Chapter 3: Saved
Bam walked through campus, savoring the sights around him. It had been a while since he had given himself time to appreciate the outside. Ever since last year, he had just stayed inside and forgotten how his campus even looked like. The sun was out and the leaves haven't changed color yet, so it was as if it was still a beautiful summer day with a cool breeze passing by. His campus itself was gorgeous for those who can appreciate the architecture and nature, but usually it was left forgotten in the bustle of academia.
He usually wouldn't be the type to dwell on the sights around him, but it was somewhat cathartic to just look at everything and be at peace.
For once, Bam was forgetting many of the troubles he'd faced throughout the past year. It sucked that he had to spot faces he wish he didn't need to see. He walked forward quickly, hoping they were too engrossed in their conversation to notice him.
"Bam." A familiar voice rung out from behind him, sending cold shivers running down his back. Theresa. Or, as he used to call her, "T." Bam had told her plenty of secrets — something he deeply regrets with how they were used against him.
He turned his body to be met with the people who he thought were close friends, but who left him without a second thought. Funny thing is: they still believe that they're in the "right."
"Yes?"
"Don't be like that," another one said. Michael. The bandwagon who can't think for himself. "We're just wondering how you've been."
"Shouldn't matter to you. We're not friends anymore," Bam replied. His panic and rage kept shifting back and forth, each threatening to overpower the other.
"It's not our fault you're a dick. You're lucky we even still care." Emma said. She was one of the most vocal in harassing him and spreading rumors.
"Ah yes. I do love hearing about your "care," Bam said, voice dripping in sarcasm and hostility. "Please, though, direct it to someone who doesn't wish he'd never met you guys."
"We're just trying to see how you're doing. You know we cared about you a lot and everything that happened was just too much," Taylor said. She was always the most caring in the group, but also the most susceptible to others' words. Her betrayal had hurt him the most, to be honest.
"Please don't. I don't want to talk to any of you. I have much better things to do than to stand her listening to your garbage." Bam growled. His chocolate brown eyes squinted in rage as his body language radiated tenseness and hostility — with a hint of desolation.
Bam turned his back and kept walking forward without giving pause to listen to anymore of their words. If you looked at him from behind, though, his broad shoulders could not hide the sadness and loneliness his aura emitted. He lost himself in thought as he walked, but no more to the beauty of his surroundings. The colors and vibrancy he had been enamored with just a few minutes ago seemed to dull and become bleak as the world around him — the shrubs, the people walking by, the buildings — greyed and faded. Negative thoughts swarmed into Bam's mind once more, reminding him of the pressure he carried in his heart. He was whirling back into an abyss of depression when a light voice called out to him.
"Hey! Neighbor!"
Bam didn't even realize the voice was calling out to him until he felt a small hand grasp the back of his sleeve. He turned his head in surprise as he came face-to-face with the new, pink-haired girl in his English class. He was a whole head-and-a-half taller than her and he found himself getting lost in her eyes. Something about them drew him in once more.
Subtly, a switch flipped in him. Her presence was something soothing and comforting — a feeling he hadn't felt in a long time around others. Imagine a cool breeze caressing your face on a scorching beach, playing, as it whirls around, slowly fading away. It wasn't a feeling of being saved from drowning. It was more like a gentle nudge upward that kept him stable above the abyss.
His presence shook the girl beside him. She could feel the negative aura around him dissipate slowly. His awkward-looking and sad demeanor gave way to confidence befitting Bam's tall and striking silhouette. She caught herself staring as Bam's imposing aura did little to hide the gentleness engraved in his features.
"Hey." At least for a moment, the gloomy and depressed Bam was gone. His previous self came out in response to this short beauty in front of him. "What's up..."
"Aura." She smiled, noticing he didn't know her name yet. "My name's Aura. What's yours, neighbor?"
Her eyes squinted slightly as her full lips curled, exposing a cute and teasing look on her face that caught Bam off guard.
"Bam," he said. A huge grin had worked its way onto his face. Something about her strung him along like a magnet.
"My name's Bam."
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