Silent Resilience

Out

'Could've sworn I had more last time I checked' Adriel frowned, counting the bills on the table.

Rent needed to be paid by the end of the week, and from the looks of it, he was already falling behind. Sighing, he set the money down and grabbed his schoolbag.

With only his right hand. The space where his prosthetic arm usually sat was replaced by...nothing, simply out and open for the world to see. For today it was warm outside; the tell-tale sign of summer rapidly approaching. So, instead of the normal sweater and black trousers, he instead donned a loose white tee and paper-bag shorts.

'Fuck it', Adriel thought. It wasn't like he could just buy another prosthetic arm; he was already knee-deep in electric bills and grocery receipts. After a long, long phone-conversation with his prosthetist, who expressed his deep concern, Adriel had finally managed to get off scot free. Though hesitant, they came to the compromise that yes, Adriel wasn't in desperate need of another prosthetic arm.

And so today his short-sleeve ended right at his bicep, exposing the pink stump that ended his left arm.. Adriel figured that it would be annoying to wear a long sleeve, since it would just hand awkwardly down by his side all day, and anyone with a brain would see that there was something off.

Might as well just wear short sleeves and let all the rich people stare at him however they like. And might as well wear shorts, for them to see his leg prosthetic too. There was no point in hiding his amputations anymore, seeing that he couldn't anymore. If his appearance was going to make someone pass out, so be it. His reputation was already underground anyways.

There was a small inkling of unease, deep in his core. Adriel normally didn't care about what other people thought of him, but this was different.

He didn't want to get punched by Rui Takahashi again, and he didn't want to attract anymore bullies if he couldn't.

But what other choice did he have? Adriel grimaced, shouldering the front door open with some effort. He forgot how strange it felt to not wear prosthetics outside. It felt like leaving the house without a pair of shoes; incomplete, too freeing. Adriel locked the door before beginning his walk to school, earbuds in.

He wasn't just worried about how the Ouran kids would react; there was something even more pressing that made him feel uneasy. Today was Tuesday, exactly two days since he last saw the host club. Today was the day he was going to tell them about his past.

The tan male was both excited and nervous at the same time. There was no way of telling how they would react; disgusted, scared, pitying or understanding? He knew some members (Tamaki) had trouble keeping secrets, which was another thing. This was something he wanted to keep between him and his close-knit group of friends.

Friends. That was what made Adriel feel excited, in the same way.

For he knew that the hosts were his friends, and this was something he wanted to share with them. The first people Adriel had ever wanted to share his past with, save Aaron, who had known since the beginning.

Why did he want to share it with the host club, Adriel didn't quite know. But he was dying to tell someone, and the hosts were who he wanted to tell.

So he walked through the front gates of Ouran, shoes tapping across the stone courtyard. The sakura trees were past their season now, although that didn't make them any less gorgeous.

Adriel stared at them intently, tearing his eyes away from the group of gossiping students behind him.

"What the hell, is that a robot?!"