From The Other Side

22. on edge

TWENTY TWO
on edge

Thursday, April 3rd

First period was uncomfortable for August.

               The whole time he was trying to focus, he caught some guy staring at him, and he wasn't sure if the kid was being hostile or curious. He'd gotten plenty of stares for his leg, but this one felt different. Different enough to put him on edge.

                  It was when their teacher left the class momentarily that August turned and made direct eye contact, maintaining his harsh stare to try and silently tell him to fuck off. He truly didn't understand how he got terrible anxiety with presenting things, but had no problem confronting people like this. He supposed it came down to how important it was to him.

But the guy didn't budge. His eyebrows rose in surprise, but then reverted back to their original state, the only thing really changing being the smug smirk on his lips making an appearance. August held back a scowl; this was beyond annoying.

                     He turned back around, holding his pen tightly between his fingers. If the guy had a problem with him, or if whatever he was staring at him for was important, he'd ask him. He shifted in his seat. It didn't help that he looked scarily familiar. He couldn't pinpoint exactly where he'd seen him, or if he'd seen him at all before.

When the bell rang minutes later, the kid wasted no time getting up. August's shoulders tensed, and he finished putting his things away before he went to leave, but a voice saying, "August, right?" stopped him in his tracks. He balled his hand into a fist as his side, the other clutching the strap of his bag tightly.

He turned around, frowning. "Yeah, why?"

The boy grinned, following August into the hallway. "Knight?" August nodded hesitantly. "You knew my brother."

August froze. He couldn't be talking about someone from here. If he was, he'd know this guy. But he didn't even know his name, so what was going on? "Who's your brother?"

"Jay Anderson."

The name made August's blood run cold. His nails dug half-crescent moons into his palms, and he kept his eyes focused in front of him so this stranger wouldn't see the panic blooming in his eyes. Jay Anderson. If this kid was Jay's brother, did that mean Jay was here too? He was closer. August didn't feel so safe anymore.

Jay Anderson.

August could feel his limbs turning into air—could feel his lungs caving in and his hands shaking. His heart thrummed, and he felt the same way he'd felt that night. Full of anxiety, full of fear, and full of panic. If he didn't know any better, he'd think it was happening all over again.

"Hey," the stranger snapped, curling his fist into the fabric of August's shirt, shoving him backwards. "Don't act like a fucking victim. It's your fault Jay got expelled. Your fault that his whole career is over, and it's your fault he got kicked out by our parents."

                        August stumbled, felt his leg give out when he tried to keep himself upright, and he dropped to the floor, the back of his head smashing against the lockers. He could barely feel it from the adrenaline coursing through his veins like wildfire. He looked up, wide-eyed, could see this kid looking at him like he was nothing but a squashed underneath his shoe. Could feel the curious and watchful eyes of his peers, but no help came from them. It's that night all over again.

                        The Anderson boy crouched down in front of him with a scowl, with eyes full of pure hatred, and he said: "You took everything from him." His voice was low, quiet, only for August to hear. "If you hadn't fucked with his head and made him believe he was gay like you, none of this shit would be happening. You're nothing."