Chapter five _ The Trigger
1210 Words
Leo's Pov
I didn't sleep much last night.
After leaving the mansion, I found a quiet spot near the old chapel and crashed there with nothing but the sound of the waves for company. I told myself I was just resting my eyes, but my body had other plans. The cold floor wasn't comfortable, yet it was better than the memories clawing at the back of my mind.
When I woke, the dawn was already breaking. My head ached from the night before, and I still smelled faintly of smoke from Jake's stupid bonfire trick.
Mason was the first to find me.
"Dude," he said, crouching beside me with his guitar case slung over his back, "you look like death. You even alive?"
"Barely," I muttered, running a hand through my hair.
"What time is it?"
"Too early for your attitude," Jake's voice came from behind him. He grinned like always, that kind of grin that tried to lighten anything, even the silence between storms.
Ethan just gave me that quiet look of his_ part concern, part here we go again.
"Come on," Mason said, offering a hand. "Let's not be late. You know principal Grayson's just waiting for another excuse to hate us."
I almost smiled at that. "Wouldn't want to disappoint him."
We walked the rest of the way to school with the sea wind biting at our faces. The air was different that morning. Thick. Something was off, and I could feel it before we even stepped through the gates.
When we got to the main yard, everything froze.
Students were clustered around something near the main building. Whispering. Pointing. Someone screamed, the sound slicing through the chatter.
Jake frowned. "What the hell...."
Then we saw her.
A girl sitting on the ground, her books scattered,her hair falling over her face. Her hands tremble as she holds something _ small, round, like a bead.
"Hey, isn't that the new girl?" Mason asked.
I didn't answer. My stomach had already twisted.
Jake and Ethan started towards her. I stayed where I was for a second, watching. The sirens were still fading in the distance, but the crowd had already begun to thin, their curiosity fading.
Typical.
"Aria," Jake called softly as he crouched beside her.
"Hey, are you okay?"
She looked up at him, eyes wide_ haunted. "There was a student.... He fell. From the roof. Everyone just... Watched. And that guy-" She turned her head slightly towards the steps. "He laughed."
Jake's expression hardened. "Blake."
Ethan offered her a hand helping her up gently.
"Come on, you shouldn't stay here."
She nodded, clutching the bead tight. "He said something.... 'Another one down.' Like it was normal."
Jake swore under his breath. "That guy's a psycho."
I didn't say anything. My jaw clenched, my mind already spinning.
We were about to leave when I heard the voice I'd hoped not to hear today.
"Well, if it isn't the fallen angels," Blake drawled from behind us. His friends Fax and Rowan_ flanked him like the arrogant shadows they were. "Didn't know you were into picking strays, Leo."
Jake turned sharply. "Back off, Blake."
"Relax," Blake smirked. "I'm just saying, it's bad enough you losers ruin every show, now you're resting every broken girl you see? What, you starting a charity?"
My blood ran cold. The way he said it. The tone. The sneer.
I took a step forward before I even realized I was moving. "You have a problem?"
Blake tilted his head, eyes glinting. "Oh, I got a few. Starting with you pretending you're still relevant, Leo. Tell me_ how's the guilt these days?"
Jake's hand landed on my shoulder. "Leo. Don't."
But then Blake said her name.
"Still dreaming about Liana?"
The world went quiet.
The air snapped.
Something inside me cracked so violently that the sound of my heartbeat drowned out everything else.
Before I knew it, my first connected with his jaw.
The hit echoed.
Blake stumbled back, stunned for half a second and then laughed. "There he is," he spat blood and grinned, "the famous killer."
His punch came next, sharp. Pain exploded across my cheek, but I didn't care. It wasn't about him anymore. It was about every whisper, every lie, every time someone looked at me and saw a murderer.
Jake shouted something. Ethan tried to pull us apart, but Mason had already jumped in when Dax threw a punch.
It turned into chaos.
I caught Blake's collar, Slamming him against the wall.
"Say her name again," I growled.
He grinned through split lips. "Why? Gonna kill me too?"
I saw red. My knuckles burned from the next punch.
Then_
"Enough!"
Principal Grayson's voice cracked through the crowd. The noise died instantly. His eyes were on fire when they landed on us. "All of you. My office. Now."
“Enough!”
Blake chuckled, wiping his mouth. "Great. Family meeting."
Jake groaned. "Nice going, Leo."
I don't reply. My pulse still hasn't settled. The taste of blood and regret sat heavy on my tongue.
****
Principal Grayson paced behind his desk, rubbing his temples like he'd seen this too many times_ which, to be fair, he probably had.
"Do you even realize how much damage you have caused?" He barked. "Two of my school's top bands are turning the school into a street fight?!"
Blaze leaned lazily against the wall. "Technically, he threw the first punch."
I didn't look at him. " Technically," I said quietly, "you asked for it."
Grayson slammed his plan on the desk. "Enough! I don't care who stares at it. You're both equally responsible.
Jake opened his mouth. "Sir, maybe if you heard what...."
"One week of detention," Grayson cut him off, his tone final. "All of you. Every single one. You will report to the east wing after classes. No rehearsals. No performances. No excuses."
Blake smirked. "Guess we will be seeing a lot of each other, Leo."
I gave him a cold look. "You won't like it."
Grayson pointed at the door. "Out. Now. Before I change my mind and make it two."
We field out, silent, bruised, and angry.
Jake nudged me once we were in the hall. "You okay?"
I don't answer immediately. My knuckles throbbed. My heartbeat still hasn't slowed. I could still see the look in Aria's face_ the confusion, the fear, the way she held the bead. I need to know what the bead is and if she saw the dead student face.
"She was right," I said finally. "There's something wrong here."
Ethan looked at me. "You think the guy who fell..."
"It wasn't an accident," I finished.
And I think it is high time I started digging into this.
They exchanged glances, but none of them said anything. Not yet.
As we walked past the building again, the cleanup crew was already there, washing away the blood and broken glass.
Only Aria remained sitting quietly on a bench with the same bead on her hand.
For a moment, our eyes met.
And something in my chest tightened a strange sharp pull.
Like I'd seen her before.
Like I'd known her before.
But that couldn't be.
Because the girl I once knew, the one whose face haunted me was dead.
- Writer
