Aurian's voice began to forcefully drag Lucas out of the past, albeit temporarily. His breath came in sobs and when he looked up at Aurian, his face was very pale. He seemed terrified and the tear streaks were painfully obvious on his face. His normally neat hair was disheveled, thrown awry as he struggled. Claus used to be able to calm him down when he had panic attacks as well, as he'd had bad anxiety even before his twin had died. Lucas's hoodie neck was loose now too, the top of a blossoming bruise flourishing just above his collarbone. That injury was not his own doing. Neither were the glass wounds on his head.
Aurian tried wiping away his tears gently only for more to come. This was really serious… At least he was breathing less rapidly. She became very conflicted on what to do. To simply continue hugging him and try to calm him on her own or to go get help from the counsellor or something. "Take a breath, hold it for 2 seconds and then breathe out," the girl said, trying to remember what her mom told her when she had a mini panic attack. It was when she was very little though.
Lucas nodded weakly, trying to force himself to obey. He choked a bit, but did manage to do a different breathing technique of his own. After several minutes, he was just cradling his head in his hands and whimpering softly, his shaking not having stopped yet, but he at least seemed to be mostly back in the present.
"Good, good," the girl said quietly, both to herself and to Lucas. Now leaning back, Aurian switched to just sitting beside him and rubbing his back slowly. At that moment, she wished nothing more than to be some sort of doctor to help Lucas. To have some clue as to what else to do. "We… don't have to talk if you don't want to. But either way, I'm staying right here."
He nodded again, clearly in no state to try and talk or explain yet. His eyes were tired and full of guilt and pain; they seemed like the eyes of a sad old person, though they outwardly looked young. He was mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually exhausted in pretty much every way.
Aurian simply stayed quiet as she sat beside Lucas. She thought about wanting to finish that sketch of Lucas from before, but didn't dare go back to class to get it. There was always more paper to use in her bag, but drawing Lucas all sad wouldn't be a good gift to make him feel better. The girl finally sighed, letting her mind wind down.
"I-I'm sorry…" He whispered after a couple minutes, his voice breaking. "You… you shouldn't have had to see that…" He was still curled up into an upright ball with his chin resting on his knees, struggling to keep his eyes open.
The girl smiled softly, looking at Lucas. "Maybe not, but it's okay. It's never fun to do that alone," Aurian replied, trying to console him a bit more. "You did a lot for me today, so it was only right I do something for you."
"This is nothing compared to just showing you around school, Aurian…" Lucas said softly, still seeming incredibly anxious. "This is not a fun thing to experience for anyone involved…"
Aurian turned sharply to face Lucas. "So? I wanted to do this, so don't be sorry. I'm not about to stand there and watch you break down like that," she replied firmly. The girl gave the other a soft smile and held out a hand for him to take. "I wanna be your friend, Lucas."
(excuse me while i weep in class-)
"Th-That'd be nice, it's just…" Lucas hesitated for a moment. "I'm afraid they might hurt you too if you associate with me. They don't like me very much."
Aurian's more quiet demeanor changed for only a moment. "Honestly, those people can just…" she started, other hand closing in anger. She then sighed, both not knowing what she would have said, but as well as knowing it wouldn't have been polite. "I'm not going to let what other people do effect my opinion."
"I know, I know… I just don't want you getting hurt because of me." He dragged his fingers through his hair, sighing. "This place is small. Everyone knows everyone else's secrets for the most part. Everyone knows why I'm leaving class, but they don't know just how… uh… severe it is, I guess."
Aurian took Lucas' hand so he wouldn't anger the scabbing and open wounds on the top of his head. "But I know. And hey, if anything, this is my choice. It wouldn't be because of you, but because of me. We should really get you to the nurse once you're ready as well. Those cuts could get infected," she replied, worried for him. She wanted to shove her feelings into his mind so that he would understand. However, that simply wasn't possible.
"Ah, r-right…" Lucas stood up and let Aurian drag him to the nurse. He purposefully avoided this place most of the time because visits went poorly, but he was in no state to resist Aurian. "Hello, Miss Kline…" He greeted tiredly. She sighed and sat him down.
"Take your hoodie off, Lucas, will you?"
"Ma'am, I'd… I'd rather not-"
"Lucas, please."
"Y-Yes ma'am…" Lucas hesitated before taking off his sweatshirt, revealing the countless bruises and cuts underneath.
(is he wearing a shirt under the hoodie?)
Aurian knew it would be polite to look away, but she gasped at all of the injuries littering his body. She really didn't know the half of the situation, did she? The girl quickly averted her eyes from his bare chest, cheeks reddening a bit. Ignoring this, Aurian frowned. "Did they do this to you?" she asked, feeling both her anger rise up again and worry for Lucas. It was good that she brought him here. He needed to get all of his cuts cleaned. Which meant this would take awhile.
Lucas shook his head slightly, looking away as well. The nurse set to work on bandaging and cleaning his wounds which, like Aurian, she suspected would take some time to do. K Lucas winced whenever he was touched, but he never said anything.
(hecc im sorry)
Aurian bit her lower lip a bit in worry. How Lucas wasn't hissing or making any sort of sound was beyond her. She both hoped that the injuries were newer and not infected, but at the same time, she wanted them to be mostly old. Only because she didn't like the idea of her friend being torn up so badly in just a single day.
Lucas seemed nervous when the nurse reached his arms, which had some worse scars that looked more recent. Some looked as though they'd only been made a day or two earlier. He sighed in relief when she didn't ask questions, but he winced when he was touched.
"The injuries aren't infected are they…?" Aurian asked hesitantly. She was a bit worried about the answer. If they were, there was a simple solution, but it still made her feel anxious. Why hadn't Lucas gone to the nurse shortly after this happened? Why not say anything? Being bullied probably stopped him from speaking up. It just didn't make sense why someone would continue to hurt someone who is already hurting inside. It was just wrong in so many ways.
The nurse examined the wounds for a few seconds before answering. "No, I don't think so. He keeps them about as clean as he can. Now, Lucas, I need you to tell me who did this to you." Lucas shook his head. "Lucas."
"No. It isn't just one person anyways, technically speaking."
Aurian felt relieved until she heard Lucas' response. Technically? What was that supposed to mean? Either many people did it or they didn't. Excluding accidents obviously. The girl longed to ask him as well, but held her tongue. She couldn't just interrogate him after what she had seen. She needed to give him time. Especially since they only just met today
The nurse sighed. "Lucas, you know I can't allow you to go back to class in this condition."
"But-"
"But nothing. You're not okay, even if you're physically not awful. I've seen you come in here more injured than this, sure, and you know I've got my suspicions. I'm not letting you leave until you're okay." Lucas looked away, silently accepting his fate. "I don't believe we've met. Are you new?" The nurse asked Aurian.
Aurian stopped looking at her knees to look at the nurse. "Yes, I am. My name is Aurian Cole, Miss," she replied politely. It was simply the way she was taught: Speak formally to your elders. The girl also felt very thankful for the woman in front of her. At most public schools, the nurses weren't able to do much besides give you an ice pack or bandage. Here, the nurse was there to confirm your well being. It was nice.
"Well, it's nice to see a new face every once in a while. I guess Lucas was your tour guide?" Lucas nodded so Aurian didn't have to answer. He seemed to be fidgeting anxiously with his hands. "Do you mind if I speak to you just outside the door, Aurian?"
Aurian shook her head in response. "Not at all," she said, standing to her feet. She frowned, taking another quick glance at Lucas before walking into the hallway.
The nurse took Aurian outside the door and carefully shut it behind her. "I take it you don't know the whole of Lucas's situation?"
The girl shook her head again. "I'm afraid I don't," she said. "All I know is that his brother died and Lucas is still pretty torn up about it," she added. Aurian bit the inside of her cheek lightly. There was more to the situation? Hopefully it wasn't much more than that. It had to be hard enough already for the boy.
