Cursed Hearts

Start With Hello

Walking through the doors of Storybrooke's one and only high school was the hardest thing he'd ever done. As soon as he exited the car, the fifteen year old felt his limbs stiffen, each step forward feeling infinitely harder than the last. He had reviewed hundreds of scenarios on how the day could go in his head, and eventually figured that the only way to overcome the stress about what could happen was to face it head on. August had been texting with him practically all night, reassuring him that everything would be fine as long as he didn't think too much. It was a relief to know that at least one person at school was there to support him, even if everyone else had hundreds of questions about what happened to his family over the past month.

The hallway was flooded with students going both directions, a mad dash before the start of first period. Roland gripped his backpack nervously as he scanned his surroundings looking for August. Since they were in different grades, he wouldn't be able to talk with him until lunch. As he got closer to his classroom, Roland gathered his courage, knowing that it was up to him to face his fears. All of the students instantly locked eyes on the fifteen year old as he entered the room, the mystery involving his family at the front of everyone's minds.

His hands were sweaty and shaking, but the teenager made it to his desk anyways, sitting in a slump and averting his eyes. Just when all seemed lost, a soft voice cut through his intrusive thoughts.

"Roland, hey! Thank goodness you're back- I almost forgot what you looked like."

Roland glanced over to see Alex at the desk next to his, a comforting smile on her face. Seeing her instantly made his tension lessen.

"It's been a while, did I miss much around here?"

"Just algebra and football drama, nothing special. I'm trying out for drill team next week."

"For the fall? Are we really that close to being done with sophomore year?"

Alex let out a soft laugh, nodding her head. "Crazy how fast time goes by. August is going to be a senior- only a year away from leaving this mess behind."

For a second, Roland failed to clue in that the three of them were such good friends. That life seemed to be a distant memory, something left in the past.

Alex's expression turned hesitant as she continued. "I don't know if you know about Brandt and I- we've been going out for five weeks now."

Despite how terrified he had been to talk about Alex's romance, bringing it then didn't feel weird at all. He had liked her at the beginning of the school year, but jealousy wasn't an emotion he currently felt in that classroom.

"Yeah, August told me not too long ago," he replied, giving her a smile. "I'm happy for you, really. It's about time something good happened around here."

He wondered then how she would respond if he said his truth right then and there. The words could easily have left his mouth- then there would be no secrets between them. But, instead, no words came.

"That means a lot, really." Alex told him, just as their teacher entered the room. All the surrounding conversations came to a quick stop. Roland attempted to pay attention to the lesson, something about how Shakespeare's writing was composed. He practically counted the minutes until their lunch period, where he knew August would be waiting.

--

Alex had stuck by his side throughout the entire day, much to his relief, and accompanied him to the cafeteria. Every single person they passed by was someone Roland knew well, having been in his class from grade to grade since the beginning. He continued to wonder what they all thought of him and his month long absence. Those thoughts dissolved as soon as he spotted August sitting at their usual table, hard at work quickly finishing some homework that was probably due next period. He glanced upwards and smiled towards his two friends as they sat down across from him.