No Strings Attached

CHAPTER SEVEN

I woke up that morning with no desire to be awake at all, a very accurate telling of how my day would go.

I trudged to the bathroom and brushed my teeth. Staring into the soulless figure int the mirror, I looked, well . . . soulless. The colour on my cheeks was lost, the only distinct features left being dark bags that hung under my eyes, constantly reminding me that I was not only failing my father, but also my body.

The idea that I didn't immediately accept what Hades said to me said truckloads of me. I was the one who preached having an open mind, to be accepting. Why was this so hard?

The more I stared the mirror, I realised it wasn't that I didn't accept him, it was that he didn't trust me. Which still made me feel terrible.

I waved Hades off, but there was a shadow that hid his face from my view. I couldn't see his expression, but I could feel that he was trying to judge mine.

I tried to make things as normal as possible, but it was hard cracking jokes when your voice was cracking. And I tried to smile, but it came out all wrong, like someone with a bad memory tried to draw from how they remembered. I tried to emulate happiness, but it was I was feeling it through someone who had never felt before.

Walking into school felt like a curse. I was forced to look not grumpy for the next six hours, no matter what happened, because someone was always waiting to spread a rumour about someone else. It was like walking on eggshells. No amount of peeling ANTI-BULLYING posters on the walls from years ago could change that.

"Nico!" Will exclaimed, grinning ear to ear. I didn't even know faces could stretch that much. "How was your day yesterday?"

"It was good," I said, and I sounded exhausted. Made sense considering I had gotten under two hours of sleep. "How about yours?"

Will paused. "My day was fine. Just did the homework I needed to. Maths and English. Kayla and Micheal were being annoying. Austin rewatched Star Wars. Oh, I would've loved to join him."

"Ah, that's nice." I said, and as bad as it sounded, I wasn't really listening to what he said. I was far too caught up in my own mind, which was, in truth, not a very friendly place.

"Are you okay?" Will asked.

"I'm okay," I said in a way that I knew he was going to ask, and no one who was okay ever expected anyone to ask. "There's some things going on at home."

"Oh," Will said. He sat down in the seat next to me, the wooden chair creaking with his weight. "I'm here to listen, if you want to talk."

I stayed silent, hoping he'd take that as a no, but there was a large lump in my throat, and I was blinking too fast for it to be normal. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. And so, at seven in the morning in an empty classroom, I cried.

My sobs were large and loud, like a downpour of rain blurring your window, but it blurred my vision. I still couldn't talk. Any sound that came out sounded similar to a bird being strangled. Will Solace looked half-alarmed but composed quickly. He took my hand and lowered his head, so it was levelled with mine, which was cowering from crying.

He pulled out a few tissues from his pocket and handed them to me. I quickly wiped my eyes and focussed on breathing slower. My quickening heart rate slowed down. I slumped on the chair, my eyes puffy and cheeks red. He stood there, like an angel, a godsend, smiling softly and offering his support.

"My offer stands," Will said, his tone much less an excited kid and more of a mature adult. "You can still talk about it to me."

"What happens when something you thought was true was a lie the whole time?" My voice cracked. Will blinked and hummed in thought. I was worried that was too vague, but still too personal, but if it was, Will didn't mention it.

"Everyone reacts differently," Will said, picking his words carefully. "But I'd take a while to process the fact, then I'd try to have a conversation with whoever to access the situation, if there's a person involved. If not, straight to the therapists on the internet."

Will patted my back. He felt for it, like he was examining every bone that he could feel from the surface. It was a soothing feeling, that someone cared about me. I didn't know if I could take something like that to Percy.

Will Solace was breathtaking, bathed in the morning sun, his face aglow and his searching eyes pouring all over me. He looked like an angel. There wasn't a single bad bone in his body, I knew. He was a special kind of nice, good natured and always willing to offer a smile. I couldn't say the same for myself.

But Will Solace made me feel in full. All my emotions. They were bright, loud, like colours of the rainbow. Will Solace did that.

"It's my dad," I said, without much thought, which was rare. I always thought about what to say. "My mother and him aren't soulmates and now he's met his soulmate." I cowered again. "I feel so betrayed."

Will Solace stared at me with a certain intensity, but there was nothing unkind in his eyes. "I understand, Nico. You have every right to feel that way."

"But I shouldn't!" I said, a little too loudly. "I'm the one who keeps preaching about being open minded."

"Nico," Will interrupted. "I've known you for two days and I already know well that being openminded isn't the issue. I'm no expert, but I definitely don't think you're prejudiced against your parents, or your dad and his soulmate."

He pushed a strand of hair behind my ear. "You're shocked. And were lied to. Let that sit, Nico. Cut yourself some slack. You're allowed to feel anything. Acting on certain feelings," Will added. "Can be bad. But you're not. Just sit down and feel."