Chapter Text
Dayne was ignoring the problem. Oh, that was nothing new; he tended to avoid the problem to the point where it got more than a little out of hand, but this was different. Usually, the “problem” was homework, his parents, or the ever-looming possibility that he was failing math. Not his friends.
Most kids he knew had either two or three really good friends, or else they had a lot of acquaintances. He, on the other hand, spoke to only eleven people. These eleven kids were his figurative family, which was so why it was so strange that he was avoiding them. On this particular Wednesday, he stuck his head out of the supply closet, looking around the cafeteria. He pulled up his hood, covering his bright blue hair, which tended to attract attention.
He was so close to the lunch line, when a hand grabbed his shoulder, spinning him around. He looked up… and up… and up. Until he was gazing up at the tallest boy in the entire tenth grade. Muave Tarette was staring down at the slightly short boy. His black hair was buzzed close to his head, his chocolate colored face glazed with sweat from gym class. His dark eyes glared into Dayne’s green ones.
Dayne cleared his throat. “Um, what’s… what’s up man?” He shrunk slightly, shrugging off the jock’s hand. Muave sighed, exposing his unusually sharp canines.
“Dayne, don’t even deny that you’ve been avoiding us. You,” He pointed at the pale kid. “Haven’t spoken to any of us in almost a week.”
Dayne edged backwards. “Um, I haven’t… haven’t been avoiding you, hehe…” He felt his fists clenching and forced them to open. “I just, uh…”
Muave looked down at him with concern. “D, are you okay there man?” He reached out to steady the smaller boy, who was suddenly really dizzy. “You look pale…”
Dayne saw his huge, calloused hand reaching for him and slapped it away. To his horror, the hand didn’t just move away, it flew. Muave was spun with the force. He crashed into a table, smashing his nose into the fake wood. The cafeteria quieted completely, causing the teachers to look up in confusion.
There, by the lunch line, the trouble maker stood above the football captain, a straight As student. Muave was crumpled on the ground, unconscious. A thin trickle of blood ran down from his nose. His chest rose and fell, but in anyone’s mind, he was dead.
Suddenly, a sharp voice cried out. “Muave!” A thin African-American girl ran over. Her unusually green eyes glittered at the sight of her boyfriend on the floor. She looked at Dayne. “What… what happened, Grincheux?” Dayne couldn’t reply. He was terrified. One of his best friends was kneeling by her boyfriend’s limp body.
“I-I’m sorry.” He sprinted past her, past his other friends: the shy invisible girl, the redheaded boy with the anger issues, the nerd with the habit of talking too quietly, the overprotective big sister, the pothead who knew everything about everyone, the blond Irish cheerleader, the German kid who seemed to exist for the heck of it, the gay boy with the makeup, and the “emo” kid with the piercings and scary good impressions.
The shy girl, Robyn, his best friend since third great grade, reached out to grab his sleeve. He ducked under her arm and sprinted toward the exit. He slammed the glass door in the front open, running out into the parking lot. He ran, and ran, and ran, and didn’t stop running until he was home, in the house, upstairs, in his room.
His side ached and his breaths wheezed. His brightly dyed hair stuck up on its black roots. His black hoodie seemed too warm. His jeans had a rip in the knee from when he’d tripped. He shut the door, sliding down until he was sitting on the floor. He took some deep breaths. At least… at least he hadn’t punched Muave. That would be… even worse.
'Rokuyi Daynu, calm down. At least now they won’t try to talk to you. You’re a freak, and now that they see that, they’ll leave you-' “Baby, I’m a different breed. Baby, I’m not listening. So baby, I’m an ADT, baby.” He cursed, yanking out his phone and hitting Decline Call. 'Soapy…' He sat there, waiting for his emo friend to try to call him back. Nothing. Good. That… that was good...right?