Flares - Book 1

0.1 - Lunch period

Thomas Deveraux was a fast runner.

    A statement proven true by his constant race to be on time just about anywhere he went. School, work, visiting his friends, just about anything with a specific time and Tom would be late or, on his good days, just on time.

    Today was no different than any other, he'd already missed his first two class periods and was ten minutes into his lunch. It wasn't his fault however, he'd offered to pick up an extra shift at his job in the local coffee shop and it got busy, or if he were lucky, he would have been out and on his way by his second period.

    He would be scolded for sure, by the teachers and his friends, he'd probably get put in detention, or get suspended, maybe the school would be smart and just expel him, rather than deal with his constant absences and tardiness.

I'm so screwed. He repeated to himself as he ran, pushing up the large hill as fast as his feet could carry him, his gym bag swung against his hip with his movements, the loose textbooks hurting with each blow sent, but he kept running because he was screwed.

    The school finally came to view above the hill, the concrete building hovering over him as it grew in size. The school was mostly windows; every classroom that had a wall separating them from the outside was built with glass, the only walls that you couldn't see in were where the bathrooms, the gym, the music/drama room, and the change rooms. There were three floors to the right wing, and two on the left; enough room to fist classrooms, computer laps, science labs, offices, gyms, and a library, all surrounding the main foyer and the cafeteria that doubled as an auditorium - for convenience.

    His pace slowed to a jog as he reached the front doors. There were 6 in total, allowing many students to enter at the same time, all made of glass with metal frames to shield from the teens hands. He moved through the nearest door, leading to an entranceway to allow students to wait for their rides without filling the foyer, behind that was another set of doors. He walked into the foyer, the wide space with a high ceiling decorated with long light bars and wooden geese; how Canadian could this place get? The inside was a beige colour with a blue-grey floor, it would look pretty dull if it wasn't for the abundance of art, whether it was framed or painted on the building, either way, it was a remembrance of the senior students from previous years.

    The floor had a painted picture of the school's mascot; a red devil, and around it were the signatures of those who have graduated, a beautiful tradition that showed the names of those who helped mould the school, and teach those who came after. Tom hated that tradition.

    He caught his breath as he looked in front of him, Klara Beckett leaned against a cement column, one of three that held up the bridge connecting the east and west wings of the second floor, and the only one unpainted by their classmates. She held a frown on her face as she scrolled through her phone, her earphones plugged both her ears drowning out the noise around her.

    He stood still as he looked at her, her long brown hair fell past her shoulders and covered her face, her light green eyes glued to the bright screen ahead of her. He watched her huff in annoyance as his phone vibrated in his pants pocket pocket.

From: Weirdo
Where the hell are you?

    He laughed silently, utilizing the fact that she still hasn't noticed his presence in the bumbling foyer before sending a reply.

To: Weirdo
Look up

    He watched her as the message was sent, her resting attitude face was now replaced with a wide smile. Her teeth were exposed as her eyes were partially closed from her high cheekbones, excited at the sight of her best friend. He loved her smile, how it simply took anyway any other look as if she's never gone a second without it. She walked up to him, her hair bouncing with each excited step as she reached the taller boy.