June 12 | Thursday #3
“Find them?” Will called out.
A few seconds later, his answer was the slam of the front door and the sound of the lock turning.
Guess he did.
And Will would definitely rather torture himself with instant noodles than endure Blake’s presence.
March 13 | Thursday
Liam stopped by about every other day for an hour or two. His visits were always… interesting.
“Am I supposed to pretend it’s a total coincidence that you suddenly wanted to read one of my manga, but you figured going into my bedroom without me would be rude?” Will grumbled, struggling down the stairs.
Liam stood at the bottom, watching him with a slight smile.
“What can I say?” he said with an innocent shrug. “I’m a man of principle.”
“Mhm,” Will grunted, frustrated by the forced exertion that only highlighted his limitations.
“I’m sure the doctor told you to exercise,” Liam added in his defense.
“The exact opposite, he told me to stay off this leg.”
“And you are! It’s just dangling there!” Will braced himself on his crutches, shooting Liam a stern look. After navigating the final step, he shoved the small paperback into Liam’s hands. “But at the same time, you’re working the other one. And your arms. It’ll be good for you.”
Will held his tongue.
“Don’t be mad,” Liam said, then suddenly scooped Will up into his arms.
Will’s eyes went wide.
“Liam!” he cried out in alarm, still gripping his crutches.
“Let them go,” Liam said.
“You let me go!”
“Not gonna happen.”
“Li…”
Liam carried him to the living room (where Will had taken up permanent residence) and helped him onto the sofa. He then took the crutches, leaned them against a nearby armchair, and casually settled into the armchair, flipping through the manga.
“I hope you like it,” Will said, a little flustered by what had just happened.
“I’ll read it at home,” Liam announced, sharing none of Will’s awkwardness. “Want to watch something?”
March 25 | Tuesday
As he’d said he would, Blake visited as well. His visits were rarer and much shorter, usually over in just a few minutes. Today’s promised to be no different, so Will didn’t even get up from the sofa.
Blake walked into the living room and placed three plastic sleeves on the table, each containing a dozen or so pages.
“What’s this?” Will asked, his brows furrowed in confusion.
“Class notes. Literature, history, and tech.”
Will reached for one of the sleeves and started looking through its contents.
It was nice of Blake to have photocopied his notes.
Will had been dreading the terrifying prospect of having to copy endless notebooks right before exams. Alden’s handwriting was tiny but legible—the letters were even and neat, almost identical, as if they had been traced.
“Here’s the rest,” Blake added, placing two thick folders in front of him.
Will stared at him in amazement. They only had those three subjects together.
“I got them from people you have classes with,” Blake explained. “It’s everything but biology. I don’t know what possessed me to borrow Henry Wilson’s notes,” he huffed in frustration. “His handwriting is so bad, only a hieroglyphics expert could decipher it. I’ll bring them next time.”
Will chuckled.
“Thanks.”
Blake watched him for a moment, as if he meant to say something important, but in the end, all he said was:
“Study. It’s important.”
April 17 | Thursday
Norma finally came to visit.
“Hey,” she said timidly the moment he opened the door.
“Hey,” Will replied, surprised.
“I brought cupcakes,” Norma informed him, holding out a pink, cardboard box. “I wanted to be cute,” she confessed helplessly. “I guess it didn’t work, but can we talk?”
Will let her in. After the way their last meeting had gone, it was hard for him to be comfortable around her, but the truth was, he regretted that scene a little. Norma had deserved the criticism, but on the other hand, she’d been trying to reach out. Honestly, he was glad she hadn’t given up.
“I know I sometimes seem like I don’t care about anything, but that’s not true. And I can’t stand to argue. Especially with people I like, so… are we good?”
A faint smile formed on Will’s lips.
“We’re good.”
A few minutes later, they were sitting in the living room, talking about everything he had missed.
“…we know how it happened,” Norma was saying.
“I mean, we know where the demon came from. It was trapped in a family heirloom. A music box or something. Most likely, Christine found it in the attic, among her grandmother’s things.
So the grandmother was probably a witch.
Sometimes, when witches can’t properly banish a demon, they just trap it inside various objects, but that’s usually not a good idea.
Especially if that object is later passed on to other people. Anyway, it’s all over now.”
“That’s a relief,” Will stated listlessly.
“Have you seen Oscar, by any chance?” Norma asked out of the blue.
“No. He’s called me. A couple of times, I think. I didn’t pick up.”
“I ran into him at a party recently. I know I shouldn’t get involved, but I felt the need to tell him what I think of guys who cheat…
So I did, and the conversation just kind of went from there.
He mentioned you. He really regrets it.” Will shot her a sharp look.
“I’m not saying this so you’ll get back with him!
Absolutely not. You didn’t deserve to be treated like that; no one does.
But something’s off with him. I’ve never seen a guy so torn up after he was the one who cheated. ”
“Well,” Will muttered sourly.
“Dropping the subject. Got it.”
May 26 | Tuesday
Will didn’t officially return to school until mid-May. Unofficially, he’d been there a few times before, but always late in the afternoon, so he never ran into any other students. He was conditionally allowed to take his exams, though he had to pass make-up tests for certain subjects first.
The grading system at BHA was a bit more complex than at most similar institutions.
There were standard grades, which depended on the teacher and the grades accumulated throughout the year, but there were also exams for every class.
In standard cases, their results didn’t raise or lower the final grade, but if a student didn’t achieve a minimum of fifty percent, the grade wasn’t counted—the subject was considered failed.
Furthermore, the results of all exams were totaled, and students had to exceed a certain threshold to advance to the next year.
This threshold was lower for athletes and those involved in school activities.
The overall score was also considered for awarding scholarships.
Will, as a special case, only had to pass a few core subjects. The teachers went easy on him, so he didn’t have much trouble with it. He’d arranged with the administration that his grades for the other classes would be determined based on his exam results, which was a convenient arrangement.
Today, the exams began. Will arrived on school grounds. He no longer needed crutches, though he still had some trouble getting around. He had already started physical therapy, however, and everyone kept telling him he was recovering at a surprisingly fast pace.
Dressed in dark jeans, a white shirt, and a blazer, he approached the main building and noticed Blake and Liam walking a few yards ahead of him. Alden glanced over his shoulder, apparently sensing him, then nudged Liam. They both stopped so Will could catch up.
“Welcome back,” Liam said cheerfully. “I was starting to think you’d skip the exams, too.”
“Hey—Liam!” Will cried out in alarm as Liam lifted him and spun him around before graciously setting him down.
Blake watched with a slight smile. Will glanced at him, smiling back. He had to admit that after everything, he saw Alden in a slightly warmer light.
They headed up the stairs to the main entrance.
Liam and Blake kept pace with him. Looking up, Will saw Danny standing near the doors.
Dan watched him for a moment before going inside.
Will sighed quietly. When he was in the hospital, he’d hoped Dan would at least visit, but it seemed their friendship was well and truly over.
The knowledge hurt, but Will had recently learned there were things that hurt far more, so he wasn’t going to waste any more time dwelling on the past.
They stopped outside the room where they had their literature exam. They were in the middle of a conversation when Oscar appeared nearby. He started toward Will, but Blake stepped in his way.
“I think you’re mistaken,” he announced coolly.
“I wanted to say hi to Will,” Oscar explained, clearly confused by Alden’s behavior.
“You can do that from here, I’m sure he’ll hear you. And if you have anything else to say, I’d suggest you wait for him to come to you. Though that might be a long wait, so maybe it’s better to just forget it, huh?”
As usual, Blake was drawing attention, and soon everyone was looking their way. Oscar clearly didn’t want to have this discussion under the circumstances, so he retreated. Will didn’t feel sorry for him.
The exams were the standard two hours long. Liam left after an hour. Will followed about fifteen minutes later. He was surprised to see Liam waiting outside the classroom.
“Are you busy?” Liam asked.
“No, why?”
“Want to go somewhere?”
Will smiled faintly.
“For a drink?” he asked, almost hopefully.
“For something better.”
Now that was an intriguing offer.
“Okay.”
“Then let’s go.”
They were close to the main doors, but for some unclear reason, Liam led him to an exit near the gym.
“Wait for me on the court, okay?” he asked.
Will agreed. He went outside and wandered around for a moment before hearing the characteristic sound of a ball bouncing on asphalt. He turned to see Liam heading toward him, dribbling.
“So… where are we going?” Will asked uncertainly.
“Here,” Liam announced casually, then stopped at the center line and took a shot.
He made it.
“Impressive,” Will remarked cautiously.