Conflicted Eyes, Confusing Feelings | Complete

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Awesome fanart done by PissedFujoshi! 😋😏

#HONOURED 😊😊

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Care too little ... you lose them.

Care too much ... you get hurt.

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Convincing Cecilia that he'd fallen down the stairs was one of the hardest things Sage had ever done in his life; and even then, she still didn't seem to believe. After all, it's not every day that you get a swollen cheekbone and black eye from "falling down stairs".

Somehow, he'd also managed to convince her to not force him to go to school the next day. His face as still swollen, throbbing quite excruciatingly, almost confirming his claim that his jaw was no longer intact. He'd tried putting ice on it, but it could only do so much to nullify the pain.

Just the mere thought of going to school again set off something in Sage—the sudden urge to cry. He was absolutely terrified. Never in a million years did he think something like this would ever happen to him, nor did he think Xander would get so vile against him.

Sage had previously thought that they were on their road to friendship—maybe even something more—but there was obviously no chance of that happening. Normally, the bully would be in denial as to their feelings to the person they harmed, but the wild, animalistic look that Xander had in his eyes told Sage otherwise.

His mind suddenly drifted to Carlos, where his heart began beating fast in an instant. If Xander could get so violent, he was sure that Carlos would have no qualms doing so. The way Carlos looked at him told so, and if that wasn't enough proof, just look at the way he tackled Sage in the try-outs. He was ruthless, merciless, and Sage knew that one way or another, he'd have to cross paths with him again.

Sage leaned into his pillow, a loud sob escaping his lips. His eyes were pooling with tears, the knots in his stomach multiplying, leaving a dull ache that was gradually building up, intensifying. Using the back of his hands, he wiped the tears away. They weren't going to help, and he knew well, but they seemed like the only way to release the tension in his body.

He didn't want his mother questioning his sanity again.

He didn't want to look weak.

He didn't want to feel weak.

But he cried nevertheless. It was what he always did and he was powerless to resist them for too long. The tears always won.

He found himself wishing, hoping, desperately praying to God that this was all a dream. He just didn't get it; he was a good boy, stayed out of fights, drugs and all the things teenagers indulged in, but he fell victim to something else. Something worse. He refused to think that God would let something like this happen to him. Why did it happen to him? He was weak-minded, weak-willed, weak just about everything. Couldn't this had happened to a stronger person? One who could defend his or herself and or actually had friends?

Sage lurched even further in despair when he thought of Carly, Brennan and Ava—how they just left him to the wolves. He understood that they were girls, assumed to be 'weak', but the least they could do was stick by his side. Or not? Was this how friends were about? Ditching each other at the most convenient time?

Did real friends even exist?

After what seemed like two hours of tears, Sage finally fell back on his bed, blankly staring at the ceiling, not even bothering to fall back asleep. Even though it was 2 am and school wouldn't start until the next five hours, he stayed awake. Going to sleep was pointless, as the barrage of worms stuffed in his stomach would never permit him to.