"Trent?"

The voice snapped me out of another one of my daydreams. I took note of my surroundings and found myself standing off to the side of a crowded hallway. Many people my age and under were walking around or standing off to the side like me. Lots of them were being loud and generally annoying.

"Trennttt~"

High school—a building I'm forced to stay in for 7 hours a day and learn barely anything that will contribute to my future as an adult. Like many people my age, I hate being here and would rather be home.

"Treeennnnttttooonnn-"

"Yeah yeah, I can hear you." I sighed.

Now Following: Trenton

"No, you can't! I've been trying to get your attention for 5 minutes already!" She pushed her finger deeper into my cheek. "I had to take the physical approach to get you to respond."

"It's not my fault it's loud as hell out here," I mumbled loud enough for her to hear. "... Celia could you knock it off?"

Standing with me in this far off corner of the hallway was Celia, a girl who's just a few months younger than me. She typically liked toying around with me even if I wasn't in a great mood; like now for example. Despite already getting my attention she continued poking me.

While I normally wouldn't just let some random girl bother me like this, Celia isn't just some random girl-

"What? I can't touch my boyfriend anymore~?"

She also happens to be my girlfriend. We've known each other since the 9th grade when she joined the Gymnastics team and met my older sister, who was a junior at that point. They became fast friends and I was soon introduced to her when I came to find my sister after practice one day.

That was… what, 3 years ago? We've been friends ever since and only made things official a few months back… my sister continues to hold this over my head and teases me about every chance she gets.

"You know I don't mean it like that," I grumbled.

"Heh heh, I know I know. Just trying to lighten your mood," Celia finally stopped poking me. "You've been in a… well… an even badder mood than usual. Everything going okay?"

"I've told you already I'm fine." I attempted to reassure her. "Submitting all these job applications only to hear nothing back is just frustrating. The least they can do is tell me no."

"Hmmm…. Something tells me that's not really it…" She tilted her head and looked at me suspiciously. "I'll play along for now though."

Not sure what there is to play along with, I already told her that I'm fine. Besides, even if I did have a problem I wouldn't want to bother her with it. Celia's got a lot on her plate and the last thing she needs is to hear me complain about how much my life sucks.

Wanting to find somewhere else to talk, I took Celia's hand and walked with her down another hallway opposite to where all the noise was. It was still considerably loud down here, but at the very least I could hear myself think.

"If finding somewhere to work is so hard, why not just work at Giorgio's?" She would swing our arms back and forth. "I bet they'd accept you with open arms if you just asked."

"I'd rather not work in the food industry if that's all the same to you." I quickly shook my head. "Not only do I have little confidence in the skills needed for that field, but I suck at talking to people. They'd totally fire me as quickly as they would hire me."

"... Yeah, you do have this scary look on your face 90% of the time." Celia pondered. "I'd probably be afraid to talk to you too if I didn't know how big of a softie you really were~"

"Shut up…" I sucked in my teeth and turned away from her in an attempt to hide my embarrassment, "... Hang on, what was that about my face?"

"Nothing~!"

"You need to get changed for the Pep Rally soon, don't you?"

We found ourselves at a corridor on the second floor that had significantly less noise than before. We figured this was good enough and sat on the floor by the windows.

"Mhm." Celia nodded. "Principal Rey wanted to give the gymnastics team more recognition, so we're going to be putting on a small performance before the football team plays."

Celia is a part of our school's gymnastics team, focusing more on the acrobatics side of the sport, which is insanely impressive. I couldn't even begin to imagine what kinds of rigorous training you have to go through to bend your body the way most acrobatics do — Hell, I get cramps just from stretching normally.

"Oh wow, I get to watch you perform both during and after school," I'd say in this playfully unenthusiastic tone of voice. "How fuuunnn."

"Bah, I don't need your dirty eyes on me anyway," I could tell she was playing along when she started pouting dramatically. "Big Sis said that she was coming to watch after all. I'll be able to give it my all knowing she'll be supporting me and not some fake fan."

Her 'Big Sis' happens to actually be my 'Big Sis'. My sister was always looking after Celia both in and out of practice, and Celia would always go to her if she needed help with something. Honestly, it'd be easy to mistake them as actual sisters if you didn't know who either of them was and saw how they acted with each other.

"Sorry to inform you but being a fake fan happens to be a genetic trait I share with my siblings," I smirked. "Your #1 supporter is as big of a fake as me, if not more."

"G-Genetic?!" She gasped, "T-That means that… our children will be fake too?"

"CHILDREN?!"

"PFFFT HAHA-" Celia must've been baiting me for that reaction because she started laughing uncontrollably when she realized she had genuinely caught me off-guard. This is probably the hardest I've seen her laugh in awhile which is good… I guess?

"HAHA… Ha…Haaa…" Celia wiped the tears forming at the corners of her eyes and sat up properly, "Sorry sorry, you had this look of genuine bewilderment on your face and I couldn't contain myself, hee hee~"

"This wouldn't be the first time that's happened…" I don't know if the teasing is something I'll ever get used to. "It's fine though. You seemed to have cheered up a bit."

"Cheered up?"

"You're really stressed out right now, aren't you?"

Celia immediately fell silent, serving as an indicator that my question was not only on the mark but seemed to have hit a nerve as well. I'd have to be careful with what I was going to say.

"You know I don't like talking about myself, and rarely ever press me to talk about my problems unless it's something serious," I spoke calmly. "Despite telling you time and time again that it's nothing, you've continued to try and get me to talk about my problems for the past few days."

"..."

"I've known you for 3 years Celia. That might not be a lot for most people, but I've known you long enough to know that whenever you're this persistent on getting people to open up about their troubles, you're usually trying to distract yourself from your own."

"..." Celia kept a smile on her face but her eyes looked sad. The girl let out a big sigh and turned to me, "I really can't hide anything from you, huh? You sure you're okay with not becoming a therapist?"

"You're doing it again," I bonked her on the head, "Come on, Cel. Talk to me for once."

Silence filled the corridor around us for what felt like forever. Celia's grip on her knees tightened momentarily. I'd also notice that she would open her mouth for a few seconds as if she was about to say something, but would then close it… Something I've never seen from her before.

"...Trent, I'm-"

Just as she was about to say something and finally open up, a catchy ringtone cut into the silence and interrupted her. Celia reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. One look at the screen prompted Celia to let out another sigh and stand up.

"Cel?" I stood up with her.

"Sorry, coach wants us to get some last minute practice in," She'd rub the back of her head sheepishly. "I need to get going now."

Celia began walking away from our spot but after a few steps, she'd stop. "... Hey, can you go to our special spot after school?" Her back was turned to me as she spoke. "I don't really have the time to talk right now but… I'll tell you everything after."

I paused for a moment, "You promise?"

Celia looked down and shook her head. "Yeah."

That was the last thing she said to me before running off to meet with her team, leaving me standing alone in the corridor.

Celia's typically the happy-go-lucky type of girl who doesn't seem to have a single problem in the world — But I know better than most. Deep down she has plenty of insecurities and a boatload of issues that she'd much rather avoid as opposed to facing them head on.

… Knowing my luck this is about to lead to something very bad…

…Shifting Perspectives…?

"May I please get the meatloaf plate if that isn't too much trouble?"

"I'll have the pizza burger; medium rare."

"Hi, do you have any Coke? … Pepsi? Ugh, never mind. I'll just have a lemonade with no ice."

Gosh there are tons of people here today! I know management said that lunchtime today would be packed because of Monty High's pep rally, but this is almost nuts! I've been walking around taking orders for at least 7 minutes now and haven't even gone back to deliver the previous set of orders I took, sheesh!

Working as a waitress isn't as easy of a job that TV and movies make it out to be. It's fairly busy depending on the establishment and Giorgio's is no different. I can't really complain though, the tips make all this walking and talking worth it in the end.

I finally took the last of my orders and breathed a sigh of relief when I realized it was over. More people were coming in and being seated yeah, but that wasn't going to be my problem becauseeee-

"Sylvia! You can clock out for the day, your cover is here!"

… Sylvia? That name doesn't seem familiar…

… Ah wait a moment, could this be…?

…

… Yes, there's no mistaking it. Very well…

Now following: Sylvia

-I'm leaving early~!

"Okay!" I responded and put in the last of the orders into my tablet before shutting it off.

I walked towards the back of the diner and dodged out of the way of all the other waiters and waitresses taking and delivering orders along the way. Once I was at the back I poked my head into the kitchen briefly to see how our cooks were holding up.

"Hey Pete! Did you get the last set of orders I-"

"COME ON YOU UGLY WENCHES! IS THAT THE BEST YOU'VE GOT?"

They were not, in fact, holding up well at all.

Running around barking orders at everyone was Pete, one of our head chefs here at Giorgio's as well as a good friend of mine. He's a pretty awkward guy outside of the kitchen but he's sweet! I do have to admit that him barking orders at everyone is really out of character…

"IN THE TIME IT TOOK YOU TO FRY ONE, MY NANA COULD HAVE MADE HER WAY OVER HERE AND FRIED 10!" Pete shouted, "AND SHE'S BURIED 6 FEET UNDER IN NORWAY!"

Yeaaahhh really out of character… Yet familiar?

Pete opened his mouth to start barking more orders but noticed me in the corner of his eye and turned my way. He quickly walked towards me and pushed me out of the kitchen and into the hallway around a corner.

"Oh my GOD, I don't know how much more I can take of this." As we rounded the corner, Pete had this exasperated look on his face and nearly keeled over. "Why did Deniké have to take today of all days off Silver? Without her here everything sucks!"

"Ohhhhhh, you were impersonating Deniké back there!" Suddenly everything made a bit more sense… only a bit, "… Why?"

"What do you mean why?!" Pete's response was nearly instant. "That girl is a demon in the kitchen! Everyone idolizes, respects, and fears her all at the same time!"

Well I know that much, yeah. Deniké has always been very… enthusiastic about cooking ever since we were kids. Still though… "That's not exactly answering my question, Pete."

"It feels like the kitchen staff is getting overwhelmed by all these orders. Normally we'd be fine, but the sheer amount of orders we've gotten in the last hour alone has been killing us!" Pete sighed, "I thought that maybe if I started acting like her then everyone would work harder."

"And how's that been working out?" I crossed my arms.

"Everyone seems even more demoralized!" Pete buried his face into his hands, "It's getting more chaotic by the second and I don't know what to do!"

Pete's really going through it, huh? At the rate this is going, the entire kitchen is going to burn down. Maybe I can give him some advice? Or should I try motivating him? I'm technically off the clock but I can't just ignore a friend in need.

I think I'll…

Make a Choice!

Give Advice

"Look Pete…"

Motivate Him

"It'll be over in no time!"

…

…

Give Advice

"Look Pete…"

Motivate Him

"It'll be over in no time!"

"Is your name Deniké?"

"Huh?"

"C'mon, I know you heard me." I crossed my arms, "I asked you if your name was Deniké?"

"Err… Last I checked it wasn't, but-"

"Then quit acting like her you goof!" I flicked his forehead. "You don't necessarily need to act like someone else to motivate others."

"Ow!" He placed his hand on his forehead. "I-I don't-"

"Look, you wanna know why it works when Deniké bosses people around in the kitchen?" I asked him, "It's because everyone, including you, knows that Deniké means well. Tell me, when Deniké is hurling insults at everyone, is that all she's doing?"

"Err…" Pete thought about it for a moment. "N-No… She goes around and sees if anybody is struggling. If they are, she'll at the very least give them helpful pointers if they insist on doing whatever it is on their own or if she has other matters to attend to."

"That sounds exactly like her!" I nodded my head. "Now have you been doing that as well, or have you just been barking orders at people?"

Pete went into a deep thought for a few moments. I think he was going to say something but stopped himself and put on this completely dejected look.

"N-No… I've just been yelling at people…" Pete frowned. "It's no wonder everyone is so stressed."

"Exactly. Everyone here knows what Deniké is like and knows that she means well." I frowned. "This is going to sound a bit harsh but you've only been here for 6 months — You're still a stranger to everyone, Pete. Outside of me, Deniké, Emile, and our managers you don't talk to anyone else. To your seniors, you're just some kid who thinks he's the shit and can start telling everyone what to do, and to your juniors, you seem like this really imposing dude that a lot of them are too scared to talk to; It doesn't help that you're a big guy either!"

Huh, the more I talk the more I realize that Pete is exactly like my brother if he were more shy and less moody. Is that why he doesn't have many friends…?

"Oh… Oh God you're right!" Pete clutched his head, "Gah! I'm such an idiot! Now everyone thinks I'm some heartless jerk!"

"It's not too late to change their impression of you, you know."

"How?! I've been screaming at everyone for hours! They probably think the worst of me at this point…"

"Uggghhhhh do I really have to spell it out for you?" I placed my index finger on his forehead and poked him for every syllable that came out of my mouth. "Just. Be. Your. Self!"

"Be… myself?" Pete raised his eyebrow. "N-No, I can't! You know how I am! I get so awkward around people, there's no way anyone would willingly listen to me— I wouldn't even listen to me!"

"You might be really awkward but you're the only person I've met whose passion for cooking rivals that of Deniké's." I smiled. "Not to mention that you're a really nice guy!"

"… Y-You really think so?"

"I know so! You don't need to become someone else to get respect out of others." I placed my hand on my hip. "I think if you went back into that kitchen and showed everyone the gentle giant I know, they'd be more motivated to give it their all."

Pete stood there in silence for a minute or two before slapping his cheeks and taking a deep breath. "Okay… Okay!" I could tell I reignited the fire within him. "Thanks! I'm going to go back in there and show everyone the real me!"

"That's the spirit!" I pumped my fist. "I'm clocking out early today, so let me know how it goes later, alright?"

Pete shook his head at me and turned back to the kitchen. I heard him take one more deep breath and storm back into the battlefield.

Nothing's happened yet but judging by his expression I think everything's going to turn out just fine.

Aww crap, it's already 1:50?! I'm going to be late!

…Shifting Perspectives…

Now Following: Trenton

I didn't think it was possible but the outside was somehow louder than the inside of the school. I was forced to sit closer to the middle row bleachers which meant noise was coming at me from every direction and entering my ears all at once.

Did I mention I hated school? Yeah? Well, I'll give you another reason why: everyone is just so fucking loud for no reason. I have a really low noise tolerance, it's been that way since I was a kid. Normally I'd just wear headphones or whatever to make the noise bearable, but I slept through my alarm this morning and accidentally left my pair behind in my rush to get out of the house.

By the way, don't take this as me overreacting. I won't die or anything but I usually get really bad headaches or nosebleeds if I don't do anything about the noise; It's kinda a coin flip on what it is really.

"… This fucking blows." I somehow was able to hear someone beside me say.

"Come onnn, it's not all that bad. The fun hasn't even started yet!" Someone beside THAT person nudged their arm. "Where's your school spirit?"

"It died Aldan," The first guy gave the other guy this deadpan look. "It died a gruesome death and none of its loved ones attended its funeral."

"You're just being overdramatic, as per usual." Aldan sighed and looked over at me. "Don't you think Dante's being a bit of a sourpuss, Tamazaki?"

I turned my head to look Aldan dead in the eye and prepared to say something — at least I WAS going to prepare to say something. The moment a thought entered my head, I felt something leak from my nostrils and slowly make its way down my lips.

Guess we know what the coin landed on now.

"Y'see?" Dante pointed towards me and looked back at Aldan. "Shit's so ass he's taking psychic damage from it."

"Sorry," I covered my nose, "Happens when things get too loud…"

A hand extended out from the opposite side of where I was looking and held out a small pack of pocket tissues. I turned to look beside me and made eye contact with the owner of said hand.

"Here," The person next to me smiled, "Your nose is bleeding again right?"

"… Yeah." I took a few tissues from the pack, "Thanks, Kashi."

This is Kashi. He's a senior like me as well as my… err… best… friend. I don't think I'll ever say that to his face though unless I want another person teasing me for the rest of eternity. I've known the guy since we were 7 so we practically grew up together.

"No biggie, just helping out a friend," Kashi stuffed the tissues back into his pocket, "I knew you'd have to stick around for this pep rally so I bought some spares with me just in case you didn't have anything block out the noise like usual."

"Dang look at Kashi coming in clutch for his best bud," Aldan sighed dramatically, "I sure wish MY best bud would do the same and help me in my time of need…"

"I saved your ass from getting corrupted by the Ender Dragon," Dante kept that deadpan look on his face and stared straight ahead as he spoke, "Quit being ungrateful, fruity bitch."

"That doesn't count because it didn't actually happen."

"...Fuck you mean it didn't actually happen?" Dante took a second to process Aldan's words and slowly turned his head towards, "You and I almost died several times dipshit!"

"For all I know, we were just having one of those multiplayer dreams you hear about online." Aldan shrugged, "Aside from you and Aliah suddenly making up and becoming a couple, there's not really any substantial proof any of that happened."

"We go there every weekend DUMBASS!"

Kashi and I watched the two go at each other's throats for a bit. "... Do you know what they're talking about?" Kashi turned to me and asked.

"Minecraft I think?" I shrugged, "Other than that I couldn't tell you."

Those two over there are Dante and Aldan. Celia introduced me to Dante around a year ago when she took a break from gymnastics to join the Dance Team. Apparently the guy just owns a pair of absurdly large speakers and lends it to them whenever they went to practice at Celia's house, which is just a few houses away from his.

I met Dante first who introduced me to Aldan later on, who I *technically* already knew since we're in the same grade and have had a few classes together in the past. I'm not as close to them as I am with Kashi (otherwise I'd probably have an idea as to what they're arguing about right now), but we're still good friends all things considered.

"Ah… Oh well," Kashi easily disregarded whatever it was they were going through. "I never thought you'd actually come to a pep rally of your own free will. It caught me off-guard when you brought it up offhandedly the other day."

"I don't remember ever saying I was here of my own free will," I huffed, "I'm just here to support Celia, nothing else."

"That's not how I remember it," Kashi tapped his chin and pretended to go into deep thought, "If I remember correctly, you also mentioned that Celia was completely fine with you not coming since she knows you *despise* crowds, but you came anyway since you love your girlfriend sooooo-"

"Alright alright, you can knock it off,"

"Heh heh," Kashi looked back over at Dante and Aldan, "Not sure why those two are here though. Pretty sure Dante hates coming to these things as much as you,"

"Dante's girlfriend is a cheerleader and Aldan's boyfriend is playing on the football team," I explained, "The 3 of us are contractually obligated to be here whether we want to or not… Which reminds me: Why are you here exactly?"

"Aunt Chloe isn't sure she'll be able to get to Cameron before he gets out of school, so she wants me to stick around in case she can't make it in time,"

"… Seriously?" I raised an eyebrow, "She must've forgotten he and Alex already leave school together every day. Shit, I think they're going to the park after school now that I think about it."

"I tried telling her that but she wouldn't listen," Kashi looked past the crowds of students in front of us and off into the field where our school's marching band was currently performing. "I wanted to at least hide out in the library until everything was over, but one of the Deans caught me. Now I'm stuck here…"

I felt his pain. Sure I was here for Celia, but before I was forced to come here against my own will I was also trying to escape from pep rallies. I could only give Kashi a reassuring pat on the back to let him know, "I get it…"

"Please give it up for Monty High's Marching Band!"

The marching band finished their performance and were soon met with a round of applause from an embarrassingly small amount of people sitting on the bleachers. Aldan and Kashi were part of the few clapping but Dante and I merely exchanged looks with one another and rolled our eyes.

"Come on, I know you guys can do better than that!" Our vice principal was on the mic trying to rile us up, "Let's give Monty High's marching band a BIG round of-"

"You naive idiot! You lost this battle the moment you stepped into this room!"

"Our odds of winning may have decreased, but that doesn't mean we're going to give up!"

Huh… That was a particularly vivid scene. My daydreams have been feeling a lot more uh… real lately, if that's even the right word. I mean to say that it feels like I'm experiencing whatever I'm daydreaming about, which is neat, if not a little freaky if I'm honest.

"Yo, T. Your nose is leaking again," Dante nudged me.

"Huh?"

I looked down and saw a bigger than average puddle of blood forming between my feet. When I brought my hand to my nose I noticed that it was already covered in a significant amount of blood — which is way more than the usual, I should add.

"That's… a lot of blood," Kashi said before digging into his pocket for what I assumed to be more tissues.

"What nightmare-inducing creature did you turn into?!"

"I'LL DESTROY YOU ALL AND MAKE SURE THERE IS NOTHING LEFT!"

A sharper pain than what I'm used to pierced my head. Had Aldan not nearly shoved Dante over to catch me, I would've fallen out of my seat. "Woooah, that was close." Aldan would help me sit up straight, "Everything alright, pal?"

I could barely register what he said since I was too busy focusing on the pounding pain in my head. I soon realized that my vision was beginning to blur.

"I uh… I think I'm going to head to the nurse…" I grunted, "My head feels like it's about to split open any second noo-ow!"

"Here I'll take you," Kashi got up out of his seat and started helping me up, "Can you walk?"

"N-No it's fine, you don't have to go anywhere." I shook my head and tried shuffling away from him, "I can walk there-"

"… No, you're listening aren't you? Like you did earlier; you were somehow listening to my thoughts."

"In that case…"

"I hate you."

"I hate you with every fiber of my being."

I nearly collapsed into Kashi but quickly stopped myself with his help. "... On second thought, maybe I can't get there on my own…"

The pain I typically get from these sensory overloads is never this dramatic. I've been in environments that have been just as loud before if not more, and have never had this happen to me.

I'm… not dying, am I? Doctors have told me that this isn't something that should cause me anything more than some discomfort, but I don't think this counts as 'some' discomfort.

What's… happening to me?

…Shifting Perspectives…

Now Following: Sylvia

Ahh Monty High, my old stomping grounds… God I don't miss this place. It's been about 2 years since I graduated from here and this school hasn't changed one bit— which is kinda weird if you ask me. It's usually after you graduate that your old high school decides to remodel the buildings and change things around but nothing of the sort here.

I entered the building and checked in with security. Once I was given the ok I started making my way to the football field, which I needed to walk to the back of the school to get to.

… At least I was walking to the football field.

"Daaaaddddyyy! Where did you go?"

Standing across from me at the other end of the hallway was a small child who I guess was around 7 or 8? At least that's how I looked like when I was that age. I can really only assume at this point.

Anyway! There was a little girl standing across from me calling out for her Dad. Normally I'd find it odd that there was a young child here in a high school, but it's possible her parents brought her to the pep rally so she could see her older sibling or something. Nevertheless, that doesn't make them any less irresponsible for not keeping an eye on their kid.

"Hey sweetheart!" I called out as I began approaching her. "Did you get separated from your parents?"

The young girl turned in my direction and locked eyes with me. Now that I'm getting a better look at her, she DOES kinda look like a mini-me. She has the same striking gray eyes and her hair, while a lighter shade, is also brown like-"Wha- Hey!"

The girl stared at me for a few moments as I got closer before she started running away from me! I get that I'm a stranger and all but come on! I love kids!

… Not uh… Not like that. I hope that was obvious…

"Wait! Come back!" I shouted after her but she didn't listen to a word of what I said and kept running. "It's not safe to… run off… like that…"

I quickly realized that she wasn't going to stop or listen to me. I could leave her alone and let her be, but I wouldn't be able to sleep well tonight without knowing if she was safe or not. Plus I have the added benefit of knowing the entire layout of the school so…

"Being a good samaritan can really be annoying at times…" I thought out loud before giving chase.

I walked around for a bit looking for the girl but I wasn't able to find any trace of her. I even ran into some of my old teachers too and asked them if they had seen her, only to be met with further disappointment.

I eventually found myself in the basement of the school by one of the several sets of doors that lead outside to the football field. Even behind these reinforced steel doors, I can still hear how loud it is...

…Maybe she found her dad? That'd probably explain why I can't find her anywhere. Yeah… Yeah, that might be it. She was reunited with her dad and the two of them went outside so they could watch the rest of rally together! How sweet!

…You… have a weird way of coping Sylvia…

"HEY! HEEEEEY!"

I nearly jumped out of my clothes and whipped my head around towards the source of the voice. Fortunately whoever was yelling wasn't directing it towards me and instead at someone on the floor above me. I approached the stairs that led up to the first floor and looked to see if I could tell what was going on from down here.

What followed next felt so… weird and supernatural, that I highly doubt what I saw was even real. Some guy appeared at the top of the stairway—which I should mention is very LONG, like 40 steps or so— and jumped all the way to the bottom… WHAT?!

I was so startled when he landed right next to me as well that I fell back on my ass! Whoever this guy was had to be some athlete or adrenaline junkie because that was INSANE in both execution AND recovery!

I locked eyes with the guy for a second before he ran off. In that second, I could only catch a glimpse of his face from when he was looking at me since he was wearing a hood but… he seemed familiar. It wasn't a vague familiarity or me thinking I'd seen him once or twice, I mean FULL FAMILIARITY. Like I've seen and spoken to that guy several times throughout my life.

As they ran off I heard a multitude of footsteps follow shortly behind. I quickly crawled back before I could get trampled and bore witness to a large group of mostly boys stampeding down the stairs. No one seemed to have paid me any mind and they ran off down the hall in the direction that guy had ran in. As I was picking myself off the floor the screaming voices seemed to have gotten louder despite being further away.

I don't know what any of that was but there's no way I wasn't going to look into that! That was intense! I jogged off in the direction everyone had run in and quickly caught up to the large group crowding around one area. Fortunately, the group wasn't big enough where I couldn't see what was the center of everyone's attention.

"... H-Huh?"

…Shifting Perspectives…

Now Following: Trenton Tamazaki

(Moments Earlier…)

"How are you feeling?"

"To be honest the pain decreased quite significantly once we got inside," I chuckled lightly, "Maybe this was a sign from God that I should've gone home after all,"

"Oh yeah, you're definitely fine." Kashi sighed, "You wouldn't be cracking dumb jokes otherwise…"

We eventually got back inside after Kashi and I had to convince one of the teachers I wasn't faking my condition. The pain has gone down a bunch since we got back into the building and is really only comparable to that of a slightly throbbing headache.

"Still hurts like a bitch, but I don't think I'm going to die anymore," I could feel blood running out of my nose, and wiped it away, "Thanks again, Kashi. I feel bad that you keep helping me out when I haven't been able to do much for you in return,"

"A-Ah you don't have to worry about that," Kashi sounded a bit embarrassed, "You've done more than enough for me already; more than you'll ever know."

I don't know what that's supposed to mean but I've seen enough media to know there are layers to statements like that. "What's that suppose to-"

I stopped myself when I heard what I thought to be shouting accompanied by several sets of footsteps from behind us. The voices only grew louder and prompted Kashi to turn around first and then me. Right as I turned someone threw themselves at me and knocked the wind right out of my body. I fell to the ground and was immediately pinned down.

"Caught ya, dickhead!"

"Thought you could outrun the football team, huh?!"

… I'm sure this is obvious but I don't have a clue as to what's even happening right now. What I DO know is that this hallway is starting to get progressively louder and my headache is starting to get bad again.

"What the hell?! Get the fuck off me!" I tried struggling with a normal amount of strength but couldn't break free, "What did I-ack!"

Someone kicked me in the stomach and nearly caused me to throw up my lunch. This prompted other people to do the same which inevitably evolved into all these people beating the shit out of me.

I couldn't even do anything to defend myself because I was still pinned to the floor. The more hits I took the more my blood began to boil. I didn't want to lie there and take these beatings… so why was I? I should be doing something to defend myself. I should be fighting back. I should be-

"Waaaah!"

"My baby! What did you do to him?!"

"I-I…I only p-pushed him a little but-"

"Pushed him?! You almost killed him!"

"I-I'm… I'm sorry-"

"Don't come any closer! Stay away, you freak!"

… Ah, right. An old memory resurfaced in my head and reminded me exactly why I couldn't fight back. All I could do in this scenario was brace myself as much as I could and let them hit me.

"What are you doing?! He's sick!" I could somehow make out Kashi's voice in the sea of other voices, "Get off of him!"

"Yeah, he's sick alright; sick in the head!" Someone responded, "Hey what are you-"

*ZAAAAAAAAAAP*

What followed was what I could assume to be a taser going off. I didn't see it when it happened or who did it, but I did hear someone collapse onto the ground shortly after. "I told you to GET OFF OF HIM!"

"Alright! That's eno- THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Almost instantly after I heard Kashi yell, another considerably deeper voice boomed throughout the hallway and promptly lowered the volume significantly. The fury of blows and kicks that were being dealt to me quickly ceased as well and I was almost certainly left lying there in a bruised and bloodied mess.

All I could feel at this point was a numbing pain that ran throughout my body and an overwhelming sense of drowsiness. No matter how much I wanted to fight it, I was gradually losing consciousness. The voices around me were all loud and incomprehensible. I wasn't able to tell what anyone around me was saying, which was probably for the best since it made drifting off so much easier.

"…EN…ON…"

Even though I couldn't make out a majority of the words being said around me, there was a… one voice amidst all the chaos that stood out to me.

Was it Kashi? No, it was a female voice. I hope the guys attacking me didn't touch him. They were only accusing me of something I think, which means they should've left him alone.

"TR…T…O"

Celia? I… don't think so. Her voice is a bit higher pitched than that. Besides, she should be out on the field by now, right…? God I hope she's not in this crowd of people. Watching her boyfriend get jumped unprovoked would suck.

"I don't…of you… brother…Kashi help…"

Oh… Of course. I should've realized who it was immediately:

"Syl…vi…a…"