"Oh shit." I said. I had lost Ein. This was gonna be a rough day. I searched for him for hours as the club fair went on, but no luck. "Nonononono... not already..." I mumbled to myself between sobs of fear. "I can't have lost a friend already..." I ran to the girls bathroom and into one of the stalls, sliding down the door once I'd locked it. I curled up into a ball and sobbed. Rolling up my sleeves, i looked at my arms.

☡Trigger Warning Self Harm☡

They were riddled with scars, deep and old. Staring at them had me in a trance. 'Maybe' I thought 'A few more wouldn't hurt.' I took out my pocket knife that I wore on my necklace. Studying the blade, I tested it on my finger, and it drew blood. I poked my wrist with it hesitantly, then bit my lip and dug the knife into my skin. As the red blood flowed from my cuts, I heard the door opening and a male voice. "Y/N? Are you in here? You ran off so suddenly." It was Laurence. I choked back a sob. Unfortunately, he heard it. "Y/N!? Come out! What's wrong?" I quickly used some toilet paper to staunch the blood flow and pulled down my sleeve. Hiding the knife in the folds of my skirt, I opened the stall door and smiled at Laurence. "Hey. What did you need?" He saw through my guise."Y/N, where's the knife?" My eyes darted around. "W-what knife?" "The knife you were just cutting yourself with." I let out a small, broken sob as I showed him the blade I'd been using. He looked at me with tears in his eyes as he rolled up my shirt sleeve, making me flinch. "Why? Why did you do this? You promised me..." I started crying again, snuggling up to Laurence as I let the tears flow. "I don't know! It was too much! The temptation was just too great... Laurence, I'm terrified! Terrified of myself! Terrified of the school! Terrified of everything but you!"

☡Safe☡

He hugged me tight, murmuring comforting words into my ear. Laurence had been my dearest friend for years. He was the only person who knew that I hurt myself. And he was the only person who could calm me down when I threw a fit. He slowly urged me out of the bathroom and toward the cafeteria. We sat down, and I bled my heart out to my dear friend. Once I had finished, we sat there for a while, just hugging. "It'll be okay, Y/N. I'll protect you. I can be your bodyguard. You'll never have to be alone... I swear to Irene." The day droned on, and Laurence never left my side. After school, I asked my mom if I could spend a night at his house. She was okay with it, saying that she'd bring me some clothes to sleep in. He got to his house and I was promptly greeted by Cadenza, his sister. "Y/N! I didn't know you'd come back into town. How was- what happened? Why are you crying?" Laurence explained the situation for me, and Cadenza decided to go to my house to hang out with Tyler. I sat on the couch watching Phantom of the Opera while Laurence made popcorn in the kitchen. Humming along to Think of Me, I watched as Laurence burned himself on the pot he was using. "Careful!" He glared at me pointedly. "You have no room to talk on that matter." It came out as a low growl, scaring me into crying again. Laurence turned off the burner and ran over to me. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to make you cry!" He said, holding me close. The steady beat if his heart lulled me into calmness while I continued watching the movie. Laurence finished the popcorn and a came back with a large bowl of it. "Hey Laurence?" I said as I checked a message from my mom. "Yes, P/N?" "My mom says the car broke down on the way home and she doesn't have enough cash for a taxie. Can I borrow some of your clothes?" He blushed and stared at me. "W-why not Cadenza's?" "Cuz hers reek of perfume." "Touche. Sure. You can borrow some of my clothes. Just don't steal anything when you leave tomorrow!" He said as I got up and headed go his room. "No promises~" A minute later, I came out in my safety shorts that I wear under my school uniform, some over-knee socks that I always carry with me, and Laurence's Panic! At The Disco t-shirt. When he saw me, Laurence blushed. "I, um... er.... I..." I giggled at his stammering before sitting and resting my head on his shoulder. This would hopefully be a fun night.

To Be Continued...