The Devil's Tears

Chapter 1: It Will Be Alright.

As the school year began, the principal's voice boomed through the microphone, welcoming
us to Ravenwood. "Dear Ravenwood, Welcome to this new school year," he said with
enthusiasm. He went on to describe the school as a place of endless opportunities, where
true leaders are educated. The cafeteria erupted in applause, whistles, and cheers, making it
feel like a zoo. The principal continued, "This year is very special. Ravenwood is celebrating
its 75th anniversary today, and we are proud to say that we are the greatest school this
nation has ever seen." The applause started again, but I couldn't help but feel a headache
coming on. As much as they tried to hype up the school, it was clear that nobody was really
interested in this kind of rhetoric. "I wish you a very nice semester and I promise you this
year won't be without surprises." The sound abruptly cut off, leaving the audience in silence.
Despite the sudden end to his speech, the words lingered in the air, leaving the listeners
curious and intrigued about what the upcoming year had in store for them. It would be so
much fun slapping myself in class to stay awake. The past few weeks have been incredibly
challenging for me. As everyone around me eagerly anticipated the surprises that awaited
them, I found myself feeling disconnected from the world around me. It's been a difficult time,
and I've struggled to find my place amidst all the excitement and anticipation. Despite my
best efforts, I've felt like an outsider looking in, unable to fully engage with the people and
events around me. It's been a lonely and isolating experience, and I'm not sure how to move
forward from here. I reached for my phone and opened up my music app. Scrolling through
my carefully curated playlist, I selected the perfect song and plugged in my earphones. As
the first notes filled my ears, I felt myself being transported to another world, completely lost
in the song. Music makes me feel safe and valued, simplifying this harsh world. When the
lyrics enter my ears, I can feel the shivers running down my spine as the beat makes my
heart pump faster. This feeling is mine forever and nobody can ever take it away from me.
Not even death. The atmosphere in the cafeteria seemed to settle down a bit as more
people gathered around my sister's table. She was famous the second we stepped foot on
the school's property. Everybody adored her. It seems like she improves with each passing
day and I want to maintain that momentum. The thought of seeing her in pain is the last thing
I need at the moment. While I was sitting at my table, I noticed her staring at me from across
the room with that huge smile of hers. Telling her what had happened that night would break
her. Even though it has been 1 month it still haunts my mind like it was yesterday. I was
sitting alone in the back of the cafeteria when suddenly, a girl named Veronica placed her hand
on my shoulder and introduced herself. Her black hair and brown eyes shone in the light. As she
sat down next to me, I took my earphones out and reached out my hand to introduce myself. She
giggled and asked, "Leo, like the zodiac sign?" "Yeah, I know it's lame," I replied. "No, not at all,"
she responded. "I just don't hear that often. I actually like it and no I am not being sarcastic.’’ We
both laughed at her comment and for a minute I forgot all my problems. As we chatted during our
short break before the semester started, she made me feel happy in a way I hadn't felt in a long
time. It was like the darkness slipped away. ‘’May I know what influenced your decision to select
this prestigious institution for your education?’’ She asked with a huge sarcastic smile. ‘’Well,
Madam, I chose this institution because it's highly recommended by school boards. Didn’t you
know?’’ I responded, and she chuckled at my remark before asking me some questions to get to
know me better. Our conversation was so natural that it felt like we had known each other for our
entire lives. At the end of our break when the bell rang, she gave me her number and asked: ‘’
Do you maybe wanna get something to eat later tonight? I haven't had a proper 5-star meal for a
while.'' ‘’Yeah, I’d love that,’’ I responded as we laughed. I have never felt my facial muscles hurt so much from laughing. Most of the time me and my sister were alone and we did what we had
to. We only had each other. I do miss our time together. Those stupid funny little moments that
are holding me together. As we stood up, Veronica embraced me tightly. I felt surprised by her
sudden action but reciprocated by hugging her back. It looked like she needed it. As she
released her grip, she took slow steps backward and bid farewell by saying, "Goodbye Leo!" I
waved at her while admiring her beautiful style. That black silk dress made her look radiant. She
waved back and disappeared from my sight. I pulled out my phone to look where I had to go but
couldn’t find the classroom number. Helplessly I looked around the school looking for a reception.
It took a while to wander through this massive school, but I finally found it after 15 minutes.
‘’Excuse me?’’ I nervously asked. "What do you want, kid?" she asked with a hostile expression.
‘’I don’t quite understand where I have to go. Can you help me?’’ I showed her my phone and
she laughed like a toothless witch when I asked her for directions. “So this generation is fucked.’’
She said. ‘’If you go down the hall you will find yourself a map. Go and bother someone else.’’
‘’Did I ask for your nasty comment? I see no one has informed you that your teeth are as
unpleasant as your attitude.’’ I lashed at her. "I will not tolerate that disrespect from you, young
man." She lashed back. I forgot the world revolves around you. My apologies! How silly of me.
You bring everyone so much joy… When you leave the room.’’ She gave me an eye roll that
made me feel like she believed she really had a brain back there ‘’Rolling your eyes isn’t going to
help you find your brain back there.’’ I said trying to not burst out in laughter. To my surprise, she
laughed at it too. Then I found out why. A hand suddenly touched my shoulder and said: ‘’Young
man, go to my office right now!’’ I looked over my shoulder to see the principal standing behind
me. ‘’I’m sorry sir. I didn’t mean...’’ ‘’No excuses boy!’’ He said sternly. I could notice in the tone of
his voice he wasn’t happy. I sighed in disbelief and began walking in the direction that he pointed.
How could I possibly get into trouble on my first day? I don't think I can handle it anymore. My
mind is full of thoughts as I went towards his office. His assistant told me to sit down and wait for
him right outside his office. As I sat on the hard wooden chair, my nerves were getting the best of
me. The headache that had been plaguing me all day returned with a vengeance. I tried to take
deep breaths to calm myself down, but it wasn't working. My foot tapped nervously on the
ground, and I fidgeted with my fingers, unable to sit still. My mind was racing with thoughts, and I
couldn't seem to focus on anything. The anticipation of what was to come was almost too much
to bear. ‘’So the first day of school you decide to roast the receptionist. Good choice.’’ He said
with a smile on his face standing infront of me. As I looked up, I found myself struggling to
comprehend where he had come from. His words had caught me off guard, and his smile only
added to my confusion. Despite my confusion, he gestured for me to come inside, and I nodded
in response. As I stood up, I felt my palms begin to sweat and my legs grow weak beneath me.
The situation was overwhelming, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease as I followed him
inside. Thinking the worst I stepped foot inside the old-fashioned office with pictures of principals
before him. While looking around the room he said: ‘’Sit down boy.’’ With a slight nudge, I moved
the chair to the side, instantly feeling a wave of comfort wash over me. It was like no other chair I
had ever sat in before. ‘’Feels good ain’t it?’’ He asked, smiling. ‘’Yes sir. The best chair I ever sat
on.’’ I said as he laughed at my comment. ‘’Good. Now tell me what happened back there?’’ ‘’I
was a bit lost and decided to ask for directions at the reception, but then she made an
unpleasant remark which made me react impulsively. I know I should have reacted differently
and It won’t happen again.’’ I said regretting my decision. ‘’No need to regret what you did. She
can be a witch sometimes. I had to react sternly otherwise she would complain about me every
minute of the day.’’ We laughed. ‘’She has all the time in the world so she will make your life
miserable. So it says here, your name is Leo Woods, and it’s your first year here. You are a
student with a commendable academic record. You are a 17-year-old boy who was born on the
16th of October in Denmark. You moved to the United States when you were just five years old,
which must have been quite a change for you at such a young age.’’ "Indeed, it was a challenging period," I replied. "But I firmly believe that every dark cloud has a silver lining. As my
mother used to say, there will be light after dark." ‘’Good, that's the spirit. Now I believe we are
done here. If you ever wanna talk about it. I’m here!’’ ‘’Thank you for your offer, sir, but I don't
think it will be necessary.’’ ‘’Alright off you go then!’’ He replied. As I stood up from my chair, a
sigh of relief escaped me. With a smile plastered on my face, I nodded at the principal whose
name I still hadn't caught and walked out of the room feeling better than before. As I realized I
had forgotten to ask where to go, the bell rang, leaving me unsure of where I needed to be. As I
was walking, I caught a glimpse of Veronica passing by. Thinking we had English class together,
I followed her as she seemed to be preoccupied with her phone. As I was about to catch up with
her, we suddenly arrived at our class. Without missing a beat, we walked in together and she
immediately noticed my presence. "Hey, Leo! It's great to see you again. Why don't you come
over and sit next to me?" I followed her request and took a seat beside her. However, before I
could even start a conversation with her, the teacher interrupted us by closing the door and
announcing that it was time to begin the lesson. "Alright everyone," she said, "enough of the
chit-chat. We have work to do. Please open your books to pages 5-6 and start reading the
introduction." I sighed while Veronica rolled her eyes. I tried to hide my smile, but she had
already seen it. The remainder of the class continued to whisper amongst themselves despite the
teacher giving them a stern look that could have made them freeze in their seats. During the
lesson, there was an unexpected knock at the door. The teacher graciously welcomed the visitor,
inviting them to come inside. To everyone's surprise, the principal had arrived, apologizing for the
disturbance. The principal explained that there was a new student who was interested in joining
the class. The teacher extended a warm greeting to the new student, asking him to enter the
classroom. "Introduce yourself Kaden," said the teacher as the boy entered the room. With a
dismissive tone, the boy retorted, "As if everybody has to know.." However, presenting oneself
with confidence and clarity he rushed to his seat. He was impeccably dressed in a striking black
blouse, adorned with beautiful red roses. His black pants were tailored to perfection and revealed
just a peek of his crisp, white Calvin Klein underwear. To complete his outfit, he wore a stylish
Calvin Klein belt and black and white Nike shoes. Initially, I was inclined to distance myself from
him as much as possible. He couldn’t be any good to me anyway. As he walked past me, my
eyes were drawn to his noticeable bulge. He glanced at me and chuckled softly. Only my sister
knows about my attraction towards boys and I want to keep it that way. He gives off a bad-boy
vibe and I have a feeling he will be quite popular. Maybe he already is. "Don't worry about him,
Leo. He's just a jerk," Veronica said reassuringly. "I'm not," I replied, trying to sound confident.
"Let's just focus on getting this homework done." She agreed and didn’t pay any attention to the
rest of the class anymore. Sitting there, I couldn't shake off the feeling of him sitting behind me. I
turned to my side and saw Kaden stealing glances at me. Our eyes met briefly, and he gave me
a warm smile. I quickly looked away, feeling my cheeks grow hot. Veronica's question caught me
off guard, and I felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment. She seemed to find my reaction
amusing, and pressed on with her inquiry. "Is there anyone you have feelings for?" she asked,
her tone teasing but also genuinely curious. "Don't worry, you can tell me anything and I'll keep it
between us!" I hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to respond. "I don't," I finally managed to
say, but I could tell she wasn't entirely convinced. "Do you really think I would fall in love so
easily?" I asked, trying to deflect her attention away from me. "It's just a bit warm in here, okay?"
Veronica chuckled at my response, clearly enjoying the moment. We continued to work on our
project for another 25 minutes, until the teacher announced that we were finished and could do
as we pleased. Suddenly, Veronica's phone buzzed on the table. She glanced around before
hastily picking it up, but the look on her face indicated that the message was far from pleasant.
‘’She smiled nervously and took a deep breath before turning to me. ‘’I understand if this might
be a bit overwhelming, but I have an idea. Would you feel comfortable staying over at my place
tonight? I know it is very quick, but my parents can be protective and they like to get to know who I hang out with.’’ She asked. "Of course, I'm happy to join you tonight," I replied. "Oh my gosh,
I'm so excited! It's going to be a blast," she exclaimed. "By the way, do you know how to cook?"
she asked curiously. "Well, I'm not a professional chef, but I can whip up a few dishes. My sister
always compliments my cooking, but I'm not sure if it's just out of politeness," I explained. "That's
perfect! I can't cook to save my life," she admitted with a laugh. Her honesty put me at ease and I
couldn't help but feel even more excited for our evening together. As I spent more time with her, I
couldn't help but notice that my fondness for her was growing stronger by the second. I had been
yearning for someone in my life who possessed all the qualities she had to offer. Her presence
never will fail to brighten up my day, and I feel incredibly lucky to have her in my life. As the bell
rang, we knew it was time for PE. As we hurriedly packed our bags, Veronica sent a quick
message to her parents and then turned to me, instructing me to follow her. We walked out of the
classroom, with Kaden trailing behind us. He placed his hand on my back briefly, before turning
away. I wondered what that gesture meant, but it was probably nothing to worry about. As we
walked through the halls people looked at us with respect. Like we were in the higher hierarchy
of the school. Never have I felt so weirded out by something. As we walked towards the gym
locker rooms, Veronica told me about the large field beside the school, stretching till the edge of
the forest. As we entered the locker rooms, We parted ways. I couldn't help but wonder what
could go wrong. It was just a simple task of changing clothes, but I couldn't shake off the feeling
that something unexpected might happen. The smell of sweat and dampness filled the air, and
the sound of water droplets echoed in the background. I walked towards my locker, feeling a
sense of unease creeping up on me...