Here they were, in this cancerous cesspool, and Marcos Kingsley had to make the best of this unfortunate circumstance. Make this school year his bitch as his sister put it. With dull eyes that mirrored a look his older brother, Noah, would give others countless times, the look of sheer boredom, Marcos followed behind his friend to the entrance.

So much for the group walking in together. Clearly, Aiden had other plans. Why couldn’t they, as a trio, pick up Fi together? They never started the new year separated. This was already a nuisance and now Aiden being the selfish man that Marcos knew his friend to be, was changing things up. Changing how things were since they started high school. Marcos hated change.

At first, Marcos didn’t see this as a big deal, but the closer to the door they got, the more of the idea of Aiden picking up Fi alone sank in. The more weird it seemed. Since when was his best friend ever eager to do something like that?

His annoyance was swiftly interrupted by a loud screeching. When he turned his head to see what had just happened, a random kid rushed past him causing him to only see the color of lavender at a distance, before following the shadow that rudely ran in between him and his friend to get into the door.

Taking a couple of deep breaths in, not wanting to do something uncharacteristic, he left the mysterious girl be and as if Richie knew he needed one, Marcos was patted on the back which not only comforted him but also informed him that it was time to enter the gates of hell. The first thing to hit his dark gaze was the tacky decor than shortly after, his focus set on the stench of this place. It was a lot worse than expected. As if their minds were in sync, Marcos and Richie looked at each other, in disbelief. This was actually their reality.

When a name tag was offered to him, the handsome dark-haired jock laughed, “You seriously think I’m going to wear that?”

“How else will your tour guide find you?” The older woman spoke softly, trying her best to speak with authority, but it was clear her eyes were wandering.

“They won’t.” Crumpling the name tag, Marcos tossed the garbage back on the table and just when he was leaving, heading where Richie was waiting for him, Miki, the primadonna of Liberty high, his prissy friend, slammed right into his chest. No apology or anything. “Seriously, Miki?”

Once he saw how she glared at the teacher, he knew exactly how his friend was feeling and could relate. Letting it go, knowing well enough she would give him a headache with her loud mouth, Marcos hooked his thumbs on his pants’ pockets. Sure enough, she went straight to the place he needed to go: where Richie was sitting.

Meanwhile Richie had been staring at his phone deep in conversation over texts. But when he heard the kerfuffle he flicked his eyes upward just as Miki had made her way over and Marcos had stalked off on his own. Miki knew full and well that he hated being called by his full name, but he let it go with just a grimace and a sharp intake of breath before flashing her a bright smile.

“You know Miki… I don’t really know how I ended up alone. Aiden is out in the parking lot picking up Fi, for some reason. And uh.. Prince charming found something over there that’s more interesting than me” he jerked his thumb over to where Marcos was standing talking to someone that was obscured by his tall frame. “But it seems that we are in the same tour group… lucky us!” he finished with just a hint of sarcasm.

Miki sighed. “I really hate not being told everything beforehand,” she said, pouting, “But I’m glad at least one person I know will be with me.” She patted Richard on his shoulder. “I can’t tell you how much I wasn’t looking forward to being dragged around by someone named Ellie. I’d say that was a good name, but it’s someone from Rosefell--”

She cut herself off to avoid sounding like a broken record, and glanced over at Marcos.

“Oh!” A sudden realization came to her. “So that’s who I bumped into.” She giggled, amused at how long it took her to figure it out.

Marcos had caught sight of someone he didn’t expect to see. Someone that could immediately turn his frown upside down. The cute waitress from the Yellow Rose Diner. She was holding a sketch pad and waiting in the section labeled for ‘tour guides’. With no hesitation, he strolled to the girl with the bright disposition that he found just as attractive as he found Fiamma. It was those naive, innocent eyes that got him. “Hey, Ellie! I didn’t know this was your school. It’s, um, nice. Looks like we’re in this merge together, huh? How’ve you been? It’s been too long since I’ve had a good grand slam.”

Ellie found herself standing against the wall clutching her sketchbook in a bit of a daze. She had only made her way inside a few moments prior as whilst waiting at the picnic table for Lilith, she got a front row seat to a show she didn’t ask to see. The brunette caught sight of her ex, Rico, already turning on his signature charm in front of a pink-haired Liberty girl. Granted, she did almost see him get hit by a car (which is what most bitter ex-girlfriends dreamed of), but it was watching him look at that girl the way he used to look at her that made Ellie sick to her stomach. She hightailed it out of there quickly, not needing to see what happened next.

It didn’t help that the last time she saw Rico, it was when she broke up with him, citing that his self destructing habits were tearing her apart and that they were just not on the same page anymore. She couldn’t help but wonder if she was completely over it or if she had just been telling herself that for the last three months… regardless, she wasn’t expecting to see him so soon into the first day, which is what especially threw her off guard.

A deep voice pulling her out of her fog, the last person Ellie expected to walk up to her was Marcos, a boy that she had grown to know due to his frequent visits to the diner that she worked at. Easy on the eyes, as well as surprisingly easy to talk to, Ellie had enjoyed his company for many shifts at work, but never put two and two together that he was a Liberty student until this moment. Surprised to see him, her mood shifted quickly. “Marcos, hi! I didn’t know you’d be here.” The brunette greeted, trying to shake off any indications that she was previously distracted by her thoughts. She laughed as he tried to play off his comment regarding the state of the school as genuine.

“‘Nice’ is a word you could use to describe this place, but I usually settle for something along the lines of ‘adequate’ or ‘good enough’. It gets the job done though.” It was no secret that Rosefell was well… not all roses. With barely enough money in the budget to adequately pay teachers and fund curriculum programs, appearances were not what the school board cared about. Ellie didn’t mind- all that mattered to her was getting a diploma and getting out of there. “Yeah, I haven’t seen you around. Where’ve you been these days?” The girl asked, a small smile forming on her face.

Marcos genuinely smiled as he listened to Ellie talk and defend her school (which was totally fair, and very much something she’d do). When the ball was back in his court, he admitted, “Every Labor Day weekend, my friends and I go on a trip and spend it like it’s our last days on Earth. When I came back, I had to balance my time with Serena — my doggo — and my mom, who's been a bit more… aggressive these days with getting her sons involved with her business.”

“Sounds like a fun trip, you guys must have had a great time- sorry about your mom though.” Ellie replied, having recalled Marcos mentioning his family previously at the diner.

Taking a brief pause, Marcos nodded at her response. She was honestly too sweet, but something about her voice did soothe him. When she was done, he shook his head, “No need to apologize. I love her, so I’ll go out of my way for her.” For a moment, he played with his ring on his left hand, pinky finger, subconsciously, before continuing. “That’s Richie, by the way,” he gestured behind him to where his best friend and friend were standing, “The guy I’ve talked to you about. The one that keeps me in check. I’d introduce you to Aiden, but he’s busy taking care of a Mouse.”

Out of habit, Marcos surveyed Ellie’s outfit. This would be the first time he saw her in something that wasn’t her diner uniform. He got so distracted at seeing a familiar face, that he forgot to appreciate the whole picture and how much effort she put in making a good first impression. He felt the urge to compliment her, but the last place his eyes rested on was her chest where her name tag sat. She had crossed out the word ‘Eleanor’ and wrote Ellie over it. Not letting his eyes linger too long in that area, he grinned, “Eleanor, huh? Looks like Richie will be in good hands today.”

The brunette let her eyes follow to where Marcos motioned and- oh my god. Standing there was the blonde that had smiled at her in the parking lot, the one who she still didn’t believe was real- that was his friend Richie? The one that he had talked so highly about in the diner all of those nights? Ellie began putting together the pieces in her head, nodding absentmindedly to show that she was still somewhat paying attention. If Marcos was easy on the eyes, Richie was even easier. The light seemed to hit his hair just right to give it the look of golden threads.

And then something else clicked. Those boys that Christian had mentioned before… what had he called them? The Golden Trio. Three guys with stunningly good looks and lots of money… they were them. But Marcos was nice? Chris had said they were assholes. Ellie tried to keep her facial expressions from revealing how she was feeling on the inside, attempting to comprehend all of this information. And then he threw another curveball at her- she was supposed to tour Richie around. Jesus christ.

“Mhmm,” The brunette nodded in agreement once more, a tad bit flustered at the thought of talking to such a guy and still staying focused enough to not trip over her own two feet. On top of that, she also had the other student to guide as well. “Yeah, yeah, I guess I’m showing him around today.”

Richie's eyes followed the small frame of Miki as she stood up and walked away towards Marcos without so much as a word. He rolled his eyes and sighed standing up and walking over after her. He nodded his head towards his friend as if to say Sorry, I tried to stop her. Then he looked over at the girl Marcos had been talking to, it took a little while but then he realized she had been one of the only people who had acknowledged him out in the school yard. He smiled warmly at her and was just about to introduce himself but was cut off by Miki.

”Marcos!” Miki’s squeal-like voice etched a path for her into the conversation that he and Miss Plain Jane were having, who went completely ignored by the Queen of Liberty. ”What are you doing all the way over here and subjecting yourself to the company of the--” She gave the only other girl a quick glance. “--Less fortunate? You should be with me. Or literally anyone else.” She flipped her hair once and glared at the help for a few seconds before turning her nasty expression upside down and smiling at Marcos.

“Be nice, Miki.” Marcos exasperatedly sighed. “Ellie. Miki. Richie. Richie. Miki. Ellie,” he moved his hand with the pinky ring back and forth. If there was one thing Marcos had no time for, it was getting Miki mad enough to throw a tantrum. Plus, if he tried correcting her behavior it would only end with her giving him an ear full. They had similar interests, and she was a good friend, to those that she deemed fit, but she was undoubtedly a brat and it was impossible to change. Thank her parents for that.

That being said, even brats deserved friends. “I know her from Yellow Rose.” He gave Richie a knowingly gaze, since he’s told him about the waitress on numerous occasions, and then continued onward with Miki-damage control, “Miki, you wouldn’t be caught dead there, but they have amazing food and great service.” He winked at Ellie.

She gave Marcos a death glare, and took in a breath for nobody’s benefit but her own. ”So, this is Ellie.” Watch as Miki pretends to be shocked. Also watch as she swallows the first thing that came to her, the first thing she wanted to say when she realized the most plain-sounding name belonged to the most plain-looking girl. She held out her hand, bent slightly like a princess -- nay, a queen -- and forced herself to smile for …Ellie “Miki. It’s a…” Miki was having difficulties at the moment; bear with her. “--Pleasure to meet you, Ellie.”

Richie let out a scoff as he stepped forward from behind Miki “It really is…” he gave Miki a disapproving look, way to reinforce the stereotype that was already put on them. He turned back to Ellie “Hi I’m Richie. I’m just going to go out on a limb here and guess that Ellie is short for Eleanor” His eyes shot down to her blue name tag with her full name crossed out, then they flicked to his own tag with the same thing done. “It looks like we already have things in common,” he noted with a wider smile looking Ellie right in her eyes.

Ellie was briefly taken out of her trance by Miki’s abrasive nature and harsh choice of words. Now, the brunette had certainly dealt with her fair share of difficult people in the past (you’d be surprised how some people acted sometimes when you messed up their order or neglected their table) so putting on her best customer service smile, the girl clasped Miki’s hand and shook it. “Nice to meet you too, welcome to Rosefell.” Ellie replied, putting her arm back down at her side.

The girl then turned her attention to Richie, the eye contact alone probably enough to make any girl go weak at the knees. But, she stood her ground and looked down at her name tag as he glanced at it, mentioning the similarity to his own. “You’d be right- I just go by Ellie but I guess the administration seems to have an aversion to nicknames today.” The brunette replied with a small laugh. “Marcos has told me a lot about you, it’s great to finally put a face to the name.” Ellie commented, a genuine smile returning to her lips and replacing the fake one she had put on for Miki’s sake. Yeah, an attractive face. The girl thought to herself.

After checking the time on his wrist watch, Marcos grumbled to himself, knowing he should let his friends go about their business and enjoy their tour with Ellie. Personally, the tour was a waste of time, but he knew Richie would go through with it out of politeness and Miki? She enjoyed belittling someone so yeah, she probably would go with it too until she grew bored. Patting Richie’s back, Marcos announced his departure, “Ellie, now, take good care of these two okay? I wouldn’t want to take away from this amazing tour you prepared, so I’ll leave you guys to it.”

Ellie silently wished Marcos would stay to act as a buffer, but knew he couldn’t since he had his own tour guide to find, which meant she was on her own from this moment forth. “I will, don’t worry.” She reassured him (as well as herself) before turning back to Miki and Richie. This was sure going to be some tour. “Alright, shall we?”

The time Fiamma had spent alone in the safety of her vehicle had been anything but boring. After the initial anxiety about the first day had dissipated somewhat, she’d decided to put her time to good use and to retouch her makeup. She had just finished adjusting the sun shield windshield cover when she glanced at her rearview mirror and caught sight of her very own Prince Charming sauntering confidently (then sprinting) in the direction of her Fiat.

It took every fiber in Aiden’s being to not break out into a sprint towards Fiamma’s car that sat across the parking lot. He had to remember that all eyes were on him, especially Marcos’ and Richie’s, so he had to play it cool, calm, and collected as he made his way over. Every slow step that he took pained him, but as soon as he saw his two friends disappear towards the decrepit main building of Rosefell, he booked it the rest of the way to the Fiat.

A very uncharacteristically loud, high-pitched squeal of excitement escaped from Fiamma’s throat and echoed across the small vehicle. Aiden Howard looked every bit as perfect as he always did: with his shaggy blond hair in that sweet spot between groomed and unkempt, his sun-kissed skin glowing after the trip with the boys, and his preppy casual outfit as impeccable as always. The butterflies in Fiamma’s stomach that had been dormant during his absence were now going off in a frenzy, her heart threatening to burst out of her chest. With her hands now shaking for all the right reasons, the redhead moved her belongings from the passenger seat and to the backseat to make space for the young man, while wrestling with the overwhelming urge to get out of the car and jump straight into his muscled arms.

He arrived at the passenger’s side door within seconds and scooted into the seat next to his love. Not wasting another second, Aiden’s hand instinctively found the back of Fiamma’s head and pulled her in towards him, their lips meeting passionately. He smiled into the kiss and let it linger before drawing away and gazing into her eyes. “Hey, baby.” The blonde boy smirked as the two were finally together once again after a long week apart.

It never failed to amuse Fi just how easily Aiden was able to disarm her. It only took one look from his jewel-colored eyes, one kiss from his honey-sweet lips, one phrase with his masculine voice… And she was done. Just like that. Melting into a big old puddle of warm feelings at his feet.

Today wasn’t the exception. The second Aiden’s lips were on hers, the redhead’s racing heart finally settled back to its regular pace, and her body slowly drifted into that blissful sensation of peace her prince charming always brought to her. She allowed herself to get lost in the kiss for as long as he allowed it to, and felt her heartbeat speed up again when he drew away and allowed his eyes to bore into hers. But when he greeted her, Fiamma didn’t bother with a verbal response right away. Instead, she cupped her boyfriend’s face with both of her delicate hands and pulled him back into another deep, passionate kiss.

She would’ve thought that, after five weeks apart when she’d attended that string camp, they’d learned to deal with the time zones and love at a distance. But it was just like the saying: absence makes the heart grow fonder. And the time they were separated had only served to solidify Fiamma’s love for Aiden, while fueling the craving to be between his arms once again.

It was only after the heat on her cheeks became feverish that Fiamma finally pulled away from her boyfriend’s lips. “Hi,” she said breathlessly, her flushed face breaking out into a radiant, beaming smile as she ran her fingers through his blond hair. “God, I’m so glad to see you. I’ve missed you so much.”

Aiden smirked as Fiamma went in for another kiss- hell, he would have taken her right there in the parking lot if the whole student population of both Rosefell and Liberty was not surrounding them. But, he showed an immense amount of restraint and relaxed back into the cushioned seat as he glanced at his girlfriend who was simply glowing. He loved it when she blushed and he loved it even more knowing that it was because of him that pink graced her cheeks.

“I missed you too- The Hamptons were a blast but I sat there most of the time wondering what you were up to. I wish you could’ve been there.” He replied honestly, taking her nimble hand in his and stroking the back of it with his thumb. The blonde boy let his eyes run over his beautiful girlfriend. Over the past eight months he had memorized nearly every feature of her face- every freckle and every curve- but nothing was better than seeing her in person in front of him. But today, something was new, and he tried not to break out into a laugh as he pointed it out.

“Now where’d you get this?” Aiden asked, leaning forward and grasping the diamond cross necklace between his thumb and index finger.

"Oh, that old thing? I stole it from a shady pawn shop during my Vienna trip while my parents distracted the salesman. I think your recklessness is starting to rub off on me, babe," she joked with a small laugh before shaking her head and telling the truth. "It was a gift from my parents. They gave it to me this morning as a 'beginning of senior year gift' or something like that. Said it would be a nice replacement for the lost purity ring…" she explained, smirking suggestively at her boyfriend.

Aiden couldn’t help but laugh at his girlfriend’s attempt to sound a tad bit rebellious- Fiamma didn’t have one bad bone in her body and he knew that all too well… which is what he loved so much about her. The blonde inched closer to the redhead, a devilish smirk curving into his cheek. “Right, right, you know cause you’re still...” He let his lips find their way to her right ear, whispering ever so quietly to finish his sentence “pure.” The boy moved away quickly, relaxing back into the passenger’s seat with a chuckle before she could have the chance to react in a way that was anything but.

A shiver ran down the redhead’s spine at the feeling of his warm breath tickling her ear. Aiden knew exactly how to push her buttons-- which he used to his advantage at times like these. "You are such a tease!" Fiamma whined loudly, playfully shoving her boyfriend’s shoulder. "But I'll get you back-- you just wait for it…” she warned Aiden, glaring at him for a few seconds before she giggled sweetly. “And speaking of getting stuff, would you be the sweetheart I already know you are and get me the baby wipes from the glove compartment? I think I accidentally stained my skirt at breakfast.”

Aiden threw his flustered girlfriend a flirtatious wink as he laughed at her reaction, “Oh I know, and you love it.” He stated all too knowingly, having figured out every trick in the book by now that got Fiamma going. With a sigh at the pivot in discussion, he nodded at the redhead’s request and leaned forward to grab the packet she needed. But as soon as he pulled the handle of the glove compartment, what was revealed was not the baby wipes, but instead a neatly wrapped box with a ribbon bow. Confused, he looked over at his girlfriend. “Did your parents get me a cross necklace too? Come to think of it though, it’d definitely make my blue eyes pop...”

No matter how hard she tried to keep a straight face and give Aiden a scolding look, there was no avoiding the way Fiamma burst out laughing at his comment. It took the better part of a few minutes until the girl finally regained control of herself, wiping off the tears and taking in deep breaths. “Oh God… You know what? They actually did. They also told me to let you know they expect you at church at 9 o’clock sharp this Sunday for your abstinence pledge ceremony. It’s going to be great.”

Aiden’s face paled, “I’m out.” He stated simply before turning to open the car door and make a break for it.

His panicked reaction made Fiamma snicker. “Just open the freaking box, Aiden,” she almost demanded with a smirk, jerking her head towards the box and nearly holding her breath with anticipation.

The blonde hesitated, but after a moment reached into the glove compartment and lifted out the box. He nimbly ripped off the wrapping before lifting up the lid to reveal something that was definitely not a cross. Sitting inside on a small cushion was a handsome leather watch with gold detailing. A surprised expression forming on his face, he glanced over at Fiamma. “And what would this be for?” Aiden asked, not having expected his girlfriend to get him such a nice gift.

“Well, I know how much you like the Rolex your parents got you for your birthday last April. But I also know you don’t like to wear it except on special occasions because you’re afraid of getting it damaged in some way. So when my cousin Mika and I were walking around downtown browsing through the stores and I saw this watch on the window display, I knew immediately I had to get it for you,” Fiamma explained softly while she took the watch out of its box and carefully placed it on Aiden’s wrist. “Now, you have a nice watch to wear for special occasions and a nice watch to wear every day. And since I couldn’t take you to Vienna with me, I thought this was a neat and useful way I could bring a little bit of Vienna to you.”

As he listened to his girlfriend describe the story behind the gift, Aiden couldn’t help but grin widely. It was moments like this where the blonde haired boy felt so fortunate and lucky to be dating someone (even if it was in secret) as compassionate and caring as Fiamma. She didn’t even have to think of him while she was away on vacation or go even so far as to bring him back something, which made the watch all the more special since she kept him in mind. To a boy who always felt like he was second string, that meant the world. He leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek. “Thank you my love. It’s perfect, absolutely perfect.” The boy replied, admiring the watch now sitting on his left wrist, showing it off. “How does it look?”

“It looks just… Perfectly splendid!” the beaming Fiamma declared in a fake British accent, imitating the little girl from one of the Netflix series they had binged together over the summer. Well, tried to at least. There was only so much binging you could do when your attention was constantly being called away from the TV screen by your incredibly attractive and very enthusiastic boyfriend.

Aiden laughed, as that was the only line or real thing he remembered from the show. He had been preoccupied with…. other things. In the back of his mind, he hoped that Richie and Marcos wouldn’t notice that he now was wearing a fancy watch, and prayed that they didn’t ask any questions about it either. Speaking of his two friends, he looked out the window in the direction that they had walked in. “We should probably get going, they’re gonna start wondering.” Aiden stated in a paranoid manner, back in the mindset of keeping things completely secret and hidden after a relaxing summer of just being content in his relationship.

The happiness and excitement that had been present in Fiamma’s face was washed away in an instant as a dark rain cloud settled over her. The summer spent together in complete freedom had been liberating-- a breath of fresh air for a couple so suffocated by their regular routine. But now that Fi had a taste of how things could be if she and Aiden were public, going back to hiding and sneaking around was already proving to be a challenge.

The young woman let out a long, sad sigh. “Do we have to go in?” she genuinely asked, her pink lips puckered up in a sad pout while she looked up at Aiden with the puppy dog eyes that she knew brought him to his knees. “Why can’t we just ditch this whole stupid tour thing? I’m sure we can find our own way around the school. It’s just... I haven’t seen you in a week, and my parents aren’t home, and all I really want to do is spend some time alone with you…” she trailed off, tightly hugging her boyfriend’s muscled left arm and resting her head on his shoulder.

Aiden knew exactly what Fiamma was trying to pull as she threw him the pouty face, and anticipating her doing it until he agreed to whatever her bidding was, he raised an eyebrow back at her and shut it down. “You know we can’t do that, Fi. I bet the guys are already suspicious as it is.” The boy replied, trying to be the responsible one for once. “As much as I’d love to have you all to myself, It’s the first day of school and we really need to be there. I’ve really got to kick it into high gear if I want to get offered athletic scholarships and you know that.” He pressed a light kiss to her forehead. “But both my parents are MIA so we can go to my house after school and spend the whole night together, I promise.”

As much as she hated it, Fiamma knew Aiden was right. This wasn’t the time to act rebellious. Not only was it a terrible idea to attract attention to themselves in that way (with both the faculty and their parents), but it would probably set off unnecessary alarm bells in their friends’ heads. That is, if they weren’t going off already, with the amount of time they’d been in the car… Fi pushed away the thoughts as quickly as they came.

“Ugh… Fine,” the redhead sighed in resignation, snuggling closer to her boyfriend and kissing his cheek. “Guess I’ve already got a ton of homework to do at Niki’s place overnight...” she snickered, making fun of the bogus excuse she always gave to her parents in order to be able to stay at Aiden’s place. If it had worked all throughout the summer, there was no concern that it wouldn’t work now too.

“That’s my girl.” Aiden smiled at Fi, matching her kiss on the cheek by his lips tenderly meeting her forehead. “Just means we have something to look forward to at the end of today.” He winked cheekily before getting his things together and checking his reflection in the mirror in the sun visor. It was hard to focus on going to class when he had a whole night with his girlfriend ahead of him, but he knew he needed to get down to business and fast. Taking a deep breath, he looked back over at the redhead. “You ready, love?” The blonde asked, moving to open the passenger side door.

“Wait!” Fiamma suddenly cried out, reaching out to grab the arm of Aiden’s that was seconds away from opening the vehicle’s door. As soon as his attention was back on her, Fi grabbed him by the jaw, pulled his face towards her and passionately locked her lips with his. She didn’t stop until her lips were hurting.

After she pulled away, the redhead took a second to stabilize her pulse and breathing while admiring the young man beside her. “I love you,” she told Aiden, looking up at him with the sparkling, loved-up doe eyes of a young woman who was nothing but crazy about him.

“I love you too. Now get you ass out of this car before we start fogging up the windows…”

“So that’s why I don’t recommend any of the vending machines. If you’re in dire need of a snack or drink, just check the expiration dates first.”

Ellie was trying her best to give a fully comprehensive tour of Rosefell to Richie and Miki, which not only included the official academic locations, but also referenced the unofficial good, bad, and the ugly. These were tips about what days to avoid in the cafeteria, places where each clique tended to congregate, teachers who’s good side you wanted to be on and more. Her goal was to be honest with them about what they were getting themselves into, and if she could save the two of them from a few bad experiences or situations, the brunette would consider that a job well done. At least that’s what she would have wanted if she were attending a new school.

“That’s the library,” Ellie gestured to the double wooden doors on their right as the three of them passed by, glass paned windows looking into a lackluster variety of novels and textbooks with tables and chairs in between. “Ms. Bennington the librarian tends to be a bit… harsh, so just don’t talk loudly or chew gum in there or she’ll kick you out.”

Miki felt extremely underwhelmed by the tour so far. The vending machines seemed to be as basic as one might expect from an underfunded school such as Rosefell and the Library equal to it on the disappointment scale. But she didn’t have any interest in either of those. “What does this school offer in terms of extracurriculars? Or is your school so poor, that it can’t even afford that much?” It might not seem like it, but Miki was being nice when she asked her question.

The brunette girl sighed, the topic a sore subject amongst most Rosefell students. “We do have a few extracurriculars, but the majority of the funding goes towards the sports teams we have. Football comes first and then basketball, but the rest are underfunded like soccer, track and field, and even the cheer team.” Ellie explained, waving to some of the kids she knew as they passed by them. “As for the arts- which is my wheelhouse- the school gives us the space and the classes, but we’re expected to provide our own supplies. It’s similar to when any student-run club wants to go to a competition or trip, they have to fund it themselves.”

The girl stopped in front of the Nurse’s office, motioning to it with a flair of her arm. “Great place to take a nap in the middle of the day- just say you have a headache and they’ll let you spend the rest of the period there. However, I don’t suggest going to them with any real injuries or serious medical concerns.” It was an ironic comment, as her own mother was a school nurse, but Ellie knew that they selected more qualified nurses for the younger kids as opposed to the older ones thinking that the teens could better fend for themselves. Which was false.

Miki glanced at the nurses office for a quick moment, grimacing at the state of it, then she turned away, going back to what Ellie said about the cheer team. “If I’m truly going to attend this school on a daily basis -- for a year -- there’s no way the cheer team will be underfunded. Daddy will hear about this!” She declared, smiling at her surprisingly-helpful tour guide. “I think I was wrong about you, Ellie. You might have the looks of a plain jane, uninteresting girl and you even speak like one, but you provided me with some valuable information.” Without warning, Miki pulled Ellie into a forced hug that lasted for three seconds, no more and no less. “Thank you.”

Richie who had silently following along with the tour tried to keep a happy face as he nodded along to what Ellie was showing them. Though inside he shared most of what Miki was spouting but not wanting to step on any toes, he kept his mouth shut. An opinion he definitely did not share was that Ellie was plain, from where Richie was standing she looked very interesting, from her outfit that she obviously meticulously had picked out to the way she carried herself. She for sure was interesting. “Yeah! Thanks for this really, now we don’t have to get lost in this… uh… quaint labyrinth.” He chuckled quietly more to himself than anything. “So you’re into art? My sister is at NYU and living her artist dreams, we could probably donate her extra stuff that she left behind… if you’d like.” he mused.

Ellie wasn’t sure whether to feel insulted or flattered by Miki’s words, but didn’t have the time to process as she was pulled into a tight and uncomfortable embrace. The brunette remained stiff as a board, completely taken aback by the previously harsh girl’s sudden change in demeanor, and was thankful that she was released from her clutches a few moments later. God, where was Lil when you needed her? “Uh… you’re welcome.” She managed to muster, glancing around awkwardly trying to and switch gears, but was brought back by Richie’s smooth voice.

“Yeah, I’m into art- I’m trying to go to art school after graduation. Not sure if it’ll happen though, but a girl can dream!” Ellie explained, her eyes lighting up at the mention of her future aspirations. Anyone who knew the brunette was aware that she worked her ass off at the Diner and the after school program in order to save up for tuition fees to fund her education. She had the skill to easily get into any school of her choice, but it was financial aid and scholarships that would determine her fate. At the mention of donating his sister’s spare supplies, Ellie raised her eyebrows in shock.

“Wow... that’s so generous. You totally don’t have to, but I’m sure a bunch of the art students here would really appreciate and benefit from that.”

“Honestly I don’t think that she’d even notice” Richie shrugged his shoulders. “And I think that dad would love to get it out of the house anyway.” he added with a wink and a smile. “And speaking of the cheer squad, I think I saw the captain outside commanding some poor dude. So I guess you’d have to fight for the top of the pyramid Miki…” he mused and turned to face the high strung princess.

Ellie tried her best to keep her composure and not swoon as Richie winked at her, a barely noticeable flush tingeing her cheeks. “Well then, that’d be great.” The girl replied, offering the boy a smile back before realizing who he was talking about as he flipped the subject. “That would be Melissa...” The brunette laughed before providing Miki with more context. “Melissa Elliot: captain of the cheer squad, top of the Rosefell food chain, and queen of thorns. If you want to be a cheerleader, you’d be smart to impress her and not step on her toes. She can be… finicky.”

Miki could only stare at Ellie. It was the kind of stare that verged on glaring -- the kind that shot daggers at the poor girl. Miki was short, but she had the poise and potential of someone far greater and the fact that Plain Jane Ellie implied that she would have to impress Melissa was, at best, laughable. “Honey please,” she said with a hairflip, “if there’s anyone who’ll have to impress, it’s that Poor Man’s me you Rosies call a queen.” Her words came out sharper than she intended, but she meant every word. “She thinks she’s hot shit. And maybe all these years of surrounding herself by people who affirmed that notion is why, but she hasn’t had to deal with me on a regular basis. I’ll prove the only thing hot about the Queen of Thorns is the hot air that leaves her less-than-stellar lips whenever she decides to speak.”

Although her advice was from a genuine place, and she had every good intention by trying to help the new student out, Ellie found herself dry mouthed and caught off guard as Miki tore into her and ripped Melissa to shreds. The brunette was not expecting such a visceral reaction, one that came from a place of pure elitism, so she struggled to find the proper words to respond with. “Um… I, uh…” She stammered, trying to form a coherent sentence after being on the receiving end of such fiery tenacity. The girl’s previously tinged cheeks swelled with more heat, simply embarrassed that she had suggested such a thing moments ago. After taking a small breath, her lips finally enunciated words. “Well… good luck with that. I doubt Melissa will give up her crown very easily.”

”No self-respecting queen would. But it’s okay because I enjoy a good challenge. It’ll make for a satisfying victory when I utterly crush her until all of her rose petals are burned.” Miki stood firm in her stance regarding Melissa, but even she had the self-awareness that her attitude just might be too much for the poor girl. ”I suppose that’s enough. I think I’ll take a rain check on the rest of the tour, though.” She offered Ellie the most sincerest, apologetic expression she could muster. “Thank you for showing me this much, though. Truly.” Miki brought in Ellie for another impromptu hug and took off into a strut away from the two.

The Rosefell girl was convinced that she had just witnessed the rebirth of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. How could someone be so cruel and conniving one moment and sweet as candy the next? After only spending a short time with her, the brunette determined that Miki was easily worse than Melissa, way worse. At least she was on the dark haired girl’s good side... possibly? As the future queen strode away, Ellie exhaled the breath that she didn’t realize she had been holding and turned to Richie, a confused expression gracing her delicate features.

“Is she always like that?”

Richie turned his head sideways as he watched Mike saunter away before looking down at Ellie “You mean dramatic beyond compare?” he gave her another smile “Yes.” he crossed his arms over his chest as they both stared after Miki’s shrinking figure. “Anyway, I have AP Chem this morning, you wouldn’t know where the lab is would you?” he asked with that famous Diedrikson eye-sparkle.

The brunette tried to hold back a laugh, but couldn’t help it as Richie summed Miki up in the few words that seemed to fit her to a tee. “Hopefully neither of us will be around for the blood bath that will be Melissa and Miki’s first meeting…” The girl commented before the blonde haired boy inquired about the location of his first class. “Ooh, AP Chem… someone’s a smarty pants eh?” Ellie teased with a smirk, surprising herself as her demeanor shifted to one that was a bit more playful. “]“I’m headed towards there anyway, I’ll show you.”

“Smarty… pants?” Richie whispered to himself “I don’t know about that… I just need a science class to get my dad off my back, ever since I quit lacrosse he’s been on me to focus on school. Says I have a family name to uphold” he offered an empty laugh, even though he was the one who enjoyed school the most out of the golden trio, he’d much rather take an extra shift at The Spirit to focus on his passion. “And chemistry was the one thing that seemed interesting enough!” his voice pepping up again.

The brunette motioned for the boy to follow as she pivoted and began to walk in the direction of the Lab in question. She was admittedly not going towards the science wing (her first class was English), but she didn’t mind. Besides, he was nice to look at, and if walking him to class meant that she got to spend a few extra minutes with him... it was a win in her eyes.

"Rosefell is going to eat them up like how you're going to up this bagel! Tada!"

Of course, JJ accepted Joanne's bagel with a grateful smile before quickly ripping the two halves apart and taking a large, ravenous bite, as if trying to demonstrate what she were saying. "You are literally the best," he intended to say, though it came out as slightly unintelligible due to the amount of bread that had been packed into his mouth. JayVaughn had almost completely finished one half of his bagel while passively listening to Jo talk about one of her Liberty friends when he suddenly felt pressure on his right shoulder. For someone so much smaller than he was, Jo sure did have a whole lot of strength. He and Dee were both instantly brought down to Joanne's eye level, and JJ couldn't help but pause his chewing to listen to what she had to say. And it was only after taking note of the serious glint in her eye that the boy swallowed and offered her an innocent smile in response.

"Sleep with her?!" JJ said in a hushed voice, his tone mockingly wounded and his brows furrowed. He'd even placed his unoccupied hand over his chest for the added dramatics. A quick look at what he interpreted to be a horrified expression on Dee's face almost made him break character, but he quickly covered his laugh with a cough and continued. "Well color me offended. Who do you take me for, Jo? Spike?" JJ agreed to Jo's conditions anyhow, figuring that although he was officially banned from trying to charm his way into the bed of this mystery girl (if he even wanted to), it didn't mean that he wasn't allowed to flirt with her entirely.

Therefore, JJ followed behind Joanne and Dee with a content smirk on his face. He stuffed his half of a bagel back into the bag as he watched Jo Lynn wrap her arms around who he assumed to be "the best friend." "Hi, I'm Samantha," the friend—Samantha— said once she'd turned her attention to Dee and JayVaughn. She then extended her hands towards them both. JJ, feeling Jo Lynn's eyes practically boring a hole through his forehead, made the split decision to simply shake it rather than do what he'd initially planned. "It's great to meet you guys!"

"I'm JayVaughn, but everyone usually just calls me Jay or JJ. You may call me whatever you like, beautiful," And while his cheeky grin never faltered, the boy couldn't help but take a quick glance in Jo's direction to gauge her reaction. "Any who..." he said, returning his hands to his pockets, "I'll let you two catch up... I'm gonna head inside and start playing tour guide. Have fun!"

After offering them both a nod, JJ turned and began his walk towards the entrance, dapping up any familiar figures he saw on his way there. And it wasn't until after JJ had lazily scribbled his full name on a red and white sticker and placed it on his jacket that he refocused his attention to the bagel he'd neglected to finish. It only took a second for him to pull it back out of the paper and sink his teeth into the warm bread.

"Mmm. God bless Jo Lynn."