CH-3: Something Familiar

Skyler slammed the restroom door open and hurried inside, pacing quickly. He grabbed his already messy hair, pulling on it in an attempt to regain control. The weight of his anger and anxiety was overwhelming, all vying to surface at once. His mind was flooded with millions of thoughts, thousands of questions, and hundreds of racing answers. He could feel his heart pounding fiercely in his chest as if it might burst at any moment, and his ears felt warm from the rush of blood. Unable to control himself, he finally threw a punch at the nearby lavatory door, resulting in a loud bang. For a moment, his hand felt numb, but when he looked down, he saw blood trickling from his knuckles. Gradually, the pain kicked in, and it stung like crazy. He clenched his fist and gritted his teeth, trying to push through it.

He walked over to the washbasin, turned on the tap, and placed his injured hand under the running water. The sudden coldness stung his wound, causing him to flinch. Gradually, the pain began to subside, providing some relief. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as he started to feel calmer. Then, a voice spoke in his head, low and initially shaky, as it said...

- 'd...does.....h...hur...hurting...yourself will do any good? '

Skyler was initially amazed to hear that the mysterious voice was still inside his head; it had been a long time since they last spoke. His expression turned emotionless as he gazed at the running water from the tap, and he replied to the voice.

- "No.....but if hurting myself will make me feel good. I'll take the pain. "

The voice had faded away, and Skyler felt it slowly disappearing. Everything around him felt still, with only the sound of running water breaking the eerie silence. Sky was jolted out of his thoughts when the restroom door opened again and someone walked in. He didn't turn to look, but the person approached the washbasin right next to him and began washing their hands. Not wanting to linger any longer, Sky turned off the tap and reached for a tissue from the dispenser. Just as he did, the other person spoke.

- "Hey, Skyler, it's been a long time. How are you doing?"

Skyler immediately recognized that voice. He turned around and saw Charlie, the same fox he had met in the infirmary.

" Oh, it's you, Charlie. I'm doing great, and thank you very much for helping me. I never got to thank you, and I'm sorry for how I acted. I shouldn't have said that back in the infirmary, " Skyler said, feeling a lump in his throat. His face clearly showed that he was ashamed inside.

- " It's okay. I'm not offended at all....So, how is it going with Kevin? " Charlie said, forming a slight smile on his face.

- " I... don't want to talk about it, " Skyler said, his face once again devoid of emotions, and his voice felt hollow to Charlie. He looked down and started scratching the back part of his left hand with the thumb of his other hand, quite hard.

- " He told me that he wanted to apologize to you. Did he do it? " Charlie asked, a slight concern in his voice as he noticed how quickly Skyler's behaviour changed upon mentioning Kevin. A question arose in his mind about what had happened in the classroom.

- " Well, you'll be glad to hear that he tried and asked me to give him another chance to explain what is going on inside his head, but can you really trust some mere words of someone who has hurt you? " Skyler replied, looking back at him with an irritated tone. Charlie took this as a sign that Skyler was getting annoyed with the conversation, but he continued pressing, hoping to find a silver lining in it.

- " Skyler, Kevin is truly sorry about what happened. He really is, just give him some time to explain...the rest of the decision will still be yours, am I not right? " Charlie continued to push the conversation. Skyler's shoulders tensed up.

- " I'm curious....why you're even friends with someone like him. You two are so different. Don't you worry that he or those other friends of his might do something to you, too? " Skyler asked, crossing his arms over his chest. His gaze pierced through Charlie's with intensity, making Charlie feel uneasy, though he didn't let it show on his face.

- " I sometimes do, but I can't just leave him, Skyler...not when everything is repeating, " Charlie replied. Skyler's gaze softened, and his shoulders relaxed; curiosity struck him, and something clicked in his mind when Charlie said 'repeating'.

- " What... . . . what do you mean by repeating? " Skyler asked, pausing to reconsider whether he should ask at all. However, something inside him urged him to go ahead with the question. Charlie smiled inwardly, feeling satisfied that the conversation was finally heading in the direction he wanted.

- "Okay, I'll tell you...but promise me that you will not tell anyone and that includes Luna and Edie. Alright? ", Charlie presented his terms. Skyler gave a slight nod as an answer to accept his terms.

"All right, so... let me start by saying that Kevin was never like this from the beginning; he was the complete opposite of who he is now. Back in middle school, we attended the same school, and many of the kids who are here now were there too. He had a lot of friends and was always the kind of person who wanted to help others. I met him when I was being bullied by someone, and Kevin saved me from that situation. We became friends and started hanging out, working on group assignments at each other's homes. His parents were very welcoming, especially his mom. Kevin loved her so much. His home was always filled with joy.

Everything was great until his mother died in a car accident, just before his eighth-grade finals of eighth grade. Kevin became depressed. The energetic furball I once knew completely vanished. He started taking many leaves from school, and whenever he came, he was always lonely. Physically, he was there, but mentally he wasn't. I wanted to support him, but most of our classes were separate. I always made sure to sit beside him in every class we shared, and I even caught him crying silently in class, but no one else noticed.

The real problem was that the friends he had started to push him away as if he never existed. I noticed this, and so did he, but I didn't understand why. One day, while I was getting my things from my locker, Kevin stood nearby, telling me he was finding it hard to focus on studying and needed my help. That's when we overheard some of Kevin's friends from his physics class talking. They were saying how Kevin was now useless to them because he was so absentminded lately. They complained that they had to do all the work themselves.

I understood right away what they meant. It took Kevin some time to grasp it, but eventually, he did too. They never truly considered him a friend; they pretended to be friendly just to get their work done from him. When things turned against them, they abandoned him. I watched as he shattered inside; he tried to hide it, but it was too much for him. Eventually, I heard a sob escape him, and he left without saying a word. I wanted to follow him, but he turned into an empty corridor and vanished. I tried to call and text him, but he didn't reply and then I lost contact with him.

I finally had the chance to see him again at this school, but he was a completely different person. I saw him bullying another kid, becoming the very person he once despised. When he saw me, he walked up to me and the first thing he asked was, 'What am I looking at? ' It broke my heart. I tried to tell him this wasn't who he was and that he needed to stop. Do you know what he replied? He said, 'I am just giving back the pain that I felt when everyone turned their backs on me. The only difference is that it's both physical and mental. ' And with that, he walked away, leaving me standing there, speechless.

Anger was the root of it all. The most destructive emotion, for it clouds your vision the most. It can transform someone into something unrecognizable." Charlie finally explained everything from the beginning, leaving Skyler speechless. His hands hung limply at his sides, and a deep guilt formed in his heart. This was the reason Mr. Allison was unaware. Skyler understood the pain of being left alone when you are miserable, but no one is there for you; he felt it too. It was exactly what had happened with Kevin. Then Charlie spoke again, drawing Skyler's attention.

- "Skyler, Kevin's been struggling to make friends who actually care about him for the past two years. The people you think are his friends aren't really friends; they just hang out with him because he's strong and because his dad is the principal, which keeps them out of trouble. Right now, Kevin is losing it again. He's confused and totally lost about what he wants.

Since you came along, especially after what happened two months ago, something has shifted in him. I really think you should take a moment to reconsider your thoughts and have a real talk with him. Even though I've shared a lot, I'm sure Kevin has his perspective that he wants to share with you.

Charlie went on saying. Sky didn't get why everyone was expecting Kevin's behaviour to change, first Kevin's dad and now Charlie. Just then, they heard the bell ring and realized they'd missed a whole class. Charlie said goodbye to Skyler and walked away, leaving Skyler there."

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A/N: Hey everyone, I hope you like this chapter. Please do tell me your thoughts and suggestions so that I can Improve my upcoming chapters.