Chapter 46
Letting Go (The Stray Kids Collection: Story #1)a/n: double update! don't forget to read the chapter before this :)
The hallways were eerie despite it being only around four in the afternoon. Once school closed and afterschool activities finished, the place was filled with sounds of creaking, loose door hinges, odd swooshes of wind, and sounds that felt as though they just shouldn't be heard.
Felix shudders as he makes his way down the halls to where Athena said she would be waiting, hoping to leave this creepy atmosphere as soon as possible. When he arrives at the school's largest gym (they had two), Athena is nowhere to be seen. His eyebrows furrowed, a hand running through his hair in confusion. She did say here right? I should've just asked her to come with me.
Before Felix turns to look for the girl at the other gym, he spots Hana giggling away with her friends. Without much thought, Felix quickly approaches them causing their giggles to stop.
"Oh, hi... Felix right?" Hana says slowly, a soft smile playing on her lips.
Felix wonders how she can easily switch between looking like an angel and a devil. That in itself was almost more frightening than the dark feeling the school was giving off.
"Have you seen Athena?" He asks, hesitant when Athena's name rolls off his lips. "She was supposed to meet me here."
"Felix, you really shouldn't be hanging out with her. She's no good for you. If you ever need a real friend, I'm always open."
"I asked you where she was, not what you think about her."
Hana scoffs and her cheeks redden. His harsh tone had her shocked and embarrassed. She chuckles nervously at that before looking back at her friends.
"We haven't seen her, have we girls?" Her voice wavers slightly, Felix now looking more intimidating than when he had first arrived at the school.
The girls behind Hana nod in agreement. Felix shrugs, eyeing the group before speaking up again.
"Thanks, I'll see you around."
Once he's gone, Hana let's out a breath of relief despite the fury building in her.
"Let's go girls," she mutters and stalks off with her troop quickly following behind her.
~~~~
"Athena! Athena, where are you?"
Felix had gone to the other gym to find that the girl was nowhere to be found. He began searching their classrooms, even the ones they didn't attend. He went out to the field and then back in to the cafeteria and the auditorium. He made his way to the front gardens and the park behind the school but Athena was nowhere to be found.
A groan of frustration pushes past the boy's lips. He crouches with his head between his knees in the hallway where he had first gone to find the girl. Felix was worried, extremely. His heart was racing, thinking about what may have happened to Athena. He felt even worse that he didn't pester Hana for more information. She must have been involved some how.
It's only when he takes a moment to breathe does he realizes something. Felix whips out his phone, pulling up Athena's contact information and calls her, trying to hide his embarrassment for not thinking to do this earlier. The ringing of his phone echoes throughout the halls until it's joined by another. The sound is faint at first but as Felix moves towards it, the noise gets louder.
The boy is practically running as he follows the familiar ringtone until he's reached the front of the girls' bathroom. The ringing on both ends stop and a small sniffle replaces any noise. Felix runs in.
Athena looks up at him with red eyes and a quivering lip. His mouth opens slightly as he takes in the sight. Drenched in water, Athena sat there on the floor. Her hair was matted to her face, the usual puff that encapsulates her head now downsized. She appeared fine everywhere else but he knew that there must be more.
Instead of asking about it in that moment, he sticks out his hand to her.
"Let's go home, mmh?"
Comments