Chapter Five: The Fallout
1751 Words
By morning, the high school buzzed with its usual chaos—lockers slamming, sneakers squeaking on linoleum, laughter echoing down the halls. But for once, the twins weren’t walking side by side.
Akari strode ahead with her chin tucked low, her eyes rimmed red, refusing to look at anyone. Aris trailed several steps behind, hands stuffed in her hoodie pocket, jaw clenched so tight it ached. The hallway seemed to split around them, classmates sensing the storm that crackled invisibly between the sisters.
Mimi noticed first. She was leaning against the lockers with Axel when the twins passed. “Uh-oh,” she muttered, twirling her pen. “Trouble in twin land.”
Axel raised a brow. “They fight sometimes, but this looks… nuclear.”
Mimi’s gaze flicked between them, sharp as ever. Aris didn’t even glance at her sister. Akari didn’t even flinch when Mimi called her name. Something had snapped.
And right in the middle of it all, Gabe appeared.
He caught sight of Aris by her locker and quickened his pace, weaving through students with a determined look. His chest was tight, his mind replaying the image of her arm beneath his grip. He’d left a faint bruise. He couldn’t get it out of his head.
“Aris,” he called.
Her shoulders stiffened, but she didn’t turn. She spun the lock on her locker, pretending she hadn’t heard.
“Aris, wait.” His voice was lower now, urgent. “I need to apologize. About yesterday—I shouldn’t have grabbed you. I lost it and—”
A shadow fell across them.
Tobe.
He stepped between Aris and Gabe, planting himself firmly like a brick wall. “She doesn’t want to hear it,” he said flatly.
Gabe scowled. “This isn’t your business, Tobe.”
“The second you laid a hand on her,” Tobe said, voice calm but sharp as glass, “it became my business.”
Students slowed, sensing tension, whispers fluttering down the hallway.
Aris shut her locker with a metallic slam. “Both of you—just stop.” Her voice cracked at the edges, raw from holding back. She shoved past them, disappearing into the stream of bodies.
Mimi caught her arm as she passed. “Aris—what’s going on? Did Gabe—”
“Not now, Mimi.” Aris’s tone was clipped, almost pleading. She yanked free and vanished around the corner.
Mimi and Axel exchanged a loaded look. Axel’s brow furrowed. “Yeah, something’s seriously wrong.”
Back by the lockers, Gabe tried to move past Tobe, but Tobe shifted with him, blocking his path.
“You don’t get it,” Gabe snapped, voice low enough only Tobe could hear. “I’m trying to fix things.”
“No,” Tobe said, meeting his eyes without flinching. “You’re trying to chase what you broke. And if you can’t see the difference, then you’ve already lost.”
For once, Gabe had no clever comeback. His fists clenched at his sides, jaw working silently as Tobe turned and walked away, leaving him stranded in the middle of the hallway with every eye on him.
And from across the hall, Akari watched.
Her stomach twisted as she saw Gabe’s focus fixed not on her—but on her sister’s retreating back. Again. Always.
She turned sharply, shoving through the crowd, her tears threatening to spill.
No one followed her.
Fourth period arrived, and as usual, Gabe took the seat beside Aris in the back row. Aris laid her head on her desk, unwilling to talk to anyone. Her mind churned with questions—how could she possibly get her sister back? How was she supposed to deal with Gabe? She couldn’t return his feelings; there was nothing in her to give. All she felt now was anger.
Her restless night finally caught up with her, and her thoughts slipped into silence as she drifted off to sleep.
The bell rang, and Tobe dropped into the desk in front of her. He kept stealing glances at Aris, only to meet Gabe’s glare each time.
“Stop looking at her,” Gabe snapped. “She’s not yours to care for.”
Tobe smirked. “Funny, considering the damage you caused. What right do you have to sit next to her if all you’re going to do is hurt her?”
“I’m her friend. I have every right to be here—maybe more, once I apologize. Things will go back to the way they were,” Gabe said with misplaced confidence.
“Yeah, right. In your dreams. Since when does she need a friend like you, coward?”
The word made Gabe’s temper snap. He swung at Tobe. Gasps rippled through the classroom.
“Mr. Knight! What do you think you’re doing?” the teacher barked. “Hallway. Now. And hold these books while you think about your actions.”
Turning to Tobe, she softened. “Mr. Hex, your face doesn’t look well. Go to the nurse’s office—I’ll write you a pass.”
Tobe barely listened. His gaze was fixed on Aris, her face flushed as if she were feverish. “Can I take Aris, too? She doesn’t look well.”
The teacher checked Aris’s forehead, frowning at the warmth there. “Oh, dear, yes. Take her with you. Poor thing looks exhausted.” She scribbled two more passes.
Without hesitation, Tobe scooped Aris into his arms. As he carried her out, he smirked at Gabe and let the stack of books clatter to the floor. Gabe could only glare, though worry twisted in his gut at the sight of Tobe carrying Aris away.
In the nurse’s office, Tobe handed over the passes, settling Aris gently onto a bed before sitting at its edge. The nurse clucked at his bruised cheek.
“You need to stop getting into fights. I can’t keep up with supplies with how often I see you.”
“I didn’t punch back. Didn’t even start it this time,” Tobe muttered.
“At least you did some good today, bringing her here. Poor girl looks like she hasn’t slept in days. Something’s weighing on her.”
Tobe stayed quiet, his gaze drifting back to Aris. Worry pressed against his chest. He couldn’t just whisk her away and make everything okay. But she was strong. She’d get through this. All he could do was be there, every step of the way.
“If you’re going to stare at her all afternoon, you might as well get comfortable,” the nurse teased. “She’ll wake up when she’s ready.”
Realizing he’d been lost in thought, Tobe pulled a chair to her bedside, laid his head on the edge of her mattress, and waited.
An hour later, the lunch bell jolted both of them awake. Aris blinked in confusion at her surroundings.
“The nurse’s office?” she murmured. Then her eyes fell on Tobe’s face. “You fought again? It looks like it hurts like hell.”
Tobe chuckled. “It’ll heal. I’ve had worse, Ms. I-Can-Throw-A-Punch. More importantly—are you feeling better?”
“I didn’t even realize I fell asleep,” she admitted, rubbing her eyes. “Guess I thought too hard and tired myself out.”
“Then let’s get some lunch before it’s all gone,” he said with a grin.
The cafeteria was a hive of noise—trays clattering, laughter bouncing off the walls, the smell of pizza and fries heavy in the air. But at the far end of the room, where the twins usually sat side by side, the balance was broken.
Akari sat at the edge of the table, tray untouched, eyes fixed on the carton of milk she hadn’t opened. Her fork spun between her fingers as if it were the only thing holding her together. The seat beside her—Aris’s seat—was empty.
Aris sat across the table instead, hunched over with her hood up, earbuds dangling but not playing anything. She picked at her food in silence, not daring to look at her sister.
Mimi slid into the space between them, eyes darting back and forth like she’d walked into a live wire. Axel followed, dropping his tray with a sigh.
“Okay,” Mimi said, voice low. “What’s going on? You two aren’t talking. You didn’t walk together. Aris nearly bit my head off this morning, and Akari hasn’t said a single word since third period.”
Aris stabbed a fry with unnecessary force. “Drop it, Mimi.”
Akari finally looked up, eyes sharp and wet. “Yeah, Mimi. Drop it.”
Mimi leaned back, folding her arms. “Uh, no? You two are practically glued at the hip and now you’re acting like strangers. That’s not nothing.”
Axel watched quietly, studying the twins the way he studied patterns in a fight. Something ugly was brewing, and he could feel it.
Across the room, Gabe hovered by the vending machines, tray untouched. He hadn’t sat with his usual crew. He hadn’t even tried to join Akari. His eyes kept flicking toward Aris, like a compass needle locked in place.
Mimi noticed. Of course she noticed. “Oh my god,” she whispered, eyes widening. “This is about Gabe, isn’t it?”
Aris’s head snapped up, glare sharp enough to cut steel. “Mimi.”
But Mimi’s gaze slid to Akari, then back to Aris, her mouth falling open. “Wait… no. No way. He—”
“Don’t,” Aris warned, voice like a blade.
Akari pushed her tray back, chair scraping loudly. “Just say it, Mimi. Everyone’s going to figure it out anyway.” Her voice cracked, trembling with rage and hurt. “He doesn’t want me. He never did. He wants her.”
The words hung heavy in the air. Heads turned from nearby tables, whispers spreading like wildfire.
Mimi’s mouth snapped shut. Even Axel flinched, his calm demeanor shaken.
“Akari,” Aris said, reaching across the table, but her sister jerked back like the touch would burn.
“Don’t.” Akari’s chair screeched against the floor as she stood. “Don’t touch me. Don’t talk to me. Just—don’t.”
She grabbed her tray and stormed out, leaving half the cafeteria staring after her.
Silence pooled at the table until Mimi exhaled hard. “Well… shit.”
Before Aris could respond, a shadow fell over the table.
Gabe.
- Writer
