Ezra sat on his bed, caught up in a book, when his astral tugged at his sleeve and pointed at the clock. He let out a sigh, setting his book down. “Do I have to go?” He mumbled, but was already standing and making his way to leave. His astral disappeared as he snuck out to behind the school. He saw Max and Gavriel already there.
“Hi!” Max said with a friendly wave upon seeing him. “I’m so happy you could make it!” He realized he’d probably be saying something similar to everyone who showed up.
“I- thanks.” Ezra responded as he shifted a little closer. “Hey, um, Max, do you think we could talk later? Alone?” He mumbled quietly enough for only Max to hear. Ezra wrapped his arms around himself nervously.
Max nodded, concerned. “Sure,” he replied, whispering as well. Though his whisper was a lot louder than Ezra’s (not on purpose, Max just had a loud voice).
Ezra bit his tongue to keep from saying thank you again. It was pointless to get attached to friends you know you’re going to lose, one way or another.
Elizabeth showed up late, having taken as long as she possible could to get to the meeting spot. She had taken her hood off her face, but her arms were still crossed protectively over herself. She had made the mistake of curling her hair earlier, and had gotten so frustrated that she had accidentally burned her entire room.
Max grinned when he saw her too. “Hey, I’m really glad you’re here!” he said, getting excited. So many people were coming! It was great!
Elizabeth winced at how loud he was being. "Yes, I realize that I'm here, thanks," she said in a voice barely above a whisper.
Romilly arrived soon after Elizabeth after she had spent too much time trying to decide what to wear. As always, she went with her usual bulky black sweatshirt and an inappropriate amount of shiny jewelry attached unfashionably to her hair, wrists and neck clasped over her hoodie, “Ready!” She chirped, hopping up next to Max.
"Ow! Jesus," Elizabeth flinched again. Her voice was like the annoying birds that insisted on sitting outside her window and yelling at her in the mornings, and the social interaction was giving her a headache.
Max ignored Elizabeth’s response to Romilly and smiled. “Great! This is gonna be fun!” he cheered. They weren’t too many people left now, he was sure.
Ava shows up to the meeting spot a little late. "Sorry got lost," She explained out of breath.
Romilly smiled at Ava, “Hello! We’re going to go get shakes,” she told her excitedly, briefly forgetting that Ava already probably knew.
(bump)
“I know! How far away the place?” She asked keeping her voice kind of low but her excitement still shined through.
“Only about a five or ten minute walk,” replied Max. “It’s very close.”
(is everyone there?)
(I’m here)
Romilly rocked on her heels, arms clasped behind her back. “No, not long at all,” she agreed with Max.
(im there)
(My character is there)
Max began to walk there, turning to glance at the others to make sure they followed. “This way!” he announced.
(whoever isn’t there can just add their character in and pretend they were there the whole time if they want)
Ezra followed behind, brushing his white hair out of his eyes. Maybe it would be fun, but Ezra couldn’t let himself get excited. After he told Max about his curse, the guy would stop inviting him to things and he’d never even get a chance to get to know the others.
Elizabeth hesitated before following. She couldn't believe she'd gotten herself into this mess, but she'd just have to ride it out.
“You guys are gonna love this place!” Max said as they walked. “The shakes are delicious and their burgers are actually really good too, if you’re feeling hungry. The wait time isn’t long and they play this awesome retro music there! It’s kinda cool! Although, it is a bit tacky, but it’s cool!”
Ava followed smiling. She played with her hands nervously as she walked.
Elizabeth nodded nervously, keeping her arms wrapped around herself. She briefly opened her mouth to say something, but thought better of it and continued walking.
Romilly stuck close to Max, walking alongside him with their arms near touching. She looked at her new group of friends contently. Maybe knowing more people this year wouldn’t be so bad.
Ezra wrung his hands. It felt too quiet. He wanted to talk with the others, but that always seemed to end up badly. It was easier with his foster father, but even then it was a risk… He looked around, hoping to see the place soon. The quicker he could tell Max about his deadly curse, the easier it would be to not make any friends. Less emotionally painful, at least.
Ava smiled and tried to keep close to the others. She walked along side Ezra. “So this is your first year too?” She asked. She decided making friends would be a good idea even if it was a little hard with her curse.
Ezra jumped a little, quickly snapping back to focus. “Uh, yeah. I was homeschooled.” He explained softly, biting his lip. Just say the bare minimum, a good rule of thumb, Ezra’s foster father’s words echoed in his head.