Hated By All, Loved By Four

✯•✿Rooftop Buddies✿•✯

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ*:.:..:...VALERIA'S P.O.V...:..:..:*Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Stumbling back into the apartment after my session with Doctor god complex has me feeling so damn exhausted. After a very cold shower, I lay on the floor in the living room and stared at the couch. I’m so tired. Too damn tired for anything else I just want to lay here and never move.

I found an option where you can have your missed food sent to your apartment, so dinner is in my room. Again, I don’t like how easy it is for them to access the house. I should eat and take my evening medication. Do I have evening medication?

Ahhh, I’m just so tired. I don’t want to move at all.

“Hey, roomie.” Nevian’s cheerful voice is like salt to my wounds. My imaginary, slightly dramatic wounds.

“Hey.”

“What are you doing?”

“I am suffering. I don’t wanna move.”

He giggles. “Aww, bummer and I was gonna invite you out to have some fun with me at the rooftop of this building.”

“I’m sorry you what?” I moved, finally, resting on my hands and knees with my head quickly glancing up at Nevian. “There are rules, we aren’t allowed out after curfew.”

“A few broken rules never hurt anyone.”

“Somehow I don’t believe that applies in this school. Monitors are everywhere.”

“Yeah, but they aren’t in the room. There’s no rule saying we can’t be there. The rule is that we shouldn’t be outside, like on the streets after curfews.” he seemed to have a counter argument for everything that I said. I huff out a sigh. Well, I don’t have to go.

I have my own freedom to say no.

“Do you wanna join me? I’m meeting some friends there, and we’re gonna stare at the stars.

“There are no stars in the sky.” I scoff. I’ve been staring out for two days and I’ve only seen pure darkness. Like even the little stars know to avoid shining here.

“There are, do you wanna see?”

I said yes. I told you I am a curiously busybody. Okay! I’m like the sheep Doctor King talked about. I can be lured away, I’ll admit it. I’m not proud but when my curiosity gets the better of me I end up doing stupid things.

Like grabbing a blanket, and some pillows and heading out of the apartment to the staircase. We couldn’t use the elevator because it shuts down after curfew. Which is such a strange gimmick to add to a building.

I sighed, I could be sleeping right now. But no, I had to let the voices in my head win. Since I’m in a bloody mental institute, I probably shouldn’t be making those jokes. These folks might take me seriously.

The stairs going up to the roof were long. I quit half way, and Nevian convinced me to continue. I’ve come to a decision, I don’t like Nevian. Well, that’s not true. But it could be. Right now I don’t know if I enjoy his company or if my desperation for a friend is affecting my decision-making. Wait, I’m not desperate for friends.

Pfft.

We stepped out into the roof, and wow... there are NO BLOODY STARS!! just darkness. But the whole roof is lit up by lanterns. There’s no way the monitors don’t see this— Nevian whispers for me to get on my knees and crawl. We do. We crawl over to where a quiet chatter is. I noticed right away that there were two, maybe four people from my class. Immediately making me tense.

“hey, guys,” Nevian whispered. So this is the equivalent of a high school party. This is a tragedy. I want to crawl back down those stairs, or perhaps attempt then just die there. I feel a pinch in my ankle. Crap. Ouch.

I kept my face neutral as Nevian introduced me.

“This is Valeria. She’s my roomie and friend.”

I waved. “Hi.” I croaked.

“Are you okay?”

It was on the tip of my tongue to just lie and say I sprained my ankle but the thought of these people looking at me like I was some overweight loser who couldn’t climb some stairs sent cold sweat trickling down my spine.

“I’m fine, just a bit tired.”

“Okay, do you drink?” one of the students from my wolf history class made this inquiry.

“Yeah.” that is a lie. I’ve never tasted a drop fo alcohol. But yes, I’m choosing to lie my way though this.

“Cool, we’ll give you a beer. Have you had your meds for tonight?”

I shook my head because I couldn’t guess which answer was right. I was met with a smile.

“Perfect, you shouldn’t drink and take those. Just eat something after and you should be good to go. We’re only here for thirty more minutes. Maybe an hour tops.”

I nodded, and I was handed a canned beer. Then I was instructed on where to set up my pillow and blankets.

For a second I thought the question wouldn’t come up, but I was too naive.

“So why are you wolfless?”

I had just sat on the blanket, and I was feeling relaxed enough to try open the drink when the question came. Startling me.

I didn’t know what to tell them, so I said- “It’s complicated.”

“Were you born without one? Cause I’ve heard that happens. It’s like some rare freaky incident.”

“My mother says if you lose your wolf, it’s a curse. It means you’re destined to be swallowed by the darkness.”

“How do you breathe without your wolf?”

“Can you sleep like normal people?”

“Do you feel like an alien?”

“Oh my god, how do you walk?”

“Does it itch?”

Those are some of the dumbest rapid-fire questions I’ve ever received in my life. I wasn’t sure what to say, or which questions to answer first then my phone rang. I was so grateful for that. It had a low ring tone thank god because they all froze looking at me in horror. I answered it quickly.

I expelled my breath. “I’ll take this over there.”

I crawled away, pulling my blanket and pillow away from them. My excuse to not have to listen to their questions about my freakish wolfless state.

“Hello?” I answered quietly.

“Hey, crazy tits.”

I chuckled. “Malcolm, why are you calling me by this time of the fricking night?”

“I was wondering about you, so I called. How are you?”

“Good, I think. I’m in a bit of a panic. Crawling to the other side of my roof, and wondering if i can make a break for the stairs.”

“You’re on the roof?”

I hum a yes. “Yeah my roommate asked me to come out to see the stars but there are none.”

“There are in the rest of Osaka, but none here. But listen, I’m gonna need you to make an excuse, grab your roommate if they matter to you, and go back to your apartment. The monitors already know you’re there but they’re buying time. They’ll take any excuse to literally fling or beat a student.”

My eyes widened with fear. They’d beat a student?

“I’ll call you in a minute.”

“Okay.”

I ended the call and crawled back over to Nevian.

“Let’s go.”

“What? Why? Who was that?”

“Let’s go now. I’ll tell you.”

Nevian looked at me confused, but he relented. “Sorry guys, maybe next time.”

The other students didn’t bother asking why I wanted Nevian to leave, they simply said goodbye to him and watched us crawl back to the door leading to the steps. We crawled past it, and the hairs on my skin stood.

I’m getting such a bad feeling and I think Malcolm might have just saved me from something.

I got to my feet, and with the adrenaline in my veins, I hurried Nevian to pick his stuff up so we could make a dash down the stairs to our floor. This felt even longer because my heart was beating heavily in my chest. We arrived in a huff, and puff, struggling to catch our breaths. The lights in the hall started flashing.

The horror movie I watched at Malcolm’s place flashes through my mind.

Eeep, there’s evil here. That .... that is true but at the same time, it’s also not a shocking revelation. I jogged my way over to the apartment, entering it with Nevian close behind me. Kayla was out in the living room working out.

She spares us a look. “Are you two alright?”

“Yeah, just doing some cardio,” Nevian answered, but Kayla raised an eyebrow and stared pointedly at the pillows and blankets. Then she went back to what she was doing. I went into my room and dropped onto the bed. I called Malcolm back.

“I think my roommate might be upset with me.” I breathlessly whisper into the phone.

“He or she will forgive you. The monitors play this game where they let some students believe they’re good at sneaking out, or partying only for them to pick a day to jump them and send them all to the detention cellar.”

“You’re joking. There isn’t a cell for detention-”

“There are several. They leave you there with one of the monitors for a week, you’ll never break another rule again. This doesn’t apply to me, Sebastian, and Kaito, but it’s the general rule. Fail to take your medication three times in a row and you get detention. Fail the monthly evaluation and you get detention. Fail your classes, detention. It’s a very strict school, so be grateful you got out before any thing happened.”

His words seemed to calm me down.

“Thank you. Really, thank you. You’re super nice, Malcolm.”

“hey, what did I say? I’ll never lead those t**s astray.” I roll my eyes.

“Why did you really call me?”

“Like I said, I wanted to check on you. I’m the type to do whatever comes to my mind. I’m glad you’re back in your apartment, so I’ll let you go for now. But don’t be a stranger, have lunch with us.”

“I will.”

The call ended, and I lay there for a while before deciding just to take the medication on an empty stomach. I didn’t even drink the beer I’d been given, and I must have tossed it somewhere so I guess I’m still alcohol-free. There’s something to celebrate about in this dark depressing school.