The next morning, Westfield High buzzed with rumors. Dario kept his head down as he walked through the hallways, acutely aware of the stares and whispered conversations that followed in his wake.
"—heard he killed them with his bare hands—"
"—bullets went right through him—"
"—eyes turned completely black—"
"—my cousin's friend's sister was there, she said—"
By lunch, the stories had grown to mythical proportions. Dario found himself sitting alone in the cafeteria, his usual group of friends conspicuously absent. He picked at his sandwich, appetite gone.
"Mind if I sit?"
Dario looked up to find Jamie Chen standing beside his table, lunch tray in hand. Jamie was a senior, captain of the debate team, and generally considered one of the most popular guys in school. He was also, notably, the first person all day to voluntarily approach Dario.
"Sure," Dario said quietly.
Jamie sat down across from him, seemingly unbothered by the stares from nearby tables. "Heard you had an exciting day yesterday."
"That's one way to put it." Dario met his eyes briefly, then looked away. "I'm guessing you want to know what really happened?"
"Actually, no." Jamie took a bite of his pizza. "I figure if you wanted to talk about it, you would. I'm more interested in why you're eating alone."
Dario glanced around the cafeteria. His friends were sitting three tables away, occasionally throwing worried looks in his direction but making no move to join him.
"They're scared," he said simply.
"Of you?"
"Of what they think I am."
Jamie nodded thoughtfully. "People fear what they don't understand. And high school students aren't exactly known for their nuanced thinking."
Despite everything, Dario found himself almost smiling. "That's... actually pretty insightful."
"Don't sound so surprised. I do have a brain between my ears."
For the first time in twenty-four hours, Dario felt some of the tension leave his shoulders. Maybe this wouldn't be as bad as he'd feared. Maybe he could still have a normal senior year, make new friends, graduate without any more incidents.
He should have known better.