A Crimson Rainbow

Chapter 19

Needless to say, given we had watched some vampire movies last night, and today I found out another kid had died in a vampiric-like way, I couldn't get my mind off Stefi and Milo.  As such, I spent my study period in the library looking up vampire killers again, to see if there was anything I missed before, especially if it had been in Melbourne.  Despite looking everywhere, I couldn't find anything that matched these deaths, based on what I knew.
Before long, I had also looked up info in our internal servers about Milo, and discovered that there had been no reports of him being bullied for being gay, or for any other reason.  From all accounts, he wasn't popular, but he also wasn't a target.  He wasn't invisible, but he didn't stand out too much either.  He was just a regular student doing his thing.  In other words, there was nothing that seemed to make him a target.  Stefi, on the other hand, was notorious for being a bitch to students, not just me, so I always assumed that made her a target, but perhaps I was wrong.  Maybe it wasn't some sort of "revenge killing".
Just then, another thought crossed my mind - what if whoever killed Milo did it in the same way as Stefi to make it look like it was the same person?  I quickly pushed that thought out of my head, as it was too disturbing to think that both murders were done by different people.
At that moment, the bell rang signalling lunch break, so I cleared my browsing history, logged off the computer, and went to find Jared.  It's funny how, only a few weeks ago, it would have been Ellie I would be seeking out for comfort, but now Jared was the one I needed when I needed to vent or calm down.
Of course, I found him sitting in the courtyard talking to Gaurav and a few other friends.  Even though we were both out about our relationship, I still hesitated as I didn't want to intrude on his friends circle, so I hung back a bit, but as soon as he saw me, Jared's face broke into a smile, and he waved me over.
"You guys know Spencer, right?" He asked his friends.  They all nodded, and held out hands to shake/slap/high-five, etc.
"So you're the dude who is making my bro happy, eh?" Kai asked.  He was your typical Maori teenager - around 6'2", solid build, intimidating to look at, but a big teddy bear at heart. I couldn't help but smile, as his question was so genuine.  I knew how much he cared about Jared.  Even Kai's parents considered him Whanau (family), and with Maori people, once you are Whanau, that's it.  It's for life, so it is a huge compliment when that happens.
"Well, I mean, the feeling's mutual," I admitted, and giggled softly when I saw Jared blush a little.
"Nah man, that's really sweet," Kai laughed.  "Nothing to be ashamed of, bro. I'm seriously so happy for you both."  Kai leaned in as if he was about to tell a secret, so I leaned in.  "Not to speak ill of the dead or nuthin, but that Stefi chick was a real bitch, you know."
I burst out laughing - I couldn't help it.  It was totally unexpected, but so honest.  No filter. I was already beginning to see why Jared and Kai had been friends for so long.  Jared was always drawn to people who could make him laugh, which is probably part of the reason I loved making people laugh, now that I think of it.
"Oh, trust me," Jared jumped in.  "This one can be a little bitch too."
"Oi!" I exclaimed, slapping him playfully on the arm.  "Well, I mean, you're not wrong."
As I looked around, I saw Ellie walking towards the footy oval, but she seemed like she was in a daze.  I excused myself, and went over to her.  Despite calling out her name a few times, she didn't react until I reached out and tapped her on the shoulder.
At my touch, Ellie jumped, then looked around as if only just realising where she was.  "Are you ok?" I asked her, concern flooding my voice.  "You seem a bit out of it."
"Y-yeah," she stammered.  "I just - I - how did I get here?"
"I just saw you walking over here," I told her.  "I don't know what happened before I saw you, but ... did something happen to you?  Do you want to go see the nurse?"
"No, I'll be fine," Ellie stated.  "I just feel a bit light-headed.  Can you grab me some water?"
"Of course.  Sit down here" - I led her to the retaining wall surrounding the garden - "and I'll be back in a minute."
Since I didn't have a bottle on me, I figured it was quicker to just go to the vending machine and buy one for her.  However, in the 2 minutes it took for me to get the drink and walk back, Ellie had disappeared.  I looked all around the area, and couldn't see her anywhere.
Shrugging my shoulders, I opened the bottle and had a drink while making my way back to Jared.  Upon seeing me heading his way, he smiled.  He was sitting on the garden wall behind the bench seat, so he opened his legs slightly, inviting me to sit on the bench between his legs.
Once I sat down, he wrapped his legs around my torso, holding me in place, while carrying on the conversation with his friends as if nothing had happened.  I swear, this relationship is becoming better and more comfortable by the day.
Kai saw me, and gave me a nudge.  "You enjoying the new seat, eh?"
I laughed, then looked him dead in the eyes and replied, "I'd rather be on his lap, but I'll take anywhere between these thighs."  I even gave Jared's legs a pat for good measure, which made Kai burst out laughing.
"How have we never hung out before, man?  You're a crack-up."
"I dunno," I replied.  "Guess you only just got lucky now."
For the first time in a long time, I felt like I belonged.  Not just with Jared, but Kai was making me feel so welcome that I felt like I had found my people.  I had never been popular, only having friends that were more like acquaintances, apart from Ellie, but now, it was like other people wanted to hang out with me.
I was a little worried it was more a case of popular-by-association due to dating Jared, but I was happy to just enjoy it while it lasted.  I just hoped Ellie wouldn't hate me for it.