*(Is this all we see?)*

~*Chapter 17*~

Midnight slowly walked into his homeroom class. After everything that happened Midnight wanted to just get the day over with. And maybe ask Noah about his 'friend' he's never said the name of. 

Whoever he was. 

If Noah was in ties with his friends, or most of them; the other friend would be too. 'Why am I so curious about him?' 

"Midnight." Mr. Jay called out his name, and when Midnight looked up his eyes were sternly pasted on his. Midnight shut his notebook. "Yes?"

"I asked you a question." He walked to the board and pointed to a math problem. "This." 

For a moment it felt like Midnight's body was going to burst. His anxiety was hitting him in the face. It felt like everyone was looking at him. They had to be. "Uh..I--Is it 56?" Mr. Jay nodded. "Correct. Very good, but remember to pay attention next time."

He nodded and peered back into his notebook. He was not really focusing on anything, more in a daze than anything else, like a vision but he couldn't remember it. Like he wasn't there. The drawing had a boy, someone maybe older than him. He was tall, with short fluffed hair. His eyes were empty, it was hard to tell who he was. 

But the drawing puzzled him. It might have been a manifestation of the vision he had a few nights ago. But he wasn't exactly sure. He wasn't sure if it was a real person. 'It looks like Noah. Only taller.' 

After class had ended Midnight rushed to his locker, putting everything back--keeping his hand in for a moment until taking back out his notebook. He gazed at the cover for a moment until tucking it under his arm. 

"Hey kid." His locker slammed in front of him, notebook fell out of his closed arm. Midnight jumped. 

Levi. 

Midnight shivered at the idea of having to confront Levi again. Especially in the same day. Midnight assumed he would be in lunch detention, like he always was. Yelling out in class or being caught smoking on school grounds. 

"I'm talking to you." Levi adjusted his own shoulders and pushed him over.  Midnight would have fallen, but he caught himself on a locker next to his arm. "I-I-"

"He can't even speak this time!" Levi cackled. "I swear this kid is bipolar. One minute he's a little strong guy, the next he's a fucking mute." 

One of his friends stepped next to him, crossing his arms he scoffed. "Pathetic little kid. He doesn't belong in New York, let alone alive." 

Midnight looked down to his notebook on the floor, one of the boys saw and sarcastically gasped. "Oo a little journal.What is this; your diary?" 

Levi took it from his friends hands, flipping through the pages with a chuckle. "He's an aspiring artist. He'll never get anywhere." Levi took the tip of the pages, pulling at the paper until they ripped from the spine. He threw all the pages on the hallway floor. "Stupid kid." 

"You know? I think physical confrontation will make him do something." Levi tripped him on the floor, picking him up by the collar of his sweater. Midnight wanted to groan at the pain in his body. "He will finally say something, fight back like a man." 

"Hey!" 

A new voice. One he never heard before spoke up, an arm grabbed on Levi's shoulder. Someone almost as tall as Levi. When Levi dropped him back down, he stood up straight. Midnight slightly sat up. 'Who is that?' 

A tall boy, his hair dark and his eyes a light shade of brown. He stared blankly at Levi. "Can we just go to lunch? It's a once in a time opportunity to finally go to lunch. You actually didn't smoke on school grounds." He scoffed quietly.

"Only because you stopped me." Levi gritted his teeth.

"Maybe because I actually want to go to lunch for once. Can we go?" 

Levi growled. "You're too soft." He bumped the new boys' shoulder. His eyebrows folded as he shot an angry glare at Midnight before he left. "This isn't over mute." 

Midnight expected the last mysterious boy to go, but he hung back hesitantly, starting to pick up the papers all over the floor, he opened the notebook and pressed the papers inside. He picked up more and looked quickly towards Midnight. "I'm sorry--I mean--" He laughed. "I couldn't watch you stay here on the ground alone. With almost a hundred papers on the ground. "And--first lunch is almost over." He pressed the rest of the papers in and handed the book to Midnight. Then he held his open hand out. 

Midnight put his hand in the other boys and helped him up with a strong pull that immediately put a stumbling Midnight on his feet. "Tha-thanks." 

"No problem. You're Midnight--Levi--" He stopped. "I'm sorry about him. He's just so cruel and doesn't know when to stop beating up kids like you." He flattened out his jacket. "I'm Nick. I hang out with those assholes..Mostly Noah though because he's the only real guy."

"S-s-So you're friends with Noah?"

"Yeah." 

"I've um..talked to him a few times. He helped me after.." Midnight swallowed hard. "After Levi picked on me one time."

"I'm not surprised." He looked up. "Here. I'll bring you to lunch." 

~~~~~~~

Nick brought Midnight out to a tree on a small hill outside, he said he would be back but Midnight waited a while. Maybe he forgot about him. 

"Sorry.." He shrugged his shoulders. "I got caught in lunch line--here." Nick handed Midnight a sandwich. "It's all I could afford."

"It's okay.." Midnight looked up. "You're moving right?" 

"Yeah. How did you know?" He had a puzzled look plastered on his face, his eyes looking over. Midnight brushed a hand through his hair. "Noah was saying you weren't at school because..I saw him this morning and he told me you would be gone to help your mom move." 

Nick started unwrapping his sandwich and shook his head. "My mom wanted me to go half of the day at least. She was so stubborn about me missing anymore school." He took a bite. "Even though it doesn't matter."

"O-oh."

Midnight began to eat, his eyes focused on the ground. He worried to look at Nick.  'Is he going to say something else?'

"Uh..I." Nick finally spoke up, tucking the wrapper in his jacket pocket. "Are you okay?"

Midnight rubbed at his arm with a nod. No, he wasn't. Mostly after Levi assaulted him those days back. He still remembered the feeling, the heart wrenching feeling of his entire body being frozen. But he couldn't possibly tell Nick. "I'm fine just have a lot on my mind. School and the holidays..It's so much to think about."

"Well winter break is coming up." Nick shrugged. "You doing anything?"

Midnight shook his head. "No. I'm not..Probably going to study." 

As Nick looked like he was about to speak, they both heard the bell ring from the inside of the school. Midnight began to stand up, but as he tried to walk back into the school, a strong hand snatched his wrist. "Hey..you have social media right? Just so we can talk over winter. You will be board and so will I. Maybe you can tell me when Levi bothers you." 

"But you have friends to hang out with..I'm just this guy you should bully and pick on." 

"Nah. I would like to help.." He shrugged, letting go. "I don't know. You can go. Sorry I bothered you. Talk soon.." 

Midnight clutched his bag. "Yeah." He smiled. "Yeah I'll try." 

__________

So ye they just met! Nicks a little comforting guy so he's actually nice. Well, more to come! 

Thanks for reading!

~Liz <3