He Left Sparkles in his Wake

Blood Under the Bridge (Jirard)

(So, this chapter is a bit graphic. It's still pg 13, but if you are squeamish, you may want to be cautious.)

Richard felt cold. He felt cold inside and out. And yet, whenever he thought of Jirard, he felt warm again. It had quickly become almost a life line: when the cold became too unbearable, he would think of Jirard and suddenly, everything was okay.

The bell pulled Richard back to cold reality as class ended for the day. He slowly gathered his things and shuffled out of the room. An elbow smashed into his arm, causing his books to scatter to the floor. The other student muttered an apology out of courtesy before walking away. Richard stooped and began to gather his things. He stood once he had everything back in it's place and prepared to head back to Bluebell. A gentle tap on the shoulder stopped him in his tracks. Richard turned around and saw Jirard holding his book. Richard flushed and gave a soft grin.

"Thanks Jirard." He said softly and slowly reached out for the novel. The Normal Boots member tucked the book in among his own books. He wasn't smiling. Richard felt his smile falter. "Um...Jirard?" Jirard's eyes brightened slightly and the corner of his mouth twitched in an attempt to smile.

"Richard. Do you, um, want to come to the meeting today? I was going to go to my locker and then go to the club room, but we can go to your locker too." Jirard elaborated equally as softly. Richard's jaw dropped slightly.

"I have a locker? I've been lugging my books between my room and class everyday for weeks now!" He exclaimed bitterly. Jirard smiled and grabbed Richard's planer. He flipped it open to find a locker number and combination on the first page and gestured with his head.

"Down this hall and around the corner. It's closer, so we'll do yours first." He said before leading the younger boy towards the infamous locker. Richard pouted slightly but eagerly put the books away once he found and opened the locker. Jirard handed Richard his book before he could close the storage, but the American tucked the reading material under his arm and used much more force than what was necessary or what he had to close the door. Jirard smiled Richard for a moment before he turned and walked further down the hall to his own locker. He put his books away and paused before closing it.

"You know, you never told me how you really are feeling. You...maybe you should go see Creeps." Jirard said softly. He didn't look at Richard as he said it, but Richard could tell that his eyes were likely full of disappointment. How could he not be disappointed in me, Richard thought. He shook his head aggressively; feeling dizzy afterwards.

"No. I...I'm okay. Let's...uh...go to the meeting I guess?" The shorter one asked with uncertainty. The Normal Boots boy nodded after a moment and closed his locker. They .walked in silence until they were outside of the door. Richard hesitated and nervously looked around. "How did you get Shane to agree to let me stay for a meeting? I'm not a member. And I'm clearly not wanted." He muttered the last line under his breath. Jirard nervously laughed and grabbed the door handle.

"I didn't ask." He said simply before opening the door. The chatter in the club room died down exponentially as they walked in. At the sight of Richard, Jared leapt out of his seat. He started to move to escort the interloper out, but stopped in his tracks. Jared's face drained of any anger and was replaced with concern. Richard grit his teeth and turned his face to the floor.

"Richard? Are you okay?" The ex asked nervously. Jared could only pity Richard; any malice he had towards the small boy immediately left him. PBG rushed over and turned the boy's face up to the sky so he could examine him. Richard felt his energy draining; he let the significantly taller man mess with his face with rag doll like resistance. Richard was sickly pale. His eyes looked cloudy and lost in some other world. His skin was abnormally cool beneath Seanut Butter Gamer's hands. The very tall boy pulled away and looked at Jared.