Nobody

Chapter 15

Raindrops cried from swirls of grey clouds overhead, casting a pale film over Penhearte High. From inside, Kioshi and Yves, sitting on the floor opposite one another, their hands around their knees, watched the sky unbridle its tears. Something about it felt soothing, especially for Kioshi, after having encountered a whirlwind series of violence and death.

Classes were already over that day. And even if there was another coming up, Kioshi didn't hold the right motivation to enter and sit through an hour of humdrum lecturing. He'd rather stay there to watch the rain like he used to do when he was a little boy.

The scene echoed a fragment of his childhood where he used to perch on the front steps of the house, his chin supported by his hands, as he indulged in the cool breeze of afternoon rain. He could vividly recall how his grandmother would berate Shoji for playing in the rain, telling her that she'd get sick.

Shoji was carefree anyway. She danced and soaked herself in the sky's weeping. Eyes closed. Arms stretched out to the sides. Spinning around in circles, feeling the brisk and light footfalls of rain on her skin.

For her, it was worth it in exchange of a few bruises to replace the spots on her skin that the rain had kissed.

Kioshi transposed his focus from the rain to the man across from him. Words weren't necessary to convey the gratefulness on his face. He was thankful for his company. Slowly, a subtle smile crept on his face. There was a murmur in his heart. A message that only he could decode.

Then, he returned his eyes over the football field which had grown damp from the rain. Laying his head against the wall, Kioshi resided in the transient peace that this moment could offer.

Meanwhile, Shoji strode down a hallway. By the ambit of her eyesight, she could spot two school boys smiling at their phones. Thinking nothing of it, Shoji walked forward. She had grown paranoid with the attention.

Then, as she passed by them, she heard Maxwell's voice.

It brought her to a halt.

The tone of that man sounded quite familiar. Glimpses of a horrible picture at the school garden assailed her in the head. Crumpling her hands into fists, she turned to them and plucked the phone out of their grasp.

One of the boys glared at her. "Hey! Give that back!"

Shoji ignored them and checked their phone screen, seeing herself and Maxwell. The reminder of that moment made her blood boil. She wanted to eradicate it from her history, however, the damage was irreversible. The video had spread already. What Shoji could do at that point was chastise anyone watching it.

Raising her hand, Shoji leveled the phone, that she was holding, in the eyes of the two boys. "Haven't you heard? Anyone within the school viewing this footage will get their asses terminated by Ms. Cavalier."

"We promise not to watch it anymore." One of them vowed, but Shoji could see through their eyes — its pursuit of an easy lie.

She curled the corner of her lip up into a smirk. "I'm giving this back to you only after I do this." Shoji immediately deleted the video before handing it over to one of them. "Enjoy your day."

Turning on her heel, Shoji sauntered away from them. The facade would wear off just as quickly. Deep inside, she was hurting. She wanted to run away and vanish from sight.

Penhearte High encapsulated daunting reminders from every corner. Whenever Shoji breezed by a group of her batch mates, she could hear them whispering about her and Delilah Cooper.

Of course, the new girl, Delilah Cooper, assumed her posthumous notoriety once news of the library massacre was born in the mouth of a reporter who caught up on the occasion and reported it in front of a camera. Her mind traveled back to that night, a few days before.