The Creature He Is

CHAPTER 9

Needless to say, that when the next day came along, Craig had two giant bruises on him from where he was grabbed and where he had hit the tree. He decides to spend that day at home, and tries to think of how to deal with the marks for school the following day.

By the time Monday comes, Craig is still feeling a bit weary and somewhat on edge. He didn't really want to go to school, but not going would be liable for questions from his friends, and they were questions he really didn't feel like answering. So with no other choice on what to do, he goes about getting ready.

His walk to school is tense. Despite the fact he's out where there are people around him, it didn't ease the worry that gnawed at the back of his head. The worry of what happened after he left those woods, what had happened to Kenny. And also Kevin, who he hoped he'd never have to see again. When he gets to class, Kenny isn't there, but he's not surprised by it.

Lunch comes around and Craig spends it with his friends, thinking that it's probably a better idea to be somewhere where there are a lot of people, and not risking it being alone. It goes by, and soon the class that Craig had been dreading all day arrives.

Gym.

He was worried about the bruises on him being seen while changing, so he wore his gym shirt under his jacket to avoid having to change his top. Luckily, he didn't have to worry about his legs, so changing into his shorts wasn't an issue. All he had to do was be careful that the mark on his arm wasn't seen, because the bottom of his sleeve just barely covered it. And it didn't help that it was so dark either.

Unluckily for Craig though, his teacher had decided for them to play basketball today, which means Craig had to make sure not to jump or move his arms too much. For the most part, he's able to keep his composure, aside from a few winces in pain here and there and having to use his other arm to toss the ball, he was doing alright. And after a while he even starts to tell himself that maybe he'll make it through class without anyone noticing the mark. That is until a rogue ball, that someone throws, ends up hitting his side just as he gets ready to throw his own ball.

His grip loosens on the ball in his hands and he lets out a cry in pain as it falls to the floor.

"You okay there?" Clyde asks, looking at him.

"Yeah... I'm fine," Craig gets out, his arm holding his side.

"Sorry!" the classmate who threw the ball yells, as Clyde tosses the rogue ball back to them.

"You sure you're okay?" Clyde asks again, with a concerned look.

"Yeah," Craig replies and bends down to pick his ball back up.

He's so preoccupied with trying to internally subdue the burning feeling in his side, that he doesn't pay full attention to the sleeve on his arm being pulled back, exposing the bruise's dark color, as he goes to grab his ball from the floor. Shit, Craig curses to himself and quickly tries to hide it once he notices that Clyde is looking at it with surprise. He however, doesn't say anything about it, and instead just hands his ball to Craig as he takes the one still on the floor.

"Thanks," Craig mumbles, as Clyde walks off with it and goes about their practice throws again.

Once class ends and everyone goes about changing and exiting the locker room, Craig quietly makes his way over to a mirror, away from the few who are left in it, and lifts up his shirt to examine the bruise. He winces as he turns to the side to get a better look at it. It had gotten a bit darker from the impact earlier and a sigh escapes him as he covers it back up again.

"I knew it."

A voice says, and Craig's heart stops when spotting Clyde's reflection in the mirror. He turns around fast to face him.