Charcoal Tears by Jane Washington

questions, directed me to a bed, and I stayed there until lunch time. I couldn’t stop shaking. A good ten minutes after the bell had rung, I walked into the cafeteria and sat in my usual seat, across from Matthew. He glanced up, paused, and then looked back down. I could have kissed him.
    Blessed invisibility.
    I gradually relaxed, and when I glanced to the popular table, only Cabe was there. He had his arms folded. He was hard Cabe again. I quickly looked back down and slipped out of the cafeteria before the bell rang to signal the end of lunch. I was the first person in the classroom for art, and Quillan glanced up, his dark eyes travelling straight to the bruises on my face. The flames flickered to life—the same smoulder that I saw whenever he was angry—and I flinched back a step. He wasn’t surprised at all. That hit me the hardest, and I marched to the back of the room, throwing my bag down moodily against the floor, the same thing running through my mind over and over.
    “Shit,” I muttered, kicking the base of my easel.
    A shadow drew over me, and I smelt something reminiscent of sweet spices and wood smoke. Noah . I folded my arms and continued to stare at the base of my easel. He didn’t speak. I assumed that Cabe was there as well, but he wasn’t standing so close. I continued to stare at the same spot for the whole lesson, and still didn’t move as the bell rang. My shadow hovered, but Quillan’s voice carried to my ears, calling me to the front.
    I stalked to the desk, still not looking up, and waited until the door to the classroom had closed.
    “Take a seat,” Quillan offered, his deep voice making me want to do anything that he suggested, even if I was inexplicably angry with him.
    I pulled up a stool, sat, and glared at the floor. He got up and moved in front of me, tapping my chin. Usually, this raised my eyes, but today I was stubborn. He sighed and ducked down, cupping my jaw at the same time and applying a small amount of pressure. We met halfway.
    “What’s wrong, Seph?”
    “You knew,” I spat out. “You saw the recording too?”
    He drew back like I had slapped him.
    “What’s your first name?” My voice was almost a growl. “Is it Silas?”
    Mutely, he shook his head.
    “Miro?”
    He nodded.
    The anger sizzled right off my tongue, melting away into shock. I hadn’t actually expected a positive response. He… “You were in their apartment the other day? And you left?”
    Again, he nodded.
    “Why aren’t you speaking?”
    His breath left him in a rush, and he looked to the door. I wondered if he was considering sending me away, or running away. “This is a little difficult for me.”
    I could feel my eyebrow arching. “I don’t get it. What’s difficult?”
    “Look, Seph, I can’t really go into specifics right now.”
    “When can you?”
    His mouth twisted in a grimace. “Maybe next year?”
    My mouth fell open. I wouldn’t even be here next year; I’d be in university. Was he saying that he’d never tell me?
    He ran a hand over his face and stepped back around his desk, his expression pained, his dark eyes simmering with emotions that flickered by too fast for me to grab a hold of. “You should go now.”
    I planted my feet, kicking back the stool; it made a scraping sound against the floor. “No.”
    His mouth twitched. “Scared of Cabe and Noah?”
    I folded my arms tightly. “No…”
    “Liar.” He moved toward me again, taking me by the elbow. Familiar feelings shimmered up my arm, itching into my stomach, and I tried to ignore them. He opened the door. “Don’t be scared of them, Seph. They’re just upset, they don’t understand why you’re ignoring them.”
    “They’re only friends with me because of it . I was so desperate for friends I tried to convince myself that it was all normal, that the way they treat me is normal… but they’re not really my friends. They don’t really like—” my voice caught, and I shook my head quickly to clear