Crimson Eyes

Chapter 30

The next day was Tuesday, and I was able to convince my friends to drive me to school. There were a few things in my locker I wanted to grab. There was very little hope in my mind that my mother would allow me enough time to clean it out after I got home. She'd probably already signed me up for a school far away. 

Getting in was easy seeing as I was still a student. I was given a tardy pass and a sharp scolding before being sent on my way. I had strict instructions to head straight to my current class, but I ignored it. I had no intention of going to class after all, I was just there for my locker. I reached it in no time, dropping my bag on the floor in front of it while I put my combination in. I found the book I'd forgotten that Friday and slipped it into my bag. I was rummaging around through the mess of papers, making sure I hadn't forgotten anything else that was important. 

"Midoriya?" 

I snapped my head out of my locker as soon as I heard the voice. Sero was standing a few feet away from me, watching my actions in confusion. 

"What're you doing? Where have you been?" he asked, one hand going to the back of his beanie. "I thought you said you weren't going to ghost us anymore. Kiri's a mess, dude. I don't know what happened between you two, but even Bakugou's acting weird about it." He was talking a million miles an hour, something that the usually composed stoner didn't do often. 

"I'm leaving," I told him a half-truth, cutting off any more questions before they could spew from his mouth. "My mom's gonna ship me off." 

"Shit, dude," he said, releasing a large breath. "Why didn't you tell us?" 

I shut my locker, grabbing my bag, and slinging it over my shoulder. "Just drop it, Sero. I'll be out of here in a few days and then you'll never hear from me again. Let it be a clean break, it'll be easier for you." My voice was cold and logical. The further I removed myself from the situation, the less shitty it felt. If that made me a cold-hearted asshole, then so be it. 

"Whoa dude, I don't know what you and Kirishima got in a fight about this time, but you don't have to cut everyone off because of it." He held his hands out before him as if he was approaching a wounded animal. It annoyed me just a little bit. "You two should just talk, I'm sure you can work through whatever is-" 

"I cheated on him, Sero," I cut him off. I didn't want to spend any more time in that school than I had to. "So I'm going to boarding school and you'll never hear from me again." 

It was a lie, obviously, but it was the picture Shinsou had painted yesterday. It was an easy out, really. The only sure way to make them all give up on me. It didn't matter that the thought alone made me want to vomit. 

I kept my eyes on the ground as I turned on my heels, not wanting to stick around and wait for his brain to start ticking again. I already felt like the worst person on the planet, I didn't need him to tell me that. I was so focused on getting out of the building as quickly as possible, I almost ran right into someone else. 

Eijirou and Katsuki had been standing a foot or two behind me, I wasn't sure how long. From the looks on their faces, it was long enough though. They looked... shattered. For a fleeting second, I worried they'd physically fall to pieces in front of my eyes. 

I was like a deer caught in headlights, it was pointless to try and look away from them. I was rooted in place, unable to form thoughts or move my limbs. 

"Iz..." 

I took a loud, deep breath, physically shaking my head to restart my body. "Ugh, that was weird," I admitted, eyeing them cautiously. "You really shouldn't look at people like that, it's creepy." I was acting my ass off, hoping that at least Sero would buy it.