After School
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The bell announced the end of class. Students gathered their things. Laughing and chatting, headed for the door. Nox was the first to run out into the schoolyard, tripping over his own feet and nearly falling down the stairs. He wanted to leave all the new faces and sounds behind. His backpack was digging into his shoulder, and his guitar case was banging against his side. He didn’t care, though. All he wanted was silence.
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“About one hundred and ninety-nine more days of this hell…”
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“Hey, Nox!” Kieran’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. “Stop!”
He reluctantly stopped. He turned around and saw Kieran and Vienna running up to him. The girl looked like she was training for a marathon, and the boy waved at him as if they were best friends.
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“What?” he growled under his breath. Ready to turn and leave at any moment. Anything to find his peace. Lock himself in his room and play guitar.
“Let’s go eat and talk,” Kieran announced as if it was the most normal thing in the world. “The diner around the corner has the best fries in this dump.”
Vienna nodded. Nox, however, didn’t seem to share their enthusiasm.
“No.” His answer was short and quick, almost as if he hadn’t even considered it.
“Nox, please.” Vienna’s voice was almost pleading. “You Don’t have anything better to do anyway.”
“And how do you know that?” Nox raised an eyebrow, studying the girl’s face.
The girl shrugged. “Something just tells me.” Her smile was mysterious.
“Come on, man, give us an hour. At most, you’ll run away sooner.” Kieran’s voice was hopeful. Nox opened his mouth to refuse again, but no sound emerged. Instead, he sighed and averted his irritated gaze. He felt as if the wall he’d been building around himself for so many years was crumbling. And the next words that tumbled from his mouth surprised him.
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“Okay… But only for an hour…”
At those words, Kieran jumped with joy and slapped Nox on the shoulder.
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“I knew you’d agree eventually!”
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Nox flinched at Kieran’s shout, his gaze drifting to her. Vienna. A wide smile spread across her lips. Almost as if she was relieved that he’d agreed.
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——————
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the diner
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The moment they entered, they were greeted by the smell of frying oil and ketchup. The interior was noisy, with soft music playing in the background. It was stuffy, yet cozy in a strange way. Better than school. A slot machine stood by one of the windows, and posters of local bands hung on the walls. Immediately upon entering, Kieran ordered fries and Cokes for everyone. Without even asking Nox for his opinion.
“Trust me, man, it’s a classic,” he replied with a hint of a smile, sitting down next to Vienna. She immediately stole part of his fries, saying he’d already ordered too many.
Nox sat for a moment, looking at them silently. He lightly crushed his cup of Coke with his good hand.
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“Why did you even agree to come here with them?”
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Nox sighed and brushed the hair out of his eyes before slowly reaching for a fries, popping them into his mouth. Then he lifted his cup and took a sip of his Coke.
“So, how long have you been playing?” Kieran replied, his mouth full. Nox almost choked on the liquid in his mouth. Then he looked down at his guitar case.
“Since I was seven,” he replied, the corners of his mouth twitching almost imperceptibly.
“Did someone in your family teach you or someone else?” Nox opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
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“Mom…”
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Vienna was the first to notice Nox’s hand shaking. A sign that something wasn’t right. She glanced at Kieran out of the corner of her eye.
“Come on, Kieran, give him a break.” She laughed, nudging him in the shoulder. “Not everyone wants you to figure them out in five minutes.”
Kieran leaned back in his chair, clearly proud of himself.
“But I have a talent for this, Vienn.”
Vienna glanced at Nox, who smiled softly at her, almost as if to say, “Thank you.”
The conversation flowed smoothly after that, about school, music, and other typical teenage things. Nox relaxed a bit in their company, feeling unjudged from the start. Kieran played with his phone, turning it over and over. At one point, he dropped it, but immediately bent down to pick it up. That’s when he saw it. Nox’s left leg, which had been sticking out from under his slightly rolled-up pant leg, had also been replaced by a mechanical prosthetic.
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“What the hell?”
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Kieran straightened, but his trademark smile was gone.
“Hey…Have you been in some kind of accident to have so many prosthetics?”
Nox stiffened, feeling as if his heart had stopped beating. He quickly adjusted the material of his pants so that his leg was hidden again.
“Don’t look,” he whispered through his teeth. Vienna raised an eyebrow, and Kieran raised his hands in surrender.
“Easy, I just…”
“YOU DIDN’T SEE ANYTHING!” he shouted, jumping up. The chair he’d been sitting on moments ago tipped over, and the other people in the diner were looking in their direction. Nox, however, paid them no mind. He grabbed his backpack and case and ran outside, so fast that the door slammed shut behind him with a dull thud.
Vienna and Kieran watched Nox hurriedly disappear around the corner. Then they looked at each other in complete silence.
ns216.73.216.13da2
and then Add to home screen.