Thursday, March 21, 2016

"Richard! Get your butt out of bed, you're going to be late!" Richard Calhoun groaned and rolled over, pushing his blanket aside, and slid slowly out of bed and to a standing position.

"Yeah, mom," he mumbled half heartedly in the direction of the stairs leading down to the kitchen. He stumbled from his room, across the hall and into the bathroom to splash some water and his face and brush his teeth. Morning ritual officially begun he started to feel a bit more alive, more human, and within minutes was back in his room, alert, and dressing for school.

"Richard! Are you up?"

"Yeah, I'm almost dressed," he called back and rolled his eyes.

"I know you rolled your eyes," his mom yelled back and he winced. He tugged his boots on and pulled his jean cuffs down over the tops of them. Simple black t shirt with an open button down shirt pulled on over it and he was ready to go.

He clattered down the stairs, boots thudding loudly on the wooden surface, and careened into the kitchen like a runaway wrecking ball. His mother shrieked as he spun quickly on his heel, narrowly avoiding crashing into her and the plate of food in her hands. "Richard!" she shrieked.

"Sorry, mom. Running late I gotta get going." He grabbed the plate from her, piled high with bacon and scrambled eggs and set it down on the kitchens center island. Eggs on top of toast, bacon on top of eggs, toast on top of bacon. Wrap it all up and he had a nice bacon and egg sandwich to go. "See you later," he said, kissed her on the cheek and was out the door before she had a chance to react.

Richard took a big bite of his sandwich and ran across the strip of grass separating his house from the neighbors. He'd known her for years, his best friend since he was 4 years old. "SOPHIA!" he bellowed and pounded on the front door with one closed fist. "Come on! We're gonna be late for school!"

Thursday, March 21, 2016

3:00 AM
Mina Cain opened her eyes. All she could see was black. She lifted up her arm to check the time on the watch, then quickly dropped it. There were only 3 hours left until school. She jumped off of the bed and pulled out her homework binder. No matter how tired I am, I have to finish my homework.

After speeding through her AP Calculus workbook, Mina stretched out her arms. She was lucky she had finished most of it the night before. She put her binder by the door so she wouldn't forget it, and walked to the closet. Mina grabbed her usual outfit, a hoodie and black leggings, and quickly pulled them on. The only time I'll dress up will be for my wedding. Which is never. She flopped back onto the bed and read the book "The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow". I wonder how it must be like to not be able to speak.

6:50 AM

As she walked out of her bedroom, she checked that her gray converse was still safely in front of the front door. Even if she wears them everyday, they were still her precious shoes.

Max, Mina's brother, handed her a piece of toast with peanut butter.

"Thanks," Mina said, and grabbed the toast, "I have to go to school early today."

"You always do," Max replied, shaking his head, "Alright. Have a good day, okay? I'll be in class all day, so just text if you need anything. Don't call, though, unless it's an emergency."

"Got it! I'll see you at dinner then."

7:15 AM

Mina walked safely on the side of the street. She did not want to meet the same fate as her mother. But she couldn't do anything about her dad's. Mina's dad had passed away because of cancer when she was just three, and her mom passed away three years after in a car accident.

She felt horrible for not feeling any emotions when she thought about her parents. The fact that she felt fine reminded her that she was a monster. Normal humans care about their parents right? What am I? All I care about is that I get into a good university. She sighed. Well, I am trying to get into a good university because I don't want Max to be the only one trying to support our family, but still.

Mina took her iPod out of her pocket to change the song she was listening to through her earbuds. Although she wasn't able to afford a phone, she was still extremely grateful that she had a iPod. Max was smart, just like her, so he was able to land in a good internship that paid lots. This "lots" weren't able to pay for the education, food, rent, AND her phone, though.

There was no one in front of the school when she arrived. Duh, there's still an hour until school starts. She took a seat beside the front doors and took out her computer. There was a chemistry test today, and she wanted to make sure she got perfect. This would be very challenging, and Mina doesn't fancy challenges, but she had to do it for her brother's sake.

The day started with the melodic tunes of a song filtering from a phone that lay on the floor. The notes steadily rose in pitch, drilling through slumber and dream. It continued on for several seconds, then, from the tangled bundle of sheets and covers that were spread across the adjacent mattress, a single arm emerged and began groping towards the source of the irritant. A loud grumbling sound, originating from the bed on the other side of the room, joined the song, and then both were brought to an end.

With the auditory state of the room returned to desirable silence, the arm retreated to its haven. For several minutes the mound remained undisturbed, then a shape began to push upwards near the upper edge, finally breaching through to the surface. Sophia blinked blearily, rubbing her eyes as she yawned, then collapsed back onto the bed. She remained there for several more minutes, grumbling internally to herself about the inconveniences of waking up.

Reason and habit eventually won out, and she roused herself again, disentangling herself from the pile of sheets and slowly making her way to the basement stairs. The sole occupant of the kitchen when she arrived was her uncle Joseph, sipping on some tea as he studied his tablet. He glanced up when she arrived, and pointed back to the stairwell. “Rules, Lady. Put a shirt on before you come up.”

Sophia paused, then blew a breath through her lips and returned to the guest room that she shared with her mother, digging a t-shirt out of a basket of dirty laundry. Now at least minimally clothed, she returned to the kitchen and gave her uncle a mock presentation, as if to say ‘there, happy now?’

Joseph gave his niece a cursory glance, then returned to the article on his tablet. “Better.” His dry tone, and the smirk on both their faces, suggested this interaction was an almost daily ritual for them, one that had been oft repeated over the years. A subtle breach and enforcement of the rules.

The rest of the morning proceeded in silence, as Sophia prepared her own breakfast of eggs, toast with cheese and jam, and a sliced up apple. Joseph remained seated for a while longer, then slipped his tablet into his backpack and made his way to the front door. “See you later, Lady.” Sophia gave him a lazy wave, then rubbed her eyes again and returned to her meal.

Cleaning up and slipping back down stairs, she changed into her running clothes and slipped outside, tying up her hair in a ponytail. The air was rather brisk, and the sun was little more than a sliver on the horizon as she stretched. Donning a pair of headphones and selecting a playlist, she shoved her phone into the back pocket of her shorts and set off at jog.

Six laps around the neighborhood later (she normally did five, but had felt like pushing herself that morning), she was walking back home, now thoroughly drenched with sweat, when she spied Richard banging on her front door. A sly smile crossed her face, and she began creeping up behind him. She paused only when the door opened, revealing her aunt Kailey. She pressed a finger to her lips, and her aunt smiled. “A little early in the morning to be making so much racket, don’t you think Richard? Sophia’ll be here in a moment.”

Before the boy could answer, Sophia pounced, leaping onto his back and nuzzling her cheek into his neck, humming contentedly.

@pockets

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---

Alden's eyes opened to birds chirping serenely, with half lidded eyes he glanced at the gold gilded ornament of a clock hanging against the wall opposite of his bed. Five AM, a few hours before his school day. He promptly got up and walked to the toiler, turning on the heater then facing the glass before seeing his half asleep face on it.

He carefully examined his own face for creases, it was fine his hair was healthy, and so was his face. He opened the cupboard lying behind the glass and took out his blue toothbrush and plastered ordinary old toothpaste on it. He meticulously brushed every nook and cranny of his teeth. His gums began to lightly bleed. Alden clicked his tongue as he gargled some tap water and spat out the water strewn with bits of his own blood. He brushed too hard, or too much this time?

"Alden. Are you up already?" a voice calmly called from downstairs, it was his mother's voice, "... Of course you're already up, would you mind waking up your sister for me?"

"Yes Mother." he replied, Alden was now slowly fixing the hem of his clothing. He was wearing well fitted clothes, almost looking as if it was made just to his liking. He wore a dark polo, a dark blue vest laying appropriately on it. He was staring at the mirror in his room this time, now slowly slicking his hair properly with his hands. Everything he's ever done was meticulous and thought out. A small spurt of perfume on him, not too much so as to smell like a wild beast, but just enough to smell when you pass by him. He glanced at the mirror at his own 'final product', and a slight, sly smirk crept on his face.

"Perfect."

He then started his slow gait towards the room of his sister, whose doors were still closed. Alden placed his knuckles against the rickety door frame and knocked thrice,"Ohhh sister dearest, it's time for school." Alden called out in between his knocks, after a while with no answer Alden leaned against the door and hear his sisters soft snores, "I'm letting myself in." he said outloud before barging in on her.

The room was dark, clothes strewn everywhere. While it wasn't untidy per se, it wasn't as tidy as it should have been and irked Alden ever so slightly. He made a mental note to fix this room later. He crept up to the windows and suddenly opened to curtains, the still darkness being devoured by the oncoming light.

"Hnng~ broooother five more minutes.." Helena, Alden's sister said groggily.

"Can't do that, mother had tasked me with waking you up, plus you only have about two hours or so to prepare." Alden replied, now walking towards her bed and slowly pulling off her covers which she had placed over her head.

"TWO HOURS? But that's so much tiiime- fine, I can't win against big bro after all." she replied whilst getting up from her bed, she then outstretched her arms towards Alden, "Carry me!"

Alden sighed and smiled softly at her, he let her sister lean on her back whilst he carried her downstairs.

"You smell really good!" she said, nuzzling into his back. He now would need to straighten his clothes later on.

After he had reached downstairs he glanced at the grandfather clock in the hallway, it was 6:15 AM. The time it takes from his home to the school was about 45 minutes at the most. Alden was running a bit late, and bit his own tongue at his tardiness. He had wanted to reach atleast by 6:30.

He decided to have a morning sandwich of eggs and bacon. His lunch was also already prepared neatly into his rucksack. He counted his stationary and he had three of each, three pens, pencils, rubbers and so on. His homework was tucked away at the side next to his books. The breakfast took about 20 minutes, mostly because of how slowly he ate.

"I'll be going now." Alden said looking back at his mother and sister, who both waved him off.

The commute was horrid, Alden was thrown around the old train, lightly bumping into random passengers. His eye twitched everytime he collided with a stranger, and made another mental note to examine his appearance. He tried to focus all his attention towards the book on his hands, "Hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy." but couldn't because of all the smells and noises polluting around him.

As soon as the announcer had mentioned his station, he closed his book with a huff and walked off. He glanced at his watch, 7:30. He bit his lips this time, he was off his mark by a whole hour. Even though school would start in about 45 minutes, he still distressed over it, another mental note to manage his time better later on.

He stood infront of the still locked gates of the school, and sighed to himself. He had a bit of time before everything started, so he got the book he was trying to read on the train out and leaned against the wall. He noticed on his peripheral vision a girl from his school arrived earlier than him. With another sigh he bit his tongue once more, how could someone have been there earlier than him. The girl was Mina Cain, infamous for being an 'ice queen' or so the rumors say. Alden didn't really heed rumors much, but still didn't interact with her, only making his presence known by a slight cough before snapping his gaze from her to his book.

Oh how Alden hated to be 'late'.

Thursday March 21, 2016

His shoes scuffed quietly along the sidewalk as he walked. He was tall and lanky, an unshaven scruff covering his chin and cheeks and a cigarette dangling from his lips, a thin strand of smoke swirling through the air around his head. He took a drag, the cherry burning brightly for a moment as he sucked the smoke deep into his lungs and blew out a thick cloud into the frigid early morning air.

Largent flicked the butt to the side and turned the corner, his high school coming into view ahead of him. There, as always, sitting next to the gate was that same frigid bitch that always refused to talk to him. She had her laptop open and was clicking at something but he couldn't be bothered. He was supposed to be meeting someone. He walked up to the gate, still locked, and ignored her as she ignored him. Reaching up he grabbed the metal bars, long thing fingers wrapping tightly around the cool material and hauled himself up. In moments he was over the gate and dropped down on the other side.

"Later," he muttered and walked deeper into the school, hands shoved into the pockets of his threadbare jacket. He shrugged, settling his backpack a little more comfortable on his shoulders and headed for the bleachers on the far side of the school that ringed one side of the football field. "Hey," he called into the shadows beneath the bleachers. "We gonna do this or what?"

A short, stocky kid wearing a letterman jacket came into view from under the bleachers, deep bags under his eyes and a nervous set to his shoulders and stance. He shifted his feet constantly from one foot to the other, eyes darting around ceaselessly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a thick wad of twenty dollar bills, all wrapped up with a rubber band. "Here," he said and tossed the wad at Largent. He caught it in one hand, eyeing it carefully for a moment before he nodded and stuffed the money in his pants pocket. He pulled his other hand from his jacket and tossed a sandwich bag filled with various brightly colored pills at the jock who caught them and scurried away before anything else could be said.

Largent dropped his back pack next to the bleachers, leaned back against them and puled a cigarette from the pack in his jackets inside pocket. A lighter came from his jeans pocket and with a quiet click he opened the zippo and flicked the wheel with his thumb. The lighter sparked to life and he touched the flame to the tip of the cigarette, drawing deeply of the poison laden smoke as he waited for the rest of the student body to arrive and for class to begin.

____________

"Oh, sorry Mrs. Callahan," Richard said, blushing slightly and shrugging his shoulders as she admonished him. "We're running a little late so I was-" he cut off as a weight suddenly landed on his back and a sweat soaked cheek was pressed against his neck. "Gah!" he cried out and stumbled slightly before he caught his feet. "Good chocolate christ on a cracker. You're a sweaty mess Sophia," he growled. He reached back with one arm and grabbed the back of her thighs, holding her in place, and started spinning as fast as he could, laughing like an idiot until they were both dizzy and Sophia slipped from his back, the both of them landing heavily on the front lawn.

When the world stopped spinning around him and he had determined that his sandwich had survived the impromptu spinning-top maneuver he nudged Sophia's shoe with his foot. "Come on, Soph," he said. "We gotta get moving or we're really gonna be late for school. I'll wait here." He lifted his sandwich and took another bite, waiting for Sophia to get her wits about her.

@Thundercrash @Ally610

Thursday March 21, 2016

7:53 AM

Mina put her computer away when she decided that she had studied enough. Too much studying's bad for the brain. She looked around. There were a few more people now. Mina shook her head. Why do these people want to risk being late for class?

She was about to get up and stretch her back when she heard a cough. She turned her head towards the sound. The only person that was there was a boy. A perfect boy, if you must. She couldn't spot a single wrinkle in his clothes, and his hair was carefully combed. Her eyes seemed to have a mind of its own, for they kept scanning his body, and the way he was holding the book. For some reason, Mina liked it. Oh, she adored it.

After standing stupidly for a minute or two, Mina shook her head quickly. What was she doing? He's ignoring me on purpose. He probably doesn't want anything to do with me. She sighed internally and picked up her bag. She walked into the school and straight towards her first class, History 11. She had skipped a grade in this subject, as she had with all of the others. Mina liked to think that people were amazed at the fact that she was taking AP Calculus in grade 9.

8:12 AM

She took a seat at the very front left-hand corner, so she wouldn't have to talk to anybody. Her mark had gone down by two percent, and she desperately wanted to get it back to a 100 again. Mina pulled out her History notebook, and her carefully arranged pencils and pens. Maybe the reason why she was so studious was because of the pretty pens she had. They aren't very expensive, but Mina still loves them.

The whole History class, all she could think about was that boy with the book. She tried digging her fingernails into her palms, slapping herself lightly, and everything that she could think of. The only thing that made her stop thinking about him, was when the teacher announced that there will be a partnership project. Oh how much she hated partners!

Giggling to herself, Sophia jumped to her feet and rushed inside, slipping into the bathroom and turning the shower on ice cold. She shivered beneath the spray, undoing her ponytail and shaking her hair free. At the kitchen table, Madeline flashed her daughter a sardonic grin as she emerged from the bathroom, her running clothes soaked through. “There’s a change of clothes and a bottle of soap in your backpack. Now hustle it.” Sophia beamed at her and planted a wet kiss on her cheek, hugging her tightly. “Alright alright, get going. Don’t do anything that your uncle wouldn’t do.”

Smirking, Sophia’s fingers turned into a blur. Shouldn’t you say, “don’t do anything I wouldn’t do”?

Madeline rolled her eyes, smirking right back. We both know that doesn’t count for much.

So my choices are either everything, or nothing. Sounds boring. I think I’ll just do what I do.

Both women giggled, and Sophia hurried out the door, pausing only to grab her backpack and give her aunt a kiss. Kailey smiled as she waved at the pair of teens. “Have fun, sweetheart.” She was answered by a short whistle, which sounded awfully close to ‘always’, and the duo set off.

“Hey!” Sophia whipped around, and Madeline smiled as she leaned through the doorway and tossed her her necklace. “Don’t wanna forget this!” Catching the sharktooth, Sophia slipped it over her head and waved.

As the pair walked towards the school, Sophia began signing rapidly, mischief in her eyes. So, did you dream about me again?

@pockets

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He didn't think the ice queen would notice him, in fact, he didn't think she would stare. Even from behind his book he could feel her gaze at him, did he do anything to warrant this? This was for about a minute, maybe two of him just standing there with his upright posture. He knows girls stared at him, maybe for his looks, but were quickly deterred when they recognized it was him. Some rumor about him being snobbish or an ass, quickly dismissed by Alden. However this girl, Mina's delayed stare, was odd, and it intrigued him.

It was time to go on, and quickly recalling his timetable, he had History right now. Specifically class 11, the subject had always fascinated him. Old memoirs of the past being written down for the future generations, and a quote from one of his favorite philosopher, George Santayana, "Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it." Alden thought about the wonder of this quote whilst walking to his assigned class. On the way a person bumped into him, this person scoffed a quick "Watch where you're going.",

"No, you had bumped into me, and you have the audacity to say it was my fault?" Alden replied, turning slightly around revealing his glare. The person lightly jumped in recoil, and quickened his pace, mouthing off something along the lines of 'It's the perfectionist weirdo.'

Alden scoffed and fixed his clothing once more, walking into class. As soon as he entered the class the odd girl was sitting on the left hand corner of the front seats, his gaze focused on her. He's very curious about this girl, so he took the table to her right, and dropped his bag on the side of the old, creaking table.

Seems like she was thinking about something, so he did not notice his presence, and with a shrug he sat down. The class was normal, it was something like an introductory class and wasn't too difficult to follow. His eyebrow raised at the 'partnership project', how Alden thoroughly disliked collaborations, partially because of how his 'partner' usually leaves all the work to him. One even tried to take all the credit for the work, but was shut down by him.

As soon as it was announced, an idea formed in his head, he had heard that this Mina girl was studious, and because of past experiences took a short walk to her table. Alden had noticed the neat and meticulously arranged pencils and pens, and was slightly impressed at it's orderly state. He leaned over her right shoulder, potentially surprising her "Such neat and deft placement of your pencils and pens." Alden said, slightly impressed, a soft smile forming on his face as he dug his teal eyes into her eyes, "Hey, on the subject about that collaboration or partnership thing, would you mind partnering with me, Ms. Longing Stare?"

Alden didn't really know proper social etiquette, so he was uncomfortably close.

Thursday March 21st, 2016

Richard coughed, almost choking on the last bite of his sandwich and sputtered for a moment, his face getting beet red in moments. Whether it was from embarrassment or the bits of food lodged in his esophagus was anyone's guess.

"Sophia!" He whined." That was one time and tou were in a giant cook pot surrounded by goblins and monsters." He coughed a few more times and glared at her when she laughed at him. He couldn't glare for long though and before they'd traveled another block he was smiling, a crooked half grin.

"Come on, chuckles," he grumbled lightly and grabbed her arm. He started jogging, pulling Sophia along with him. "We're really gonna be late at this point."

They got to school with just enough time for him to grab his backpack from hisblocker, left there the day before, and for Sophia to change her clothes. First class of the day went by quickly enough, AP English with Sophia throwing small wads of paper at him throughout the class. Thy managed to avoid getting detention but Richard had small bits of notebook paper stuck in his hair by the time they started walking to their second class, Chemistry.

"I hate tests," he muttered. I hate tests,I hate tests, I hate tests." They took their seats, roughly in the middle of the room and he looked around to see that girl Mina sitting toward the front of the class and perfect Alden in a seat near her. Just before the bell, Largent slouched his way into the room, angry scowl permanently etched on his sharp features and Richard did his best not to glare at the guy. He did NOT like Largent.

The door opened a moment later and a new guy walked in. It took Richard a moment to realize it wasn't a student but a new teacher.

"My name is Tristan Thorne," he said, writing his name on the board. "But you may call me Om. I will be substituting for your regular teacher for the next few days so let's try to get along and not burn the school down, capiche?"

He had the square jaw and rugged features of a comic book superhero and despite a fun seeming attitude toward teaching, Richard immediately disliked him as nearly every girl in the class started making moon eyes at the new teacher.

Richard slumped down in his chair and groaned quietly, head cushioned on his crossed arms on the table in front of him. "It's gonna be a long day," he muttered.

@Inertia@Thundercrash@Ally610

Hal bolted upright in his bed.

"Aww, crap! Not again!" His bedside clock glowed nearly eight. He scrambled to his dresser, yanking out clothes and throwing things on. He jammed books into his schoolbag, ran downstairs, and set the toaster, moving through his morning routine at lightning pace. The toaster popped, and Hal grabbed his breakfast and hurdled out the door, nearly forgetting to lock it. Of course no one had woken him. No one was home. His father was at a convention in Chicago, and his mother left early for the office. Forgetting to set the alarm clock was an all-too-common mistake.

Hal took off down the street, as fast as his legs could carry him. The bell rang as he arrived, much to his dismay. He slid sheepishly into class taking one of the seats closest to the door. He, hoped no one would notice.

"But they will... They always do..." Hal muttered to himself defeatedly. He let his head drop to the desk, making a muffled 'thump' as he hit.

"Stupid alarm clock..."

Thursday March 21st, 2016
8:25 AM

Mina looked up, startled, as The Boy With the Book talked to her. She never knew he was in her class, and it was already March!

"Thanks," she said, in reply to his compliment of her pens and pencils. She was surprised when he asked her if they could do the partnership project together.Ms. Longing Stare... She felt her heart starting to beat faster, but she squeezed her hands. Keep yourself together. Mina went through her head, trying to figure out if he was smart or not. She usually didn't care about other people, so she didn't even know this boy's name, let alone his intelligence. This was when she realized her face was close to the boy's face. So close. Extremely close. She quickly turned her head to face the front. She would have blushed, but it was long after she abandoned such emotions.

"Sure," Mina said, coolly.

Right then, the teacher announced that the project was going to be on the Renaissance, and that this project will end right before the year-end exams. Oh, god... Does this mean I have to spend the rest of the year with this boy? I guess it won't be that bad...

"We'll start the project now, so everyone please sit next to their partners," the teacher continued.

@Inertia

Hal perked up at the sound of a substitute. No teacher meant he was off the hook. He had never seen this sub before, but it didn't bother him. Hal was just glad not to be marked up again.

He pulled out his Chemistry books and notebook, realizing he'd left papers on his desk at home. The morning had been too rushed, and he'd forgotten them.

"Aww, crap," Hal muttered to himself. He just kept it to himself and focused on the new sub, Om.

The hallways of the high school were slowly diminishing in population as students hurried to their respected classrooms. A boy stood off to one side of the hallway starring at his books in his right hand, a History text book and a Math text book. The two textbooks he needed for his next two classes. His name was Micky Young. Micky moved through th hallway getting to his first class History. Although his locker was a fair ditance away from the classroom, he still managed to make it there a few mintues before the bell rang. This was his gifted ability to move through the hallways at break neck speeds while still being under the teachers radar.

As his classroom came in sight, he heard a teacher from a different classroom holler his name, "Micky! No running in the halls!" Micky didn't reply to the teacher, nor did he look back. Micky went from a jogging speed to walking in seconds.

He walked into the classroom with his head high, this was his confidence stance. Everytime he was feeling a bit nervous or apprehensive about something, he would assume a confident stance. It worked for Micky like an attitude adjuster. He walked into the class room and took a seat by the windows, letting the sun shine through and land on his desk. After a few minutes of organizing his station, the bell rang and the class officially began.

Micky opened up his homework binder, opening up to the page that was dated 'Wednesday, March 20 2016'. The previous night, Micky didn't have a whole bunch of time to do his homework, and unlike some other students, he didn't really feel that strongly about it. Instead, Micky spent the previous day tweaking and performing a new exercise routine. A routine that pushed his out of shape body while still being reasonably doable. Now, Micky is left with a half completed sheet of homework. He browsed through his the work he had done, noticing some of the errors and mistakes he'd made.

"Damn, should've paid more attention!" Micky whispered to himself.

Being lost in thought, Micky didn't even hear the teacher introduce the class, or the assignment. Luckily Micky did catch the ending, as he finally tuned in he heard the teacher say something about the project ending before the years final exams. The only thought that ran through his mildly empty head was, What project? How big is it? Whats it about?

It was at that moment the teacher spoke again, instructing the student to sit by there partners. Micky felt the pressure in his chest building, not only was he totally caught of guard by this project, but now he has to do it with a partner? Micky wasn't the most popular kid, so he didn't want to just walk up to someone random and have them reject his proposal. Instead he decided he'd sit in his seat and wait for someone to ask him, and if no-one asks him, then he'll just wait for the teacher to randomly select him his partner. I'll play it off all cool and stuff, act like i wasn't listening or pay attention or something...yeah, that'll work !

Sophia studied the sub through her eyelashes, feet propped up on her desk as he ran through the class attendance. Mmmh, he’s kinda cute. Funnier than Old Sterman too. Their regular teacher didn’t know a joke if it had bit him. Tossing a small ball of paper back and forth, she mulled over his proffered names. Tristan, Tristan. Nah, doesn’t suit him. Thorne…. Blegh. No. Om… Om… Ooommm… She giggled to herself. Sorry, but that name’s taken by my favourite animator. Her eyes roamed up and down his body. Hmm, Tristan Thorne. T T. Tic-Tac it is. Flicking the wad of paper at Richard, she grinned as she signed. He’s got a nice ass, but he’s a little old for my taste.

“And you’re a little young for mine. Feet down please.”

She blinked, turning to meet the amused smile of the sub. “Let me guess, you are…” he glanced at the attendance sheet on his desk, “Ms. Callahan, correct? Your reputation precedes you, and yes, I know sign language.”

A few of her classmates snickered, and Sophia herself let out a long, impressed whistle as she dropped her feet to the floor. She could have some fun with this one. Pulling her phone from her pocket, she opened up Speaker, and her thumb blurred over the touchscreen. “I’LL MAKE SURE TO KEEP MY HANDS WHERE YOU CAN SEE THEM THEN.”

Tristan smirked as he leaned against his desk. “You do that. I’m also going to have to see you after class.” Sophia rolled her eyes as the class gave a collective ‘oooh’, which allowed her to catch one or two jealous glares. “Now, with that out of the way, I understand that you guys have a test today.” He shook his head at the long groan he was given. “I know, I know, I’ve never liked them either. So, let’s just get through this, and then we can move on to something more interesting.”

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Alden stood there, waiting for a reply. While he did notice her being a bit more proactive, it seems like she tried to hold back something, he wasn't sure of what exactly but that's whats interesting. She certainly kinda reminded him of himself. Alden's observation skills are notable, for years he watched, albeit mostly himself, other people and took note of their behavior. So he did notice the hand squeeze, but rose an eyebrow because he couldn't pinpoint why exactly.

"Thanks." and "Sure." were the few words she muttered, he had heard that the ice queen spoke to no one, and a smirk etched on his face as those words were proven untrue, it somewhat highlighted that rumors weren't all true, and although Alden knew this, a confirmation made him a bit happy. Before he moved his own table and placed it next to hair, he noticed a piece of loose hair on the clothing of the girl. Glancing at it for a second, he nonchalantly touched the area near her neck and pulled it out. Alden really didn't know of social etiquette.

He now moved his table and rucksack next to her, looking at the symmetry of the table to find it almost perfect. He looked back at the girl, now facing forward. Alden had forgotten "I don't know actually know you're name, Ms. Longing Stare." he said, now holding out a hand to her with a face full of smiles, "I'm Alden Sebastian."

Alden could literally feel the stares from the room, was it because the odd duo of the 'eccentric, perfectionist weirdo' and 'ice queen'?

Hal moaned with the rest of the class. Sure, he was a great test-taker, but that didn't mean he enjoyed it.

He slid the books he'd just pulled out back under his desk, waiting for the test to come around. At least he's studied last night. It had been one of his soda-fueled reading and drawing binges, and he'd churned out product last night. Thankfully he'd thrown the Chemistry in after he was done with his YA novel and comic books. It was his primary comfort at home, considering his father was a YA novelist. At least that had worked out in his favor.

Hal scribbled chemical equations onto the lines, carefully measuring the balance mentally. He may be a bit of a rebel at home, but he recognized the importance of good grades and tried not to come off as a delinquent. The clock ticked as time went on, Hal completely oblivious to it, truly 'in the zone,' as it were.

Thursday March 21st, 2016

8:30 AM

Mina froze when The Boy With the Book reached out to touch her neck. She felt relief, but also disappointment, when he took his hand away. Is this what everyone calls flirting? No, no, that can't be. He was being nice that's all. Or maybe it was because he liked perfect things. She examined his sleeves that was in her peripheral vision. Yup, not a wrinkle to be seen.

When he asked for her name, she was quite surprised. She was sure that everyone knew her name. After all, people had been talking about her when they thought she wasn't listening. Actually, she found it pretty fascinating. The stories they came up with were very creative.

Mina glanced at the outstretched hand, then his smile, and turned back to the page she had been doodling on. That smile. That smile. She tried to keep her face calm. Alden. Alden Sebastien. Where have I heard that before? It only took a second for her to realize that it was the "perfect guy" that everyone talked about. How did I not recognize him? Eh, probably because I never pay attention to anyone.

"Mina. Mina Cain," she replied, then added a swirl to the petal she just finished doodling. She held it up, and turned it sideways. Mina sighed. This looks so bad. She ripped the page out and put it to the side.

She was pretty sure that everyone was staring, but she didn't want to look around to check. Plus, they always stare. But for some reason, this one bothered her. Is it because I'm with Alden? Alden... I feel like The Boy With the Book sounds better.

---

---

Alden just watched her draw nonchalantly, an abstract doodle of sorts. It looked fairly impressive might he say, and while Alden strived for perfection in every field, he wasn't a very good artist so he never really practiced that. She looked displeased with the drawing as a whole, ripped it and threw it aside,

"Mina. Mina Cain." she said in a monotone voice, she really was an ice queen.

"Well, it's a pleasure." Alden mouthed before turning to the front of the class once more, "I adore the symmetry of your drawing by the way, it looks almost perfect. Oh, and weren't we suppose to start the project?"

"Alden, to get you to stop talking, please give me a short description of the work of Michaelangelo." the teacher called out from the front, in a slightly agitated tone.

"Yes mam." Alden replied, getting up and fixing his clothes and posture, "Michaelangelo was born in 1475 and died in 1564, he was a renaissance sculptor, painter and architect. Michelangelo is often thought of as embodying the spirit of the renaissance. His greatest works include the statue of David and his painting of the Sistine Chapel. His creation of the sis-"

"Alright, that's enough, sit down." she said, cutting him off and waving him down to his seat.

"Before that, I'd like to tell the class a little something. May I?." he said outloud, and after the teacher nodded her approval, he turned around and slammed his hand on the table. The noise resounded throughout the room, and cut the low whispering amongst his classmates. "Quit staring. I'll be blunt, it's tiresome and quite frankly, annoying, if you've got something to say, say it to my face." Alden announced, hints of irritation present in his tone and connotation of his words, with his face contorting into a glare, his teal eyes seeming to glimmer whilst looking straight at them. He was getting a bit tired of his classmates staring for, really, no good reason. He turned back around and gave the teacher a smile before sitting back down.

"Alden, I'll talk to you after school." the teacher said, her fingers massaging her eyebrows, it seems like she had dealt with Alden's headstrong nature in the past. The class was dead silent now, a few wearing surprised or vexed expressions. Alden's smile to himself arched just a little bit higher. He also glanced at his left hand, it bled a little from hitting the cracked part of his table, and with an eye twitch he chose to ignore it since he didn't have any cloths to wipe blood, and chose to have his hand hang on his left despite being in full view of Mina's gaze.

Micky's eyes moved from the paper that laid blank of his desk, to the boy who stood up in front of the class. He didn't really pay much attention to what he was saying, all this stuff about Micheal Angelo went in one ear and out the other. Micky likes history as much as the next guy, but only certain time periods, the renaissance not being one of them. If Micky could choose a certain time period in which he'd like to learn about, it would have to be ancient civilizations.

Just when Micky was about to look back down at his blank paper, he heard the boy speak up again, this time stating his thoughts on the whispers that floated through the classroom. Micky looked around to see if he was talking to anyone in particular, but it seemed like he was talking to the class as a whole. Naturally the teacher disliked this, resulting in some extra class time for him. Micky wasn't really surprised by this, much like the teacher, Micky also had classes with this boy before. His name was Alden something... People called him the 'Mr. Perfectionist' or 'Perfect boy' or something like that. Rumors are, no doubt, a large part of the social structure of high school. Micky tried to distance himself from getting caught in the web, but he knew rumors about him would eventually surface... it was only a matter of time.

Micky didn't understand though. Sometimes when there's rumors about someone, they actually turn out to be a good thing. In this instance, being called 'Perfect' by everyone can be a rumor that has it's ups and downs. It seemed hard for Micky to empathize with Alden, Micky would love to be called 'Perfect'. Although, like most things, it's more than just a word people use to describe you, it's a label, like it or not. Micky looked at Alden and remembered a time when he complimented him of his perfectionism, it wasn't anything special, but it was was genuine.

Micky picked up his binder and books, from his desk and made his way over to the two. Alden and The ice...Mina. Micky didn't know Mina at all, but he knew that the boy, Alden, can be nice when he wants to. Maybe a time like this will change his mood, even a little. Micky stopped just short of the conjoined desks of Mina and Alden.

"Hey, uhm, I was wondering... There's only like 29 students in the class today and, uhh, everyone has a partner...for the most part. So, think I can join your group? there being odd numbers and all..."

In his head, Micky imagined his words coming out better, but at this point, what can you do right? Micky let out a sigh, hinting that he meant to be a little more 'smooth' about it. Nonetheless, the point got across. He was growing tired of waiting for the teacher to randomly assign him a partner, and if he had to choose a group to disrupt, why not make it be with two of the smarter students in class.

Thursday, March 21, 2016

As the clock turned to 6:00 in the morning, a phone charging on a desk went off and started playing an obnoxiously loud metal cover of a video game track. If it weren’t for the fact that it was an alarm, one might enjoy it. For Blake Reyes, however, it only brought dread as it forced him out from his dream and back into reality. ”Ughhhh… And it was such a good dream…” he groaned to himself as he grabbed one of his pillows and stuffed it over his face. Nope, that’s not Blake’s alarm going off at all. Blake doesn’t use an alarm because his brother Albert’s in the next room over is loud enough to work perfectly fine. The downside to using Al’s alarms, however, is that… they’re usually not effective for Al himself at all. The alarm will just keep blaring until someone comes in to personally wake him up and get him to turn it off.

With a heavy groan, Blake managed to roll out of bed and face the music. Literally as he went into Al’s room to wake him up.

Over the next hour and a half, the whole family pulled itself out of bed to get ready for the day. Being the first one up, Blake was the first one ready. Fashion choice was a no-brainer to him, he just threw on his ordinary outfit. His parents came next, but Al opted to sleep in for a while longer. By the time he finally mustered up enough energy to get out of bed as well, they had all already finished breakfast.

At around 8:00, the whole family started piling out the door to head out for the day. The boys’ parents just drove together to work while the boys themselves just biked to school. It was good exercise in Blake’s opinion! Al never really liked it. Too much effort for early in the morning. It was a twist of cruel fate that Al was the one saddled with P.E. early morning while Blake got an ordinary class period, really.

Once that passed, Blake headed off to Chemistry, a knot growing in his stomach as he recalled the test that they had today. He wasn’t good at studying… Up until this year, he had managed to get through most of his classes purely through skimming his notes the night before. It really worked in most classes! Math and chemistry… not so much. There was a faint glimmer of hope in Blake’s eyes when he saw that they had a sub today, but it all came crashing back down once Om announced they’d be going through with it anyway. He stared at the test with disdain once it was passed to him, but he did his best to get down everything he could remember. At the worst, he figured, he’d be getting a 60 on it.