Dance of the Angels

Chapter 20

With hot (for once) pasta, Naomi looked around the bright and chaotic lunch cafeteria. Teenagers loudly insulted each other (some in friendly banter, some in a not so friendly way) or gossiped about other people who were only sat a few tables away. Even though laughter and chatter filled the air, Naomi could hear Ryan’s voice.

Naomi headed over to her friends and was happy she could smell the deceiving delicious smell of the seemingly nice school food. Ryan smiled as he saw her heading over to them. She sat in her usual seat opposite Ryan and set down her food. As she ate, she heard Ruby whistled at the couple.
“Look at the two lovebirds!” Jen called out. Ryan looked to Naomi who hid her feelings well as she just smiled and blushed.

“Ryan and Naomi sitting in a tree-” sung Ruby.
“Oh my God,” Ianto groaned. “Do you two ever shut up?” Ianto covered his ears with his hands in a futile attempt to block out the girls’ voices and Ruby and Katie joined in singing the childish song.
“K-I-S-S-I-N-G!” Ryan rolled his eyes while Naomi awkwardly laughed and turned even redder.

“I have a feeling everything's going to be great,” said Ryan.
“Yeah,” Naomi half-heartedly agreed while guilt gnawed at her conscience. She had taken away Lucifer’s freedom and trapped him in Hell. He was family, he was her brother.

“Hey, Naomi,” said Ianto, disrupting her from her thoughts.
“Oh, sorry,” she said, forcing a smile on her face. “I zoned out.”
“It’s okay. Did you get my text the other day?” Naomi shook her head.
“I don't think so, I was busy dealing with my family over the weekend though.” Ryan rolled his eyes at the vague understatement.
“Oh, well, did you see the news about the woman in the car crash?” he asked hopefully.

Naomi’s eyes widened as she recognised the name.
“Darius!” she exclaimed. “Was that your cousin?”
“Second cousin or cousin once removed but yes! It was,”
“Oh God, not again,” muttered Katie as she shoved an entire oreo in her mouth.
“Let me be proud of my family,” said Ianto. “Or… him because I could never be proud of my parents.”
“I know that feeling,” muttered Ruby.
“Same,” agreed Naomi with a frown.

“Did you hear about Mr Jones not turning up for work today?” asked Jen. Naomi and Ryan faked surprised looks, knowing the real reason she hadn’t showed up.
“Apparently he didn’t even call in sick,” added Katie. “There’s gonna be a new mentor next week.”
“Maybe everything might not be great,” sighed Naomi.
“Yeah, we are in high school,” agreed Jen, making Naomi smile at the truth of her words.

“Oh, I also think Mr Morris is pissed at you two for disappearing yesterday.”
“Fuck me,” groaned Ryan with a mouthful of crisps.
“No thank you,” said Ianto. “Naomi on the other hand…”
“Oi!” she exclaimed.
“We covered for you both, said you were with Mr Jones because of Naomi’s panic attacks,” said Jen.
“Thank you so much,” said Naomi, letting out a relieved sigh.

“It can’t be that bad though, can it?” said Katie. “It’s only Mrs Morris.”
“My brother told me something once,” said Naomi as she remembered what Michael has said to her.
“What was it?” Ianto impatiently asked. Katie playfully smacked his arm and shushed him to let her speak.
“There is good in all people.”
“Mrs Morris doesn’t count as a person,” said Ruby. Her girlfriend nodded in agreement.
“Definitely not a person.”

As Naomi looked at the people she considered friends, she realised she would have to hide so much from them. Who she really was, who her family was, why she didn’t like making skin contact with people. She would also have to hide the fact that she knew Ianto was a murderer. She smiled as she felt happiness swell inside of her, pushing her guilty feelings to the back of her mind.

These were her friends. And as Michael had said, there was good in all people. Sometimes there was less, sometimes there was more.

But Naomi could see the good in her friends and that was all that mattered to her.

The End.