In the seeming chaos of high school, Charlie has always watched from the sidelines, his keen eye behind the lens of his camera capturing fleeting moments of beauty and ugliness alike. Since losing his grandmother, his world has grown colder, a mere...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
╔════ ❀•°❀°•❀ ════╗
*A/N: New chapter!! I decided to stick with my schedule of one update every week. Only 5 other chapters remaining with a possible bonus chapter! I hope you enjoy it!
⳾*⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*⳾
This was never how I expected it to end, but maybe, just maybe it was a blessing in disguise.
I was making my way out of the ghastly thing they call math when I saw Maya bolting out of the classroom like it was on fire. A concerned frown made its way to my face as I stood up from my seat and made my way to the door. God, I can't imagine what coming home would be like— that house, where so many good memories were made, but time made them scarce, and all that's left is an empty house devoid of any warmth.
I trudged softly out of the door, looking at my shoes; they were worn, I noticed. I looked up, approaching the main entrance, glancing at the students still lingering in the hallways and fleetingly wondering if their dad beat their mom too. The thought made me frown. I half-heartedly pushed the doors, looking up at the graying clouds above, wondering why life gave me such a crappy life and am suddenly overwhelmed by loud screams and voices blending with the harsh scuffle of shoes on the worn pavement that seemed to come from the parking lot.
I made my way to the lot and stop in my tracks as I noticed a fight in progress, more specifically involving Maya and a couple of the popular kids. Their eyes were wild as they braced themselves for a fight, a sick smile on their faces as they looked at Maya like she was prey and they would eat her whole. It was pandemonium as I looked around me; a wide circle had formed, leaving space for the fight to continue. The echoes of the voices of students reached my ears as I heard them scream, "Fight! Fight! Fight!" all around me.
My eyes were glued to Maya's determined stance as she held her ground, but it seemed to all fade as the whispers took over, whispering in my ears, "Why won't you help her?" "You'll always be a coward." I closed my eyes and clutched my head, harshly tugging my hair as I tried to make the whispers stop. "Make it stop, it's not real, it's not real." I counted my fingers as the whispers became an overwhelming buzz in my ears. I looked up and saw Maya being hit across the face; crimson blood dripped down her chin as she fell.
Everything was silent as the last whisper reached my ears, "What if she dies? What if you could have stopped it?" Something seemed to click in me; the only sound I heard was a distant buzzing.
I pushed through the crowd, my feet hitting the pavement hard as I remembered what my dad taught me, to fight. The buzzing in my ears grew louder with each step I took. I could hear my heart beating and my blood pumping as my vision narrowed, focusing only on the guy perched over Maya, the crowd blurring into an indistinct backdrop of chaos.
I felt the heat of anger curling around my fists, my palms clammy yet steady as I clenched them tighter. My face was a mask, void of emotion as I peered down on him with unfeeling eyes. My knuckles were white as I clenched his jacket, and I felt the warmth of adrenaline surging through me as I squared off against him. I snarled savagely as he turned to face me, a confused look on his face as he saw the soulless smile I wore.
