Before school.
Riley, having just left the gym and showered, had driven Nina to school. As he waved her off so that she could walk with her friends, she leaned in.
Goodness. Goodness, me. I can fight thirty men with maybe a slightly faster heart, but this stuff is too dang cutesy that it hurts. There's no exaggeration there.
A quick kiss, one which he was simply too flustered to keep for long, had struck the battlefield like a river of lightning.
Yeah. If I overly exaggerate it in fighting terms, then it's easier to deal with.
His face burned, as if he'd been hit by an opponent with literal firepowers. Regardless——
He leaned away, and she waved him off, going to spend time with her friends. Riley sighed through his lips, wiping the sweat from his forehead before heading upstairs to the third floor. As he did so, from the corner of his vision, there was a man.
As he reached the top of the staircase, the man approached him, looking at him with cold-hearted eyes. It was the boy who had slapped him—someone who could be considered Riley Wood's biggest enemy.
If one were to differentiate "Riley Woods" and "The Enemy of the World," then this boy would be the biggest enemy of Riley. Other than bad customers.
"...Y-yeah?" Riley anxiously asked, to which the man looked down. Grabbing the legs of his pants, the boy uncomfortably bit his lip, his gaze continuously averting Riley.
"...Riley. Listen, and listen to me now."
A tilted head.
Finally moving his head upwards, yet still looking down at him, the boy quietly spoke.
"I… I want your insight."
"Hm?"
"Come with me. We're blocking the way."
"R-right."
The boy led Riley to the lockers, in an isolated part of the hallway. The boy leaned against the wall with crossed arms, his eyes narrowed and piercing Riley with their uneasy anger.
"Listen. My… my girlfriend, she's… she's struggling. With thoughts of… you know. She wants to die, and I don't know how to help her. And you, you're the only one I actively know of that's dealing with that. So… what can I do to help her? If you help me out here, I promise I'll leave you alone for the rest of the year."
Riley, his eyelids shrinking from a look of surprise, softly frowned, worsening his downturned lips.
"...I see. Well, um… have you tried asking her what you can do to help? I feel like that's important—it lets her know you care. I think that can be pretty important."
"I did. But she says she doesn't know what can be done to help her. And, I'm scared that she might be right. I can't think of anything I can do to help her."
Riley covered his mouth, looking down and trying to think.
Well, it's pretty difficult to help. Or, rather, it's kind of difficult to know what will help. People are different, the same things won't help everyone.
"Hm. I'll be honest—I'm not the connoisseur of suicide. Or the ambassador, or symbol you think I am. I have my struggles, I have my feelings, but I'm not united with every person. But, from my own experience, letting her know there are other options, showing her that with actions and words, and lovingly supporting her every step of the way—that's the stuff that worked best for me. If it's chronic, then don't be afraid to let her understand that. So that way, when they pop up again, she's more cognizant of the reality that those kinds of thoughts are the enemy, not the ally."
Listening intently, the boy's lips pursed. "Fine. Okay, I'll… I'll do that. I'll try. Um… thanks."
The boy quietly turned around, walking away. When,
"Hey!"
Calling out to him, Riley raised his hand. The boy turned around, looking at him with a raised brow.
"And, just so you know… you don't have to leave me alone for the rest of the school year. In fact, I'd rather you not leave me alone. Instead of doing that—please, let's be friends. Or acquaintances. Or… whatever you want, I guess."
The boy remained silent. Then, a sad sigh escaped him.
"Taylor Summer. I already know your name, so there's no need—"
"—Riley Woods. It's nice to meet you, man."
Riley earnestly smiled. To which, Taylor lightly smiled too, giving a scoff. "Pfft… t-that's… that's so embarrassing. Whatever. See ya, I guess."
Taylor walked away, and Riley groaned on the inside.
That didn't go so well, did it?
The first bell rang, and Riley let out a small "Crud," before hurrying to his first class.
…
First period.
Sitting at a table, he was forced into a group project. To which, he was obviously excluded.
Second period.
Sitting at a desk, he quietly listened to his teacher's instructions.
Third period.
Sitting on the bleachers, he was excluded from all of the games the other students played.
Lunch time.
He hit the gym, getting many compliments from dudes on his progress, which made him feel better.
Fourth period.
He sat at his desk, typing away at his school-issued computer, using his extra time to help with the group project.
Fifth period.
He stood in a kitchen, making some banger chocolate chip pancakes, with many years of experience under his belt.
Sixth period.
He got his ass kicked in a pop quiz, realizing that he wasn't cut out for math.
End of school day.
—All in all, it'd been a fairly normal day for Riley, most of his time spent in school went something like this.
…
So, has he forgiven me for what I did to Kara?
Actually… it's been a while, hasn't it? Okay. Okay.
…
Entering the cemetery, he quickly moved towards the grave he had familiarized himself with. Reaching the tombstone, Riley looked down, biting the innards of his lip.
"Um… hey."
"——"
Crouching down, Riley looked down at the dirt.
"Last time I was here… I dirtied your grave. I had to get a tooth, and I… I saw you. You were still… um. Hey, Kara? I'm sorry. You know that, right?"
"——"
"I…"
His voice began to break apart.
"I really… I failed you. I know I did. I know it was your choice, I know it was something you determined yourself to do, but… it was still something that… that I should've done everything in my power to prevent. I gave you a look at happiness, and took it away. I told you that there were no other options… that… I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I didn't know you for long. But I still… even if things have gotten better, I still feel a bit weird, knowing you're not around."
"——"
"...I'm sorry. I'll carry our mission, and I'll see it through to the end. You were right. You did betray everyone you knew—for me. You abandoned everything for the chance at happiness. So I'll do everything I can—even if I never manage—to help. So… forgive me. I'm sorry. You… you have people who miss you, even if I know that's not the best thing to say."
Slowly standing up, he read her epitaph.
"Gone too soon."
It's that just the case for every teenager who dies like this? Of course it is. That's why I have to do everything I can.
…
The buzzing caused Joey to raise his small head towards the bathroom, as he heard decently loud grunts of pain.
Approaching off to the side, he placed his ears against the door. Buzzing, sounding like a herd of flies, but with a deeper pitch.
"Wiley? Awe you okay?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, just—yeah, owch, just give me a sec."
The little boy waited outside the door. After some time, the buzzing stopped, and he heard the shifting of feet.
"Ah… I've got even more of an itch to scratch now."
The buzzing continued.
…
Holding his arm up, Riley looked at himself. Along his arm, spiraling around, there was a dark black line which formed a noose just above his inner elbow.
Then, looking down at his serratus, Riley read the words "Gone Too Soon."
These two tattoos were meant to be reminders of the despair he would fight against. But, having scratched his itch, Riley was still a dumbass teenager, so he added one more for good measure; on his right collarbone, there was a bloody kitchen knife tattoo, the handle going up to the lower side of his neck.
There. If I ever need a reminder of what I'm fighting for, I just have to look down.
Leaving the bathroom, Riley went to the gym to continue training.