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Silver exited his room, looking at the empty shell of a house it was, no one was actually in the house except him, it was normal at this point. A person who acted like the best to see the insides of him thought he was worthless. A worthless, worthless, boy he thought he was, why else would his parents never be at home? It was like this ever since he was younger, but all he had to do was get used to it.
Silver grabbed some instant coffee from the pantry, chose a random brand, and put it on the side. He started to boil the water in the kettle, grabbing a mug and pouring in the instant coffee. As the water finished boiling, he poured it into the mug, stirring it carefully to make sure the liquid didn’t spill. It wasn’t better than a non-fat oat milk latte with six pumps of artificially flavored syrup, it was good for something made in a minute or two.
He checked over his contact list, looking at several scams from desperate dealers who had no life, simply blocking them and continuing to scroll through contacts while he drank some of the coffee. It seemed no one had messaged him yet; it was normal. No one would possibly message him at this time; after all, it was midnight. Though he wished he could talk to someone at this time or feel like something other than nothing.
After he had his coffee, it was a good time to take a walk to get things off his mind. He could take a walk around the school campus, it was only a 10-minute walk after all. He put on some winter gear, putting on some fluffy gloves that were supposed to be his father's, did they care though? So, he grabbed his bag and headed out of his house, taking in the star-filled skies and the cold winter breeze, It was a good night for Silver to take a step or two.
Silver stepped along the sidewalk, his fluffy brown boots tapping along the concrete, tap, tap, tap. He passed empty, dark homes, street lamps flickering above him as he traversed the concrete path. When he made it to campus, the sign at the front called it ‘OJ High School. ' It seemed the principal just slapped his name on there. Silver sighed at the high school sign, simply staring at it before continuing his walk.
As Silver continued, he noticed a flame at the corner of his eye and knew who was there. Even if seeing the melty wax wasn’t regular at midnight.
“...I didn’t know you were out at this hour.” A voice called out for Silver. Silver turned around to see the lady by his side, nearly hitting his head on the brick wall before catching himself.
“Candle-! Don’t scare me like that. It’d be better for the both of us.” Silver sighed as he stood back up, dusting himself off.
“Silver, you know you must be careful during this time, it’s midnight.” Candle teased Silver as she looked at Silver, who leaned back on the hard wall.
“Dear, I am… But you can’t just throw me off the edge here.” Silver said as he looked up at Candle, who went to grab the royal blue candle, shining brightly in the dark, gloomy area. He did call people dear; well, it was a simple nickname after all.
Candle held the flame up to Silver, around a foot or two away from Her as she watched the flame burn. Silver wondered why she was even holding the candle so close to him, taking a step to the side.
“...Dear. What are you-” Silver said this cautiously before being interrupted by Candle, whose flame was still burning at the same radius, glowing the space between them.
“Spoon, I’m not going to hurt you…” Candle said as she let the flame burn, seemingly zoning into it before heading into the grassy field, pulling Silver along with her.
“What is the meaning of this-?” Silver asked as Candle dragged him along, going into the grassy field…
“Come along, Silver…” Candle said calmly as Sliver was looking behind him, going further and further from the building.
Candle went further into the field, to the point where they could barely see the school. Was she doing this on purpose—or? As Silver questioned his thoughts, wondering what Candle was planning… They stopped. Candle placed the candle on a tiny concrete platform, and sat down in the grassy field.
“...Candle why did you drag me along..” Silver said as he sat down as well, sitting across from Candle, the royal-blue flame sitting between the two of them.
“You’re troubled, Silver… You know that.” the candle said as the flame glowed and illuminated the area between them.
“That’s my problem dear, now make like a bird and fly away.” Silver scoffed as he looked away from her, acting as if this was fine.
“Sigh, that's the wrong saying… If it’s not that bad of a problem, would you have been drinking coffee every chance you get?” Candle questioned as the breeze flew, the royal blue candle still shining brightly.
“...I’m not drinking coffee every second, dear. That’s foolish.” Silver said as he looked back at her.
“Then why does the thermos you bring to school always smell like freshly roasted coffee beans? The scent has been getting stronger,” Candle asked as the tension slowly got thicker.
“You think of me as a coffee addict? Oh, I’d never.” Silver ignored the seriousness of that, not taking the fact that he did- increase the number of shots of expresso he puts in his coffee… Probably around- 3 shots? It’s not that bad…
“...I’m warning you. It’s getting concerning…” Candle said as she looked down at the candle, the royal blue wax clearly melting.
“Candle. Is this what you wanted to talk to me about? My- so-called addiction and that’s it?” Silver asked annoyed as Candle looked back at Silver, showing a more- worried expression.
“There’s more to this Silver. Your aura has been slowly fading into- dark blue.” Candle said as the royal blue wax continued to melt, hitting the candlestand.
“And.” Silver questioned as he listened to Candle, not knowing why she was concerned about dark blue out of everything.
“You’re miserable.” Candle said bluntly, looking at Silver’s denied expression.
“Excuse me? No, I am not miserable-” Silver objected before getting quickly interrupted, Candle simply telling the truth.
“I didn’t mean it as performance-wise, I meant- feeling-wise…” Candle corrected as she waited for a response, the royal-blue wax still dripping from the stand, drip, drip, drip…
“I’m not miserable either way,” Silver said, denying that recently he’s been… struggling with himself- but it’s fine.
“Besides, if I were miserable I’d be asking for more help than you’d expect.” Silver continued, seeming like he quickly shrugged her concerns off when he knew she was right… ‘GOD HOW DID SHE KNOW- WAS IT HER WITCH POWER THINGS?’
“Uh huh… Would you?” Candle said she was still skeptical about Silver’s reply. She was onto him… And he knew it.
“Oh, please. You don’t know what’d I do under pressure.” Silver scoffed in denial, he wasn’t accepting it.
“Alright…. Just…. contact me when you’re ready. If you are…” Candle blew out the candle before it could melt and walked away, Silver reached out his hand before- changing his mind. He couldn’t possibly need her- not now… He was perfect. It was fine.
Silver stood up and walked away, trying not to think about it on his walk home. Even though that whole interaction was all out of convenience, he couldn’t help but start having doubts about what he did—he was fine. It was all okay. He didn’t need help right now—maybe later—but he didn’t sleep that night. He couldn’t stop thinking about what she said.
The next morning, Silver grabbed his stuff, put on his winter gear, and walked to the cafe. He ordered his four-shot non-fat oat milk latte with six pumps of artificially flavored syrup, and after getting it, he poured it into his thermos before sealing it tight. He was not dealing with any side talk as he walked out of the cafe, paying them. As Silver walked to campus, taps hit the concrete path.
He felt a wave of exhaustion hit him before taking a sip of the coffee, feeling the caffeine hit him. When he made it to campus, he headed to class not batting an eye, just wanting to not think about it. As he headed to his desk, he took off his bag and put it to the side. When he sat down, he just slammed his head onto the desk, thermos on the side… He swore he could smell the scent of roasted coffee beans.
His mind was still thinking about it… That interaction- that voice... No- he was fine, he didn’t need anyone’s help right now.
“SILVER!!!” A voice yelled out from the back of the room, clearly shouting at Silver, Silver quickly came back to reality as he turned around.
“What?” Silver asked bluntly as he stared at his fellow student, piercings on every end.
“IT’S TIMEE!!!” Yang shouted again as Yin looked over, seemingly concerned for his brother… Which, it is weird to have your twin brother in the same class as you isn’t it?
“Brother, we’re surely not actually doing it after school, are we?” Yin said calmly as Yang turned to Yin.
“Yin, we’ve been waiting for this for FOREVER!!! Come on, why can’t we?!” Yang said as Yin pulled out his Chromebook, clearly scrolling on a tab.
“2024, December 20th, almost arrested due to-” Yin was quickly interrupted before Yin could finish, Yang not appreciating the sudden crime leak.
“IT WAS FOR BOOM-BOOM!!!!” Yang contradicted the white-haired teenager.
“At the Christmas Party, out of all things!?” Yin still said half-calmy, trying not to get the other on his nerves.
“YOU ONLY CAME THERE FOR THE JELLO FOUNTAIN!” Yang shouted in front of the whole class.
“NUH UH!” Yin exclaimed.
“YEAH UH!” Yang exclaimed back.
“NUH UH!” Yin said once more.
“YEAH UH-” Yang said for the second time.
This fight went on for a good 10 minutes, Silver constantly staring in disbelief that this was all happening in a second while he continued to sip on his coffee. He needed the caffeine to go through him before the teacher walked through the door, still staring at the fight commence.
“Oh, sorry I’m late!” A voice said calmly from the door, closing it shut and locking it before looking at Yin and Yang.
“Golly, I told you guys to stop fighting, didn’t I?” The person said as both the brothers turned to her.
“Ms. Tube, I reassure you this isn’t what you think it is–!” Yin said before getting interrupted by Test Tube, who wasn’t going to let this slide.
“Yin, I told you about this… Just- don’t keep on trying it.” Test Tube said bluntly before heading to the front table and setting up her computer.
“Golly, it’s been a while since we did this!” Test Tube exclaimed before turning the projector on.
“Ms. Tube, does that mean-” A random student said before getting interrupted by Test Tube’s announcement.
“Well geebweezers, you caught me! We’re doing a pop quiz!” Test Tube exclaimed in front of the class, most of them groaning in disappointment and agony.
“I HATE QUIZZES!” Yang said before getting shushed by Yin, who wasn’t dealing with more trouble for the two of them.
Silver simply sighed at the stack of papers being passed around, Silver sipping more of the pure non-fat caffeine as waited for Test Tube to finally give him his paper. When she did, he simply stared down at the subject, already tapping his pencil at the first question… He was never really a naturally smart kid, just lucky to make it high.
“I’m so done for…” He mumbled under his voice as he circled one of the answers.
It was one of those where the answers were surprisingly obvious… multiple questions were obvious until the backside, which was hellishly difficult. Half of which he didn’t understand, and he would probably crumple it up before throwing it at the wall…
But after all, he was still on thin ice with Test Tube’s class after all. Silver tried to guess, but the one he chose always felt wrong until he decided on C, going along with the pattern after all. In the end, he was somehow the first one finished, all because he felt the pressure of time on his back, just like her… He still was thinking about Candle. Tension was weighing him down, random thoughts roaming his mind as Silver tried not to think about her, or anything about it, anymore.
He heard pencils scribbling on paper, an ear-bleeding sound to be confronted with, but he’d rather deal with this sound than the dark thoughts of everything surrounding him. Oh, why did he just reject her offer? God, he didn’t mean to sound THAT rude. It felt like it was weighing on him mentally, but not. It was more confusing to him than anything else, really. He didn’t know why he felt this way. He felt he betrayed his best friend—all for keeping some secret.
It was hard thinking about anything that important if everyone was just doing that stupid pop quiz… So he couldn’t truly think about it that much before lunch. Around 10 minutes later, he headed to the cafeteria with the others, trying to avoid confrontation with anyone else for the time being… He didn’t feel like eating today, or ever.
He sat at his usual seat, he took more of the coffee before glancing at Candle, not sure what she was thinking, but doing her usual- meditation thing she always does. Silver should’ve expected that, he should’ve known Candle didn’t hate him for that- right? Did she hate him?
“Spoon.” Candle mumbled under her breath, staring at the troubled person three tables away. Candle was still worried for him; Silver knew that…
Thoughts still spouted in his mind, more negative than the others today as he glanced at Candle again, regret building up inside him.
‘WORTHLESS WORTHLESS WORTHLESS, YOU MESSED IT ALL UP AND NOW SHE HATES YOU, WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO? YOU AREN’T WORTH THE AMOUNT OF TIME SHE’S PUT IN FOR YOU. HOW COULD YOU SCREW IT UP AGAIN–’
Lunch ended before Silver’s thoughts could overwhelm him; it was lucky. Silver headed back to class, his heart heavy. It was his fault, wasn’t it?
…
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…?
It was a beautiful day outside. Silver stared out at the window while Ms. Tube was continuing her lesson on the mysteries of the cell, chatting on as Silver saw a bird sit in their nest, eggs being protected by the mother. Silver wasn’t really paying attention to Ms. Tube half the time, mostly because of how stupid the topic was. Maybe that was why he was on such thin ice with her.
“And now, within the cytoplasm lie intricate arrangements of fine fibers and hundreds or even thousands of minuscule but distinct structures called organelles! Organelles are any number of organized or specialized structures within a living cell.” Ms. Tube went on about cell structures, pointing to multiple photos on the whiteboard before the bell rang.
“Oh- GILLIWINKERS! It’s time to go to class! Make sure to finish your homework before the end of the month!” Ms. Tube exclaimed before the students burst out of the classroom, a rampage of people trying to go to their classroom.
As Silver tried to head to his next classroom, he was pulled back by his friend, oh Paintbrush…
“Silver,” Paintbrush said, quickly turning around.
“What?” Silver said, staring at the blonde boy.
“You’re ACTUALLY working on that group project, right?” Paintbrush asked bluntly, clearly wanting an answer
“Of course,” Silver said again, trying to get it over with.
“Well, that’s one thing settled. Also, there’s been a change in plans for it!” Paintbrush said, Silver, listening in.
“Geez… Change of plans should’ve expected that from you.” Silver said.
“WHATS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN!?” Paintbrush yelled, Silver, having no interest in the conversation.
“It’s obvious… Isn’t it?” Silver said before heading off to his next class. Silver was already getting irritated from that short interaction.
“WHAT- NO- HEY!” Paintbrush said in the distance, Silver grabbing his thermos from the side of his bag before drinking it, caffeine going through his body again.
“Ohoho... Something’s wrong with me…” Silver mumbled under his breath before arriving at his next class.
He sat down at his desk, dropping everything under the desk before putting his head down on his desk. Silver knew this was going to be hell since there was still so many hours in the day left. Is it better if he just fell off a bridge at this point? Or maybe-
“So- Welcome back, dear class! Now- Now- due to an abrupt change in plans, we’re going to have to do the quiz early…” Mr. Fan said, Silver wasn’t even listening due to how dark the thoughts were getting before someone slapped the paper onto his fluffy silver hair.
“Silver. Get up.” Paintbrush said- right. Right. Silver forgot he was also in this class…
“...” Silver didn’t reply, mostly just trying to think of a proper response, only static following along.
“SILVER… Don’t get in trouble again for nothing.” Paintbrush demanded before Silver sat back up.
“...Sure,” Silver said bluntly as he looked down at his quiz paper.
Silver tried to think about the questions, thoughts not letting him think at all, so he basically started guessing. Physics did not make sense as he continued to guess left and right, eyes slowly drooping as he continued to guess every question.
As he continued with this very concerning behavior, he realized it had only been 10 minutes, and he was halfway done. He couldn’t think of anything but the dark thoughts of death looming over him as he scribbled in every bubble. He then headed to the sad-looking turn-in bin and shoved the paper in there, not hesitating at all. He wasn’t supposed to feel this regret, was he?
“Oh, you’ve already finished! I didn’t expect that from you, Silver! I mean, 20 minutes is insane!” Mr. Fan said, talking about how fast he finished. Silver couldn’t hear him, though. He only heard his dark thoughts lurking in his mind, still thinking about… her. He couldn’t even think much.
“Of course, he finished it first,” Paintbrush grumbled as Silver went back to his seat, his mind dark and despair-filled as he sat down.
Paintbrush was the second one finished, about 53 minutes later. Silver still felt the guilt go through him as Paintbrush turned it in. He couldn’t even think about how bad of a grade he got, he just felt empty. Maybe he should call Candle after school today.
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Silver was getting increasingly frustrated with Yang on their way to the bus home, Yang trying to convince Silver actually to do it.
“COME ON!!! YOU PROMISED WE’D DO IT FOR LIKE- FOREVER!!” Yang yelled as Silver walked to his bus.
“Next week.” Silver said.
“I AM NOT WAITING AGAIN!” Yang was quickly interrupted by Silver. It seems Yang got on his nerves.
“Shut your trap,” Silver said before walking away to his bus. Yang seemed disappointed by the sudden interruption.
“FINE! I’LL TELL PAINTY THAT YOU DIDN’T-” Yang screeched before Silver replied.
“Alright, alright. I guess I’ll be walking home.” Silver went back to Yang, sighing as Yang pulled him along to where Candle was supposed to be.
“We didn’t agree to this,” Silver said before Yang let go.
“YOU OWE ME FOR GETTING YOU THOSE TEST ANSWERS THAT ONE TIME!” Yang yelled before leaving him at Candle’s spot, probably going to go see what happens with Yin.
Silver drank his coffee and saw Candle heading out of the school. Tension rose as he saw Candle come closer.
“You finally accepted it?” Candle said as Silver put the thermos to the side.
“...Accept what?” Silver asked bluntly.
“That you needed help.” Candle said.
“...” Silver didn’t reply; the both of them could practically feel the tension.
“Sigh… I should’ve expected that…” Candle sighed before Silver replied.
“No- I came to say sorry..” Silver said,
“Hm?”
“I– was selfish about this whole predicament, isolating myself and so what. I really didn’t mean to make you hate me, but I’m hoping we could… Start over. As friends.” Silver said, sounding as genuine as he could.
“I never hated you for that. Spoon, you’re not nothing because of this. I forgive you.” Candle said, staring into Silver’s eyes.
“Well… The teacher remains the teacher.” Silver chuckled, slightly smirking.
This wasn’t something Yang was expecting for that meetup. geez, he didn’t make them do that to sort out their feelings.
“...Was that your plan for this Yang-” Yin said before being interrupted.
“IT WAS FOR THE DRAMA!!!” Yang said.
THE END