Chapter 4: Side by side
1222 Words
The corridor was louder than the classroom had been.
Students moved in both directions, voices overlapping, lockers slamming, footsteps echoing off the walls. It felt like the whole school had suddenly woken up at once.
Jade walked slightly ahead, leading the way without really thinking about it. Jake stayed close beside Damson, looking around like he was trying to memorise everything at once.
“Okay,” Jake said, glancing up at the signs above them, “so if I get lost, I’m officially blaming both of you.”
“You will get lost,” Jade replied without even turning back. “It’s a guarantee.”
“That’s harsh,” Jake said, but he was smiling.
Damson stayed quiet.
His bag hung loosely from his shoulder, his steps automatic. He wasn’t really paying attention to the tour.
Not fully.
His mind was still somewhere else.
The classroom.
The brief glance.
Jackson’s eyes.
He didn’t understand why it stayed in his head longer than it should have.
“The first block is science labs,” Jade was saying now, pointing down a corridor to their left. “Then the library is upstairs. The cafeteria is straight ahead but we’ll go there last.”
Jake nodded like he was listening carefully, even though his attention kept drifting to different parts of the building.
“This school feels like a maze,” he said.
“It is,” Jade replied simply.
Damson exhaled softly, adjusting his grip on his bag.
As they walked, a group of students passed them going the opposite direction, laughing loudly about something. The sound faded quickly behind them.
For a moment, the corridor opened up slightly—less crowded, quieter.
Damson slowed without meaning to.
Something about this part of the hallway felt different.
Not clearly.
Just… a shift.
He looked ahead.
Nothing unusual.
Just lockers, windows, and the far end of the corridor bending slightly out of sight.
But the feeling from earlier stirred faintly again.
Not strong.
Just enough to make him aware of it.
Jade noticed him slowing. “You’re doing that thing again.”
“What thing?” Damson asked.
“The zoning out thing.”
“I’m not zoning out.”
Jake laughed lightly. “You definitely are.”
Damson didn’t respond.
He kept walking.
But his eyes stayed on the corridor ahead a little longer than necessary.
Something about this school didn’t feel fully settled yet.
Like it was still introducing itself to him.
And he wasn’t sure if that was a good thing.
Jake suddenly perked up as they walked. He raised his hand slightly, pointing ahead.
“Jackson!”
His voice carried down the corridor.
Damson sighed quietly and rolled his eyes under his breath. “Him…”
Jackson, who had been walking a short distance ahead on the opposite side of the hallway, stopped.
Slowly.
No. He turned his head.
Jake waved like it was the most normal thing in the world. “Hey! You’re Jackson, right?”
Jackson didn’t respond immediately. His expression stayed flat.
Jade glanced between them. “You know him?”
“Same class,” Jake said quickly. “We just got here today too. Jade’s showing me around. You should join us.”
Jackson’s eyes shifted slightly toward Jade, then back to Jake.
“No,” he said simply.
Then he started to turn away.
Damson muttered under his breath without thinking, “Thank God.”
The words were quiet.
But not quiet enough.
Jackson paused.
Just for a second.
Then continued walking like he hadn’t heard anything at all.
Jake frowned. “Wow, okay, rude.”
Jade crossed her arms. “That’s not very friendly.”
Jake suddenly stepped forward. “Come on, don’t be like that. We’re all new here. It’s just a tour.”
Jackson didn’t respond.
Jake sighed, then turned back toward Damson and Jade. “See? This is why I need backup.”
Jade shook her head. “Fine. Just join us.”
Damson immediately looked at her. “What?”
“Come on,” Jade said. “It’s just walking together.”
Jake nodded quickly. “Yeah, see? Problem solved.”
Damson hesitated.
Jackson still hasn’t said anything.
He just stood there, watching.
Damson exhaled sharply. “Whatever.”
He turned slightly toward Jackson, forcing a look of mild annoyance. “Just… come along if you want.”
For a moment, Jackson studied him.
Not Jake. Not Jade.
Just Damson.
Then he gave a small nod.
“Fine.”
One word.
The four of them started walking together down the corridor.
Jake and Jade naturally moved to the front, falling into easy conversation as they pointed out different parts of the school.
“This is the main block,” Jade was saying. “Science labs are down that way, the library upstairs, the cafeteria is straight ahead.”
Jake listened like he was trying to absorb everything at once. “This place is actually kind of big.”
“Kind of?” Jade laughed. “You’ll get lost in a day.”
“Challenge accepted,” Jake replied.
behind them, Damson walked slightly slower.
Jackson walked beside him.
Neither of them spoke.
The space between them felt quiet, but not empty.
Damson’s thoughts weren’t in the corridor anymore.
They were back in the morning.
The lockers.
The scent.
The figure.
Locker Boy.
Was it real?
Or just something his mind created because he wanted it to be?
A wish that bent reality is just enough to confuse him?
He frowned slightly, not noticing how far ahead Jade and Jake had moved.
Then—
A light tap on his shoulder.
Damson blinked.
He looked up.
Jackson had tapped Jake lightly to get his attention, and the group stopped walking.
Damson snapped back into the present.
“Why did we stop?” he asked quietly.
Before anyone could answer, Jackson spoke first.
Low voice.
Calm.
“I think we should go eat. I’m hungry.”
Jake immediately brightened. “Oh yeah, cafeteria! Where is it again?”
Jade pointed ahead. “This way.”
“Perfect,” Jake said.
They started walking again.
Damson gave a small nod and followed.
A forced smile stayed on his face, but his mind wasn’t there.
Then—
He felt it.
A glance.
He turned slightly.
Jackson was looking at him.
Directly.
Damson froze for a fraction of a second.
Their eyes met.
Both of them reacted at the same time.
And just as quickly—
They looked away.
Like nothing had happened.
But neither of them slowed down.
And neither of them spoke.
- Writer
