With You

Dread

There's a heavy knot in your stomach as you bump around the back of the bus on the way to school. It's Monday morning you realize and you yawn. You look up and see the ebony haired kid a few seats in front of you on the other side of the bus; his face leaned against the smudged glass window and his eyes averted to the bland sights before him. His brother, Cronus you believe was his name, was sitting in the seat across from you, calling out Eridan's name and throwing paper wads at the back of his head. Cronus and his friends laugh hysterically as they start yelling over at him, calling out rude remarks and hurtful names. One of his friends wearing a red sweater and black jeans calls out to Eridan.

"Hey, what's up with that purple in your hair? Are you a fucking pansy or some shit?"

Cronus cuts in, "No no, Kankri, he's a fairy. That's why he's got pretty colors in his hair. Why I think that's even his favorite color. Purple. Isn't that right Eribaby? Hey, faggot! I'm talking to you! Ohhhh girly!!!"

Cronus, Kankri and the rest of his clique howl with laughter as they start throwing cigarette butts at him. Eridan keeps his gaze out the window and brushes off the trash thrown at him. Not even making a noise or breaking his gaze away from outside. You watch them silently, particularly Cronus as he yells gay remarks to his brother, laughing as Kankri backs him up. You notice that Cronus lingers his gaze on Kankri's lips as he speaks his awful words. But you don't give it much thought as another one of his friends, Kurloz snaps at you.

"Hey, short stuff, keep your motherfucking eyes all and up to yourself you fucking cunt. There's nothing you should be nosing around over here for. Mind your own fucking business."

You immediately look down at your lap, hearing another whoop of idiotic laughter and the slap of palms meeting each other.

The bus comes to a halt to let the students off, the knot starting to feel like a rock in your gut. You grab your bag and stand, immediately getting shoved aside as Cronus and his gang get up to follow Eridan, who had already leapt up and hurried off the bus. You step off and walk inside the building, watching the laughing and whooping gang ahead of you break off to go to different home rooms. The taller ebony haired boy walking behind the shorter and yelling his insults at him like always makes you cringe. Eridan steps up to his locker, his face smacking hard into it as Cronus shoves his head forward.

"Oops sorry there Eribaby didn't see you."

He cackles and heads down the hall to his homeroom, making Eridan let out a silent sigh of slight relief.

Your locker is one away from his, and you can't help but notice that his hands were covered in burn marks, his knuckles scrapped and scabbed. You go back to your locker and pop it open, listening to the mumbles coming from the boy next to you as he stands there, looking down at the tassels of his scarf in his fingers. You watch him silently as he speaks to himself. Then you realize he was praying, probably for mercy through this week you assume. You realize he had stopped and started rummaging through his locker for his books, making you snap back into reality to grab yours. Eridan pulls out his binder labeled "Science" and his book. You grab your literature, following his pace like you were copying him. As he shuts his locker you shut yours and he looks over at you weirdly. His eyes were tired and pained, with slight dark circles under them. You notice they were rimmed with red from tears. Something screams at you in the back of your head to tell you to say something to him. But you were too afraid to say anything. Obeying the voice yelling at you, you finally open your mouth to speak.

You can't even breath out a word before he breaks the short gaze and turns to the hallway. You sigh and turn the other way, the knot in your stomach tightening again for feeling so bad. You hear a laugh and a crash of paper and books, making you turn around. Eridan stands, staring at his belongings on the floor as the stranger that had knocked them away cackled. He kneels down to pick up his book, it only getting kicked away from him. It slides and ends up before your feet. You look down and pick up the book and step over to him. Eridan looks up quickly and flinches, fearing that it was someone getting ready to hit him. When he realized it was you his gaze softens and goes back down to his papers. You kneel down next to him and help him shuffle his papers up right. He hisses at you, his unfamiliar voice sending a chill down your spine.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

As the papers go back into the binder and the books go back into his hands, the both of you stand. You don't say anything, you only keep your gaze at his hands. You turn away and head to class, clutching your books to your chest, still shivering at the sound of his voice. Which was something you have never heard before.