Song: Beck - Wave
A pair of baby blue eyes shoot open to the sound of an alarm. A hand silences it with the click of a small button. A heavy groan is let out as a figure sits up from their bed and makes their way to a bathroom. The light flicks on with the flip of a switch and the figure's eyes squeeze shut as they adjust to the fluorescent rays assaulting them. When they open again, the figure is greeted by their reflection in the mirror.
With dark swollen bags heavy under his eyes and disheveled blond hair, stood one, Kenny McCormick.
He moves closer to the mirror and washes his face before examining himself again. He looked terrible. Aside from his eyes and hair looking how they did from the past few days of holing himself up in his room, being unable to sleep, he had faded bruises on his arms and others that hid under the clothing he wore. His gaze travels down to his wrists, where red faded marks bruised and coiled around them like snakes, reminding him of events he would rather forget.
Four days of missed school had gone by, not wanting to return after what he went through. Not wanting to see that person there. But there was only so long that he could stay home before his friends started asking where he was, or what was wrong. That added on with his school calling his folks about missed days didn't help much either. He had been hoping for his final year of high school to just pass by smoothly, but that didn't seem like it was going to be the case. With a groan, he splashes more water on his face, then gets ready for a painstaking day of school.
Body aching while walking back to his room, the events of what had happened still ringing through him sore as he dresses and puts on his parka and bag. His eyes land on a dark purple fabric that was hidden under a pile of clothes in the corner of his room. Memories come flooding back as his gaze lingers on it. He hadn't touched it since what happened, and wasn't sure if he ever would or not again. With an adjustment of his bag, he looks away and heads off for the day.
...
To say that Kenny isn't on edge by the time he arrives at school, is an understatement. By the time he reaches his locker, his nerves have—if not—taken him over almost completely as it squeaks open.
"Alright," Kenny mumbles to himself, "just lie low and keep to myself."
"Who are you talking to?"
The sudden voice nearly makes Kenny slam his locker shut, but he stops when he sees that it's just one of his friends, Stan.
"No one," Kenny sighs, relieved.
"Huh, okay then," Stan says. "Nice to finally see you back at school. Speaking of, where have you been dude? You totally went M.I.A there for a while."
"I wasn't feeling well," Kenny replies, gathering his things and glad that his hood hid most of his face from Stan.
"Oh, well, hope that you're feeling better now."
"Thanks," Kenny says and closes his locker just as the bell rings. "We should probably get a move on so we're not late for class," he suggests, changing the topic to something else.
He was apprehensive, but as long as he didn't think about what happened and just tried his best to avoid that one person, then all would be fine.
At least, that's what he wanted to believe anyway...
...
The morning half of the day goes by smoothly when he remembers that it's because he doesn't share any morning classes with that person, having forgotten about it with his current state of mind. But his worries came rushing back as the afternoon classes he did share with that person, were slowly coming to an approach during the passing lunchtime he was now in.
Currently, he was spending today's lunch in the library with a couple of his friends, Stan and Kyle. They sat at a long rectangle table, where Kenny sat across from Stan and next to Kyle.
As Kyle decides to spend his portion of lunch finishing up work on an assignment, Kenny and Stan go and bring back a couple comics and magazines to the table to pass the time with. Kenny was actually pretty glad that they wanted to spend time in the library that day instead of the cafeteria, lessening the chance of seeing that person. As Kenny sets a comic he finishes reading down, an individual approaches them.
"Oh, you guys are here too?" a voice asks, causing them all to look up.
"Oh hey Token," Stan greets, "what are you doing here?"
"Helping Clyde look for books for his history class," Token replies with a sigh.
"Clyde?" Stan asks, "Where?"
Token juts a thumb over his shoulder, and there, standing at the end of a long book aisle looking at shelves, is Clyde. His eyes scanning them quickly in search of whatever books it was that he needed. Kenny feels a sudden unease at knowing those two are here, but doesn't say anything. Maybe he would be lucky and it would only be those two here with them?
Clyde eventually makes his way over to them with an annoyed sigh.
"No luck?" Token asks.
"No." Clyde replies, "Ugh, this is such a pain."
"Well you're the one who waited till the last minute to do it," Token tells him.
"I know, but still—" Clyde's eyes fall onto Kyle then. "Hey Kyle, what are you working on?"
"Huh?" Kyle says, only seeming to take note of him now.
"Are you working on that dumb history assignment as well?" Clyde asks.
"Uh, yes?" Kyle replies, and Clyde saunters over and takes a seat on his other side.
" Sooo , Kyle, my man, my amigo, my good ol' buddy, ol' pal," Clyde says and drapes an arm over his shoulder. "You mind helping out another poor soul that's been subjected to this awful assignment?"
"By help, do you mean just copying my work?" Kyle asks, corking a brow at him.
" Whaaaaat? No, I am offended that you would think such a thing of me." Clyde says and Kyle looks at him unamused.
"Well if you're really serious about it, I guess I could," Kyle says and Clyde grins.
"Hey, where did Clyde—" another voice asks, now approaching the group.
The voice instantly causes Kenny to freeze and tense upon hearing it, a cold chill running through him.
"Oh hey Craig," Clyde greets.
"What are you doing?" Craig asks.
"Oh well, Kyle here said that he could help me with the assignment, sooo ..." Clyde explains.
Craig lets out an annoyed sigh and walks over to him, dropping a hardcover book onto the table. The loud sound of it involuntarily makes Kenny flinch as he tries not to look at him. Not wanting to act like something was wrong, he looks at the front cover of the comic book he placed down in order to try and calm his racing heartbeat.
"So I found this stupid book for nothing then?" Craig asks.
"No—"
"Save it." Craig cuts Clyde off.
The voices around Kenny start to tune out, he tries to pretend that he's alone and fine. Which is why he doesn't hear when Stan first calls out his name and jumps when his much louder voice suddenly pierces through his tuned out headspace the second time.
"Whoa dude, you okay?" he asks.
Kenny being suddenly drawn back to the present, makes him acutely aware that everyone was now looking at him.
"M' fine," Kenny mumbles through his closely wrapped parka. ,
He needed to calm down and remind himself that it was okay, and that there was no way he would be recognized in his heavy coat or different sounding voice. He was okay.
"Well, can you hand me that comic if you're done with it then?" Stan asks, pointing to the book in front of him. Kenny reaches a hand for it and pushes it across the table to him. "Thanks," Stan says, then pauses, "holy shit—dude, what the hell happened to your wrist? It's all bruised."
Kenny freezes, he hadn't been paying proper attention to the fact that his sleeve had slid up his arm when pushing the book to Stan. His heart stops in place, a cold sweat forming on his skin. As much as he didn't want to, his eyes can't help but be drawn to Craig in that moment, where he now found the dark haired boy staring at his wrist, wearing an unreadable expression.
"Kenny?" Stan asks and Kenny quickly pulls his hand away, hiding it in his sleeve again.
"It's nothing," he replies, "Just injured it from a fall is all."
"Oh," Stan replies, pausing before looking at the comic to read, "hope it heals alright then."
Everyone else seems to go back to what they were doing following that, everyone except for Craig, whose eyes still lingered where Kenny's wrist had been a few seconds ago. Sweat forms in the palms of Kenny's hands, as Craig's gaze trails over to him. The moment his eyes connect with him, Kenny tears his gaze away and stands up, the chair screeching across the floor as he does so.
"I, uh—I think I'm going to spend the rest of lunch in the cafeteria—or outside—or something," Kenny quickly says before heading off.
"Okay, later then!" Stan shouts after him, looking back up.
Kenny doesn't go to either of those places though, instead he goes somewhere quiet to try and calm down. He ends up skipping his afternoon classes, thinking it best in case he might react in a similar manner again. Choosing to be safe rather than sorry.
When he gets home, he passes out early from stress felt throughout the day. Whispering small comforts to himself in his pillow like, I can do this, and it will be okay.