"You reek."

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I curled into a ball under my bedsheets as my parents enraged voices boomed outside my room. They were not telling at each other. In fact they were mad at me. Moving all the way . . . far from home left my mentality isolated from everything and everyone. My grades gradually dropped. There wasn't much I looked forward too anymore. My birthday which always was filled with joy and gifts was now replaced with the toxic words and emotional manipulation I had to endure. Being called a "loser " or "failure " indirectly by your parents did not help at all. I had to listen to this every day. Listening to them mock me and tell me how my siblings are doing far better. To put it simply, I was the disappointment. The first failed experiment that did not meet their expectations. Went from being the top in her school . . . to the lowest in her class.

    Staring at the apple tree outside my window, I flinched as another furious bang on the door made me jump. It was only a matter of time till they got that door open. Taking my phone and a little money from my savings I opened the small window and slowly climbed out to the roof. Times like these made my imagination go wild. " The princess that has been locked up in the tower for centuries, making her final escape to see the outside world ."

Home school is not fun. Especially when you do not go out much.

I managed to scrap my knee and arm, but it was worth it none the less. I staggered forward. The sun was setting already. My little brother always told me his school is nothing impressive, aside from meeting up with friends and pleasing our parents. If I could manage to find him . . . He might know where I can buy a few bandages for my bloody arm. I took him once to school with my father and watching the senior year students walking into the campus together somewhat made me jelly. I did have one dear friend luckily for me. She was my closest friend since middle school and often texted me and came over. She would always manage to convince my parents to let me and her go out somewhere.
"Oi you, what are you doing here? " I jumped as a guy about two times taller than me stepped out from the shadows without me noticing his exsitence. "You shouldn't be walking through here the smell reeks."

He was wearing a royal-blue school jacket with a detailed-brown-plaid -shirt under, matched with grey-blue pants. It was obviously a school uniform, since my brother wore the same one often. His milky-blue hair was drenched and wet. It took me a second to notice the trashed, wet books in his arms. "Y-Your from Tyevat High?"

           I cursed myself mentally for stuttering and looked up to study his features. His water-blue-eyes were dull, left cheek red and a bit swollen, and a small little mole under his lip. "Your staring," he mumbled, looking away and down at his messed up state. . . He reeked of an unsanitary oder.

         "I should be going, please do excuse me," he broke the silence, holding his head high and managing to walk a few steps away,  before stepping into a small, puddle filled with rotting garbage and an unpleasant mossy colored water. "D-damn. . . "

       I could not help but stare at his back for a moment. There was a small red stain on his shoulder now that he was standing in the light. " Are you . . .okay?" I asked, hesitantly placing a hand on his back while he let out a concerning cough followed by a choked cry.

        "The irony of that," he chuckled, pulling him out of the hole of his disgust. "I stink and your bleeding."

         A blushed flushed my cheeks in embaressment as I shook my head. " It's not that bad," I grumbled, trying to pathetically cover it up. "I won't die from it."

         "It'll get infected though," he frowned. "There should be a drug store nearby . . . "

          He was already walking away and I could not choose whether to follow or walk away, so I just stood there pathetically hesitating that is until he turned back, took my hand in his and tugged gently. "Don't worry I'm not up to anything I promise," he smiled weakly.

         Maybe I could ask my brother about him some other time. " You better not try anything, " I glared, before wondering if my parents have taken notice of my absence yet. 

           " You know you look a little familiar," he rubbed his chin, while eyeing me curiously. " Do we go to the same high school perhaps ? "

            He question made my breathing feel a bit heavy, a reminder of my reality. "I wish I ," my meek smile did not seem to fool him.

          " Homeschooled? "  he sighed, as if recollecting his old memories. "I used too to, this is actually my first year at a school. . . It wasn't exactly hoe I planned it to go. "

           " Really?" I jumped closer to his side.

           My brother would always tell me of his days at school and how dramatic life was like there. O5 was like a society of it own. Popular kids being smug often and causing drama and were either cheerleaders or football players. The shy students who would either go solo and get bullied or huddle in groups to hold a little social life. Bad boys who would always get in trouble for skipping classes, vandalising the gates with toilet paper, and smoke in the school alley.  It made me curious what this sewedge-smelling-guy's rank was. "I'm Ayato, probably forgot to mention that, " he chuckled awkwardly, before continuing. " At first when I got there they acted weird and kept staring at me the whole class after I introduced myself."

         "They all kept asking me to join them for lunch, but they seemed a little too informal. There were also this girl who hugged me out of nowhere when I was talking to my sister, Ayaka," he shook his head with a tired smile.  " The guys were more friendly and bearable to be around, but I still preferred hanging out with the other knew kid Kazuha. Some or the students told me to stay away from him, but he is a nice guy and has a unique way with words. "

          "Wow, " I had stars in my eyes this guy was living a wattpad novel. " Damn I would kill to be in your shoes !"

          He only laughed full heartedly as I pouted and begged him to tell me about the rest of his day. I did not really mind if he was telling the truth or lying, but just hearing about what high-school life could be like was more than enough for my imagination." Honestly princess, I doubt you want you lovely face to be sullied in garbage juice!" We both laughed even harder, that we didn't notice time pass by so fast.

           In a matter what felt like a few minutes, we were standing in front of the store hand in hand. "How about you honjn alone I'll probably get kicked out for smelling like this, " he gently smiled, before rummaging in his pocket and pulling out a fifth mora bill. "Can you get me an Dinham,er while you at it? Mine broke when I was in the alley."

           I was confused at first, but only nodded and took the money form him, before running into the store. Picking up a few bandages I managed to pay the lady at the counter, who kindly helped me bandage my wounds, before using Ayato's money to buy him the inhaler, before rushing out . . . But he was gone. "AYATO?!" I called out to him in the empty street, before glancing at each end for any sign of the blue haired boy. "Hey this isn't funny!"

           For a few seconds I waited for any sort of sound aside from the crikets playing on my nerves. "Thought you got away pretty rich boy?~ Oof you reek !" Laughter echoed from a nearby alley and my mind could already predict what was happening.

           I pulled out my phone and stared at the alley fearing to even approach it. I could hear the clatter of glass , trashcans, and the small sniffs that sniffs that escape dme as tears threatened to pill out as I pressed the numbers on my phone and lifted it to my ear. The a beer bottle rolled out and bumped into me. It took my a moment to notice I was approaching the alley while repeating my location to the lady on the phone, while my heart hammered against my chest.

        "Ayato you son of a rich baster-" my body froze as I gripped the beer bottle, hid it behind my back . . .and  I stepped into the alley. 

        Three high-schoolers a bit taller than Ayato, scattered on the floor bruised and possibly a few broken bone. Two were trying to hold Ayato down, and another one pretty short, about my height was laughing madly while gripping the boy by the hair and chin,  pouring forcefully a whole bottle of  beer into Ayato's mouth. "Your parents are dead you poor poor rich bo-"without thinking I bashed the bottle against the shortie's head in the middle of his madness and watched his limp body tumble to the ground.

         The other two thugs froze in utter shock, letting their guard down for a second to let Ayato slip out of there grasp. I stared down at the shortie bleeding on the floor. Shit. . . Did I just murder someone?! Sirens blared into my ears as Ayato hastily grabbed me and began running out of of the alley while coughing heavily. 

          "A-ayato . . . " my legs collapsed as the image of the bleeding boy flashed into my head. "Anayayo I killed him."

           Tears flooded my vision as my body trembled. Ayato inched into my view, coughing and rummaging through the bag that had the inhaler and bringing it up to his slightly bruised lips. He swayed from side clumsily, holding onto my arm. "M-my house is c-close," he pulled me up again and began running, slightly tripping and falling, not daring to let go of my hand. How many bottles did they make him drink? At some point we ran out of breath, and Ayato pointed at the villa at the end of the road. He threw up the moment we slowed down he leaned again the lamppost while cursing under his breath,"I-im sorry p-please-"

         "There you are! Sneaking out at this time?! " My mom stopped her car and stomped towards us ready to give me an earful, but froze the moment we got close.

          "Ayato!" A blond haired boy dressed in the same uniform as Ayato came running from the direction of the villa towards us, ignoring the smell of alcohol, garbage, and vomit.

          Ayato managed a tired smile as the other boy glanced at me and then out hands. "Please help me get him to the mansion!" He urgently pleaded, turning to my parents and offering the "Come with us I'm sure we can come to an understanding later with Master Ayato."

           I could feel my parents glare at my back all the way until we got to the villa. . . Ayato's hand did not leave me once he gripped onto my sleeve or wirst the whole time, ignoring my father's death gaze.  " Thoma, keep them in the living room I'll come to gre-" He threw up in the bucket the other boy had given him.

            "The bathroom is at the end if the corridor. I'll come by in a sec!" the boy called Thoma pointed out to me before rushing to lead my parents to the living room and hopefully calm them down.

             After a while of watching Thoma throw up into the fancy bathroom's toilet chair while patting his back in reassurance ,and pulling his hair back he called down. He collapsed againt the glistening clean wall that was the complete opposite of his case. He looked more disheveled than when I first met him. "Your shivering," his voice was hoarse but gentle as he cupped my hands in his. "Do I smell that bad?" 

           I choked back my tears. "You enjoying pointing that out," I smacked his shoulder as my head spinned.

          Silence settled between us until I had the courage to bring out the question settling in my mind, "Ayato . . . Who were they?

            The smile on his lips wavered, "The nightmare of high-school . . . "

            "Bullies. . ." I continued, feeling my hands tremble again.

             After that day we stayed in touch. His name  was Kamisato Ayato. He had a little sister and both of his parents were dead. Thoma was working on repaying his father's debt to the family, and just as I had assumed, Ayato and Thoma did go to the same school as my brother. My parents eventually settled on sending me too school, only god knows what Thoma had told them that day I left them with him. Aside from that I kept getting fuzzy butterflies in my stomach whenever texting the young master for the Kamisato estate.
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