The Toxic Face Of Love

"What instruments can you play?" Lila whispers. It comes out softly through her lips. They're dark as midnight, just like her hair.

"Probably everything, except the trombone; I mean, I can play it, but I just don't like it," he says, ending with a laugh. He feels proud of himself, not for being able to play all of these instruments, but because Lila likes that he can.

"I'd love to learn guitar someday. Do you think you could show me that song you played earlier?" She asks, looking up at Theodore, Her deep blue eyes sparkle with admiration. Her eyes then lock with his brown eyes for what feels like an eternity, but in reality, it was just a few seconds. Theodore’s cheeks blush a soft pink; he looks away, trying to hide it.

Lila noticed Theodore's usually chalky face fade into a light pink. A smile flickered across her face. She watched him pull at his hair in hopes of covering his pink-tinged cheeks, but his short, brown wavy hair wasn’t long enough to cover them. He gave up, flustered, blowing softly on the short strands. He pulls his guitar from the side of the bed and puts it on his lap. It's a black and white guitar; some roses are glued to it, others are drawn on it.

His fingers start to move fluently, dancing across the strings of the guitar; it's as if music were his language. His posture was relaxed yet focused, and he played a soft, slow, catchy tune. The sun begins to set, trying to get closer to hear this mesmerizing tune.

As he played it, Lila stood up.

Her body swayed and twirled in perfect harmony with the music. Her long, wavy hair followed her, falling to her waist whenever she stopped. She starts to dance, humming along to Theodore's tune. Her arms extended gracefully, her fingers reaching out as if to touch the very notes that surrounded her.

She dances around the room, and the blue walls watch her. The room is decorated with an array of Theodore’s drawings from his childhood. Adjacent to his queen-size bed, there’s a window through which he enjoys watching the sunset. He has a walk-in closet that's on the opposite wall from his window. It's a rather large walk-in closet; he has a few instruments in there. He's a tidy person, so it's all organized inside there. He has a nightstand to the right of his bed; he keeps his important things there. He has a light above it—just a small lamp. There is a piano on the other side of the room from his bed, a nice black-and-white one. In the left corner, he has shelves filled with various souvenirs from Theodore’s beach trips.

"That was beautiful," Lila compliments Theodore as he finishes the song. The sun has set.

"Thank you; I could teach you how to play the guitar myself for free too," he offers. Lila studies him briefly, contemplating the opportunity he’s given her.

"I'd love to learn from the best," she says. They both smile. Lila settles onto Theodore’s bed, finding comfort in the soft sheets. Theodore carefully puts his guitar away inside his walk-in closet.

"Could you please turn on the lamp?" Theodore asks, his tone gentle.

"And what if I don't?" Lila teases, playfully sticking out her tongue at Theodore. Despite her jest, she reaches over and flicks the lamp switch on. Theodore then crosses the room to the door, switching off the overhead lights before settling into bed.

"Goodnight, Lila," Theodore whispers.

"Goodnight, Theodore," Lila whispers back. Theodore turns off the lamp, and together, they slowly drift away, tuning out the noises from outside.

Theodore wakes up first. He makes his way out of bed, grabbing his phone and wallet from his nightstand. He heads towards his walk-in closet and goes inside to change. He looks around for some clothes, eventually picking out a brown dress shirt and black jogging pants.

He grabs his backpack from his closet and walks back into his room. He notices that Lila's finished changing. She's wearing a white long-sleeve viscose fabric shirt and blue jeans.

Theodore reminds Lila, “Remember to take your necklace.” Lila reaches into her backpack and pulls out a small box. Inside is a necklace with a crimson gem encased in an oval metal frame. Lila puts the necklace on, then carefully places the box back into her backpack and zips it shut. She grabs her backpack and starts to leave the room. Theodore turns off the lamp and follows her.

The hallway is spotless; each wall appears untouched since the day they moved in. To Theodore's right, there is a full-size bathroom. At the end of the hallway lies another door; inside is his parents' room. Positioned to the right of this door stands the staircase, and to the left rests the entrance to the laundry room. Adjacent to the left side of the hallway is a spacious additional bedroom.

Theodore and Lila descend the staircase, going directly from the living room to the front door. They grab their jackets and shoes, putting them on right after. Theodore grabs his keys from his coat pocket and locks the door behind them as they walk outside. Lila unlocks her car, and they both enter her black Mercedes-Benz. Lila pulls out of the driveway, heading towards the gas station.

Lila rolls into a parking spot in front of the gas station. It's still dark out, but the glow of the interior lights guides her through the darkness. The station appears well-kept, its cleanliness evident even in the dim light. Stepping out of the car; Lila locks it. They both walk into the brick building; they walk right to where the donuts are.

They made a beeline for the donuts, where Theodore took charge, insisting on jelly-filled for both of them while Lila grabbed some drinks. With two green cans in hand, she rejoined Theodore as they headed toward the counter. They stand in line behind a tall guy who's talking to the cashier, who is also the manager.

"Yeah, did you see what was outside? That shit was disgusting, but the security footage didn't show squat. Cops just told us to slap on more cameras," the tall guy remarked, his blonde hair cropped short. He sported a trench coat over a shirt that proudly declared 'Zyran's Station'

"Hell yeah, I did; I'll make sure that whatever caused it never dares to show its face again. If I hear a peep or spot any movement on those cameras, it's gonna have to deal with the wrath of my trusty pistol." With a chuckle, the blonde man disappears through the 'employees only' door into the back.

"Hey Theodore, same thing again?" He asks. His voice is a tad deeper than Theodor's.

"Yep, just like every other day," Theodore answers. Zyran is a good friend of Theodore and Lila; he's known them for a few years.

"What was the thing you were talking about with that man?" Lila asks, her curiosity strong again. Zyran finishes scanning the items, then he leans on the counter. His skin is soft, and his right nostril is pierced with a small, black ring. His hair was black, but it was also short; a small part of it went over his eyes. The rest would sit on or a little above his eyebrows.

"I can show you, but you better not puke," Zyran warns. His voice was monotone. His hazel eyes glow for a second, waiting for an answer. A small amount of wind flies through his sword earrings as the blonde man goes outside to grab some ice.

"I've got a strong stomach; show us what it is," Lila says. Zyran motions for Lila and Theodore to follow him as he goes into the employees-only room. He sits down at his computer; the black rolling chair matches his clothes. black long-sleeve shirt and black pants.

"Now there will be some gruesome things shown; are you prepared to watch?" Zyran asks. Lila and Theodore look at each other, then look back at Zyran and nod.

"Well, here it is," Zyran says as he opens a file on his computer. It's titled 'The Raccoon Incident'. He clicks the video to play it. A person in black walks towards the back door wall, holding a raccoon and hammer. They're wearing a suit, a black face mask, and thick black gloves. The person sets the hammer and raccoon down. Lila and Theodore then realize that the raccoon is either dead or asleep.

The person grabs a trash can and flips it upside down, putting it against the wall. They set the raccoon on the dark green trash can, then they grab something from their pocket. It looks like a nail, but a sharp and long one. The person takes the strange nail and pushes it through the raccoon's stomach until it digs itself into the wall. The raccoon starts to yell in pain; it attempts to move around but is unable to. Blood flies out of the raccoon and onto the trash can, falling to the ground.

The person holds the raccoon against the wall firmly, grabbing the hammer from the ground. They start hitting the hammer, and each time they hit, bones can be heard shattering. Each hit would be stronger than the last, and the nail would dig deeper into the raccoon. The raccoon moved closer to the brick wall, right until it was held against it by the nail. The raccoon stopped moving; it tried to play dead. But it wasn't enough.

The person takes out another nail; this time they move the raccoon's hand up, digging a nail through its hand into the wall. Bones would break every time they swung. They did this three more times, once in the other hand and twice in the feet. The raccoon, however, died by the second one.

Zyran pauses the video before it ends, shutting down the computer right after. Theodore and Lila both wear faces filled with disgust. They don't know what they just saw—was it real or fake? When would Zyran say this is just some fake, disgusting prank?

But after a few minutes, that never came. They all just stood up and went to the front counter, acting as if nothing happened or trying to. Zyran then scans their items.

"All right, that's going to be a dollar," Zyran says. He knows it's 5, but he just showed them something traumatizing. Theodore takes his wallet out and grabs a dollar, handing it to Zyran right after.

"Listen, that won't happen again, so don't worry; we've made sure to up the security here," Zyran reassures Lila and Theodore.

"Thanks; sorry you had to deal with whoever did that or the aftermath," Theodore says. Theodore and Lila exit; they enter Lila's car.

"Fuck, never watching a video on his computer again," Lila jokes. Theodore laughs, and Lila smiles.

"Damn right, now let's hope these donuts and drinks can erase that off our minds; that was disgusting," Theodore adds. Lila and Theodore eat their donuts; they open their pops and are greeted by a crisp, reliving sound. They start to drink their pops, but they don't finish them; they leave some for school. Lila pulls out of the gas station, driving towards the school after.

Lila drives into the parking lot; she parks the car to the left of the school. Lila and Theodore exit the car, enter the school, and go to the Commons to wait for the first hour to begin. As they're walking through the halls, they notice new blue ribbons with their school name on them.

"Eleanor High, the official blue ribbon school," Theodore reads.

"I think it's a lie; I swear I've seen at least five schools with this same ribbon," Lila jokes. Theodore laughs a little. The two walk forward. They walk through a few hallways; some curve, some don't; some are white, some are blue.

They sit down in the Commons. They face forward, towards the lunch line. Behind them is the counseling office, and to their left is the school library. The blue walls in the Commons have awards on them; some are ribbons, and some are pictures. The floor is a mix of black, gray, and white.

"Well, what have I missed?" Vincent asks. He walks closer to the table they're sitting at, the sitting room on the right of Vincent. His hair is black like Lila's; it's medium in length, and it's slightly curly as well. He has a middle part that makes his hair look like curtains.

"Nice necklace, where'd you get it?" Lila asks, forgetting Vincent's question. It's a gold necklace mixed with white pearls.

"Oh, just the jewelry school down the road, and it's not too expensive there," Vincent answers.

"Well, maybe sometime we should all go down there and check it out, but did you hear about the new student coming in today?" Lila gossips.

"What new student?" Theodore asks. Confused.

"Oh, you haven't heard? They were kicked out of their last school because they were constantly in fights, but it could be a lie," Vincent says, leaning closer to Theodore.

"We'll find out soon. I heard we share two to three classes," Lila informs Theodore.

"Tell me if the rumors are true or not, or if they look like they'd be true," Vincent says. Theodore checks his watch. There are three minutes left until class.

"We should all head to class now; we don't want to be late," Theodore states.

"Well, we'll see what happens with the new kid," Lila says. Vincent goes towards the English section of the school. It's to the right of the counseling office.

"Let's hope I don't fall asleep during history," Theodore jokes. He gives the impression of him falling asleep on his desk. Lila laughs as they walk to class. To the left of the lunch line is a section with a few rooms, but if you keep going forward, then you'll see the history section of the school.

As the two walk into the classroom and sit down, the bell rings. They stand up for the pledge of allegiance and sit down once it's over. Mrs. R walks into the classroom and sits at her desk. She has dark brown hair that flows down to her chest. Her gray eyes capture the grim history she teaches.

"You guys sit tight; I'm going to get the new student," Mrs. R says. She's young, probably the youngest full-time teacher at this school. She leaves her classroom and heads towards the office.

"Well, she's got new posters," Theodore says, breaking the silence shared between him and Lila. There are five posters hung on the back wall of the room, the same wall as the classroom door. Mrs. R's desk is on the first wall that can be seen when entering the classroom. The left wall is painted, with a few presidents on the wall and Earth in the middle of it. The board is in the middle of the wall, opposite the door. The right wall is just a few whiteboards and poster boards for Mrs. R to use.

"It's weird; they're not motivating like every other class. They're just quotes; I mean, good ones, but still," Lila says. Theodore looks underneath Mrs. R's desk, noticing a bag full of Coke bottles.

"Hey Lila, I think she's a cokeaholic," Theodore jokes while pointing to Mrs. R's desk. Lila looks and sees the bottle of Coke cans, laughing right after.

The class is loud, but they start to die down once they hear Mrs. R's voice in the hallway, slowly getting clearer and clearer, yet they're unable to make out her conversation. She walks in with the new student; their hair is fluffy, and it almost covers their eyes. It's a mix of dim gray; it looks natural. They're wearing a yellow plaid top over a dark navy blue collared shirt with tiny white hearts all over it.

"Raven, you'll sit next to Lila and Theodore," Mrs. R announces. "Lila, Theodore, will you both raise your hands?" She politely commands. Lila and Theodore raise their hands, and the new student walks over to them, sitting at the desk to Lila's left. They set their backpack down; it's a little brown bag that looks more like a purse than a backpack. Lila studies the new students; she feels like she's seen them before, but she can't remember where.

Mrs. R starts to teach. She starts talking about the Cold War and how it wasn't a war. She mentions the 13-day-long Cuban missile crisis. Theodore can't help but slowly drift off during her lectures. He lays his head on the desk and falls asleep.

Mrs. R finishes the lecture right as Theodore falls asleep. Lila decides to use this time to get to know the new student.

"Hey, my name is Lila! What's yours?" Lila asks cheerfully.

"My name's Raven, Raven Hinders." Their voice is a mix of masculine and feminine. They look more masculine, but their tanned skin is softer than that of other teenage boys.

Lila stops and looks into Raven's brown eyes. "Raven hinders? As in Raven Hinders from Maplecrest?" She asks. Her eyes widened. She watches Raven nod. They both realize that they used to be friends at Maplecrest. But Raven moved to another elementary school in sixth grade, causing them to split apart.

"Omg, did you move back?" Lila asked. She's ecstatic that she can see Raven again.

"Yes, I was planning to stay, but my parents randomly decided to move when 6th grade began," Raven admits. Schools for their district are different: elementary school goes up to sixth grade, middle school runs from seventh to ninth grade, and high school runs from 10th to 12th grade.

Lila notices a scar on Raven's neck. She leans in to get a better look; it looks like it's about 3–4 inches. Lila wants to check if her guess is accurate or not, so she reaches out her hand to feel Raven's scar.

"If you want to touch me that badly, let's take it to another room," Raven flirts. They grab Lila's hand. Lila stares into Raven's eyes, allured by their beauty. "Here, let me help you; just be gentle," Raven says softly. Raven slowly puts Lila's hand on their scar.

"It's warm, but cold at the same time," Lila mumbles. "And your skin is so soft, it's amazing," she complimented. Raven lets go of her hand. Lila feels the scar for a few more seconds before she rests her hand back on her lap.

"I'd bet your friend would love to see how red you are," Raven says playfully while pointing their thumb at Theodore. Lila covers her face; she's starting to feel warm, and her heart is beating just a little faster.

"What's their name anyway?" Raven asks, glancing at Theodore, then back to Lila.

"His name's Theodore; we've been best friends since middle school," Lila says as she uncovers her face. Her voice softens. "He helped me through some difficult times; I'm sure you will like each other," Lila lets out.

"You're sweet; you've been the type to always care about others more than yourself," Raven lightly says. Lila smiles.

Theodore finally wakes up; he wipes his eyes and looks at the clock. "Damn, how is it still the first hour?" He asks himself. He sits up straight at his desk.

"Hey Theodore, I'd like you to meet my old elementary friend, Raven," Lila says.

"Didn't they get expelled for fighting? I mean, how could someone like that fight?" He blurts.

"Well, that's a kind way to introduce yourself to someone you just met," Raven says sarcastically. Theodore apologizes.

"What classes do you have?" Theodore asks.

"I've got history, then bio, then algebra, then AP psychology, then English, then theater," Raven says.

"We share four classes, and you share two with Theodore. I have the same algebra, English, and theater classes as you. Theodore will be in your bio class," Lila explains to Raven.

"Well, at least I'll be able to take you home after the sixth hour," Raven whispers to Lila. Lila can't help but smile, and when she does, she covers it.

"What was that?" Theodore asks, jealousy clear in his voice. Lila takes a few seconds, then she uncovers her mouth.

"Hey, don't worry, Theodore; I'm still going to go home with you," Lila reassures Theodore.

"Aww, look at the two love birds," Raven jokes. Raven turns away from Lila and Theodore. They lay with their faces in their elbows on the desk.

"It makes me sick just thinking about it," they mumble to the ground. Theodore and Lila heard what they said.

"Oh, we're not dating," Lila informs Raven. They study both of them and then they nod. They could make a whole argument about why they'd be together.

"By the way, what should we use for you?" Theodore asks. Lila had the same question, but she didn't want to seem rude. Raven turns toward Lila and Theodore again.

"I'm not bound to gender identities like you guys are," Raven says, acting mysterious. He notices that Lila and Theodore are confused. That, or they think he's weird.

"You guys can call me whatever; it doesn't matter," he says softly. Raven is more androgynous than anything.

"I'll swap between them here and there then!" Lila says it supportively. Raven groans; it's not what he meant, but they're not going to say anything against it. A few minutes later, the bell rings. Students shift to their desks. They put their backpacks on and swiftly exited the room, one by one.

"Theodore, you guide Raven to bio, okay?" Lila asks kindly. Theodore looks into her eyes; he's entranced by her. Forcing himself free of her spell, he answers, "Of course."

Lila hugs Theodore, holding him tightly. Then she hugs Raven; she gets warmer with their soft skin against her own. Raven looks confused at first, but then she wraps her arms around him.

"All right, I'll see you guys later!" Lila says, exiting the classroom full of joy.

"Listen, you go ahead; I already know where the biology class is," Raven quietly says to Theodore.

"But you just..." Theodore mumbles. He shrugs it off and starts heading to biology. Raven watches him as he leaves the classroom.

"Hey Lila, how was history?" Vincent asks as Lila enters their biology class. Even though Vincent, Lila, Theodore, and Raven all have biology at the same hour, Vincent and Lila have Mr. Strune, while Theodore and Raven have Mrs. Hera.

"If you meet an old friend from elementary school, you'll get to see them in English," Lila says. Raven hasn't gotten off her mind since she met him.

"I'm sure it'll be fun to meet someone new; I just hope they don't punch me," Vincent jokes as he and Lila go sit at their desk.

“Trust me, once you see him, you'll not believe any of that. The way they talk, it's just so—" Lila pauses. Her mind begins to create scenarios of her hanging with Raven.

“Here I thought you had a crush on Theodore, but you're already falling for the new kid,” Vincent teases. Lila smiles and puts her face into her arms.

“I guess she's just got that charm; her eyes capture my heart, and when she catches me looking at her face, it makes it hard to breathe,” Lila says quietly. Her heart begins to beat faster, and her smile grows larger by the second.

“Wow, all of that happened in one hour?” Vincent playfully says, “You know, it's nice to see that you're happy and about to fall in love with someone. It's been a long time since you've thought you liked somebody before,” Vincent admits. He's been there for Lila since they were young.

They both smile at each other as Mr. Strune walks in and sits at his desk. The classroom is almost a perfect square, but there is a little circular part to the front right of the classroom: there is a door that leads outside, a few boxes to the right wall, and an empty bookshelf. There are cabinets on all of the walls; it's a biology classroom. They're all labeled, and paper with the names sits on the cabinet drawers. There's some on the ground and some attached to the wall. The desks are laid out in five rows. The one closest to the back has five, starting from the right of the room, then four, then three, then two, and two at the very front of the room. The whiteboard is split into three sections: a large one in the middle and right, a small section on the left of the whiteboard fit for updates or plans, and above that small section is a smaller section with inspirational messages. At the back of the room, there are beakers on top it, mixed with a few small containers filled with random things. The side cabinets have a counter on them, and a few sinks are mixed in there.

Mr. Strune's desk is on the left side of the room, to the left of the whiteboard. It faces the right wall of the room. He has a rolling chair behind it, two computer screens on the desk, a mouse, a few medals from when he was younger, a projector, and a few papers that need to be graded.

“All right, class starts at five; if you need to use the restroom or anything, do it now or forever hold your pee,” he announces, joking at the end. A few people give him a short laugh to humor his joke.

“If you need any help, let me know,” Vincent reminds Lila. “I'm the smartest in this room,” he says in a nerdy tone, holding his finger up. Lila covers her mouth as she laughs.

“Thanks, but I'm catching up to you, so I'm pretty sure I won't need it; you'll be needing my help,” Lila playfully jokes.

“Bring it on,” Vincent challenges. The two hold their fists out at each other as if they're about to fight. They fist-bumped, letting their hands fall to the table after.

“All right, class, today we'll be learning about mitosis,” Mr. Strune says as he stands in front of the classroom. His voice is clear; it's tough yet light, just the average voice of a 40-year-old man. He's wearing jeans, a blue shirt, and a white baseball cap. It helps cover his balding head. He isn't skinny, but he isn't muscular; his clothes fit him just right. Sometimes you'll be able to see the outlines of his arms, which just means he's been working out.

Mr. Strune turns around, grabs a marker, and starts drawing on the whiteboard. He starts his lecture, which sounds like a Lullaby to Lila. She tries to stay awake, but her eyes are constantly falling. Each word Mr. Strune says makes her eyes feel heavier and heavier. She lets this go on for around ten minutes, then gives up. She lays her arms in front of her on the table and puts her head down, hoping to get some rest.

"You guys have an assignment on your computers. Open up your laptops and complete it; if you don't, it'll be homework," Mrs. Hera informs the class. Raven and Theodore both take out their laptops and set them on their tables.

"What are we learning about?" Raven asks Theodore. They sit together at a table in the back. Mrs. Hera's room is just like Mr. Strune's, except hers is more organized.

"Mitosis, if you need any help with it, just ask me," Theodore answers.

"This should be easy then," Raven boasts. She checks the assignment on her laptop once it's fully booted up. It's a writing assignment, so she starts typing away. It only takes her about 5 minutes, but she finishes it.

"Damn, this is supposed to take 20 minutes," Theodore says. He wears a surprised face; he's only done with half of the first page out of the two and a half papers.

"It's pretty easy; I can show you if you need help," Raven offers. Theodore thinks for a second that he would like the help, but this could also just be for Raven's ego.

"Yeah, can you show me how to do this part?" Theodore asks, moving the cursor to the next section of his digital paper. He slowly pronounces each word as if he's still deciding whether or not he wants to go through with this while asking.

"Oh, that? Yes, of course," Raven says. He scoots closer to Theodore. Theodore feels a bump touch his shoulder. He blushes for a second, then scoots just far enough so he doesn't feel that bump on his shoulder. Raven starts to explain the section Theodore needs help with and does a bit of it for him. While he is doing this, Theodore can't help but think about the lavender scent that's infiltrating his nose. It's strong yet weak, tiring yet refreshing. Theodore pays as much attention as he can to Raven. But, in the blink of an eye, he's already halfway through the second page. Even if Theodore wasn't fully paying attention, he still understood what Raven was saying; somehow, he still understood as if he had heard everything.

He can't help the feeling brewing inside him, the thousands of questions he has, the lavender in his nose. What did Lila mean her skin was soft? Does he think he should try and feel Raven's skin to see what Lila meant? Raven continued during his internal crisis. As Raven makes Theodore finish the second page, Theodore finally gains the courage to ask her a question. He stops typing and looks at Raven.

"Hey, is lavender your favorite type of flower? Theodore asks, hoping to find out more about her. Raven looks at him, and a little smile makes its way onto her face.

"How'd you know?" Raven asks. She seems a bit fond of Theodore now, but not as much as she's fond of Lila. But she's acting as if they've been best friends, and now they're just catching up. She scoots back in her chair, just a bit. She looks Theodore in the eyes and smiles. Every bit of her attention and focus as of now is on him.

"Just a lucky guess," Theodore says nervously. "You also smell like lavender," he adds. His focus shifts back to his laptop; he's just got a little bit left to do.

"Well, yeah, lavender helps me sleep. I also have a lavender person, and I'm sure you know who that is," Raven says softly. She scoots back to her original spot, laying her crossed arms on the desk right after. His mind fills with memories of the high school he used to attend. Memories flood his mind like rainy clouds during a thunderstorm, everyone darker than the last. Raven's head sinks between his arms.

"I'm sure you know who that is," Theodore repeats to himself in his mind. He continued, "Yeah, sure you do; day one, and you're already falling for my best friend." He can feel himself becoming more and more jealous, but he lets the feeling find its way out of him.

"Finally, I've finished!" Theodore bursts out. Students turn their gazes towards him, wondering why he got so loud. He makes himself shorter in his chair and shuts his laptop down. He gently zips open his backpack, slides his laptop in, and zips it shut.

"Thanks for the help," Theodore whispered. He turns his head over to Raven and notices that they're asleep.

"Well, I guess I should catch up on some Z's too," Theodore thinks to himself. He looks at the clock to see how long he'll have. "About half an hour to sleep, nice," Theodore mutters. He decides to lay his head down on the desk. As his cheek touches the table, he understands why Raven fell asleep so fast. Although the posture was uncomfortable, the table was cold, smooth, and slightly comfortable. He lets his eyes fall shut; a wave of drowsiness encompasses him as if he were a surfer who was hit by a big wave.

The bell rings, and students get up and disperse into the hallways. Lila and Vincent walk through the halls towards the lunchroom; Raven and Theodore do the same. The hallway walls in the biology section of the school have little things related to plants and life on the wall. Lila and Vincent trail this wall; they run into each other, and the group goes to the Commons for lunch.

"Vincent, this is Raven, Raven, this is Vincent," Lila says as the group sits down for lunch. "Also, Vincent, go and show Raven the school store," Lila commands.

"Of course, I have to, oh well, follow me," Vincent complains as he motions for Raven to come with him.

"You know, it's a pleasure to meet a boxer," Vincent jokes.

"It'd be a pleasure to beat you next," Raven says playfully. She smirks at Vincent, waiting for a response.

"It depends on the type of beating," Vincent teases. He smirks back at Raven.

"I probably could beat you in a fight. But I don't know why you think a fight is what got me kicked out of my last school," Raven admits. Vincent looks at Raven as they walk into the store line. He's intrigued by what he said, wondering why Raven was kicked out.

The school store is smaller than a classroom, but just a little bigger than a bathroom. It's split into two lines: chips and snacks on one side and healthy food on the other. There is some pizza stored in the back; if a student wants one, they just have to ask for it.

"So why were you kicked out?" He asks. Raven's gaze shifts from Vincent to the bags of chips.

"How much do these costs?" Raven asks, hoping Vincent moves on. She wraps her arms around her stomach, and her fingers lightly tap her arm. She doesn't trust many people, so she hides things, especially why she was kicked out.

"Oh, those? They're a dollar fifty per bag," Vincent answers. He notices Raven avoiding the question, but he isn't going to push any further.

"Perfect, I'll buy us all a drink and a bag of chips," Raven says softly, her voice sounding weak. A smile forces itself on her face; her eyes become wet.

"Oh, you don't have to do that," Vincent says. Vincent takes a closer look at Raven as they move through the line.

"Are you okay?" He questions. He notices that she's changed to an unattached attitude. She takes a second, looking as if she's thinking about what to say.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine; don't worry," she says. Vincent decides to think nothing of it, just to make things easier. They start walking forward whenever the person in front of them moves. Eventually, they make it to the end of the line.

That'll be $17," the cashier says, his voice monotone. He looks like he's around their age. The ceiling light illuminates his blonde hair; it looks like Vincent's, except the middle part is just a little wider and longer. His black attire seems a bit too formal for a job like this. Raven reaches into his pocket and retrieves his wallet, pulling out a $20 bill and handing it to the cashier.

"Just keep it in the account; there is no need to waste your time and give me change," Raven politely commands. The cashier looks a bit surprised; it's as if she knew what he was thinking.

"Before I go, what is your name?" Raven asks as she picks up her items.

"It's Kethan, yours?" He asks, studying Raven's face.

"I'm Raven; it's nice to meet you," Raven says with a smile. She looks behind Vincent, seeing the line behind them slowly growing. "Welp, I guess we must go now; see you around sometime," she finished. Vincent leads Raven back to their lunch table.

"Damn, so many snacks; you're bulking, aren't you?" Theodore jokes. Raven cracks a laugh before sitting down next to Lila.

"Here, everyone grabs a bag," Raven says as he spreads them on the table. The group takes a bag, thanking Raven as they grab one.

"How've you enjoyed being here so far?" Lila asks Raven.

"Oh, it's been nice; it's pretty easy here, or I'm just getting lucky for it being my first day," Raven says, laughing at his own "joke."

"That's good to hear, but trust me, you may hate our English teacher," Lila warns. Raven stops drinking her pop, and her gaze shifts over towards Lila.

"Why's that? Is he some sort of asshole or something?" Raven questions. He wonders if it's because the teacher picks on her or if the teacher just stinks in general.

"No, well, not really," Lila pauses. "He's just anal about everything," Lila says. She looks at Raven, her smile growing as the seconds pass.

"Yeah, we should try that sometime," Raven mutters. He didn't mean to say it, but he was accidentally thinking aloud. He looks over and notices that only Vincent made an expression.

"Damn, Raven's going to be one hell of a friend," Vincent smirks. He was the only one who heard what Raven said.

"What did Raven say?" Theodore asks, either out of jealousy or simply out of curiosity.

"Would you like to tell them?" Vincent says, looking over at Raven. Lila's eyes lock with Raven's, trapping him. He feels as if he's forced to say it now.

"Well, hun, I said we should do that someday," Raven repeats himself as he grabs Lila's hand. Lila's gaze is locked with Raven's; she starts to turn red as she repeats what he said in her mind. She breaks eye contact and shoves her face into her elbows, which lie on the table.

"Of course you'd want to do that," Theodore scoffs.

"Oh, come on now, you've got to admit that was funny," Vincent laughs. Theodore doesn't respond; he just gives Vincent the side eye.