That night, Caden was able to use his brother's laptop. He immediately went on Facebook and opened his chat with Claire.
Caden: "How are you? Have you gotten home safely?"
Claire: "Yeah."
Caden: "Have you told your mom about what happened?"
Claire: "No. I'm scared, Caden."
Caden: "Why? You were a victim. You have to be brave."
Claire: "I just can't."
Caden: "Well, do you want me to help you tell your mom about it?"
Claire: "No. It'll be weirder than it already is."
Caden: "Alright, I understand. Have you had dinner already?"
Claire: "Yes. Thanks for looking out for me Caden."
Caden: "Don't mention it. That man was an asshole. I hope he gets locked up."
Claire: "I'm really sorry you got beat up. Did your mom scold you?"
Caden: "Not at all. We had a deep talk about it. She was chill."
Claire just reacted to the last message with a heart. Maybe she wasn't in the right headspace yet to talk about the incident. Caden didn't mind. Maybe she needs to do stuff at home too.
The weekend ended almost too quickly, and it was Monday again. Caden slept in the classroom that morning, his head buried in his arms. When Mr. Flores finally came in, he was woken up by his seatmate.
"Woah. What happened to you?" Jake asked.
"Got in a fight with a hobo." Caden replied.
"That's so awesome. I didn't know you were such a bad boy." Theo told him.
"What's so awesome about a hobo pinning you down on the sidewalk?" he replied.
"People have probably taken videos of that too. God, that would be so embarrassing." Caden added.
"When did it happen anyway?" Oliver asked him.
"Just last Friday when I walked with Claire. That bastard. If only I'd been stronger, he would've left with less fingers." he replied.
Caden then turned to Claire's direction. She just sat there, staring at the floor. She hasn't moved on from the incident. The skin around her eyes had turned dark, her hair frizzed at the edges like she didn't comb. She didn't look very good.
Caden walked up to her. He put a hand on her shoulder but was quickly flicked away by the girl.
"Oh. It's you." said Claire.
"You don't look so good." Caden told her.
"I know. I still haven't moved on from it."
Caden's mouth turned into a straight line. "I'll help you through it. Okay?"
The day just carried on like normal, the teachers giving their lessons, the students not absorbing any of it. It was mundane, nothing special was happening.
That lunch time, the five boys sat together, eating the usual rice bowls sold at the cafeteria.
"What's wrong with Claire?" Tyrone asked.
YOU ARE READING
Those Damn Dimples (BL)
RomanceA lot of Caden's later years were spent with the absence of his father, a man whom he had always wanted to feel by his side. He longed for his father, to feel safe in his arms when he's in peril. The man was always abroad, working. Caden had conside...
