Usernames || A Garmau Fanfic

Twenty

The clock above the classroom door is broken, but I watch it anyway, waiting for the bell to ring and end my suffering. Our teacher's monotone voice drones on in the background; numbers and formulas and everything else that doesn't make any sense rumbles around in my brain. Laurance's pen taps steadily against his desk in a random rhythm.

If school is a prison, math class is solitary confinement.

When the bell finally rings, it feels like weight has been lifted off of my chest which sounds dramatic, but that's how much I seriously hate this class.

Laurance and I pack up our stuff as our teacher rambles on about homework due tomorrow or whatever and we exit that room as fast as humanly possible. We merge with the crowded stream of kids heading towards the cafeteria. The halls are loud and the voices of our classmates boom in my head.

"You okay, G?" Laurance questions, somehow still audible over the voices shouting around us.

"Hm? Yeah. Why?"

"You just seem...off today." He readjusts his backpack on his shoulder. "Even this morning you were barely even paying attention. Aphmau was worried."

My heart jumps. "She was? Really?"

He smirks and throws in an eye-roll.

"You're hopeless, you know that, right? And I mean that in the most affectionate way possible so don't even think I'm purposefully trying to be a jerk."

I smile slightly.

"Thanks, L. I'm okay. I just had trouble sleeping last night, that's all."

"Any particular reason why?"

"Not really. Just a lot of thinking about nothing."

"I feel that." He chuckles, reaching into his jean pocket for what I presume is his phone, but he doesn't bring anything out. His irritated sigh gives it away.

"You left your phone in class again?"

"Yup."

Now I roll my eyes: "That's, like, the second time you've done that this week."

"I know." He groans. "You claim our table, I'll be back in a second."

"You're leaving me alone?" My nerves shake.

"Just for a little bit. You know how fast the cafeteria crowds and we need someone to hold down the fort. I'll be back ASAP, I promise."

Before I can protest, he's disappeared into the crowd and I know there's no use following. He's right, our table would definitely be taken if I'm too slow. Sure, Aphmau could already be there, but I'm not about to take chances.

I push past groups of students, fighting to make it to lunch in one piece. Lunchtime is always a bloodbath. If you're too slow, you get trampled, and the weak get fed to the popular kids.

It's brutal.

The doors appear over the tops of heads in front of me and I almost feel safe enough to breathe.

Almost.

Because before I can take one more step, there's a rough hand breaking my shoulder. I wince, fear rising in the pit of my stomach because I know who's behind me.

"Hey, blondie," Gene snarls near my ear and I want to curl up on the floor.

"We still haven't praised you for standing up to us, have we?"

I swallow hard. I knew that was a mistake!

Students pass us by quickly, not wanting to get caught up in whatever's about to go down. A few give me pitying glances, but no one steps up to help. Most are trying to ignore us, fearing for their own safety rather than mine.