𝐇𝐨𝐩𝐞'𝐬 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 | Inquisitormaster & Zsquad| Danganronpa

☆𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟓☆ || 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐈 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐠 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐨

FRESHMEN YEAR- MARCH

~Alex's POV~

Ever since January, I have been staying with Charli in her dorm. A few times, I feel like I can leave for a little while and return to my room, but it would only last a day or so before I would go back with Charli. For the entirety of February I was faced with harsh whispers when I would pass through halls, irritating questions that not even I had the answer to, and believe it or fucking not, Jade is still avoiding me. After the quarrel that afternoon, I returned to the Nurse's office to check on her. She was there, but she wasn't talking to anyone. She was cooped up on one of the beds in the far corner, and Kevin had told me everything that Jade had told him; it wasn't much, but I made do with it and left it alone. A day or two later, I went to my dorm to give Charli a break from me, and low and behold, Jade was there. Again I tried to initiate conversation between us, to get a better understanding of everything that was happening, but she concealed herself in her room before I could even open my mouth.

And to add to that, the cheerleading season ended last week, too. We had a competition— we won second place— and a few extra practices after that where there was a rundown of what next year's season would look like. Of course, nothing had been going well for me, so during our last practice of this season, I was dropped. It was not a simple one, either. When I was popped into the air for a stunt, one of my bases had done something to their ankle, making them kneel to cradle it, and it distracted the others, too, including myself. Then, I fell. And blacked out for quite some time... And woke up in the mystical, magical place known as the Emergency Room, yay! With the news of a concussion. Luckily though, I was allowed to go home. Yes, home specifically since it meant that I didn't have to see a specific... Somebody. I stayed home the last three days of February and a day or two into March before being allowed to head back to school.

And today is my first day back. It feels somewhat refreshing, despite all of the questions flooding in from people I've never even seen before. Each time, I hold my breath and amble away, erasing their faces from my mind the instant they are out of sight. Once I slip into the hallway that our classroom resides in, I make it to the classroom without any more interference. The seat on the left side of Levi was not occupied today, so I sat there rather than my usual seat beside Jade, who had her head down on the surface of the back, the back of her head toward us. I sigh, turning my attention from her and fish a book— I had picked it up while on my "break" — out of my bag. The fresh scent of the pages wafts to my nose as I swipe through for the page I had left off on.

I finally get to the page, but the chance to read the first sentence does not come before the door slides open hastily, banging against its doorframe and startling everyone scattered throughout the classroom— even Mr. Gilroy. All heads turn to the empty door. The emptiness is filled in an instant with Kat, Skye, and Erza. Skye marches in after Kat, who looks wary as she wanders over to her seat, and Erza has a concerned look washed across her complexion. Before the opportunity to bring up any questions comes, Skye slices through the silence in a high, worried voice.

"You cannot play today!"

"I have to," breathed Kat. She brushes her chocolate bangs away from her face, and now I can see the tiredness sinking beneath her oddly dull eyes. This raises questions, but again, they are left unanswered.

"We know you think you do," Erza starts, "But, it'll be okay if you miss this one game—"

"No, it wouldn't! It's the last game of the season, I have to be there to play it," Kat sparks up with what I suspect is the little energy she has conserved.

Sometimes, I have to thank whoever blessed me with a nosy younger brother, who asks, "What's going on?"

Skye goes over to the situation eagerly with Erza adding the parts she had missed, but my eyes never once darted from Kat. She blinked slowly, her lavender irises void of any life or light, comparable to the shadows residing just above her cheeks. A nasty cough comes from the athlete, catching both Skye and Erza's attention at the same time. She shakes her head, waving a dismissive hand as if saying she is okay. Concerned looks still lined their faces before returning to explaining what was going on. I'm starting to feel worried about the state of Kat when she rubs the base of her neck uncomfortably, giving a throat-clearing cough.