Kimberlite High // A Zodiac Story

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗶𝘃𝗲 |-| Basketball Ends in Blood

𓈒∘☁︎ Libra ☁︎∘𓈒

Before I'd come back to school, my phone had been blown up by text messages.

At first, my friends had routinely checked up on me while I was in the hospital, and I'd responded in earnest, eager for the distraction. Then, once I was released, they kept it up during the interrogations. I barely responded then. The policemen had sorta bummed me out with everything — though maybe it was because everything had hit me by then — but either way, I'd hit a massive depressive spiral.

After radio silence on my end, they gradually stopped messaging me, and I haven't heard from them since. That made it worse. Despite how I begged to go back to school, I couldn't even leave my room. I barely ate.

Then Pisces started messaging me. She added me on Instagram one day, and messaged me a simple "hi," and it went on from there. We talked every day, and slowly but surely, I was able to leave my safe little bubble and was even so adventurous as to venture down to the kitchen now and then.

And today was my first day back, and I was crawling with nerves. Pisces had been messaging me non-stop, but I was too distracted to reply. I just kept on thinking about what everyone would say to me, and how well my nerves would fare in such a loud, crowded place. I was the last to come back, so all eyes would be on me.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

First period, thank god, I had Art & Design. Everyone in that class was either too shy or too self-absorbed to say anything to me. Except for Sagittarius, my desk partner. The second I had sat down she'd gushed about how pretty I looked, though seemed embarrassed to say it. I murmured my thanks, also embarrassed.

I always liked a good complement, but I'd had a minor crush on Sagittarius for most of the semester since she was just so pretty and nice. I think because of my awkwardness due to my feelings, we'd barely talked before, and certainly nothing so far as complementing me. It was always my clothes or my hair. Never my skin or my eyes.

You're reading into it again, I chided myself. But hey, it's my first day back, and only a week until winter break. Might as well be ballsy.

"Sorry I wasn't here to help finish our project. I mean, I know you weren't here much either, but you definitely got a head start." I chuckled. She smiled, and I melted. Maybe not as minor of a crush as I thought. But the way her hair just perfectly fell on her shoulders, and the relaxed yet confident air she had about her was just...

She fiddled with her daith piercing, which was just a simple golden ring. "No problem. Mr. J was nice and just gave us full marks, 'because of what we've been through.'" She quoted, and a small weight was lifted off of my shoulders. Hopefully, every teacher would be like that, and I wouldn't have to worry about homework until we got back from break.

"Awesome," I grinned and pulled out my sketchbook. "Is he giving us any assignments for the rest of the week?"

"Nope." I didn't expect him to. "He said he's too busy grading, and that this week is just a free week, and we can treat it like a study hall."

"I love Mr. J."

"Who doesn't?"

And we just sat and talked like that for the rest of the period. I haven't been this at-ease and happy in months.

After class, Pisces spotted me in the hallway and ran up to me from behind, giving me a bear hug. Or, she tried to, but I accidentally elbowed her in the gut. Hard. I helped her back up and got a proper hug this time. It's been a while since I've gotten one of those since I'd refused so vehemently while stuck in my room. But right now, it just felt right.