My Shadow

Lurking

As promised ☺️ here's to you Anissa.
Hope you'll enjoy ❤️
LIGHT TRIGGER WARNING BTW
********************

"6 months.." Larry mumbled to himself as he dressed up his injured forehead pulling some of his twists over it. He didn't know why he was making such a huge effort this time when usually he would let it bleed out a little before wiping it and going on about his day.

You're stalling.

He shook his head in denial and felt as if he was being watched again but he couldn't worry about that now, he needed to go to school and going to school meant pretending that everything was okay.

But everyone knew...
His teachers, his classmates, the staff. He knew they saw the various bruises on his neck, arms, and legs. He knew they could see the marks along his wrist. They weren't blind or dumb, they just didn't care. They were all just as bad as his parents. Looking for attention they called it.

He put on his school blazer and crossed his satchel over his shoulder. Staring at himself in the mirror, he began to question if he was even still human. The dead look in his eyes seeming more distant than anything. He caught one of his bruises peeking out from under his collar and tilted his head in slight disgust. He couldn't do anything about it so he just shrugged his shoulders and turned to face the door.

It was back. He didn't know what it was but it was always there. The shadow man who seemed to lurk around him, he thought the house was just haunted but the man seemed to be where ever he was, standing there with blood red eyes. When the man first showed up he was scared mindless thinking that his lowly life was now worse and quickly thinking back through his day wondering how he had managed to summon a whole demon. But the shadow never seemed to do anything but watch him. He even took small comfort in the man's presence. He could feel him constantly in dark corners, down dark alleys, even leaning over his bed at night. The man never made a sound but Larry knew that there was something more to him.

The shadow man held dark energy immediately suffocating the small bathroom and while Larry should be calling for a priest, he figured that the man was safer than his parents and even his classmates and way more than his homeroom teacher.

"You're back," Larry whispered, "It's been days."

The figure's eyes seemed to glow brighter in acknowledgment before deeming again when it laid eyes on the new poorly concealed bruises. The man seemed to lean back against the wall. Larry swore he saw it nod but he couldn't be sure. All he could do is look up at the clock on the wall and go out of the public restroom.

Larry pulled his hood over his head, he didn't need to draw attention to his appearance as he made his way towards the school gates. He paused when he reached the entrance, just seeing the school name in the bright golden metal did nothing but make him cringe. It was fake. It was all fake. The school was the poster child of private schools, known for their attractive students with genius level IQs and yet they are all monsters with they're masks shielding them. Walking through the courtyard he couldn't help but scoff at the boys and girls going about their morning as if life was good. He didn't hate them all but he desperately wanted to know how that happiness felt. He too wanted to come to school and hear someone yell his name in joy as they ran to him and walked to class. He wants to eat lunch, to fill his stomach with food for once. He just wanted to breathe. Was that too much to ask for?

Once through the main doors, he changed into his school slippers and moved to his locker. Opening the door a flood of letters rushed out and littered the floor. Larry could hear the burst of laughter around him as he bent down and began picking them up. The words 'Die' and 'Kill Yourself' stood out to him the most but he wasn't phased any more. He got these daily.

How boring.

Larry nodded in agreement while he dumped the last notes in the trash. Changing out his books and closing the locker, he shuffled down the hall and up the stairs to homeroom. Spotting the door, he brushed off his hood and straightened his shoulders while sliding it open. Outside he could hear the sounds of typical school kids giggling and running around the room chasing each other but as soon as he stepped in they turned silent. Many with their faces constrained as if they were struggling to hold in their laughter. It was completely confusing to Larry as most of the time they would throw paper at him or just toss slurs at him. After he found his desk though, he understood instantly. One of the girls had written 'Die' in giant red ink covering the entirety of the brown faux wood.

The kids broke into fits of laughter, one would have thought someone told a funny story with how rowdy they collectively became. Tears even streamed down some of their faces in joy.

"Fuckin loser," one of the boys wheezed out between his laughs.

But Larry just calmly sat down and pulled out his pencil pouch along with his study book. His classmates continued in their useless rants all of it falling on dead ears, Larry was beyond the point of being deaf.

At 8:30 on the dot, their teacher, Mr. Shin, came in. He was punctual like that. With his hallowed out halo calming the other archangels, they rushed to their seats to make a good impression.

"Alright kids, I've gotten word that the class rankings would be out soon. As always I expect that we would be first. This is class 1 after all. It would be a shame to lose any of you." Mr. Shin spoke with a condescending attitude while rotating his cheap cuff link. "That is all you may prepare for self-study, I'll tell you when I get the ranking results."

"I hope we don't lose anyone except Larry." Some girls whispered while unpacking their bags, sneaking peeks at the boy sitting in the back corner.

This, of course, didn't escape Mr. Shin, "What are you girls whispering about over here?" He smiled gently striding confidently to their area.

They both blushed and one finally stuttered out, "N-nothing, Mr. Shin. Just girl talk ya know?"

He nodded before making his way over to Larry. His hand finding purchase on the boy's shoulder before sliding across his back to the other side. Mr. Shin leaned down to the boy's ear, smirking darkly to himself when Larry didn't even flinch away anymore.

"Same time, same place. Okay? You know how I hate lateness." He whispered, squeezing his arm.

Larry froze but eventually nodded. It wasn't like he had a choice anyway. And it definitely wasn't like anyone cared.