Tempest (Royce/Winston)

052

Chresanto's P.O.V.

"Stop staring at them" Ray stated.

"I'm not staring" I corrected, looking away from Jacob and Winston, who were a bit too touchy feely for my liking. They were growing closer and I didn't like it very much, but what the hell was I going to do about it? Nothing... At least I was going to try and do nothing.

Jacob and Winston were walking the track, opting out of the usual game of football. One of Winston's arms were slung around Jacob, keeping him close. It didn't seem to bother Jacob because his own arm was around Winston too.

"You're staring" Elijah said matter of factly.

I looked at him and frowned, he shrugged his shoulders and glanced at Ray, who was too busy absentmindedly twirling his hair around his fingers. We both watched him begin to pull the long strands, and Elijah suddenly grabbed his bag.

"Oh, I forgot" he mumbled, quickly opening his bag. "I got you something, Ray".

Before anyone could say anything, Elijah had pulled out, what looked to be, a toy.

"You got him a toy?"

"It's not a toy".

"What is it?" Ray asked curiously, raising his eyebrows in slight interest.

Elijah held out the dark blue object for Ray to take, which he hesitantly did. The more I stared at it, the more I realized that it really wasn't a toy per se, but a bracelet. There were tassels about an inch in length that seemed to be sprouting from the bracelet band itself. The tassels were made from rubber, so they stretched when they were pulled on.

"It's a bracelet, but it's really called a Squigglet" Elijah explained, "it's... Well... I thought it would be a good way to keep you from, um, pulling on your hair".

"Oh" Ray stared at the bracelet for a short moment before clearing his throat, "how?"

"Whenever you feel like pulling on your hair, you can pull on the little tassels, you know? They stretch, and if you stretch them enough, they'll rip off". Elijah warily watched Ray as he tugged on a tassel, pulling until it popped off. "I know it's not the same thing, and it probably doesn't give you the same feeling either, but I don't know, I just thought it could be used as an alternative".

Ray slowly nodded his head, "thank you".

I noticed the way Ray was staring at the bracelet, and how he slowly rolled it around in his hands. I don't think he was too fond of it to be honest, but I'm sure he wasn't going to say anything to Elijah about it. Ray didn't have to say anything for Elijah to notice his slight discomfort, and with an embarrassed expression, he spoke up.

"You don't have to use it" he shook his head, gently taking the bracelet from Ray's hands. "It was a stupid idea and I'm sorry".

"No, it's okay" he reassured, "it's just... I'm embarrassed, you know? It sucks not being able to stop pulling my hair on my own".

"Sometimes people need help, it's alright to get help" Elijah spoke, "you shouldn't be embarrassed, I'm not judging you and neither is Chres, right?"

I nodded my head in agreement when Elijah looked at me.

"Thanks" Ray hesitated before continuing to speak, "I've just got a lot going on right now, what with my anxiety and insomnia, and now college too, it's just a lot on my plate".

"We're here for you, you know that" I spoke, clearing my throat and looking around the track for Jacob and Winston. They weren't there anymore, and I tried to seem unbothered by the fact that they'd just disappeared. "Hey, has Jacob said anything else about his depression to you guys?"