Alive // bxb

Chapter 12

Liam's POV:

Days passed, weeks passed, had it been a month yet? Probably not, but my mind wasn't automatically wired to keep track of dates so I just didn't and let the weeks pass as they did.

Before long, Halloween was approaching and preparations to hand out candy to young children were in full swing. Dad took Paisley Trick-Or-Treating around the pack while Mom went to go hand out candy at the Ceremony Hall, and I would man the house. It was the way we'd done it for years, and Paisley and I would both end up with plentiful candy. It was an agreement we had: I would save some candy from the bowl and she would get candy from unwilling participants, and then we would split it at the end of the night. A lovely tradition that ended in sugar rushes for everybody.

However, school still existed, sadly.

"Liam. Liam. Liam," Sage repeated, poking me on the arm with a pencil with each repetition. "Liam. Liam. Liam."

"What?" I asked, only slightly annoyed as I turned to face my best friend. Julie snorted at us.

"Did you study for the test? I don't want to fail alone," he pouted.

I looked at Julie. "Did you?"

"I actually did," she replied, her chest puffed with pride. "I was so responsible and decided to not spend an hour on my phone and instead make flashcards. I think I can get a reasonable B+ with all my studying."

"I didn't," I confessed, looking back to Sage, who seemed to celebrate silently.

"I half feel like making fun of you, but the other half of me knows that will come back to bite me in the butt when I don't study for the next test," Julie grinned, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair.

"Shut it," Sage sighed, turning to watch as Adriel walked into the classroom, taking his usual seat behind us without Milo in sight. My brow furrowed, confused. "Hi Adriel," he said to the brunet, who nodded once before taking out a note sheet and scanning it.

"Where's Milo?" I couldn't help asking, a sliver of concern hiding under my tone. A second passed, then Adriel looked up, fixing me with a piercing gaze. He set the note sheet down and sighed.

"And I thought you were doing so well."

"Thanks?" I said unsurely, confused if this was a good thing or not. Since he closed his eyes for a minute and exhaled sharply through his nose, I assumed the latter.

"You were making so much progress with him, you've been... together for like a month and knew of each other for even longer, and you never bothered to inquire what the date of his family's death was," he replied in a flat tone. Immediately my heart dropped to my feet. Sage and Julie gasped in synchronization.

"Are you saying that's... today?" I asked when I found my voice again. He simply nodded once before turning back to his note sheet, finished with the conversation.

What the fuck, I thought to myself, contemplating my options for barely a moment before standing, shoving everything I'd taken out back into my bag, and reaching the door of the classroom by the time the bell rang and Mrs. Barnes walked in, causing me to nearly knock her over.

"Back to your seat, Liam, class is starting," she said with a frown. I smiled apologetically.

"I don't feel very good, I'm going to go to the nurse quick," I told her, skirting around her and walking off before she could say anything else. I left my backpack in my locker before continuing to walk through the silent hallway, everyone in class or already left.

I had ditched before, though I tried not to do it relatively often; I hated having to explain it, especially to my parents, who had the worst disappointed expressions I'd ever encountered. However, today I had an excuse, and it was a damn good one.