Bruised Innocence

Chapter 27

After lunch on Monday, Arwin had just come out of Mr. Amworth's class. There was only Miss Penn's class left for the day but it was after an hour, so he decided to go see Grant.

Neither Karen nor Grant were there in the cafeteria today which had left him feeling strangely disheartened. Karen wasn't present in the class but Arwin was sure that he had seen Grant's car in the morning.

After Karen told Arwin that Grant had asked for Arwin's class schedule to make sure that he would be available to drop him home, he asked her to help get Grant's time table as well.

It helped him make sure that Grant didn't miss any classes to drop him on days he had classes after Arwin's ended.

With it's help, Arwin knew that this particular time slot was free for both of them and he planned on hanging out with Grant during it.

As he walked towards the senior wing, he caught sight of Sinclair and his troupe passing at the end of the hall and stopped, allowing them to cross the hall before he started walking again.

He let out a relieved breath.

The junior and the senior wings were connected by a walkway shaped in front of an 'H'. As he crossed the pathway and thought about whether he should go left or right, he caught sight of someone at the end of the hall on his left that made him freeze.

A boy around a head taller than him, hair styled backwards, sharp jawline and ripped physique was standing there, talking to a girl.

As if sensing eyes on him, he turned to face Arwin and something appeared in his eyes, recognition? Concern? But all Arwin felt was a crippling dread.

His instincts were telling him to bolt out of there but he didn't dare take his eyes off the boy. The boy held his stare, oblivious to the girl's increasingly frustrated attempts to get him to pay attention to her again.

Eventually, she passed Arwin a look of utmost loathing and left. Arwin thought he knew her from somewhere but couldn't remember her.

The boy had eyes only for him. It was as if, even for him, the rest of the world had ceased to exist. Arwin's hands grew clammy, feet turned cold and heart hammered inside his chest.

He was almost afraid of breathing too deep and then someone broke spell,

"Arwin? What are you----" someone asked Arwin and he turned around instinctively.

Grant had just come out of a classroom on Arwin's right and was looking at him in concern. Arwin tried to smile at him but he couldn't quite manage it.

Grant walked towards him with his not quite a smile which quickly disappeared when he reached him.

"You look pale, are you okay?" Grant asked.

Arwin wanted to say something but he felt almost drawn to look at the boy at the end of the hall, his mouth still open.

Grant looked at him in exasperation but when he spotted the boy too, he immediately straightened up, perhaps he could also notice the terrifying chill radiating off him.

"Let's get you out of here!" Grant lead him out, manoeuvring him using his hands on his shoulders.

Then suddenly, as if becoming aware of the touch, he removed his hands and spoke in a low voice that didn't allow any room for negotiation.

"Stay close to me."

Grant walked him to the right side of the senior wing corridor, away from the other boy.

Arwin didn't dare look back but somehow he knew that if he did, he would find those eyes boring in the back of his head.

He tried to focus on following Grant. They turned left and walked up a series of staircases. Arwin had never been up there.