face.

"We're not really friends, but today during class, I could tell he was telling me a lie." I tell him. "I know he probably doesn't want to talk about it, but I need him to know that I'm here for him, and just to let him know that he actually has someone there for him."

"I don't know where he is, but I see him at the front bench most lunch times. He might be there, but I don't know for sure," he gives me a sympathetic smile.

I grab a muffin off of his tray and run to the front of the school. I make my way through the large group of people, ignoring the confused and judgemental looks they all give me. I run through the front doors, looking over to the bench and seeing him there.

His brown hair flutters in the wind, covering his ocean blue eyes. He tries to move his hair away from his eyes, but doesn't succeed, as the wind keeps blowing it back into his face. A small smile falls onto my face as I watch him tackle his hair to stay put.

I slowly walk over to him, waving as he looks up at me. I sit down across from him, sitting in silence. I look down at my feet, preparing what I'm going to say to him. I don't want to come out straight away and accuse him of being a liar, but that's also exactly what I want to do. I just need to think of a nicer way to put it.

I look into his eyes, which are now soaked in tears. His eyes puffy and red from crying silently. I reach over to his hand, grabbing it and placing it gently in mine. I squeeze it slightly and in that moment, I know exactly what I need to say to him and how I need to say it.

"I know what you said in class today was a lie, and I don't blame you. I mean, we don't even know each other, so why should you tell me, right?" I start off, talking in a quiet, smooth tone. "But I just want to help you."

"I know," he whispers, sobbing. He places his head into his arm, sobbing as he holds my hand tighter.

"What really happened to you Theo?"