lacuna

Chapter Eight

Fallon's pov

The soft grass nibbled the skin on my neck and legs as the cold night breeze left my skin slightly pink wherever it touched. Leaves calmly rustled along with the breeze and a car drove by somewhere. My hands felt warm through the fabric as they rested on my front. A leg lay on the ground while the other was bent, the blue jeans I have on reflecting spots of light from the moon.

One would ask me if I didn't ever get tired of staring at the sky all night, almost every day. Simply, no. I wouldn't call it "staring at the sky". More like, 'star-gazing', 'sky-gazing', appreciating the sheer exquisiteness of the night. More like, feeling every scuff of grass, every breeze, sound, and the serenity. This peace wasn't something I got to experience often, or at all. However quiet I was, my mind would always be the loudest.

Another car drove by. I knew not to expect it to be my parents when it was a Wednesday; they'd be working till late. I'd likely been lying in the middle of my backyard for a few hours. But I couldn't get myself to move as my eyes stared at this particularly bright star, shining as if it knew it was the most vibrant of them all tonight. I'd already spotted Orion with his belt of stars, the proud tail of Little Dipper, and the Big Dipper only a few spaces away from it. Despite the hundreds of pictures saved on my phone with an entire album dedicated just for them, I still found the stars remarkable each night. And yes, I did end up pouring my heart out to them.

Stars might not talk back, but they listen.

The sudden thought of going back to school tomorrow made my stomach drop. Staying home, where I was trapped inside a room filled with dark thoughts, unwanted feelings, sharp objects, and mirrors, felt even worse. I couldn't go to Mr Oscar's either. He'd probably ask me a hundred questions as to why I was skipping classes and most likely send me back.

Only two more days and it's over for a little while.

It was ridiculous how childish I was being about school.

**************

I fell face-first onto the hard floor and felt my ankle do a weird bend. I probably sprained it. Snickers and laughter filled the hallway as Max Sawyer slid his foot aside. I should've known they would try to trip me whenever I walked by but I was too deep in my mind to consider that. I knelt, placing my books back inside my bag. I glanced up long enough to notice a familiar face among the laughing crowd. Eli's face was grim and his eyes avoided contact with mine as he leaned against the lockers, his hands in his pockets. I shouldn't be feeling like he should've helped me but I did and couldn't help the piercing glare I gave him before getting to my feet. A harsh pain shot through my ankle. Yup, sprained it.

What a lovely way to start the day.

People gave me taunting looks as they resumed what they were doing. When I packed my stuff into my locker, the laughter had died down and the hallways were back to norm- 

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sight of Eli leaning against the lockers when I closed mine.

He gave me a crooked grin, "Did I scare you?". I rolled my eyes and started towards my first class of the day before I was blocked by his chest.

"Um...excuse me?" I muttered and tried to slip past him, only to get blocked again. 

"Well, someone's pissed I didn't save them from Miles" he cocked his head.

"I'm not pissed. And I didn't need saving. I'm used to it" I snapped. He pressed me back towards the lockers, trapping me between his arms. I looked up at him and found my face only a few inches away from his. His eyes ran over my face, lingering longer than necessary on a spot on my cheek.