The pain.
The shock.
The officer who couldn't meet my eyes.

My eyes flew open as my mind had flashes of that horridly traumatic night. I sat up in my bed and ran a hand through my (Hair/Length) (Hair/Color) hair as I looked at my alarm clock on the nightstand. It was 6:00. I groaned and got out of bed, throwing on some clothes and brushing my teeth before locking up my apartment. When I got down to the parking lot and got in my car I checked my phone. I had five missed calls from Jackson and eight texts from Bex,

Bex
(Y/N)?
I'm sorry.
Senri is an ass.
Are you okay?
What happened?
You can tell me.
Please let me know you're okay...
I'm sorry...

I sighed as I read his texts. I felt slightly better knowing he and Jackson cared enough to want to know how I am. I put my phone in the cup holder and started the ignition, taking a deep breath as I drove towards the school. I did not look forward to seeing them. Especially Senri.

When I walked into my first period, I slumped down on my seat. The memories were fresh in my head now thanks to everything last night. I heard Riki sit down next to me. I was hoping he wouldn't know about what happened last night but fate was cruel,

"I know what Senri did. Are you okay?"

I kept my gaze fixed on my desk in front of me as I responded,

"How do you know what happened?"

"I came home a few minutes before they did. When they walked in March was silently fuming, Jackson was trying to call you, and Bex was bitching Senri out while trying to text you. March wouldn't even speak he was so angry. I asked Jackson what happened and he told me Senri made a rude remark about you and your family."

He turned in his seat to fully face me,

"I don't know what happened in your past, and I don't expect you to tell me, but if you need anything at all I'm here for you. I always will be."

I turned to look into his violet eyes and, for the first time since last night, smiled,

"Thank you, Riki. I know Senri doesn't know the full extent of my... situation. It's just when he said that I reacted before I could stop myself. I'm usually better and keeping my emotions under control."

Riki shook his head at me, a serious look in his eyes as he spoke,

"Senri had no right to say anything like that in the first place. He was completely in the wrong. When they got home I honestly thought March was going to rip his head off. But if Senri has any sense of compassion he'll apologize to you at lunch."

I smiled appreciatively at Riki as Mr. Oh began his lecture. The rest of class went by fast and, before I knew it, the bell had rung and Riki was walking me to forensics. When we passed Senri, Riki sent a hard glare at him and hit the honor student hard with his shoulder. I said nothing as we walked, feeling slightly uneasy at Riki's sudden aggression towards his friend. When I arrived at forensics, Bex greeted me happily, but I saw a tinge of guilt hiding in his sapphire orbs. Before he could get a word out I started talking,

"Riki told me what happened after I left. Please don't feel guilty or upset. You had no way of knowing Senri would say that. I'm sorry I didn't respond to your texts. I didn't mean to make you and Jackson worry about me."

Bex's face became somber as he spoke,

"I was so angry at him. After you left I couldn't stop yelling at him. Jackson kept trying to call you and March... the look in his eyes... Riki and I honestly thought he was gonna attack Senri. When we got home March went straight up to his room and slammed the door. He hasn't spoken to any of us since you left."

I squeezed Bex's hand sympathetically,

"I'm sorry. You sound really worried about him. Maybe I could talk to him at lunch? I might be able to help."

My voice was soft as I regarded the distraught male. His eyes were fixed on my hand over his as I spoke. He nodded slowly at my words,

"Maybe... just be careful. He can be a bit... hostile when he's angry."

I nodded in understanding,

"I will be. Besides, if he tries anything, you'll protect me~"

I joked lightly. Bex looked up at me seriously,

"I'll always protect you, (Y/N)."

Before I could question his tone, a man I didn't recognize walked in,

"Your teacher isn't here so I'm subbing for them. They didn't leave a lesson plan so treat this as a free period."

The man said, sitting down at the desk and pulling out a newspaper. I turned back to Bex,

"Is he out often?"

Bex nodded,

"Yeah. This is usually a free period for us."

I smiled in surprise,

"That's cool. Sometimes a break is nice."

Bex sent me a distant smile before he spoke, his voice soft,

"Yeah... it really is."

I saw something flicker in his eyes tilted my head in confusion,

"Everything alright?"

Bex nodded quickly,

"Uh, yeah. Everything's fine. Why?"

I shrugged,

"You just seem like something's wrong. Like when I mentioned how clean your house is. You had the exact same look then that you just had a minute ago."

Bex looked down slightly and sighed,

"It doesn't matter, really."

He said quietly. I reached forward and gently took his hand in my own. His azure eyes snapped up to me and I spoke,

"I understand. Some things in our lives are too painful to talk about. I want you to know that, although I'll never force you to tell me anything, I'll always be here to listen. I know you don't know me very well and if you don't want to tell me anything I respect that, but you seem like you've been through a lot. There's no worse pain a person can carry than the one they keep inside. Sometimes it's good to vent, even if it's just to a friend."

I squeezed his hand,

"Promise me you'll vent your pain to someone you trust, alright?"

Bex blinked at me in surprise and slowly nodded. I smiled at the goth-punk in front of me,

"Good. Sometimes you need to get things off your chest."

He nodded in agreement and, when he found his voice again, responded,

"You're right. The same goes for you too. If there's anything you need to get off your chest, never hesitate to talk to me. I'll always be here to listen, okay?"

I nodded in understanding,

"Thank you, Bex. I mean it. Knowing that I have someone I can talk to like this... it means a lot to me."

Bex squeezed my hand in response and gave me a warm smile,

"You'll always have someone to talk to. I'll make sure of it."

I giggled slightly and smiled in appreciation as he spoke again,

"By the way, I was wondering, why did Senri's statement bother you so much?"

I looked down and retracted my hand from his,

"It just did. It doesn't make a difference now."

I said quietly, hoping my emotions didn't show through in my tone. I cast a quick glance at Bex and saw he didn't believe me, but the bell rang before he could question me further. I quickly gathered my things and fled the room. I knew I'd see him next period, but I was hoping to send a message that I didn't want to talk about it. Thankfully, my message was received and he didn't bring it up in English. Jackson was about to ask if I was okay but Bex stopped him with a death glare. I slumped down in my seat and waited for class to be over. I wanted to get to lunch as soon as possible,

I don't want to cause any issues with Senri. I'd be happier if he didn't talk to me. But I have to make sure March is okay. From what Bex and Riki said he's really upset.

I leaned back in my chair as Mrs. Tanayama explained more about the project,

I just hope I can get through to him.