Chapter Twenty

~ Death the Kid ~

"I understand that you are aware of Black*star's condition," Mr. Stein began. "And I also understand that on the day of this incident, Maka Albarn was with you."

I gripped tightly at the arms of the leather chair I sat motionless on. "Yeah, so?"

His dark eyebrows narrowed as he glared directly towards me. His old and wrinkled face turning red with fury every second we remained together inside his office.

"Black*star's parents feel that both you, and Miss Albarn must suffer the consequences for your actions."

I bit my lip. "For my actions?"

His eyes widened, "excuse me?"

My veins throbbed with rage. Despite the fact that I knew if anything were to happen to the man that sat before me, Black*star's situation would be the least of my worries. But that didn't prevent my blood from boiling inside my shaking fists.

"And what about Black*star?" I questioned. "It takes two to start a fight, what about his consequence?"

It didn't take long for the sweat to dwell at his gel smothered hairline. "Well…"

"Oh wait," I interrupted, sitting forward in my chair. "He doesn't get one, does he?"

"Kid," Mr. Stein sighed. "Black*star's parents have funded a lot of money towards this school."

My nails sunk into the leather arms, piercing the fabric like the skin that had once been pierced against Black*star's body.

"We can't run the risk of upsetting his parents anymore than they already are."

I gritted my teeth, "you don't even know, do you?"

He looked confused, his dark eyes staring at me with an emotion that was no longer hatred, but something that settled apprehensive between that and concern.

"Maka albarn." I placed my palm against my forehead. "She's in hospital…"

The man before me nodded, slowly. "Yes, I am aware of her condition."

"How…?"

He adjusted his glasses upon his nose. His eyes looking around the room as if too both: avoid the conversation, and look for an exit as I placed my clenched fists on the desk.

I raised an eyebrow, "because of the rumours?"

Still, he remained silent.

"Because guess what…"

He finally looked back towards me. "What?"

I bit my lip. "They're true…"

He watched me like I watched her. His dark eyes full of concern as well as sympathy, looking towards me because all he could do was sit there and hope that I would be okay.

I always just hoped. And no matter how much, it never changed anything around me.

"I found her…" I continued, burying my head in my hands. "Bleeding out in her overflowing bathtub."

The tension around the both of us was rising quickly, with every second I remained picturing her - floating in inches of water, and her own blood.

I chuckled awkwardly. "And do you know what I keep thinking?"

He didn't answer me, but the expression on his face told me that he really didn't want to know.

But I told him anyway. "If I had gotten there, just ten minutes earlier…"

"Kid…" he sighed.

"I could've stopped her."

He removed his glasses from his head. "Kid."

I lifted my head, escaping the grasp of my destructive hands and forcing myself to come face to face with the man before me.

"You're excused."

My heart stammered, "what?"

He threw his glasses on the desk in front of him. "You're excused."

Lingering a second longer than I should have, I then quickly pushed myself up from the chair and raced to grasp the handle in my hand, and pull the door open to expose myself to freedom.

The corridor was empty on the other side of the door. The silence growing louder in my mind with every second I remained leaning against the now closed door to Mr. Stein's office.

I looked down the corridor towards the filled classrooms, the place I was suppose to return to. And then I turned to face the exit, which held the way I wanted to return to.

She was there, waiting for me. Sitting alone in that hospital bed, most probably watching the door as if I were to walk through it at any moment. Her excitement rising with every silhouette that walked past the window.

I gripped at my bare arms, as if the air that brushed against my skin was piercing with the cold. But despite everything I felt around me, she was all I could think about.

I turned my head to look back towards the classrooms, the window at the end of the corridor displaying the field were they beat her. The field where she was thrown down, and forced to believe that it was for her own good.

I gritted my teeth, "screw this."

Quickly, I jogged over to my locker and threw it open. The slam of the door hitting the lockers behind it and echoing against the walls around me.

I gripped on tightly to my skateboard that had rested motionless inside, and didn't hesitate to drop it on the ground in front of me.

"Kid?"

At the sound of my name, I apprehensively turned round, to see my blonde haired friend leaning against the doorway of the men's room.

Soul sighed deeply, "what are you doing?"

I pushed my locker to a close. "I'm going to see her."

"Kid…" he stepped towards me. "I-"

"I know," I snapped. "You think that I'm being stupid, and reckless, and that I should get too attached to her."

He stood there in silence and watched me the same way that Mr. Stein had watched me not even five minutes ago.

"But, I can't just let her be alone…" I sighed. "I can't just watch her grow weaker and not do anything about it."

He smiled, "I was gonna come with you."

My eyes widened as I looked up from my skateboard, my best friend standing in front of me and watching me as he believed for the first time ever, I was doing something right.

"Uh…" I stammered. "Okay."

~ Maka ~

My jogging bottoms were drenched at the ankles from both: the rain, and specs of blood that were shed from my escape wounds.

After smashing through one of the hospital's first floor windows, glass had scratched at the whole of my body. But already, I was used to wounds staining my body once a week.

The second I had hit the ground and felt the rain hammer against my skull, I threw myself away from the solitude that was the hospital, and didn't stop running until it was out of sight, as well as out of mind.

Liz was there, surrounded by nurses and doctors, who tried to help her breathe, and remain conscious.

"No," I bit my lip. "She doesn't deserve to be saved…"

I stammered like a drunk down the deserted down, walking past the bell chiming music store and the pub my dad was most probably inside.

His alcohol stained lips repeatedly touching at a refilled glass, as he drowned away his troubles and drunk away his money.

Mud squelched beneath my bare feet. As if the ground were attempting to consume me to the world beneath this one. And as my knees wavered with every step I took, I could tell that I was on the verge to giving in on the temptation of lying six feet under.

The wind gripped at my jumper, trying to rip it from my body and leave me vulnerable as well as isolated.

So I laced my arms around my body, as if to protect myself from every breath of air that dared to come in contact with my existence.

Cracks of my hair had bound themselves against my cheeks once again. My wet skin soaking the strands that now struggled to part from my icy flesh.

I shivered beneath the tear filled sky. Like it's dark and dull emotion was reflecting my own, and laughing at me with every second I was left wanting to once again attempt my extinction.