Shattered Asylum

Chapter 3

There is a part in here that has a * for those who get triggered easily.

Soccer tryouts are today, and I can't stop my stomach from doing somersaults. What if I don't make it? The thought nags at the back of my mind, but I try to focus on the rest of the school day, hoping to distract myself.

At least the first half of school flew by. Jayden was up to his usual antics, flirting with me during Art, only to have Nora tease me about it for the rest of the morning.

Now it's lunchtime, and the whole crew is here, including the guys this time. The table buzzes with energy as Cody, one of the football players, leans forward, his voice carrying over the chatter.

"Who's ready to kick some ass this Friday?" he asks, a confident grin plastered on his face. The table erupts into cheers, the football players hyping each other up. Even Grayson, who usually seems too cool to care, joins in with a smirk and fist bump.

"Are we going to Buddy's after?" Vinnie chimes in, leaning back in his chair like he already knows the answer. "Buddy's?" I ask, looking over at Nora. She nods, her eyes lighting up. "It's this diner/arcade we always go to after games. They've got the best milkshakes, and it's like tradition or whatever."

"When do we not go to Buddy's after a game?" Noah adds, giving Vinnie a playful shove. The excitement in the air is contagious, and for a moment, I forgot about my nerves. This Friday is the first football fame of the season, and apparently, it's against the Bulldogs.

My mind starts drifting back to tryouts. Everyone else seems to know where they belong, like they've carved out a space for themselves in this high school ecosystem. I just hope today is the day I start carving out mine.

~

Grayson hasn't stopped bothering me since class started. At first, it was small stuff, tapping his pencil on the desk, dropping his notebook loudly, muttering under his breath. But now? How he's flicking pieces of paper at the back of my head.

I turn around in my seat and glare at him. "Can you not?" I whisper-shout. He grins at me like i'm the most entertaining thing he's seen all day. "What? I'm bored."

"Then go bother someone else,' I snap, spinning back around. I try to focus on my English assignment, but I can feel his eyes on me. A minute later, the sound of a clicking pen starts right next to my ear.

Click. Click. Click.

I whip around again. "Grayson!"

He holds up the pen, looking entirely too pleased with himself. "What? It's therapeutic."

"For who? A serial killer?" I grab the pen from his hand and slam it down on the desk. "I'm trying to get this done before class ends, and you're driving me insane!"

He leans back in his chair, folding his arms behind his head like he has all the time in the world. "You're no fun, Aven."

"Good," I bite back. "I'm not here to entertain you."

For a blissful five minutes, he's silent. I manage to finish a paragraph before he moves closer.His fingers graze the ends of my hair, twirling a strand between them. "You have really soft hair," he says casually, like it's the most normal thing in the world.

I freeze, my hands hovering over the keyboard. "Grayson," I warn, "if you don't stop-"

"Stop what?" he interrupts, tugging playfully on a strand. "It's not like you're doing anything interesting."

I exhale sharply, my patience officially gone. "Fine. You want something interesting? I'll show you interesting."

I exit my document and pull up YouTube. "What are you doing?" he asks, his voice laced with curiosity. "You'll see." I smirk as I type "Salad Fingers" into the search bar. Clicking on the first video, I turn my laptop slightly so he has a full view of the screen.