The next day at school.
During break
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Nox sat at a table in the corner of the cafeteria. Away from the others. Away from their gazes. Silently, he opened his lunchbox and pulled out a sandwich. He took one bite and began to eat. He was alone. As always, even Kieran and Vienna didn’t want to be near them. Nox lowered his head. He saw the image from this morning, when he’d approached them to greet them. But they had walked away, staring at him. With that look. That same damn look he knew so well.
Outcast… Freak…
Nox felt his throat tighten and tears welled up in his eyes. He quickly wiped them with the sleeve of his sweatshirt. He didn’t want the others to see his tears. Even if anyone would. Even his friends had abandoned him. But Nox couldn’t blame them.
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“They already know… Even if I were gone, they wouldn’t miss me…”
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Nox bit his lower lip. With trembling hands, he tucked the sandwich back into his pocket. His appetite had vanished anyway. The boy had no idea how long he sat there, his gaze fixed on the tabletop. Seconds? Minutes? Until a familiar voice pulled him from his reverie.
“Nox, we need to talk.” It was Kieran, sitting across from him. Vienna, sitting next to him, had a worried look on her face.
Nox didn’t look at them, a sad smile played on his lips.
“You know? Right?” His voice was barely a whisper. Vienna nodded, and Kieran sighed. “Nox, listen, we don’t want to judge you…We just want to know…. the truth.”
Nox clenched his fists and bit his lip. Too hard. He felt the metallic taste of his own blood in his mouth. Only then did he look up at them.
“What would the truth change? Yes, it’s true, I died…It is the whole truth, satisfied?” Nox’s voice was stinging, and Kieran sighed. “Listen, we want to help you. But you need to tell us everything. What happened that night?”
Nox stood up, ready to flee, just like he had the day before at the diner. His backpack, slung hastily over his shoulder, he was already grabbing his guitar when Vienna touched his hand.
“Nox, we want to help you…”
Nox’s mouth opened and closed. The silence was broken by the sound of the bell calling the students to their next class.
“I… I don’t remember anything.”
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—————————————
Same day
Chemistry classroom
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After their conversation in the canteen, Nox felt as if something had changed. Kieran and Vienna were sitting beside him again as if nothing had ever happened between them. And he felt the lump in his throat disappear. Kieran yawned dramatically. That familiar smile of his returned. “Hey, I heard we’re getting a new chemistry guy. The old one quit.”
Vienna started giggling. “He probably got tired of the stench of chemicals in the classroom.”
“Or he realized we don’t need chemistry to live anyway,” Nox muttered under his breath, arranging his pens on the desk. Kieran snorted with laughter.
“Maybe… whatever the reason, I hope it won’t be another old geezer with suspenders and oversized glasses.”
“You know, Kieran?” Vienna looked at him with mock seriousness. “Sometimes I feel like your mouth speaks faster than you can think your words through.”
Kieran laughed and nudged Nox in the shoulder. “Tell her, man.”
Nox cleared his throat and lifted his nose.
“There’s no denying that even if I’ve never seen him…And never will, from the description, he sounds like some kind of clown…” Nox fell silent and thought for a moment.
“…Maybe…It’s better he left…I hate clowns.” Kieran and Vienna burst into laughter.
“So, Nox, we have more in common than just rock music.” Vienna wiped away her tears.
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But the laughter and conversation in the classroom stopped. When a tall man entered the classroom, his blond hair slicked back, some streaks of gray visible in it. He was wearing a suit. He didn’t look at all like the chemistry teacher. He looked more like a lost businessman who had walked into their classroom. Nox felt his breath catch in his throat as their new teacher looked into the classroom. Their eyes met. For too long. Nox knew it. He saw the man’s lips curl into a slender smile. Then he turned to the board. The chalk squeaked as he wrote in capital letters.
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DR. Watson
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Then he turned back to the classroom, and Nox saw the Chemist’s lips move, but he couldn’t hear a word. Only one thought echoed in his mind.
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“He…Watson…Can’t…He wasn’t supposed to be here…”
ns216.73.216.13da2
and then Add to home screen.