Seasons #1

Sage

I can't stop thinking about Azrael. His beautiful blue eyes, the way his black hair lays perfectly over his forehead. His accent. And then there's his arm. Are they both like that? I shouldn't worry so much about him, I don't even know him. I want to know more about him. I want him to feel comfortable with me when he's around me. Our last encounter was a bit awkward and I feel like I upset him when I pulled his arm and exposed his arm. I don't even know how to apologize to him. What do you say without making it seem worse than it is?

***

"Are you okay? You seem distant today." Ava asks me as we walk down the hallway to class.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just have a lot on my mind right now." I look around the hallway hoping to see him today. When I don't see him I sigh to myself and walk into class.

I sit down at my seat and look beside me to see his empty desk. Did I upset him that much for him to avoid me?

"Happy morning, my lovelies!" The teacher says as he walks in smiling. He takes roll and when he says Azrael's name there's no answer. My heart sinks.

The teacher continues on with today's lesson plans. I let myself zone out and think of Azrael. Why can't I just stop thinking about him? Its not my place to ask him questions about himself. I can't stop thinking if he needs help though. How do you ask someone if they're okay?

When the bell rings, I walk to the common room and sit down at my usual spot. Ava walks in and sits across from me. "Still distant?"

"I don't know." I say.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

"Nope. You're going to think I'm crazy and its not my place to say anything about it." I reply as Zach and Ryan sit down.

"What are we talking about?' Zach asks. His nose has a white bandage across it.

"Sage is a bit distant today and I was asking her what was wrong but she says she can't tell me because its not her place to tell me." Ava replies before I get a chance to.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ryan asks.

"I just can't okay? Can we just drop it and talk about something else?" I say a little irritated.

"Yeah, okay. Can we talk about how that little shit ruined my chance to play next week? I've worked my ass off to get a spot in the playoffs and now I can't even participate." Zach points to his bandaged nose. "He broke it. I hope I broke his arm."

"I was wondering my his arm looked like that." I reply.

"Who the fuck cares. He deserved it." Zach says. "I can't even sneeze without tearing up."

"Why do you hate him so much?!" I say forcefully without meaning to.

"He's a fucking freak, Sage. That's why. He needs to be in a mental facility." Zach replies with just as much force. "People like him don't deserve anything. He needs to understand his place in this world.

"And what would that be?" I ask feeling really irritated at Zach.

Zach takes a minute to respond and sighs in irritation. "I don't fucking know! He just needs to stay away from here."

"Stay away from here? He's a fucking student where is he supposed to go?"

"Mental facilities offer learning programs, he could go to one of those."

I stand up and push his drink over. It spills all over his lap. "You're an asshole." I say and walk away angrily.

I walk to the bathroom and lock myself in a stall. I let myself cry. Not for myself, but for him. I let each tear fall and hope he never finds out what everyone thinks of him. I fear for the things he might do if he knew. I wipes my eyes and walk out of the stall. I wash my face with warm water and dry it off. I reapply my makeup and walk out into the hallway. Zach walks by tying a jacket around his waist. He flips me. Ryan follows behind him but he doesn't even look at me. Instead of waiting for Ava, I head to class alone.