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The school bell rang loudly across the halls as Four sprinted to the maths classroom. He was late. Silently praying that the teacher wouldn’t punish him, he hastily walked towards his seat: at the back of the class beside X, his best friend.
“Four, may I ask you why you were late?” The maths teacher asked, adjusting their glasses.
“I, uh, had to go to the toilet,” Four felt his face grow warm with embarrassment. It was the truth, yet he still felt the whole class's eyes on him.
“Right.” The teacher sighed before turning back around to write the date onto the board, “Make sure it doesn’t happen again. I’ll let you off just this time.”
“Thank yo- thanks- thanks, Miss,” Four stuttered, taking out his pencil case from his bag.
“Are you okay, Four?” X whispered.
Four felt slightly more comforted hearing his friend’s concerned words, “Uh, yeah, thanks.”
He looked up to see the teacher writing on the whiteboard, basic algebraic equations. Luckily for Four, algebra was his favourite.
If y = 7, what are these equations?
- 6y + 9 =
- 13y - 67 (yes six seven) =
- 35/y =
All very easy; after all, it was just starter questions. Four took out his maths book, a small A5 yellow notebook, like everyone else’s. He quickly wrote down the date and started on the questions.
- 6y + 9 = 51
- 13y - 67 = 24
13 x 7 = 91
- 35/7 =
“Four?” He immediately stopped what he was doing as he heard X’s small whisper. He looked up to see his shorter friend staring expectantly at him. “Can you help me with question two?”
“Of course! What part do you need help with?” Four murmured back leaning towards X.
“Uhm, like the whole thing, if possible..” X muttered, he sounded quite shameful.
“Yeah, alright! Well… 13y can be extended to 13 x 7,” Four began to explain, keeping his voice low so the teacher hopefully couldn’t hear. X nodded. “So, uh, do you know what 10 x 7 is?”
“Is it 70?” X squeaked.
“Mhm! Now what about 3 x 7?”
“Uh, 21?”
“Yeah, so what are those together?”
“Uh,” X paused as he glanced out the window, lost in thought, “Is it 91?”
“Yes!! Well done, so try subtracting 67 from that.”
X nodded rapidly, “Thank you so much, Four!”
Four felt himself smile at his friend’s words, and tried not to think about it as he went on to finish the final question. (THIS IS SO CORNY I CAN)
3. 35/y = 5
It took longer to work out than Four would be willing to admit, he couldn’t stop thinking about X. Well, being happy about your friends thanking you is normal; but it didn't feel normal. Four tried to forget about it but the feeling stayed with him the whole hour that the lesson dragged on.
The school bell rang, a sigh of relief escaped Four’s mouth as he noticed the teacher’s expression change.
“Right, there’s the bell..” She muttered, “Everyone, start packing up and heading to lunch; we’ll be revising for the test tomorrow.”
Four reached for his bag and started to put away his pencil case and book, X doing the same.
“Thank you so much for helping me, Four!” X beamed, “Everything felt a lot easier once you suggested I split up the numbers!”
“Thats great to hear!” Four grinned, slightly awkwardly, “I’m glad I could help, algebra is my favourite, after all.”
“You’re really good at it!” X exclaimed as they started heading out of class.
Four looked away, he clearly could not take a compliment “You say that almost every day-”
“But it’s true!” X giggled, before pausing, “Is there anything I’m good at?”
“Well,” Four stopped as he thought, “I’m sure there is! You’re good at being my friend!” He nudged X playfully as they walked down the halls, heading to the cafeteria.
X giggled, “Thanks! Anyway, what are you having for lunch?”
“Uh… I don’t actually know, whatever my mum packed me i guess-” Four drawled, looking at all the passing students.
“Woah, I wonder what that could be! I’m having a chicken wrap like I do! And orange juice!” X explained excitedly, despite that being what he had every single day. Although Four only cycled between about, well, four meals every week, having the same thing must sometimes get a little boring, right?
they walked to this large gnarled oak tree, its glossy green leaves providing dappled shade, whilst tiny speckles of light spilled down from above, four watched X open their tupperware, bringing out the white chicken wrap they always had, they looked so inexplicably different- like something had changed, four couldn't quite place it…
“four are you sure your okay- you seem unfocused-” X looked worriedly at four, their brow furrowed “you haven't even touched your lunch- this isn't like you at all”
“sorry X i don't feel quite myself, im sure its just a bad nights sleep or something-” four said, taking out his lunch so he didn't meet X’s eyes
“oooooo!” X exclaimed, their previous silence replaced with their usual bouncy excitement at the sight of fours lunch, (idk if this is inaccurate)
four brought out a ccgeee sandwich encased in white bread, along with a bag of chips and gay bacon
“so- why didn't you sleep so well last night-?” X asked with a mouth full of chicken wrap
“oh it was really windy-” four lied, (lying🤤)opening his bag of chips, the packet crinkled and he began to eat a chip
“oh-? i didnt notice it to be that windy-” X said, opening their orange juice,
“oh really- it must have been something else then!”
“want one-?” four said opening their gay bacon
“YES PLEASE!” X squealed excitedly as four handed them some
their hands touched.
it was a normal action- but not to four…
when their hands brushed against eachother's, X didn't even give it a second thought, however four was the opposite, he felt all warm and tingly- like his whole body had gone dead- but in a pleasant way…
“Hey guys!” Four suddenly jumped back as he turned to see Two standing before them. His gentle smile faded as he saw the taller figure grinning back.
“What do you want?” Four hissed.
“I was just wondering if I could sit with you guys?” Two’s voice made Four want to rip his ears out, but before he could object, X chimed in.
“Of course! It’s always great to have some more company.” He beamed.
Two took a seat the other side of X while Four shot them a cold glare, “Aren’t you usually with Gaty?” He grumbled.
“Well, yeah! But she’s off school,” Two explained, opening their bag to take out their lunchbox, “She has a cold. Honestly, a lot of people have a cold! It must be going around.. I hope not for too lo-“
“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Four tried to dismiss their train of thought, “Why choose to pester us of all people?”
“Four!” X nudged Four and he felt his face flush warm with embarrassment, “They’re our friend! And they’re not pestering us! It’s fine!”
“No need to defend me X! It’s fine,” Two laughed before taking a bite into their ham sandwich.
Four remained silent as he continued to eat his bag of crisps: plain salt flavour. Why did Two have to come now? Why weren’t Four and X allowed some time, justthem? What am I thinking…? Four suppressed a slight chuckle, I shouldn’t care, I have time with X, like, alllll the time.
“Right, Four?” X’s voice interrupted Four’s thoughts, “Fourrrrrrrr??”
“Oh! Hi, sorry,” Four muttered, clenching his fist.
“It’s okay!! I was telling Two about how you helped me in maths!” X’s grin made Four’s expression light up slightly.
He laughed a little, “It honestly wasn’t that difficult,” Four bragged, “It was, like, the least I could do-“
“Well it still helped me a lot!” X kicked his feet slightly with happiness.
“That’s nice! Maths is definitely not my specialty;” Two was starting their usual spiel, “by far my favourite lesson is food tech, since I love baking!”
“Yeah, Two, we all know,” Four rolled his eyes, interrupting them before they could say any more, “You give everyone in our class a slice of cake on Fridays, why else would you do that if you didn’t like baking?”
“Good point!” Two was always so enthusiastic even when Four insulted them, it bothered him. “I dunno if I’ll be able to make one this week, with Gaty being sick and all..”
“I’m sure she’ll get better!” X’s voice made Four feel slightly less bothered.
“Yeah! I hope she will…” Two glanced off into the distance, presumably pondering, “I probably should text her soon-”
“Phones aren’t allowed in school, though, Two!” X tried to inform them.
“Yeah, but I mean, who doesn’t secretly take out their phone at school.” Four shrugged, glancing at some of their classmates playing football in the distance.
X blinked, “I don’t.”
Four laughed and nudged X, “Of course you don’t,” X giggled.
“Hey, who said I take it out at school?” Two chuckled, “By soon, I mean, like, in the taxi! I rarely go on my phone, even when I’m at home. I only use it for emergencies or if I’m meeting up with friends!”
“What even is your screentime?” Four asked, closing his lunchbox.
“Hmm,” Two thought, “Like one or two hours?”
Four blinked, “Wow.”
“Anywayy,” Two said, “I’ll be on my way! See you guys in, uh, art, was it?”
X nodded, “Bye, Two!!!”
“Bye, I guess,” Four muttered as he watched Two prance off into the school building.
He checked his watch: there was still 15 minutes until the next lesson, which was history. Where is Two even going?
“How long’s left?” X asked, putting on his bag before swaying his arms back and forth. Before Four could respond, he added, “Also, why do you act so dry around Two?”
“Fifteen minutes,” Four responded, picking up his bag and swinging it onto one shoulder, “And, I don't know, I just… Don’t like them much?”
“Hmm, fair, I guess,” X hummed, spinning around.
Four stood and watched his shorter friend spin in circles, “Try not to get dizzy, X.”
“What was tha-“ X was cut off by his own screaming as he lost balance and almost tumbled to the ground. Four suddenly stepped forwards, catching X before he fell. “Woah, thanks Four! Oh, hi Pin!!”
Four looked up to see Pin and Coiny standing in front of them, he felt his face grow warm as he helped X to stand up again. Did they see the whole thing, or just that-? He thought in a slight panic.
“Hi, I heard you had a watch Four?” She asked.
“Yeah, why?” Four asked, his voice cracking. Coiny snickered at it and Four shot him a glare.
“We were wondering how long it was until History,” Pin explained, ignoring her shorter friend.
“Oh, it’s like,” He glanced at his watch again, “A little more than ten minutes.”
“I told you!” Coiny exclaimed as he hit Pin on the arm before running off towards the field.
“Hey!!” Pin shouted back as she ran after him.
“They’re funny,” X giggled. Maybe if I acted like them X would like me more, Four thought, watching his two classmates run across the football pitch. What am I thinking? X likes me just fine now.
The rest of the day went by fairly quickly, although Four couldn’t stop thinking about his best friend: X. He didn’t know why he felt like this all of a sudden, but it definitely wasn’t a complaint. As anxious as Four felt on certain occasions, he most definitely felt pleased around X. And he liked that.
He enjoyed every moment around X, in, like, a friendly way.
Because that’s a very friendly way to feel.
And that’s what friends do.
...Right?
Unlike Four, who took the bus, X took a taxi home. The bus was… overwhelming, to say the least. The noise, the smell, the feeling. Everything about it made Four uncomfortable.
He was sitting on the window seat, his bag next to him. His gaze was focused on his phone, some old chats between him and X open. It was from a couple weeks ago, when X invited him to the park. Four smiled reading it, before suddenly he got a message.
It was from X.
“Hiiii foour!!! Hows the bus??”
“its okay ig”
“Better than being bad!! Anyway what arr u doing??”
“i was just reading thru old msgs” Four decided to be honest rather than making up some silly lie.
“Wiah cool!! Also Two keeps coughing, I thinkthey might have gotten the cold from gaty they were talking about”
“oh - lets hope u dont catch it”
“Yeah!! WaitTwos trying to talk to me, I’ll brb”
“alr”
Four sighed and looked out the window, he wasn't far from home.
“Who are you messaging, X?” Two asked, trying to make conversation in the taxi.
“Oh, just Four!” X giggled, turning his phone off.
“Nice!” Two grinned, “You and Four seem awfully close, I don’t know why Four acts so mean around me. I don’t like him much because of that.”
“Maybe he just doesn’t like how, uh, happy you are?” X tried to defend his friend, although he wasn’t very good at naming the bad qualities of Two. Afterall, they were his friend too.
“Well, being positive is a good trait, isn’t it?” Two wondered, “I don’t see why Four doesn’t like me.”
“I dunno, maybe he just has a grudge against you,” X muttered, he didn’t like talking so negatively about his best friend. It just felt… wrong.
“Maybe, I don’t see why you’re able to be friends with him.” Two said as they looked out the car window.
X couldn’t help but feel a little hurt at Two’s words, “Well… He’s nice, he helps me with maths, he’s funny, he helps me when I’m sad, he-“
“Yeah, but he only seems to do that to you,” They interrupted, “No one else.” X stared at them, “Have you ever thought maybe Four likes you more than anyone else?”
“Well, I know he does - aside from like his family - but I’m his best friend!” X tried to defend himself.
“No, like,” Two paused, trying to find their words, “More than a friend?”
X paused, trying to work out what they meant. Oh. Like a lover. X felt his face grow warm and he immediately covered his eyes with his hands.
“Nooo,” X giggled awkwardly, “Four would never like me like that. He probably only sees me as his friend.”
“Sooo,” Two teased, “You like him like that?”
“WHAT?! No- I, like-“ X stammered, embarrassed, “AAA!! No, I don’t like him like that.”
“X, I hope you know your face is very red right now.” Two informed.
“Oh, anyway would you look at that, it's my house!” X said quickly through gritted teeth, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Two!” He rushed out the car and scurried towards his door, aggressively ringing the doorbell as he looked back at Two, still in the car.
I definitely worded that all horribly, didn’t I? Now Two thinks I have a crush on Four! But.. What if I do? No, I can’t say that!
X rushed into his house, he barely left his bag on the living room floor before rushing up into his room.
“Hi X! How was your day?” His mother asked.
“Good!” He called from the top of the stairs.
X scurried into his room and shut the door, before leaping onto his bed. He checked his phone: 2 Unread Messages From Four!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He opened it to see what his friend, since they were just friends, had said.
“what have they got to say this time” (6 minutes ago)
“are you home yetttt” (2 minutes ago)
X decided to quickly type something back.
“Yeah I just got home!!!”
Four responded almost immediately.
“what was two saying to you”
“They basically called you mean and then said you had a crush on me”
X had been a little too honest, hadn’t he?
“oh wow
also i dont like you like that before you say anything”
“It’s fine!! I already know!! We’re just friends, right?”
Four took a moment to respond.
“yeah”
Two? Thinking Four had a crush on X? What did Four even do to make them think that? He gazed at the ceiling as he felt his heart race, was Two actually right for once? But they had been best friends since childhood, if they randomly got together and then broke up, that could ruin their entire relationship.
Four didn’t like lying to X, but he wasn’t even sure if X was being honest about it either. But that wasn’t the main problem Four had, and rather, that was Two.
Luckily for Four, he had Two’s number. He hesitantly sent them a message.
“x told me you said you thought i liked him
may i ask why you told him that?”
Two took a moment to respond, with them having such a low screentime and all.
“Yeah, I did! And I told him that because it’s best to be honest about what you think!”
“okay but what even makes you think that in the first place”
“Well, you’re significantly nicer to X than anyone else, plus I saw the way you looked at him at lunch, and the way you held him before Pin and Coiny came up to you!”
“you were watching all that-?”
“Yeah, I don’t see anything wrong with it! Anyway, I think you’re avoiding the real issue here.”
“and whats that”
“When are you gonna tell X?”
“tell him what”
“That you’re in love with him!”
Four already hated Two, and quite frankly, this made it worse. Now they wouldn’t stop teasing him about this so-called crush on his best friend. It was stupid, Four would never like X like that. Maybe they’re right though… Ugh, what am I saying? Just type something back.
“im not.”
“Well, he sure seems to be in love with you! No point denying it if he likes you back.”
“he doesnt like me like that and neither do i
just leave us alone two”
“Alrighty! Toodles!!”
“bye”
Four sighed and rolled over in his bed, his gaze drifting across the shelves on his wall. His stomach almost ached from this weird feeling he was getting. It’s probably just hatred for Two. Four lied to himself, knowing well what the feeling actually was.
It wasn’t long before Four’s mother called him down for dinner, it was simply just plain spaghetti: what he almost always had. Four couldn’t stop thinking about what happened with Two and X. It lingered in his mind until he went to bed, and until he fell asleep. But not when he woke up in the night.
Four groggily opened his eyes and checked the time on the clock beside his bed. It was 2:43am. His throat felt dry and his nose felt blocked. He quietly got out of bed and opened the door, careful not to accidentally wake his parents. As much as he didn’t like going downstairs at night, he really wanted water.
As much as he wanted X.
What? No, he couldn’t say that. Four clenched his fist at the memory of what Two said. Was it what they said though? Or was it the fact Two now knew? Four couldn’t even be bothered to deny these thoughts and instead ignored them as he headed to the kitchen. His dog was thankfully still asleep, but if he wasn’t quiet, she would wake up at any time. It’s not that it mattered that much, Four’s dog was quite old and with that, her energy levels were very low. She usually couldn’t even get up the stairs by herself.
Four headed towards the cupboard they kept the cups in and reached in, picking up a small glass. He took it to the tap and let it fill up the glass. It made much more noise than Four wanted it to, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it. As he turned off the tap and took a sip of water, the silence introduced a small tapping sound on the floor. Four’s heart skipped a beat before he realised it was simply just his dog, walking towards him.
“Pie, what are you doing up?” He whispered affectionately, placing the glass on the counter.
Pie’s eyes lit up when she saw Four, and her tail wagged excitedly. Four bent down and petted her on the head as he glanced towards her empty food bowl.
“Are you hungry?” He asked, his voice still as quiet as he could make it. Pie, being a dog, didn’t respond and rather Four just assumed she needed feeding.
He stood up and proceeded towards the bag of dog food on the side counter. As he picked it up, the rustling of the pellets split through the silence. Four prayed his parents couldn’t hear a thing as he started to pour the food into Pie’s bowl. He grimaced at the noise it made, and the off-putting smell of the dog food.
Pie’s tail seemed to wag more as she waddled towards her bowl, taking bites out of the brown pellets. Four got up and took his glass of water back upstairs with him. He tried to walk up the stairs as quickly but quietly as possible, hoping Pie couldn’t hear him leaving. He slowly shut his door and placed the glass of water on his bedside table, reaching for a tissue to try to blow his nose on. It didn’t do much. He tossed the tissue in the bin and took another sip of water.
I have a cold, don’t I? Four felt bad; if the cold was as bad as this in the morning, he’d have to miss school and leave X all alone. I might as well text him just in case. He picked up his phone and opened his chats to X.
X: last seen at 6:32pm yesterday
“hey so i think i got a cold so i might miss school tmrw”
Four knew X wouldn’t see it until the morning; but just in case he slept longer than usual, X would find it either way.
He put his phone down and drank some more water before lying back down, staring at the ceiling.
Why must I get this cold? I was kinda looking forward to seeing X tomorrow. Four thought. At this point he couldn’t even deny his feelings for X. Two knew, X… probably knew, Pin and Coiny might’ve found Four holding X questionable, and who knows who else saw that?
Four lay in his bed for quite some time, before flinching upon realising his phone buzzed.
1 Unread Message From X
He blinked to see if he was seeing correctly. And yes, he was. Maybe a message from earlier just sent late? Four thought; X was never awake at this time.
He read the message.
“Nooo☹️!!! I hope you get better Four☹️”
No, it wasn’t from earlier.
“tyyy also why are you awake at this time”
“I just woke up randomly and decided to check my phone!!”
“oh alr
sorry if i cant come to school btw”
“It’s okay!!!! I can just spend time with some other people today!!”
“okk good luck at school in the morning
you should probably try going back to sleep now”
“Thank you!!! So should you seeing as you have a cold!!”
“yeah :)”
Four paused for a moment, barely thinking as he added:
“good night!!”
What a corny thing to say.
“Good night Four!!!!”
X didn’t seem to give it a second thought. Four felt himself smile slightly as he turned off his phone, placing it on his bedside table beside the glass of water.
I hope I get to see him again soon.
Four didn’t sleep well that night, and, surprising or not, it wasn’t because he was thinking about X. Or well, rather, it partially was. Either way, having a cold was much worse than Four could ever remember. It made him want to claw his throat out.
As slow as the night had gone by, it was now morning. The sun was crawling out the cracks in Four’s curtains as he stared at the shapes on his floor. He had been laying there for a while now, waiting for the clock to hit 6:54: the time X almost always texts Four at in the morning. His phone buzzed; he ignored it, it was too early to be X. It buzzed again. Weird, no one texted like that aside from… X.
“Hiiiiii Four!!! dO u feeling any better than last night??
*feel”
Four unlocked his phone and smiled lightly before replying.
“HI X
“also im much better tyy :>”
“YAYYY”
He couldn’t help but laugh at X’s enthusiasm.
“Btw I hope you feeel better soon!!!”
“help tyyy”
“I gotta go get ready now AAA
SEE YOU AFTER SCHOOL FOUR!!!”
“NOO BYEEE”
Four sighed as he put his phone down. He was going to miss X. A lot. He put his phone on his bedside table and lay back down, staring at the ceiling. I hate this cold.
“X! The taxi’s here!” X’s mother called from downstairs. X desperately put his phone in his pocket and scurried downstairs.
He grabbed his shoes and quickly put them on, they were a little loose as he leaped up and grabbed a blue scarf from the coat hanger. It was Four’s scarf that he kept forgetting to give back; and of course, the only day he remembered, Four wasn’t in school. His mum passed him his bag and he stepped outside.
“Bye, Mum, I love you!” X called back as he opened the door and sat beside Two.
“Bye-bye, honey, I love you too!!” His mother called back, waving from the door.
X swung Four’s scarf around his neck as he pulled the seatbelt across him, placing his bag at his feet.
“Hi, X!” Two exclaimed as the taxi started to move, “Isn’t that Four’s scarf-?”
“Hey Two! And, uh,” X felt his face flush as he remembered what Two was talking about yesterday, “yeah… it is.” He pulled the scarf over his face to try to hide how red he must’ve looked. It kinda smelt like Four.
Two giggled, “Of course it is,” They laughed, partially at X pathetically hiding his face.
They started going on about something, probably today’s lessons or something… but X wasn’t listening. He was too focused on how nice Four’s scarf smelt. It reminded him of his friend.
“Are you smelling the scarf..?” Two asked, X flinched as he moved his hands down, now noticing how obvious what he was doing was.
“Uhh, no…” X lied, “Wh- what would make you think that?” He laughed to try to cover up his uncertainty.
“I can hear you X,” Two stated, staring right at X, “You’re not very good at hiding your love for Four.” They teased, glancing out the window.
X kicked Two’s leg, not very well though, as they happened to be sitting next to each other in a car. Two laughed. Four’s kinda right for hating Two, they can be annoying… I mean, not that they always are, I still like being their friend! Do I like being Four’s friend though? Well, of course! I love him! No. Not like that, Two… Well, I mean, I wouldn’t mind being Four’s partner, only if he wanted, of course! Is that even normal? Sure it is! I’m sure Two wouldn’t mind being Gaty’s partner. What am I even talking about at this point? Oh well!
The car journey went by slowly, to say the least; and so did the first lessons. X couldn’t stop worrying about Four. He really missed him. Maths was horrible without his help, and all the other lessons were boring. But after a while it was finally lunch.
Unsurprisingly, it was boring without Four. X spent a lot of lunch looking for someone to sit with and eventually found Three and One. They were sitting inside (unfortunately), since it was likely too cold outside.
“Hey guys, can I sit with you?” X asked nervously, fidgeting with Four’s scarf.
“Of course!” Three beamed, moving closer to One to give X some space. X sat down, placing his bag beside him.
“Where’s Four?” One asked dryly.
“He’s off school.” X muttered quietly, taking out his lunchbox.
One laughed and rolled her eyes, “Obviously, but, like, why?”
“Oh, he has a cold.” He explained. One wasn’t usually this menacing… was she?
“Oh yeah, I had a cold last week.” Five chimed in, sitting opposite Three.
X didn’t reply, he wasn’t the best at socializing without Four with him, instead he let the others talk as he started eating his lunch. He really missed Four.
Almost done with his lunch, X started to close his lunch box. He hadn’t talked much with the others that much, and instead listened to whatever they were talking about - if he wasn’t caught off by his own thoughts, that was.
“Hey, X!” X flinched as he heard someone say his name, he turned to see it was Firey, “Where’s Four?”
“He’s off school,” X sighed quietly, avoiding eye contact.
“Ohhh, alright!” He said before adding, “Why are you wearing his scarf though? Unless I’m mistaken of course-”
“Oh… uhm, he let me borrow it yesterday..” X lied, Why does everyone keep asking? Two people had asked. But that felt like a lot more to X.
“Right, okay,” Firey said as he turned away, walking along the small pathways formed in the lunch hall.
Talking to people without Four with me is… scary. Four wasn’t off school much, but when he was: it was weird. Shaking it off, X continued to pack away, getting up.
“I’m gonna go now, see you later!” X said awkwardly to Three, One and Five.
They all wished him farewell as he desperately scrambled out of the noisy lunch hall. That place smells bad. X pulled Four’s scarf over his mouth as he headed outside, scanning his eyes over the football field. Should I find someone else to stay with for the rest of lunch? Eh, it’s worth trying.
X walked around for a while, awkwardly greeting people in an attempt to make conversation. He most certainly wasn’t good at it. Is it because of me? Or because of them. Or… because of Four? Am I just more confident when I have him with me? X’s mind wandered as he walked through the school grounds, including the concrete area. He was barely paying attention as he slipped up on his footing and toppled to the ground in front of almost everyone, (or so he thought).
X’s knee grazed against the cold, hard, stoned concrete and the sudden piercing pain shot through him. He yelped as he clutched his leg close to him, squeezing his eyes shut as he felt tears form. The burning pain made X force his eyes open only to see blood streaming down his leg. I’m so stupid. Why can’t I just pay attention? His vision was unfocused as he looked around, no one saw him. No one even seemed to look at him.
Forcing himself not to cry, he stumbled to his feet. Why, why, why, why, why, why can’t Four be here? The nurse’s office wasn’t too far, he could make it by himself. Right?
No one look, no one look, please, please, please. X couldn’t bear unwanted attention; with something as stupid as his mistake, surely they wouldn’t do anything but judge him.
He limped all the way inside, trying to ignore the trail of blood running down his leg. He could barely manage the pain. It’s fine, it’s fine. I’ve had worse. X tried to think about the time his finger got infected, and how he couldn’t write for two weeks; that was by far the worst pain he’d ever had. But as much as he tried to think about something else, he still couldn’t ignore the pain.
“X, are you doing alright?” X’s heart dropped. Albeit, the chance of someone seeing him was inevitable, he knew it was going to happen eventually. It’s only Two.
X gulped as he turned around, Two had a visibly concerned expression which changed to surprise and fear as they saw X’s bloody leg.
“I- I… I’m going to the nurses office,” X choked out, his voice cracking as he tried his hardest not to start sobbing.
“Do you want me to come with you? That looks terrible,” Two asked; X nodded, “May I ask what happened?”
X leaned against the wall, avoiding putting any more weight on his injured leg. “I- I tripped on the- the concrete,” He struggled to get the words out without bursting into tears, “It really hurts.” He started sobbing, covering his eyes with his hands, remnants of dried blood still on them. I wish Four was here… He’d know what to do.
“It’s okay, X,” Two tried to comfort, putting their arm around X’s shoulder, “You can lean on me, the nurse’s office is just in the other building.”
X nodded, sniffing, “I wish- wish Four was here,” He muttered between sobs as Two helped him walk.
“I know,” Two sighed, “It’s pretty hard without your best friend with you at school.” After all, Gaty, one of Two’s closest friends, wasn’t in school either, and hadn't been for a while.
“Y- yeah,” X pushed the word out, he felt bad not responding yet his sobs were probably more annoying.
Soon they had reached the nurses office and Two tried to get someone’s attention.
“Hello, what is it?” They asked, seemingly ignoring the broken mess that was X, putting half his weight on Two
“He grazed his knee outside,” Two explained, glancing sympathetically at X, “It’s bleeding a lot.”
They nodded and opened the small door beside the window they had been speaking through, “Come and take a seat, X,” Walking into an opposite room, they gestured to a chair.
The room smelt pretty bad and had a couple of chairs lined up against the blue-white walls; all were empty aside from one: which Three sat in, an ice pack held over her eye.
Two helped X sit down, and sitting down was certainly relaxing after all the walking. He tried to calm himself down as the teacher bent down to have a look at X’s knee; muttering something to themself as they nodded.
“Looks pretty bad… thankfully for you,” They looked back up at X, “The bleeding has stopped, so we can get a paper towel and wipe that off, but I’ll need to get the nurse to check up on it.” X nodded, his eyes still stinging from his tears. “Two you can go back to your lunch break, he’ll be okay.”
“Oki-doki,” Two dipped their head as they started to make their way out of the room, “I hope it’s not too bad, X!” X didn’t have much time to muster a response before his friend walked back outside.
He watched as the teacher also turned to head outside, seemingly fetching the nurse, leaving X with Three. I wonder why she’s here, X thought, before correcting himself. Well, clearly she’s here because she hurt her eye- but I mean like, what happened?
X looked back down at his knee, the grazed (which was certainly an understatement) skin looked fairly mangled but had mostly stopped bleeding. It still stung and maybe it was worth trying to rub off some of the dried blood that had run down his leg? X pulled it closer to him and started to scratch some of the blood off, it was now a dull red-brown colour than the bright red he had seen earlier. The wound itself was also a very vivid colour, and so was the skin around it. It was kind of fascinating to look at, if X excused the horrible pain he was in.
X sighed. I miss Four. He missed the comfort his friend would provide. He missed the warmth of having him sit close to him. He missed his voice. It’s only one day, what am I worrying about? Am I growing too dependent on Four? Oh, I can’t do that. Ugh, whatever… I wish he was here. X tried to ignore the tears forming back in his eyes as he hid his face back in Four’s scarf, which now had some of his tears on. I’m sure Four wouldn’t mind.
“Here, X I got you some paper towels to wipe off the blood,” The nurse stepped in the room and handed X about three sopping blue paper towels. X nodded and took them, starting to wipe the dried blood from his leg, “Once you’re done with that, I’ll have a look.” She turned and walked over to Three, “How’s your eye doing?”
X stopped listening from there and instead continued wiping his leg; his knee definitely stung near the ripped parts of skin, but he tried his best to put up with it.
The bleeding had mostly stopped aside from small specks of vivid red in the deepest parts of the wound. She’ll probably give me a bandage or something… X thought as he put his leg back down and stared at the ceiling. Four would know how to help. Was it obvious X missed Four? Probably.
X sat there a moment, watching the nurse open a cupboard to give Three a bandage for her eye, which apparently got hit by a ball at lunch. I hope she’s okay.
As much as he didn't want to admit it, X was growing slightly impatient. Although lunch break was going to be very boring without Four there with him, something was urging X to get out as soon as possible. It was kind of boring in the nurses office, after all.
“Alright, X,” He jumped as he heard the nurse say his name, “How are you doing?”
“Uh,” X tried to find his words, “It’s a bit better, it hurts a lot and is still bleeding a bit.”
“Can I have a look?” She asked. X nodded and she bent down to look at his knee, which he will admit, was sort of awkward. It’s probably just me overthinking.
After a moment, the nurse got to her feet, “Seems like you could benefit from a bandage, but first, could you try to stand up for me?”
X nodded and hesitantly stood up from the dull blue chair; he avoided putting weight on his injured leg at first, but realised that's probably what she wanted him to do. X tried shifting his weight onto his leg and immediately pulled it back; the sudden pain crawling through him. He flinched as tears started forming in his now dried eyes.
“It hurts,” he murmured, trying to swallow with his now swollen throat.
“Alright, you can sit back down now,” the nurse said, turning around towards the cupboard she got a bandage for Three from.
X nodded and took his seat again, tightening his grip on the sides of the chair as he held back tears. How was he supposed to continue the school day when his leg hurt this bad? If Four was here this wouldn’t have happened… Not saying it’s his fault he’s unwell, everyone gets sick sometimes. X sighed quietly, his breath shaking slightly as he tried not to start crying again.
The nurse said something to X, but he wasn’t listening and didn’t respond as she started wrapping a bandage around his knee. X winced as he saw the blood stain the white mesh; he didn't realise it was still bleeding that much.
X noticed the nurse writing something on a piece of paper, maybe an injury form? He hadn’t been injured or sick this bad at school in a long time.
“Now, X, do you think you’ll be able to continue through the school day alright?” The nurse asked, her face slightly concerned.
X hadn’t really thought about it yet, but he tried to imagine going to his next lesson with a horrible limp. “I… I don’t think so,” he murmured, praying the nurse didn’t think he was just lying.
The nurse nodded, “Do you want me to call your mum to pick you up?” X dipped his head sheepishly; the nurse gave a small thumbs up and walked to the other room.
She’s very nice but since when could you go home for an injury? Is it really that bad?
Four had been lying on the sofa for the whole morning, watching the television. It was almost 1 o'clock and he was waiting for his mother to get him lunch. X has probably eaten by now, Four sighed internally, I hope he’s doing okay without me. I miss him. Rolling onto his side, Four reached for the box of tissues. Unfortunately for him, it was empty. He groaned.
“Mum!” He shouted.
“Yes, dear?” She called back from the kitchen, walking to the living room and standing in the doorway.
“Can you get me another box of tissues?” Four asked, holding up the empty box.
“Of course,” She nodded, “do you want me to recycle that for you?”
“Uh, sure,” Four murmured, throwing the box at his mother.
She sighed and picked it up from the floor, heading back to the kitchen. Four pulled his blanket back over him and continued to watch the tv. Why is it so cold… he thought.
He ended up zoning out from the television, losing himself in his own thoughts. Mainly about X. And how he was doing at school! Nothing else! Isn’t there a music assessment tomorrow? The thought struck Four suddenly. Ugh. I can’t miss that, can I? I’m so bad at music. I hate it. And I don’t wanna leave X alone again. I guess I’ll try to go to school tomorrow.
He hadn’t even noticed the new tissue box his mother had given him. Five minutes ago to be exact. Wow. I am cooked for that assessment if I can’t pay attention. Four pulled out a tissue and tried to blow his nose. Yuck. He scrunched up the tissue and tried to throw it into the bin. Unsurprisingly, he missed, and it joined all the other tissues on the floor. Whatever, I’ll just clean those up later.
“Hey, Fourr,” He flinched hearing his mother, she was carrying a bowl, presumably lunch. “I’ve made you something for lunch.”
“Thanks,” Four said, sitting up and taking the bowl from his mother; he started eating.
Four was half way done with his meal when the doorbell rang. Assuming it was just a delivery for his mother, he merely glanced out the window. They kinda look like X. He thought. Four watched as his mother went to answer the door and, to his surprise, she called back to him.
“Four! It’s your friend, X!” I wasn’t serious when I said it was him. He leaped out of his seat and scrambled towards the door.
X’s face seemed to light up when he saw Four, “Hi!!” He noticed X wearing a familiar blue scarf. Is that mine?
“Hi! Uh, come in,” Four smiled letting X take off his shoes.
“I’ll leave you two to it,” Four’s mother said as she proceeded towards the kitchen. Four couldn’t help but feel slightly embarrassed by her.
“How are you??” X beamed.
“Much better in comparison to this morning, but still unwell.” Four explained, letting X follow him upstairs. “What about you?”
“That’s great to hear! I’m, uh,” X paused, “quite good! Since I get to see you!”
Four smiled, he loved to see X happy. As the two went into Four’s room, he shut the door so as to not disturb his family.
“So, uh, aren’t you supposed to be at school?” Four asked, sitting down on his bed.
“I am, but somehow they let me go home early because I hurt my knee very badly!” X explained, Four noticed the slightly stained bandage on his leg.
“Oh gosh, are you okay?” Four asked, leaning towards X who was now sitting beside him.
“I’m mostly fine now, it still stings and hurts a ton when I walk, but whatever. Oh, also here’s your scarf back,” He started taking it off and handed it to Four, “I kinda wore it all day but I’m sure that’s okay with you. A lot of people asked me about it actually.”
“Wow, thanks, I honestly forgot about this,” Four laughed quietly, placing the scarf on his nightstand, “I hope your leg gets better.”
“Me too!” X said shuffling closer to Four, “You know, school was kinda unbearable without you.”
“I’m… sorry to hear that,” Four said, looking away from X, who was now very close to him, “I’ll try to come in tomorrow.” He smiled.
“If you’re still unwell, you don’t have to,” X said, concerned. He placed his arm down beside Four’s, grabbing his hand and holding it. Four felt his face grow warm. Shut up. He’s just being friendly. He tried to tell himself.
“It’s fine, I’m sure I’ll be well enough,” Four said, still trying not to look at X.
The two of them remained quiet for a couple of moments, still holding one another's hand, before X broke the silence.
“I actually brought you something, Four!” He said, pulling his hand away from Four’s and reaching down for the bag he had brought up with him. He started digging through it before pulling out a large tupperware box.
“What’s that?” Four asked, trying to sound intrigued; not like he wasn’t, he just wasn't the best at showing it.
“I brought you some cake! It’s from Tesco, but it’s really good!” X opened the box and handed Four a slice of the cake.
“Thank you so much, X,” Four grinned, taking it, “I haven’t had any cake in a long time.”
“Me neither,” X said, tilting his head, “Until now, that is, of course.” He added quickly.
Four and X sat on the bed for a while, chatting and eating cake together.
“Oh, and then in maths, Coiny burst out laughing randomly and got sent out of the class,” X explained, wiping the crumbs and icing off his face with a tissue Four had given him.
“Why is it always Coiny?” Four scoffed, “What was he even laughing about?”
“I dunno, he sits next to Firey if that says anything,” X responded, taking a sip of water from his bottle.
“Of course it’s them.” Four sighed, rolling his eyes.
“Mhm! And maths was sooo hard without you!” X looked up at Four, “I kinda forgot, like, everything you told me.”
“Oh, that’s a shame,” Four tried to sound sympathetic. He sighed and rested his head on X’s shoulder suddenly, “I’m tired..”
“Awh,” X said softly, putting his arm around Four, “Maybe you can try to go to bed early tonight?” He started playing with Four’s hair, “Or, you know, you could have a nap now?”
Four burst out giggling, “X, I’m not having a nap while you’re here.”
X tensed up as he realised what he said, “Oh gosh, I did not mean to say that! I’m so sorry!”
Four chuckled, “Whatever, it’s fine.”
The two of them remained silent for who knows how long. Four’s mind stayed silent; he forgot how much he enjoyed X’s company.
“Four!! X!!” Four felt himself jolt up as he heard his mother, accidentally hitting X.
“SORRY!” He desperately said as he got up and opened the door, peering downstairs, “What is it?!” He called to his mother.