Beyond Bloodline - Unbreakable Bonds

twenty one

Nigel's nerves had long pulled taut with impatience until finally, their Physics teacher, Mr. Henderson, turned back to the whiteboard to continue jotting down corrections to the test they'd just finished. "Where's he?" he quickly nudged Aries' left foot from where it had stretched out the side of his desk, the other laying on the seat of Alfie's empty chair.

"Who?" Aries glanced up from his book where he was lazily doodling.

"Alfie."

"Who knows?" he mumbled, gaze reverting back to his notebook.

Nigel pursed his lips, staring for a short moment at those locks of red that fell messily over his friend's forehead, the cross earring in his piercing shaking with each movement of his wrist. "You said you were going to visit," he pointed out. "What's happening with him? Did he come in today?"

He didn't even look up this time, just muttering another, "who knows," like a broken record.

Irritated, Nigel stopped trying to pry anything else from him, turning his attention back to his book only to catch Glenn's gaze after he'd turned slightly in his seat. His brows came together slightly, wondering what he wanted. While he had nothing against him since, obviously, Hayley wasn't the least bit interested in the likes of him, he'd never really interacted with him afterwards save setting drills during practice. He'd only ever needed his one set of friends anyway.

"He came," Glenn informed. "Then he said he was going to take a breather and didn't return. He looked a bit sick so maybe he stopped by the infirmary?"

"Oh," Nigel merely said even though he severely doubted it.

"Morales. Sanders." Nigel stiffened abruptly, mumbling out an apology while Glenn whipped back around on his seat, a ghastly pale as more than half the class turned their gaze on him with the teacher's warning. He spent the rest of the class being attentive, albeit cursing the man under his breath. They were all the way in the back, did he think he was a hawk or something with those glasses?

Once he finally let up, Nigel went out in search of Alfie since the next class was a computer science elective he hadn't signed up for. He turned up empty searching the usual blindspots students hid away in— the rundown shed, the rooftop, the swimming shed— even the infirmary for good measure. In the end, he found him in the very back of the old sports room they now used to store equipments.

"Alfie," he squatted in front of him, waving a hand in front of his lost expression. "What happened?"

Dark brown eyes widened with some clarity before its owner quickly fumbled with the lit cigarette in his mouth, quickly putting it out. It was obvious he didn't think much of whatever he was struggling with, instead wanting to do away with one of the things he knew his friend was uncomfortable with.

"Do you want me to stay with you?" he decided to be straight with him. Sometimes, Alfie needed company to get through whatever it was plaguing him and hang onto his sanity. Other times, he just wanted to be left alone.

"Okay," he said, fingers drumming against the navy pants of his uniform before turning to pick up an abandoned can of beer at his side.

Nigel glanced away from his friend taking a long sip to the six-pack beer that was now missing two, one of which was emptily lying on the wood board. He helped himself to one, sitting next to him.

They drank in silence, Nigel nursing another can of beer after his first as they soon switched into their lunch break. They spent it there and even though Nigel soon finished his second, he let his friend work through the rest of the drinks since he obviously needed to do something with his hands.

When lunch break rolled past, Alfie set the last can of beer down, now half empty, at his side. "Not going back for calculus?" he wondered.

"It's alright," he shrugged, undoing his shoes and folding his legs.