They practiced late into the night and early hours of the morning.

By the time Haru finally went to bed he was exhausted, sleeping for only a few hours before getting up again for classes.

It was difficult that day for him, and there were a certain group of boys who had picked him out.

‘Hey whacha doing?’ one of them said, stepping uncomfortably close to him in a threatening manner.

‘N-nothing’ Haru fumbled, hugging the notes to his chest.

One of the boys on his other side that he did not see snatched the notes suddenly from him.

‘What are you working on, is this a play?’

‘Give it back’ Haru said indignantly.

‘We don’t want to’ the boy said with an unfriendly smirk.

‘Are you in that stupid little club with the rest of those losers?’

Haru turned to the boy that had spoken. There were three of them before him now, and the one that had spoken was the tallest. He had fiery orange hair and was very handsome.

‘Th-they’re not losers’ Haru protested, cheeks flushed.

The boys around him immediately began to make fun of his stutter.

Haru looked down, grasping his head and gritting his teeth, tears beginning to shimmer in his eyes.

‘Hey!’ a voice called out then.

The boys looked around then towards the figure, Haru couldn’t see him clearly through his tears, but he recognised the voice.

‘Aubrey?’ he whimpered sadly.

‘Get out of here Kyle’ Aubrey snapped, his voice commanding.

‘Oh, it’s you’ the boy with fiery orange hair said turning towards him. ‘Why are you here?’

‘I can go wherever I want’ Aubrey answered sharply. ‘Now get out of here before I break your legs.’

‘I’d like to see you try’ Kyle grinned spitefully, standing there with his hands in his pockets. ‘I think it may be a bit difficult for you to fight all of us’ he said in a jovial voice, his expression happy.

The other boys had turned towards Aubrey now, and behind them, Haru looked on in fear, unsure of what would happen.

‘I bet I could take you on’ Aubrey gleamed slyly, standing to the side.

‘N-no please don’t fight’ Haru cried out, his voice breaking, ‘please!’

Aubrey smiled to him then, looking past the other boys. ‘I will always stick up for my friends’ he spoke kindly, before his expression turned dark again.

‘Now get out of here’ he said to the boys, ‘I won’t say it again, and I won’t hesitate to fight you either.’

Kyle and the boys either side of him watched him with level expressions, lingering for a moment, before turning away.

‘You’re not worth the trouble anyway’ Kyle muttered under his breath as he stalked away. ‘Stupid scum.’

He left.

Haru let out a heavy sigh, watching the boys go, before turning back to Aubrey, who approached him.

Aubrey bent down, picking up the papers the boys had dropped and handing them back to Haru.

‘Are you ok?’ Aubrey asked him.

‘Yeah’ Haru replied sullenly, taking the papers back from Aubrey. ‘Thanks’ he said sniffing. ‘I’m sorry….’ He breathed beginning to sob.

Aubrey frowned at him, taking out a pack of tissues from his pocket and offering him one.

‘Thanks’ Haru whimpered, dapping at his eyes. ‘I’m sorry’ he whispered again.

‘You need to stuck up for yourself’ Aubrey told him seriously.

‘I know.’

It looked for a moment that Aubrey would continue, but he simply sighed, looking down at the papers Haru clutched in his hand.

‘You’ve been reading over the script?’ Aubrey asked.

‘Yes’ Haru said. ‘I…wanted to read through it. I enjoy it.’

‘That’s great’ Aubrey mumbled. ‘I’ve got to go to class now though. Are you going to be ok?’

‘Yeah’ Haru gasped, smiling then, ‘I’ll be ok, I promise.’

‘Alright then’ Aubrey said. ‘I guess I’ll see you tomorrow at lunch for more practicing, are you looking forward to the play?’

‘Yes I am’ Haru said enthusiastically, ‘a little nervous though but….’

‘Everyone is a little nervous when they first go on stage’ Aubrey replied. ‘I’ll see you around’ Aubrey said turning away then. ‘Bye!’

Haru watched Aubrey walk away, feeling regret at seeing him go.

He swallowed the lump in his throat, turning.

Haru headed to his next class.

At the end of the day, when his last class had finished, Haru headed back to his dormitory.

He walked slowly, raising his head to the skies.

It was getting dark early, the clouds were thick and grey above him, and Haru could feel the moisture in the air. It would rain soon for sure.

Haru entered the building across the grounds, heading up the stairs.

When he opened the room to his dormitory, he gave a start.

‘Who are you?’ he stammered.

The boy sitting on the other bed raised his head.

‘I’m Nate’ he answered simply. ‘You must be Haru.’

‘Oh’ Haru sighed then, taking a breath to calm his racing heart. ‘I…yeah’ he laughed. ‘I am.’

He closed the door behind him.

‘Sorry you gave me a start.’

‘So, you’ve been here longer than I have’ Nate said to him as Haru made his way across the room, heading to his own bed.

Haru put his bag down on the floor and sat on his bed.

‘Yeah’ Haru said.

‘You like it here?’

‘Hmm’ Haru thought for a moment. ‘I do’ he replied at last. ‘It’s um…difficult at times…I struggle in class…I’m not very good at the lessons’ he laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. ‘I struggle to understand most of it. I feel like everyone is ahead of me is class.’

‘Why is that?’ Nate asked.

‘Ah’ Haru breathed. ‘I just don’t understand it.’

‘I’m going to sleep’ Nate told him. ‘I’m very tired. I just got in, and my first class starts tomorrow.’

‘Oh right’ Haru said as Nate turned away from him, lying back in bed and becoming still.

Haru glanced nervously towards the window then, fearing Aubrey might appear again, not wanting to have to explain himself to Nate, he wished for Aubrey to stay away, which he did.

Haru slept uneasily that night, getting very little sleep. His alarm next morning went off, but Haru was already awake.

He sat up, surprised for an instant to see Nate there, forgetting for a moment that he had a roommate.

‘Mmmoring’ Haru spoke in a tired voice as Nate sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes.

‘You didn’t sleep well?’ Nate asked.

‘My mind wouldn’t switch off’ Haru said. ‘I just…’

‘I get days like that’ Nate said casually rising from his bed. ‘Now turn around, I need to get changed.’

Haru endured his first classes, struggling to stay awake. His body and mind became sharper towards the end of his class, becoming himself again as lunchtime came around.

He hurried to the drama hall.

He was the first to arrive, sitting nervously upon the stage, his left-hand twitching involuntarily as he waited.

Sasha was next to arrive after him, and she did so alone.

‘Hey’ Haru said to her, straightening as she skipped up to him.

‘Aww, no none else is here yet?’ Sasha said disappointed.

‘They’ll probably be here soon’ Haru replied.

Sasha sat on the stage beside him, turning towards him and leaning into him with a smile.

‘So how are you then?’

‘I’m good’ Haru replied nervously.

‘You’re looking a little flushed.’

‘Hu?’

Sasha touched his cheek then, feeling his body heat.

‘Are you ok?’ she asked him seriously.

‘I-uh…. I’m fine’ Haru replied, blushing a little with nerves. ‘I didn’t sleep well.’

‘Why?’

‘I guess I had a lot on my mind.’

‘Aubrey mentioned that there were some boys giving you a hard time’ Sasha noted.

‘He told you that!?’ Haru said, mortified. ‘Why did he say that?’

‘He’s only saying it out of concern. Don’t keep things to yourself, it will only be worse.’

‘I just don’t like the attention’ Haru mumbled in reply, looking back down to his lap, hunching his shoulders awkwardly.

‘In all seriousness’ Sasha told him. ‘If you have something in life that’s troubling you…you should say something.’

‘Ok’ Haru smiled.

‘No you’re not taking me seriously’ Sasha scowled.

‘No, I am.’

‘No you’re not’ Sasha spoke angrily then. ‘If you keep everything inside…just think of a wall of a dam breaking, and all the water coming out and flooding everything. Is that a good example? Oh, I don’t know…’ she said suddenly frustrated, hand going to her head. ‘Look.’

She showed him the inside of her wrist then, and Haru felt a stab in his heart at what he saw.

There was a straight line running over the vein in her wrist.

Haru’s eyes flickered back up to hers.

‘How could you….do that?’

Sasha smiled sadly.

‘There were these kids’ she said, ‘back in my old school. They would make my life a living hell every single day. The only reason in think that they targeted me…was because I was poor.’

The doors to the drama hall opened then, and Aubrey, Ben and Amelia walked in.

‘Sorry we’re late guys’ Ben grinned, lifting a plastic carrier bag he carried. ‘We got food for everyone. We were thinking of eating first and practicing after if that’s alright with everyone.’

‘That sounds great’ Sasha said loudly. ‘Haru’s looking a little unwell.’

‘Are you alright Haru?’ Amelia asked with concern.

‘I’m fine’ Haru answered hastily, waving his hands at them defensively. ‘I just didn’t get much sleep.’

‘Something on your mind squirt?’

Haru glared up at Aubrey in annoyance.

‘I’m not a squirt’ Haru said sullenly.

‘I was just in the middle of a discussion with Haru’ Sasha said.

‘Is something up?’ Aubrey asked.

‘No’ Sasha replied, ‘we were just talking about those boys that were giving Haru a hard time’ she told him, ‘and then I showed him this’ she said, exposing her wrist again.

Haru glanced nervously up at Aubrey.

‘It’s ok’ Sasha spoke reassuringly, they already know.’

And as Haru glanced towards Ben and Amelia who were unpacking the food they had brought with them, he saw that they were watching him.

They do know Haru realised, seeing their expression.

‘It’s just’ Haru began speaking to Sasha now, ‘…um…’

‘Go on’ Sasha prompted. ‘You can tell me.’

‘If I did such a thing…I would be horrified if anyone found out. If I became so unhappy that I resorted to….um…you know’ he said glancing towards the scar on her wrist again.

Sasha smiled at him warmly.

‘It was almost too late for me’ she said.

‘Maybe we shouldn’t be talking about this’ Ben voiced. ‘It’s very dark.’

‘No’ Sasha spoke firmly. ‘I want to. I’m trying to help. I don’t want Haru doing the same thing.’

‘I wouldn’t never…’ Haru began in shock.

‘As I thought I would never’ Sasha interrupted. ‘I’m just trying to help you, I’m just trying to make you see.’

Haru closed his mouth then.

‘Why did you do it?’ he asked.

‘I was severely depressed’ Sasha answered. ‘It’s not something I can really make anyone understand. To feel so awful in life that you wish for death…to not care what your death would mean to your friends and family…but I was given a second chance.’ Sasha smiled to Aubrey then, who looked reluctantly back at her. ‘I realised afterwards what my death would have meant to those around me’ Sasha said. ‘My younger sister was horrified…I remember my parents both crying by my hospital bed. Just think how much worse it would have been if I had died’ Sasha said.

Haru bowed his head, biting back a sob, his eyes brimming with tears.

‘That’s awful…’ he whispered, not trusting his voice to speak. ‘I could never….’

‘Aubrey was the one to find me’ Sasha said, raising her head. ‘He tried to stop the bleeding, he tied something tight around my wrist to stop it and put pressure on the wound. My parents were out of the house, I think they were taking my sister to the doctors because of a throat infection, so I was home alone to do what I wanted.’

Haru lifted his eyes then to Aubrey, feeling so out of place suddenly as he wondered what it must have been like.

‘The blood was soaked into the carpet’ Sasha mumbled, ‘I…. I had bled a lot and cut deep. I had lost a lot of blood, I should not have survived, but I did.’

As she continued to speak, Aubrey watched her with a forlorn expression.

Ben and Amelia came over to them then, pulling up chairs beside the stage and placing food upon several of the chairs, sitting beside the stage.

‘My point is’ Sasha began, ‘that you are not just living for yourself in life. You are living for your parents, your friends and siblings and if you have any, your partner or children. You understand?’

‘Yeah’ Haru humbled. ‘I do.’