Graverobber (BoyxBoy)

Chapter Three- The Savior of the Broken

Lunch is a painful affair. Resurrection Grave-Defenders have always tended to be rather dark and moody. But on days like this, when the depression hits its max, the silence is almost deafening. Not that any other kid could tell. We talk like we normally do, but our words ring hollow to even ourselves. We laugh but it's not out of happiness. When you're depressed long enough, laughing is the new crying.
I look out at the normal students, the ones who aren't Grave-defenders. Do they feel the same way we do? Or do they just idolize us? Well they know nothing of what we really do. I wish I had their innocence.

I look down at my sandwich, and decide that the few bites I'd forced myself to take were probably as good as it would get today. Zaina looks up at me from across the table. She pushes strands of short dark hair away from her face.
I reach back and push my copper bangs away from my face.
We get up at the same time and leave the table. It's a signal we made up when we were eleven. Yeah we weren't very subtle, but we were eleven. Zaina's changed so much over the years. She's evolved from the tense, defensive scrawny kid to a confident muscular martial artist, but one thing that never changed was her willingness to punch first, ask questions later. Well I've certainly changed too. Except for me, it was for the worse.

We leave walk down the halls in silence until we make it out of the school building. Yes, it may be against school rules, but who cares about those anyway. They can't exactly punish us.
The cold Michigan temperatures make even fall just as bad as winter. I pull my hoodie around me tighter as we walk around the side of the school.
"I got a text from the Contribute," Zaina says quietly. I stumble.
"That can't be right. Darby's still leader,'' The person who receives the texts is the leader of their graveyard. Darby always got the texts...but now.
"It's temporary," Zaina's footsteps grow heavier, "We'd always thought it would be you. After all, Caiden taught you the ropes ever since you were eleven and he was named captain." I can't help but wince at the word "rope"

"Maybe they figured I couldn't handle leading because all the shit I'm already going through." I couldn't stop the bitterness from creeping into my voice.
Zaina turned to look at me. "Listen up you bastard. I know things are messed up right now. But what's going on in your head doesn't change the fact that you're capable of doing everything you were always capable of doing,"
I kick the ground, and stare at my slip on shoes for a second. "But it's not the same anymore. The world we've always lived in has changed Zaina,"
"It's gotten a whole lot darker in your head, maybe, but it's the same world it's always been,"
I look up at her. Her eyes are puffy, though I'd struggled to notice from behind the charcoal.
"Dude, spill the beans. What aren't you telling me?"
Zaina shook her head. "Let's head back in,"
I sighed. But followed her lead.
"And do me a favor and don't tell the rest of the gang this,"
I peered at her carefully, "Tell them what? This brief reflection on my crippling depression?"
Zaina rolled her eyes, "I mean about me getting the texts. Why else did I bring you all the way out here to tell you."
"But if you don't tell them, then how are they going to know you're the leader—oh." It dawns on me.
"Yeah. They don't need to know I'm the leader. Because I'm not going to lead."
"You're gonna rebel against the Contribute's direct orders?" I ask incredulously, "Hell yeah, about time you stop listening to the Contribute. I've never understood how you could trust an organization that never shows their face—"
"Dreue. That's not the fucking point." Her expression is frigid, "I'm not doing this to rebel."
"Oh so you're doing it to prove that Darby's still the leader?"
"Oh for God's sake Dreue. I'm doing it because I want you to be the leader!"
I spin around. "What the hell?"
"Everyone knows you're the better leader. And why are you complaining? You know you want to," Zaina's voice turns slightly mocking. I cross my arms.
"But seriously how would that work? You know you have to be getting the texts to be the leader."
"I have the texts. I'll just forward them to you. The contribute will keep thinking I'm the leader while the rest of Resurrection thinks you're the leader."
I sigh, and simply pick a thread off my sleeve. "You know what? Fine. I'll lead. I don't care."