ROYAL BLOOD

MEMORIES HURT

Rufus called them for tea and they sat down together trying to come up with something. Lore looked at his tea and he got a flashback,

"Lore! Come down! It's time for breakfast." Diana shouted.

"Coming!" Lore cried and rushed downstairs.

"The bus will be here in an hour and where is Leo?" she cried.

Lore was looking bright because it was his first day of high school. He was very excited and gobbled down his breakfast. Diana smiled.

Sam flipped through the pages of the newspaper and said, "Excited for school, champ?"

"Kind of." Lore replied.

Leo came downstairs half-asleep and said, "You're excited to go to school and soon you'll be excited to not go to school because high school will suck out your happiness and pile you up with assignments and works and tests."

Lore gulped and Diana said, "Leo, don't scare your brother like that. You need to send him off with good thoughts."

Sam looked at Lore and said, "If you take interest and enjoy doing your tasks then nothing will pressurize you. You need to have fun. You will never get your school life back. So, make sure you make the best out of every moment."

Diana smiled and Leo said, "You will not want it to come back again."

"That's enough." Sam said.

"What? Didn't you always tell me that life can be bitter and it's not always about having fun?"

Sam became quiet and Diana laughed. There was a honk outside and she said, "Oh Lore! The bus is here."

Lore picked his backpack and ran out.

"Have a great day, sweetie." Diana waved.

"Good luck, champ" Sam smiled.

Leo smirked at him and mouthed 'loser'

Lore looked away and got in the bus. He saw similar faces and sat beside Wisteria. She smiled at him and said, "Excited?"

"Kind of." He replied.

Lore turned back and saw a new face. That boy was being teased by Robert and his gang. That new boy was sitting alone and Lore could see terror in his eyes. He was trying to ignore Robert and was huddled near the window looking scared.

"Who's that?" Lore asked Wisteria.

"Oh. I don't know. Someone new. I feel bad for him because Robert has been teasing him for quite a long time. You know I can't confront him because Robert's my Mother's best friend's son."

"Yeah." Lore nodded and made an eye contact with the boy. The boy's eyes were asking for help. Lore wanted to help him but he was scared of Robert so he looked away. He felt extremely bad.

Lore didn't see that boy the rest of the day and kept looking for him here and there. He kept thinking about the boy and looked grim when he returned back home.

"What's wrong?" Diana said.

"Nothing." Lore replied.

Leo laughed and said, "I told you, loser. So, your first day sucked, didn't it?"

Diana sneered at Leo and put her hand on Lore's shoulder, "You can tell me, alright?"

Lore replied, "I just saw a new boy being teased and I wanted to help him but I just couldn't. I was just scared of me being Robert's new target. I wanted to talk to that new boy but I just didn't see him the rest of the day. I feel so bad for him."

Diana gently lifted Lore's head towards her and said, "If you see anything wrong happening in front of your eyes, you should stand for it. I know you're brave and strong. Just stand up for what you think is right. Don't be scared of Robert making you his next target. If he does, then you can stand up for yourself and raise your voice. Trust me, he won't harm you. Bullies only target those who can't speak for themselves. But you can so, don't worry."

Lore smiled, "Thanks mom."

Leo looked at Lore and said, "Throw some fists if he attacks you."

Lore laughed and Diana said, "Leo! Don't teach him violence."

"What?" Leo said. "That's how it usually works in schools."

Diana laughed and told Lore, "If you see the boy in trouble next time, help him out."

That's what gave Lore the confidence he needed. However, he didn't see the boy again the next day. Lore had to stay afterschool so, while returning home, there weren’t many people. When he got out of the classroom, he saw Robert pushing the boy against the locker. Robert pulled the boy's bag and dropped his notebooks on the floor.

"Hey!" Lore shouted and ran towards them.

"Stop annoying him." Lore told Robert.

"Oh yeah" Robert said and walked closer to Lore, "You don't want to be like him, do you?"

Lore replied, "You won't be able to make me like this. Try me."

Hearing this, Robert shut his mouth. He glanced at the boy one last time and walked away with his gang. Lore helped the boy collect his books.

"Thank you." The boy said weakly and got up.

"You don't have to thank me. He won't bother you again." Lore said.

Lore stretched his arm out at the boy and said, "I'm Lore Augustin. Friends?"

The boy smiled and shook his hand, "Urbane Wilson. I'm new around here." The boy said.

Lore and Urbane had already become close from that day including Wisteria. They were going along well as a trio until one day a crazy new guy got in the school. His name was Jackson and he found comfort with the trio. Days passed and they were already like a family. Urbane wasn't a scared kid anymore. He turned out to be strong and Lore never regretted the day he helped him.

"Lore?! LORE?!" Leo cried and he snapped back into his sense.

"You've been staring at your cup for a minute." Leo said.

"I was just thinking about Urbane." Lore replied.

Lore was hurt. A boy whom he helped and gave him a special bond of friendship had left him like that. Helpless and full of guilt and anger and regret. For Lore, friendship was the second most precious bond after family. Now, he had an incomplete family and an incomplete group of friends. He was hurt.

Lore got up and walked towards the window. He looked up, black clouds covered the sky as usual. It was perfect for him and what he was feeling at that time. He kept admiring how beautiful dark clouds looked. He was starting to get used to it now. Wisteria watched Lore standing still and approached him.

"I know what you're thinking about." She said.

"Yeah?" Lore asked.

Wisteria nodded and said, "You're thinking about that weak and helpless boy in the school bus, right?

"He's not our Urbane, now. He's Grivald." Lore replied.