Atdonus High

Episode 10: The Girl That Fears Boys

Middle of Who-Knows-Where

Who-Knows-When

In Atdonus Highschool

7:36am, Azel entered the classroom.

The few students in the room went silent, their conversations stopping altogether the moment he stepped in. Azel ignored them and went to his seat, slinging his legs over the table. His legs were too long and he wanted to stretch them without annoying the person in front of him. However, it only solidified his ‘gangster’ image. He looked around, trying to see what was going on, none of the students returning his gaze.

He leaned back on his seat and stared at the ceiling. The other students started whispering, he knew what they were speaking about, but could not bother to change their opinion.

7:50am, Angela entered the classroom.

She walked in with a bright smile on her face, contradicting the mood Azel gave off. She walked to her seat with a slight hop in her step, immediately started speaking to Eva who arrived slightly before her. She asked, “How have you been doing?”

“Um... Good?” Eva replied, unsure.

“You’re not reading anymore?” Angela asked again, looking under Eva’s desk.

“Mr. Connor suggested that I stop for awhile. Try to reconnect to reality.”

“I see I see.”

Before she could continue with the conversation, Angela was approached by her two friends Lesley and Sylva, leaving Eva to talk to a slightly concerned Yuki.

“Why did you disappear?” Lesley fake cried.

“Heard you got busted for leaving.” Sylva commented.

“Something like that. Don’t need to worry about it.” Angela waved them off, laughing.

Lesley leaned in closer to Angela, whispering, “I always thought your boyfriend was fake, still can’t believe such a guys exists.”

“You didn’t believe me? What reason would I have to lie?” Angela asked.

“I mean, a guy that beautiful and kind? No, no such thing.” Lesley said. “Then we saw your boyfriend that one time.”

Angela did not like where the conversation was going. She had her left hand near her left pocket as she continued with the conversation.

“Yeah, how did the two of you meet?” Sylva asked.

“Not telling.” Angela smirked, poking Lesley’s forehead away from her.

7:47am, Pandora entered the classroom.

She had a wide smile on her face as she walked towards her seat. She was swaying, almost falling with each step as she walked towards her chair. When she finally sat down, Azel looked at her as she rested her chin on the table, giggling to herself.

7:30am, Yuki entered the classroom.

He had gotten proper sleep the day before, so he could stay in class and think about a few things. Mainly his plot for his story and Scarlet. He had known her for some time, so he felt he should know her intentions.

7:39am, Scarlet entered the classroom.

She walked in, no one paying her any attention despite the half veil. She walked to her seat beside Yuki and sat down. She gave a warm smile and told him, “Good morning.”

“Don’t talk to me.” Yuki told her.

“So rude, so rude.” Scarlet chided. “What happened to those times when we would visit the movies together and hang out?”

“Those times never happened, so stop making up stories.” Yuki said, writing something on a piece of paper.

“Like you’re one to talk.” Scarlet joked.

There was no reply from Yuki. Scarlet sighed and just pulled her notebook out, writing a few things in it.

7:48am, Eva entered the classroom at the same time as Evelyn.

Evelyn walked as if Eva was not there to begin with, walking past her without so much as a look. Eva, not sure how to act, just went to her seat. Evelyn sat down and started to sleep again. Eva went to her seat.

She talked to Angela before speaking with Yuki.

Scarlet gave them a look before writing something else in her notebook.

7:52am, Alex entered his classroom.

His classmates continued their conversations like he never entered in the first place. It was typical for people to avoid him, he looked different from the other boys, his hair and eyes were a weird colour and he looked feminine. He disliked his appearance, it had caused him endless suffering in his childhood. If only he was born different, if only he was normal, his family might have been stable. Maybe his parents would not have trusted a scammer.

Alex flipped open his textbook, staring at the content. He had taught himself many things by reading books on chemistry and physics. However, he found it quite useless, there was no point in learning those things if he was in prison. The cause of it was, once again, his appearance.

He disliked his appearance, but he had met Angela, and she accepted him for who he was. She even said his appearance made him even better looking. He could tell that she was not lying, there was something about that girl. He knew her personality and past, Angela knew his, they were in love, end of story.

He hummed Angela’s favourite tune while spinning a pencil in his hand. He liked being alone, but he liked being with Angela more. He just sat there, waiting for class to end.

8:02am, Mr. Connor walked into class, the limp in his left leg completely healed.

“Alright, let’s start class!” He announced.

11:30am, it was lunch break.

Azel grabbed his entire bag and walked off, the class giving way to him. Evelyn followed soon after, speaking to the air while clutching her side, her injury not completely healed. Scarlet left looking at her notebook before seemingly disappearing into the crowd. Yuki slept despite getting enough sleep, Eva simply looked around, unsure of what to do.

Pandora was approached by Angela, Sylva and Lesley.

Pandora felt uncomfortable around Angela considering she had almost killed her. Pandora, saved by Azel could not shake off the feeling she got at the time, the intent to kill. Worse, she had not a hint of remorse in her when she went after Pandora. That would mean that Angela saw it as a perfectly fine thing to take someone’s life, or she had justified it.

Pandora, for her own safety, wanted to try and stay far away from Angela, preferably closer to Azel who can protect her. Unfortunately, the trio had already approached her.

To Angela, the incident with Pandora was not a big deal. She thought that Pandora had not seen either hero’s or Alex’s barcodes. If she had done nothing, there was nothing for Angela to get mad over. She gave Pandora her finest smile, Pandora returning it with a polite one.

“Wanna have lunch together at the garden again?” Lesley asked.

“I don’t feel that well, you guys can go first, I’ll join you when I feel better.” Pandora replied, putting her hands together in a sign of apology.

“Really?” Lesley whined. “Take care of yourself.”

They walked off, Angela looking back at Pandora, staring her in the eyes. Pandora instantly knew that the lie would not slide with Angela, but Angela did not seem to care either way. They left, heading down the building and eventually to the garden.

11:35am, Pandora left the class with her lunchbox.

She wanted a quiet place to be, somewhere she could be alone. She felt like she was in constant danger since Angela returned to the class that day. She was basically scarred by Angela’s attack that day. Pandora walked along the corridors, eventually turning to a more deserted area, finding the stairway. She walked up it, a lot shining at the top.

When she reached the top, she was met with a familiar sight. Azel sat there, eating fried rice, his spoon halfway to his mouth. Pandora smiled slightly, the sense of imminent danger disappearing altogether. Pandora cleared her throat before saying, “I’m sorry, I thought no one would be here.”

Azel looked at her and shrugged, patting the area beside him before continuing with his meal. Pandora went up to him and sat down, opening her own lunchbox. The quiet but safe atmosphere, she like it, it was comfortable. She ate in silence, trying to think of a topic to talk about with Azel.

“Can I talk to you about something?” Pandora asked.

Her mind went into turmoil, several thoughts of disagreements shouting their opinions. She ignored those thoughts, those voices. She saw that Azel nodded, already finished with his food.

11:56am, Pandora started to open up to Azel.

For some reason, she felt like she could trust him. Thoughts of the past returned, people judging, people bullying, what was she? Who exactly was she? She opened up to Azel, trying not to break down. Azel did not look at her, simply nodding along, just listening. When she was done, Azel extended his hand and put his hand on her grey beret, he patted her head as tears flowed down Pandora’s cheeks.

This went on as a commotion took place, two students having been sent to the infirmary.

11:37am, the trio of girls were outside the garden.

“Something’s up with Pandora, don’t you think?” Lesley said.

Angela sighed slightly, wondering how Lesley had not noticed it before. She made her way through the maze with ease, the other two girls still outside.

“Maybe she has a weak body?” Sylva commented.

“Possibly...” Lesley muttered, trying to figure it out.

Angel laid out her blanket and shouted to them, “You two don’t have lunch, right? Hurry and go to the cafeteria already!”

“On it!” Lesley shouted back. “Follow me Sylva! We might land good boyfriends if we’re lucky enough.”

“It’s impossible for you though...” Sylva joked.

“You never know until you try!” Lesley said cheerfully, walking towards the cafeteria.

They walked towards the cafeteria. Sylva looked at Lesley, slightly concerned about her, especially considering her condition. The cafeteria closer to them was packed, students crowding to try and buy their food. Lesley walked forward confidently before someone bumped into her. Sylva went up to them as quick as she could.

The person was a boy, in his first year of highschool, he stood 183cm tall with thin arms and legs. His uniform was crumpled and he had earrings dangling from his ears. Lesley saw him and instantly froze up.

Her eyes were wide, her mind racing. What was she supposed to do? She felt like she was supposed to apologise, but her mouth would not open. Her heartbeat could be felt in her throat as he reached towards her. The boy had a look of concern on his face as her extended his hand, saying, “So sorry about that. I was careless when walking.”

Lesley could not move her arms, she could not get up, her muscles refusing to move. She gritted her teeth, trying to force herself to say something, anything. Her lower lip quivered as she tried, her mind racing. He reached out, concerned if she was alright, and grabbed her shoulder.

Lesley felt her vision going blurry, her mind going fuzzy as he looked her in the eyes. He said, “Are you alright?”

Sylva reached them and smacked his hand away. She whispered to him, “Don’t try and talk to her, she won’t respond. Don’t worry, she’s fine.”

He nodded and walked away.

Sylva helped Lesley get on her feet, Lesley’s legs shaking uncontrollably as she struggled to get up. She stuttered, “I-I couldn’t ta-talk...”

“I know.” Sylva replied, supporting her.

Lesley took a shaky breath and looked at the sky, trying to find a way to calm herself down. Sylva told her, “That trauma still hasn’t disappeared, you should know better than anyone else.”

“Trauma?” Lesley laughed slightly. “That thing’s old... it didn’t affect me at all...”

Lesley walked towards a place with fewer people, leaving Sylva standing there alone. Sylva sighed and pushed her way through the crowd, getting two bread and quickly returning back to where Lesley was.

Lesley sat on a bench, staring at her hands. She could not control herself when she saw a boy, much less come in contact. Her legs would freeze in place and she would be unable to think. Her dream of getting a boyfriend was useless, it was just a statement to say she got over her trauma. However, in the end, her statement was false.

That trauma was the how Lesley and Sylva met in the first place.

In the second year of middle school, Lesley, who attended an all-girls school, decided to follow a friend to a mixer. She barely spoke with boys and wanted to get into a relationship, so she agreed to the mixer. That day, with two of her friends, she met up with three boys who were in their first year of highschool.

Everything was going well, she was even getting along with one of the boys there. However, when all three pairs split, a boy following a girl, the guy she got along with followed her. At some point, when Lesley was about to suggest that they date, the boy forced her against a wall. Lesley, who was unsure of what was going on, panicked and struggled. No matter how long ago the matter was, she could vividly remember one line he said.

“Can’t believe you trusted me so easily.”

Before anything serious happened, another girl who happened to be getting back from running errands saw them. The two girls, Lesley and Sylva were the same age. Sylva had run up to them and pushed the guy aside roughly, not achieving much. The guy turned around, wondering who she was before he was kicked by Sylva in the groin. He doubled over in pain, allowing the two girls to escape.

From then, Lesley was afraid of approaching guys, no matter how much she tried to overcome it. She had once told Sylva, “I don’t think I can marry a boy...”

There was a silence between them. Sylva replied, “Then marry a girl.”

Lesley, who did not hear her properly, asked, “What’s your type of guy?”

“None.” Sylva replied instantly.

Not long after that conversation, they were accepted into Atdonus Highschool.

11:46am, Sylva placed a paper bag of bread on Lesley’s head.

“What’re you thinking about?” Sylva asked.

“Nothing in particular...” Lesley said back, taking the bread and walking back to the garden with Sylva.

11:50am, Angela had already finished eating the parts of her lunchbox which was made by Alex.

She saw the two of them walking towards her and waved, shouting, “You guys are slow! Hurry up!”

Angela could fell something off about them, Sylva was not as cheerful as she would normally be. She could guess what happened since she knew about their conditions. When both of them sat down, Lesley whispered, “Why can’t I just be in a normal relationship? I want to get married and all too...”

“What happened to her?” Angela asked Sylva.

“She bumped into a guy and got reminded of her trauma.” Sylva replied.

“I see... so what’s up?” Angela asked Lesley.

Lesley looked at Angela’s smiling face and felt something deep inside her. Angela was in a normal relationship with a boy, furthermore, the guy looked like a girl. Lesley, after seeing him for the first time, felt no fear towards him, he did not scare her despite being a boy. Angela was a normal person, Lesley felt wronged, why did the only guy she could potentially get into a relationship with taken? Angela could get a boyfriend with most other guys, she was quite popular. Without thinking, Lesley faced Angela and asked, “Can I speak with your boyfriend for awhile...?”

Angela’s expression instantly darkened the moment she heard her. She had hung out with them knowing their conditions. She thought that they would not try to go after Alex, but here she was. Angela was not an i***t, she could tell her intent, Lesley wanted to try and win Alex over.

“For what reason?” Angela asked.

Angela’s expression was obvious, but Lesley decided to push on. After all, she was desperate, she wanted to try and be like everyone else, she wanted to be normal.

“You can get a boyfriend easily, right?” Lesley asked. “Your current boyfriend is the only o-“

“So you’re treating Alex like an object?” Angela asked, grabbing Lesley’s throat and staring directly into her eyes.

Sylva tried to help, but Angela pulled her razor out of her pocket and slashed at Lesley. Sylva grabbed Angela’s hand, the knife digging into Sylva’s arm instead. Sylva pushed Angela back with a scream before trying to pull Lesley up. They made a run for it, running as fast as they could through the maze.

Students were there to see the commotion, some running to get a teacher. Angela got on her feet and started chasing them. She hated anyone that tried to get in the way of Alex and her, she would not hesitate to kill.

When she got to her side of the hedge maze, Sylva and Lesley were already out of the maze and running. They thought that the maze would help slow Angela down, no matter is she remembered how to get in and out.

Angela scowled before jumping. Almost like a ghost, she ran on the maze, jumping from hedge to hedge before clearing the maze, only around ten meters between her and them. With each step, she got closer to them, razor in hand.

Lesley screamed for help, having no idea that it would enrage Angela to such an extent. Angela was too atheistic for them to outrun, Angela eventually on them.

Lesley turned around to see the face of the devil.

12:05pm, Angela was being held back by a few teachers, her uniform and arm splattered with blood.

She was brought into the staff room where they would decide what to do with her. Alex was watching from the shadows, trying to find the perfect opportunity to jump in.

The two girls were rushed to receive emergency treatment, their wounds almost fatal.

2:00pm, Angela sat on a chair, handcuffed.

It was not unfamiliar to her, in fact, she found it weird that she was only handcuffed. She sat on a seat with a table in front of her, someone else entering the room.

Scarlet gave her a cheeky smile as she sat down across from her. Scarlet’s half veil made Angela recognise who she was, remembering that she sat in front of her. Angela asked, “What are you doing here?”

“Well, as the Principal, I have to give judgement, don’t you think?” Scarlet replied, dipping through her notebook. “Don’t you think it’s sad? That you might be expelled for this. Your sentence will continue, and who knows what else might happen after that? Execution? Life sentence?”

“What’s your point?” Angela scowled.

She could understand where Scarlet was going with the conversation.

“Well, expulsion is the only option here, to return you back to prison. Who knows, your boyfriend will probably follow you too.”

Angela was shown out of the room.

“You have a week to say your goodbyes.” Scarlet told her. “Try to make use of this time.”