Ghost

9

That son of a bitch. He has the audacity to show his face here in my school after all the problems he and his stupid little mafia caused for me and mine. We have mourned many great losses because of him... and now he is here. 
In my school. 
Working my fathers job, not even a day after... I killed him. 

"Fellow students and teachers of NRS. My name is Elio Solonik and I am your new principal. Now I don't want to bore you with a long speech but I am looking forward to leading this school and its students to a better future..... I hope the ghost of the past headmaster hasn't stayed to haunt us," he laughs. "Happy learning children!" 

There's a loud pop and the once quiet halls burst with noise of students talking, crying and who knows what else. 

Oh that russian bastard! I am going to- 

"Avery!" Ugh... what noooooooow!?!? 

Thomas and Noah run up to me. "What- Why- How is dad dead?" Noah breathes heavily. I think I see tears in his eyes. "Do you know anything about this??" 

"No, I don't..." I walk away. Am I walking straight? 

I slip into an empty classroom and lean against the door. It's too much. Everything is happening so fast. It's all getting too much. 

I slide down the wall and sit on the floor, in the corner on the other side of the room, breathing frantically. My hands are shaking and my vision is getting blurry. 

Nononono please not now! I was handling it! I got it,I got it. 

Five things... five things... chair, table... um, um, black-board... clock... come on, one more, one more... 

"You did what you had to do. It's alright. The world is better off without him. He can't harm you anymore. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. You are fine." I encourage myself with shaky breaths. 

After I calmed myself down, I slowly get up and walk to my next class. Walking in, I see Matteo staring daggers into a boy, I can't see his face though as he is busy cutting something into the desk. My desk. 

I turn my gaze away as the teacher starts to talk to me, "You're late Miss Garcia" 

"Apologies Miss... I was in the bathroom." I say looking down slightly. She gives me a sympathetic look and I go sit down. All day the teachers and students have been looking at me with pity in their eyes, thinking I am grieving my beloved  father. 

I walk to my brothers at the back and they make some space for me between them, since my seat is being used by someone else. Without saying anything they all move closer to me in comfort. With our closeness we comfort each other. We will always have each other's backs. 

I can't imagine how they are feeling right now. First they lost their mother and now their father who cared and loved them even though he could never love or care for me. 

Why? Why couldn't my dad love me the way he loved my brothers? 

It's too late now anyway, I have my brothers and they have me. All we have now is each other and I will do everything I can to protect them. They haven't seen the worst of the world, how could they... their little gang is powerful and many fear them, but they don't know the danger... of being close to me. 

Many that I cared for have died because I let myself get attached. And they paid the price of my weakness... 

Love. Love is my weakness. And it is the dumbest weakness ever to exist. But many crumble because of it.

I have learned my lesson. I can't get attached to them. Or their lives will be taken, just like- 

"Aw, what is this? A cuddle party? Was I not invited?" Oh. That. Dick.