“You can’t just skip science, Jey.”

She was trying to be nice. They knew she was. But her words just kept hitting a solid wall they’d painstakingly created in their mind, and they had to remember - she didn’t know. Well, they hoped she didn’t. T had promised not to tell anyone else: reluctantly, but it was still a promise, and he wouldn’t go back on something as important as a promise. They knew he wouldn’t. Even in a world where everyone who loved them seemed to be in some great conspiracy to betray, hurt and abandon them, they believed he wouldn’t.

Maybe it was stupid, but it was the only truth they were hanging to at that moment, so it was important.

“Watch me.” They replied sullenly, knowing they’d just sound like they were sulking - maybe about the detention, or just the general dislike of Mr Chancer which they were known to have. She didn’t have any idea. “Just go to class, leave me alone.”

“No.” Surprisingly stubborn, she sat next to them on the outcropping of the brick wall, in their usual place behind the Arts building. “There’s ten minutes left of lunch, then you’re coming with me to Lab 4.”

“Am not.” Crossing their arms, they pointedly looked away from her; not down at the concrete, but up to the roofs. If only Kiss would appear - maybe then she’d leave them alone. “And you can’t make me.”

“I get that Chancer’s a dick. But if you get any more detentions - which you will if you keep skipping class - Denn’ll be worse, trust me.” Cleo was usually right, in all her quiet matter-of-factness, but not today. They just kept their lips pursed shut and continued to refuse to look at her. “If T was here, he’d say the same.”

Biting their lip, their eyes moved to the greyed windows belonging to the Isolation room, tauntingly just in front of them. He didn’t have to go around punching everyone all the time - it’d get him in trouble one day, but he never listened to them, unless they were talking about something which involved him getting to attack someone. They would say he had a one-track mind, but that wasn’t true - his mind went in at least two directions at any given time: violence and energy drinks, or the occasional can of beer.

“So, div, made your mind up yet?” Surprised by the - for her - unnatural language, they looked back and found her eyes, quietly strict. “Because I have, and I’m not leaving here without you. T’d never forgive me.”

“Is he all you ever think about?” They spat the words without meaning them, letting their head roll back and hit the brick wall behind them lightly.

“I mean, we are going out.” Keeping her voice level and calm as always, she put an unwanted hand on their shoulder, but they didn’t have enough energy to shake it off. “Is that what you’re really making all this fuss about? You do know you’ll find someone soon, Jey, don’t you?”

“Yeah. Sorry.” It sounded like a good excuse, but of course it was. The best excuses always came from the lips of whoever was interrogating you - they’d learned that a while ago. “Let’s go. Don’t wanna be late.”

“That’s more like it.”

They didn’t notice her kindly smile, or the way she watched them as they stood and walked off, her eyes never leaving them. They only noticed the absence of her touch from their skin and her voice from their ears, and they knew it wasn’t fair to her but they were so relieved. Deep down, they knew they wouldn’t have lasted a minute longer of her questioning, but that didn’t matter now. They’d gotten through it - one more lunchtime. The fact alone that they were clinging onto lunchtimes and breaks to get through the day was somewhat frightening and saddening, but those emotions were foreign to their already-numbed mind, and so they felt nothing as they walked through Lab 4’s door, held open by her, to face their demon.