Help

seven

L U C I E N

"Hey Lucien." Someone calls my name, effectively breaking me out of my daze. Looking up from my locker I see Thomas. He smiles widely at me. He's a smiley guy. We are polar opposites.

"Hey." I grumble. I don't want to be here. I am too old for this shit. I should've graduated and moved out. I don't understand why Emilio or Dominic haven't moved out yet. They have freedoms and almost zero responsibility. I could've had that if I had been smart enough to accumulate forty hours of community service. 

Now I am here.

"I heard that your sister is here?" That caught me off guard. I never told anyone about my sister. My head snaps towards him.

"What did you just say?" I sneer. If I never mentioned my sister coming here how did he know? Also, I don't like how my sisters name is floating in the air. If Thomas knows then everyone does.

"Come on man! You really think that no one would know? The new girl with the famous last name!" I wait for him to say the one thing that'll let me shove his face into the wall. "Florence Young, the mute new kid."

The whole hallway silences as the sound of Thomas's back slams against the lockers. I am taller than him. The cocky small boy, looking at me in fear.

"Don't speak her fucking name." I growl. I never really liked this kid. His mommy and daddy are both filthy rich, everything has been handed to him. He doesn't know loss, he doesn't know shit. I only let him hang around with me because I felt bad for him.

"I-I'm sorry." He stutters but I don't care. He called my sister mute, he said it in a mocking way. He was mocking me and he was making fun of her. It was clear in his tone and the amusement in his eyes confirmed it.

"I don't care. Never speak her name again." I look away from the trembling boy, my eyes scan the hallway, everyone's eyes are on us. Deciding to make this a public announcement I let Thomas go and turn to the onlooker's. "I will kill any of you if you speak my sisters name."

Every single one of them nod. I nod and turn down the hallway storming to the cafeteria.

The thought of people hurting Florence makes me sick. I can already picture her getting cornered and not being able to defend herself. It makes me want to search for her. I hope she's in the cafeteria.

If she has no one to sit with I'll sit with her. I don't want her to be alone.

I don't know why I have been treating her like shit. I just don't know. I am scared, I know that. But it's something else. I want to be the best for her but I can't and that scares me. I want her to feel safe around me.

I fucked that up though.

Its un-salvageable. It's all my fault.

I scan the caf for my sister. I look over every single table scanning each of their faces. When I don't see her though I give up, and hope that I can catch her when she comes in.

I join my real friends at my normal table at the back of the caf. It isn't until about five minutes later do I see Florence. Except she isn't alone like I thought she'd be. Instead she's sitting with two girls and she's smiling and nodding along as one of them clearly talks her head off.

Pride is my only emotion as I watch her silently converse with these girls. She is so good and I am so bad. I am bad for pushing her out, I am bad for trying to convince Massimo to get rid of her, and I am awful for being mean right to the sweet shy girls face.

As we make eye contact, the urge to look away from her is far too much, and when I realize that she isn't looking away any time soon I send a singular nod her way.