Talk to Me | Sabriel AU

Lonely

Gabriel walked into school the next morning, exhausted and his feet dragging alone the tile floor as he headed to his first block class. He had laid on his bed for several hours, just listening to the screaming of his parents as they fought and the then, the silence that hung over his head like a thick cloud. He didn't finally sleep until three that morning, but he was riddled with nightmares that left him gasping for breath when he woke up for school.

Nevertheless, when Sam walked through the door of their homeroom, he put on a large smile, patting at the currently empty desk beside him, where they could at least talk until class began. Sam's small smile made him all the more giddier as the boy took a seat in the desk, relaxing and leaning on the metal bar that crossed the right side of the seat.

"Morning, Sam." Gabriel said, leaning on his own desk to ale it easier on his stiff and heavy feeling body. "So, where did I leave off yesterday?"

Sam gave him a pointed look, and Gabriel let out a laugh, shaking his head. "Sorry, sorry. I forgot that you don't actually talk back. Well, in my head you do." Gabriel replied, smirking at his friend before glancing over as the teacher walked in. Still, they had five minutes to the bell, so he wasn't worried.

"Anyways, was I still on my life story?" Gabriel asked, earning a nod from Sam. "Alright, so when I was eight, I finally got my tonsils taken out 'cause they were making me so sick that I couldn't go to school for weeks at a time. So I get in there, get put under, and when I wake back up, the doctor is standing there with a jar of what looks like partially disintegrated vomit colored kool-aid. He told me he tried to put my tonsils in there for me to have, but they just fell apart as soon as they touched the liquid, and I'm just like, that was in there. That was in my body."

Sam made a digested face, and Gabriel wrinkled his nose, nodding. "That's exactly my reaction too, and maybe add a few 'What the fucks' in there too. My mom made me eat hot sauce because of that though, though jokes on her because hot sauce isn't hot if you put on the inside of your cheek and don't let it touch your tongue."

The bell rang, and Gabriel looked up in a bit of an accusing look at the wall before letting out a sigh. Sam stood, grabbing his backpack and giving Gabriel a small wave before going to his seat. A student soon took his place, giving Gabriel a glare, though the Shirley barely noticed as he leaned his arms on his desk, resting his head on top of it.

Time passed slowly in the class, as the teacher was doing notes over the joints, something that was really slow and tiresome for him, as most of them were mainly just vocabulary and things that he would just have to memorize. However, she was doing her best to make it as lively as she could, which at least made it a little better.

Halfway through the class, there was a knock on the door, and Gabriel raised his head in curiosity as the teacher stopped talking, walking over to the door and opening it quietly. The principal greeted her, a sullen look on his face as he whispered something to her. Her eyes grew large before she nodded silently, walking back over to Sam and placing a hand on his back and whispering into his ear. He nodded to her and stood, walking out of the room, the door closing on him and the principal.

"Where was I?" The teacher asked, her voice softer now. Gabriel furrowed his brows, looking to the door in worry as he waited for Sam to come back. He didn't even bother to listen to the teacher, focusing only the barrier between him and the hallway.

The door opened again and Sam walked back in, but the teacher gave no indication as she continued talking. Gabriel's eyes were on Sam the entire time, his fingers twitching as he tried to catch Sam's attention. Nevertheless, Sam never even glanced his way but took his seat back at his desk and laid his head down. The teacher would give him occasional glances, but said nothing else as she finished out the rest of the notes. They had about ten minutes left as the teacher ended the powerpoint, letting them pack up there things and chat among themselves.

Gabriel put away his notebook and stood, hesitantly moving over to Sam and crouching in front of his desk just like he did on the first day. He tapped Sam's head, but the boy didn't move a single muscle. Gabriel's eyes furrowed, and he shifted so he was crouched right beside Sam's side and peeked under his arm.

The boy was crying, tears running down his cheeks and onto his jacket sleeves. Gabriel's eyes widened and he straightened, tugging on Sam's arm stubbornly until the boy finally moved it just enough where Gabriel could see the redness beginning to form around Sam's eyes.

Gabriel pulled Sam closer, letting his arms encircle the boy and holding him close. Sam's face burrowed into his shoulder, but Gabriel just hugged him as his shoulder began to feel warm and wet from his tears. The bell eventually rang, but Gabriel didn't move until everyone had left the room, pulling back just far enough where he could look at the crying boy.

"Are you okay?" Gabriel asked, wiping away Sam's tears gently with his thumb. Sam just let out a small sniff before nodding and moving away from Gabriel completely, shakily grabbing his bag and hoisting it onto his shoulders. He wiped away more tears as they appeared, giving Gabriel a small wave goodbye before leaving the room. Gabriel watched him go before letting out a sigh, going over to his seat and grabbing his own backpack before giving the teacher a nod, ignoring her sad eyes as he left the room.