I dreamt of a devil that knew her

14

What was once a friendship forming into an intense romance turned into nothing. It disappeared over night.
It was mid December and what was once a bright, intense, burning fire between Alternative and Beyond that radiated warmth in the cold December days turned into nothing.

That's what's happens when you throw cold snow to a fire.

No more roses taped on Alternative's door. Near didn't see Beyond Birthday walking towards A's room so they could walk together downstairs anymore.
Alternative stopped sitting next to Near during class and Near hated that. Near hated change.

Beyond wouldn't even show up to the classes. The desks around Near were empty. Near felt exposed. Near hated change.

During lunch A and B wouldn't sit together anymore. A sat in a corner of the cafeteria. Eating only an apple. Looking worried. Thinking.

And B sat all the way at the opposite side of the cafeteria. Like the North and South Pole. Beyond sat alone eating his strawberry jam but his eyes were fixated on A who was oblivious that B was looking at him.
Beyond wouldn't take his eyes off of A. Not even to look down at his food.

Then the thorns started to appear. They were placed carefully in Roger's office chair. In teachers chairs. In the carpet. Near couldn't even sit down in the carpet or be barefoot out of fear of stabbing himself with the hidden sharp thorns again.
Mello and Matt even confronted Beyond about the thorns. But there was no proof that it was him. The perfect crime.

Two days after the night incident between A and B, Near walked the empty halls during the evening. He passed the library and out of curiosity he turned to look at the dance room.

He saw A in his pink ballet uniform. B was there too helping A who seemed to be in pain and trying to take off his pink ballet shoes.

Out of curiosity Near got closer to the dance room.

"I'm sorry, it was never my intention to hurt you. I would never hurt you," Near heard B say as A finally removed the ballet shoes and took out sharp thorns from it.

"Why would you put them in my ballerina shoes?" A asked not making eye contact with Beyond.

"I wanted you to know what I feel for you. My feelings for you. My pain due to you not even looking my way. I want to give you everything. But that night that you didn't accept my roses. I wanted you to know how much it hurt me," Beyond grabbed Alternative's face. "But I would never hurt you," he continued to repeat and Near wondered if A believed him.

Alternative finally looked at B and nodded. Silencing B and his demons.