Perfection (Red Wrists 1 REWRITTEN EDITION)

Part Eight

(Tim)
I sat there in bed, staring at my hands as they rest on my knees. The silence in my room was deafening as I felt the loneliness thrive around me. I was used to the feeling, since I felt it literally everywhere in my daily routine. But with Emma around? It was this spark of childhood wonder that lit up myself and everything around me. She made me feel like a child. It was such a jarring difference between the colorful, childish wonder and the ever-crushing loneliness of being on my own.

Sure, I had the people I lived with. At this point I would even call them family. But my relationships with the people I lived with were almost strictly business.

And the simple thought of someone hurting Emma? It drove me insane. It was a feeling I couldn't wrap my head around. I'd just met her, and within a short few days, she had already had such a huge impact on my life.

I lifted my hands to my head, groaning in annoyance as I laid back onto the blankets that covered my bed. This is agony, I thought, thinking of just how much worse the lonely felt ever since I met her.

As I became lost in thought, an abrupt knock sounded on my door. "Tim?" said a voice from the other side. "Tim, I know you're in there. Open up!"

"The door's unlocked," I grumbled, preparing myself for another one of the dorm-master's lectures.

(Emma)

When I woke up, an immediate sensation of dread filled my chest. But I couldn't figure out why. I went downstairs, through the dining room, the living room, no signs of Mike or Kara. I wasn't the least bit bothered by this new fact. I didn't want to spend any more time near them then I had to. As I exited the front door, I was greeted by a cold breeze directly to my face. I shivered, pulling myself into a hug. Too late to go back in for a jacket, so I trudged ahead and kept my head low.

On the sidewalk just ahead of me, right before I got to it, two young males walked past me. They seemed not to notice me, lost in conversation as they passed by. I walked behind them, their bodies providing some shelter from the wind. 

The walk to school was pretty much uneventful, but upon arriving at school I saw Tim waiting up for someone by the door. The two guys in front of me waved to him, rushing on over and leaving me completely vulnerable to the wind.

"Hey man," one of the dudes said to Tim. "It's been a while!"

Tim seemed far less than thrilled to see the two guys in front of him. "Harper. Pax. Back from camp I see? So early, too."

The one he referred to as Pax, a thin boy with auburn hair and a striped blue-grey jacket, replied. "Ah, don't pretend you didn't miss us. Besides, we heard that you might have a little crush on someone here?" Pax adjusted his jacket, pulling his hood up to mock a bonnet as he tilted his head to the side.

The expression on Tim's face remained calm and at ease, if not annoyed when the other guy began making kissy sounds with his lips. This other guy had raven black hair and pale skin, dressed in a simple blue collared shirt. I didn't notice it before, but he didn't have a jacket on. How was he not freezing?

The two looked at least half a head shorter than Tim, but that stil left them half a head taller than me. They must have been at least two grades below Tim and I.

Tim groaned at the two, lifting his hands on the opposing sides of the two heads, knocking them together with a thunk that I heard from my spot a fair distance away. The two younger guys backed away from Tim's arm reach, rubbing the spots their heads connected. "Damn dude, you didn't have to do that," Harper grumbled.

"Did I though?" Tim replied, glaring at the two.

Pax chuckled a bit, looking up at Tim and saying under his breath, "Can't wait to see little miss Emma's reaction when she hears about this."

Did they just-?!? My cheeks flushed dark red as I stared at the three boys, at it was at that moment Tim noticed me standing there. His face got a shade of red too, but definitely not as dark as mine felt. "Emma!" he exclaimed, taking a step towards me, landing right between the other two guys. "Uh, How long have you been standing there?"

I felt me cheeks grow even redder at his question, feeling embarrassed that I had been spying on them. I covered my face with my hands, running through the crowd that nearly blocked the doorways. I glanced back when I felt like I was a good distance away, seeing that Tim had not ran after me. He had instead stayed with the two younger boys. His blush had gone, and his face looked almost like Mike's did when he was very angry with me. It sent a chill down my spine. From this distance, I couldn't hear what they were saying. Either way, the crowd was pushing me down the hallway before I could wait to see if Tim was headed my way.

I got to the classroom without any other issues, only to remember that my usual classroom was blocked off due to the death. Just as I was about to wander off, the principal's voice sounded off behind me. "Need help finding the new room you're in, Emma-May?" I looked up at him, nodding a bit. He looked my face up and down, as if inspecting me.

"How's that neck healing up? Are you okay?" I nodded again, gently rubbing the bandaging. He nodded his head to the side, leading me through the crowd of students as he directed me to the classroom I'd be staying in.