group
(Gonna be leaving for the weekend in a couple minutes! Be back Monday!)
Only Fools... // ROMANCE // OXO
group
She nodded. "He was in a car crash that killed both his mother and his twin brother, Claus. Claus was very popular here and he protected Lucas from bullying before the accident. Now, he doesn't have anyone. He hasn't said this explicitly, but based on the injuries he's had coming in here…" The nurse sighed, glancing away for a moment. "I suspect his father's been hurting him as well as him hurting himself. He's hurting bad, physically and mentally, but he hasn't got anyone to go to."
group
(I found temporary wifi!)
Aurian only sat there, eyes wide. She had no idea that anything like that would be going on. Lucas' reply from earlier made more sense now. "Technically" had been directed as himself. "That's awful," was the only thing she could manage to say.
"Mhmm. I know you haven't been here long, but it might be beneficial for everyone if… you know… keep an eye on him? I know that's a lot to ask, especially since you just got here, but I'm worried he might do something drastic." She glanced back at the door to make sure Lucas wasn't listening.
group
Aurian looked up at the nurse. "Of course I can." Perhaps this was why she was drawn to the boy in the nurse's office. Something about him just seemed… well, sad. She wanted to cheer him up a bit. Knowing what she knew now, it would take more time and care for the happy moments to come. But that was okay. "I want to be his friend, so I'll do whatever I can, Miss."
"Thanks hun." She smiled. "I'm sure he'll appreciate it. He's really very kind; he's just shy. Now, c'mon." She pushed the door back open and led Aurian inside to where Lucas was waiting. He seemed tense and had put his hoodie back on, his arms crossed tightly to hide them.
group
The girl followed the woman obediently only to see Lucas a bit hunched over. She strode over to give him a gentle hug. It wasn't as tight as she would have liked to, but she didn't want to make his wounds sore. "I'm sorry this happened…"
"It's… it's fine…" He said quietly. "It's not your fault. I'm just weak."
"You're not weak, Lucas." The nurse sighed. "We've been over this. You've been through a lot and you've got every right to feel the way you do."
group
"Don't say that. You really have been through a lot. I don't think you're weak for feeling sad," Aurian said. Her tone was firm but solemn as well. "From here on out though… you're not allowed to go through it alone," she added, sounding a bit more at ease. She could tell that the hug was probably a bit too long for having just met, so she let go and stepped back.
Lucas nodded tentatively, finding it difficult to maintain eye contact for long. "Here, Lucas." The nurse handed a water bottle to Lucas. "Drink all that, and maybe, if you're feeling better, you can go back to class." He just nodded again and sipped the water.
group
Aurian suddenly felt out of place again. Should she wait until Lucas finished his water? Should she go back to class? It felt so weird to toss each and every option around in her mind. Especially with the new information given to her. Instead of making a decision, she moved and sat in one of the chairs on the side of the room.
The nurse handed a water bottle to Aurian as well. "Here, honey. It's important to stay hydrated." She said before going back over to her desk to work.
"I'm sorry I dragged you into all this, Aurian." Lucas said as he looked over at her. He seemed to feel guilty about it.
group
The girl thanked the woman before unscrewing the cap and taking a sip from it. Hearing Lucas, she turned her focus onto him again. Aurian frowned at the unneeded apology, not liking that the boy apologized for her own decision.
"No, I want to help you. I wanna be friends and cheer you up," she stated. Aurian looked Lucas in the eyes as she spoke. Her words were genuine.
"…If you don't mind my asking, why?" Lucas fidgeted with his bottle. "Nobody really likes me, you know… they liked Claus."
group
Aurian hummed in thought for a moment. Why did she want to help him? For one, it was just plain wrong to just do nothing with the bullying going on. It hurt her soul to see him suffer as well. He seemed so broken inside without anyone to reach out to.
"I guess I'm not like everyone else then because I like you. I'm sure your brother was great and all, but there's a good person in you too."
The girl then looked down at her hands holding the plastic bottle of water. She swished the liquid around for a second before speaking again.
"It hurts to see you so upset over something that wasn't your fault…"
group
(Gonna go to bed now :D)
(Night <3)
Lucas eyed her thoughtfully. "I suppose so, I just… I don't want you to get hurt, and I really don't want to cause you to get hurt. They won't like you if you associate with me. I can't come up with a good reason why they don't like me, but that's just how it is."
group
Aurian smiled softly at Lucas. "I think I'll be okay," she said. If something did happen, then her mother likely would contact the school seeing her daughter injured. That was if it got that bad though.
Lucas smiled weakly to try and reassure her, tossing his now empty water bottle into the recycling bin. "May I return to class, ma'am?" The nurse checked him over.
"Mm… oh, alright. You stay out of trouble, Lucas."
"I always try." Lucas got to his feet and combed his fingers through his hair to smooth it down.
group
Aurian stood to her feet, water bottle in hand and opened the door. She stood at the edge of it, holding it open with her back.
"Thank you very much," she said to the nurse, lips curved in a small smile. The girl wondered how her teacher would react knowing that this trip from class took longer than five minutes. She hoped that no one had tampered with Lucas' art either. Or her own for that matter. She really wanted to gift the sketch to Lucas to make him feel better.
When they returned, their art wasn't on the table. Lucas seemed unfazed by this and just went to go retrieve the items from the teacher, thanking her quietly. Lucas leaving class to have mental breakdowns wasn't uncommon, and the teachers at least didn't hate him. His art had been ruined before because of this, so the teacher now always picked up his things and held onto them until he returned just in case.
group
Aurian was about to ask about the absence of their artwork until she noticed Lucas walk up to the teacher. It seemed… he was used to this. She frowned lightly as she took her seat, taking her pencil out of her bag. The girl fiddled with it for a moment before looking back up. It was fortunate that most of the others were invested in their work today and less on Lucas. He really needed a break from all that tormenting.
Lucas gave Aurian's drawing back to her without looking at it to be respectful before sitting back down. He sighed and continued working on his piece, ignoring the occasional sneers of the other students.
group
Aurian thanked the boy politely, continuing to work on her sketch. It was a bit different now that Lucas had changed position and especially with the new light she saw him in. After all of the crying and shaking… the blood…
She continued nonetheless, trying to stay focused on her work.
Lucas was still using his breathing techniques even now, though quiet enough that no one would notice unless they were looking for it. It kept him relatively calm, which was about the best he could hope for at the moment.
group
She turned her head lightly, focusing on the curve of the boy's nose, wondering if she captured it right. Aurian was so focused on using Lucas' features for reference, that she noticed the deeper breaths than what would be considered normal. She didn't ask about it though, feeling it wasn't anything to be concerned about. It was better than hyperventilating anyways.
He occasionally ran his fingers through his hair to keep stray strands from falling into his eyes, sighing softly when he did. He looked down at his painting and picked up a pen to line it. He held his breath whenever he made a line to keep his hand from shaking too much.
group
Aurian looked away every now and again so it wouldn't seem like she was staring. Well, she was, but mostly for her art piece. She smudged a section of the paper with her finger in attempt to blend the pencil a bit. Satisfied with it, she continued onto the eyes. They would be the hardest. She'd have to look at them closely as they were intricate and very detailed. She was never the best with side portraits either. It wasn't too bad so far though. She took her pencil and traced the shape of the eye in the air for practice on how to move her wrist. This got her a few weird looks as she stuck her tongue out a bit, closing one eye occasionally. A few students snickered, saying she was just as odd as Lucas. She took that statement as a compliment. Lucas was a good person after all.
Lucas was tempted to look over at what she was doing, but refrained to be polite. He kept his eyes firmly on his own drawing. He glared at the students when he heard them whispering about Aurian, which at least temporarily hushed them up. It never lasted for very much more than a minute or two, though, despite his efforts.
group
(Sorry!)
She continued in her drawing, attempting not to get frustrated as the eyes clashed with the finished lips and nose. They were a tad too large. Humming, she tried again. The shape was a bit off now. Blowing a bang out of her face, Aurian persisted, still determined to keep trying. After perhaps another 5 times, she felt it was as good as it was going to get.