Laura was standing at the entrance to the rooftop, watching her friend paced to and fro when Rubin walked in on her from behind.
"Was wondering where you left to." He said, making Laura jerked, swiftly turning in the process to meet his face just an inch away.
She stood staring at him with those puppy grey eyes and the whole world seemed to froze at that moment.
Taking in the sight of those shinning blue eyes, an unusual sensation raced through her heart, making it thump faster. "W–what's this feeling?" She grumbled mentally to herself.
It was Rubin's first time having this close eye contact with Laura. He felt those eyes telling him something but couldn't place a hand on what it could be. Her eyes bored into him and for a second, he felt like curbing her face. To assure her he would be there for her and protect her. To tell her everything was going to be alright.
A sudden scream from the rooftop brought them back to reality.
"Alixies–" Laura uttered with a panic stricken look. Rubin without a word, rushed off to see Alixies sitting on a bench in tears, her palm bleeding with a bottle smashed against the wall and the pieces scattered a few paces away from her. At that moment, Laura also walked in on the scene and almost lost her balance.
Rubin swiftly glanced at the scattered glasses then back to Alixies with anxiety written all over her face.
"Alixies." He said and hurried over to her. "What do you think you're doing?" He added while settling beside her but she just sat staring into space. He hastily rummaged through his bag and brought out a mini first aid kit. Without her permission, he took her hand. She instinctively glanced at her hand in Rubin's and scoffed,
"You keep a first aid kit in your bag?" She asked with an emotionless gaze. Meanwhile, Laura stood beside Rubin staring worriedly at her friend as her cut got treated.
"All done." Rubin said after a few minutes, packing the kits back into his bag.
Alixies passed her hand on the plastered cut and glanced up at Rubin. "Why are you being nice to me?" She asked with a quizzical look. Her aura being more friendly than she had looked earlier in the morning.
Rubin smiled and glanced at Laura before staring back at Alixies. "Because I want to be your friend." He answered. "I've seen you have trust issues." He added and Alixies chuckled, staring into space.
Laura who was watching the two felt glad seeing them finally getting along with each other.
"So– " Alixies muttered. "How do you know Laura?" She and I have been friends for years but had never heard nor seen you before. Did I miss something?" She glanced back at him.
"Well..." Rubin mumbled. There was a dead silence for a while then he stood up. Alixies also straightened her back as she sat up, still looking expectantly at him for his answer. "She came to me." He added.
Alixies tilted her head thoughtfully, analysing the piece of information but everything was just not adding up. She chuckled, being skeptical.
"What do you mean by 'She came to you?' " She asked with a straight look. All the glow in her eyes suddenly disappearing at the spot. Rubin glanced at Laura then back to Alixies.
"Well.." He said, gulping down a loop of saliva. "I know what I'm about to say will sound weird to you but you have to believe." He added but Alixies stared indifferently at him in wait for whatever he had to say.
"Well– the thing is.." He mumbled and Alixies slightly raised her eyebrow. "I have this thing of seeing ghosts and it was in that way that I saw Laura. I walked in on her when I came to visit you at the infirmary and she has since been following me. She's..." He was about to say more when Alixies hastily snapped in in agitation.
"Stop sprouting nonsense Rubin." She chuckled, passing her hand through her hair. "This is driving me crazy." She grumbled to herself. "You know what, I think it's best you stay away from me." She added and strolled off. "This school is just impossible." She said to herself whiles heading to the exit.
"Alixies.." Laura said in disappointment, staring at the back of her friend as she neared the exit. Rubin felt broken, seeing her like that. 'What to do?' He thought to himself. It was then that a thought click in mind. He had remembered in one of his conversations with Laura, how she became friends with Alixies so decided to take advantage of that.
"You were transferred to this school 2years back." He shouted after Alixies with a slightly raised voice. "You looked so nerdy that nobody wanted to get close to you but Laura broke that chain when she walked up to you at the cafeteria."
These words made Alixies stop in her tracks as pictures of that day stormed her memory. Those bright smiles she wore were so priceless. "Hi, mind if I sit beside you?" Laura's words echoed in her mind and the tears freely trekked down her cheeks. Laura on the other hand also couldn't hold back hers.
Alixies slowly turned to Rubin, "Did she tell you that?" She asked and he nodded in response. Alixies quivered with indignation as she recalled the incident that happened some months past. "She was the only true friend I had but they took her away from me." She said, her throat thickening with sobs. "Those bastards are back in this school with no justice served for her and I couldn't do anything." She scoffed. "Aren't I just useless?"
"Alixies..." Laura said with a sense of helplessness, watching her friend blame herself for what happened to her. She wished she could hugged and comfort her, assuring her that everything was going to be alright. But that was totally impossible.
Rubin's heart wrecked as Laura glanced at him with a pleading gaze which was plainly asking him to ask Alixies to stop blaming herself. He nodded his assurance as he sent his gaze back to Alixies.
"You shouldn't blame yourself." He said to Alixies. "Your friend can't bare it watching you like that." He added. Alixies instinctively sniffed back her tears, a bit surprised by what he said.
"Is she here?" She muttered hastily, lurking around while her neared him. At that moment, the bell rang for break over.