[IC] Palm Beach Royals

[AlteredTundra]

The foundations of Crown Heights might have been set in place for years, but to Kai Parata, someone who had been used to totally different customs, was a stranger in this strange, albeit elaborate, land. What he knew and what he had been used to was pulled out of his life like an infected tooth. And like cavities, this foreigner — both in figurative and literal senses — was tossed into the deep waters of Crown Heights without so much as a life jacket.

Good thing Kai knows how to swim.

The God's honest truth of Kai's three-months of living in Palm Beach, Florida was a culture shock for not only him, his neighbors also found out that the Parata Family wasn't one that knew of America's customs. Compared to their native country of Australia and home turf of Sydney, Palm Beach was nothing like it. There were a different terrain and rules of the way to socialize, the way to greet each other was different. Everything about this specific part of the United States of America was totally out of Kai's comfort zone.

The only thing that was even remotely familiar to Kai was the beach. The upside of living in a town with the word 'beach' in its name was, in fact, the beach itself. That was the one place that Kai had felt at home and, much like his native Australia, he had frequented the closest beach to Crown Heights.

From the moment his parents had moved the family into the neighborhood until the last week of 'Summer', which to Kai was the time for winter, was spent at the beach. He did everything from catching the waves and being one with the water to chilling on the shore. Since his parents weren't consistent on when exactly they'd be home, Kai wasn’t about to waste the precious daylight inside an empty house. His older sister Kiki lived in Miami. She often visited, but given she had a rather active social life, Kai seldom saw her. It sucked, but that was the reality of the situation. This was why he tried to go out as much as he could.

And, as the day came for him to start his new school year at a new school, all of his friends were long ways away in Sydney, Kai had been fortunate to befriend some of the posh kids in his neighborhood. It had been arranged by him, his parents, and the person themselves, to be his guide to the arrogantly-named, King’s Academy. Seriously, what sort arrogant cunt thought it was a good idea to encourage such delusions of grandeur like naming their school after a king? When Kai first heard about that, his first thought was to be homeschooled, but that wouldn’t work because he hated being at home when he wasn’t set to learn some useless information. Just imagine how high the boredom would be if he had to learn while at home.

When Kai had arrived at King’s Academy via the transportation of the blue jeep his parents graciously bought him, he parked in student parking. He was told to go to the office to wait for - and the direct quote was - “a very polite and well-mannered student who offered to give you a tour of the school and its facilities”. Kai had zero ideas what that actually meant, but it sure beat trying to navigate this castle of a campus. “Good to know duxes exist here as well,” Kai noted to the office lady. He didn’t know what they were called here, so he refrained from venturing a guess.

So he simply waited for his guide. Nothing was really given other than that brief description of them.

“Guess it’s waiting until the tide arrives. Fucking great…”

Feel it comin' in the air, hear the screams from everywhere.
I’m addicted to the thrill, it's a dangerous love affair.
Can’t be scared when it goes down. Got a problem, tell me now.
Only thing that's on my mind Is who's gon' run this town tonight
Is who's gon' run this town tonight
We gon' run this town!
_{Interacting With: Adielle (mom #1), Jade(mom #2), Niles, Stella, and Sonia}

Today, much like all days, must be approached with the utmost care. As someone who, in her own mind, but as well in the high opinion of a lot of people who were currently starting to get ready for their senior year, a queen must take great pride in the way she presents herself. People judge with their eyes before they even open up their mouths. So one must look flawless like a diamond in the sky. If you aren’t absolutely perfect from every hair strand being perfectly brushed so none is left out when you pull it back to a single ponytail to picking the best outfit you have in your closet, you might as well stay in bed and sulk about how your reputation sank to the bottom of the ocean before it even had a chance to plant its roots.

Thankfully for Savanna Hart, she always knew what to do in case of an emergency. Today, however, was not one of those days. Savanna had her outfit picked out a week ago and knew exactly what time she had to get up and just how many minutes she had to get ready, eat enough food to satisfy her unique tastes, and have enough time to carpool with Stella and Sonia. She knew everything and wouldn’t dare ruin her schedule because she didn’t plan for everything.

When she pulled her hair back into a single ponytail, as to emulate Sonia and Stella, she had her school uniform out dry cleaned, ironed, and hung up ready for her to put on. And, as always, she wore it to the level of perfection she not only held herself to but also those who were within her ‘clique’.

Before her fellow Tri-Harts would meet her at her house, Sav enjoyed a small, yet reasonably loaded, breakfast with her moms. “Today is the first day of your final year, isn’t it?” Jade asked her daughter.

“It is, yes,” Sav answered regally, keeping her answers short as she ate.

“It’s a big year. All of the scouts from Hollywood will be focusing on King’s Academy for their program to choose one upcoming pop group to feature in X-Factor, won’t they?” Adielle asked, obviously knowing her facts of life.

“And we will get that slot.”

“I’m sure you will, sweetie, but remember to not go overboard.”

“At all costs, we will win.”

Sometimes even her own parents needed a reminder that her ambitions far-exceeded the limited scopes those in Crown Heights and Palm Beach had. It didn’t matter what it took, Tri-Hart will become the next Fifth Harmony.

After ten or so minutes had passed, the Head of Staff, Niles Huntingsworth, approached the dining table. “My apologies for interrupting your breakfast, Miss Savanna, but Miss Sabrina and Miss Stella are waiting in the foyer for you.”

“Thank you, Niles.” She greeted him with a smile. Wiping her mouth gently with her elegant cloth, she would soon get up and give both of her moms’ a hug and kiss.

“Have a good day, sweetie!” Jade yelled out.

When Sav had shown her face in the foyer, Stella was the first one to speak. “Sav!!! Gurl, you look fab-u-lous!”

“I know,” she not-so-modestly said, somewhat posing for Stella, the ‘wild one’ of the group.

“Rae-Rae, let’s show who really runs this school,” Sabrina stated, flipping her hair as the three ladies had walked side by side out of Sav’s house.

Before long, Sav had joined her two best friends had gotten into Sav’s Mercedes Benz Convertible. The engine purred throughout the gated community of Crown Heights, speeding out at full blast with the song “Run This Town” by Jay-Z playing at full volume. In minutes, they reached the highway and with Savanna behind the wheel, it was almost as if Vin Diesel himself was driving. It was obvious she knew her way behind the wheel of a car.

Once she was done being a bit of a daredevil on the road, the trio of hot girls managed to get to King’s Academy all in one piece. When they parked, Sav noticed a blue jeep about a few slots away. It wasn’t a vehicle that she recognized. She planned on making sure she found out who that jeep belonged to. But she would move her focus to more important things.

“This is the year, girls. This is when we remind everyone who we are.”

“Yass queen! Slayyy!” Stella, as per-usual her stereotype, hyped up only to Sav.

“And if they don’t, we’ll crush them in the only way we know how.”

“By reducing them to nobodies,” Sabrina stated rather bluntly.

Smirking, Savanna signaled her two besties. With Sav in the middle, Sonia to her left, and Stella on her right, they entered the halls of King’s Academy. It was, as they say, a dynamic entrance. And it would be the first of many.

Get ready, King’s Academy. The Queen has arrived.

[Hero]

_{Interacting With Her Council : Reia, Grant, Yuna, Nate, and Vivi}
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The halls were starting to get a low buzz, signaling the arrival of the various students of the Academy. Unfortunately for five of them, six had already been gathered in the Presentation Room. The white board was filled with various notes, at the right side completing the sentences was a tall, lanky brown haired kid named Nate with marker in hand. His writing was neat and articulate, his ability to keep up with the conversation quite impressive, even if the current conversation was little more than whining. Across from him sat the other student council members, with the exception of the tall redhead pacing in front of the classroom.

President Aurora Quill was deep in her ramble, going on and on about several topics surrounding Homecoming. As President she took it upon her hands to make sure all school events would run without a hitch. She took her responsibilities seriously, even if she felt like she was the only one in her council that cared. This would be her first year as president, but not her first year running things. Helena Alvarez was in the position more for the perks than actually running the council, so everything fell onto Aurora. Now that the reigns were in her hands, things were slightly easier. She no longer needed Helena's permissions, and was able to do everything as she pleased.

Once Aurora came to a halt, she was surprised with a round of applause. Blinking a few times, she waited for the clapping to stop before realizing it had been a joke. Pouting, she crossed her arms as they roared with laughter, though she definitely took notice of the stopwatch in Vivi's hand. Had she been timing her? Once the laughter died down, Aurora raised her eyebrows at Vivi.

Vivi Salvador, the Sergeant of Arms, is part of a program the school instituted for the more 'troubled' students. The idea is to reform the students through community projects, though normally they are just assigned to clubs. Vivi's tendencies to easily worm her way out of situations caught Aurora's attention, and she persuaded the dean to entrust her to the council. Aloof and generally uncaring of anything, Vivi prefers to solve issues by throwing a punch first and asking questions later. She tolerates the council--a feat in itself--and does the work asked of her without too much of a fuss. Considering she is little more than a glorified bodyguard, she won't say no so long as she doesn't have to go to any other stupid club. Still, she was open about her boredom, such as now, so she was a bit of a wild card.

"You said you'd keep this 'pre-meeting' short," She said, waving the stopwatch around. "It's been a little over an hour. Fifteen more minutes and this would've qualified as an actual meeting."

"Does that mean that we don't have to have our meeting after school?" Yuna perked up at Vivi's words.

Yuna Mikurio, Public Relations Director, is an adorable freshman who has taken the school by storm. Fearless and friendly, her popularity has skyrocketed due to appearing in a local advertisement for a soft drink. Always cheerful and essentially a walking ball of sunshine, Yuna is always mindful of everyone and knows how to talk to anyone--jocks, outcasts, band members, you name it. While her optimistic views may rub people the wrong way, her spirit is unbreakable, her smile never faltering.

Grant scoffed. "You're forgetting the lunch meeting," He reminded them.

Grant Roselia, Treasurer, has held his position for years. No one's really sure why, considering he shows as much care for the position as Vivi, but he's been uncontested for a reason. Whatever magic he did to give him a gift with numbers is unknown, having been taking math classes way beyond his level since the age of ten. He was more interested in the perks of having the ability to be late to class and never having to explain himself.

Nate shrugged, capping the marker. Reia slowly nodded, looking at Aurora. "I don't think I would have made it anyway, I'm sure Ella wants the cheerleaders to get together," Reia stated.

Nate Spruce is a very shy, unassuming young man. His gaze is always in another direction, hardly wanting to converse with anyone he doesn't know. His withdrawn nature leaves much to be desired, but he single handedly keeps all activities and logs organized. While he is mute, he communicates with a notebook to his council, although they know him well enough that he doesn't have to write out every word, often a phrase or two sums it up well for him. If an explanation is due, he will often sign to Vivi or Yuna who will translate for him. Smiley and frown faces usually do the trick, though.

Reia, Vice President and Aurora's number two, on the other hand, is a vivacious, charming girl who usually has some poor schmuck wrapped around her finger. She acts more like Aurora's assistant since Aurora herself took charge of everything. A great number two, even if her mind was always on getting her next catch. She's pretty connected to a majority of people, always knowing who is who, though of course it means that she has also clashed with the louder voices. Her modeling contract would sometimes whisk her away from the school, but she would make up for time lost.

Aurora was stunned by their words. "Wh-what--you guys!" She whined, stomping her foot and losing all sense of her previous composure. "You promised you'd take this seriously!"

"We follow our promises the same way you promise to 'keep it short'," Grant replied with a rather cheeky grin.

Her cheeks flared red in embarrassment, but the message had come across crystal clear. Letting out a huff, she grabbed her bag from her desk. "You're all dismissed." She grumbled, clearly annoyed.

"Aw, don't get mad! It's not fun when you get mad!" Vivi called out as Aurora stomped out of the classroom.

________________________________________________ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ________________________________________________

Reia watched Aurora leave, though she threw a look at Vivi. "Keep it classy, Salvador," She said, shaking her head as she took her own bag and slung it around her arm.

"You laughed, too," Vivi reminded her.

True. Still, it wouldn't do to have Aurora in a sour mood on the first day, so Reia took it upon herself to mediate things. Running out of the room, she saw that Aurora wasn't too far ahead, and quickly caught up. Nudging the redhead, Reia gave her an innocent look as Aurora would glare at her. Aurora may have been a little too straight-arrowed, but she was a good girl.

"They're just messing with you," Reia reminded her. "You're just too rigid, too easy to poke fun at."

Aurora rolled her eyes. "I can't help it, I take this seriously," She mumbled, stopping by her locker. As she spun her combo and opened it, she threw her bag inside and slammed the door shut. Reia watched her take a breath, waiting for her to vent. "You know how important this is to me."

"Which is why, as your number two, I promise to back you up more," Reia promised, holding her hand in front of her heart. "Less jokes, more work."

"How about 'no jokes'?"

Linking her arm with Aurora's, she let out a light giggle, patting her elbow comfortingly. "As long as Vivi is around, that is never going to happen," Reia informed her.

Walking through the halls together, the students began pouring in. The pair greeted whoever gave them the greeting first, though seeing how popular Aurora was, it was a lot. Truthfully, despite her rigidness, Aurora's reign as President brought good things to the school. having been Vice President for about three years, she showed that she took the job seriously, making sure the dances were extravagant, listening to the students' needs. It was hard believe the two had been running for the same position, less so when Aurora asked her to be her Vice President, but hey, weird shit happens all the time, right?

As the girls walked towards the entrance, the ever-sparkling Tri-Hart graced the school with their posh entrance, determined to show what they had and others didn't. Reia watched them with curiosity and mild amusement, looking back at Aurora. "Aren't they adorable?" She asked her.

Aurora had also taken notice, but she didn't seem as enthusiastic. Her eyes were wary, watching with some concern. "As long as they don't cause any trouble..." She muttered. "I've never understood why they feel the need for so much...showmanship."

There was no hiding the glee on Reia's face when Aurora spoke. The redhead was not usually one to indulge in popularity contests, but it absolutely tickled her pink to know Aurora shared her view on Savanna the Witch and her minions. "To make up for a lack of confidence, why else?" Reia educated Aurora. "Poor girls need it. Why else would they scream from the rooftop how much they matter? Everyone knows if you have to say you matter, you don't matter."

Aurora looked at Reia, though she made no further comment. Whether she agreed or not was in the air, but Reia was content either way.

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The sun in the sky, the wind in his hair, his uniform probably not in the best shape. Not that he cared, especially as his hair whipped around him freely. Pulling up to the school in his motorcycle, he cruised around the many cars trying to park, looking for his own space. Blue eyes focused, they widened as he saw a space, immediately gunning for it. He probably went over the speed limit, narrowly avoiding hitting other cars and people. He came to a halt, nearly slipping off his seat.

Ignoring the many honks and shouts surely aimed at him, Wade made sure his kickstand was up before leaning his bike against it. Once he was sure that it wouldn't tumble, he turned towards the school. Another day, another year here, huh? As he ran his hands through his hair, he heard a pair of giggles. Watching as a trio of girls stared at him as they walked by, he dropped his hand immediately. Shoot, did he look that bad?

________________________________________________ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♫ ________________________________________________

Meanwhile, Grant and Vivi had gone their own way, the two sauntering to their usual hangout with their fellow students. In an isolated cube, away from prying eyes and making sure their dirty little secret was safe, Grant was all too glad at hearing Vivi's lighter make its attempts to light up the little white thing between her fingers.

At her offer, Grant shook his head, reaching into his own inner pocket and pulling out a cigarette. Borrowing her lighter, he watched the little flame make an attempt to burn his cigarette. Taking a drag, he let the smoke escape on its own, though he paid no mind to it. Instead he turned his attention to the girl next to him, who was more interested in trying to get as high as possible before classes started.

Catching his gaze, she exhaled her smoke in his direction. "What?" She asked him.

"Your hair looks dumb," He commented, motioning towards her bleached hair. "Why only do part of it and not all of it?"

"Fuck you, it's a process," She told him, flipping her hair over her shoulders. "It's going to be blue."

"So why not go straight to blue?"

"That's not how it works."

"That's dumb."

"It is."

[Venus]

'Cause I can't help it if you look like an angel
Can't help it if I wanna kiss you in the rain, so
Come feel this magic I've been feeling since I met you
Can't help it if there's no one else
Mmm, I can't help myself

---

Antonella Mossos and Courtney Prescott had developed a tradition that went back to when they’d first met on their freshman year of high school. No matter who was in charge of driving them to school, the girls would make a mandatory visit to the Starbucks conveniently located in Crown Heights Plaza before heading down to King’s Academy, having loud as hell car karaoke sessions along the way. Now that they were both legal drivers without an adult telling them to lower their screeching voices, the tradition was still on and going stronger than ever. This is why, on their first day of senior year, Ella and Courtney found themselves right in the middle of one of their famous carpool karaoke sessions. Iced coffee cups in hand, The Bumblebees were singing their hearts out to the peppy pop songs blaring from the speakers of Ella’s hot pink convertible beetle as they drove down the streets of their exclusive gated community on their way to school.

With Britney Spears’ “(Drop Dead) Beautiful” loudly playing in the background, Ella and Courtney made it past the gates and into the academy’s parking lot. Behind the wheel, the brunette’s eyes were searching for an available spot to park her baby, but as fate may have it the ones nearest to the senior buildings were already taken. Unfazed by it and still with her usual cheerful demeanor, Ella made a left turn to continued on her quest for the prime parking spot. It was in this very moment when not only did she find an open spot straight ahead, but her brown eyes also found themselves looking at the figure that was Wade Ashford walking away from his parked bike and making his way to the school building… And looking like he’d just stepped out of an Abercrombie and Fitch poster.

If life was a cartoon, this would be the moment in which big, beating hearts would be seen coming out of Ella’s eye sockets. It was no secret that the oldest Mossos daughter harbored the absolute biggest crush on her cousin Dante’s best friend: a crush that dated back to at least a year and a half. Back when they'd first met, Wade had been this shy wallflower of a boy, with glasses covering a pair of stunning green eyes, braces and a face full of pimples. He seemed sad and lonely, which prompted Ella to be extra sweet and nice to him. Over the course of time, the girl saw a side of him that not many had before: Wade wasn’t just a complete sweetheart, but a silly guy that made Ella’s stomach hurt with laughter, who kept her entertained and on her toes with his daredevil antiques. Slowly but surely, her feelings for him developed into a crush that only grew with time, which in turn caused her to become shy and a little distant with the fear of rejection and ruining things. Even during this ‘separation’, she’d noticed the positive changes in not only his personality, but his overall appearance as well. Dante had shown him the ropes in the self-care department, which helped Wade look more polished and groomed. Not only that, but with Dante at his side, she saw his confidence slowly build up along with the comfort of being around others. Because of this, Ella had been happy to know in her heart that, one day, Wade would morph into a beautiful swan ready to take the world by storm.

But that this evolution had happened so soon? That was something that took her world by storm.

“Ella, watch out!”

With a loud “eek!”, Antonella abruptly slammed on the brakes of her car, violently jerking both girls forward but just in time to avoid a collision with the tree planted right in front of the parking spot she’d just occupied.

“Shoot!” Ella cried out, panting with surprise. Her big brown eyes were wide with shock at both her near-fatal collision and the massive glow-up Wade had done in the month she’d been away on vacation (and more so the latter than the former, if she was honest with herself). His signature rimmed glasses were gone, along with the few remaining pimples that had previously covered his strong-jawed, handsome face. As if that wasn’t enough, his previously too-big uniform was now tailored to perfection, giving him the polished look of a catalogue model. And with the tousled hair from taking off his riding helmet? He was nothing short of pure perfection.

If Ella had liked him before, it was nothing compared to now, judging by the way her hummingbird heart was beating wildly in her chest.

“What the hell was that?!” Courtney cried out to her best friend, looking at Ella as if she'd just lost her damn mind. The blonde immediately looked around their surroundings, making sure that no damage was done to the vehicle, their clothes or their belongings, all the while shaking her head disapprovingly. “Oh my God, Ella. At least our Starbucks survived your murder attempt! What the hell were you loo- Oh,” she trailed off, having found the object of Antonella’s distraction. Her own eyes widened in shock when she realized who exactly the brunette had been staring at. “Holy shit, is that Wade?!” she cried out, jaw dropping to the floor in disbelief.

“It is.” Ella breathed out, letting out a deep sigh of admiration as she continued to watch the back of Wade’s figure walking to the academy buildings. “The love of my life, looking like an absolute angel blessing this Earth with his divine presence.”

“I’ll say!” Courtney agreed, giving Wade an appreciative once-over before turning back to her best friend with a smirk. “So does this mean you’ll finally make a move on him this year?”

The brunette let out a laugh and shook her head. “Noooooooooo, sir,” Ella retorted, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and looking away in the opposite direction from Courtney. As sad and pathetic as it made her feel, there was no way in hell she would be confessing her feelings to Wade anytime soon.

The blonde groaned, taking a sip of her iced coffee. “But why not, Ells? This is our last year here. Why don’t you just take a leap of faith? You never know if he might be feeling the same way unless you give it a chaaaaaanceeeee! she said in a sing-song voice, poking the brunette’s side in an attempt to make her laugh. The corners of Ella’s mouth turned upward, which meant that she was succeeding in lifting her friend’s spirits. “Seriously, babe. What’s stopping you?”

Ella sighed, turning to Courtney with a defeated expression. “It’s just..” she began, letting off another sigh before continuing. “I’ve known Wade for three years now. And not just that, but he’s D’s best friend. And I don’t want to make an absolute fool of myself or make things awkward between any of us if I confess and it turns out he doesn’t feel the same way I do.”

Courtney nodded understandingly, taking another sip of her coffee while she mulled over the things Ella had said. Finally, she put a comforting hand on her friend’s shoulder, looking at her with a fiercely determined expression on her face. “Bumblebee: you’re cute, and beautiful, and smart. Any guy in this school- no, in this planet- would be lucky to have you. So if you do ever tell Wade how you feel and he doesn’t realize how lucky he is, then it’s his loss and he didn’t deserve you. So stop feeling sorry for yourself, okay? You are a bright ray of sunshine in this sky, not a mopey, pity-party raincloud, so cheer up!”

There was a long moment of silence in the car as Courtney’s words hung in the air. Suddenly, a grateful, tearful Antonella had nearly jumped out of her seat and wrapped her best friend in a tight hug.

“This is why you’re my best friend in the whole wide world, Bumblebee!” the brunette cried out happily, planting a big kiss on the blonde’s cheek, leaving behind a glossy pink stain.

Courtney grinned, waiting until Ella broke off the hug before taking her tan-skinned hands in her fair ones. “What do you say we get out of here and go inside now? I’m sure the rest of the squad is waiting for us inside.”

Ella, who was now back to her normal bubbly self, nodded eagerly. “Heck yes!” she said cheerfully, grabbing her Chanel handbag from the backseat and swinging it over her shoulder before taking her half-full Starbucks cup from the holder and exiting the car. After Courtney followed suit, the two best friends linked their arms together and happily skipped their way into the King’s Academy senior building.

[AlteredTundra]

A gaggle of excited, screeching girls greeted Ella and Courtney in the main hallway as soon as the two best friends set foot on the building. With their matching cheerful demeanors, it was obvious that these were none other than the members of the King’s Academy cheerleading squad led by Antonella. After a round of exchanging hugs, brief summaries of their summer vacations and making plans to catch up properly over lunch, the brunette excused herself. She’d been notified the day before that the new student she’d volunteered to guide around the school would be waiting for her at the office, which was where she was headed.

Upon opening the office door, her brown eyes fell on a tall, broad-shouldered young man with exotic Polynesian features, long locks of black hair cascading down past his shoulders. With how lost he was looking in this environment, it was safe to assume that this was the guy who would be under Ella’s wing for the day.

“Hi there!” Antonella said cheerfully, extending a dainty hand to the male while shooting him her award-winning smile. “My name is Ella, and I’ll be in charge of showing around our campus today!”

“Aces!” Kai jumped to his feet almost as soon as he saw Ella announce who she was.

His bag was hoisted over his shoulder and he shot the brown girl an eager smile. He had been kept waiting for at least twenty minutes. And in that time, a lot of things came to his mind, though none of them seem to stick. He had tried to pass the time and it obviously worked because he was now in the presence of someone who, by the looks of it, had more than enough energy for the both of them.

“Why is this place so large, Shirley? It’s like canvasing a field of a dozen arses of roos.”

Completely taken aback by being called the wrong name, his slang and overall strange choice of words, Ella stared at him for a few long seconds before disregarding what she didn't understand and answering what she did. “Our campus is indeed quite large, yes. But you’ll best used to it pretty quickly, since for us seniors only a handful of them are of importance. Now, if you would please follow me…” she instructed softly, motioning for the new student to follow her out of the office to start the tour.

As if on cue, Kai followed her out of the office and into the ever-expansive halls that were full of male and female blokes that Kai wasn’t sure who they were or how they could dress so strangely. The way they talked was completely foreign to him. The way that they laughed. How was it that people on the same planet that Kai lived could be so alien to him? Kai was starting to think this was going to be tough to get used to.

_{“She’ll be apples. She’ll be apples.”} Kai chanted to himself quietly, looking up to the cheery Shirley as she pointed at the different doors they passed while listing the subject taught and by which professor on each one. “How far does this hallway go anyway?”

“A long way down, actually! If you follow it through those doors, you reach the junior high building, and then the elementary school building.” Ella told him, pointing at a set of closed blue doors where, from the glass panels, younger-looking students could be seen mingling or going about their daily lives. “For security issues, high school students are never to cross those doors unless they have a note of authorization from a faculty member. And since us high school students truly have no business to do over there, we won’t be touring that particular area. So we’ll be making a right here so I can show you the sports areas.”

“I hear ya, Shirley. Ya don’t want to cross a flank and get ya arse kicked by an angry roo, ya get me?” Kai, though he probably sounded completely crazy, completely understood what his guide, if not somewhat pleasing to the eyes, was saying. To further emphasize this, he nodded a few times, humming his understanding.

“Uh- yeah, totes!” Ella replied, nodding as if she’d completely understood what he’d said and deciding to not correct him on calling her by the wrong name. It wasn't an ugly one in her opinion, so it didn't cause her any sort of annoyance. Who knows? Maybe she did look like a Shirley, and he was the only one to see her for who she really was.

After showing him the indoor volleyball and basketball courts, wrestling and cheerleading rooms, their tour took them to the outer campus. Under the warm sun, Ella and Kai walked past the the tennis courts, followed by quick visits to the football, soccer, rugby baseball and softball fields. They were soon indoors again, where she showed him by the art wing, the library and auditorium before, finally, there was only one place left to visit.

“Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I took you for a swimmer since the moment I saw you. So I thought I’d leave the best for last...” she told him sweetly, giving him a smile as they crossed the doors that led to the top-notch, pristine indoor swimming pool.

There were no words to describe what Kai was feeling in that very moment they reached the gymnasium and he saw the indoor pool. Everything about it was perfect: from the way it was made, to how deep it was and just how crystal clear the water was. Kai was so immersed into this moment, he was walking around the pool, leaving Ella on the other side of the room before she would even realize it. Though he was quite far away from her, Kai’s sudden shriek of excitement was loud enough for the very delighted Ella to hear and, when he looked over towards where she was, Kai gave her a big thumbs up. Grinning, she gave him a double thumbs up back.

And then his next action proved to be a surprising one. He put his bag down to the side and took off his shirt and shoes and pants, leaving a pair of green swimming trunks where one would think boxer shorts would be. In the next moment, he took a step back, and right before he jumped, he shouted “Cowabunga!” before he had done a cannonball into the pool, splashing the area he was just standing.

When Kai pulled his pants down, Antonella had quickly shut her eyes and pointedly looked away in the opposite direction as to protect her virgin eyes from any unwanted perverse sights. Even with his shouting of that word cliché movie surfers would say, it wasn’t until she heard the loud splash that she finally opened her eyes and found herself staring at her new classmate smack-dab in the middle of the pool.

“Oh. My. God.” was all Ella could mutter, brown eyes wide with shock as she watched Kai swim a few laps. “Um, you’re really not supposed to do that!” she called out to him, walking in the direction he’d been earlier. “The only times you can use the pool is if you’re- eek!”

Once again, Ella’s signature shriek of panic could be heard resonating across the deserted room as she slipped on the puddle of water that Kai had splashed with his dive and fell headfirst into the pool. As she scrambled to swim back to the surface, she quickly tried to make sense of what exactly had gotten into her that she was so clumsy lately, and raised a silent prayer that the streak wouldn’t follow her to cheer practice that afternoon. When she finally reached the surface, Ella took in long, gasping breaths of air before turning to face Kai. She stared at him, truly dumbfounded by this chain of events. And suddenly burst out laughing.

”That’s the spirit, Shirley!”

Kai’s voice rang high as he swam closer to Ella by going under the water, coming up and to a full stop a few feet away from her, floating. His mouth was wide with an ear-to-ear grin. When he came up, his hair had whipped all the way back, revealing the entirety of his rectangular forehead and, what was even more obvious, was his brown eyes and Polynesian features. It was obvious that his Maori features were dominant over the Chinese blood that ran through his lean body.

“This water feels great, donnit? So warm yet completely cool,” Kai said to a smiling Ella, getting lost in his own head, though it was only a moment later that his eyes fell back on her. It was then when he noticed something that caught his attention. “Your OctaGoo is running down your face, Shirley.” Kai informed her, laughing.

‘OctaGoo’? the young woman repeated, frowning in confusion for a moment. She wiped her under the eye to see what in the world Kai was talking about now, and her frown turned into giggles when she realized what he meant. “That’s just my mascara, silly!” she informed him, that bright smile of hers never once leaving her face.

“What a weird thing to call OctaGoo,” Kai scratched his head, trying to decipher why these western mates referred to OctaGoo as mascara.

As he and Ella were floating in the water, laughing without a care in the world, they would soon be caught red-handed. Amid his and her laughing, they both were handed a reality check as someone would interrupt their good times. “And just what is going on here?” A male voice said causing Ella to freeze and quickly turn in the direction of the voice. Meanwhile, it was only when Kai heard and looked up that he saw who it was. Well, he didn’t know who this person really was, but it was safe to assume he was a Caucasian man. Kai knew his genetics, and the guy looked to be of Irish ethnicity. At least, that would be the young man’s educational guess.

“Just enjoying the water, mate,” Kai responded cheerfully to the man. He didn’t seem very receptive to Kai’s lax attitude.

On the other hand, Ella was scrambling to get out of the water; a task that was being unnecessarily difficult because of the extra weight her soaked uniform was putting on her figure.

“Oh my God, Coach Sutherland, I am so, so sorry!” she stammered, a nervous edge to her voice. The young woman knew how badly hers and Kai’s compromising position must look to an outsider with no context, so she tried to clarify the situation before things go any more awkward than they already were. “You see, he’s a new student here, and I was showing him around campus when he just went ‘Cowabunga!’ and, like, just straight out jumped right into the middle of the pool, and really there was nothing I could do about it, so I went to tell him he wasn’t allowed to do that, and then I just slipped-”

Her panicked ramble was instantly silenced by the coach raising his left hand: his universal sign for silence. By this point, she was standing a few steps away from the edge of the pool, shaking like a leaf.

Kai was simply observing the nervous Shirley as she seemed to frantically explain the situation, but that didn’t amuse Coach Sutherland. This confused him. Why did she seem nervous when this guy showed up? Why was he disapproving of them swimming? As he thought about these questions for another moment, Kai noticed that the Shirley was on the verge of falling into the pool again. To avoid this, he rushed to the steps and pushed his hand against her wet back

“This doesn’t excuse your ignorance to go come and get a faculty member, Antonella,” Coach Sutherland stated, obviously livid and disappointed in her. As he was about to say something else, no doubt just as angry, he was suddenly welcomed by a forcibly-pushed Ella sliding across the floor, skipping a step. This would prove to be a dire mistake because, as she would trip over her own foot, her head collided with the Coach’s head. As a result — and to Ella’s horror — his nose started to bleed.

Kai got out of the pool just in time to see what his unintentional actions had done. “Crikey! Sorry ‘bout that, mate.”

Coach Sutherland waited for the panicking Ella to get up, then he did the same, brushing off the dust and having an anger fit over his now-wet clothes. He glared at both Kai and Ella. “Well congratulations, Antonella and — what’s your name, young man?”

“Kai, mate. Kai Parata.”

“Well, Kai Parata, I hope you had fun because you and Antonella here just landed yourselves two spots in today’s first detention after school today.” Coach Sutherland said, sighing heavily.

“Aces!”

“What?!” Ella instantly cried out in protest, nearly in tears at the craziness of this whole situation. “But I didn’t do anything, Coach. And the girls and I have cheer practice after school!”

Unaffected by her waterworks, Coach Sutherland would simply say, “I’m sure they’ll survive a day without you!” over his shoulder before walking away, leaving behind a crying Ella and a very confused Kai.

[Hero]

________________________________________________ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♫ ________________________________________________

Just as he felt mellow, however, Vivi decided to ruin the mood and asked: "So, how's living with the VP?"

The VP meaning Reia. Grant scowled, shaking his head at Vivi. "I really thought we were having a good time, why'd you have to go stab me like that?" He asked, dropping his cigarette. Before he would extinguish it, however, he looked at Vivi. "You're the last person I expected to ask about this."

"I'm curious, sue me," Vivi replied, carefully putting out her own blunt. "I just can't picture the two of you in the same room alone, let alone actually living together."

There was no protesting against Hurricane Marisol, as she swept into the Roselia household and quickly claimed their kingdom as her own. Gone was any form of solitude in his own home, replaced by a multitude of loud parties and a half-hearted attempt at a connection disguising her social media cookie-cutter life. He wanted nothing to do with her, but the more he resisted, the more attempts she made. She realized just how important Grant was to his father, so she tried to use every imaginable opportunity to rope him into some 'quality time'. Living with her was a nightmare in that sense, but he had been pleasantly surprised to see Reia hadn't followed in her mother's footsteps. Hell, Grant wished Marisol was more like Reia: she kept to herself, only interacted with him when they had to, and gave him his space. The only real nitpick he had was she kept asking for permission to get things, since it's her house, too, but that wasn't really fair for him to complain about.

"It's alright," Came Grant's response after a few minutes of silence.

Rolling her eyes, the girl leaned back on the wall, her eyes elsewhere, though she sniffed the air as she chose her words carefully. "I mean, good for you, but I also know you well enough to know you're full of shit," She replied, snapping her fingers at him. "Keep everything bottled up, and you're going to end up doing something stupid."

"I'm serious, Reia's fine. I can barely tell she lives there, she's always either out or in her room," He said, shrugging.

"Then why do you look like you were forced to drink someone's piss?"

"Because I can't stand Marisol."

"Marisol? Her mom?" Grant nodded at her question. "Unfortunate, but...hm," She paused, her mouth forming an 'o' as she watched their redheaded leader spot them through the window. "Aw, fuck, here she comes..."

Grant followed her gaze, the pair watching as Aurora came through the classroom. It was a little too obvious what they were doing, considering all the smoke, though for a second he found it odd that it lingered for so long. "You knew what you signed up for when you joined the Council," He said.

"I was drafted," She reminded him, her head tilting as they watched Aurora open the window, her hands on the windowsill with an annoyed expression. Her eyes watered, and she let out a cough, earning a laugh from the two. "Hey, Prez."

Aurora shook her head at the pair, her expression one of pure disbelief. "It's the first day of class, and you're already violating the rules?!" She said, incredulous. "What the hell are people going to think if they see this?"

"They'll wonder why we haven't given you any to unwind," Grant had a quip this time, though he walked over to Aurora. "None of the teachers are around this area 'til the bell rings, it's fine."

"It's not fine, I could see the smoke from the entrance of the school!"

Grant looked back at Vivi, who burst out laughing. Wait a second, why was there so much smoke? Vivi then stopped herself, sniffing the air. "Someone's burning something..."

"How high are you?" Grant chuckled, though his expression dropped as he noticed the smoke around them. "Oh fuck--"

Vivi looked behind her, the small fire crawling towards her. Grant immediately joined her in stomping it out, seeing as it wasn't too big. He looked at Aurora, who had ran back, though she returned with a bucket. Shit, that was fast. Vivi beat him to it, grabbing the bucket and splashing it onto the flames. They died out, thankfully, though Aurora's rather smug expression didn't help things. Vivi bit her lip, pointing behind Aurora, where an unimpressed Mrs. Berkley stood, apparently having watched the entire scene.

"Good morning," Grant greeted her, clearly trying to save face.

Shaking her head at the trio, Mrs. Berkley let out a sigh. "How disappointing...I expected better from our Council. You'll be certain I'll be informing Mr. Frederick of this incident."

Aurora's face seemed to pale at her words. Clearing her throat, she quickly tried to mend the situation. "I promise, it isn't what it looks like," She started, though she was interrupted as Mrs. Berkley held up a hand to stop her.

"That includes you as well, Miss Quill."

Vivi and Grant looked at one another immediately. That was unexpected. "What? Wait, no--I don't--I was reprimanding them and taking care of the situation!" Aurora protested. "You can't assume I had anything to do with this without proof!"

"Because she may be a goody-two-shoes, but she ain't no narc!" Vivi said, grinning. "Come on, Berkley, don't be a bitch about it."

"The three of you will serve detention as a lesson," She stated sternly, peering at Aurora. "Let this be a lesson that rules are in place for a reason."

[AlteredTundra]

"I'm going to be so freaking late!"

The last-minute festivities that his mother had thrown last night because, what else was a Russian-Mexican family to do when the eldest child received his early acceptance into a winter, science program that Marco had been working on getting into for a full year now? Of course, the answer to that would be to throw a party that was hosted by his proud, if not somewhat neurotic, mother. He loved her to death and loved that she cared so much, but Marco regretted how she was so wrapped up into the moment of the now that she completely let the fact that he, unlike his two younger siblings, was starting his 11th year of high school.

As he scrambled to find a presentable outfit to wear, Marco glanced at his wristwatch that his father, Alec had given him last night as a gift. Wouldn't you know it? He was running late. No school breakfast for him. No sir, if he didn't stop himself from being an over worrying Wally, he'd be overbaked like last night's chicken dish. "Fuck it!" Marco gave up on looking fashionable. He just grabbed whatever he saw in his walk-in closet. What he ended up on picking was a Ramone's tank and a pair of some shorts. Paired with his usual shoes of choice, he was ready to hopefully not be late on his first day.

Marco came down the [enter name thing you put your arm on when going up the stairs here], sliding down half of it to save him some time. He landed on his feet as he had always done in the past - well, save for a few times where he ate it or when Ian would try to closeline him (and succeed). That wasn't happening this morning. And as much as he would love to gloat about the landing he just stuck, he didn't have the time, so he made a beeline for the door. However, just as he appeared to be home free, a penalty was thrown in the field: a pink flag that signaled that mama needed him.

And I was so close.

While Marco's pity party only extended to the inner-workings of his mind, he turned around to face his surprisingly well-dressed mother standing behind him. She didn't seem particularly displeased with him. He would take that as a good thing, but her firm stance between him and his escape to freedom didn't necessarily give him all the confidence in the world that she was going to let him leave. Odd, isn't it? Considering he was about to be late for school, a thing that normal parents don't want to happen to their children, let alone on their first day. Then again, Marco's mother wasn't your average parent. She never did appear that way to his friends or how she had raised him. So it fits within her visage of being a quirky parent to not want him to be on time on his first day.

"Mama, I am really running late. Can this wait for another time?"

"So," she began, hesitating and letting out a deep sigh before continuing. "We're having a visitor staying with us for a little while."

Marco gave his mother an unamused look. "That's what was so important that you had to tell me now? It couldn't wait until after school?"

Marlie let out an exasperated sigh. "No, it couldn't. He's already going to be here when you come home from school, so I figured I would tell you instead of you finding out of the blue. He's..."

He threw his hands up into the air out of frustration, "well, now I'm really late. I'll see you when I get home. Love you, Mama," Marco said, giving his mother a peck on the cheek, leaving out of the door behind her.

In less than a minute, the loud, teeth-grinding sounds of leather tires peeling from the Castillo Estate to the road. Marco's 2018 Dodge Ram was the only thing they saw as it left the vicinity of Crown Heights. It had only taken him ten additional minutes to speed through the number of green lights of the neighboring communities, with an extra five spent getting to the freeway.

Usually, Marco wasn't the type to go over the speed limit, but in this case, he was in a hurry. As it stood, he was already late, but if he hurried, he could still make his first class and sneak in before any of the teachers or another facaulty member. It was an ambitious plan, but, if successful, Marco would've accomplished what no student before him could ever hope to do. In other words, the gauntlet has been thrown and Big Mac was the only one who could take it down.

"Men, man your battle stations."

First up were the evasive countermeasures. This would be the easiest part of his three-stage plan. Though loud, Marco knew how to handle his darling Rami. She was a beaut in the way her engine purred like a BMW, yet had the body and bulk of an off-road furious truck. And Marco knew how to make her purr when he wanted to and knew how to make her obey him. In such cases like this very moment, she listened intently to his desires; and what Marco desired was a subtle aggressiveness that she totally understood. They worked in unison as she pulled into a parking slot just a few meters away from the gymnasium.

Now, the second phase was about to make its presence known. This was going to happen as Marco grabbed his bag from the back of his truck, cowering behind it like a ninja warrior. His experience in track and field was about to pay off in about three, two, one...

"Now!"

Marco had never run as fast as he was right now. Each leg going in front of the other in rapid succession, the wind picking up as his dark hair was bouncing up and down with each step he took. He sped through the parking lot in under a minute and he started to make his way past the gym. It was all going according to plan. He would sneak past the staff members he had heard through the grapevine would be where around this time of morning. Then again, people were all in class, so not like he was going to get caught or anything.

...Right?

Marco was confident of that. His legs were proving to be the very tools that secured his safety. They were the only, two instrumental things he needed at this very moment. And maybe, if he was being picky, an invisibility cloak like that he remembers seeing on Harry Potter. What a great film that was. But this wasn't like it was in the movies, Marco. Because, if it ere, you wouldn't stop dead in your tracks by the equally-as-scary-as-Snape, Coach Sutherland. Where did it all go wrong? Marco had the perfect plan. He had all that he needed. So why, when he was so close to his first class, did he have to literally bump into this man?

"Marco Castillo," Tyberius Sutherland said, getting himself up and pulling on an in-progress, fleeing, Marco, by the collar of his tank top. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To class, sir."

"We need to have a little talk."

"Can it wait? I'm running a little late, you see."

Coach Sutherland didn't seem amused, which furthered Marco's anxiety of the situation. "Yes, about that. You are not only late, you are also not wearing the uniform that each student is required to wear."

"It's at the cleaners. Seriously, dude, I do need to go." Marco attempted to get out of his hold, but to no avail.

"Listen, dude, you aren't going anywhere. Now stop resisting and listen to me."

Marco scowled, but he eventually gave in and let the old fart speak. "Floor's yours, bro."

Tyberius didn't seem to be quite fond of Marco's attitude towards him. "With your tardiness, blatant disrespect towards me, and, if that make matters worse, you physically assualted me."

"Whoa, take it back a second. You bumped into me, man! I did nothing to you deliberately."

"So, you admit you did something to me?"

"I..uh, no, that's not what I--"

"Marco Castillo, congratulations! You earned yourself a day in detention."

And just like that, Marco's day went from terrible to terribad.

As Marco was left to his own devices, he was wallowing in his own dispair of the moment, realizing that not even a full hour into his first school day as a junior, he was to serve a day fo detention after school. He wouldn't be so bummed out about it if this wasn't yet another thing piled on top of a list of shitty things that happened to him this morning. His alarm clock didn't go off when it should've. His mother felt the need to tell him about some stranger coming to visit them, and now Cournel Sanders himself gave him detention. And, the icing on the cake was he was even later to his first class that he thought he was.

"Slim better have my seat nice and warm. I can't handle more shit today.."

---

If there was one sight that not everyone within King’s Academy was used to was the sight of Savanna Hart without her two followers, Stella and Sofia. They were often a packaged deal. If you saw one, the odds of the other two being nearby was very likely. Whether this came from the years their friendship dating back to when they were still in diapers or just how the stars aligned Stella and Sofia within the cosmos that was Sav, the one thing that was doubtless was the pure and simple fact that all three, enigmatic girls of Tri-Hart were always near each other.

So, imagine the surprise of the students within Savanna’s homeroom when she arrived solo. Granted, her arrival was just as flashy and flawless as Sav herself. Being the self-appointed Queen Bee of King’s Academy’s senior class, when she entered a room, eyes were on her. Everything from how perfect (or so she believes it to be) her ironed uniform was and how the fabric naturally complimented her body in just the right ways so it is to not promote excessive promiscuity on her part, yet just enough to make the men who eyed her want her and the women who saw her want to be her. And to top it all off, her hair down was like a river gold flowing in a controlled stream into a sea of the blue scheme that King’s Academy fashioned itself.

Savanna, despite being without her two best friends, would not miss a beat. She parked it near the back of the classroom. She arrived about five minutes early. It was within her nature to get to class early. Though, to her, this wasn’t a class that was of any particular interest to her. Plus, as she took her seat, there was a familiar face that caught her attention. Greeting the face with a smile, she finally took her seat, resting her bag beside her outside leg and turning a half-turn to face the person who caught her eye halfway to her seat.

“Miss Vice President,” Sav said as if announcing herself to royalty, “what a genuine surprise it is to see you here with me. What an honor it must be for you.”

Of course she would want to talk to her.

Reia turned her head, a fascinated look on her face, bright and cheery as she chuckled. Plastered on her face was her smile, amused if anything to Sav’s statement. ”Is it, really?” Reia asked, perching her chin on her hand as she pretended to think. ”I thought you’d be used to coming after me.”

“I aim to please,” Sav noted, crossing her legs under the desk she was sitting in. It was next to Reia’s. This placed Sav in a perfect position to examine the latina sitting next to her. Features of an otherwise attractive woman who, by all rights, rivaled Sav in about everything but what actually mattered: dominance of their class’ social ladder. “It has to be tiring to be the good one of you and that little brother of yours. Word already spread about how he and Aurora got caught with an illegal cigarette. Though, it isn’t clear who had it first.” Sav was rambling, as she soon caught herself, collecting her thoughts in an orderly fashion. “To think you would actually be the good one.” There was a genuine shock in Savanna’s tone.

Aurora? What? Reia was well aware Grant was a pothead, but there was no way in hell the by-the-book President smoked. Admittedly the news had caught Reia off guard, though she handled it with the grace and poise she always did. ”I’m pretty sure Aurora was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” She hypothesized, leaning back against her seat for a moment. “As for your second comment, let’s see...beautiful, rich, successful career, multiple contracts waiting for me on graduation--no, I have to correct you. I’m not good, I’m great.”

Shifting in her seat slightly, she wasn’t going to stay on the defensive. ”But enough about me. And how’s your little girl band going? I imagine all the fun you have singing into your hairbrushes in front of the mirror.”

Sav smiled, flipping her perfect hair over to the right side, revealing her fabulous, good side - well, both sides of her face were good, but her current sitting position made her left exceptionally great.

“It’s going great. I’m flattered you remember. I thought to be second to a now-known smoker would’ve affected your memory,” she replied with a hint of jovial aggression. Sav adjusted herself in her seat, leaning just a few inches closer to Reia. “How will you cope with this, I wonder. Being associated with two, known criminals isn’t going to set well with your college aspirations. I imagine any hopes of being more than the sister of a criminal will weigh heavy on your soul.”

Outright rolling her eyes, Reia let out a laugh, though she gave her a fake gasp. “Oh, that’s right, I keep forgetting you don’t really know the reach of my fame,” She said, leaning back slightly. ”You see, when you reach a certain status with your career, education takes a backseat. My success over the summer has opened a gateway...you’ll be seeing my face all over town in a manner of days. No one will even remember I have a step-brother: they’ll be too busy looking at me.” She assured her, patting her knee. ”Don’t worry, I promise when I reach Hollywood, I’ll put in a good word for you and your little Trio-Hearts.”

“Reia, sweetie,” Sav leaned forward, eyes locked on Reia’s own, “who says you’ll ever make it to Hollywood? The sour taste of being related - even if by marriage - to a known felon will kill your career before it was even born.”

Her perfume invaded her senses, and Reia let out a small cough. ”Just like your perfume, you insist on one point. No one gives a fuck who smokes pot in a place rampant with it,” Reia reminded her, fanning herself. ”So naive, you really should get used to the idea of drugs; your agent will be snorting it off your back as he promises to make you famous.”

For a moment, Sav almost let herself become affected by what Reia was implying. But then she remembered that, no matter what she might try to do or say to get a reaction out of her, Sav wasn’t the type who could be easily manipulated like that. Her moms, for everything they went through in their own high school years, brought every lesson they learned, and implanted them into Sav as they raised her. When you pair that up with the wisdom that her Aunt Viola and the advice she received from her cousin, Andrea (some called her Dangerous Drea), she knew how to handle insignificant bugs like Reia Santos.

“You say nobody cares, but in a world where public image is everything, do you really think your future employers would be willing to overlook your relation to Grant and his extracurricular activities? Think about it, Reia.”

She decided not to reply right away, instead looking at Sav’s shoes, an unimpressed look on her face as she lifted her gaze to meet her eyes. ”We’ll just have to see when my commercial airs this weekend,” She stated, shrugging. ”But if I were you, little Savvy, I’d definitely work on your own image before trying to preach to anyone else about it.” She concluded, flipping some of her hair off her shoulder. ”It’s okay, amor, we can’t all be...well, you know.” Gesturing to her own, fully developed curves, she flashed her a smile.

Though she wasn’t amused initially, Sav shook it off, hearing the words of the female figures in her life not to let this girl get to her. Instead, she let out an amused chuckle, twirling a strand of hair between two of her fingers of her right hand. “Up until just now, I had all the respect for you, Reia. But for you feeling the need to flaunt your body shows an obvious insecurity that not even all the success in the world can fix. Simply put, you are damaged goods.”

There was no need for Sav to continue engaging in this line of dialogue with Reia any longer. She lost any and all interest that was there for this sad girl. A pity because she was starting to warm up to Reia. So she simply turned to face the front of the class.

Raising her eyebrows, Reia let out another laugh, shaking her head. “Then it’s a good thing wolves don’t lose sleep over the opinions of sheep,” She stated, flipping open her notebook to see what was on the agenda for the day. She was surprised to find things quiet, so when she looked up, she realized everyone was either looking at her or looking at Saraena.

“Wonderful, you’ve finally decided to join the rest of us,” Mr. Hammond clapped his hands rather sarcastically.

Reia blinked slowly, opening her mouth, but not having a response. Shit, it had been a very long time since she had been left so speechless. ”I...Sorry,” She shrugged, not sure what to say.

“There’s a first time for everything,” Sav said under her breath, chuckling as low as she could.

”Well, Since you two enjoy each other’s company so much, I’m sure you’ll get plenty of bonding time in detention,” He stated, turning back to the chalkboard and effectively ending the conversation.

Great. Tapping her pencil against her notebook, she noticed an event today. Her expression was rather stony as she read it, though she ended up quickly slamming her agenda shut, instead quietly crossing her arms.

One would think she never got punished in her life. Though Sav wasn’t keen on the idea of detention, she, unlike certain people, knew how to take her licks when they were given to her. Very casually, she turned her head around to Reia. “Seems like we’re going to get a chance to bond. Maybe I’ll get to know your brother and he can tell me all about how wonderful you really are.”

Sav shot Reia a wink, turning around to face Mr. Hammond. This day was turning out to be better than she could’ve dreamed.

[Venus]

With your dose of early morning banter to start the day.

---

While most of her classmates were making last-minute arrivals to school, Soleil Jameson and her group of best friends -with the exception of Marco- were just finishing up their breakfasts in King’s Academy’s cafeteria. The Alphas -who were usually the loud, beefed-up, rowdy jocks in the corner table who annoyed and intimidated the shit of the rest of their schoolmates- were unusually quiet on this particular day. The truth of the matter was that they were all facing the consequences of their actions of the previous night: a killer hangover courtesy of the many drinking games and dares they’d gotten themselves into at Marco’s party. Even after attempting to sweat out the alcohol with an early gym session, The Alphas were left to nurse their pounding headaches, nausea and a thirst that neither water nor Gatorade seemed to quench.

“Fuck, man… My head is fucking throbbing right now,” Johann Shen complained, eyes shut closed while he cradled his aching head between his hands. For the Singaporean-American boy to take the risk of messing up his luscious black locks meant that he truly was feeling badly… As if his slouching wasn’t telling enough. “Those Cuervo shots at the end really fucked me up.”

“Which of the two heads are we talking about here?” Fayed Jalali asked, shooting Johann an impish grin and somehow looking as if -contrary to the rest of them- the last night’s shenanigans hadn’t affected him at all. How the Pakistani teen managed to keep his humor and make one of his signature double-entendre jokes while feeling like he was on the edge of alcohol poisoning was a mystery to the rest. This earned him appreciative chuckles from the rest of the group, and a light elbow on the ribs from the Asian. “But for real, though. My stomach feels like it’s swimming in alcohol and Gatorade.”

“Oh yeah? Try doing an hour of cardio at the gym after puking your guts out at least five times before six in the morning,” Nolan Bradshaw replied in his usual -although slightly less authoritarian- drawl while slumped in his seat, looking very much like an extra for a Night of the Living Dead movie. The blond male’s head was cast downward, in contrast to the proud, borderline arrogant way he held it when he was sober: a sure sign he wasn’t feeling good.

“Better out than in, is what I always say. Unless, ya know, you’re in the middle of it. Don’t want the lady to cuss you out because you pulled it out when she was just about to-”

“Thank you for enlightening us, Fayed. We certainly appreciate you passing on the wisdom of your people to us Americans,” Tommy Prescott cut him off, showing the politically incorrect, cynical, sarcastic humor you wouldn’t imagine the most serious, laid-back member of The Alphas having. If you judged him from the attitude and looks, you wouldn’t be able to tell that this brown-haired, eternally poker-faced young man was, in fact, the younger brother of preppy, bleach-blonde cheerleader Courtney Prescott.

Fayed shot Tommy an amused grin, eyebrows raised in an entertained expression with his friend’s racist joke. “Of course, man! Don’t want all you beefcakes to fall short on where it really matters,” he shot back, making a jab at his muscled-yet-scrawny figure when compared to the rest of The Alphas.

“Thanks for the advice, man, but I don’t need it. Girls love me,” Johann managed to argue, raising his head a little to give Fayed a smirk.

“If by ‘girls’ you mean one, and that one being Jasmine Brooks on Homecoming last year, then I’m sure girls do love you.”

“Shit, Jalali. What’s so bad about not sticking your dick into every moving object? Excuse me for trying to focus on other important things!”

“Who needs reality TV when you can have this for free?” Soleil finally piped up, smirking at herself while mindlessly scrolling through the ESPN News app on her phone. “God, you guys bicker more than a married couple, I fucking swear to God,” She loved her friends (though she would never say that out loud because it’s fucking gay as shit), and loved the banter between them. That and intense arguments over sports meant that things were going good and they didn’t have a care in the world. So even if they were all a hot mess today, The Alphas were still going strong.

“So like you and Big Mac do?” Fayed interjected without hesitation, aiming his cannons at Sol now and causing a ripple of chuckles to go around the group.

“That’s a low blow, Jalali. Mac’s not here to defend himself,” Shady replied with a smile on her face to show she was joking around too. “Plus Mac’s, like, my brother, you perverted piece of shit. Fucking him would be some kind of incest shit.”

“The fuck is Big Mac, anyway? He missed the gym and he’s not here yet,” Nolan questioned in an attempt to change the subject, blue eyes looking up at Sol now with his blond head cocked to the side.

“Knowing him, he’s probably still snoring in his bed after missing all seven of his alarms,” the brunette replied, rolling her eyes with a smirk. “I don't blame him, though. I'm sure he's fucking hammered. Here, let me text him,” she said, grabbing her phone and tying up a text for Marco as if she hadn’t been texting him since she first opened her eyes that morning.

Soleil and Marco had been friends for nearly ten years now. This meant that she knew him as well as she knew herself, including the little quirks that the rest of their friend group wouldn’t be aware of. One of these quirks was that, on every new semester, Big Mac would be late for what seemed like the stupidest reasons in the world. Last semester’s excuse had been that he couldn’t find his left sock, and he refused to wear another pair because “it didn’t feel right”. The semester before that one was because he’d misplaced his backpack, which turned up in the main hallway coat closet, where he’d placed it the night before so as not to forget it the next morning. So, in the end, him being late on the first day was nothing new. And the semester before that it had been because he’d decided to make cinnamon raisin pancakes from scratch (instead of taking the logical decision of letting his mom or their kitchen lady make them), burnt the first two batches, and by the time he was done eating he was already running late. Smiling to herself, Shady was looking forward to this year’s excuse. She knew it would be as unique as he was.

No sooner than she’d hit “Send”, the warning bell rang, letting the students know they had ten minutes to make their way to their respective classrooms before lessons started. A collective groan of exhaustion was made by The Alphas before they each stood up to throw away their garbage and leave the cafeteria. Making plans to meet up at the gym after their respective practices, the group of best friends walked down the halls in a formation they didn’t even know they were doing. One by one, each member of The Alphas entered their assigned classroom, until only Soleil was left.

Sighing, the young woman entered her homeroom classroom and took a seat in the back, dumping her backpack in the chair next to her to make sure Marco had a seat whenever he arrived. Her resting bitch face, emphasized by the raging hangover, was more than enough to keep anyone away from Marco’s seat. Shady had just enough time to send Marco one last text before the last bell rang, their homeroom teacher arrived, and the semester officially started.

[Venus]

Look what you've done
I'm a motherfuckin' starboy

---

“What do you mean, he hasn’t woken up yet?! Summer vacation’s over. His ass should be on a chair at the kitchen table having breakfast before he leaves!”

In the middle of the second floor hallway of The Mossos Estate, voices could be heard echoing across the halls. The young man in discussion was lying fast asleep under the covers of his bed, so deeply immersed in Dream Land that he failed to hear the heavy footsteps of his very upset aunt rushing in the direction of his bedroom like an angry bull. Not even the sound of his door being flung open made him flinch. But that was all about to change in this very instant.

“Jesus Christ, Dante Sterling, did you miss your damn alarm again?!” Audrey Huntsberg-Mossos scolded her nephew as she walked over to his bed and unceremoniously pulled off the covers off the upper part of his body. “Lord help you when you go to college. I have no idea how the hell you’ll make your classes with me not being there to wake your sorry ass up on time.”

“Fuck, Mom. Ever heard of something called knocking?” Dante mumbled, eyes still closed shut and voice thick with sleep. He wished his aunt would still wake him up gently like she used to when he was a child: talking to him softly while gently brushing away the hair off his face… And not storming into his room while screeching like a banshee.

The nephew’s sassy remark did not amuse his aunt, who stood her ground beside his bed with a stern expression. “Up. Now!”

“Alright, alright! Just… Give me a sec, okay?” he whined, pulling the covers back onto himself and turning his back on Audrey.

Scowling, Audrey’s voice dropped into something barely louder than a whisper. “You have five minutes to get out of this bed before I come back up with a glass of ice water to pour over you. The clock starts now.” And with that, the woman turned on her heel and left the room, her sneakers barely making a sound against the hardwood floor.

After what seemed like a long minute, Dante finally mustered up the strength to pull of the covers off himself, but made no more motions to suggest he planned on leaving his bed anytime soon. A few seconds of staring blankly at the ceiling and a long sigh later, D slowly got up from his bed and trudged his way out of his room and into the bathroom.

Once inside and behind a closed door, the young man watched his reflection in the mirror. The oldest Mossos teen’s light brown hair was a mess on top of his head after a night of much-deserved sleep. Under his stunning blue eyes were a matching pair of slightly dark circles, which were no doubt inherited from his father Elijah. And over his pale, chiseled body, the young man wore nothing more than a pair of black Calvin Klein boxer briefs. He slipped those off to take a lukewarm shower -more cold than hot- to wash the sleep and the last night sins away, enjoying the feeling of the trickling water down his body. Once out, dried and with the damp towel wrapped around his midriff, Dante made his way back to his room. He quickly got dressed in the neatly-laundered uniform one of the family maids had left for him before spending the customary ten minutes of styling his hair to his idea of perfection. Finally finished with his personal grooming, the young man grabbed his dark brown leather messenger bag and headed down to the kitchen, leaving a scent trail of expensive perfume behind him.

“Here,” Audrey announced to Dante as soon as he stepped foot into the kitchen, holding out a brown paper bag in one hand and a female uniform inside the plastic laundry bag in the other, a serious expression on her face. “The uniform’s for you to take it to Ella down at the office. She called to tell me she’d had some incident down at the pool earlier -bless her clumsy heart, I don’t even ask anymore at this point- and asked for a fresh change of clothes to be brought in. And in the paper bag there’s a cream cheese and salmon bagel along with a pear so you at least have some breakfast on your way down there. You’re welcome.”

“Did anybody ever tell you you are the best mother ever?” Dante told Audrey with a cocky grin, giving the older woman a side hug and planting a kiss on her cheek before taking the bags off her hands. Even though she was a pain in the ass, there was no other woman Dante would have chosen to be his adoptive mother.

“Yeah yeah… I spoil you all too much…” the Latina lamented out loud, shaking her head. But the closed-lipped smile on her face was evidence that she was merely joking. “Now get your butt off to class before I ground you.”

Still wearing that cocky smile of his, Dante shot his aunt a wink before stuffing his breakfast bag into his messenger bag, picking up his keys from the foyer table and walking to the garage, where the blue Ferrari F60 America he’d received as a gift for his sixteenth birthday and affectionately called Sonic was waiting to be taken out for a spin.

The circumstances in which an individual is born into have a lasting effect on the rest of their lives. Being born into a certain time period, race, family and genetics always predisposes said individual to a specific set of illnesses or conditions. In the Mossos family, addiction happened to be the cancer that threatened to eat each and every one of the alive.

Every member of the Mossos clan was addicted to something: be it good or bad. Alexandros Mossos, patriarch of the family, was known for -among others- his addiction to women; an addiction that had nearly cost him his family in his late teens and one that his wife had so adamantly tried to crush over the last eighteen years. Audrey Mossos-Huntsberg was addicted to her husband, and the lengths to which she would go to keep him were no secret. Elijah Mossos’ alcohol and cocaine addictions had been a stain in the family name, and the reason behind Dante’s and Soleil’s secret daddy issues. And the list went on and on throughout the years.

The new generation wasn’t exempt from addictions themselves. Antonella, the most innocent one of all, was addicted to love, sunshine and happiness. Xander was addicted to music, and dabbling into the occasional joint of marijuana from time to time meant that this could become another vice down the line. Ariana was addicted to fashion and attention: making her a complete mini-me of her mother at that age. Soleil -a Mossos in everything but the family name- was addicted to working out, and the feeling of power and control she got when defeating an opponent in the ring. Even little Drew had his own addiction, in the form of comic books and video games.

And Dante Mossos wasn’t immune to the family curse. In fact, the young man’s vices happened to be “gifts” from his older family members. Like his uncle before him, D loved to find himself between the sheets in the company of lovely women. Like his father and deceased mother, he smoked like a chimney away from the hawk-like eyes of his aunt, who he knew would burn him with the lit stub if she found out. But the one vice that stood out to him as unique from the rest? Speed.

It was this particular addiction the one he was feeding as he sped through the streets of Crown Heights: here one moment, gone the next in a rush of wind and the blink of an eye, leaving behind nothing more than shaking leaves and a blur of blue. Dante knew racing was dangerous: a vice that could very well cost him his life on the most minuscule of mistakes. Yet he loved the rush of adrenaline, the wind in his hair, the thrill of knowing he was so closely flirting with danger and death and emerging triumphantly every time.

What was life without a little risk? To Dante, it was one not worth living.

Before he knew it, Dante was reaching the wrought iron gates of the private school’s campus. It was then when he decided to reduce his speed to the one required by the law to avoid getting any heat, and made his way into the school’s parking lot as if he hadn’t been pushing over 100 mph seconds before. Be it by a stroke of luck or simply fate, the Mossos teen managed to find himself a good parking spot in which his beloved Sonic would be safe from any harm. Taking one last look at himself in the car’s visor mirror, he grabbed Ella's uniform and the messenger bag from the passenger seat, slung it on his shoulder and exited the vehicle, making sure to lock it properly behind him.

With the arrogance that came with carrying the family name, Dante walked to the high school building of King’s Academy. Head held high, he made his way through the halls, earning all kinds of stares and breaking hearts along the way.

[Hero]

________________________________________________ ♣ ♧ ♣ ♧ ♣ ________________________________________________

The bell for homeroom had already rung, but those who opted out of homeroom were still wandering the halls or just getting to school. It wasn’t uncommon, nor was it technically allowed, but most teachers had little reign over what the many wealthy socialites chose to do with their time, so they usually compromised and just asked that they attend homeroom. Wade wasn’t too serious about his studies, but he figured he didn’t want to be labelled a bad student, so normally he would have already been in homeroom. Today, however, he was dealing with an issue that he had no idea how to handle.

It started back in the parking lot. After he had parked, he had noticed a rather large amount of staring. He could feel all sorts of eyes on him, though when he looked he had been expecting guys or whatever--considering his history with bullying, it paid to be cautious. But it was mostly girls--a few guys, yeah, but mostly females. And just the way they stared made him so uncomfortable. Some of them giggled, others sighed, there were curious ones, and it just...the entire ordeal was so bizzare he felt like hiding.

So he did. Wade had decided to hide out in the boys’ bathroom until he could calm himself down, waiting until the least amount of students were in the building. As he exited the bathroom, he was glad to see the lack of students. Letting out a sigh, he passed his hand through his hair, though dropped his hand when he noticed Dante.

Dante was walking like he owned the school--though to be fair that’s how he always was. Wade always liked how confident he was, always hoping that maybe some of it could rub off on him. The two got along well ever since Dante transferred in years ago, hitting it off when Wade had decided to approach the seemingly untouchable new kid.

Unable to hide a smile, Wade practically skipped over to the eldest Mossos child, matching his pace as he walked alongside him. “Morning!” He greeted Dante cheerfully.

Dante, who’d been so caught up in his own little bubble of arrogance and superiority complex and the overwhelming urge to smoke, failed to notice Wade coming out of the bathroom. However, it was the sound of the young man’s shoes skipping in the marble floor what finally dragged him back to reality.

D smiled at the sight of his friend. Him and Wade had bonded to something near brotherhood upon meeting in their Freshman year, when the blond had approached him and his cousin when nobody else did. Their love for speed and dare deviling on my united them further, to the point that you didn't see one without the other. Wade was one of the few people who knew Dante very well, and who D appreciated immensely.

“Wazzup, Wadey?!” Dante asked the blond male in an equally cheerful manner, extending his arms to embrace his friend in a strong, quick hug. “I was gonna go take a quick smoke before first period, but I’m supposed to take this to Ella down at the office,” he told him, waving the plastic laundry bag in his hand. “Wanna come with?”

Wade nodded immediately, though his expression showed some hesitation. “Yeah, I wanted to ask you something, anyways,” He said, trying to gather his thoughts. “I mean, is she okay? I saw her almost hit a tree this morning.”

“She WHAT?!” Dante cried out before succumbing to a tear-jerking laughing fit. It took the young man about a minute to calm himself down before addressing Wade again. “Oh man. That girl is on a roll today. First she nearly crashes into a tree, then she trips and falls into the pool. That new look of yours must really have her loved-up brain all kinds of fucked up then,” he teased, proudly patting his friend’s back.

At first he had missed what Dante was trying to tell him, earning a frown on his face. It took him a moment, and a slow realization came over him. He felt awkward for just a moment, though considering Dante’s lack of a filter, he decided that he really needed someone to be straight with him. “Is it...that obvious? It’s uh...I’ve sort of been noticing that I’m getting a lot of stares today. Like, a lot. Too much.” He murmured, crossing his arms as the pair made their way down the hallway. “It’s really fucking weird, not even two months ago no one even knew I existed! How am I supposed to handle this?”

“That’s easy, my man: you just gotta own it, you feel me? Bitches love a guy with confidence.”

Confidence? “I guess…” He mumbled, scratching his head. “It’s sort of unnerving, for now they’re just looking, but what do I do if they want to talk to me or something?”

Dante couldn't help but roll his eyes. Wade could be so oblivious sometimes. “You talk to them back. What kind of bullshit question is that? They're girls, not aliens.”

“Easy for you to say, girls flock to you every day…”

The Mossos boy shot him a smug grin. “A fair price to pay for the blessing and the curse of being beautiful,” he replied smoothly, shrugging his shoulders.

Suddenly, an idea so good, so evil, yet so brilliant came to him. He knew he would be an idiot if he passed it up, so Dante quickly put his plan into motion.

“You know what you need? Practice. And I know just the perfect partner for it...” he declared, handing him the laundry bag with a mischievous smirk. “How about you take this to Ella at the office while I go take a smoke? I know she won't pass up the chance to have a little chat with you.” he said suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows at Wade.

Furrowing his eyebrows, Wade took the laundry bag from Dante. After a second however, he perked up, nodding. “That’s a great idea! It’ll be like talking to my sister! Ella’s super nice so I have nothing to worry about,” He stated, grateful for Dante’s idea.

Dante grimaced at Wade’s words, thankful that Ella wasn't around. He knew that she would probably throw herself into that pool on purpose if she ever heard “the love of her life” considered her a sister. “Please don’t let her hear you say that,” the young man muttered, trying to save his cousin from any pain of heartbreak. “But yeah, just go down there and own it, you hear me? If you do things right, let's just say her uniform won't be the only wet thing in the room…” he said smugly, then quickly added. “Don't ever let me hear you say that about her, though. I'll bash your face in even if you are my bro. I'll be seeing you, then.”

And with those famous last words still lingering in the air, Dante shot Wade a wink and a parting salute before walking off to his favorite smoking spot.

Watching Dante walk away, Wade couldn’t help but scratch his head in confusion. He wondered why he would say that, but ended up dismissing it. Instead he made his way to the office, humming to himself. Ella really was a nice girl, she would be more than happy to help him out. At least, he hoped she would. She was always good to him whenever they interacted last year. She was head cheerleader, gorgeous, charitable… even to someone like him. There was definitely a reason she was so popular with everyone, and Wade was no exception.

An additional spring in his step helped Wade reach the office. Looking around, it didn’t take him very long to spot poor Ella on a chair, shivering from the cold pool water. Even like that, she looked so cute, and he found himself feeling so bad. Instead of standing there and staring however, he figured she would greatly appreciate her clean, dry clothes.

Strolling up to her, Wade grinned and presented her with the laundry bag Dante had given him. “Good morning, Ella! Your delivery has arrived!” He announced cheerfully.

Meanwhile...

________________________________________________ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ _______________________________________________

Tapping her heel on the floor rapidly, Aurora was doing everything in her power not to cry. In front of her was a tired looking man, glasses perched on his nose as he read the paper in hand. He was Jason Frederick, a man who taught biology in their school, and the current advisor to the Student Council. The little incident that had happened earlier had already reached him in the form of a report in his hands. After a moment, he let out a small sigh, placing the paper down and looking right at her. She winced slightly; she couldn’t stand how disappointed he looked at her. Aurora, Grant, Vivi, and Reia were all going to detention on the first day of school: and that looked horribly on her.

Taking in a breath to calm herself, she tried to mentally prepare herself for a lashing, though all preparations failed as he placed one finger on the report. “Miss Quill, I’ll admit I was rather hesitant to accept a junior as the Student Council President,” He began slowly. “However, your work ethic is phenomenal, your grades are exceptional, and all your teachers did nothing but sing your praises.”

Aurora put herself in President Mode, as she so fondly called it, and prepared her defense. “I understand, but I promise you, what happened this morning was an accident and a misunderstanding,” She said. “I was trying to fix the situation, not add to it.”

“There’s no doubt in my mind that you were innocent,” He said, watching her perk up. “But the fact of the matter remains that it was your fellow council members who caused the issues at hand. What I do doubt is your ability to control them.”

The pit in her stomach seemed heavier and heavier, and Aurora ended up looking down at her knees. Honestly, it was something she had been afraid of, too. The morning meeting showed she was basically a mockery among them, with no one taking her seriously. Maybe Mr. Frederick was right.

When she had no response, he said, “I was considering switching your position with Reia...until I found out she’s in detention, too.”

Looking up, Aurora nodded. “I know it looks bad, but I can promise you that I will do whatever it takes to rectify the situation,” She assured him.

“I know. Which is why I hope we have reached an understanding: this can’t happen again,” He warned her. “This detention should serve as a wakeup call to all of you.”

Despite feeling defeated, Aurora agreed, excusing herself. As she left his classroom, she let out a groan, covering her face with her hands. Of course everything would go wrong on the first day! That’s what she got for noticing the chimney Grant and Vivi were smoking right away. She shouldn’t have tried to catch them, but she would still have wound up in the same place even if she hadn’t tried to interfere. She needed to have a serious talk with Reia about this, she couldn’t afford to have any further distractions.

Raising her hands to run them through her hair, she opened her eyes, and absentmindedly turned to her left. She couldn’t really think straight, but she knew she needed to get away from where she was. Without really paying attention, she turned the corner at full speed and crashed right into someone. Letting out a quiet gasp, she took a step back, eyes wide.

Oh no.

If it wasn’t the current prince of the Mossos family, Dante “the King Casanova” himself she had bumped into. The Notorious Playboy, King of Speed--he had a couple of other titles that she couldn’t quite think of, but seeing him so close was unnerving. Truthfully, he was a very handsome guy, but the problem was that he was very well aware of just how good looking he was. He was the type of guy to look for if you wanted a good time, but was so good at giving you that time that you’d want to chain him down. But of course, Dante didn’t really do relationships, or at least not here in King’s Academy. There were some girls who claimed to have been with him romantically at one time, but he easily dismissed them all. Aurora knew that Reia was at least acquainted with him, but she had warned her to stay away from him--he would ‘eat her up and spit her back out’. And she definitely believed it.

But at the same time, there was just something about those piercing eyes that she couldn’t quite get out of her head.

“I’m sorry,” She finally threw out an apology, tearing her gaze away from him and clearing her throat. “Good morning, Dante.”

[Venus]

---

While the rest of her classmates were making their way to their respective homeroom classrooms after the warning bell rang, Antonella Mossos remained seated in a chair at the office, a towel wrapped around her slender, shivering figure. A growing puddle of water had formed around her, which had earned the young woman the disapproving look of Mrs. Kingsley, the secretary. This only made Ella feel worse, which only emphasize her look of a sad, scolded wet puppy. As she sat there, soaked uniform plastered to her tan skin, the brunette took a moment to ask herself a few existential questions. Why the heck had all these crazy things happened to her today, of all days? It was her first day of senior year, for crying out loud! All she’d wanted was to catch up with her teammates, show Kai around the school to make sure his transition to the States was as smooth as possible, and then saunter off to class and enjoy the rest of her day. Instead, she’d managed to make a complete fool of herself in front of two attractive boys -in front of HER WADEY, OF ALL PEOPLE, OKAY?!- by nearly crashing her car against a tree -a stationary object- and falling into the school pool… All in less than an hour. That definitely set a new record for her.

Sighing dramatically, Ella covered her face with her hands. She wished Dante would hurry up with her fresh change of clothes before she died of hypothermia.

And just when she thought things couldn’t possibly get any worse…

“Good morning, Ella! Your delivery has arrived!”

That voice…

Ella immediately looked up, body jumping up in surprise. She would recognize that voice anywhere. It was the one she so frequently daydreamed about, in fantasies in which the owner of said voice confessed his feelings for her and promised to love her forever and ever and called her pet names and complimented her and...

“W-Wade?” Ella somehow managed to croak out after a long, pointed silence, looking at him with eyes wide with shock. Had Dante really been so clueless as to send HER WADEY, OF ALL PEOPLE, OKAY?! to bring her the clothes, knowing the deplorable conditions she was in? She probably had dark patches of run-down mascara all over her face, for God’s sake! Why did the world have to be so cruel to her today? “Wh-what are you d-doing h-here?”

Oh, she didn’t look too happy to see him. Wade frowned, slightly disappointed. Wait, no, Dante said what he needed was confidence. Scrounging up some courage, he cleared his throat, turning his frown upside down. “I got your clothes!” He replied cheerfully, though the implications of that dawned on him immediately. “Not that i went to your house and stole them! I ran into D in the hallway, and--um, I figured I’d do him a favor!” No way could he bring up their actual conversation.

Ella noticed the way he frowned in disappointment, and her heart shattered into a million pieces. The last thing she wanted to do was make the love of her life feel bad, so she tried to put on a brave face for him. But after she heard his explanation about how he got the clothes, the giggled and grateful smile on her face were genuine.

“Oh my God, Wade, you have no idea how much you’ve saved my life by bringing me these. I was in urgent need of them, as you can obviously see...” she told him as she got up from her chair and grabbed her clothes, gesturing at her wet outfit with her free hand and letting out a small laugh.

“Oh yeah, Dante told me you fell in the pool!” Wade replied, grinning at Ella. But after seeing the girl’s grimace, he quickly added, “It happens to the best of us, at least you didn’t drown or get hurt.|

An immediate rush of heat rose to her cheeks, coloring them pink. Her previously outgoing demeanor turned shy as she squealed on the inside at Wade’s adorable concern for her well-being. “I don’t think you hear of many people falling into the school’s pool, but I’ll take it,” she joked, shooting him a grim.

Wade nodded, though he quickly realized he had no idea what to say next. Confidence, confidence, he needed to say something, anything. And yet he stood there like an idiot, completely unsure of what direction to take the conversation. He needed to talk. Just talk!

“S-So, you’re pretty wet, huh? Why’s that?” He asked, freezing entirely when he realized he just asked why she was wet. She just fell in a pool! He just brought her clothes! What the hell was wrong with him?! “That’s not--not that kind of wet--wait no what I mean to say is...um…” He was the one drowning in his words now, holy crap. “You don’t have to worry about getting wet cause I brought you clothes.”

Ella raised a questioning eyebrow at him, a playful smile on her lips. Had he really asked that question? And the way he was tripping over his words only made her heart turn into loved-up mush and for him to look all the more endearing in her eyes.

“Yes you did. And I love you for it,” the brunette said sweetly, looking up at his green eyes as if she’d found in him the answer to all her problems. However, as soon as she’d realized what she’d said and done, it was her turn to become flustered and down in her words. “I mean, like, a friend…kind of thing...” she added lamely, looking away in the opposite direction as her cheeks flushed again with the embarrassment of her involuntary confession.

Letting out a rather audible sigh in relief, Wade chuckled. Crisis averted! This was why he knew he would be okay talking to Ella, he knew he had made the right choice talking to her. He was certainly glad to be friends with her, though maybe he should pay her a compliment since she really looked embarrassed in her wet clothes. Her cheeks were pink and everything.

“I’m actually really glad to have a friend like you,” He admitted sheepishly, scratching the back of his head while Ella seemed to just glow at his compliment. “Actually, I sort of did have an ulterior motive...think maybe we could talk after school?”

“Yeah, sure, of course!” she said cheerfully, with a smile so radiant it put the sun to shame. “The girls and I have practice from 3:30 till 5, but if you’re willing to wait for me a little we can totally-”

Ella suddenly trailed off, her smile fading as quick as it arrived when she remembered the new after school activity she was scheduled for. She looked at Wade with a miserable, downcast expression. “Actually, maybe I can take a rain check? My little pool incident earned me detention right after school today, even if it wasn’t my fault. You know Coach Sutherland,” she told him, rolling her eyes and letting out a disappointed sigh. “I’m sorry, Wade, I really am. I’d much rather hang out with you than be stuck in a classroom doing nothing for an hour.”

She got detention? Really? There was no hiding his surprise at learning this. Crossing his arms, he stared at her for a moment. Wade really wanted to ask why, but she seemed upset enough as it was. After a moment of silence, he got an idea, lightening up his expression. “Alrighty, then!” He whirled around, walking over to Mrs. Kingsley’s desk. The woman hadn’t bothered to even look up at him until he decided to knock over all the folders on her desk to the ground. Without bothering to see the aftermath, he waved to Ella. “I’ll see you there!” He called out before the secretary started yelling.

Before Antonella could process what had just happened, Wade had rushed off, and she was left with a very upset Mrs. Kingsley back at the office. Apologizing profusely for Wade’s actions (in typical Ella fashion) and after being rejected after offering her help to pick up the folders on the floor, the brunette left the office and went straight to the bathroom to change her clothes. While she took off the now-damp garments and replaced them with freshly laundered ones, her mind was racing. Not only had Wade been an absolute godsend by bringing her clothes, but he’d also purposely earned himself detention to hang out with him after school. She knew she shouldn’t be thinking too much into it, but she didn’t know of many boys who would do such a thing just to spend time with a girl. It made Ella feel all kinds of special and happy, and blessed her with a glowing, excited happiness she knew wouldn’t go away for the rest of the day.

Huh. Maybe this day wouldn’t be so bad after all.

[Venus]

---

Although some people might call him cruel for having sent Wade to deliver Ella’s clothing knowing fully well the girl had feelings for him, Dante knew he was anything but that. Okay, yeah: his cousin might die of embarrassment at having Wade see her like that. And sure, Wade would probably say something that might make him look dumb in front of Ella. But how else were the two supposed to get over each other’s nerves if they didn’t face them head-first? His best friend really needed the practice to get over his fear of talking to women, and his darling cousin really needed to get over her shy demeanor around her crush. Hell, who knew if this ended up being beneficial for both of them? If that was the case, he’d gladly accept their thankfulness. If not… Then he’d be around to comfort them.

Lost in these thoughts, Dante was making his way down the halls in the direction to the left wing’s gardens, the prospect of finally having that delicious first cigarette of the day calling out to him like a seductive siren. The young man was turning the corner when a figure crashed hard into him. Stunned, he stopped in the spot, looking down to see who it was. He was very nicely surprised to see it was none other than Aurora Quill, a cute red-headed junior he’d had his eye on in passing for a while now.

“I’m sorry,” the young woman finally said after a few seconds of silence.

“No, you’re good,” Dante said smoothly, shooting Aurora his signature seductive smirk, letting the redhead know he was completely unbothered by her accident. He was glad to not have missed the way she was eyeing him before looking away and clearing her throat as if to distract herself from his presence.

“Good morning, Dante.”

Instead of simply taking her apology and continue on with business as usual, the young man decided to have a little fun with the famously uptight girl. His beloved nicotine could wait just a little longer. “Good morning, Prez. Have a good summer?” he asked her, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Ah crap, he wanted a conversation with her. The bittersweet mixture of relief and horror clashed with some minor anxiety, although she figured some of it was still from her meeting with Mr. Berkeley. Although she was a bit surprised to find him asking about her summer, she figured it’d be rude not to answer.

Her expression soured somewhat as she thought of her summer, though she kept her composure. “It was alright, I guess. We ended up moving into the Avana Isles’ penthouse from the house,” She admitted with a small shrug. “I guess an empty apartment is better than an empty house.”

With the way Aurora’s face soured, Dante worried he’d already started off on the wrong foot to seduction by asking about her summer. But when she revealed the real reason for her expression, he realized that although it was a shitty situation to be in, it left him an open opportunity to start a conversation he would eventually be able to manipulate to his favor.

“Ah, shit. That sucks,” was the only thing he managed to say. He wasn’t very good in the comforting department unless it was somebody close to him. Thinking fast and keeping his cool, he quickly added with a chuckle at the end, “ I know I’d give anything to come home to an empty house every once in a while. Seven people plus the employees living under one roof? Fucking mayhem sometimes.”

Mayhem, huh? Their housekeeper usually finished by the time she got home, and anytime her brother was home, he was asleep. Thinking about Dante never having time to himself was actually pretty amusing, and she felt her mouth curve up slightly. “Mayhem, huh?” She mused out loud. “The grass is always greener, but it is what it is. Maybe I’ll get a dog or something to keep me company when I get lonely.”

Mossos couldn’t help but smirk at Aurora’s last sentence. Every female with previous Dante experience would currently be banging their heads against the wall if they heard all the ammunition the redhead was cluelessly spewing out. Silly girl! Didn’t she knew that all she was doing was presenting herself as prey in a silver platter for the big bad wolf? Clearly not, and the young man wasn’t about to let her know. His innocent intentions to mess around with Aurora for a few minutes had been the gateway to a new game he didn’t even think he wanted to play in the first place. Without planning it, he was being gifted the opportunity of embarking into what could very well be the most outstanding conquest of his senior year… And he’d be an idiot to pass it up.

“Huh, will you look at that? You need some company, and I need a place to escape to. Sounds like a match made in heaven,” he said confidently, shooting Aurora a suggestive wink. He knew it was a long shot that she would even give thought to the idea, even though she’d be a fool to turn him down. But if there was something D wasn’t, it was a coward.

Aurora stared at him for a moment, as if thinking of something. Crossing her arms, she tilted her head slightly, her eyes looking around before landing on Dante’s again. God, those eyes did so much more to her than she wanted to admit--and Dante was probably very aware. “I’m not so sure, I don’t think the complex would allow me to keep a hundred-eighty pound dog with me,” She admitted, brushing a lock of her hair off her forehead.

Instead of being offended, Dante’s expression went from amusement to erupting in laughter. Well, well, well… Looks like Little Miss President had some wit to her that she wasn’t afraid to show. That made the chase all the more exciting.

But, of course, Mossos was witty himself, and much more experienced in the cat and mouse game than Aurora. “That’s too bad, then. I know nobody would protest at my place if I kept such a pretty kitten like you around me,” he replied smoothly, expertly turning the tables from a slight dismissal to another pick-up attempt. On the inside, D was glowing with pride. God, he was good at this shit.

She should have known better than to play his game. Dante was basically a grandmaster at a judo studio and she was that one guy that thought he knew karate just from watching a couple of Bruce Lee movies. Still, she wasn’t really the type of person to start something and not finish it, so if she was in this deep, she may as well finish. Except...where exactly would this end? Nowhere. Probably. Maybe. Aurora was a strong, independent girl, she could handle a high school boy.

Aurora nodded, flipping some of her hair off her shoulder. “I bet, but you’re going to have to do better than that to tame this kitten,” She replied nonchalantly, though after realizing what she called herself, she had to fight the urge to scream. Why the hell would she call herself a kitten?! What the fuck was wrong with her?! “I’m pretty sure you’re not even my type,” She lied, placing her hands on her hips. And even then, she never took her eyes off him.

The same amused expression of earlier remained in the young man’s features as he watched the girl before him attempt to play in the major leagues when she was just starting on T-Ball. Did Aurora seriously think she was fooling anyone with the “hard to get” facade? Because she sure as hell was not fooling Dante. Little Miss Prez would have to try a lot harder and come up with a better lying game if she wanted to convince him for a single second that she wasn’t the least bit interested in him. After all, the eyes were windows to the soul… And the redhead's soul was telling him she was giving consideration to striking a deal with the devil.

“For someone that says I’m not her type you sure like to keep those pretty brown eyes on me,” he drawled, that arrogant smirk still on his lips. “But yeah, okay. Not into me? Keep telling yourself that, kitten.” Wiggling his eyebrows once and shooting her a parting wink, Dante squared his shoulders and sauntered away to finally take that smoke, with a taste of victory on the side. The stage was set now. And before Aurora Quill even noticed, everything would begin.

That went about as well as she expected. What was she thinking? Aurora couldn’t help but kick herself mentally, watching as the King of Egos went into his usual strut. Her heart was beating against her chest, her head feeling lighter than usual. Even though she basically humiliated herself, she couldn’t quite fight the feeling she had in her chest. The way he looked at her was practically burned into her memory.

Argh! No! Out of all the people, why is it that she basically turned into a blubbering idiot around him?! Sighing in defeat, Aurora’s hand went back to her phone, and she let out an audible groan to see a series of messages from each member of the Council. The previews revealed Yuna and Nathan’s shock at Aurora getting detention, something she had actually completely forgotten about. What a fucking day.

[AlteredTundra]

---

---

Not long after the final bell had rung, a wave of sorrow and despair passed through the empty halls of King’s Academy. It was unclear where the source of this sudden melancholy originated from, but one thing that was without a single doubt was the unequivocal fact that, for a group of ten individuals, their fates were going to become intertwined by destiny. These eleven kids, whose age was anywhere from fifteen to being of the legal age of an adult, were going to understand that their actions had consequences. If only they could control themselves, being the first day of school and all.

One by one, Monday’s detention crowd was pouring in, each one looking like they didn’t belong here. Some of them probably thought they were wronged or their association with the actual guilty parties was the main reason they were caught. Maybe they felt they didn’t really understand what they did wrong and they were here so they could get some real answers. Perhaps they had nothing better to do and it was better returning to their uneventful homelife. But, of course, there were those who felt they were tricked into getting detention and it was someone else’s fault; never their own.

When the door closed, a man who was of Spanish descent looked around the room, seeing the faces of the most senior and junior troublemakers. The only one that seemed to be of a lower grade was Grant.

“To those who are just joining us here at King’s Academy DEtention, I welcome you. I hope to god that this will be your one and only time with us here. And to those who are repeat offenders,” Mr. Carlos Alvarez, the guy who teaches Spanish, looked at Vivi and Dante, “welcome back, Dante Mossos and Vivi Salvador. I’m sure you’ll help your new friends get well acquainted with the rules of detention.”

As Mr. Alvarez finished, one of the newcomers raised his hand. Mr. Alvarez checked his seating chart and saw the name. “Ah, yes, Kai Parata--is there something you need?”

“Ya mate. What exactly am I here for?”

“Ain’t it obvious, Outback Steakhouse?” Marco Castillo interjected, giving Kai a glance,

“Outback Steakhouse? Oh! That’s what you Americans think us Aussies sound like.”

Savanna rolled her eyes. “I’m surrounded by morons and imbeciles,” she said to herself, trying to phase out the idiots of Kai Parata and Marco Castillo. The last thing she wanted to acknowledge was Sol’s Big Mac and the newbie, though she had to admit it to herself that Kai was pretty cute.

Carlos Alverez looked over the reactions of the rest of the detentionees and he knew them being cooped up together for an hour was going to be interesting. Some of them looked to be right at home, while the rest were uncertain about their temporary residency among the walls around them.

“Detention starts now, so keep yourselves occupied or keep the talking to a hushed whisper.”

[Hero]

---

---

Aurora was rather hesitant at first, teetering outside the room until other people had arrived. At first, she had considered arriving early, only to realize that everyone would probably stare at her. Then again, hanging around the entrance wasn't doing her any favors either, and so once Reia showed up, Aurora clung to her like a lost puppy. Slowly, the rest of the students assigned to detention filtered in. There were those who sauntered in like they owned the place--Reia, Savanna Hart, and Dante--those who really didn't care--Soleil Jameson, Grant, Vivi, and Marco Castillo--those who were either confused or hesitant--Antonella Mossos and a student she didn't recognize--and then Wade Ashford was all grins. Admittedly she went white as a sheet as she saw Dante. Why was he get here? There was a split second thought of him chasing her, but that couldn't be.

Once Mr. Alvarez spoke, she let out a small whimper of indignation, resigning herself to laying her head on her arms. The humiliation was too much for her. She had never even stepped a toe out of line! She was the perfect student! How the hell did she manage to get herself into detention?! Of course, the answer was obvious, as her two stoner idiot friends were practically shitting themselves in laughter watching Aurora from the back seats they had occupied.

She felt a tap on her shoulder, and she made sure she had the fiercest glare possible, knowing it was probably Grant or Vivi making fun of her again. When she whipped her head around, however, she noticed it was Wade. She softened considerably, respectfully turning around so she could speak to him properly. "Sorry to bother you, can we trade seats?" He asked.

He seemed so genuine that she was caught off guard. She nodded, grabbing her bag and sitting up. Wade grinned, though scared the crap out of her by leaping into her old seat. Rolling her eyes, she sat down once more, less than pleased to notice the troubled trio staring at her. She slung her bag on the back of the chair, practically throwing herself into her seat. Slamming a notebook onto the desk, she immediately flipping it open and kept her head down.

Grant and Vivi watched Aurora, noticing her frustration. Honestly, Grant really did feel guilty that he had gotten Aurora in trouble, but her tantrum was way too entertaining for him to feel any remorse at the moment. "Awww, baby's first detention~" Vivi snickered, leaning back in her seat.

Reia was normally on their side--Lord knew how many times she loved to poke fun at their President--but she remembered how much Aurora was bothered by their teasing. Figuring now was a good a time as ever, Reia turned back towards Vivi and Grant, crossing her arms and giving them both a disappointed look. "Really? Come on."

"It's detention, not prison," Grant replied. "She doesn't need to be so dramatic."

Vivi leaned forward, motioning towards her deskmate. "She's so pouty she hasn't even noticed Dante sitting next to her," She told them, wiggling her eyebrows.

What?! Whirling back around so fast her neck actually hurt, she watched as Dante took a seat next to Aurora, looking rather confident--wait, no, he always looked like that. Still, she recognized that look in his eye, and she was perfectly aware of his intention. Oh no, Aurora was not one of his little hoes that he could string around. As she opened her mouth, her attention was diverted by none other than fucking Marco the Asshole Douchebag Fuckboy Castillo. Her blood boiled, and her face contorted into once of pure annoyance. The Lord was definitely testing her patience today, wasn't He?

"Qué maldita suerte," Reia grumbled, crossing her arms tightly against her chest.

Vivi watched Reia, definitely amused as she nudged Grant. "So, five bucks says Reia throttles Marco before Savanna," She whispered.

Grant grinned, leaning back in his seat for a moment. He didn't usually land himself in detention, unlike Vivi, but he wasn't having a mental breakdown like Aurora was, either. It is what it is, he just needed to be a little more careful. As he unpocketed his phone, he noticed the Aussie at the table next to theirs. Right, that must have been the new kid. He vaguely remembered...nothing, actually. He was new, and that's it. Oh, something about a pool, but there was no way he could figure out the connection.

Eh, he may as well have a little fun. "Welcome to King's Academy," Grant told him, gesturing towards the rest of the students. "Or should I say, welcome to the cream of the crop. God knows how, but the kids here are probably the ones you should know."

Vivi rolled her eyes. "Who the fuck are you calling 'kid', sophomore?" She asked him.

He ignored her, feeling inspired to inform the poor sap about the crazy group he was in. "So, like I was saying, we'll start with the front of the class and the left-most table. Blond dude with the dark haired chick--Wade Ashford and Antonella Mossos. Dude is a maniac, he's super reckless but isn't afraid of shit."

"He's fine as fuck," Vivi said. "But he's also a fucking idiot."

Grant continued, "Now, she is head cheerleader, Miss Congeniality, and out of anyone's league. Literally perfect, sweet, and helpful--she's the complete opposite of the 'bitch head cheerleader' type you see on TV."

"And a pushover."

"Next to them is Soleil Jameson. Bitch can punch through a wall. Well, not really, but her and her boys aren't to be fucked with. She's chill, though, lives in the gym, head of Boxing--uh, captain."

"She's also real hardheaded. But I wouldn't fuck with that."

"And that pretty blonde girl is only pretty when you don't interact with her. Savanna Hart is looking to take on Hollywood and will stab anyone who gets in her way. Really talented though, I saw her perform once. Super ambitious. But again, don't get in her way."

"If she gets her head out of her own ass, she'll be fine."

Grant tried not to laugh as he went on. "The guy in front of you is Dante Mossos. Racer. Smoker. Womanizer. I don't know how he does it, but he seems to have something that makes girls want to throw their panties at him. I am not exaggerating, Katie Georgeson once stashed her panties in his locker--no," He waved his hand in front of Vivi's face.

"The fuck?"

"As a biased party, you are not allowed to comment," Grant pointed out, choosing to move forward. "The redhead is Aurora Quill, our Student Council President. She's a little uptight, but she means well. She does a lot and we make fun of her for trying so hard."

"Well, maybe Dante's dick can help with the stick up her ass."

"Maybe. Now this guy right here, Marco Castillo, he's a good time. Best jokes, best pranks. Teachers hate him, though. Wonder why."

Opening her mouth to make a witty comment, she hesitated as she realized what he said. "Do you?" She asked.

"Clearly they have no sense of humor," Grant smiled. At Vivi's nod, he would continue. "The girl glaring at Marco is Reia Santos--sorry, Reia Roselia Santos."

Vivi waited for him continue. After a few seconds of silence, however, she gave him an odd look. "And?"

"And as her step brother, Grant Roselia, I can't comment since it would be biased," He shrugged, gesturing to her.

"Reia is...uh--fuck, I don't know, she's okay, I guess. I wouldn't cross her either, but she's...OH! She's a model," Vivi tried to match Grant's description, but did less than spectacular.

"That was terrible, Vivi" Grant shook his head in disappointment.

Meanwhile, Wade lightly prodded Ella, waving to her. "Hey! Told ya I'd meet you here," He said, his voice low, though he scooted his seat to get a little closer to her. "SO, I was hoping you could maybe help me with something."

[AlteredTundra]

After everything that happened today, from making some potential mates (or so that’s what it seemed like to Kai, at least), being confused about most of the trippy lingo that these westerners were used to. He had to ask around, though that seemed to be more complicated than he anticipated. Everyone he had encountered seemed to scratch their noggins when he spoke to them. Though he had every intention to know what they called stuff around here, it seemed — at least to Kai — that the more he spoke, the more headscratchers he received. Suffice to say, the Australia-born foreigner wasn’t able to get a straight-shooter.

The day went as best as it could. He got to his classes with the help of some new mates he made and seemed to make nice with. He was the oddball who spoke unlike the blokes around him, but some chill dudes named Fayed and Johann took a liking to him. Kai didn’t fight it. He took any kind of help navigating this castle-sized monstrosity that these people called a school. And as luck would have it, these two non-whities had most of the same classes that Kai had. It all worked out in the end, it seemed. Kai had hung out with them at lunch as well with a few others that were, as they called, their bros. And there was a lighter-skinned Shirley among them. Kai couldn’t recall her name, though. Solay? Leia? Oh, it’ll come to him at some point.

Near the end of the day, Kai asked where this thing detention was being held at and, apparently from where his last class was, it was near across the entire campus, so Kai ran like he never ran before. He tumbled and ran into some peeps, but thankfully none of them or he was hurt. That, if nothing else, the upside of being able to catch himself. Eventually, his swift movements had him arrive at the building with a few moments to spare.

And when he arrived, it was quite the spacious room with about ten or so desks. He was just about the last one to arrive. For a while, it seemed they were free to sit anywhere, but that didn’t last long. After the teach told them who he was and where they were, a few people chimed in (as per the usual, he assumed), he got into a conversation with this white guy who had quite the latino name. It wasn’t long from that moment - and after a blonde Shirley mused something about annoyances - that he found himself without a seating partner. Kai scratched his head. He didn’t mind it but why didn’t he get a mate? How unfair.

And then he saw the two seated next to him reach over (as it were) and give him a welcome. “Well met, mate and Tanned Shirley!” Kai gave them quite the wide grin.

And as they seemed to inform him about everyone currently in detention - even after the teach had signaled the chatter to be reduced to a low whisper - the dark-haired mate gave some info.

But there was so much of it. Kai wouldn’t be able to remember all of those names and their faces and what they were like all at once. He could only remember about...four names? He seemed to recall there was a Marco, a Sol--oh, Soleil was her name--and a Savanna. He, of course, recognized Ella. She helped him find the most beautiful pool he had ever seen. Everything else, as it seemed, Kai zoned out or simply didn’t remember after they had told him about it.

Kai collected himself, taking just a moment or two to get situated, though his eyes fell on the two helpful mates next to him. “My bad for the silence, mates. That was a lot of food to digest. As you can tell, my ability to not comprehend so much stands out like dog balls,” Kai said, looking at them, though they seemed confused. “Oh, where are my manners. I’m Nikai Parata, but you can just call me Kai.” He looked at both of them. “What were your names again?”

---

“Someone call Danny tanner, because it's a full house in here..”

To say that he was excited would be an understatement. The truth of everything was that not only was Marco Castillo happy about getting detention (though the way it happened made him less joyous), but as he had taken his seat just a few moments ago and Mr. Big Boy Alvarez assign them to their seats, it was amazing to see who exactly was seated with each other. Aside from Wade and Aurora switching, there were some mighty interesting pairings. It brought a smile to his face when noticed who he was sat next to, though he heard her word and it didn’t seem like the feeling was mutual.

It was only then when he turned to face her that he realized just who it was. “¡Bolas sagradas, Reia Santos! ¿Cómo demonios llegaste aquí?” Marco asked, absolutely taken by surprise to find out that Aurora’s second-in-command was here. Though, he obviously was surprised by the fact that Aurora was here too and she was seated next to Slim’s brother. “Oh Dios mío. And our prez is next to Dante ‘Jacks off the Box’ Mossos?” Marco said a bit too loud, earning a glare and a stern ‘Shhh’ by Mr. ‘Probably Eats too many tacos’ Alvarez.

Marco leaned back, scanning the room. He let out a sigh out of boredom, seeing the new kid, Kai, being cozy with the moody kid and Vivacious Viv. “I betcha Viv wants to bone the foreigner,” Marco said passively to his seating partner.

[Venus]

---

Whereas other people were nothing but sad and disappointed over having landed themselves in detention, Soleil Jameson was just annoyed. The reason she was currently walking in the opposite direction of her beloved softball field was stupid at best. If she was honest with herself, it was kind of Marco’s fault that Shady had gotten sent to the cage. If he hadn’t gotten that acceptance to that science program, Miss Marlena wouldn’t have thrown that party. And if Miss Marlena hadn’t thrown that party, she wouldn’t have gotten drunk. And if she wouldn’t have gotten drunk, she wouldn’t have interrupted Mrs. Henderson mid-lecture to run to the bathroom to puke her stomach’s contents out. And if she wouldn’t have interrupted the lecture, Mrs. Henderson would have never sent her to detention. So yeah, there went an hour of the first practice of the season, all because she’d gotten drunk the night before at a party celebrating her best friend’s accomplishments. Thanks a lot, Big Mac.

However, when she walked through the classroom door and her eyes fell on the blond Mexican-Russian who was the culprit behind her being there, all annoyance was replaced by excitement. A whole hour of talking shit with her best friend was honestly the best ‘punishment’ she could ever receive.

“YEAH BOIIIIIIIIII!” Sol shouted in that raspy voice of hers, making a beeline straight for the empty seat next to Big Mac. But before she could make it halfway there...

“Freeze!” Mr. Alvarez cried out from his seat in front of the desk. Soleil did what she was told, looking back at him with a bewildered expression. “You seriously think we’d let the two of you sit together in detention, of all places?”

The young woman grinned. For years now, every time either one of her parents had come by the school to pick up her grades or for parent-teacher conferences, all her teachers complained about the amount of times Marco and Sol had to be chastised for talking during class. In some classrooms they were even forbidden to sit anywhere near each other. But what could they do? A bond like theirs wasn’t broken so easily.

“Awww, c’mon, Mr. A! Didn’t you have that one buddy at school that you couldn’t live without? That’s my boy Mac for me.” Sol asked the older man, shooting Marco a salute before turning to face the teacher again.

Alvarado didn’t seem the least bit moved by the girl’s attempt to convince him. “That’s neither here nor there, Miss Jameson. This isn’t Friendship Club. For this hour, the two of you will remain apart to reflect on your mistakes. Your seat is next to Miss Hart, and I suggest you occupy it before this first detention visit turns into another one.”

Now even more annoyed than she was on her way down here, Sol trudged to her seat next to the wannabe Hannah Montana, threw her bag on the floor and noisily took her seat. “This is some bullshit…” Shady muttered under her breath, , leaning back in her chair with her arms crossed against her chest and a murderous look in her eyes that was enough warning for people to not mess with her right now.

[AlteredTundra]

Though most of the idiots around her were making a big fuss about either missing whatever extracurricular activity they had planned for the first day after school, or showing pride in the fact that they were delinquents, Savanna mostly kept to herself, ignoring basically everyone who might’ve passed by her. She made a mental note that engaging in their primitive behavior did her no good. From her vantage point, she found their constant ramblings about who was going to seduce whom or who happened to be seated where (all provided by Grant Santos--oh wait, it’s Roselia. What a lame surname he had). The only thing that was on her mind was to let the hour go by as she concentrated on some coursework provided to her in her classes.

But, as Sav would soon realize, nothing in this world was ever easy. The repeating buzzing of her phone against her leg aside, an interesting development happened as a certain dark-haired jock stepped into the classroom. Everyone knew who she was. Boxing Queen, as she was likely to be called, Soleil Jameson was quite infamous when it came to most circles. Anyone who was something in this school--even if they were transfer students from far away lands, some womanizing wonderboy, or even trailer royalty like Reia--Savanna had her toes dipped into all waters. Though, it wasn’t difficult to notice the only girl of The Alpha Six. She was just as, if not the most, rowdy--and on occasion--annoying of those maniacs who bring dishonor to this school and its prestige.

The events had unfolded right before her eyes and Sav curled a tiny smirk when she bore witness to Soleil’s dreams being crushed as she not only was unable to be seated with Marco, but she noticed who Marco was seated with. “Maybe this hour won’t be so bad after all,” Sav noted to herself.

Within moments of her getting the bad news, Sol parked it in her seat with a notable bang of her stuff, resulting in Sav to snap the led on her pencil. She shrugged, putting away the work she had been working on. Sav could work on her homework when she got home. What just happened before her was far more intriguing to the queen than simply homework. Time to play a little.

“Why, isn’t it the legendary Slim Shady,” Sav leaned forward, smiling almost-genuinely towards Sol. Her eyes wandered carefully behind her, seeing Marco appearing chummy with Reia. “Just because you aren’t sitting with your boyfriend doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy yourself. You might find me to be enjoyable company if you open your mind up to the possibility.” Savanna shot Sol a borderline-seductive wink.

[Venus]

---

As the bell signaled the end of the first day of classes at King’s Academy, Dante Mossos made his way down a particular classroom he’d gotten to know very well since his arrival at the school in his freshman year. His first few stints in detention back then had always been because of his weakness for women. He’d gotten caught exiting closets, empty classrooms, the boys’ locker room or the bathroom right after some attractive female with messed-up hair and a flushed face. The agreement was that his parents wouldn’t be informed of his actions if he promised to attend detention, which he always did without a second thought. The fear of facing his aunt if she ever heard about what Dante was getting into was enough to make the young man keep his word, even if he already was a man of his word.

But the visits to detention didn’t stop after he learned how to carry out his illicit affairs in a more private, discreet manner. Nope, then they had been triggered by his new-found love of nicotine. No matter how many times he’d thought he’d found the perfect spot to feed his vice, some nosy figure of authority managed to find him, even if by pure chance.

That had been the case today. D had been in the process of putting out his cigarette when the infamous Coach Sutherland had come round the corner of his new hiding spot. The older man wasn’t a fan of Dante by any means; having caught the young man ‘defiling’ his locker rooms with women before. But on this particular morning, it seemed Sutherland had a rather large, thick stick up his ass that was bothering him. He didn’t so much as blink before writing up a note to send the younger man to detention, just as he’d done to Kai, Ella and Marco some time before. And when Mossos gave the beefy man a piece of his mind for having sent his beloved cousin to detention over an accident, he earned himself another day’s detention. He didn’t mind it, anyway. D would have done more than that to defend his family.

The prospect of spending another hour in school premises did not take away the pride Dante felt in having started the chase after Aurora Quill. His smug smile had stayed in place all throughout the day, elated at getting the most uptight girl in school to begin her fall down the rabbit hole. To keep the momentum going, D shot her the occasional wink when passing her in the hallways, all the while contemplating ideas for what could be their next “accidental” encounter could be. But as fate might have it, the gods were with him once again as the young man was gifted yet another opportunity to pull his moves on the class president. When he walked through the doors of the detention classroom, he was surprised to find her sitting next to his cousin at the very last table on the left in the back of the room.

Instead of taking the obvious route and sitting at the table next to her, Dante decided against it. He didn’t want to scare the poor girl off or make her think he was some kind of creepy stalker. Instead, he decided to bless the young woman with a view of his stunning face and chiseled body by taking up one of the empty chairs in the table directly in front of her. This tactic ensured she wouldn’t be able to keep her eyes -or her mind, for that matter- off him, and he would be absolved of any kind of accusations of staring, intimidation or anything of the sort.

But again, fate in the form of Wade was unknowingly on his side yet again. When his best friend -who was assigned to the chair next to Dante- asked Aurora to trade seats with him, she’d agreed to do so without giving it some thought. In fact, even after taking up the empty chair next to Mossos she didn’t seem to realize where’d she’d ended up. That was about to change. The redhead was about to be brought back to reality courtesy of D.

“Looks like the fates have us meeting again, Kitten,” Dante drawled, smirking at Aurora again and using what was now officially his pet name for her. “A nice turn of events, if I may say so myself. Was it planned? Absolutely not. Was it expected? Also no. But is it very welcome? Hell yes. You must be goddamned pleased to be in my company again.”

---

---

---

While others were used to not caring about it, the shame of having been sent to detention had been too much for Antonella to bear. She’d arrived at the classroom a few minutes before she was supposed to, having hidden in the bathroom then raced down the halls to avoid being seen in such a disgraceful position. To see the faces of disapproval from her teammates when she told them she wouldn't be able to make the first practice of the season had been heartbreaking enough. But to see the utmost shock fill every single one of them when she explained why she was missing practice? That had been even worse. The news of her little pool accident had traveled fast (which is to be expected in such a small school like King’s Academy), but nobody would have guessed that she’d gotten in trouble for what was nothing more than an accident. The squad girls were outraged, and ready to take matters into their own hands to rectify the injustice done to their beloved leader. But Wade’s promise had been enough for Ella to dissuade her teammates from taking any action. And the moment she saw his adorable face coming through the classroom door -all smiles and happiness-, she knew she’d done the right thing by letting things run its course. Being sent to detention hadn’t been a punishment after all. Quite the contrary: it was a blessing.

Beaming, Ella watched as Wade made a beeline straight for her, politely asked Aurora to trade seats and immediately jumped into the empty chair beside her as soon as the redhead disoccupied it. It was then when the tanned skinned girl put away the notebook in which she’d been writing “E+W” with pink ink inside a heart -no need for the young man to see that- and shifted her whole attention onto her new partner.

“Oh my God! You made it!” Ella said cheerfully, with a smile so bright and wide it was a miracle her face didn’t split in half.

In response, the blond male lightly prodded Ella and gave her a small wave that she eagerly replied to. "Hey! Told ya I'd meet you here!" he said in a low voice, shifting his seat next to her and closing the distance between them.

He was in such proximity that the brunette could smell his spicy cologne and feel the heat emanating from his body, which made Antonella feel extra happy but also nervous as well. She discreetly breathed in deep, taking in as much of his scent as he could and hoping the deliciousness of it would distract her from focusing too much on the nerves. Opportunities like this weren’t as common as they used to be anymore. She didn’t want anything to mess it up.

“Yes you did,” she said sweetly, looking at him with those big, loved-up eyes anybody else would have immediately noticed except him. “Thank you for keeping your promise.”

"SO, I was hoping you could maybe help me with something."

“Sure! Whatever you need!” Ella replied excitedly, jumping at the chance of earning points with the absolute love of her life.

---

---

---

Whereas her cousin and half-brother -and everyone around her, for the most part- seemed more than pleased with their assigned seating partners, the same couldn’t be said about Soleil. She was still fuming over the dumb-ass decision to have her and Marco separated as if they were some sort of Bonnie and Clyde duo of criminals that had to be kept apart. Why were their teachers being such hard-asses? All they’d done in the past was talk in class a few times; that didn’t hurt anyone? And okay, fine, they had pulled a few pranks throughout the years -all done in safe, harmless fun-, but that was it! They hadn’t been the ones getting caught smoking on campus. Sol wasn’t stupid enough to use any other time that wasn’t recreational, and much less anywhere near this prison of a school. They hadn’t been the ones to throw themselves into the academy pool for a morning swim, nor the ones who had put on a bitch fight argument when a lecture was supposed to start. Hell, all they’d done was arrive to school late and run off to the bathroom in the middle of a lecture! What did the teachers expect, anyway? To have her puke in their classroom instead? Instead of getting punished, Shady needed to have been thanked for her consideration to her classmates, her teacher and the janitor.

And yet here she was, stuck in detention for the next -she checked her Fitbit for the time- fifty-five minutes. The worst part was that her murderous face, which would have kept anybody else at bay- did nothing to save Sol from getting the attention of her seating partner.

“Why, isn’t it the legendary Slim Shady,” Sol heard the young woman say not even a minute after she’d taken her seat. Scowling, she watched as the petite blonde leaned forward with a smile the dark-haired girl was faker than her denials of having gotten a nose job and lip injections.

“What do you want, Savanna Montana?” Shady replied in a bored voice, her facial expression now matching her tone. Her slightly muscled arms remained crossed in front of her while she continued to lay back in her chair.

“Just because you aren’t sitting with your boyfriend doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy yourself. You might find me to be enjoyable company if you open your mind up to the possibility.” Savanna said softly, shooting the taller girl a wink that could be interpreted as flirtatious.

Sol couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Even though Shady would have probably made the girl’s semester by fooling around with her in a bathroom stall just for fun (yes, even if her lips were fake), referring to Marco as her “boyfriend” hadn’t done Barbie any favors if she wanted to get on her good graces. Soleil will never understand why was it that people couldn’t seem to believe that two individuals of the opposite sex could be very close friends without any sort of romantic or sexual intentions involved. Throughout her friendship with Big Mac, the two had made it a game out of how many times it was implied or they’d been asked if they were dating. Hell, even their parents and siblings had engaged in this problematic behavior until the dynamic duo had decided to put their foot down. And now Sav’s comment now brought the “your boyfriend/girlfriend” tally up to 92. She would have to remember to tell Marco about it.

“And just because two people hang out doesn’t mean they’re dating,” Shady bluntly corrected. “I don’t know if your hearing was fucked up a second ago or not, but I clearly said Mac’s my bro, man. He’s my brother. I don’t want him in that way.”

[Hero]

1.) From the first sentence, one can infer which of the following about the Dodsons' and Tullivers' religious and moral ideas? Circle all that apply.

• The narrator is unable to describe them with complete accuracy.
• They have no real foundation.
• They cannot be appreciated by anyone that doesn't share them.
• They spring from a fundamental lack of understanding for the ideas of others.

Taping her pencil against her notebook, she tried her best to concentrate as she read the question. If she was going to be stuck here for an hour, she may as well get some homework out of the way now. But as she skimmed through the questions, she couldn't help but let her mind wander. It was the first day and already she was severely off track. Getting detention was not part of her plans, she had budgets to finalize and events to organize. If anything went wrong with Homecoming, it'd be her head on a platter! But she wasn't going to get herself into deeper trouble, so she figured once detention was served, she'd work on trying to reel Vivi in.

Her eyes lingered on the question, and for some reason, it irked her. The topic at hand was about morality, and for some reason, that made Dante pop into her head. Speaking of no morals, huh? A small smirk played on her lips, though as she went to circle the answer, she heard his voice. What the--how the hell didn't she notice that she had sat right next to him?

As he spoke, he smirked at her again, and she felt her heart skip a beat. Crap. Her mind was racing as he spoke, though she wasn't amused by his questions or his little nickname for her. He really thought he was the best thing since sliced bread! But his eyes were so dreamy. He was full of himself! Argh! Why?! If she could just look away, she'd regain control, but she felt trapped. She couldn't really up and change seats, either; no way was she going to risk getting yelled at by Mr. Alvarez.

Breathing in through her nose, she exhaled slowly, closing her notebook. Despite his talk about her being pleased, he must have been, too, considering he had been the one to initiate the conversation this time. Of course, that means there was no getting any work done. Once she had her books away, she turned herself slightly towards him. A mistake, for sure, but she needed to be focused.

"Tickled pink," She replied, trying her damnedest to have the driest tone possible. "So did you get caught in the gym lockers again and land yourself here? That's a new record, scoring someone so fast."

---

Aww, his presentation and effort had been for nothing. There was definitely the sting of disappointment in Grant's face, the boy unable to really hide it. Moreso when he looked to his partner, seeing as how Vivi couldn't exactly wipe the giant grin she had on her face. Damn, why the hell did they hang out so much when she enjoyed his misery like that? She could've been neutral for a second! Well, he couldn't say the foreigner wasn't entertaining at least, but Grant was also having a hard time understanding his lingo. 'Dog balls'? If he definitely wasn't from around here Grant would've believed it to be some sort of trick. Or that the guy was high. Either way, there was definitely a minor communication barrier. Still, the guy was by himself, and Grant had some sort of sympathy, considering it had to suck to transfer to a new place all of a sudden.

Vivi, on the other hand, found him hilarious. Anyone that could confuse Grant into a stunned silence was alright in her book. "Oh, you're going to fit in great," Vivi said, leaning back in her seat.

Rolling his eyes, Grant figured he'd oblige the guy. Transferring somewhere new must have sucked. "I'm Grant. This is Vivi," He jabbed a finger in Vivi's direction, to which she would at least give a small wave in acknowledgment. "So, Kai, what're your impressions of everyone--" His sentence was cut off as Vivi reached over him, fishing something out of his bag. "Normal people ask for stuff," He reminded her as she pulled out his notebook.

"Didn't want to interrupt," She waved Grant away, ripping out one of the pages in his notebook.

Grant stared at her for a moment, but decided starting something wasn't worth it. When he was sure she wouldn't interrupt again, he would repeat himself. "As I was saying...what's your thought on everything?

---

Doing her best to keep herself under control, Reia crossed her arms, choosing to ignore Marco as he acknowledged her. Thing about Marco, though, is that he's loud. Really loud. His voice was the sort to catch your attention whether you want it to or not. However, what really grabbed her attention was the reminder of Dante and Aurora. She dared herself to look at the pair, watching Aurora interact with him. The thing about Dante was that once you knew him well enough, he became predictable in a way. Still, he was damn good at adjusting himself when needed, which is probably why he was so successful. His unshakable confidence was his backbone, his good looks an appetizer, and the sex just sealed the deal.

So of course, Aurora didn't stand a chance against him.

What Reia had a hard time understanding was why. Squinting at him, she pulled her phone out, giving Marco her attention again as he spoke about Vivi probably wanting to bang...someone. That fine piece of ass? Oh, that must have been the new guy. Still, as much as Reia was interested in the topic, she had very little desire to actually interact with Marco--and she wanted to make that very clear with him.

"Escúchame bien, Marco," She told him, eyeing him warily. "How the hell Sol has tolerated you for so long is beyond me, but I don't really have her patience. You're delusional if you think Dante has a chance with her."

---

Ella seemed really excited, and for this Wade was grateful. He was a little nervous asking her, but considering she was more than happy to help before he had even explained the entirety of the situation, he was completely at ease. He stole a quick glance at Dante in hopes of getting some advice, but it looked like he was talking to Aurora. D would probably tell him to man up, so he just needed to spit it out. Rubbing his hands together nervously, he looked at Ella in silence for just a moment. She really was enthusiastic, why would he ever feel nervous about her? Well, then again, maybe she might change her tune once he would reveal what he wanted. Rather than beat around the bush any longer, though he should really just come out and ask.

Clearing his throat, he found himself running his hands through his hair. Shoot, he had definitely stayed quiet for too long. "Thing is, ever since school's started, I've been...getting stared at. A lot," He murmured, though he would raise his voice enough for Ella to hear him properly. "It's mostly girls...and a few guys. But, uh, so D--Dante, I mean, suggested that I could practice. Oh, that sentence didn't make sense, uhh...Clearly I don't have much experience with the opposite gender, I was thinking that maybe I could practice talking to you so I know how to deal with the...girls that keep staring..."

His voice trailed off as he noticed Vivi glancing at him. "...Like that."

[AlteredTundra]

There was absolutely no telling what could’ve confused the pasty mate. Kai, to the best of his knowledge, didn’t say anything that he hadn’t said before. Maybe it was the way he said it? He didn’t know. Maybe these Americans weren’t used to hearing the way that Kai usually spoke back in the Outback. If so, then perhaps he should dial it back. The only biggie there was how would he do that exactly? Kai wasn’t one to know when to hold back and when to just lay it all out there in the open. He either went big like a wave in the middle of a good sess or was quiet and unsuspecting like a roo suddenly punching your lights out.

Good thing for Vivi. She wasn’t as taken aback by Kai’s ways of talking. It brought a smile to Kai’s face and he gave Grant the same smile, though he wasn’t sure if he was as receptive to it as Vivi seemed to be.

“I’ve only met three, mate. You, Vivi here, and the Shirley over there with the golden man over there!” Kai pointed two tables ahead of them where Ella was sitting with someone Kai didn’t know. “Oh wait! Sol and Marco and Johann and Tommy and Fayed and Nolan!” Kai suddenly remembered the new mates he made during lunch hour. “They were all aces! And thanks to you, I now know Solay--I mean Soleil’s name.” Kai nodded to himself, giving Grant the ‘hanging ten’ hand gesture as a thanks.

Marco’s brown eyes were somewhat focused on the new kid appearing to fit in well with those outcasts, Grant and Vivi. He wouldn’t have guessed it, but from where he was sitting and the limited distance between them, Marco was willing to bet that the foreigner was also trying to put the moves on Vivi. If he was looking too much into it, then he’d hear it later. If he wasn’t, then this was truly something worth focusing on. Then again, just a table in front of them (next to Marco and Reia) was D and the class president herself.

Speaking of! “I don’t know. You say that and I currently see Rora seem to not push Dante’s advances.”

Marco tried not to glare or stare or eye them more than it was possible, but this was such an intriguing topic. “You have Dante Mossos, the self-proclaimed King of Kings and then there was Aurora Quill, who had the poshest name to ever exist into humanity. And that was saying a lot when Marco factored in one of his childhood friends, Howard Hickman Hollingsworth. She might be posh but she’ll never be Howard Hickman Hollingsworth posh.”

Wait. Marco looked at Reia, seeing her look back at him. “Oh shit, did I say that aloud?” Marco laughed a few times. Loudly. He seemed to earn a glare from Fluffy himself, smiling apologetically to the man. He then returned to Reia’s occasional gaze, though now he was looking at the side of her hair. He gave himself a self-pat on the back, trying to think of something clever to say that would restore all faith to him in Reia’s eyes.

Hold up. Did she say Sol’s name? “Wait, you think Sol can’t tolerate me? Ella es mi hermano. We are tight like - well, like you and Aurora.” Marco informed Reia, explaining to her about his friendship with Sol.

Marco switched it up, centering his attention on Reia. “So,” his voice trailed off, exaggerating the 'o' sound, “what’chaaa dooinn?”

“Savannah Montana? That’s cute.” She said, giving Sol an admirable smirk at her attempt of an insult.

That was the only acknowledgment that Sol was going to receive from Sav. It was a good attempt, but it wasn’t worth her attention. Frankly, Sav was more interested in the other thing that Sol had addressed. Quite like how she expected the Boxing Barbie to respond, she acted so defensively. It was almost as if she had to passionately deny the claims that she and Big Mac were dating. And if they weren’t officially dating, then they certainly had those sort of feeling for each other. Even if Sav wasn’t aware of their close relationship and how attached the two were, it didn’t take much to deduce that it was the case. Sol’s insistence that she didn’t feel that way made the blonde thespian curious about something.

Sav saw Mr. Alverez was currently busy on his phone. For someone who was adamant about teaching them a lesson, he had no problem turning his eyes away from them. She didn’t think much of it. Honestly, him not giving them attention after only ten or so minutes into detention meant that they were free to do whatever as long as it didn’t mean they would bring attention to themselves.

Ignoring him now, Sav turned her boy around to face Sol. “If what you say is really the truth, then you wouldn’t mind if I asked him out, right? He’s always been a nice guy. And let’s face it." Sav turned her attention behind her, looking at Marco engaged in a conversation with Reia. “He’s cute, isn’t he? I’m sure, as a fellow girl, you could appreciate just how handsome he is. And just think about it? Marco Castillo, the captain of the Water Polo team and Savanna Hart, the queen, together. We’d be the It Couple. Of course, “ Sav stared at Sol for a long minute, “if you don’t want me to, then I will stand down.”

[Venus]

Aurora -who had been studying like the goody two shoes that she was- gave a little jump when she heard his voice, and whipped her head to look at him so fast he thought he literally heard it snap. Her eyes revealed her surprise at finding him in Wade’s old seat, a reaction that the young man watched as it turned to nervousness, maybe? Either way, she seemed truly shaken up by their closeness- in a good way.

When the redhead replied to him, Dante couldn’t help but let out an amused laugh. Her feeble attempt at appearing disinterested was very cute, as was her assumption of how he’d landed himself in detention. Huh. Looks like Little Miss Aurora was aware of his rep after all. It would have been stupid of him to think she wasn’t, though. The girl was best friends with Reia Roselia: someone who knew D like the palm of her hand because she was just like him. And it’s not like his conquests were particularly quiet about their encounters with him, either. They bragged about the time spent with him to each other, be it in hushed whispers or loud conversations. Usually, Mossos took pride in knowing he made such a lasting impression on every female he charmed. But this time, he wished his current prey had less knowledge about him than she did. It would have really given him an edge.

When he finally replied, he did so with a wide grin on his smug face. “Nah, the gym lockers aren’t my thing anymore. That’s what the Ferrari’s for apart from burning rubber,” he told her cockily. “I wish it was for something exciting like that, but it’s not. Truth of the matter is I got caught smoking by Sutherland after our little talk this morning, and since he’s got a fat dick up his ass lately he sent me down to the doghouse.” Dante explained, gesturing to the room they were in with both hands. He shrugged, letting Aurora know he didn’t give a rat’s fart about it. “But what about you, Kitten? How is it that our stick-straight Class President landed herself in detention? There must be a juicy story behind this once in a blue moon event.”

Shady couldn’t help but let out one of her signature cackles when Savanna suggested that if she showed interest in Marco she would come out and magically confess her secret feelings for him. Why was it so hard to understand that Sol was not into Mac like that?! No matter how hard anyone tried or what anyone did to push her to spill the beans, she wouldn’t, because there was nothing to admit in the first place. Yes, Marco was handsome. Yes, he was honestly the funniest, sweetest, most entertaining and amusing guy she'd ever met in her life. And yes, she loved to spend every moment she possibly could with him: the ketchup to her fries, the peanut butter to her jelly, the sky to her sun. But their closeness stemmed from having been neighbors and best friends since the tender age of 7, and the nearly ten years of friendship had strengthened their bond more than anything else. If they hadn’t seen each other in any other way at any moment in time in the past few years, why would they start now? It was nothing but a silly idea at best.

“Yeah, I know my boy is cute. And if you wanna get in his pants, be my guest!” Sol replied to the blonde with a grin, gesturing towards Marco. “Third time’s a charm, right? So I’ll say it one last time for the people in the back: Marco Alejandro Castillo is my brother. Haven’t seen him that way, don’t see him that way, and never will see him that way. I’m not hidin’ nothin’. He can fuck with whatever bitch he wants and that’s his business. I’ll only get into it if she ain’t right for ‘im. And honestly, I think you a better chance at getting anywhere with me than you do with Marco, You know I love myself a pretty girl,” she told Sav, shooting her back the same flirtatious wink Barbie had used before to remind her that even though she identified as bisexual girls were her weakness.