TMSN - Chapter 13

The last bell rang throughout the air, signalling the end of classes and school, time to go home since Joy and I decided to stay throughout our free lessons.

When we dropped off our unneeded books into our lockers because we finished our assignments, we passed Mr White talking to another teacher and a group of students, noticing us he gave us a slight nod in acknowledgement.

I smiled at him as we continued walking to the front of the school, where Joe was waiting.

* * * * *

At home, I went straight to my room, Joy helped me with my bag. I just needed to be alone and surrounded in the quiet of my room.

Giving her a quiet thank you, I shut my door before moving to my window seat, where Joy put my bag, plugging in my laptop to its charger.

Logging onto my laptop, I plugged my phone onto the charger, which was plugged into my laptop.

While scrolling through facebook I got a message request from Drew White, I smiled before accepting and reading his message:

Hello Shadow, I sadly can not send you a friend request, for obvious reasons but that won't stop us from messaging on here.

Smiling at his message, I understood what he meant, we can't be friends on any social media platforms, not unless we use an alias. Otherwise, we could get in big trouble. So just using messenger should work, it wouldn't show others who we talk to, only who we are friends with.

Heya Drew, all good I can understand why this is probably the safest way to communicate outside of texting and calling.

Sending my reply I decided to open a new tab, where I opened youtube streaming music from my list I saved onto it. But not before too long my computer chimed, notifying me of a message from facebook.

Sounds good, I know credit is a bitch to get and to pay for, and this is an easier way to contact each other. Anyway, how are you?

I smiled at his response, I never heard or even read anything from him that was a swear word, so it was a nice change, I could tell he was getting more and more comfortable with me.

Didn't know you could swear 😂. I'm good, what about you? What are you up to?

Sending my message I turned up my music, wanting to be surrounded by the music, wanting to get lost in it, distract myself from the darkness inside me that was creeping out.

* * * * *

After messaging Drew and being in my own world listening to music, zoning out until I got notified of a new message.

It was nice, not once did I get interrupted, I was left to be in my own world and it was a rare time of not being depressed while doing so.

Closing facebook I left my music playing while I unlocked my phone and started reading a random book, getting lost inside of fantasy.

Halfway through the first few chapters, I heard a knock at my bedroom door.

"Come in, it's open!" I called out, pausing my music and turning off my phone.

"Hey, it's dinner time, I brought yours up here and I'll be back when you finished," Joe said, producing a bowl of fried rice, handing it to me before leaving.

It was rare if any of us ate in our rooms, not unless it was snacks or something like that, but it was nice for them to let me eat my dinner in here, then I wouldn't need to worry about going up and down the stairs.

While I ate I watched a horror movie that came out a few months ago, after watching it and finishing my dinner, I could talk about how good the movie was for days, it was just amazing, wasn't too overdone.

Not long after I finished eating, Joy came in to grab my dish before leaving once again, closing the door behind her, leaving me in a comfortable silence until I went back to turn on my music as the movie finished.

* * * * *

I woke up with a kink in my neck and my Harry Potter throw blanket covering me - must've been Joe or Joy. I didn't realise I fell asleep on my window seat.

Rubbing my sore neck I sat up, looking around my room, feeling disorientated.

Just as my neck started feeling better my alarm went off on my phone, telling me to wake up and get ready for school. I quickly shut off the alarm, before I grabbed my crutches and pulled out a pair of black trackies and a blue hoodie and getting changed.

As I finished getting changed, there was a knock at my door, "come in Joy," I call.

"How'd you know it was me?" She asked, opening the door, making her way to my bag before putting my laptop into it as well as anything else I needed for today.

"Because of the time," I replied, nodding to where she was and what she was doing.

"Observant like always Shadow, you two ready to go?" Joe asked, peering in through the door since Joy didn't shut it.

"Of course daddy," Joy answered, zipping up my bag before leading the way out my room and down the stair, with Joe and I following her.

"Let's get this day over and done with," I add as we reach the landing at the bottom of the stairs.

* * * * *

Walking into school, barely anyone notices us, it felt good, after coming back and having people stare and whisper for the entire day, to go back to being part of the crowd. Though I do know that there will still be a few people still whispering and staring, at least it's not everyone this time.

"You okay?" Joy asked, looking at me worriedly. I shook my head, noticing we are at our lockers and I haven't opened mine yet.

"Yeah, sorry, just got lost in my thoughts, you know how it is," I said, sending her a small smile before I opened my locker, getting everything I needed for my first two lessons, before handing them to Joy who placed them in my bag as I shut and locked my locker.

"Well then, as long as nothing is wrong, I'm happy," she responds, putting shutting her locker, not getting anything out of it - must have a free lesson before we have geography.

"Wanna walk me to maths?" I asked as we walked away from our lockers.

"Sure," she responses, continuing to walk beside me instead of walking up the flight of stairs we passed along the way, that lead to other classrooms and the SACE floor, where she probably would've gone to.

* * * * *

Maths flew by quicker than I thought it would've. Not before long everyone was packing up their books and other supplies and leaving the room to go to their next class.

Walking into geography, Joy walked in right before me but had her signature earphones on, most likely blaring her music, drowning out the world, like I tend to do also.

When she sat in her seat, organising everything, she finally looked up and waved at me, noticing I was here too. I flashed her a smile before I sat in my seat, pulling my laptop out of my bag.

At the end of the class, Mr White and I continued to steal glances at each other, sometimes we would wink sometimes we smiled, I felt light and free, happy whenever it happened.

As Joy and I walked out the class together, stopping at our lockers before going to our little hiding spot, I couldn't contain my smile, Joy didn't ask why I was so happy, but she smiled alongside me.

"How was the free?" I asked her, sitting down on the table, while Joy sat on the seat, besides my feet, eating our food, enjoying the peace.

"Borning, but I did get to finish work, and wrote a bit," she responded, she wanted to start writing again, since apparently its been ages since she wrote last, but I never wanted to pry in case it was something traumatising for her, and Joe. But none the less her even beginning to write again was a big deal.

"Will you tell Joe?" I asked, his reaction would have a massive impact on her and if she continues, she really does value his opinion and thoughts highly, so I am a bit concerned on how she will approach it and how he would respond.

"I honestly don't know yet. We never know, this could be a one-off, and I could stop again, let's just wait and see if anything comes out of it, promise not to tell Joe yet, I'll tell him when I feel ready kay?" She answered, looking at me, waiting for my confirmation.

I nod, confirming her, "of course Joy, it's your secret to tell, and I judge your judgement. Just remember if I feel as though it's causing you more harm than good I will have to tell someone, and that will most likely be Joe," I respond, adding the condition, because I didn't want to risk not adding it, and her resenting me for telling Joe or anyone if writing was affecting her negatively.

"I'll accept that," Joy accepted, I mean it is only fair, seeing as she does the same for me.

Thinking about that made me freeze, I was keeping a huge secret from her and when she finds out she is going to kill me. But I can't think about that, so I shook my head, getting the thought out of my mind before I started eating again with Joy and I sitting in silence, enjoying the nature that surrounded us.

* * * * *

It wasn't long before the bell went and Joy and I were making our way to our lockers then to Aqua Marine, where we went down to the shed to check on the fish and do everything we needed there.

Joy decided she was going to go into the shed and help out with the measuring of the fish and the feeding, double checking with the rest of the class and noting it all down with them. While I sat outside on one of the tables, since it was too humid and stuff in the shed, even with the door open, I just couldn't handle it.

A few other students lingered outside too, though the majority was inside the shed, the few outsides hung around with their friends gossiping, while I decided to plug in my earphones and blare Hailee Steinfeld for a change, not feeling my typical heavy rock, faster busier music.

It wasn't long before the class was finished with the fish, so we all made out way back to the classroom to note down the information we got from the fish into our notebooks or like me most of the others used their laptop.

Not long after, the bell rang signalling the end of another class and the beginning of lunch, while the rest of the class rushed out, tired of being in class, Joy and I took our time, not in any rush to be anywhere.

But once we got to our lockers, we continued to go to our hiding place again, more specifically me, while Joy went to the canteen to get our lunches, telling me that with my crutches there was no point in me going too, which I agreed too.

So there I sat, waiting for Joy, looking through a gap in the branches to find Mr White looking back at me, smiling and giving a small wave as he noticed he caught my attention/ I was still in shock when he walked away, and to his office, that he knew where I was.

I thought no one knew about this little sanctuary, but apparently, I was wrong, the one teacher I liked, knew and also knew I was here, how I have no clue but I would have to ask when I see him alone next.