The World Is Grey

Mystery Necklace

  Roman Sanders walks through the hallways of Franchise High, a big high school that almost every side goes to in the Florida mind world. Girls whisper as he passes, jocks raise eyebrows at the muscles he's not afraid to show. Roman's practically royalty at Franchise, and his best friend who happens to be another side of Thomas Sanders (of which they call their 'host'), Patton, trails behind Roman, trying to hold all of his books plus his bag and talk to Roman at the same time.
  "Maybe you should just focus on walking with your books," Roman suggests after Patton drops his books for the third time since entering the school doors, "instead of talking to me the whole time."
  Patton straightens from picking up his History textbook and let's out a big gust of air, not so unlike a sigh. "But I like talking to you, Roman," he says, speed walking in order to match Roman's fast pace. "You know that."
  Roman sighs, defeated. "Why don't you just put it all in a bag?"
  "Because," Patton says, all chipper. "The last one broke."
  Roman raises an eyebrow and looks at Patton out of the corner of his eye. "The really expensive one made for hiking and heavy loads?" Patton nods and walks up to his locker. Roman shakes his head and can't help but smile. When he gets to his locker he sees Y/N Summers, the most beautiful girl in the whole town, looking through her locker, eyes wide in a small state of panic.
  "Need any help, Y/N?" Roman asks. Y/N bumps her head as she tries to get out of her locker to see who spoke to her. She rubs her head gently, her H/C hair moving with her hand.
  "I'm fine," she says. "Thanks, Princey."
  She's the only one other than the other Sanders who call him that. Although, the football team is starting to catch on. Roman leans against his locker (which is right beside Y/N's) and peeks into her locker.
  "What are you looking for?" he asks.
  Y/N bites her lip and twirls a strand of her hair around her finger. "My necklace. I put it in here before gym yesterday and forgot it. Now I can't find it."
  I don't see how, Roman thinks, looking into her locker again, which is impossibly neat, even after she tore through her stuff looking for her necklace.
  "It must be pretty important if you're that frantic about it," Roman says while opening his locker, which is a bit messy compared to Y/N's.
  Y/N continues twirling her hair and biting her lip every time her mouth closes. "My grandmother gave it to me before she died. It's a family heirloom." Roman nods and grabs his Math book, when he spots something shiny at the back of his locker. He grabs it and is stunned by it's beauty. It's all silver, the chain goes so far before silver metal makes spiraled patterns, then meets in the middle with a beautiful pattern, an oval shaped diamond in the middle and a teardrop diamond hanging from the middle gem. Simple but beautiful.
  "Is this it?" Roman asks, turning to Y/N and holding the necklace up. She gasps and claps her hands to her mouth, her long nails painted purple and black. Y/N nods and Roman gently sets it in her hands.
  "Thank you," she whispers, the she reaches behind her head and puts it on, and that's when Roman notices the gold necklace, the chain ends with gold metal pointing down to make a stem and leaves, then a red metal folded to look like rose petals.
  "Where's that one from?" Roman asks, nodding towards Y/N's neck. Y/N blushes slightly and shakes her head. She grabs her English book and rushes off to class. Roman takes that as his cue to get to Math.

  Roman dribbles the ball, sweat rolling down his forehead. Roman stays focused on the ball and successfully blocks someone from stealing it. Roman straightens and makes the shot, his toes going down to make his jump a bit more lighter, his wrists flicking to guide the ball to the hoop, which goes in a swish. Roman's team cheers as the other team go to Coach Dichon, their feet dragging.
  "Well done, Sanders!" Coach D shouts. She's a slender woman, thin, but strong. You can see it in her biceps and legs, when she's wearing shorts, which is rare. Coach D turns to the losing team. "Hit the showers folks!"
  The losing team grumbles as they trudge to the change rooms. Roman wipes his forehead with his arm and walks to the door of the change rooms with the others, who clap him on the back or smile at him. Or, if on the losing team, glare at him.
  "Great shot, Ro!" his friend, Derek, says, high-fiving him.
  "Thanks," Roman murmurs. Inside the changing room, after everyone has left, Roman quickly gets changed, but as hears a banging sound and laughter. Roman goes to investigate and sees about three people pushing a familiar boy into the lockers.
  "Come on!" one boy says.
  "Say one word!" another adds, pushing the boy again. The boy's face grimaces in pain every time he impacts with the locker.
  The third boy puts his palm on the boy's forehead, forcing him to look up, so far up that Roman can see every detail on the boy's neck. Boy #3 leans in right close to the boy, smiling cruelly. The boy grunts in pain, his eyes closed, trying to get free.
  "What's the matter?" #3 asks mockingly. When he doesn't get an answer, he bangs the boys head against the locker, getting both a loud bang and  a groan. "What's the matter, faggot?"
  "Hey!" Roman shouts, stepping up to the three bullies. "Leave him alone."
  "Or what?" #2 sneers. Roman raises his arm, his hand in a fist, and brings it down on #2's face. #2 falls to the ground, clutching his face, he then stands and all three run out the room. Roman turns to the slumped boy and offers his hand. The boy looks at it and takes it, then is pulled on to his feet by Roman.
  "You good?" Roman asks. Virgil nods and quickly escapes, brushing past Roman like a wisp of smoke.

  Patton walks ahead, picking up rocks and tossing them down the sidewalk. Roman walks a little slower than usual, his hands in his pockets. It's raining today, not as heavily as an hour ago, but still raining.
  Faggot...What's the matter, faggot?...What-wha-...-atter, faggot?
  The word keeps echoing inside his brain, sounding like the distorted​ lines in some movies, they start with one thing, which echos, and all of a suddenly you're getting a cut off line, still distorted.
  I sat on the swings, gently moving my legs back and forth, when I'm pushed off from behind. I staggered and regained my balance, then turned to see two boys, Nathan and Ham, arms crossed and smirking.
  Suddenly Nathan's right in front of me, pushing me. Ham's suddenly at my side and shoved me to the ground.
  "This ain't no fag show," he said, sneering.
  Nathan stepped over my torso and bent down to get in my face. And punched me. I cried, my face still to the side. Nathan leaned in and whispered in my ear: "Faggots like you ought to be dealt with."
  "Hey," Patton says, shaking Roman's shoulder. "You good?"
  Apparently he stopped walking during the memory. Roman shakes his head to clear it and get rid of Nathan's voice. He looks at Patton and smiles. "Yeah, just some old memories."
  Patton stares at Roman through his glasses a moment more before nodding and continuing to walk. Roman walks at Patton's speed, hands still in his pockets, and looks down at the ground as he moves.
  "What was yo—" Patton begins, but is interrupted by a sniffling sound and quiet sobs. Both of the boys looks at each other and then run up to the alleyway ahead of them. They turn and see a teenage girl, curled up in a ball on a thin piece of cardboard, another piece covering her from the rain, barely. She's visibly shaking and trying to cover up with a small old piece of fabric.
  "Are you okay?" Patton asks the girl, rushing up to her. She turns towards him and they both see she's covered in mud to the point that she's unrecognizable. Patton repeats the question and she shakes her head. Patton removes his cardigan and rests it on her shoulders. She wraps it tightly around her torso, then Patton stands and walks over to Roman.
  "She's not safe out here," Patton whispers, peaking over his shoulder to the girl,who's eyes are closed and is rocking back and forth. "She'll freeze to death in this weather."
  "What do you suggest we do?" Roman asks, looking Patton right in the eye, who replies with: "Bring her home with us."

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