Malachi Topher
Malachai quickly took a shower and got dressed. He was trying to shake the memory of basically admitting a crush to his mother only moments ago out of his mind. I mean, he hadn't even had a full conversation with Saryn so who could even tell if it was an actual crush or not?
After getting dressed he moved to the mirror and finished drying his hair letting it puff up just a little to recreate his curly afro again. Turning his face he sighed at the noticeably lighter shade of green one of his eyes were. He always disliked his heterochromia. Pulling out a small case of non-prescription contacts he placed them into his eyes and smiled at the solid green that stared back at him on both sides. After he was positive that they were secure he moved on and started applying lotion and a little cologne that were pomegranate scented. He refused to have his friends make fun of him for being the ashy one of their group. He had thrown on his yellow hoodie and some black cargo pants to complete the look.
Making his way downstairs he grabbed his backpack off the handle of his door. It was a solid green color, the same backpack that he had been using since middle school. It wasn't broken so he figured there was no reason. After waving goodbye to his mom he started his walk to school. Technically speaking he was far enough away that he could use the bus but he always liked to walk to school during the spring time. The mornings of new beginnings always seemed to produce an aura that he couldn't find anywhere else. The feeling of fresh morning dew in the air, the chirping of birds as they awoke to another day of labor, the slight chill that kept him grounded as we walked around the corner. Reaching back to retrieve something from the side pocket of his backpack he produced a baggy of pre-packed dog treats. The family who lived around the corner from him often locked their dog out of the house and forgot about it so he had taken it upon himself to make sure that it didn't starve to death. As the fence came into view he could already see the cute little head of the pitbull in mention peeking over it. Malachai poured the treats into his hands and spent a couple minutes feeding and fawning over the dog. He still hadn't learned the name of the dog since it never wore a collar and he never actually bothered to talk to the owners. He often daydreamed about a perfect world where he was able to barge in and save the dog from her neglectful owners.
In a perfect world…
Continuing on her started his way up the slight hill and put his hood up as he passed by the abandoned church. It used to be bustling with people but a couple of years ago some huge scandal about it being a front for money laundry came out and slowly but surely traffic died out. He pulled his hoodie tighter around his face as he actively ignored memories that bubbled just below the surface of his consciousness. "It's over and no one found out" Malachai whispered to himself all the way down the sidewalk until he took the last turn on his journey, his school slowly coming into view. Goldstone High where he would be forced to assume his title of "School Therapist" for another day. He had been thrown into his school's Hope Squad about three years and ever since then he was always helping his classmates with their problems. In all honesty he really just wanted to keep to himself and make it through his last year of highschool like any normal teenager. It's a shame that the incident all those years ago made that virtually impossible. It felt like no matter what he tried he couldn't put it behind him.
"Good Morning!" One of the teacher's said as Malachai walked through the doors. With a simple nod he made a beeline to the office so that he could pick up his schedule for the day. As a member of the Hope Squad he took an accelerated course so that he could have more time to help the students. On slow days he had about four free periods a day but on high traffic days he was always in his room. Students would schedule a time with him and he would wait in his room for them to show up and tell him all the things that had gone wrong that day. If it wasn't for the fact that he basically knew everyone's gossip because of it he would say that it was all useless. No matter how many times he helped someone they would still come right back the next day, sometimes just to get out of class. Picking up his schedule his heart dropped as the name "Saryn" was scrawled across the top in bold letters. Hopefully, he wouldn't make a complete fool of himself. Was it too late to decline the request?