Camiga -> Magica High [Book 1]

Chapter 9

-Lavanya's P.O.V- 

I look around at the students of Camiga High. They all look beyond sad, scared, thoughtful, curious, or guilty. They all stand in a perfect bow around me except one person is out of place.

The one who stood out was looking down the whole time before he walks closer. I look up as he stands before me. Suddenly, he drops to his knees in front of me. He his eyes meet mine, I see incredibly sad green eyes. 

"Benjamin?" I ask him weakly. He cups my face and then pulls down the sleeve of his blue hoodie, stroking the soft fabric over my cheeks. He's wiping away my tears.

I look him in the eyes the whole time he holds my face, then he pulls our heads closer and rests his forehead on mine. I sigh and close my eyes. Benjamin strokes the back of my head and aside from that, he remains completely still and quiet.

When we pull back again, thought, he gives me a smile that makes me feel a pressure on my chest.

"It's okay not to be okay. Sam taught me that after our big sister committed suicide two years ago. Cara was our mom after mom died when we were 2. Dad was just there to keep us fedd, dressed and so we had a home to walk home to. After sam and I started high school, dad hasn't shown his face at all..." he tells me, speaking just loud enough for me to hear him.

I look up to where Sam is standing. He looks so sad and broken here he stands. When he notices me looking, he wipes under his eyes quickly and gives me a comforting smile. I smile back before I return my gaze to Ben. This time, I pull my sleeves down on my right arm and wipe under his eyes instead. He gives me a dry chuckle then leans over to me and embraces me in a comforting hug.

"I also need a hug." I look up and see Ember there. She goes to her knees as well and puts her arms around both of us, sniffling slightly. Ben smiles and wraps his arm around her as well as me. One by one, people approach us, joining this hug. 

"I'm sorry I left you on your own. It's just... My little brother died in a car accident with my parents. They drove into a tree and you made a tree grow out of nowhere. It just kind of freaked me out and made me overthink things," Ember mumbles to me. I give her an extra squeeze, making her smile a bit.

"It's okay." I assure her. "I forgive you."

"It was kind of cool, though. You trapped him in a tree and totally cheated with catch up." The people around us crack small grins and giggle or chuckle.

"I've never played fair," I tell her sheepishly. Ember giggles and attacks me in a proper hug. As we hug, I look around at all the people to see them all hugging someone as well. Everyone but one person. He stands all by himself.

Bradly.

He looks around, seeming quite lost and confused. He eventually looks beyond guilty and out of place. Taking one last glance around, he meets my eyes for only a second before he runs away from here.

"What are you looking at?" Camile asks me.

"Oh... Uhm... Nothing," I answer, not sure why I lied. I just have this feeling that I should lie about this, which doesn't make a lot of sense, but I stick to it.

"Cam and I are orphans too, you know. Kind of. Our mom died of alcohol poisoning and our father got a death sentence in jail for something I haven't quite figures out yet," Camile says.

We eventually scramble onto our feet again and then everyone for some reason share their stories with me, even Laila. She mostly talks about her dog, Prada, and how she had been ran over, but I guess that can make you extremely sad as well.