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Chapter Text

Kidd stared around his room. Nothing really worth packing...

Clothes were scattered across the floor, and his luggage sat mostly empty on his bed.

Kidd had to get packed. Packed for what you may be asking? His first day back at highschool of course.
Ah yes. Another summer that'd come and gone too fast.

Faced with school tomorrow, Kidd had to rack his messy room and find some necessities to pack.

Monstermon plushies and cards lined most shelves in his room, but between the rare cards and soft creatures, you could see a picture frame or two.
Each picture frame held a delicate photo of this or that, but they all had one thing in common; All photos were loving memories that Kidd held dear in his heart.

An old photo from kindergarten...the day he'd met Lily--one of his current best friends.
Another old photo from kindergarten. This one featuring Lily, Nugget, and Billy. All three stood in what looked like a lab from a movie set...but what happened in kindergarten was no movie.

While looking back on the memories did make Kidd smile, he normally followed with a frown.
All the violence they fought at such young ages...

Gently grabbing the second picture frame, Kidd analyzed every detail--something he'd done hundreds of times before.
The blood on Nugget, the shattered glass behind them...even the hunched frame of Ron, which was barely visible behind Lily.

A noise outside caught Kidd's attention. He turned away from the picture to glance out his window into the orange sky but saw nothing. So, he turned back to the picture.

This day reminded Kidd of Penny, another little...uhm, robot girl, who attended his second school.
She had been killed by her own mother for disobeying orders.

Apparently, Penny hadnt always been a robot, but Kidd didnt think that mattered.

Kidd bit his lip. No matter how he tried to force his thoughts down, they always surfaced.
If Kidd hadnt fried her chip, Penny couldve responded accordingly to her mother.
She was the only kid who had ever actually died, the only one Kidd and his friends couldnt save.

He swore that no matter how many times that old fateful Tuesday repeated, Penny was destined to die. And that hurt to think about.

Even if she was a robot, even if she werent competent on the same level as Kidd...
Did a kid deserve such a horrible death?

Kidd bit his tongue.

Back then...Kidd swore the days would repeat. Adults called him crazy, specialists called him troubled...
Even so, he knew what he'd experienced.

He knew he'd died before. He knew his friends had died before. But how could that be possible?

These... 'repeating days' all stopped after kindergarten, though. So eventually, he just seemed like a liar.
But still, he told everyone! His mom, his therapist, new teachers...but nobody ever believed him for obvious reasons.

Kidd had been put through more painful procedures than he'd like to admit, as every adult he told about his repetitive days assumed he was severely troubled.
Electroconvulsive therapy was the one thing that made Kidd flinch every time he thought about it, solely because he'd been subject to it so many times.

He still remembered turning six and being called manic as medical professionals led him into that awful room with the little white table.

Just as his mind was fogging over, and tears were threatening to prickle his eyes.
"Kidd, honey! Are you in there?"

His mother rapped her knuckles on Kidd's bedroom door. "Hi mom, come in!" Kidd called, dropping the frame he'd forgotten he was holding as she entered. He tried to wipe his eyes off before she set foot in his messy room.

Kidd's mom resembled him in a way. Same brown hair, only hers was very long, threatening to touch the ground. She had the same beady eyes he had...
"Nowhere close to being packed," She tsked.

Kidd turned to his messy room, and then back to her. "Oops." He said, in an innocent voice that fooled nobody, and especially not his mom.
She sighed as she placed her hands on her hips.
"Kidd..." She groaned, playfully. "What am I gonna do with you?"

Kidd tried to laugh back, but his mind lingered on the photo.
His mom seemed to notice his eyes wandering. She followed his absent gaze back over to the frame. Even if she didnt know what part of the picture was getting him down, she still came to comfort him.

Of course she didnt know Kidd's saddened mood was also tampered by trauma, but you know what they say; its the thought that counts.

She walked into the room and gave him a hug, gently stroking the back of his head.
It took alot for Kidd to force down the urge to cry, and even more for him to hug her back, even if his arms were a bit shaky.

Neither Kidd or his mother spoke, but she did kiss his forehead gently. Seemingly trying to tell him without words that she was sorry.
She'd of course known about everything her son had been through.

Not the stuff in kindergarten, oh no, but all of the procedures he'd undergone to try and 'fix his mind'.

His mother was always concerned about how Kidd had come out of kindergarten, speaking of knowing death, and having experienced it.
It took a few years for him to convince her that he--at the very least-- was not crazy.

Kidd basked in his mothers comfort, silently.
"Big day tomorrow," She said softly, pulling back.

"Get packed," She gave him a gentle pat on the back, her eyes just as soft as her voice. " 'Kay..." Kidd said, smiling through tears.

She left just as fast as she'd come in. Now, Kidd stood silently. He cast a glance at the photo, and just gave a deep sigh of sorrow.
Well...that luggage wouldnt pack itself.

By the time night fell, Kidd was sprawled out on his unmade bed, rather fixed on the roof above him.

Kidd had packed his luggage nice and loose, as he lacked much to pack it with.
A few clothes, a book for this lesson and that, and of course, a bunch of Monstermon cards.

Even after all his years of collecting, he still didnt have them all.
He had exclusive one-of-a-kind cards--given to him by Lily and Billy--and he still didnt have a perfect collection!
But, he'd reckon to say his current collection was fine.

His phone suddenly dinged, and Kidd lifted it to his face, the light burning his eyes in his dark room.
Groaning, he read the ID.

One message. From 'Dipshit'.
Kidd opened the message.

"U ready for tmrw?"

Instead of responding, Kidd opened the contact, and hit call. They answered in seconds.
"You're up late," Kidd said, yawning.

"Pff, you are too! Didnt think you'd be up. I thought you'd just wake up tomorrow, see my message, and be all like...man."
Kidd laughed at his friends stupidity.

"Hey, Billy." He finally greeted.

Yep. Billy. Billy was 'dipshit' in his phone.

Billy was chaotic, and playful, and too many words to fit into a book.
But most of all, he was Kidd's best friend.

Technically, Billy should have died back in kindergarten, when he was used for illegal child experimentation, but Kidd and Lily--Billy's twin sister--had saved him miraculously, killing their principal in the process.

"Heyo Kidd," He drawled. Kidd could tell Billy was eating something, as crunching and rustling came through the phone. He had half a mind to ask what, but he didnt really care.
"Dude--you packed for tomorrow?" Billy asked, speaking around whatever he was eating.

Kidd layed down on his bed, staring up at the dark ceiling. He didnt know how late it really was. Maybe almost midnight?
He was gonna have a rough first day back.

"You know I havent," Kidd said, snorting with laughter. "Loser!" Billy teased. Then he sighed, "Me neither. Lily hounded me about it for weeks...welp."
Kidd kept laughing, mostly at Billy's incredible ability to procrastinate.
"I guess I'm sorta packed..." Kidd confirmed, raising his head to stare at his luggage.

The reason they had to pack was because they'd be given dorms at the school.
While it was their second year of highschool, they were having their second year at a whole new school.

Kidd was used to switching schools every year, but it did get tiresome to an extent.
He'd still have the same staff...same classmates...just a new school building.

Kidd didnt think highschool had dorms, as his previous school certainly didnt, but he'd been greatly proven wrong when the school sent his mother a message about dormitory arrangements, and seeing if Kidd needed something extra. Like modified beds, showers, or a specific room location for accessibility.

"Sorta packed still isnt packed-packed," Billy said with a crunch. Kidd couldnt hold back, "What the hell are you eating?" He asked, flopping his head back down.
"Dry ramen." "Dry?" Kidd asked in shock.

"Yuh-huh. Too tired to cook it, and Lily's already asleep." "I was asleep." Came a tired voice through the phone.

"Oops." Billy whispered, though a bit too late. "Sorry--oof!--Hey!" "Hi Lily," Kidd drawled, smiling even though she couldnt see him.
"Hi Kidd," She yawned. "Billy, get to sleep," she said, her voice drifting.

Crunch, crunch...
"Mmh--alright--see you tomorrow Kidd!" Billy said slowly. "Seeya."

Beep, Beep, Beep.
And Billy was gone.

The sky seemed a bit darker outside, which was weird, as Kidd thought it had been black before.
With a groan, Kidd rolled over and closed his eyes.

He prayed he could get just a hot minute of sleep.

Kidd thought it'd be hard to fall asleep, but for all he knew, he'd simply blinked and morning had come. "Kidd!" A knock at his door. "I'm up!" Kidd called, yawning and stretching.
His whole body was exhausted, and his luggage was still mostly devoid of useful stuff.

Before anything, Kidd reached over to his nightstand and grabbed a small bottle of pills. He popped two into the palm of his hand, and swallowed them with a cough.
He then promptly tossed the bottle into his luggage.

Kidd rushed from his bedroom, flying into the bathroom and collecting things like his toothbrush, and a towel, desperate to atleast fill his luggage.
"Come on! You've only got a few minutes," His mother tsked as Kidd crammed whatever into his luggage. "Got it!" He called back, pocketing his phone.

He pulled his backpack on, and gave his room one last scan. He wasnt missing anything important.
Plus if he was, he could always text his mom...or something.

In the living room, his mother was fiddling with her keys, a thick coat pulled over her shoulders. She cast a glance at him, and gave an exaggerated wave.
"Come on!" She said again, "I dont want you late on your first day." "I wont be late mom!" He said, shaking his head as he pulled his light luggage out the door.

She followed him locking the house up and unlocking the car remotely. "Dont worry," She said, as Kidd reached for his luggage.
"I can get that for..." She lifted it up, frowning slightly. "Honey--did you pack anything?" "Yes...mom. I did, I promise."

With a sigh, she headed to the car alongside her son. The two climbed in, and the car rumbled to life.

The drive there was pretty calm. The radio played songs Kidd liked, even if he never expected them on at seven in the morning.

'William, William it was...really nothing..'

He'd hum quietly to the lyrics, oblivious to the school already approaching on the side.
"Oh shoot."

When the car stopped, Kidd wanted to crawl into the backseat and just...go home. School. Ugh. Kidd could think of nothing worse.
...
Okay well...maybe he could.

But he was tired! It was too early for school...
He missed summer break already.

"Do you want help with your luggage?" His mom asked, sweetly. "Nah I've got it mom..."
The cold morning air rustled Kidd's hair as he stepped out of the car and bent over to grab his bag.

He pulled it out onto the uneven concrete, and smiled over at his mom through the passenger window.
"Text if you need me!" She called. Kidd gave a stiff nod.

"Love you mom."
"Love you, honey."

With a little smile, the car Kidd had arrived in pulled away.

Kidd found himself staring at where the car had been before he finally gained the courage to turn and face school.
It was certainly something.

Large grassy lawns wrapped around the massive building, and a long pathway lead inside.
Gripping his backpack a little tighter, Kidd headed for the entry.

He'd be lying if he said he knew what to expect, because he really didnt.
The hallways were devoid of anything or anyone. But they stretched on...

Kidd looked around. Was he at the right school? He scratched his head, his hand feeling heavy.
Just before he could contemplate turning and leaving--
"Kidd?"

A voice addressed him professionally, though a mixture of glee and confusion lay in the back of their voice. Kidd turned around.
David was approaching him, hands cupped infront of him as they always were.

Eleven years ago, David was brutally shot through the stomach by one of Kidd's former 'principals', who had been killed shortly after the incident.
With the suffered trauma and all, it was easily assumed that he was dead. Even his own son, Davey, had proclaimed that through tears.

But somehow, the loss of multiple organs...hadnt killed him?
Doctors were able to keep him alive and save him, even after that school exploded.
Kidd didnt question it, he never had really, he was just happy David miraculously lived.

After all, he was the only good principal Kidd had ever known.

Even though Principal David was well and fine, the memory of seeing him on what shouldve been his metaphorical death bed made Kidd want to curl up in a ball and cry, as most memories of kindergarten often did.

"Hi Principal David." Kidd greeted his principal with a gentle handshake.

"Did you have a nice break?" David asked, retracting his hand. "Ah...so-so," Kidd confessed with a guilty smile.

He figured,
'Yeah, me, Billy, Nugget and Lily spent most of the break causing trouble and driving without proper licensing.'

Was not the answer Principal David was after.

He gave a warm smile at Kidd's false answer, though.

"Where...uhm. Is everybody?" Kidd asked, once again acknowledging the absence of literally everybody else.
David gave a hearty laugh, "Kidd...you're very early, you know."

Kidd's eyes widened slightly. "But...its seven?" David opened his mouth, but Kidd checked his phone before David could speak. "Its...six-past-seven. So arent I late then?"
"No. Classes start at eight thirty."

Without saying anything, Kidd's mouth fell open in shock.
"I couldve still been in bed right now?"

Principal David chuckled once more, giving a soft nod. "You're free to get yourself comfortable in your dorm in the meantime." David said, as his eyes landed on Kidd's luggage.
Kidd stifled a yawn as he nodded. "Oka-a-ay..."

Silently, David walked Kidd down the hallway. They passed by a few empty classrooms, and one unnecessarily extravagant looking door.

Must be theatre... Kidd thought, too tired to scowl.

Now inside his office with Kidd, David printed something out noisily, and grabbed a red pen. He circled one section of the freshly printed paper, and handed it back to Kidd, his mustache twitching as he smiled.
"There's your dorm. You'll have your roommate or, uhem. Dorm-mate...later." He informed the tired kid.

Kidd nodded, giving a smile. "Thank you sir." David didnt seem like the kind to be that uptight about being called 'Principal David', or 'Sir'...
So Kidd tended to just say whatever.

A key was also rather carelessly grabbed and handed over to Kidd.
"And there's your dorm key! I'll see you around," David said, sitting down at the large desk in the office.

Kidd gave a nod, and stumbled into the empty hallway with one last wave to his principal.

Up by the dorms, Kidd crammed his key into the lock, cold air rustling his brown hair.

The dorms were positioned with their entrance outside facing a small courtyard, meaning Kidd was shivering as he fiddled to turn the knob
Click!

With no hesitations, Kidd pushed the door open. Ah yes, a nice little dorm.
It wasnt as wide as it was long.

To the right, a bunk bed with fairly sized mattresses. Probably suitable for a highschooler.
A little...seating area of sorts sat to the left of the entry way, a small TV was propped upon a smaller wooden stand.

Just beside the door was a thick silver key-hook, and Kidd tossed his keychain upon it.

There was a wall beside the couch, blocking the rest of the dorm from view, but Kidd didnt care what was back there right now.
Probably just a kitchen and a bathroom, anyways.
He walked forward, and faithfully claimed the lower bunk as his own, tossing his luggage beside it, and collapsing atop the surprisingly soft mattress.

The pillow had a plain white cover, and it was nice and cold. Kidd curled up to it with a sigh.
All at once, everything seemed to dawn on him in a sort.

This really was it.
Summer break was over, and school had once again rolled around way too fast and caught Kidd off guard.

He crammed his head into his pillow.
Welcome to sophomore year.

Chapter Text

One week later, Kidd was laying in bed.
Light filtered through the windows and painted his dorm a shade of unmatched orange.

But, Kidd didnt see it as he squeezed his eyes shut and attempted to roll over. The week had gone by too fast...and he was so, so tired.
His bed felt so warm...so soft. God he didnt want to get up. He didnt even want to open his eyes as he groaned into his pillow.

"Rise, friend of Nugget!" Came Nugget's voice.
Yep. There was Kidd's roommate--Nugget!

Really, Kidd couldnt have dreamt up a more perfect dormmate. Maybe Billy, but beggars cant be choosers.

And on the topic of Nugget--why was Kidd so tired you may be asking?--Well, he was up all night battling Monstermon or 'Talisman' with Nugget of course!
...Nugget always beat him into the trenches. Because Nugget was horrifically skilled with those cards.

It was like he had some deep-rooted attachment with them. And really, Kidd heavily believed that could very well be the case.
He'd seen what Nugget could do with those cards.

"Nugget no..." Kidd groaned. "Friend of Nugget..." Nugget drawled, drawing closer to Kidd's bunk.
Kidd stayed quiet in hopes Nugget may leave.
"Hm. Well, Nugget supposes if he cannot wake up his dear friend Kidd, then maybe some else can...!"

Kidd's eyes shot open. "No no--yawn...--noo.."
He sat up as quick as he could, but with a soft meow, Kidd was met with paws across his chest. Tenders' tail was swaying side to side as he climbed further onto Kidd, who gave an exasperated sigh.
"Hi, Tenders." He said stiffly, petting the purring ball of fuzz. Tenders mewed in his face.

Tenders was Nugget's cat--who Kidd had actually gifted to Nugget many years ago...back in Kindergarten.
You'd think Tenders may have aged to a more apparent extent, or maybe even...passed.
But Tenders was very durable, and still looking the same as he did eleven years ago.

Kidd reached over to the corner of his bunk and grabbed his little pill bottle. He sluggishly dealt two pills into his hand and swallowed them while he slowly sat up.

"Friend of Nugget, day is upon us!" Nugget insisted. Waving his hand at Kidd. "I'm up, I'm up." "Rise faster, friend Kidd."

"Meow! Meoow!" Kidd brushed his teeth at the sink by the kitchenette. He stared at his sorry reflection as he did, occasionally pawing at his prominent eyebags. "Nugget..." He spoke around a mouth of minty toothpaste.
Nugget appeared at his side.
"We gotta stop staying up so late." He spat into the sink very unflatteringly. "Nugget understands," He started slowly. "Nugget's friend is tired of being beaten so ruthlessly..." "No! I am not tired of it."
He stiffened as he realized his response. Nugget smiled, showing off his surprisingly clean yet chipped teeth.

"I mean you dont...!...Ugh, whatever." He tossed his toothbrush aside, and slid Tenders across the hardwood floor as the cat continued to home him down.
"Nugget come get your cat!" Kidd called as he sat back down on his bunk, changing his clothes and brushing his hair out with his fingers.
Kidd's movements were very sluggish as he tried to shake off how tired he was.

"Tenders yearns for your attention, friend of Nugget."
Kidd slipped on his socks, then his shoes. He had to pull Tenders away from his shoe laces as he tied them. "Silly cat. Are we ready Nugget?" He yawned.

Nugget nodded as he walked by. The more eccentric boy had a tendency to wear much baggier pants. Kidd, Lily and Billy all suspected his pockets--which the pants were simply covered in--were all full of Nuggets.
But Nugget hadnt changed much since Kindergarten. For the most part he'd just matured. He was still weird and a little scary, but Kidd figured he'd always be that way.
"...Alright. Come on Tenders move it." "Meeooowwww..."

Tenders followed Nugget and Kidd to the door, pawing at their ankles as they went. Nugget snatched up the keys by the front door.
One keychain was Kidd's the other Nugget's.
Both keychains held a Nugget.

The boys slipped out the door quickly before slamming it. Tenders was trapped inside the dorm.
Soft mews peppered through the door.

"We will be back Tenders, Nugget promises!" "Meooww..." Nugget fiddled with his keys as he locked the door.

The dorms were kind of weird. They overlooked a courtyard which you had to go through to get to classes. It was fit with tables and benches, a nice place to hang out honestly.
Walking out of your dorm brought you right to the breezeway.

At either end of the breezeway was a set of stairs and a small, cramped elevator. There were four floors for the dorms...including the ground floor, but not including the rooftop which was typically closed off anyway.
Kidd and Nugget's dorm was on the first floor.

Typically, the kids would refer to the second floor as the first floor, since that was where the dorms actually started.
The actual bottom floor was often called 'The ground floor'.

Before Kidd could double-check the door, someone's hands slipped over his eyes.
He was cast into a word of...mostly darkness as a playful voice asked him, "Guess who?"
A snickering drawl tainted their voice.

Kidd smirked. "Oh gee, I wonder." He said sarcastically.

As if that silly voice wasnt already a giveaway, the hands were the real selling point.
There was a gap in the darkness he was seeing. What caused it you may be wondering? The lack of a ring finger on the person currently attempting to blind Kidd.

"Hello, friend Billy!" Nugget said, turning and smiling over at Kidd.
Yep. Billy, the rascal.

Billy released Kidd with a sigh. "Hey Nugget." He laughed.

Kidd turned to face his friend.
Ah yes. Who but Billy?

His black hair was messy and unkept, as it had always been.
Billy's bright green eyes were enough to pierce your soul, and they tied in well to his baggy brown hoodie. The left sleeve had been cut off for some stupid reason, so on his bare arm he wore a fingerless black glove and a bright blue bracelet.
His pants were just as baggy as Nugget's, and lord only knows where he'd gotten those awfully ugly shoes.

"Havent seen you in forever," Kidd joked, embracing Billy. "Aw yeah?" Billy tousled Kidd's hair as he pulled away from the hug.
"Nugget believes you two are getting very close." Nugget said slowly, eyes narrowing at the boys.
"What--you wanna hug, Nugget?"

Nugget made an attempt to back away, but Billy tossed himself at his funky friend, embracing him forcefully. Nugget wasnt big on such physical levels of...anything really, but he gave a defeated sigh and hugged Billy back. Kidd laughed.

As Billy squeezed Nugget, Kidd couldnt help but stare at his hand. He always felt bad staring, but it was just so peculiar to him how having lost a finger just...didnt phase Billy in the slightest.
...Given, he had lost his finger years and years ago...in Kindergarten.

Kidd had actually found his severed finger and brought it to his twin sister, Lily, eleven years ago to prove that their Kindergarten teacher was running an unsafe environment and experimenting on kids. Most notably Billy. ...Kindergarten really was grossly violent for a bunch of five year olds.

But, speaking of Lily...
"Billy! You get off him." She teased, walking up and playfully hitting Billy over the head. He lurched away from Nugget with an exaggerated gasp and whirled around to hit his sister back.
"Hello! Pretty Lily!" Nugget greeted, stepping between Billy and Lily.

Nugget had never stopped calling her 'Pretty Lily'. You'd have thought it was just a cute kindergarten nickname, but alas.
Well, Nugget had never been wrong.

Kidd wouldnt say he was crushing on Lily at all, but she was very pretty.
She had raven hair that curled softly at her frail shoulders, and she always adorned it with a pink flower.
Lily dressed in a long yellow dress, but often wore a thick blue turtleneck above it. When her sleeves would roll up, you could catch a glimpse of a brown bracelet on her right wrist.
Eyebags would often fester beneath her blue eyes, but they werent that obvious unless you stared at her.

So yeah! She was pretty.
Too bad she didnt see that.

Kidd gave a long yawn in place of what wouldve been a greeting to Lily.
"Jeez Kidd, get any sleep?" She asked, walking by and gently giving him a one-armed hug. "Aah barely..." He confessed.

Lily was thin. Which on its own wasnt abnormal, but Billy had once let it slip to Kidd and Nugget that Lily had trouble with eating... sometimes skipping numerous meals.
It had been an accidental reveal, honestly. He just spat it out in a panic when they were nine. Billy made both boys swear to never tell Lily that he'd said that...so they never did.

Kidd had a sinking suspicion that Cindy may have been the underlying reason for Lily's eating problems, but Kidd wouldnt dare to ask.
Just thinking of all the bullying Cindy had subject Lily to made Kidd sweat.

Lily gave Kidd a soft pat on the back, and pulled away softly.

"Well what kept you up?" She asked, assuming it could have only been something troubling.
"Friend Kidd and Nugget were up battling."

"Battling?" Lily asked, laughing awkwardly. "Yes. With the talisman!" "Monstermon." Kidd translated.
"You guys still play Monstermon?" Billy asked. "Nugget could never part with his trusty talisman. They do things, friend Billy..."

Nobody responded to Nugget's words, but Kidd flinched uncomfortably.
"Doesnt your dad work for Monstermon?" Kidd asked around his dicomfort. Lily gave a huff. "Yeah, so we see them...every day." "Tiring!" Billy added, exaggeratedly pressing the back of his hand to his head.
"Lily just cant take it!" "Oh shut up," she shoved her brother, and her expression shifted to that mopey one Kidd could never forget it.

"Not to, ehm, bring down the mood or anything...but I swear I remembered those cards doing something...evil? When we were younger."
"Maybe a bad dream?" Nugget said quickly. Lily shrugged, but seemed to soften at Nugget's answer. Kidd looked over at Nugget silently.
"Must have been," Nugget said as he nodded informatively.

"Mustve--" "Lily!"

From down the breezeway, someone called Lily's name. A high pitched voice that sounded like nails on a chalkboard personified.
Everyone turned.
Well, think of the devil and she shall appear, huh?

To say Cindy had gotten worse since kindergarten was....an understatement.

Cindy's blonde hair had been grown out so long it almost swept the floor, and she kept it fastened in two ponytails. She didnt wear 'inappropriate' outfits per say, but she did wear clothes that showed off a fair amount of skin.
Of course, all her clothes were a shade of pink, as was the dress she currently wore.
Her eyes were brown, but they glinted red in the sunlight, fittingly.

Kidd had been lucky enough not to run into Cindy yet this year, but good things dont last forever.

"Lily!" She drawled. "Lily Lily, Liillyy!"

She was waving her arms above her head, desperate to get Lily's attention one way or another.

Lily's body stiffened as Cindy came closer. Her dorm with Jerome was also on the first floor.
Nugget stepped infront of Lily like a shield, but Lily insisted he move aside.

"Its fine--its fine!" She whispered to him.

Cindy would harass anyone, mostly girls...and mostly Lily.
The only girl she wouldnt mess with was Carla for some reason.

But regardless, since kindergarten...she'd had some deep-rooted hatred for poor Lily who did nothing but avoid Cindy.
But alas, a dog always knows its way back to its favorite chew toy.

Kidd and Billy stared at Cindy as she approached, finally coming to a stop right infront of Lily.
She pressed a hand to her chin almost professionally as she stared at Lily, as though analyzing her.

Cindy was shorter than Lily, but not by much.

"Hi, Cindy." Lily said stiffly.

Kidd didnt know how, but Lily always addressed Cindy in a relatively friendly manner.
If he were Cindy's chew toy, he'd just throttle her.

"Hey Lily..." She said slowly, removing and raising her hand from her chin.
Billy stepped forward, but Kidd caught him. "She cant be that brazen," He whispered.

Of course, Cindy was as bold with her hateful attacks as she wanted to be. Kidd remembered when she'd tried to bludgeon Alice in kindergarten.
According to Davey--Alice still had some form of scar in the area she'd been hit...but she kept quiet about it.

With her hand frozen in the air for a minute, Cindy tilted her head and then smiled maliciously.
"Did you gain weight over the summer?"
With no warning, she drove her hand--now balled into a fist--forward, and punched Lily in the stomach.

Lily gave a breathless gasp as she doubled over, and Billy leapt forward to defend his sister...even if a little too late, no thanks to Kidd.
Cindy danced around Billy, and scrambled down the breezeway while Billy's colorful choice of language rung out behind her.

As Lily had bent over, her flower slipped from her hair and sat rather discarded at her feet.

Nugget darted forward with animalistic instincts, but Kidd and Billy seized him. Not because Cindy didnt deserve whatever Nugget was preparing to do, but because both boys knew there'd be bloodshed involved.
Despite Nugget's goofy...'not-all-there' looks, anyone who knew him would know he could be rather violent if prompted.

When Nugget wasnt allowed to attack Cindy, he turned instead to check on Lily, who was still doubled over groaning incoherently. "Is the pretty Lily okay?" He asked.
Billy and Kidd joined Nugget in assessing Lily.

"Yeah--yeah I'm fine." She said, catching her breath as she straightened up slowly. "What is her problem?!" Billy snapped as he gave Lily a pat on the shoulder.
"...Well you know Cindy...always bringing someone down." "Doesnt make it right." Kidd added, noticing the pink thing on the ground.
Ah. Lily's flower.

"Nugget will deal with the evil Cindy permanently if the pretty Lily wishes." Nugget said, eyes unblinking as he stared at Lily.
She shook her head. "...No thanks, Nugget. I can fight my own battles." Lily said, though she sounded a little unsure.

When Kidd bent down to grab the flower, his phone slipped from his pocket, and he scooped that up aswell.
He handed Lily's flower back, and then checked his phone. "Thanks," Lily murmured, adjusting her flower back into her hair.
Kidd's face fell.

"We're gonna be late." He said, the words spilling from his mouth before he had a chance to deliver them more efficiently.

For a few seconds, the sound of shoes bounding down the hallway was all anyone in any class could hear.

Somewhere in a downstairs classroom, the door flew open.
"Nugget and friends are present!" Nugget cried, tripping and skidding down on his face.
Billy tripped over Nugget, landing in a crumbled heap on the floor just beside his friend.
Lily caught herself on the doorway, breathing heavily, and Kidd stopped just before the wreck of Billy and Nugget.

All four kids were breathing heavily.

Ms. Applegate pressed two fingers to the bridge of her nose as Buggs cackled at their chaotic entrance.

"Whatever. Take your seats. Today cant get any worse."

Kidd took his seat beside Carla in the back. She had her legs up on the desk, relaxing.
Her long brown hair was tied back in a messy ponytail, and she wore some weird...green trench-coat with a large collar that flared up around her smirking face.
She wore tattered, dirty jeans, and tall equally as dirty converse.

Carla was mischievous as ever, there was no doubting that. In kindergarten, you can fit in vents pretty easy. In highschool, you cannot. But Carla somehow made it work.

"Hey Kidd," She greeted. Carla kicked her legs off the desk as Ms. Applegate turned around, staring at the class for a second. When she turned back to the board, Kidd faced Carla.

Carla had always greeted Kidd like that, 'Hey kid' 'Whats up kid?' 'Kid! Clear your schedule!'
For the longest time--she didnt know his name was actually...Kidd. When she found out, she laughed so hard she was crying.
She got alot of fun out of messing with Kidd over his name.

"Quite the entrance huh?" Carla snickered. "Leave it to you four." She nodded to the twins, and Nugget.

With a soft sigh, she stretched out like a cat and Kidd covered his mouth as he yawned, tears pricking his eyes. "What? Didnt get any sleep?" She teased.
Kidd shook his head. "Barely." "Ha!...Ahh me neither." "What kept you up?"

Carla tilted her head left, then right. "You'll think its lame, but I'm gettin' a new dorm." "Huh? Already?!" Kidd's eyes widened in mild shock.
"Yep. There were problems and stuff with making the dorm assignments I guess. I've been solo all week, which is great for my, ahem, projects."

In Carla's vocabulary; 'Projects' typically meant 'explosives'.
Kidd flinched at the thought of Carla getting her grubby hands on any more explosives, but didnt speak on the matter.

"So now, I get a dormmate." She said, exasperatedly.

Up at the board, Ms. Applegate was struggling to sort through her own copy of the book they shouldve been reading.
She kept looking from the book to the board and hesitating on writing anything.
Carla smirked at Ms. Applegate's incompetence, and went on talking to Kidd.

"Any idea who you're going in with?" Kidd asked, trying to do the math in his head. "Shouldnt one other kid in the school have their own dorm?" "Yes to both." Carla drawled.

"...Then who is it?" Carla didnt answer Kidd's curious question.
"Well, I dunno for sure...but I'm like...ninety-nine percent positive." She gave Kidd a smirk, and said nothing else.

"What? You gonna make me guess?" "Dunno. Maybe, do you wanna?" Kidd thought for a second, and then nodded.
"You get three guesses." "What?! You're gonna limit my guesses?" Carla laughed as she nodded.
"Yeah. I think thats all we have time for," She said, motioning to Ms. Applegate who was slowly getting on track.

He really had no idea, so this would be some trial and error..

"One of the Huxleys?" He asked, slowly and sheepishly. Carla shook her head. "Nuh-uh. I think they were dormed together...kinda like the twins."
Ms. Applegate turned around while Kidd and Carla were lost in stupid conversation.
"Huh. Uh, how about--" "Are you two paying any attention back there?!" Came Ms. Applegate's tired voice.

"He's not!" Carla said, exaggeratedly pointing at Kidd and throwing him under the bus. "Well... pay attention!" Ms. Applegate snapped.
Kidd shot a glare at Carla who just snickered in his face.

Stupid mischievous thing.

Kidd's next classes went by pretty fast.
The school didnt have the highest budget...so some of the classes were pretty cut and pasted together to pass regulations.

Anything related to Math was with Mr. Scippio. Mr. Scippio was definitely a boozer, but unlike Ms. Applegate, he kept it out of his classroom. You could smell it on his fleecy and frayed clothes sometimes, but he was always positively sober.
"For the kids," He'd say. Even though the kids could probably careless if Scippio decided to get blackout drunk at his desk.

Then another class with Ms. Applegate. She taught two classes--History and Social Studies. In eleven years, she was still a very sorry teacher. She sucked, no other way to put it.
She didnt care about the kids, or her job, or how much the kids learned. Kidd would say she was only in it for the paycheck, but he wasnt sure she even cared about that.

Science with Dr. Danner, who had no problem hurting or poisoning a few kids in the name of science. He very much played favorites...and least favorites, which he most certainly showed with how he treated Ozzy.
He would write Ozzy up for anything he could. Breathing too loud? Detention. Not following along quick enough? Detention. Looking stupid? Detention.
Kidd was very happy he wasnt Ozzy.

The Nurse taught PE. I know, bizarre to have a nurse running a class. She really just stood outside and smoked while the kids kicked balls...or ran miles, or played intense games of dodgeball with basketballs.
If there was a student in the nurse's office, the janitor would take her position. Typically with the janitor around, another student would end up in the nurse's office.

And finally, theatre with Ms. Lovelett. She didnt cast for her insane plays like a normal person, she'd simply state the play they'd be performing, and ask for volunteers.
If nobody volunteered--which nobody ever really did--she'd pick people. Everyone hated it, and theatre is the class most kids skip. Not just because of them being forced to do crappy plays, but because Ms. Lovelett is also very intense about the quality of her plays.

Right about now, Kidd was walking through the hallways and heading for the cafeteria. One class left...theatre. Oh the horror.
Kidd had taken to skipping theatre like most kids, but sometimes the hall monitors would catch you sneaking off to your dorm and bring you to theatre anyway.

...Speaking of the hall monitors.

"I'm telling you Buggs; you cant have that in the school! Its a hazard!" Stevie was yelling at Buggs at the base of the stairwell, however there was a pleading undertone in his voice.
Kidd paused to watch the interactions, stifling a yawn as he did.

Stevie hadnt changed one bit over the years. He wore the same thing he always had. The only real difference to his appearance was he appeared to be a bit taller.

Buggs however had changed a bit. His hair was longer, though it was still grey and he had it held up in an ugly manner.
He still tended to wear dark grey or black clothes. At the moment, he wore a long sleeved shirt in the same fashion of Billy's hoodie...meaning one sleeve had been cut off.
His exposed arm was covered in scars, ranging in faded colors and sizes, and he wore ripped up jeans atop worn out shoes.

His lips curled as he leaned closer to Stevie, who instinctively leaned back closer to Rookie--the other hall monitor.
Nobody knew his name, so everyone called him Rookie. He also hadnt changed over the years and at the moment he was loosely holding a cigarette in his mouth.

"What if I dont get rid of it?" He said, brandishing his knife. Buggs had carried this knife to school since kindergarten, but this was apparently the first time Stevie had seen it.

"Get back get--get--Rookie! Help me here!" "C'mon Stevie," Rookie nudged Stevie back. While he didnt come inbetween Buggs and Stevie entirely, he did make a half-hearted effort to deescalate.
"I've known Buggs longer than you, and he's never killed anyone." "He stabbed Ms. Applegate that one time." Kidd said, butting into the conversation.

"Oh yeah," Buggs smiled a little. "We did do that, huh?" "Ye...'we'?!" Kidd shot back. Stevie's mouth fell open. "Wh--?!" "And she lived!" Rookie added, tossing his arms in the air.
"Just let it go Stevie," Rookie moved aside as Ozzy came down the stairs, making a soft 'mmm...' noise of frustration as he pulled his turtleneck over his nose.

Stevie backed away from Buggs and gave a very dramatic sigh. "If someone gets hurt, I'm giving principal David all of your names for punishments!" Stevie threatened, pointing at Rookie, Buggs, and he tried to point at Kidd, but he instead pointed at Ozzy who was passing by.
Ozzy paused clean in his tracks, and turned to face Stevie. Most of Ozzy's slightly sallow, pale face was still obscured by his turtleneck. Stevie paused as Ozzy stared at him, one eyebrow raised curiously.

Kidd didnt say anything as Buggs seized his moment and fled the scene.
He instead wondered how Ozzy could hear anything Stevie said, he was always wearing those thick headphones, anyways...
Maybe Stevie's voice was louder than Kidd thought.

"Not you, lil' buddy." Rookie said, nudging Ozzy slightly. "Dont worry about what we've got going on over here." He encouraged. When Ozzy glanced over at Rookie, it finally clicked with him who he was talking to, and Rookie made a passive attempt to snuff his cigarette on the stairwell.
Without speaking, Ozzy gave a stiff nod and left.

When the hall monitors saw Buggs gone, Stevie exaggeratedly threw his hands in the air and stammered something rapidly. Rookie smirked at Kidd. "You should--"
"Get goin'?" Kidd finished, already turning down the hallway. Rookie nodded, and Kidd left for lunch, still rather entertained by what he'd just seen.

On the way down the hallway, Kidd fell in pace with Ozzy, who was just pulling away from his inhaler. "Hey," Kidd drawled. Ozzy flinched.

Ozzy was another kid who hadnt really changed over the years.
His orange hair was still a mess, and he still wore clothes in the blue and white striped pattern...much like Kidd did! Ozzy also wore baggy pants that threatened to trip him with every step.
He wore a brown satchel to store his inhalers for easy access, and he often wore thick black headphones.

"Hey Kidd." He said, fidgeting with his satchel. Kidd couldnt help but notice a certain...uneasiness in Ozzy's posture, so he questioned him on it.

"Its just...there was some problem with the dorm assignments on the first day...so I ended up with no dormmate." He pressed a fist against his left forearm.
"And I didnt mind it! But now a whole week later--I'm getting a dormmate?"

Ozzy gave a shaky breath, as though this matter were deeply troubling him.
Kidd on the other hand raised an eyebrow. That sounded too familiar.

"Cant you just work around the change?" "No!" Ozzy snapped, a little louder than he had to. "I've already gotten comfy with being solo I-I cant change up just like that!"

That was one thing about Ozzy, he simply couldnt handle change. He had a schedule, and he lived by it. Someone new to sleep by and live with was sure to drive him mental...if he wasnt already.
"Well, then--" "Friend Kidd!"

Ozzy and Kidd let out screams of fear as Nugget leapt from a locker with freshly broken hinges, coming to stand right infront of the two boys.
Kidd clutched his chest as Ozzy went digging for his inhaler again.

"Nugget--what the hell are you doing in lockers?!" Ozzy cried, his eyes still wide with surprise as he stared Nugget up and down. "Thats pretty weird--even for you!"

"Nugget is not in this locker by choice. Nugget was placed within the locker. Nugget simply chose to leap out and meet his dear friend!"
Ozzy's eye twitched. "And Nugget thinks its rich how Ozzy talks. According to the school, and Nugget himself, Ozzy is pretty weird too, correct?"

Kidd looked over at Ozzy, waiting for an answer, or a burst of anger that he was so accustomed to having, but instead his mouth fell open slightly.
He didnt speak, just slipped his inhaler back into his satchel with shaking fingers, pressed his headphones tighter against his ears, and walked past them towards the cafeteria.

Nugget watched Ozzy head into the room they were just about to step into. "Does friend Kidd think Nugget hurt Ozzy's feelings?" Nugget asked. "That wasnt Nugget's intent."
Nugget was alot of things, but he wasnt mean.
Kidd gave Nugget a firm pat on the back that sent Nugget stumbling forward. "Uh. Probably not?" He said, hopefully. "I think Ozzy's just like that."

Ozzy as a person worked in ways Kidd didnt understand. The little things--along with everything--seemed to upset him.

Nugget nodded, though he still looked unsure.
Nugget wouldnt be wrong to call Ozzy weird. He was of course nowhere near as bizarre or weird as Nugget, but alot of kids found him weird for his dedication to his schedule, and his hardcore almost annoying aversion to mess.

"While anyways. Come, friend Kidd! Nugget believes the pretty Lily and Billy are waiting for us!"
And with that, Nugget grabbed Kidd's arm with the strength of a bear, and dragged him into the bustling cafeteria.

"Oh no, I couldve throttled her--hey! Where've you guys been?" Billy waved Nugget and Kidd over to their table.
Nugget took a seat beside Lily, who was reading a slip of paper, and Kidd sat down beside Billy with a yawn. "Who are we throttling?" He asked, dipping a hand into his bag and revealing a small apple.

"Ms. Margaret." Billy said, resting his elbow on the table, and his chin on his hand. "I was gonna go and find you guys, but she wouldnt let me."

Billy cleared his throat and then gave a cough. "Billy dont--" Lily tried to step in, but Billy spoke up. "You cannot leave yet! You havent eaten lunch!" His voice was one that mocked Ms. Margaret's odd rasp.
Kidd snickered, and even Nugget gave a smile.
"I wouldnt let you leave either," Lily said, rolling up her piece of paper and hitting Billy in the head with it. "You look mischievous." She said, playfully messing with her brother.
He gasped dramatically.

The paper was very thin--something straight out of a notebook--so it didnt hurt Billy at all. Words were scribbled across it in big letters, but Kidd couldnt make them out, especially because Lily seemed to be protectively making sure nobody at the table could read the paper.
"How rude!" He spat, rubbing his head exaggeratedly.

"Oh deal with it," Lily said, smirking. She set the paper face-down on the table as Kidd bit into his apple. A loud crunch came over the table. Kidd had taken a massive bite of the apple.
"What is it with you and apples?" Billy asked.

Kidd paused before speaking around a mouthful of apple. "We share a deep spiritual connection," he said, very playfully. Billy snorted, "You're a moron." He said.

Kidd gulped down what was in his mouth.

Before Kidd could make any comment, someone was approaching from behind them. They werent coming for Kidd and his friends, but regardless...
Kidd leaned out and seized this person's arm before they could react.

They froze up for a second before glancing down at Kidd who was still holding his apple.

"Kidd?"
"Ted!"

Ted gently pulled his arm from Kidd's grasp, and smiled down at the table's occupants sweetly.
"Hows it goin' man?" He asked.

Ted used to be the definition of doormat. If his twin brother--Felix--told him to do anything, he'd do it with a smile.
Somewhere along the way, that'd changed however.

No longer did he frequently wear the uptight 'fancy' clothes to school, but rather something much more casual.

He wore a very ill-fitting red shirt, which hung down baggily to reveal a dark gray tanktop beneath. Atop his red shirt, he improperly wore a blue tie.
Ted's left arm was bandaged up for what looked like fashion purposes, and his pants were quite baggy.
The most notable part of Ted's new appearance was his hair, which had been grown to be very bushy and long. His hair was typically seen contained in a ponytail, which is how it was now.

"Ahh you know." "Hello, rich boy!" Nugget greeted. "Hi Nugget," Teddy said, still smiling.
"Felix treatin' you any better?" Lily asked, combing through her hair with two fingers. "Ahem!"

Kidd and Billy turned around to face Felix...who was at the table right behind them.
"Greetings cruel rich boy." Nugget greeted again. "Silence you..."

Felix stood up and walked over, grabbing Teddy roughly by his short sleeve.

While Felix and Ted were always known as twins because, well...they were...they'd both changed so much in the past few years.
A simple clothes swap could no longer fool you into believing Ted was Felix, or vise versa.
...I mean, maybe it could fool someone who didnt look at either twin often enough...

Felix was still a business man. Since he was 16, he had been legally hired to work for his father's company, Applesoft; Possibly the largest business empire ...ever.
...Maybe.

Kidd took another large bite of his apple as he examined Felix's outfit, that certainly hadnt strayed far from 'professional'.
Or...as 'professional' as a sixteen year old kid could get, anyways.

He wore a blue button up with white cuffing that poked out the sleeves and the neck of his shirt. A red tie also blessed his neck, this one fastened properly.
Felix also wore pin-striped pants in darker colors, and fancy business shoes that probably cost more than Kidd himself.
And while his hair was also noticeably longer, it was nowhere as long as Teddy's. His hair was held up in a very short and rather tight professionally looking ponytail.

At the seat Felix had come from sat a briefcase. Felix carried that around in place of a backpack...pretty ridiculous honestly.

Felix's brown eyes narrowed at the table, his lip raising slightly...like a snarling dog.
Much like Cindy, Felix's eyes also glinted red when the light hit them right. They truly were perfect for each other... probably.

Ted gave a weak huff as Felix yanked him off to the side. "Leave us be, urchins. We have business matters to discuss."
Billy reached out and stopped them, just to piss Felix off.

"Business matters? Both of you?" Did you get hired somewhere Ted?"
The lightest shade of red blessed Ted's face. "Ah, no." He said softly, voice barely audible, but he still smiled. "Come again?" Kidd said, clearly having not heard Ted.

"No." Felix snapped. "Father is well aware that Teddy isnt capable of working in, aha, any business. Especially not one linked to the family."
Still holding his thoroughly embarrassed brother, Felix straightened up as though putting down Ted lifted him up.

Silently, Kidd was happy Ted wasnt hired for Applesoft. He saw how overworked Felix was for a teenager, mostly reflected in those eyebags he tried to pretend he didnt wear.
And anyways, their father was rather...stern. Kidd learned that from seeing it that action and eavesdropping on Ozzy--the closest thing Ted had to a 'best friend'--and Ted himself.
Ted frequently mentioned his father's favoritism when it came to his sons, and he didnt really hide it. Mostly the whole school knew that Ted was the appointed 'disappointment' child.

"But its all fine," Ted said. He straightened up a little, meeting Felix's height.
"If you'll excuse us," Felix snipped at Kidd and his friends.

As Felix yanked Ted away like he were a misbehaving mutt, it was clear Billy felt bad about even asking about Ted's employment status. The red from Ted's cheeks had spread to the tips of his ears, and he turned to take a seat at the table behind Kidd and Billy, where he and his brother often sat.
At the table already was Carla and Ozzy. They were both staring at Felix. Ozzy looked very unimpressed by the whole ordeal.

Billy watched Felix take his seat beside Ted, and after a minute, he spoke up. "Hey--Felix?"
Felix turned around, eyes half-lidded with annoyance.
"What sixteen year old brings a briefcase to school?" He asked, mock in his voice.

Everyone at Felix's table and Kidd's laughed, Ted even snorted as he tried to stifle his laughter. He turned to catch his brother's reaction.
Felix's mouth had fallen open, and he was at a loss for words.

"You look ridiculous." Billy critiqued. Felix's face flushed much darker than Ted's had, and his eyebrows furrowed as he snapped at Billy once again.
"Bugger off--all of you!"

Ozzy and Ted were still laughing, and Carla was visibly sneering at Felix.

Billy and Kidd turned back to Lily and Nugget.

Lily had put away her piece of paper at some point, so she now had nothing infront of her. Kidd was the only one eating at their table.
He took another bite of his apple as he yawned. The apple was already almost done. Probably just a bite or two left.

"Just one class left." He said, smiling. "Nope. Its back to the dorms after this." Billy informed him.
"But...what about theatre?"

The mental image of Kidd being cast again in one of Ms. Lovelett's plays flashed through his mind, and he shook the idea free before he could remember the time he was forced into 'The Wizard of Oz'.

"Cancelled today. Y'know, something something...she's missin' a prop or something."
Ms. Lovelett was rather dramatic. If one of her props was even scratched, she'd have a catastrophic breakdown.

Austin typically wasnt allowed in her plays because he wore so much sharp jewelry he may accidentally scratch up her stuff.
And, he just couldnt remember his lines for anything.

"Oh praise!" Kidd said dramatically. "Back to bed after this..."
Lily laughed at Kidd, and then smiled. "I'm glad its cancelled today. I cant stand those plays."
"Me neither." Kidd said with a shiver.

"But you made such a wonderful lion!" Billy said tauntingly. He was of course referring to Kidd's role in that awful play from kindergarten.
Kidd wondered how Billy knew of this, as he hadnt even been there that day...but he assumed Lily had somehow found out and told him about it.

Billy snickered as Kidd finished his apple, but his laughing subsided as Kidd hit him upside the head.

"Hey! Stop it--!"
"Goodness you two," Lily said with a huff as Kidd continued to playfully attack Billy.

As Kidd let up, it was revealed that both boys were laughing. Lily's mouth curved into a weak smile. "What am I going do with you two..."

Nugget and Kidd walked side by side through the courtyard. The sun was a nice orange, and there was a soft breeze accompanying the warm rays.
"Nugget does not wish to do his homework..." Nugget suddenly said with a grumble. Leaves rustled by their feet as Kidd yawned.

"Then dont do it! This school doesnt seem to punish that much." Kidd informed. "...That is nice to know. Nugget enjoys not being punished."

Nugget scratched the back of his neck. "No school could punish friend Kidd or his friends as much as kindergarten did."
A chill streaked down Kidd's back.
"Yeah..." He muttered, growing suddenly avoidant.

Kidd hated talking about kindergarten. Thinking of it was one thing, but actually talking about it always rubbed him the wrong way.
All the awful things he'd seen--that everyone had seen!--...too much trauma for anyone to bear.

For just a second, Kidd was reminded of everything he endured even after kindergarten when he'd attempted to tell his mother or any adult about being killed repeatedly.

Kidd's tired hands clutched the straps of his backpack harder. Nugget either didnt notice, or pretended he hadnt.

Kidd calmed down ever so slightly as he saw Alice and Austin in the courtyard.
They were sitting at one of the little stone tables in the sunlight.
He was flipping through a text book while Alice lay asleep against his shoulder.

Alice's hair bristled over her eyes, her bare shoulders in the suns line of fire.
Kidd could see Austin's flushed face from where he was walking.
Everyone knew about Austin's crush on Alice. He'd loved her for years.

...Well, everyone except Alice knew.
Kidd didnt think Alice could be so naïve but hey, sometimes you're just wrong about these things.

Austin perked up as Kidd and Nugget passed. He didnt speak, presumably not to wake Alice...but he waved to them with a smile, showing off his sharp teeth.
Both boys waved back.

When they crossed the courtyard and stepped back inside the dorm building, they were met with the rec room. It took up the whole ground floor of the dormitories.

It had air conditioning, a heater and a small controlled fireplace so you could be comfy regardless of the season.
Countless chairs both soft and wooden were strewn around a large mounted TV.
The rec room was even equip with a few vending machines. One with drinks, and one with snacks of all sorts.

There were a few people inside already, so Kidd and Nugget chose not to enter. Not like they wouldve anyway.

Inside, Kidd could distinctly see Monty counting money. Sitting comfortably in his wheelchair, a smile on his freckled face.
At first, Kidd felt jealous. Monty sold all kinds of things, some legal, some...questionable, and he made a pretty penny off of it. He was one of two kids to sell services for money at the school, the other was Carla.
But then Kidd's jealousy subsided as he realized he'd probably contributed to atleast some of the money Monty was holding.

"Is Nugget's friend coming?" Nugget asked. Kidd snapped back. He didnt know he'd been staring at Monty.
Kidd saw Monty push his glasses back up the bridge of his nose as he turned to catch up to Nugget.

Creaaakk,,,

"Hello, Tenders!" Nugget called to his cat, who was still waiting by the front door.
"Meow! Meeoww! Purrrr..."

Tenders wasted no time in leaping up from his position on the floor and up onto his hind legs to paw at Kidd vigorously.
"Hi, Tenders..." Kidd said with a yawn. He kicked off his shoes gently pet Tenders side with his sock covered foot.

Tenders meowed repeatedly as Nugget closed the door, and he rushed after Kidd.
When the exhausted boy collapsed on his bed, Tenders leapt up beside him and rammed his head repeatedly against Kidd's neck, meowing all the while.

Nugget was still by the door, humming under his breath and hanging up the keys. As he was slipping off his thick boots, Nugget turned his head towards Tenders and Kidd.
It took Nugget only once glance at Kidd to realize he was already asleep.

Tenders was still mewing, waiting to be pet. But of course Kidd couldnt pet him while asleep.
"Come, Tenders!" Nugget said, stepping up and collecting his cat.

Tenders purred even harder as Nugget scratched behind his ear.
"Nugget shall pet you."

Chapter Text

Austin awoke to not just the sound of his outdatedly annoying alarm, but a faint, dry humming.
He didnt exactly want to get up. Your bed always felt comfier when you had to do something afterall.

But, the day wasnt waiting for him. With a soft grunt, he pushed his body into a plank, and he only rose from there.
Now sitting on his knees, he glanced over. Austin had the top bunk, so he glanced over the head of his bed at the floor.

He saw his electric guitar case, which he kept under Alice's bed since she had the bottom bunk.
Thankfully, she never minded.

It was six in the morning, which is when he normally got up. Alice typically slept just up until the bell, which is when she'd get dressed in seconds and bolt out the door, like a bat out of hell.
Austin had previously explained how he could wake her to prevent the whole affair, but she was insistent on getting up this way.

As he climbed slowly off his bunk, he glanced down at the bunk below him, where Alice slept.
Only, Alice wasnt there. His head quickly whipped around, to reveal Alice sitting on the couch. Someone had to be the source of that flaky humming afterall.

"Alice!" He acknowledged, stumbling in shock and crashing into the bunk's wooden frame, causing an aching to bloom over the left side of his face.

A smile blessed the ache. "You're up early..."
"Good morning," She said, struggling to stifle a yawn.

Alice typically wore a pale pink tanktop and white shorts to sleep, so Austin wasnt surprised to see her wearing just that.
Alice's hair was always messy and simply...everywhere, but more importantly it typically covered her right eye, which it wasnt doing right now.
Her green eyes were riddled with exhaust, and sweat was beaded on her forehead, which seemed to be drained of color.

But upon closer inspection, her whole face was pale for some unknown reason.

And Austin was also surprised to see his crush up so early...so unusual.

Austin quietly took up a seat next to her on the couch. "Any reason for it?" He asked, brushing her chestnut colored hair back gently.
Alice's hair was down at the moment, so it fell closer to her shoulders than it normally did.

"Ah, you know." She dodged the question, swaying slightly.

Austin took firm notice of the way her hands were clasped together unusually tight. She fiddled with her fingers almost anxiously.
"You okay?" He asked softly, taking it upon himself to lightly brush more stray hair from her face.
Her cheeks were warm to the touch.

Despite this action, Austin's eyes remained on Alice's hands.

"Im fine." Another short answer. Before Austin could pry anymore, Alice slowly leaned back into the right corner of the couch almost desperately, and her head drooped.
"Goodnight." She said, her expression rather tight.

Her gorgeous green eyes that Austin so frequently lost himself in were suddenly hidden beneath her fluttering eyelids.
No more questioning or nudging was needed, she was already back asleep.
Alice had always been able to fall asleep shockingly easily.

Austin tousled her hair with his fingertips. "Sweet dreams," he sighed under his breath before standing up and going about his usual morning routine.

Austin's day-to-day routine wasnt much. He got up at six to go on a walk, where the weather was normally cold, but not unbearable.
Then he'd come back to the dorm to hang out for a while before classes officially began.
Maybe do some homework he didnt do the prior day, maybe blow up Davey's phone to get on his nerves and wake him up, the usual. You can get away with alot when you're someone's best friend.

Davey had a temper, and a very short fuse. So two messages was enough to get one solid text back.
"AUSDTIN!!! FUCKTHE HELL OFF AMAN!!!!!IM ACTUALLY TRYING 2 SLEEP."

Davey's response came through, so clearly typed rapidly with anger at his fingertips.

He shouldnt have, but Austin snorted at his phone.

Brushing a hand over his pierced face and pocketing his phone, he grabbed his keys from the hook by the door and headed out for his walk.
As he left, he gave Davey's dorm--which was beside his--a firm knock, something he did every morning, as he knew Davey was a light sleeper.

Sometimes he felt bad about messing with Davey, because Emmy shared a room with him, but Emmy was normally just...there.
She was too sweet to be in highschool, and too nonchalant about Davey and Austin's constant messing with each other.

The knock barely resounded before the door flew open to reveal Davey.

Clearly he'd been waiting for Austin to do this today and today specifically, because this had never happened before.

His orangey-brown hair was typically messy, but it was extra messy now. He only wore a pair of sleep shorts to bed, and his amber eyes were twitching with annoyance.
"Austin." He snarled, his grip on the doorknob turning his knuckles white.

"Oh hey man." Austin replied, coolly.

This only lit a fire in Davey's eyes, as he tore through the doorway and gave Austin a hard smack, one that felt like an immediate bruise would form.
"Ow-OW! Okay okay!" Austin stumbled back against the railing. The cold morning air breezed through his purple hair, and the freezing cold railing burned into his back.

He could only imagine the cold air was harder on Davey's bare torso.

"Get lost! Go do something man!" "Well," Austin gave a dramatic sigh, never too tired or put-off to mess with his best friend. "I was gonna go on my walk...but then you--"
"Austin!" Davey snapped. He had been backing up into his dorm again, but now he stopped and stared Austin down the way a predator eyes its prey.

From behind Davey, Austin could see Emmy curled up on the bottom bunk. Her long black hair seemed to cascade over the edge of her bed.

Laughing almost silently, Austin turned and disappeared down the breezeway, as Davey swore behind him.

The rest of the morning was pretty much smooth sailing. Austin went on his walk.
Nothing but the chirp of early birds tearing through the sky, and sprinkler systems met his ears. Sometimes he'd wear headphones on these walks, but not today.
Well, it wouldve been today. He forgot his earbuds after Alice's presence startled him.

But it was fine! No big deal, no siree!
He can always listen to his punky music later.

The sky was a light blue, though hidden behind layers of grey clouds, ranging in dark colors.
Austin took in deep breaths of the clean air.

Given the school's location, no major streets drove by the school, it was located on a side street. And since the kids all had dorms on campus, random cars seldom drove by.
Austin reveled with a quiet hum at the experience.

As Austin was coming back to the school, a giant flash painted the building in a temporary white.
In shock and confusion, Austin turned around.
...
Didnt look like anything couldve caused it.

He wondered about lightning, but there hadnt been any lightning in the area in...a long time.

He stood still for a long time, just staring at nothing as the sky seemed to darken.
Before he could head inside for real this time, a rumble shook the earth.

Austin glanced around intently. Sometimes a car would speed down the main street at stupidly high speeds and have a similar effect, even from so far away...
Just as he was wondering if it had maybe been that--

CRAK!

Lightning struck no more than thirty feet from him.
Austin cried out in surprise before turning around to try sprinting inside at incredible speeds.

He slipped while running, and fell down into the moistened grass, and he was promptly soaked by the sprinklers.
He scrambled to his feet as fast as he could, ignoring the mud creeping through the holes in his pants.

By the time Austin was back from his walk, it was only 7:30.
Typically, Austin's walks would last roughly two hours.

Yep. Two hours of just walking around and feeling the beat.
Only today, he hadnt even done that.

He glanced at a sleeping Alice, her eyes shut softly, her chest rising and falling with every whine of a breath...
Silently, Austin grabbed himself a towel, tossing it over his shoulder.

He seized Alice's blanket from her bunk and gently tossed it over her, watching it wrap loosely around her frame.
She shifted slightly, expression unwavering. Austin peeled his towel off his shoulder, and began to wipe the mud off his exposed knees, and search for a change of pants.

Soon enough, the time faded into 8:20.
Austin tried to nudge Alice awake gently. Her eyes cracked open reluctantly. That familiar green stared up at Austin.
"Hello..." She greeted with a weak yawn. "Good morning," Austin said, a sing-song tinge to his voice, which for whatever reason could never stay firm around Alice.
She stretched out like a cat, her arms going as far behind her head as possible. "Good morning..." She tried to return it, but another yawn snuck its way into her voice, and she didnt try again.

After that, she pulled her knees up to her chest and smiled over at Austin. "Am I late yet?" Austin joined her on the couch again, sitting on the far left side as to give her some space.
"Not yet," he confirmed. "You've got..." he pulled his phone from his pocket, his black fingernails brushing against the case. "Uhm. Nine minutes." He confirmed.

"I wish I could sleep forever..." Alice moaned, stretching her arms infront of her now, her fingers folding up into claw-like positions.
"I know, I know." Austin lightly caressed her arm as she sat up, making an attempt to rise.

"I'm not ready for theatre today," Alice said finally. "Whats...going on in theatre?" Austin questioned.
Alice gave him a sympathetic look. "Ms. Lovelett is casting for a play."

Austin gave a deepened sigh. "I wish she'd cast like a normal teacher..." "Me too." Alice said. "I couldnt stand being in one of her plays..."

As Austin was pondering his reply, a question sprang into mind. "What play is it again?" He asked.
"Dunno. She hasnt said yet."

Alice cut their conversation short as she stood up and walked across the room to get her clothes.

Like usual, it took Alice just a minute to get dressed.

Atop her pink tanktop, she tossed on a baggy purple sweater. And for bottom wear, she put on a longer purple skirt, and then she pulled on a shorter and more ruffley pink skirt.

One singular purple hair tie was used to bunch her hair up to sit on the left side of her head.
All and all, her outfit was a massive mess of purple and pink..but she wore it well!

This wasnt the first time Alice had given Austin the impression that she didnt care what she wore.

Seven minutes before class.

"We've still got a few minutes!" Austin called to Alice informatively, who was already at the door, fiddling with her own set of keys.

"Oh. Do...you want to wait?" Alice's keys slipped into her school bag, as her outfit didnt have pockets.
"Uhm."

Austin was pulling on his coat. It was a dark grey, and the sleeves were violently tattered. He had a very punk-like appearance to him.
From his 'canine bites', septum and ear piercings, to the brilliant purple that adorned the front of his commonly messy hair...he looked like the kind of kid you'd avoid like your life depended on it.

But, it was quite the opposite. Austin was a nice guy, but his fashion, music--...et cetera-- choices were... certainly something.
"No!" He said quickly, pocketing his phone and scooping up his bag.

He slipped on a thick, spikey bracelet.

"Lets get going," He rushed across the room to Alice's side.

It was uncommon for him and her to head to class together. Since Alice normally bolted out the door so fast, Austin could barely get a word in. But not today!

Standing outside on the breezeway, Austin locked the door firmly. "There we go." He confirmed, pushing on the door, and then comfortably stuffing his keys into his pocket.
Alice smiled, and the two made their way down stairs.

Given as they were on the top floor--not counting the rooftop--they had to head down three sets of stairs. But stairs werent that bad...atleast not in Austin's opinion.
The courtyard was empty since it was still pretty close to classtime.

Austin smiled up at the sky, which had cleared up pleasantly. A nice blue color stared back at him.
"Did we lock the door?" Alice asked, suddenly.

He pulled his eyes off the sky, and looked at Alice, who had stopped in her track.
"We did," Austin confirmed, turning back to her. "Are you sure?"

Austin took Alice's free hand, as her other hand was holding onto her bag. "I promise! Its...its all locked up."
While he smiled at her, his heart ached.

Alice had suffered a pretty bad head injury back in kindergarten, and since she'd never been to a hospital for the injury she endured, her memory had been incredibly unreliable ever since.
Although, Austin didnt think a hospital couldve helped with her memory issues in the first place.

She wouldnt forget things like her friends, her name, or other important things. But it was unfortunately common for her to blank out on things like remembering if they'd locked the dorm, or even mixing up names sometimes.
Hell, sometimes she'd forget whole days, sometimes even forgetting to bring lunch or forgetting her next class.
It broke Austin's heart beyond belief, watching her struggle with her memories.

It wasnt something she deserved.

Alice nodded at Austin's confirmation, and the two headed across the courtyard without another word on the matter.

He dropped her off at her first class, like the punk-esque gentleman he was. Alice gave him a soft smile. "I think this is the earliest Ive been. ...To class, I mean." She gave a laugh.
Austin chuckled too. They were two minutes early.

Oh, Alice...

The way her head tilted slightly as she spoke, sending her hair cascading to the right...
Her beauty was positively unmatched--by anyone--or anything.

"Oh I forgot--uh--did you need anything from your locker?"
A few of the students lockers were in that very hallway, including Alice's.
It was good to ask her these little things, keeps her memory from dying out entirely.

"Nope, I'm good."

"I'll see you later. Alright, Alice?" Austin flashed a kind smile. Alice nodded. "Seeya!"
Austin watched her short brown hair flick around the doorway, and she disappeared.

He stared longingly at where she had been just a second ago, but staring has never once brought a girl back, so he headed forth to his class.

For the most part, Austin's day was--for lack of a worse word--horrific.
His first class was okay, nothing great, but his second class; math, is when everything went downhill.
He'd gotten a few answers wrong in Mr. Scippio's class, and Davey ridiculed him for each one.

This wouldnt have been so bad, if he hadnt messed up the questions aloud infront of everyone.
And this wouldnt have been so bad, if Alice wasnt in the same class.

Alice was by no means a 'super genius' or anything, but she was a good student with spectacular grades.
She put Austin's stupidity and flimsy report cards to shame.

"Dumbass!" Davey whispered into his ear, unable to hide the laughter in his voice.
Davey was in all of Austin's classes.
Suddenly, harassing Davey that morning didnt seem as funny.

"...Not quite..." Mr. Scippio said in response to one of Austin's very wrong answers. He was holding one of his fists infront of his mouth.
Austin suspected he was stifling a laugh, and that only worsened his embarrassment.

He turned around subtly trying to catch a glimpse of Alice.
Austin was pleased to see her doing her work, paying no attention to his idiotic answers.

By the time Austin got a fourth question wrong in a very confident tone of voice, the class was done being--or...pretending to be--nice.
A few giggles burst out like hissing flames, and Mr. Scippio turned his back to the class.

But Austin saw his shoulders trembling with laughter. Well. Scippio had never really been 'professional'.

"I'm trying my best, Mr. Scippio!" Austin blurted, an air of desperation in the back of his voice.
"Not hard enough." Davey said, in an unnecessarily loud tone of voice.

The class burst out in hysterics.
After checking Alice wasnt laughing or looking, Austin hit Davey over the head while blushing furiously.

P.E was a horrible thought to Austin. When it rolled around, he wished he could just head back to his dorm and cope with math's events.

But physical education stops for nobody.

Austin slipped his shirt off with a hum, tossing his jacket and white shirt into his dressing-room locker, while also seizing his P.E clothes.
He and Davey had been slightly late due to a small...incident involving the two in the hallway.

So now it was just them, countless metal lockers, and the weak hum of the fluorescent lights above.

The locker room was cold, and Austin didnt appreciate the cold chill upon his waist, but it was better than the scalding heat outside.
He changed as quick as he could, not wanting to hear the nurse or...in this case "P.E teacher" scold him.
Austin stumbled slightly, but was ultimately alright.

While finally closing up his locker, Austin stupidly dropped the small metal door on his fingers while he was day dreaming.
He yelped in pain, and frantically began working to open his lock again.
It wouldnt open no matter how many times he twisted the lock this way and that, and he finally had to call for Davey from across the locker room in a rather choked voice.

He rushed over like a knight in shining armor, and helped Austin with getting the lock to actually open.
"2...19...21!" Austin whined, his eyes scrunched tight as Davey fiddled the lock.

"Isnt your code 2, 18, 21?" Davey questioned, disregarding Austin's words.
"I...is it?" He stammered, opening his eyes to stare at Davey.

Click!

The locker fell open, and Austin yanked his hand out desperately.
No blood, but there was some pretty bad discoloration.

The inside of his locker had been jostled with Austin's attempts to free himself, so his little dressing-room locker was now messier than it normally was.
His waterbottle had been flipped, his drawstring bag was dangling from the metal shelf, and Austin's little mirror was laying face down on the metal surface.

He tsked the injury and--without paying mind to his tossed locker--very, very carefully closed the locker door again, thanking Davey for his help.
"Today just isnt your day, huh?" Davey teased, whipping Austin in the back with his yellow shirt.

Austin laughed, ignoring the pain blossoming over his fingers and weaseling away from Davey.
"Yeah...I guess its not."

For the most part, they were allowed to do whatever they wanted in P.E. One of those 'free days'.
Davey and Austin sat in the scorching sun, as the only area with shade was occupied by their P.E teacher--or uh--the nurse, who was nursing a cigarette which begged to be snuffed.

"Its too damn hot out here..." Davey swore, his gingery hair sticking to his freckled face.
Austin always had trouble in deciphering whether Davey's hair was ginger or brown, but it looked pretty ginger in the sun.
"No kidding..." Austin moaned, trying to fan out the front of his sweat-soaked P.E shirt.

Austin had cut the sleeves off his gym shirt at the start of the year for some flair, and the adults had yet to notice.

Both boys glanced across the way at Alice and Emmy, who were also clearly struggling with the heat.
Emmy took a long drink of her water, and then she offered Alice some...but she declined with a weak smile.

Austin suddenly remembered his water bottle in the locker room...but he really didnt want to go round two with that metal door.

Davey and Austin werent sitting with the girls because...well...they were a bit too embarrassed right now, what with how they looked in the heat.
Somehow, the girls looked fine, albeit a little miserable.

Girls had some unseen ability to look pretty no matter the circumstance.

In the distance, kids like Carla and Jerome were competitively going at basketball, occasionally pushing one another.
The ever-so-sneaky Lily and Billy were creeping sneaking back into the school for either some AC, or to get away from Cindy.

Despite the heat, Cindy's urge to keep bullying Lily never slept apparently, as she had thrown countless balls at the poor girl before she and her brother fled. Lily slipped inside with a hand clutched over her head, and even from where Austin was sitting, he could see her trembling.
Ozzy had casually left just a few minutes beforehand. Nobody tried to stop him as he lied to the nurse about 'heading inside for his inhaler'. Ozzy never returned.

"Dude," Davey said suddenly, inspired by Emmy waving at him, wearing a smile.
Austin's eyes glanced in Davey's direction. "What man..." he groaned.

"They're looking!" He hissed, as though Alice and Emmy were some sort of deity.
Which they practically were in the boys' eyes.
Austin glanced upwards as Davey gave him a firm nudge, speaking with one hand covering his mouth so Emmy couldnt read his lips.

Austin tried to sit up, but he'd been slouched for so long that this action hurt his back.

Davey wouldnt say it outloud, but somewhere along the years he'd developed a crush on Emmy.
And he hadnt even said that to Austin! The only way Austin recognized this was because Davey would look at Emmy the same way Austin himself looked at Alice.

"Lets fake a race," he said. "Wha...? Wheres that coming from?" Austin asked, his blue eyes wide with surprise.
"And how do we 'fake a race'?" "Well duh. You're gonna run super slow, and I'll give it my all." He said, bluntly, gaze flicking back to Emmy.

"And...why?" "To impress Emmy?" Davey shot back, as though this were a no brainer. "No way!" Austin snapped.
"Its too hot, and then I'd embarrass myself infront of Alice!"

The boys sat silently for a second, trying not to stare at Alice and Emmy. Neither girl was concerning themselves with Austin and Davey's presence. Alice was laughing hysterically at something Emmy had said.
"Why dont we just...genuinely race? Heat be damned." Austin said, rising to his feet with more confidence than he had. "Then neither one of us has to throw."

Now really, Austin didnt want to walk, let alone run across the black top as fast as he could. But for Alice's attention?
...The sun wasnt that hot anyways!

Davey rose beside him, a smirk on his face. "Fine! C'mere. From here to that other fence line."
Austin nodded in agreement.

They decided to start where the girls could still see them, but not where it looked like this was being done for the sole purpose of the girls seeing them.

Austin tried to stretch, but the heat made him want to shrivel up and die, so he just straightened up instead.

"May the best win!" Austin said, feeling as though the heat had intensified, but still trying to be a decent sport with his best friend.
"I'm gonna flame your ass." Davey said, a cocky smile blessing his red face

Both boys got ready.
"Alright--whew...--three, two...one!"

The words had barely left Davey's lips as both boys shot forward and took off across the asphalt.
It was safe to say it was infact way too hot to be sprinting across the blacktop for attention from girls.
It was too hot to even be moving!
Yet, both boys persisted.

Austin tried not to focus on how horrifically fast Davey was even in the heat, or the pounding of his heart in his throat, which he feared he may spit up any minute now.
As they ran past the girls, both Alice and Emmy stared wide-eyed at them, Alice even craned her neck around Emmy for a better view.
A sense of triumph overtook Austin's senses as he forced himself faster.

Well, he had Alice's attention. He could have stopped, but beating Davey? Come on. He just had to!
Forcing every part of his body to go faster, Austin and Davey were almost neck and neck, with Austin barely overtaking Davey.

They were almost to the fence. But, thats when disaster struck, as it always did for Austin, because why would anything go his way?
A bump in the asphalt caused Austin to trip, fly a few feet and skid into the blacktop--hard. The pain was immediate, and Austin wouldnt have been surprised if he'd scraped his knees down to the bone.

Given the necessity to wear gym clothes for P.E, Austin's legs were mostly bare from the shorts he'd changed into earlier.

To make matters worse, Davey tripped over Austin, and promptly landed partially on him. He tried quickly to scramble off his sprawled best friend, panting from sheer exhaust.
"Dude..." he managed, before coughing violently.

Jerome stopped from where he was standing on the basketball court, staring at them with one fist pressed to his lips.
Carla probably wouldve stopped to stare too, but she was currently hanging off the hoop. The ball she'd appeared to have just dunked bounced away, rolling across the asphalt to hit Austin in the side of the head.

"Are...you o..whew...kay?" Davey asked, his sweat-soaked chest heaving.
"Ow..." Austin groaned, not moving.

Austin coughed into the blacktop, his leg twitching against his will from the pain.

This is when Austin realized he was stupid if he thought his embarrassment and pain couldnt get any worse.
As he was finding his inner courage to atleast try getting up, Davey suddenly greeted someone.

"Wa...hello..." he panted, breathlessly.

Austin didnt need to look, he knew the girls were here. That stupid tone in Davey's stupid voice gave it away.
To try and alleviate the embarrassment even if only slightly, Austin tried to sit up quickly.

He sat straight up on his knees, but that did the opposite of its intended effect, and Austin cried out in pain as the injuries to his knees worsened greatly.
Austin looked down tentatively at the damage, but only saw traces of blood spread over his kneecaps. A little too much blood to be a simple scrape.
The burning blacktop wasnt helping his pain, and it felt like someone was drilling through his knees.

Alice's hands found their way to Austin's shoulders as she sat down beside him with a rather unflattering fwoomp. She turned to call for the nurse, but she was already heading over, having seen the incident.
"Are you alright?" Alice asked, trying to get through to Austin, who was gritting his teeth and tearing up in pain.

"I'm fine...!" He obviously lied, not daring to look up and risk meeting Alice's eyes.

"You're both stupid," Emmy suddenly said with a sigh, although there was notable concern in her voice.
"Racing in this heat?" She crammed her water bottle into Davey's hands.
He was a bit scraped up too, but not as bad as Austin.

Silently, Austin and Davey met each others eyes.

They shared an awkward look as the nurse came over, bending down with a grunt to asses the boys conditions.

As if Austin's already unlucky-ish day couldnt get worse, science class had to roll around.

Ozzy was Austin's science partner. Lab partner? Whatever.
The two sat side by side at their little table by the front of the class, a very intricate web of beakers and vials was layed out before them.

Austin was confused beyond belief, and Ozzy was very clearly zoning out. The red head's hate for Dr. Danner was palpable.

Occasionally, Austin's arm or bandaged knees would brush Ozzy's, and unaware, he'd leave it there. "Touching--" Ozzy would groan, and Austin would relocate his body with a small 'sorry!'
Austin stared at everything to entertain himself. The board, the window, the floor, Ozzy's thick headphones...

"You two. Paying attention?" Dr. Danner's voice cut through Austin's absentminded staring, and Ozzy's attempt to mentally escape.
They both snapped upright. "Yep...!" Austin lied. The second he closed his mouth hopefully, his tongue ran over the front of his teeth in an anxious manner.

"Then, you wouldnt mind following along?" He motioned to his own set of chemicals at the front of the class. The colors had changed from the dull yellow of Austin and Ozzy's set, to a brilliant red.

Ozzy and Austin looked at each other, and the rest of the students glanced over at them.
Austin bit down on his tongue so hard he tasted blood. "Was...it one or two vials?" Austin asked, trying to sound nonchalant, dispite not knowing what he was even saying. "Just one." Dr. Danner said, sternly, yet clearly amused.

Other students could tell that this wasnt going to end well.
Some like Kidd and Billy were smart enough to back up or duck under their table, and some like Carla were staring plainly eager to see this result.

Without a word, Ozzy reached forward and seized a bright green, bubbling vial.
Him and Austin stared this weird look, and Austin finally gave the weakest shrug.
Ozzy leaned forward. The room was silent, so all that could be heard was the quiet sloshing as he dumped the green vial into another beaker.

You could say it was Ozzy being fed up with Dr. Danner's attitude that made him pick a random vial, or maybe even a genuine guess at what to do, or just a plain attempt to follow along as best as he could figure.

But there was one thing it was for sure--
Stupid.

The explosion that erupted from their set could have been heard cities over.
A pitch black mark appeared over their table as the glasses shattered due to the explosive properties it had been unintentionally crammed with.
Ozzy cried out as he was thrown backwards from the sheer force of this experiment.

While Austin wasnt caught so offguard, he did scramble off his stool and dart to the back of the class for protection and distance, as did almost every other student.
It hurt Austin to sprint for the back of the class so fast, but he managed. Carla had to grab Ozzy, who was clearly unwell, and was reaching for his inhaler as he choked on unknown fumes.

Davey ended up beside Austin in the back, and he laughed in Austin's face, although his tone was a bit shaky. As if that was what Austin needed...

He didnt laugh for long though, as Ozzy and Austin's chemical disaster shot out a pitch-black puff of smoke, that spread around the classroom.
Ozzy backed further into a corner, eyes narrowing.

"Good god!" Dr. Danner spat, as he coughed violently and wiped off his glasses.
All of the boys other chemicals fused together, and the bubbling and bangs seemed to go on endlessly.

"Ozzy--detention!" Dr. Danner called, over the sound of their desk collapsing to the ground.

His head suddenly swiveled around to face Austin, who had one hand pressed hard against his knee.
"You too!" He snapped. "Absolute imbeciles."

The added insult made Austin flinch as their experiment gave a deep fizzle.
This day wasnt going well at all.

Lunch was bliss. Not because of food, but because Austin could breathe when he wasnt packed into the science class, which had just been taped off for hazardous waste.
It was assured to be 'cleaned tomorrow', but Austin really had his doubts.

The fumes had made his head feel all foggy and achy.

He sat down at a table with Davey, Alice, and Emmy. He took a seat beside Davey, because Emmy and Alice were already sitting beside one another.
"Heyo!" Alice greeted him.

"Are you okay from earlier?" She was clearly referring to P.E.

A smirk on Davey's face was preventing Austin from responding to his crush. "Hey, hey Austin. Do you want to tell the girls about science today? Or should I?" Austin's eyebrows furrowed as he shifted where he sat.
"What happened in science?" Emmy pressed. There was a fork in her hand, and lettuce was speared on the end of it. Her fork was frozen halfway to her mouth.

Alice wasnt eating, but the glint in her eyes told Austin she was waiting to hear about science.
Davey had a loaf of bread in his left hand, but that didnt seem to matter as his gaze pierced Austin's very soul.

"Not much..." he started to lie.
"Austin blew up the lab!"

Emmy choked on the food she already had in her mouth, and Alice's eyes went horrifically wide. "You--you what?!" The girls yelled in unison.
"Okay well! Well uhm..." He couldnt find the words as Davey howled with laughter. "Ah...Loser!" He called, hitting Austin upside the head with his loaf of bread, and then barbarically taking a bite out of it.

"Are you okay?!" Alice asked, her expression softening at the embarrassment on Austin's face. "Yeah...thanks Alice. But I didnt do it! Uh. Ozzy did."
Austin dropped his voice as he threw Ozzy under the bus, but even from a few tables over, and even through headphones, Ozzy turned to Austin's words.

"Oh shut up!" He commanded, his inhaler not quite leaving his hand.. Anger was etched into every wrinkle that appeared on his scrunched up face. And after a minute, he turned back to face the kids he was eating lunch with while sputtering a weak cough.
Austin didnt actually stop to consider how the unknown fumes may have triggered Ozzy's already delectate asthma. He suddenly felt pretty bad. Davey was pounding the table in hysterics. "Its not that funny Davey." Alice snapped. "Austin could have been hurt!"

"Austin's already been hurt today!" He replied, wiping a fake tear from his eye.

"But It was hilarious!" Davey insisted. "And everything else on their table shattered...oh my god its an absolute hazard in there right now! Who knows what those fumes would do to a person?" He snickered.
Austin stuck his tongue out at Davey in annoyance, revealing a tongue piecing he also adorned.

"Oh yeah, that'll do something--OW!" Alice had reached across the table and hit Davey. Her knees sat atop the already quaky table top as she went to hit him again, but Emmy pulled her back down.
Not very lady-like to be crawling across a table, afterall...
"Be careful!" She insisted, her dark eyes soft. Alice resumed her spot as Davey rubbed his head.

"I'm just happy we only have one more class for today." "Yeah, but its theatre..." Emmy informed him.
Everyone at the table shivered.

"And its casting day. Oh joy," Alice said, sarcastically, unintentionally reminding Austin of that.
"I'm surprised you remembered." Davey said. Alice's green eyes narrowed at him. "Well I doubt she'll choose any of us." Davey said, shrugging off Alice's stare and cramming more bread into his mouth.
He pointed at the others respectively as he spoke.

"She hates Austin because he cant remember a line, Mostly the same for Alice but she cant remember anything." Austin looked at Davey annoyed, and Alice's face reddened with embarrassment.
"And what about me?" Emmy asked, her expression reflecting one that combined curiosity and a tinge of sadness. "Ah...hm."

Austin wasnt sure why Emmy would want to hear what made her a bad candidate for a play, but whatever.

Davey dramatically tapped his head. "Nope cant think of anything." He said, shrugging. "Oh come on." Austin hissed under his breath. Not because he wanted Davey to insult an already sensitive Emmy, but because of the obvious favoritism.
Austin dug in his bag and removed his waterbottle that he'd forgotten during P.E earlier, taking a long swig. Oh, how he loved waterbottles that kept your drink cold.
Alice seized the silence and spoke up. "And she wouldnt cast you for anything because you've got the looks of a toad and the personality of a dirty stick!" She snapped.

Austin immediately lurched forward as he snorted into his drink. Emmy covered her face with one hand, and could be heard stifling laughter. Davey's mouth fell open.
"Alice you shut up!" He commanded, looking just as embarrassed as she had no less than a minute ago.

Davey's hand slipped down by his chest, his fingers locking around a necklace he wore. The dangly part of the necklace resembled a crown, and Davey wore it everywhere.
He and Alice were staring at one another as though this were a showdown.

Austin glanced worriedly from his friend to his crush.
He'd love to make a joke about Alice beating Davey into the ground, but in all reality, Austin did not like the idea of Alice getting in a fight.

Austin always worried she would, what with how she'd shoot her mouth off every now and then.
His biggest fear was Alice and Cindy getting into a fight, because--as much as he loved Alice--he knew just how dirty Cindy could be in a fight.

Before anyone could speak again, the bell rang. The repetitive ringing shot through their ears uncomfortably loud. "Theatre time!" Emmy said, smiling, apparently trying to calm down the situation before either Davey or Alice could throttle one another.

The four of them headed to theatre. Emmy and Alice walked ahead of the boys, while Austin hung back with Davey. His hand was tight on the strap of his bag.
"Casting's today," Davey cooed the reminder into Austin's ear.

"Guess it is..." he responded. "What play do you think she'll pull out of her--" "And what are you guys doing? Lingering in the halls!" Someone snapped.
All four of them turned to see Stevie, looking stern. "Going...to theatre..." Emmy said softly. "Hmmm..." Stevie replied, as though this were an insane and impossible response or action.
"Then hurry up!" He barked, crossing his arms affirmitively.

"--Today..." Davey finished as they walked away, but he had clearly missed a few words.

"Who knows..." Austin muttered as he stared ahead at Alice. "Maybe you'll get lucky. You and Alice may get to be in a play together." Davey hummed, although sarcasm leaked through his words.
Austin shook his head. "Nah. You had a point man, she'd never cast either of us." The punk's mood slipped as his gaze shifted to Davey.

Davey's expression softened. "You know I didnt mean that. Just messin around," He brushed a hand through his scruffy hair.
"You know she casts all willy-nilly anyways."

Austin nodded, but suddenly froze up and began to slow down.

"Gotta slow down..." Austin added quickly, letting his walking pace drop drastically due to the pain in his ripped up knees.
Davey slowed beside him as Austin gave a sigh of relief as he patted down his knees, and went on speaking.

"Besides, theres only one play I want to do with her..." He muttered. "Yep." Davey acknowledged, as Emmy and Alice suddenly burst out laughing over whatever they were talking about.
Emmy struggled to catch her breath as Alice went on talking in a wheezy tone.

Davey was good wingman for him and Alice, being Austin's best friend and all. And Austin tried to return the favor for Davey and Emmy...only Davey was much more secretive about his crush, as earlier stated.
Thats what friends were for, trying to help their friends get with girls they'd been pining for since before they could read.

"Cant be that lucky." Davey said, nudging Austin. The punk chuckled at his friend's words.
"Ha. Nope. But, I'd go the extra mile if Ms. L put us in a play together." Austin said, swooning slightly.

"Remembering your lines isnt going the 'extra mile'." Davey teased with a smirk.
Austin grinned back, hitting Davey in the chest. "Oh, shut up!"

But Austin suddenly frowned. "If I had any luck today... I think Ive exhausted it."
"Yeah. Your just lucky today didnt kill you." Davey chuckled, grinding his fist into Austin's head.

"So all I have is casting for today!"
"Alongside a short brief for the play!"

Mrs. Lovelett's gaze fell on them as they entered the theatre, which was too luxurious for a bunch of highschoolers who typically skipped theatre anyway. "Hi, Mrs. L!" Austin greeted.

Mrs. Lovelett had been in an incredible mood so far this semester--which had arguably just started--but that was all because she was married.
Austin didnt know the details, but rumor had it that she was married to a student's dad.

The news had caused Austin to eye Davey, suspecting it was his father, the principal. But Davey called Austin vulgar words and claimed it wasnt his dad.
So Austin had yet to learn who's mother was now Mrs. Lovelett.

"Oh, its you four. Right on time!"
"Come, come, get in line!"

Austin and his friends scampered up to the stage. There wasnt a line, but everyone was sitting on the stage. Austin took a seat cautiously, while his friends all flopped down wherever.

Apart from Cindy, who came stumbling from backstage.

"Why is the backstage such a mess?!" She snapped.
"Cardboard, metal rods,--a buckets of fake blood?--Its a mess everywhere!"

Nobody responded to her complaints, but Mrs. Lovelett spoke around her.

"Why are you all sitting down? Up, get!"
She commanded.
"We need our cast, for Romeo and Juliet!"

Everyone stood with a collective groan.
"Romeo and Juliet?" Felix asked, his drawling voice echoing slightly in the theatre.
"You cant be serious. I showed up for this?" He spat, looking agitated.

Austin's eyes widened with a glint of hope. If he and Alice were cast as Romeo and Juliet...
A smile crept onto his face before he could stop it.

He was just about to heroically volunteer before Felix turned towards the door, clearly ready to leave.
Mrs. Lovelett blocked his way.

"Oh no no, I cant let you go, my son!"
"For you cannot leave, until we're all done!"

He was about to dispute, but a definite blush of embarrassment brushed over Felix's pale face, and he was forced back into the theatre.
"Fine..." He muttered, voice barely audible. "But I dont want a role in this dastardly play!"

Mrs. Lovelett gave him a smile and a thumbs up, but then she turned and sectioned the girls from the boys on different sides of the stage, surveying them intensely.
Oh, so thats who's father Mrs. Lovelett had married!

Austin tried to speak again, but he was cut off by Mrs. Lovelett.

"Romeo and Juliet, a beautiful book from back in my time.
A literature masterpiece if I could opine!"

Austin blinked at her. Nobody in the room needed a brief rundown of Romeo and Juliet.
But, Ms. Lovelett went on...and on...

She rambled on for a fair portion of classtime, to the point Austin could hear an occasional yawn from his classmates.

"We get it," Buggs muttered under his breath, eyes squinted at Ms. Lovelett.
"We've read it!" He hissed from behind Austin.

'You've read it.' Austin thought with a huff.
But then he whipped around at the idea of Buggs reading Romeo and Juliet.

Austin had tried to speak a few times, but he couldnt even get a word in...

"But I guess thats all. Now, lets get onto casting!"
"Who would like to volunteer, for the sake of acting?"

The theatre stayed silent. Some girls even ducked behind one another to try and back away from the opportunity of kissing a boy.
Ozzy--while not a girl--had done this same thing on the boys side as he hid behind Davey.

Noticing her young actors lack of enthusiasm, Ms. Lovelett turned to the girls and spoke up.

"Now lets see, a girl for Juliet, who wont mind a kiss..."
"Any female volunteers would fill me with bliss!"

Mrs. Lovelett clasped her hands thoughtfully.

"The actor will stand back there and play their part."
She pointed to an 'X' on the floor, made with painters tape.
"Please, guys? For the sake of the art!"
Mrs. Lovelett pleaded.

Alice and Emmy quickly declined.
This actually hurt Austin. There goes that chance.
Suddenly walking out of theatre seemed like his best bet.

And as for Davey, he was a bit bummed too. But he hid it well.
Cindy didnt respond despite the glint in her eyes, but she looked upwards from the 'x' mark...like an idiot.
Carla scoffed and scooted backwards on the stage before crawling sneakily to the whole other side of the stage to escape the part of Juliet, hiding out of view behind Austin. Yes, Carla was defying orders and sitting.
Who's surprised?

That really left two girls. Cindy...and Lily.

"Well not me!" Cindy finally said, crossing her arms defiantly and dramatically. Her long twin-tails came close to touching the ground as she tilted her head upwards.
There was a faint smile on her face that almost looked devilish.

"You dont want to participate, really Cindy?"
"How sad...our options are dwindling."

"That didnt rhyme" Davey laughed into Austin's ear. Both boys struggled to contain their laughter, even as Mrs. Lovelett looked at them.

"Well yeah...I'd only kiss my boyfriend...and he's not gonna be in it."
Mrs. Lovelett turned to Felix, who was now lounging in a theatre seat, but Felix just shook his head before she even got the words out.

"Can I recommend Lily?" Cindy said, suddenly.

Lily perked up, confusion and shock on her face. But that wasnt limited to just her, everyone in the theatre gaped at Cindy.
Cindy hated Lily. Called her 'ugly Lily', hit her, harassed her, filled her locker with filth...so what was this about?

Austin went quiet. He didnt want to volunteer if it meant he'd kiss Lily.
...No shade to her.

"Me?" Lily asked finally, directing her wide eyes towards Mrs. Lovelett.

Mrs. Lovelett's eyes shone.

"Oh no...I'm not really a big fan of plays..."
But their sing-songy teacher spoke over Lily.

"Oh yes! Lily, my dear!"
"Come forth, here, here..."

The theatre fell silent, and among the awkwardness, Lily was forced to step forward and comply.

She motioned Lily forward, and gently positioned her at the very front of the stage.

She steadied Lily, by grabbing the girl's black shoes delicately. Mrs. Lovelett ran around the theatre and climbed up onto the stage, approaching Lily closer.
"I cant say I'm a big fan of being in a play..." Lily repeated her worries, shoulders slumping beneath her bulky turtle neck. A faint trace of annoyance was found in her features, but it was mostly overshadowed by another emotion Austin couldnt quite place.

Mrs. Lovelett ignored Lily's words, and instead, she gently nudged Lily to straighten up, the other students presumably fading into the background as she marveled at her new actor.

"You're perfect! I can see it now, you'll do just fine!"
"Do it for theatre, and dont mind it if they negatively opine!"

Lily's eyebrows crinkled as she listened to Lovelett speak.
"She's reaching with those rhymes," Davey whispered into Austin's ears.
But now, Austin couldnt find a giggle anywhere in him.

No Alice in a play meant no kissing her, and that was bumming him out. He whispered this back to Davey, dejected.
"Then confess to her normally and go kiss her that way." He responded absentmindedly with a shrug, despite knowing Austin could never do it. Austin's body slumped.

"How would I even gain the courage to do that?" Austin asked, his eyes not quite leaving Alice.
"Uhm. Go leave her love notes or something, thats a teenagery thing to do!" Davey advised.
That was...
Not a bad a idea...

Austin found himself smiling.

"Everyone get out of the way, move!"
"Let our new actor get in the groove."

Mrs. Lovelett shooed everyone to far left and right stage while Lily was pushed to the back center of the stage.
There was a cacophony of squeaks as kid's shoes scattered off to the side. Ozzy's body trembled at the noise.

With that done, Mrs. Lovelett rushed off the stage to stand at the very front of the seats, staring at Lily through a square she'd made with her fingers.
The boys had been herded to left stage while the girls had been crowded to the right. so Austin stared across the way at Alice.

Alice's hands were clasped gently in front of her. A smile lingered on her face, and she perked up slightly as Lily smiled over at Mrs. Lovelett. She didnt even notice him.
But Austin noticed something.

Only Emmy was standing beside Alice. Where were the other girls?
Turning to his left, Austin saw that Carla had rounded herself with the boys completely. She stood casually behind Ozzy, who looked ready to leave.

'I feel ya man', Austin thought with an outward huff.

Atleast Carla had been found, but as for Cindy?
Maybe she was smart enough to leave the theatre as everyone scuffled to move.
..Ha. 'Cindy' and 'Smart' in the same sentence.

This brought a small smile upon Austin's face.

"Now Lily, or should I say--our fair Juliet,"
Mrs, Lovelett smiled as she adjusted her thick, red-rimmed glasses.
"Give us a nice pose, go on, break a sweat!"

Lily's smile faltered slightly. But she glanced at the girls, then at the boys. Both looks held a bit of hesitance.

"You've got this Lily!" Emmy called, smiling over at her friend.
"Yes, pretty Lily, what gardener Emmy said!" Nugget called, smiling.

Without making a single noise on the stage, Lily shifted her feet, and obliged Ms. Lovelett. She bowed ever so slightly to portray an elegant pose.
Lily typically hated Mrs. Lovelett's plays, but she smiled and went along all the same, even if it seemed a little forced.

Austin heavily suspected that she just...didnt want problems, but maybe she was actually getting into it!
Hey, you never know.

Mrs. Lovelett opened her mouth to say something, her eyes glinting wonderfully, but she was cut off as her beautiful actor was drenched in something...not so beautiful.

A stream of 'blood' came rushing down from the rafters above, and Lily was drenched in solid red.
Her hair became thick with the fake blood, her pale skin was soaked in a deep and unflattering crimson color, and her blue eyes were wide with horror.

A collective gasp erupted from everyone in the room as they stared at her. Some with pity, some with shock and horror drilled into their expressions.
Lily's blue clothing was now dyed a deep red color, that seemed to grow darker the further it sank into her clothes.
She gave a faint whine as tears welled in her eyes.

"Lily--" before Alice could step forward, a bucket fell from above, and it landed square on her head with a loud clang--the sound of a teenage girl being humiliated.

Alice gasped as Lily stumbled slightly, bucket still on her head.
As if Lily's apparent torture couldnt get worse, she slipped on the red that had pooled all around her, and she crashed to the floor with a cry of pain.

The sound she'd made when her thin body hit the stage echoed across the theatre, eventually fading.

"The pretty Lily!"
Nugget rushed forward alongside Alice. A few other kids made an attempt to step closer, but they thought itd be better not to crowd poor Lily.
Even Mrs. Lovelett stayed silent as Alice pulled the bucket off of Lily's trembling frame.

Lily's palms were pressed hard against the stage, the red messy and invasive upon her pale skin.

Her eyes were riddled with tears that cut through the fake blood. The pink flower she always wore had been positively soaked.
A faint whimper slipped from her lips.

Lily was typically a quite reserved and unbothered girl, but it made sense to see her breaking down after Cindy's cruel actions.
Cindy picked on Lily, but she'd never done anything like this. Not in the time Austin had known either of them, atleast.

Nugget tried to push her soaked hair from her eyes, and Alice whispered quietly into her ear. "Lily? Are you okay?--"

But all at once, Lily shot upwards and turned for the door. She barely acknowledged either person who had come to her aid, but that was reasonable.
As she descended the stairs, she slipped due to the fake blood still covering her shoes, and a loud slam! Echoed across the theatre once again.

"God did you hear that?" One voice broke the silence.
As if perfectly on time, Cindy had reappeared, her hands hidden behind her.

"Hear what?" Ozzy asked, his eyes narrowed, fists clenched in annoyance. "You torturing girls?"
"No!" Cindy snapped, waving Ozzy off as a smile crept onto her face.

"The noise she made when she fell! Did you feel the building shake?" Lily was still peeling herself off the floor when Cindy spoke, which left her in earshot.
But make no mistake, the second Lily was up, she was gone.

"Whats your problem?!" Alice snapped, standing and stepping forward, Nugget behind her.

"I didnt do anything!" Cindy said, flying into victim mode and holding her hands up. "I just--was backstage! And I came out and--"
"Then why are your palms like...bright red?" Davey questioned, looking unimpressed.

Cindy stared down at her hands, and then hid them with a scowl.

"You did something." Davey said, crossing his arms.

"Yeah..." Carla muttered, rustling one hand through her bushy hair and then stretching almost carelessly. "That was low."
"Oh shut it, you!"

Just before Austin could suggest that Mrs. Lovelett step in, Alice took matters into her own hands.
What she did next even shocked Austin, who dared to say he'd never seen Alice this way--
With no warning, she reeled back, and slapped Cindy clean across her sneering face.
"Ow!--Waaa--!"

Alice had barely pulled her hand back as Nugget seized Cindy and tossed her clean off the stage with surprising strength. She hit the floor with a 'fwump', and Nugget smiled contently, staring cross-eyed over the side of the stage.

There was a groan from Cindy, and then a nice silence.

Austin's crush wasnt typically a very physical person... in the sense of how she handled disagreements. She was mostly sassy when it came to arguments or confrontation, so he just stared at her with his mouth open.
She looked pretty shocked at what she'd just done, too. She glanced over her shoulder almost uncomfortably at the others.

But nobody cared.

As for Nugget...
Well.
Nugget was unpredictable.

A voice suddenly split the silence.

"Alice, perfect! Yes, that'll do."
"Our new star, it can only be you!"

Everyone turned collectively to see Mrs. Lovelett. She'd gotten over the shock of her actor being ridiculed, her hands now crossed over her heart with glee etched across her face.
Alice looked down to see she was standing atop the 'X'.

Austin stared very, very intently at Alice.

"Oh--no, no thats Lily's role." She said simply, stepping aside and trying to subtly peer off the side of the stage to get a look at Cindy, who was back to groaning in presumed pain.
"Gravy? Is that...you?" Cindy drawled, her voice dying with a soft eugh.
Gravy was Cindy's beloved cat, who was certainly not here at the moment.

"But Lily left, and the show shouldnt have to halt..."
"If you oblige, you'll receive no detention for assault!"

"But Lily only left because--...no detention?" Alice asked, her views changing.
"Nugget encourages Alice to take the role." Nugget chimed, appearing at Alice's side.

Alice flinched as Nugget craned over her shoulder.

"The pretty Lily tends to despise the sing-song teacher's plays." Felix was now leaned over Cindy, was staring down at her with a look of worry.
"Uhem. I do believe she's unconscious." He said, not touching his girlfriend.
Nobody listened.

Alice eyed Mrs. Lovelett, then glanced at Nugget. "I dont want detention..." She said softly.
She stared down at the fake blood all around her feet, then at Ms. Lovelett akwardly.

Nobody in the theatre spoke up, which made Alice frown.
She glanced over her shoulder, looking at everyone, but most specifically...

Her gaze met Austin's.
He immediately glanced away, too scared that if he met her eyes, he'd end up silently begging her to take the role.

Alice turned back to Nugget.

"If Lily does want her role back..." Alice started, slowly. "I dont mind handing it over to her." She said this quietly, to Nugget only.
Nugget subsided as Alice turned and told Mrs. Lovelett she'd accept the role, although she looked rather guilty. Her suddenly meek voice resounded off the theatre walls, carrying her voice everywhere.

There was a definite flush in Alice's cheeks as she glanced away uncomfortably in response to Mrs. Lovelett's grinning.

The ever-so-weird Nugget carefully walked away, and scooped up Lily's bag.
There was a pretty pin on it that held the image of a pretty--yet wilted--lily on it.

"Nugget is going to check on the pretty Lily. Farewell!" He called to the theatre as he left.
"He can leave--but I cant?!" Felix suddenly snapped, forgetting about Cindy.

"Wonderful! The role of Juliet has been filled!"
"We've been here a while, so lets get this distilled!"

Felix was once again ignored.

Mrs. Lovelett checked her phone with a hum, but her expression dulled as she noticed the time.
She mustve noticed that rambling on about Romeo and Juliet tends to take up class time.
In a rather panicked movement, she pocketed her phone and glanced upwards.

"Quickly now, I dont quite mean to sound needy..."
"But we need a Romeo! Please, be speedy!"

The words had barely left Mrs. Lovelett's mouth when a voice boomed across the theatre.

"I volunteer!"
Austin's throat felt dry immediately. He leapt upwards into the air, causing his knees to ache when he landed with a thump that shook the stage.
Ozzy, to his left, clutched his headphones and squinted. "Jesus...the roles yours, man..." He grumbled.
Davey gave Austin a hard elbow, a smile spreading across his freckled face.

Alice had been staring at the theatre door, clearly worried about Lily, but now her eyes widened. Her gaze relocated itself on Austin.
Austin's body seemed to have gone rigid as the other boys stepped aside, revealing him like a very lackluster finale.

Davey pushed him hard, causing Austin to stumble forward.
Emmy held a hand over her mouth, but a smile must have been present on her face, as her eye's were scrunched only slightly.

"...Would anyone else like the role?"
Mrs. Lovelett asked slowly.
"I dont mean to--"

"Aw, come on Ms. L!"
Austin stuffed his hands into his pockets. Ms. Lovelett really didnt like Austin in her plays. His eyes met hers with a sort of sympathetic plead.
"I promise you, no slip-ups, nor any forgetting my lines!" Austin tried to negotiate, smiling as gently as he could with his sharper teeth.

There was a minute or two of silence that seemed to go on forever, and all Austin could hear was his heart pounding in his chest.
Finally, Ms. Lovelett gave a sigh, and then smiled back.

"Alright. Sure, Austin! Your enthusiasm is incredible!"

The bell rang as Mrs. Lovelett was speaking, and Austin barely found it in him to straighten up.

"And your excitement is...credible."
She said.

Davey snorted from behind Austin.
'Another horrible rhyme', Austin could just hear Davey's voice in his head.

"Be back tomorrow kids, dont be late for the show!"
"We'll run our first take, of Juliet and Romeo!"

Kids carefully descended the stage and poured out of theatre quickly, including Mrs. Lovelett herself. Austin assumed she was off to the library, presumably to read 'Romeo and Juliet' to get in the mood.

Austin's stomach felt like it had been jam-packed with butterflies...he almost wanted to puke.

"Austin..."
Oh shoot.

Alice's gaze lingered off stage, her expression pensive, yet a smirk tugged at her lips.

All at once, the purple haired romantic found himself blushing furiously as Alice suddenly looked at him, eyes softening.
"Hi Alice...!" He tried to greet her nonchalantly.

She smiled weakly as Felix tried speaking to Cindy from somewhere below them.
Nobody had even acknowledged the two.

"Why'd you volunteer?" She asked, her head tilting slightly. "I...h-mm..."
"Because he felt bad for you?" Davey said, suddenly.

Austin jumped in fear, whipping his head to the left. Why was Davey still here?!
"He knew if someone didnt volunteer for the role, you couldve been kissing someone like Nugget..or Ozzy."

Davey said Ozzy's name with much more disdain than Nugget's, and Austin felt that shouldve been opposite.

Alice gave a small chuckle, and Austin stared at Davey, his face beet red.
"I appreciate it, Austin." Her voice was still a little stiff...maybe even a bit shaky, but Austin brushed it off.

She seemed more phased by Austin being Romeo than she did by actually having a role in the play.

Austin tried not to let it bother him as he and Alice stared at each other.
His blue gaze faltering beneath her green...

Davey glanced between them, not speaking.

Finally, Alice gave a noise akin to a squeak, and then she spoke up for real.
"Well. I'll see you two later."
Her tone was blunt, and it made Austin want to crumble and die.

Had he messed up by volunteering?
Would he and Alice even make it to the play as friends?!

He was so busy overthinking and going down a mental rabbit hole of loss that he barely noticed Alice walking off the stage.
"Y-yeah!" He called after her, trying to sound cheery despite the fear in his gut.

The second Alice left the theatre, and the door shut with a soft slam, Austin wheeled around and gripped Davey by the collar.
"What the hell did I do?!" He yelled.

"Something you shouldve done years ago!" Davey shot back, forcing Austin's hands off him. But with his hands free, Austin grabbed both sides of his head in a frenzy.
"Dude did you not hear her?! Did you not hear that--that monotone voice!?"

"She's normally like that--" Davey said before he was cut off

Austin was about to very plainly cry. "That was stupid! So--so stupid!--I shouldve--"
Davey tried to get a word in, but Austin gave a frustrated groan and crossed his arms firmly.

"I bet if it was Kevin--"

SLAP!

Davey had hit Austin clean across the face, resulting in dead silence.
"Dont over think it!" He yelled, as Austin stared at him wide eyed.

"You volunteered, you got the role, you will get to kiss her,"
His amber eyes narrowed.
"And you're overthinking all of this!"

He yelled that last line so loud, that Austin's ears seemed to ring.
Austin attempted to speak up, but he just shut his mouth quickly.

He gave a soft whimpery noise, and Davey grabbed one of Austin's shoulders.
Didnt say anything. Just..grabbed him.

"Okay." Austin said in a rather breathless huff.
"Yeah?" "Yeah."

Davey smiled as Austin wiped at his eyes.
"And if she ends up hating me after this...then...I'll just deal with it." He said, rather proudly.

"Wrong mentality." Austin shyed away from Davey's unimpressed gaze.

"Go leave her love notes like I mentioned earlier! Keep 'em anonymous and just...slip them in her locker."
Austin didnt reply, but the faintest of smiles tugged at his lip.

"Lets go do something to take your mind off the play." "...Alright."

Davey pushed Austin towards the stairs to descend the stage, so Austin headed that way without complaint.

Austin was only two out of five steps down when he suddenly slipped on the fake blood left behind by Lily.
With a cry, he fell the remaining three steps and landed flat on his face.

Davey wouldve said something, but he didnt know what to say. He walked up beside Austin, still on his face, one leg stretched across the stairs.
He crouched down and gave his friend a firm pat on the back.

Austin gave a soft sigh, but didnt react otherwise.

Chapter Text

If Lily's shoes made any noise as she walked down the hallway, then she couldnt hear it.
She was walking as fast as her legs could carry her.

Embarrassment, sorrow, depression?--It all guided her. Infront of the whole theatre...

Maybe it was pathetic to get so sad over something Cindy of all people did...but Lily didnt care.

Her face was soaked in that stupid fake blood, and her whole body was trembling with too many emotions to pack into words.
Why?
What had she ever done to Cindy?...

Lily's mind swirled with too many thoughts for her to think of anything clearly, but one singular thought sat rooted to the middle of it all--
'I hate her.'

As she crossed the courtyard, the heat from the sun above seemed to grind the fake blood further into her delicate skin, making her grit her teeth in discomfort as it hardened across her body.
Up the stairs she went, head down the whole way.

It was only as she arrived at her dorm did Lily realize the absence of her keys.
She'd left her bag behind at theatre when she'd run out on the class.

This wasnt something to cry over, but Lily cried anyways. She sobbed, actually.

"Billy!" She called through the door, her voice barely her own as it was so riddled with tears.

Billy often skipped theatre, the little rascal.
And where do you go if you skip a class?

Thats right! The bathroom, typically...but Lily knew her brother too well. If he wasnt here, then she'd be flat out of guesses.

"Lily?" Came a voice through the door.
"I dont have my keys," she said weakly, hugging herself and trying to ignore the fake blood seeping deep underneath her fingernails.

Lily could hear her brother jump off his bunk and come for the door, and Lily had to admit...she was a little pre-maturely embarrassed.

When Billy opened the door, his green eyes softened as they landed on the pathetic frame of his older sister.
She looked like she'd come straight out of an unnaturally gorey movie.

The way her head was held so low, the way she held herself, and the way she quietly cried...
She didnt look anything like herself, and it broke Billy's heart.

"Lily--come here! What the hell happened?" Billy guided his sister in quickly, not caring about touching whatever she was covered in.
It wasnt common at all for Lily of all people to cry, but here she was...sobbing her heart out.

He knew this had been theatre class' doing, but he didnt know how yet.

Without responding to Billy's question, Lily stood still for a second, and just stared at him.
Whatever she was covered in, it had dripped into every crack of her sorrowful expression it could, making Lily look very un-Lily-like.

"Lily!" Billy hissed, seizing one of her red hands and squeezing it comfortingly. "What happened?!" He asked again.
Lily had been sobbing rather quietly up until this point, where she let out a cry like a wounded banshee.

"I hate her!" She whined. "Who?" "Cindy!" Billy figured that had been a stupid question.
His poor sister; Cindy's favorite, worn out chew toy.

Lily broke down, her body crumbling into Billy's arms. He caught her gently, giving her the best hug that he could.
Billy was either oblivious to--or he didnt care about--the red getting all over him.

"What are you covered in?" He asked, noticing her hair was thick with it.

"Fake blood I t-think..." she cried, sniffling.

Billy looked at his own hand over Lily's shoulder. Apart from the loss of one of his fingers, a red splatter across his hand stared back at him.
"Why dont we uhm. Get you cleaned up?" He urged, trying to smile at his sister.

Lily didnt smile back, but she nodded understandingly and slumped over towards the bathroom, Billy followed to see if he could be of any assistance.
Maybe take her clothes through the door and go wash them for her?
Make her something to eat? Or drink?

Nope. Lily climbed into the shower and started it, still fully clothed.
She urged Billy to step into the bathroom as she ranted.

Billy sat down atop the toilet lid as Lily's tears disappeared under the water that was dousing her.
"What did I ever do to deserve this?" She spat, blinking rapidly as some of the fake blood dripped down into her blue eyes.

"You didnt do anything, Lily." Billy sighed, crossing his legs as he watched his sister's face contort into a look of pure fury, presumably towards Cindy.

The water that cascaded down her still trembling stature was dyed a bloody shade of red by the time it hit the tub.
If anyone walked in unaware of the situation, theyd have probably assumed Lily had just got done killing, which she could do actually, what with all the anger inside of her.

But sorrow heavily ovetook the anger, and Lily wasnt an advocate for violence anyways.
No matter how mad she could get or what she may say, she could never envision herself laying hands on Cindy.

Still clothed, she scrubbed soap desperately into what she wore, trying to preserve its nostalgic and pretty color.

Eventually, she ripped off her turtleneck, revealing the rest of her yellow dress beneath it, which was mostly devoid of red...though some had apparently soaked through her turtleneck to taint it.
"I hate her," Lily stammered as she scrubbed her shirt intently.

Lily wasnt often this phased by Cindy's cruel shenanigans so it broke Billy's heart to see his sister breaking like this.

"Me too Lily...how'd she even do this?"
Lily stepped out of the waters path for a second, rung out her shirt, and tossed it at Billy, who wasnt not ready for a sopping turtleneck to attack him.
He barely caught it, and was now wet.

The fake blood hadnt permanently stained it, so it was back to its blue color.
It was all coming out fairly easily, it wasnt as bad as it looked, thankfully.

"Mrs. Lovelett was casting today..." "Mhm?"
Lily's face contorted back into sadness.

"Romeo and Juliet." Billy took an exasperated breath through his teeth.
Lily hated that play. She had ever since kindergarten.
"And...did you get a role she was jealous of?"
"No!"

Lily pulled her flower from her hair and gently set it on the side of the tub, looking sorrowfully at it.
"Nobody wanted to be Juliet, because who would? Mrs. Lovelett's plays can drive someone up a wall."

She gave a huff.

"And Cindy was all like... 'No no! I dont want to be Juliet if Felix cant be Romeo!' Lily mocked Cindy in a whiny voice.

Billy snorted with laughter, shaking his head slightly. "Her and Felix..." he said. "I hope he fucking leaves her." Lily said, seemingly before she had a chance to process her words.
The sound of the shower pelting Lily suddenly took over the silence in the bathroom.

But her vulgar words hung in the air for a second. Lily wasnt the kind to favor such language, though her using it clearly wasnt unheard of.
"Im sorry." She gave a sigh as she scrubbed her hair.

More red water...

"I know thats not the right mentality..." "I dont think it matters, Cindy deserves whats coming to her and worse."
Lily smiled for a second, but then frowned again.

"But anyways, she said I should be Juliet..."
She sniffled.
"And I was stupid. I didnt suspect anything! I let Mrs. Lovelett praise me and...it felt good," She cried.
Billy slumped slightly. "And when I didnt expect it."

Her voice cut off suddenly as she bit her lip, and then frowned.
"She poured the blood on me...dropped the bucket on my head, and I slipped on my way out of the theatre."

"Dropped the bucket on your head?!" Billy repeated, eyes widening. Lily gave a sniffle of confirmation.

Billy gave a sigh, his eyes full of pity. "Lily..."

He didnt say anything, but he hoped none of that 'fake blood' had been mixed with real blood from a potential head injury.
But he sort of doubted it.

Lily was finally ringing her hair out and getting clear water.
With one firm scrub of her face, she turned off the shower, and Billy tossed a towel at her.

"Atleast she didnt make those same stupid jabs at you that she always uses..."
"Oh she did." Lily replied bluntly. She crammed the towel into her face.

Lily was a very light girl. She didnt look light enough to be sickly skinny,
But she could easily be the skinniest girl at the school with no real competition.

But then again, she was always wearing that baggy turtleneck...
So, she couldve been thinner than what everyone always saw.

Billy never remembered at what point in his sisters life she'd grown to be so thin, but he wouldnt pry on something like that.
Wasnt like it really mattered, anyways.
But he swore it was somewhere around third grade.

And he also assumed that Lily wouldnt answer questions related to her weight regardless.

"Did you hear that noise she made when she fell?" Lily mocked again, her voice trembling this time.

Billy had almost forgot he and his sister were talking, and his head snapped back up to face her.

"Did you feel the building shake?" She spat, pulling the towel down to reveal that she was crying again.
Once again, Billy stepped forward and embraced his sister with a gentle pat on the back.

Lily was still soaked from her shower, but Billy didnt care.

"Lily? Come here--" He forced his sister to look at her by grabbing her clothed shoulders. Her gaze eventually landed on him.
"You're the bravest, strongest girl at this school." He told her, giving her a slight shake as her mind began to visibly wander.

"...But then why does she make me feel so weak." Lily sniffed. "No matter what I do I-I just." Her sentence ended abruptly, and she shook her head in place of words.
"Because Cindy's pathetic." Billy said, squeezing Lily's shoulders.

Lily's gaze fell back down to the ground, and Billy had this deepening feeling that he wouldnt get through to her right now.

"She always needs to bring someone down to push herself up. She's just that kind of person, Lils."

"Did I ever do anything wrong?" Lily asked, a crack in her voice as visible self-deprecation set into her features.

"No!" Billy quickly tried to comfort her, but Lily's gaze was empty--absent.

"Listen--"
Billy was going to say something else, but someone suddenly knocked on the door.
He noticed his sister tense up.

"Leave it..." She muttered squirming away from Billy and collecting her flower. "Its probably Cindy back to--Billy!"
Billy was already leaving the muggy bathroom, and he approached the door with his hands balled into fists

"If it really is her then dont hit her!" Lily hissed desperately.
"She'll run off and tell someone, and we'll get in trouble..."

"Its not worth it anyways," She added dejectedly as she slumped down on her bed. "It wont deter her..."

Not heeding his sisters advice, Billy threw open the door and immediately raised his fist.

"Hello to Nugget's friend Billy! Is the pretty Lily here?"

Not Cindy, but Nugget! Someone Lily was still not quite hoping to see.
It wasnt anything against Nugget, but she really just wanted to be alone...even from her brother.

Billy dropped his fists quickly

"Nugget has brought the pretty Lily's bag back from the theatre class." "Hey Nugget, thanks..." Billy said with a nod and a sigh.
"And Nugget also confesses he came to check on the pretty Lily."
Lily was now sitting on her bunk, the bottom bunk, and the comforters were growing wet as her dress sat upon them.

Billy carefully took the bag from Nugget, setting it down gently beside the door for Lily to get later. He figured she wasnt in the mood right now.

"Is...now a bad time to see the pretty Lily?" Nugget questioned, a genuine glint in his off-centered eyes.

Billy glanced over his shoulder as he bit his tongue. Lily was now laying on her bed, face buried deep into the fluff of her white pillow.
"I think so, buddy." Billy confirmed as his sister lay motionless.

Nugget frowned a little, but gave an understanding nod. "Nugget understands," he confirmed.
Billy had yet to pull his eyes off his older sister, so he finally looked back at Nugget.

"Maybe later," he offered. Nugget gave yet another nod, a smile tugging on his lips.
"Nugget is okay, Nugget can always speak to the pretty Lily when we see each other again."

Nugget gave a thumbs up. "Besides, Nugget still has to feed Tenders and mess with his dear friend, Kidd."
"Did Kidd skip theatre too?" Billy said, making light conversation. The blonde boy gave a nod.

Billy laughed as he ran a hand through his messy black hair. "Maybe I should go mess with him later too, I gotta stay with Lily. But if I had known he was up here--"
"You can go mess with him now," Lily said, as she lifted her head from her pillow.

Billy turned around. "You dont need to monitor me." She said this with a smile, but it seemed rather pained.
"...But--" Lily shook her head. "Dont let me hold you back, Billy." She rolled over onto her back.

"I can take care of myself. Go mess with Kidd for me, too." A faint laugh crept into her voice. Billy's expression was chiseled with worry, but he knew Lily probably needed to just...be alone.
"Alright. You know where Kidd and Nugget's dorm is, and you can call if you--" "Billy..."

Billy bit his tongue, but turned to slip out the door with Nugget as he gave an empathetic nod. "Thank you," Lily called in a gentle voice.

The second the door shut, Lily's expression weakened into a sob, and she layed on her bunk, hands over her eyes, weeping.
She hated how much Cindy got under her skin, she really did.
Lily wanted to take and hold her brother's words. She knew she was strong to some extent, she really did.

But when Cindy showed up, it didnt matter if Lily had survived a mauling from a once mutant Alice. It didnt matter if she'd helped save countless kids who were in danger--including her own brother!

With Cindy around she was just...
Weak.

She hated how she'd avoid Cindy in the halls, keep her head down when she was around...
She hated those jabs about her weight.
She hated how much more hostile Cindy had randomly become
And most of all? She hated how nobody seemed to notice just how much Cindy's bullying affected her.

Lily resumed crying. She had tried to tell herself that most of her weight loss was just for the sake of, but deep down she unfortunately knew it was to try and escape Cindy's cruel ridicule.

Her arms slipped under her pillow for a second. Something small, cold...metal, touched her arm and she tensed up.
Quietly, Lily sat up on her knees and carefully moved her pillow with shaking hands.

Laying beneath her pillow was a small razorblade.
She stared at it without making a sound.

'Thats in the past.' She tried to tell herself, but she couldnt bring herself to put the pillow down ontop of it.
She...was clean from that.

Why she brought it back to school with her, she didnt know.
She'd grabbed it instinctively while packing up and hidden it under her pillow, just like she always used to at home.

But she was done with it!
Done with that itching of pain the next day,
Done with the hydrogen peroxide as she prayed it wouldnt get infected,
Done with being scared of stitches,
Done with that...

Yeah.
...
No.

Lily had already been crying, but her vision clouded with tears she couldnt see through as her fingers locked around the blade.

Eventually, Lily's hands were soaked with her own tears, and she lowered her hands to cross over her waist, arms trembling, sleeves bulging with paper towels.
But the second her arms touched her stomach, her whole body flinched. Lily suddenly had a sinking suspicion that Cindy's hitting her two days prior may have bruised, and she rolled onto her side, still sobbing

Lily wouldnt say it, but she wished she could curl up in the dorm all day and just lay in bed.
Not in that way when you wake up and your bed feels all cozy...but in the way where you never want to get up again.

Its times like this where that truly feels like the way to go.

A weak sigh found its way through Lily's crying, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

Eventually, Lily's sobs brought her into night, which is when Billy arrived back at their dorm.
He asked her how she was, and Lily bit her tongue.
"Fine, I cried the whole time you were gone." Yeah, like she'd say that.
So, she just gave a smile until Billy dropped it.

Billy got changed for bed, but Lily lay on her bunk, still in her dress, and neither twin spoke of the earlier days events. But they did speak about this and that.

Billy told Lily a silly story about Tenders and his clinginess.
"Them and that cat..." Lily said, laughing as she glanced over the side of her bunk.

The sky was black outside, specked with white. And when the lights in their dorm went off, Lily found herself staring into darkness all around her.
Lily got up begrudgingly for a second to change into her own pjs.
"G'night..." Billy muttered with a yawn. "Goodnight, Billy."

Lily's response was genuine, but her voice was an indescribable hollow that Billy was too tired to acknowledge.

Even when ten turned into twelve, and Lily's eyes ached with exhaust, she couldnt bring herself to let sleep take her.
Cindy had never done anything as cruel as that. Sure, maybe she'd put some gum in her hair. Maybe throw some food at her.
Atleast the blood hadnt been real. Who knows what Lily would have done if it was...

A mixture of rather violent and self-deprecating thoughts slipped into Lily's mind.

But still, if Cindy was ballsy enough to do that in a theatre full of people,
Lily wasnt ready for tomorrow.

But, hey. Maybe it'd be better?

"You cant sleep the day away, up-and-at-'em!"

Lily felt like she had just gone to sleep, but Billy was already hanging upsidown from his bunk and blinking annoyingly at her with big green eyes.
"I'm up...I'm up..." she groaned, trying to convince herself. Oh how she'd miss this bed for the rest of the day.

Her pajama's were a bit baggier, hanging off her more than usual and falling down over her hands.
...Well, her pajama's had always been oversized, but they felt bigger.

Even after Billy woke her up, Lily rolled over, and pulled her blankets tighter around her frame. She was just closing her eyes again as Billy's voice--more distant now--came again.
"Lily! I see that! Get up!" He whined, purposefully annoying. Billy walked over suddenly and seized the blanket she had around her, tossing them right off and into a heap at the foot of her bed.

Lily, now freezing, was too uncomfortable to lay on her bunk anymore, and she sat up with a playful glance at Billy. "Well thanks for that."

When Lily finally pulled herself up and out of bed--which took a few minutes-- she trudged off and collected her clothes from the previous day.
She had collected her yellow dress, so now she just needed her turtle neck.
"Are ya gonna wear that again?" Billy called as Lily stepped into the bathroom to change. "Mhm..." she yawned.

Thankfully, most of that hideous red had washed down the drain, and her sweater was back to its pretty blue. Lily's flower also did a spectacular job at ridding itself of the fake blood, so she popped that back atop her black hair.

Before she could pull on her turtleneck, she carefully seized the bottom of her dress and pulled it up to where she could see her waist.
...
Yep. As she'd suspected from Monday.

Marked in a beautifully awful shade of purplish brown was a large bruise, compliments to Lily's tormenter.
Lily ran her fingers over it as though in doubt of what she was seeing. But this was certainly real.
She pulled her hand off her thinning waist as she dropped her dress and put on her sweater.

Lily eventually stepped out of the bathroom with a soft breath, pushing her bruise out of her mind.

And ta-da! She was all ready for today.
Physically, atleast.

All dorms had their sink on the outside of the bathroom, just beside the little kitchenette. Lily stared into the mirror mounted above said sink.
Her skin looked clear, her hair was nice...her eyes looked a very pretty shade of blue.

She averted her gaze away from the deepening eyebags she was forced to wear.

"Lets go!" Billy called as he stood by the door, rocking on his heels. "Coming," Lily hummed. She grabbed her bag on the way out.
Nugget was too sweet, really. He...didnt need to bring this back up.
And he didnt need to try and check on Lily.

Her cheeks suddenly flushed. She'd have to thank him later.
Well, she had no more time to put any thought towards Nugget or the prior day--which made Lily's blood run cold at the thought.

She wasnt going to say anything about it, but she had a sick feeling welling up inside her stomach. "Lily? You okay?" "Just uh. A little scared...for today." She said with a nod.
Billy clapped her on the back suddenly. "You'll be okay. We wont let anything happen." He said, smiling genuinely at her. "Thanks, Billy."

With that, both twins slunk out the door.

Kidd tackled her with a playful laugh the second she stepped outside, and the pair almost toppled over.
"Waah!--Kidd!" Lily laughed at her friend, and then gently pushed him off her. "Sorry," he drawled, yawning, and then giving a laugh.

"How is the pretty Lily?" Nugget asked suddenly. Lily turned.
"I'm okay Nugget. Thanks for yesterday, by the way..."

Nugget nodded, but then his head slowed to a stop. "...What did Nugget do again?" "You came to check on me. Brought me my bag..." Lily's voice trailed off as Nugget gave a smile.
"Ah yes! Nugget did come to check on the pretty Lily. Nugget hopes the pretty Lily is okay from yesterday." "I am, havent even thought about it." She lied through an innocent smile.

"What happened yesterday?" Kidd asked, suddenly looking confused.
Thats right. Kidd skipped theatre.

Nobody answered, and Billy finally sang from behind them. "Locked! Alrighty, lets go!" He pointed triumphantly down the breezeway.

Kidd and Billy walked side by side, a few paces infront of Nugget and Lily.
Kidd still had a mild look of confusion on his face.

Lily and Nugget walked quietly as Kidd and Billy laughed and pushed each other.
"Pretty Lily..." Nugget suddenly said. Lily glanced over at him. "Is...the pretty Lily sure she's okay?"

Nugget's voice had an avoidant tone to it, like he was dancing around something he really wanted to ask. Lily pretended she hadnt picked up on it.
"I'm sure." She gave a shrug. "I hate Cindy, I hate what she did..."

Silence.

"But I'm okay."
Nugget smiled, but it seemed forced. He gave an understanding nod.
"If...the pretty Lily needs to talk," Nugget started. His voice trailed off, and Lily gently took his hand before she could think or stop herself.
"Thanks, Nugget."

And just like that, the rest of the walk to class was quiet between the two.

Speaking of class.
Ms. Applegate gave a dramatic sigh as she stared at the whiteboard.
"Oh. Ohhh wait a minute."

She was surveying her own work very intensely.
This was common, for Ms. Applegate to completely biff it and try to unintentionally teach the class a bunch of nonsense.

She rubbed her head exhaustedly. "Too bad I dont have Monty in this class." She gave a huff.
Monty sold a bunch of stuff.

From school supplies, to doing your homework, to highly addictive pills...he was your guy.
"Uh. I am in this class."
Monty's voice came from the back, and a very unimpressed look lay on his freckled face.
"Monty! Ah, my favorite student!" Ms. Applegate sang as she trailed to the back of the class and very conspicuously began buying pills from her student.

Ms. Applegate was a pill popper. A smoker, a drinker, the whole nine yards, but she really only took the pills during school.
If you asked Lily, she should be doing none of the above during school. But who cares, I guess.

Billy was asleep at his desk, his head hidden beneath the brown hoodie he often wore.
Lily gave a small laugh, her mind finally clearing up.

Lily was scribbling into her notebook about this and that.
Little flowers and miscellaneous drawings covered the page, since they werent learning anything real.

Honestly, Lily considered herself a very hardworking girl. She had a solid attention span, and she was down to tackle mostly anything.
But even hardworking girls got distracted with drawing little meadows in their school notebooks sometimes.

"What the hell?!"
A pink skirt suddenly landed upon Lily's desk. She flinched.
When Lily looked up, she saw Cindy, staring at her as though trying to analyze her.

"How'd you get all cleaned up?" She asked, almost depressed.
"I...washed myself and my clothes off...?" Lily sunk in her seat, even if only slightly.

"That stuff didnt even stain."

The despair in Cindy's voice was palpable. "Was...it supposed to?" "Well I figured it would. Most fake stuff stand-ins tend to."

"And you didnt check your locker this morning!" Cindy groaned.
Lily had infact not checked her locker, but how'd Cindy know? Was she watching her?

Cindy's eyebrows furrowed as she stared down at Lily, who had suddenly taken great interest in her desk. She admired all the chips and dents on its side.
"Why'd you come back?" Cindy asked, prodding at Lily as though she were a rather uninteresting animal.
"Its school, Cindy. I need to come back. I cant just sit in my dorm all day."

"Well you can always skip." She jumped rather exaggeratedly off Lily's desk. "We dont wanna see you anyways,"
Without another word, Cindy turned to leave.

But something drove Lily, and even she didnt know what.
Maybe it was years of torment from Cindy, or maybe it was just yesterday's cruel events.

She flew out of her chair, hitting her thigh against the metal, and she grabbed Cindy by her bare arm.
Cindy whipped around, and her condescending eyes met Lily's desperate ones.

"What did I ever do to you?" She asked. Cindy was quiet for a minute as Lily's hand sat gently on her arm.
"Why do I have to be your punching bag?"

Lily's hand finally slumped, and Cindy's expression seemed to soften, if only for a second.
"Well," she said this almost thoughtfully, her red eyes glancing off to the side.

This...was it? Lily would finally get the answer she'd been pining for...forever!

"I guess," Cindy dragged her answer out as she realized the desperation in Lily's eyes.
"Its because youre the ugliest girl in the school."

Lily's whole body slumped. "I...?" Words died on her tongue.
"Someone's gotta keep girls like you down." "Girls like me?"

The shock in Lily's voice was almost laughable. She didnt know what answer she was expecting, but maybe she was expecting something less...stupid.
"Yeah. Your brother dumped me! Dont you remember?" "Billy..." Lily glanced over her shoulder at her sleeping brother.

"That was in kindergarten!" "Well no boy dumps me and gets away with it!" "Kidd dumped you in middle school!" Lily cried, her arms over her head.
Lily was very careful to keep her sleeves up over her wrists.

"And about that! After stupid you and your stupid brother, and whats-her-name, Kidd's on my list!"
Lily knew 'whats-her-name' was Alice, it had to be.

"Okay--but Cindy what did I do?!" Lily asked again. "I never dumped you!"

Both girls went quiet at Lily's words. Just a bit awkward...
"You're ugly thats what you are! Thats what you did, you brought your fat ugly self into this school!"
Cindy placed her nail polish coated fingers on her hips almost triumphantly.

"Can I just be ugly and fat in peace?" Lily pleaded, her shoulders slumping further than she thought possible.
Cindy didnt respond to this, and instead spoke around Lily's plea.

"That is what you did, Lily!" Cindy nodded as though this were a logical answer. "And I swear, one day I'll get you out of school." "Why do I need to leave?" Lily asked, her blood having already ran cold with Cindy's sudden--yet expected--insults.
"Because you're ugly."
"Well how are you gonna make me leave?" Lily snapped, "With more cruel notes in my locker? More fake blood? More gum in my hair?" Lily exaggeratedly grabbed a part of her hair and pulled it slightly. She grabbed part of her hair that had a knot, unintentionally, and Cindy laughed.

Cindy opened her mouth to shoot something back about Lily's words, but another conversation took over the room.

"Monty. I've got a dollar."
"A dollar?! Ms. Applegate..."
"Monty you can take this dollar or you can get a month of detention!"
"A month?!"
"Give your lovely teacher those pills!"

Reluctantly, Monty accepted one single dollar from his teacher, and a bottle of pills met her hand.
Cindy sensed her time to pick on Lily was running out, and she leapt back into her seat with a smile that fooled nobody.

Lily also slunk down into her seat as Ms. Applegate walked back to the front of the room, loudly swallowing pills.

Still processing Cindy's words, Lily accidentally kicked Billy under their table, and he jolted awake stammering about fingers. He noticed Lily and clearly he was prepared to mess with his sister, but her demeanor caught his attention.
"Are you alright?" He asked, eyeing her worriedly. "Yeah." Lily said, barely giving it a second thought, her hands down at her sides.

Ms. Applegate grabbed her teaching stick and dramatically whacked the board.
"And that is what you get!" She declared, proudly.

It was the same wrong stuff she'd written up there earlier.
The bell rang, and nobody corrected her as they gathered their stuff. Monty wheeled himself out of the class, mumbling about 'a huge loss' and expressing some colorful terms for Ms. Applegate.

Lily was still staring straight ahead, deeply absorbed in thought, up until Billy gave her a gentle nudge. "Lily?" He drawled, trying to be playful. "You gonna stay here all day?" Lily blinked, and glanced over.
"Ah. Uh. No, no sorry. Lemme get my bag," she gave a small smile, and then grabbed her bag, rising to leave with her brother.

As they were leaving the classroom, they heard Ms. Applegate collapse against her desk. Neither twin turned around.

Lily and Billy were heading for their lockers. Down the hallway, Lily could see Austin holding something to his chest.
It was light purple in color, and it looked like an envelope. He looked right, left, spotted the twins, and quickly stuffed it into the locker he was standing infront of before taking off down the hallway.

Lily recognized the locker as Alice's. There was a very thin sheet of dust over the locker because Alice always forgot to check it.
Just before lily could point this out to Billy--

"Lily!"

Billy and his sister paused where they were in the hallway, just infront of their lockers.
A few classes had gone by, and they were now on their way to lunch.
Lily didnt want to turn around and recognize whoever was calling her, but she bit the bullet and did so anyway.

Alice, one hand raised over her head to catch Lily's attention, was approaching.
Maybe that's who Austin had seen.

"Hi Alice." Lily greeted. Not blunt enough to be considered rude, but enough so to make her mood known to Alice.
"Hi, uh. How are you? After yesterday, I mean."

Lily flinched slightly at the memory, but still gave a soft nod. "I'm fine, what do you need?"
"I just wanted to talk to you quickly about theatre, if this isnt a bad time."
"No no, its a...fine time! But yeah. Whats up?"

Billy gave Lily a pat on the back, and turned just to the side to open and sort through his locker, which was right beside his sister's locker.
Random junk fell from Billy's locker. He swore as he collected it off the floor rapidly.
The girls ignored him.

"When you left yesterday, Mrs. Lovelett pinned your role on me." She said this with a shaky smile, a smidge of annoyance glinting in her eyes.
"I wanted to know if you wanted it back. I'm sort of begging for you to take it back, actually." Alice looked very nervous, even sweating beneath her oversized clothes.

Lily laughed at this. "Not a fan of those plays either, huh?" Alice shook her head vigorously.
"Who'd she cast as Romeo?" "Uhm..." Alice pawed at her head for a second.

"Austin, yeah..." Lily's eyes widened slightly. "You and Austin? Then keep the role! I dont want it back, you know that."
"Come on Lily, I dont want to kiss anyone!"

Billy laughed from inside his locker, and he struggled to stifle it. "Well, I dont want to kiss Austin." "Well!--Hey he's not that bad...--but Lily, c'mon!" Alice plead.
"For as much as you say you hate her plays you looked pretty happy yesterday!" Alice shot. Lily's smile faltered for only a second.

"I...think I liked the attention." She said, thoughtfully. Alice's face softened. "But, no matter. Its your role now."
Alice gave a dramatic sigh. "Well shucks."

"Alice!" Emmy came out into the hallway, her long, wavy black hair was drifting behind her as she came up to the girls. "Hi Lily!" "Hello Emmy."
"The others are looking for you," Emmy said as she seized Alice's arm.

"Alright. And Lily; if you want that role back...you know where to--" "Not a chance." "Damn it."

Emmy shot another sweet smile at the twins, and Alice gave a small wave as they walked away. Her expression was mostly knit up in discomfort.

"Okay, Lily come here and help me." Billy said, as soon as the girls walked away. Lily turned to see Billy struggling with his locker.
He kept his locker as messy as possible. Stray sheets of homework and old books littered every surface of his locker.
The only identifiable thing in that disaster of a locker was a photo of him and Lily when they were much younger.

The photo still made Lily's heart swell.
Yep, that was her younger brother.

Lily turned and helped Billy cram more junk into his locker. "Has cleaning this thing ever occurred to you?" She teased. "Nope! Not really...too much effort."
"You could do with taking a page out of my book," she went on.

Lily kept her locker very clean. Every part of her locker was pristine and mostly organized.
"Oh hush you!" Billy laughed, as he crammed his locker shut.

The door refused to shut, and Billy finally laid all of his weight into it.
Lily chuckled as she turned and began to do the code for her locker.
The lock came undone, and Lily pulled the door open with a smile.

"This is how a locker should look!"
Only now, her locker looked no better than Billy's. It looked worse, actually.

Someone had filled her locker to the brim with trash.

The second the door fell open, masses of trash cascaded down onto the hallway floor.
Wrappers, and even some old food...everywhere. Billy and Lily stared at each other for a second, and Lily slowly turned her head down to stare at the mess.

Her heart dropped into her stomach, and her blood ran a certain kind of cold that made her sick. Billy stared aswell, and neither one spoke.
Now Lily was aware of how Cindy knew she hadnt checked her locker earlier.

Her books and such had been visibly tainted and stained by all the decaying food that her locker had been crammed with.
She figured some of this stuff would be permanently ruined, and she sort of wanted to cry.

"What are you rotten kids doin'?" Came a sudden voice.
The janitor was coming down the hallway, mop in hand, a typical scowl on his old face.

You'd think such a violent, cruel janitor wouldve been fired...or sent to jail by now, but alas...

He came to a stop right infront of Lily's locker, also staring down at the mess. "Now what the hell did'ja go and do all this for?" He snapped.
"I...I didnt do it..." Lily muttered, too sad to be scared.

Billy tried to say something, but the janitor pointed his mop at him like it were a spear. "You! Beat it," "But--"
"You can beat it, or you can get beat!"

Billy gave Lily a tragic glance, and scampered down the hallway. He didnt really leave. Lily could see her brother peering around the corner at the end of the hallway.
Probably staying close so he could get the nurse if Lily received a well-known 'mop beating'. "You really expect me to believe you didnt make this here mess?" The janitor asked, eyes narrowing.

"I dont expect you to believe it. But I_I didnt...! Cindy filled my--" "Oohh," The janitor drawled in understanding before Lily even finished.
"That goddamn cretin." The janitor spat, cramming his mop down into the mess on the floor.

He didnt acknowledge the latter part of Lily's cut-short-sentence, but he began cleaning the mess all the while.
Well, it wasnt really cleaning. He just sort of stirred the junk around with the head of the mop. "...What are you standin' around for?" He snapped at Lily.

She flinched, and carefully ran off down the hallway to meet her brother.

Lily sat with her head down at lunch, not fully acknowledging or appreciating the boys attempts to cheer her up.
"Cindy's only trying to put you down because she's pathetic." Kidd said, his beady eyes full of sympathy as Lily sniffled.
"Yeah well its working..." Lily confessed.

"Nugget insists that the pretty Lily doesnt let the evil Cindy ruin her mood." Nugget said, gently rubbing her back soothingly.
"She's always gonna ruin my mood!" Lily whined, lifting her head to reveal to her friends that she had been crying.

Billy and Kidd, who were sitting across from Lily, per usual, gave her a tragic look.
"I'd hit her for you," Billy said with a sigh. "But you wont let me."

"Yeah, no." Lily said, wiping at her eyes with a weak laugh. "We dont need more problems with her."
Billy stuck his tongue out as he glanced away.

Their table fell silent, but the atmosphere was still loud with other conversations about this and that.
"Is the pretty Lily not going to eat?" Nugget asked, leaning a bit closer into Lily's vision.
She looked over at him.

Lily wished Nugget hadnt said anything out loud.

"Are you not going to eat?" Lily asked back, noticing his lack of food.
Typically Nugget brought, well...nuggets. But every now and then he, much like most other kids, didnt bring or want lunch.

"No. Nugget is not hungry." "Then neither am I." Lily said, ignoring the very obvious aching in her stomach.
She gave a soft smile from beneath the drying tears on her face, but Nugget didnt return it.
Instead he stared at Lily as though heavily analyzing her.

Lily turned away, scared Nugget may read her mind or something.

"Shoot." Kidd said suddenly, his beady eyes narrowing.
Cindy was coming towards them. The jewelry on her neck swung and gleamed in the cafeteria lights.
Under Cindy's arm was Gravy, her pet cat. Why Gravy was in the cafeteria Lily had no idea. Without a word, Lily contorted her thin body and hid under the table.

It was probably very extra, and rather dramatic, but nobody questioned it as Cindy approached the table behind them.
She set Gravy down on the bench and carefully turned to Felix. "Hi, Felix!" She sang, her arms draped over his sleek suit.

Ted, who was sitting beside Felix, just shook his head and smirked.
"Hello, darling..." Felix gave a yawn as Cindy walked two fingers down his shoulder.

She was asking him for something in a very quiet tone of voice.
"Is she gone?" Lily whispered to Nugget's muddied shoes. "No." He confirmed.
Nugget slipped a hand under the table, and Lily gently accepted it for comfort.

Really, she never thought there'd be a time in her life where she'd be hiding from Cindy under a dirty lunch table, with chewed gum hanging above her head.
But theres a first time for everything.

Although, giving it to Lily, Cindy had never been this cruel.
Yes, she always called Lily fat, yes she always called Lily ugly, and sometimes she'd even hit or throw things at her.
But filling her locker with decomposing food and waste, drenching her with fake blood?
That was new. And...way more hostile than usual, as Lily had previously deducted.

"Lily? Isnt this a little much?" Kidd whispered, peering under the table.
"Uh. Probably."

But, Lily wasnt taking chances. Better to be safe and hidden under a lunch table than sorry and sad.
Above her head, stuck to a wad of gum, was a Monstermon card. While Lily didnt care for them that much, she peeled it off the gum for Kidd...if he'd even want something so gross.

Eventually, Felix gently brushed Cindy off, and she skipped away, bypassing their table entirely, and getting a tray of slop from the lunch ladies.
Whatever was on that tray was gross. It looked expired, but mostly all the food at school did.

Lily gave a soft huff and she rose back up to her seat.
It felt good to be off the floor.

"Here, Kidd." Lily thrust the dirty card in his direction. "Oh cool! Where was it?" "Under the table." Kidd looked hesitant on accepting, but finally shrugged and snatched it up.
"You'd take a Monstermon card you found under a table?" Billy asked disgustedly, looking from Lily, to Kidd.

"Ah, I dont care." Kidd said, pocketing it. "Nugget thinks its nice how friend Kidd collects the Talisman so eagerly."
Kidd gave a rather pensive, almost scared look at Nugget.

As though that hadnt happened, the group went back to talking casually.
"Anything interesting happen in your guys classes today?" Lily asked, picking at her nails, which she'd been biting alot more lately.

"Nothing interesting, but,"
Kidd wasnt as gossipy as Felix or Cindy, but he still somehow seemed to know everything.

"Somethin's up with Alice," He hummed, taking a barbaric bite from an apple.
Juice dribbled down his chin as Billy shook his head. "There's always something with Alice..." He smiled, playfully.

"Yeah..." Nugget confirmed, crossing his arms. "But what specifically is up with the Alice?" He questioned.
Kidd shrugged from beneath more of the apple.

"She's been all mopey today." Kidd confessed, wiping some juice from the apple onto Billy's sleeve while he was distracted.
Nobody responded to this for a minute.
"Maybe its about her lovely new play." Lily said sarcastically.

"New play?"
Lily kept forgetting Kidd hadnt been in theatre yesterday.

She didnt feel like telling him about her...'accident' from the day prior.
"She's got the pleasure of being Juliet in one of Mrs. Lovelett's fantastic plays."

Kidd snickered. "Who's she kissin'?" He asked, smirking.
"Austin." Billy confirmed, sharing a very similar smirk to the one Kidd wore.
"Seriously?! Man...good for her."

"No--" Lily intercepted. "Good for Austin. I'm not sure Alice really reciprocates."
More silence.
"Good for him!" Kidd corrected, holding up a finger to signify he had more to say.
"And--mmhm--get this!"

Kidd chewed his apple before lowering his hand and pointing a thumb over his shoulder.
"Ozzy and Carla got a dorm together now. I mean, I saw it coming but still."

The whole table gave a quiet 'oohh...'
Not that there was anything wrong with Ozzy or Carla individually...but they were very much opposites.

"Thats gotta be killing him," Lily said softly.

Ozzy was a clean boy. Always carrying hand-sanitizer, always keeping everything neat, very sensitive to loud noises or unnecessary socialization, and he was very dedicated to his schedule.
And Carla...
Well. She was Carla. Always covered in random junk from science, a true mess, typically the producer of these loud noises that triggered Ozzy, she'd talk over and to pretty much anyone, and she was often late for anything.

Lily and Nugget looked behind Kidd and Billy, who turned around aswell, to see Carla and Ozzy--who often sat with the rich twins.
It wasnt uncommon for Ozzy to skip lunch and spend it in the nurses office sometimes. Lily didnt know the details, but Ozzy had his fair share of weaknesses and medical conditions.
She never searched or questioned Ozzy about any of this...but the blunt way to put it was that Ozzy had certainly been dealt a bad hand in life.

But regardless of nuses office this, nurses office that, he was here today. Since the twins sat beside each other, Carla and Ozzy were sitting together--as they often did.
Ozzy was very much trying to distance himself from Carla.

He'd pulled his hands into the sleeves of the turtleneck he wore--which was much baggier than Lily's-- and he seemed to be almost unconsciously beating into his left forearm.
"Poor thing," Kidd sighed. "Carla's a true handful."
"The sneaky Carla is indeed a handful." Nugget confirmed.

As Lily and her friends stared down Carla and Ozzy, Carla suddenly glanced up. She caught a glimpse of them, and then slowly began to stand up.

"Well. I hope they can somehow resolve whatever uh--...roommate barriers?--they may be faci--aaah!"

Billy and Kidd whipped around at Lily's cry, and Nugget immediately stood up, pushing Cindy backwards into the aisle.
Lily held her head down, shock prevented her from lifting her head which was dripping with what looked like oatmeal and other junk from the cafeteria's 'food'.

Lily's 'favorite' person had once again arrived, and she was back to harassing the poor Lily.
Her most recent bullying charade--which had happened five seconds ago--consisted of dumping gross cafeteria food over Lily's head.

Cindy laughed even after Nugget had pushed her into the table behind him. Kidd had to leave his seat and hold Nugget back.
Not like Cindy didnt deserve to be pummeled, but Kidd knew what Nugget was capable of.

Lily barely responded to anything as the chill of slop ran down her back.

She blinked, a few watery streams of slop making an appearance down her face aswell.

"Cindy what the fuck is your problem?!" Billy snapped, suddenly rustling his bag for anything that could be used to clean up his sister.
Alas, nothing. He kept his bag just as dirty as his locker.

Gravy, sitting on the bench by the twins still, was startled by all the noise and raised voices.
He gave a soft meow, a hiss, and then leapt off the bench.
He weaved through the tables and disappeared out of sight.

Nobody noticed.

Cindy tossed the paper tray at Lily's head. It didnt hurt of course, but she still felt it. Lily gripped part of her skirt and squeezed, hard.

Nugget sounded to be making a quiet growling noise, like an agitated animal.
...
Whatever! Nugget was weird anyways.

Kidd was still holding Nugget back, his arms locked around Nugget's chest.
Cindy, seizing Nugget's currently incapacitated state, drove her fingers into her mouth.

Just as Lily was silently rising to go clean up, she felt Cindy grind her thumb into the back of her head, and suddenly Nugget was straining against Kidd's hold.
Billy had to join Kidd in holding back Nugget.
Lily whipped around, specks of slop flying this and that way as she faced Cindy.

"Leave me alone!"
She screamed as loud as she could, her voice dying halfway through as tears threatened to taint her words.
The cafeteria fell silent, even if only for a second.

Uncomfortably aware of the sudden silence, Lily turned around. Mostly everyone was staring.
She did take note though that Carla had disappeared from the room.

Lily turned back to her bully as the latter gave a weak 'mmm...'

Cindy gave Lily an uneasy glance, but quickly regained her composure to sneer.
However, her sneering and mocking was short lived as Nugget burst forward like a violent animal, and Cindy promptly screamed bloody murder.
Kidd and Billy made no attempt to fetch Nugget, and Billy instead looked at Lily with pity.

"Lily? Are you--" "Fine." She spoke up, clasping her hands together and walking past Kidd abruptly. "I'm gonna go...clean up." She said, sniffling silently.
Billy tried to walk out with Lily, but she pleaded that he let her clean up alone. Unable to go against his big sister's wishes, Billy stayed back, dejected.

Lily stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror.

Its her.
Ugly, fat, and currently covered in slop.

She could hear a faint clanging from the stall behind her, but that wasnt her business.
With a soft weep, Lily turned on the faucet. The water was slightly tainted brown.

She bit her lip. Must've been a problem with the pipes. Corroded, probably.
She turned the other faucet, and no water came out of this one. She faced the first sink she'd turned on.

Lily let the faucet run, praying she couldnt be this unlucky. The water eventually cleared up ever so slightly.
Good enough...

Against her better judgement, Lily scooped up a handful of the gross water and let it splash over her hair.
She teared up as lumps of slop slowly, very slowly, crept down her hair, headed for the sink.
"Mmm...!" Her voice hitched in her throat as she tried not to cry.

Why had Cindy decided this year was going to be the year she bullied Lily until she broke?
Assuming that was her intentions.
...If those were her intentions, she was doing a pretty good job at breaking Lily.

Another clang from the stall.

She couldnt do it. With her sleeved forearms hitting the porcelain rim of the sink, she just let loose.
Lily cried. And cried...and sobbed.

Fuck! Lily hated the way Cindy got under her skin. She wished she could be as carefree as Alice. Cindy's bullying and cruel comments always passed right over Alice's head, or she'd snap back and knock Cindy off her tail for a while.
In her current flurry of depression and anger--which was misguided as Alice and Cindy crossed her mind at the same time--Lily found herself loathing Alice.

"Oi--what the hell is going on out there?!"
Lily's tears stopped all at once as she turned.

More slop and water dribbled to the already dirty bathroom floor.

The stall door flew open,
To reveal a very agitated Carla.

She stood framed in the stall, her ponytail still looking as bushy as ever. Carla's eyebrows were furrowed in an annoyed manner.
"Hi Carla." Lily greeted, dully.

In the stall behind her, Lily could see a half open vent Carla had apparently been trying to fit into.
Lily wouldnt be the one to say it...but crawling through vents was much easier in kindergarten, and she heavily suspected Carla would get stuck in there one of these days.

"Yeah hey--what the hell are you..."
But Carla's voice faded as she actually got a look at Lily.

She gave a soft hiss, eyes narrowing. "Cindy?" Carla asked. Lily just dipped her head, which was a reasonable enough answer for Carla.
Carla looked past Lily at the brown sink water. "Why dont we take you up to the dorms and wash you off properly? I hope you havent splashed that stuff on yourself."

Lily looked back at her reflection. Beside Carla, she looked much messier.
Yes, Carla was a mess in her own way, but Lily was apparently an ugly mess, which is notably worse.

"Unless you dont wanna skip theatre? And I really doubt that after yesterday." Lily nodded. "Yeah..okay. Sure."
Carla seized Lily's hand without so much as a second thought and gently pulled her from the bathroom.

While Carla didnt typically hang out with the girls--or the boys--she was still one for the girls. Her calloused hands were gentle against Lily's.

Past the cafeteria, down the hall, through the courtyard, and up the stairs.
It was only as Carla was unlocking her dorm that Lily spoke the unimportant question that'd been on her mind.

"Why doesnt Cindy mess with you?" She asked, letting another lump of slop hit the ground.
Not like Carla deserved to be bullied. But maybe she had some secret tip...or something.

Carla unlocked the door and glanced back at her, her brown eyes dull with nothing interesting.
"I dunno. I think I scared her one time but I cant remember how."

She led Lily inside. It was clear to see where Carla slept and where Ozzy did. While Ozzy's bed was all nicely made, Carla's blankets were simply everywhere.
There was also a few pieces of trash here and there, and it was clear that what Lily said earlier was probably true.
This mustve been killing Ozzy.

"I was talking to Ted." Lily's gaze snapped away from their living conditions as Carla went on, trying to piece her memory together.
The way she spoke so slowly about her memories reminded Lily of Alice.

"And I mean, hey I dont remember what we were talking about. But I told Ted I was like 'Well, theres more than one way to skin a cat'. Because he was complaining about him and Felix butting heads about something."
Lily raised an eyebrow at her.

"Always something with them, ya know." She added with a grin.

"...Thats an expression, y'know. Maybe not a good one. But Cindy heard me and just...ran for it." Carla gave a laugh.
"Thats it, probably." "Wha?"

Carla led Lily to the bathroom, and started up the shower. She held her hand in the stream of water until it warmed up appropriately.
"Back in kindergarten, her dog ran away...and was found mangled and dead on school grounds," Lily informed, expression still dull and caked with school food.

Carla didnt look phased by this information at all, and Lily assumed it was entirely possible she just..didnt care.

"I bet she figured you were actually after her cat. She's very sensitive about it, still."
"Why dont you go kill her cat then and make a point?" Carla suggested.

Lily's face fell harder. "Uhm. Aha...no, no thanks." "Oh lighten up, I'm kidding!"

Lily bent over the tub, and Carla gently washed her hair out with the shower head. Lily figured this wasnt the best method to washing slop out of your hair, as the position was painful...
But it worked. Slop flooded the drain, and eventually, the water was shut off. Carla crammed a towel against Lily's head, drawing a soft 'oof'from her.

As Lily was drying off, she lowered the towel, and Carla gave another soft hissing noise. Lily was coming to realize Carla herself sounded like a cat.

"Did you uh. Know you..?" Carla pointed to the back of her own hair.
Confused, Lily patted the back of her damp hair.
Knotted up in her hair was a wad of chewed up gum.

Lily was briefly reminded of Cindy pushing her thumb into the back of her head earlier.
Carla watched Lily's face go through numerous emotions before landing on despair.

"I've got scissors?" She suggested.

About twenty minutes later, Lily was blindly touching the back of her head, where a chunk of her hair was now missing. According to Carla, there was really no way to cut around it.
"There ya go," Carla said, though she sounded unconfident.

"Thanks." Lily said, stiffly. Her sour mood had barely budged, but it was hard to ward it off, really.
"Hey it doesnt look that bad," two firm pats suddenly came down on Lily's scalp. All she could do was sigh.

Silence fell over the girls before Carla touched Lily again, this time thumping her on the back.
Lily winced.

"Hey cheer up! Maybe she'll lay off you tomorrow. Fake blood, slop, gum? She's gotta be running out of ideas."
"Trash in my locker," Lily added, looking rather hopeless once again. "Ouh. Really? Yikes."

"Punching me in the stomach, throwing balls at me in P.E...death threats just a week back from school." Lily muttered, recalling that piece of paper she'd had on Monday.

"Just kill that cat," Carla suggested. Lily smiled faintly, even if only for a second.
...Not like the thought of cat murder amused her.

"I hope she's running out of ideas. I dont..."

Lily was cut off as Carla spoke up. "Aah, you've got this." She said, waving her hand. "Where ya gonna go after this?" "Back to my dorm..." Lily said, slowly.
"I'm tired."

Carla gave a small nod. "Alright. Well, you go do that. I'm gonna get in that vent before Bob closes it up." She walked past Lily and out the door, just leaving Lily in her and Ozzy's dorm.
Trusting...
"Catch you around," She called.

Lily followed her out, she didnt want to stay and impede on her and Ozzy's privacy.

...
Maybe Carla had a point. Maybe Cindy would run out of ideas and leave her alone.
While Lily smiled at this, she still headed back to her dorm with intent to lay down.

Just for a while.

But oh, how wrong she'd been.

The weeks events went on to show Cindy was infact not running out of ideas. Lily had been tripped numerous times, once even down the stairs.
She'd been hit with stuff at P.E, and she'd had food dumped over her head no more than three other times. Her spirit cracking with every new harassment.
Not to say her self esteem hadnt already been strung thin, but she was certainly on the verge.

Verbal insults were thrown at her everytime she dared to exist in the same area as Cindy. 'Fat' and 'Ugly' were just two of the words Lily heard more or less every day.
Lily tried ignoring her, but that didnt work. She tried snapping back at Cindy, but that only seemed to egg her on, too.

Even worse, the boys couldnt even help defend her. It was like Cindy plotted everything. She'd hide around corners, distract Billy or Kidd beforehand so she had a clean shot at Lily...

There was no escaping Cindy. Lily was like a dog on a short leash, and she hated it.

More than anything, Lily was having a hard time figuring out why the adults didnt notice or care about what Lily was being subject to on the daily.
She'd try to tell them, and they'd blow her off...she'd try to leave classes altogether, but they didnt let her leave.

Lily couldnt even get to David, probably the only adult with power who might take her half-seriously...he was always busy.
Chasing Carla out of vents, disciplining Davey, and dealing with more important things than whatever Lily was struggling with.

Even after a whole week, she only got worse, and worse. Lily would flinch around every corner and dart through every doorway in a panic.

It had gotten to the point where Lily was skipping most of her classes just to avoid Cindy, and she was ultimately left laying on her bunk. Re-reading a book she'd tried to bury herself in numerous times, or just fiddling with her bitten fingernails.
Or, she'd lay there and do nothing but listen to the faint rumbling that seemed to follow her everywhere. This became her normal, eventually.
She barely got out of bed for anything.

This was what her friends noticed, the lack of Lily in every room, the way she barely responded to messages sent, and the way she wouldnt answer Nugget or Kidd's knocking at the door.
Billy had to be positive he wouldnt forget his dorm keys, because Lily wouldnt get up to let him in.

Getting up to eat was also out of the question. Lily had lost plenty of weight already, so her relapse with aversion to eating was not helping.
She hid the fact from Billy and lied bout having food while he wasnt there, but he still noticed her thinning.

Every day, Billy would cram a pack of crackers at Lily. She wouldnt sit up to consider eating anything, and she was asleep most of the day.
He'd harass her until she'd finally eat her provided crackers. "Just so you have something..." Billy would mutter, looking ready to cry.

But nothing beat the look on Billy's face a few days later when he'd come back from...wherever, and stared pitifully at his deteriorating older sister.
"Lily?" He sat down on her bunk quietly. Lily glanced up at him, trying to smile.

"What are you doing back already?" Wasnt class still going on?
"Just thought I'd come check on you," Billy responded, a hum in his voice.

With an almost shaking hand, he offered up a pack of crackers to Lily. She wasnt going to accept it, but Billy forced it into her hands.
She carefully placed it behind her, ignoring them.

"You alright?" He asked softly. Lily didnt respond. "Kidd and Nugget are pretty worried," He informed her, gently brushing parts of her black hair out of her face.

"Everyone is, actually." Billy added quickly. "Even others like Alice and Ted are wondering where you are..."

"Tell them not to worry," Lily said, sitting up. "I'm alright."
Her stomach growled as she sat up, but she tried to pretend she hadnt felt or heard it.

Lily was still wearing what she'd been wearing the whole week prior. Her same turtleneck atop her yellow dress. Even her flower seemed to be wilting in her hair.
"You're not, though..." Billy said, forcing his sister to sit up even just a little more.

Lily's gaze became avoidant.
"Come on, Lily. Dont let Cindy get you this bad! I'll just go hit her for you, okay?" Lily smirked ever so slightly.
"When did you become so violent?"

She gave a quiet, hearty laugh. "Youve been trying to throttle Ms. Margaret, punch Cindy..." "But Cindy deserves it!" Billy explained desperately.
"Look what she's doing to you..." Lily frowned again, slumping back ever so slightly.

"You cant go through highschool rotting away in bed and avoiding all your classes." "I mean, it looks like I can."
"Lily."

A voice Lily had never yet heard from her brother met her ears.
"Please...come on, just get up. Lets do something!--you know its already the weekend, right?" "Oh god..." Lily glanced behind her at the window that led outside. She hadnt looked that way for a few days...
"Is it really?" "Yes!" Billy sounded exasperated.

Lily sat up a little more, finally swinging her legs over the side of her bunk, her bare feet brushing the cold floor. "Please, Lily? Anything, anything at all! You pick." He insisted, seizing Lily's arm and trying to pull her up.
...She was so light, Billy probably could have pulled her out the door.
But she went dead weight, and shook her head softly. Billy's heart shattered.

He still couldve grabbed her, but maybe he didnt want to hurt her?
"Have you really been skipping meals again?" He asked suddenly, examining Lily's arm in his hand.

A surge of ice shot through Lily's veins, and she tensed up ever so slightly.

"No. No, No...Billy. I havent." She stammered, but Billy didnt look convinced. He gave a slight shake of his head, and Lily bit the inside of her cheek.
"So then...what? You've been getting up and eating when I leave like you say?" He asked.

Yes, this was the lie Lily had settled into, but staring Billy in the eyes and lying didnt feel right.
Lily refused to answer.

"I'm just...not feeling it right now, Billy. Alright?" She tried to change the conversation. "You cant even get up," he murmured.

Lily's eyebrows furrowed for a second. "I can." She said, glancing wearily at her brother.

"If you can, then you would."
"I can!" Lily responded, raising her voice slightly. "Whenever I want to."

"How about now?"

A dull silence flooded the room. Lily glanced down at the hardwood floors, then at her barefeet that dangled just above.
That one steep down seemed too far.
"...Maybe later tonight--"

Lily cut herself off with a sigh as Billy's jaw clenched, and he stepped backwards. She felt pathetic.

"We should get you help, Lily. Please, like dad insisted a few years ago."
Oh yes, a few years ago. When Lily fought with everything in her nine year old body to resist. It had worked, but sometimes she wished it hadnt.
"I'm fine," Lily repeated, voice flimsy yet stern at the mentions of the past.

Billy opened his mouth, presumably to say something...but he just couldnt. He closed his mouth with a huff, and Lily looked away once again.
"Tomorrow Billy, I promise. I'll get up." She sank quietly back down into the mess of blankets she'd been living amongst for the past few days.

"We'll...grab breakfast or something, alright?"

Billy stepped forward again, reached back up with a heavy arm and tousled Lily's already messy hair weakly.
The intentions were there, but the action was weak.

Lily gave a faint smile as Billy's eyes landed on her. "Promise?" He asked, voice a borderline mix of monotone and desperate. "Promise."
Billy returned her smile, albeit just as weak as his touch, and he turned to leave the room once again.

"Eat those crackers...please." He said, casting a weak glance at Lily.

When the door closed, Lily looked down at the floor beneath her bunk, then over her shoulder at the recently discarded crackers.
Tomorrow at the very latest.
Yeah.

The time for tomorrow faded into the afternoon, then into dusk. The day was flying by faster than it had previously.
Lily pulled her knees closer to her chest as she lay on her crinkled bedsheets.

Tomorrow was certainly coming, fast. Getting out of bed sounded almost incredible, but not quite. Lily nudged her head further into her pillow.
She yawned, feeling just as exhausted as she had the past few days, and closed her eyes. Just for a second.

"Lily? Lily?" Someone drawled, prodding Lily repeatedly. "Mmh...? Billy?" Lily yawned as she woke up.
Yep, It was Billy. "Just making sure you're alright." He said, eyeing Lily in a very concerned manner. His brows had been knit up with worry for the past few days.
"I'm all good," Lily said softly, forcing her arms beneath her pillow, where it was cold.

Billy didnt respond to this, probably sensing that his sister was lying, but he did walk over to the kitchenette and grab himself some soup.
"Want anything?" He asked, holding the fridge door open for Lily to see. There was a look on his face that resembled a desperate plea.
Lily didnt know why she looked, she wasnt hungry.

Well, her body was. But she wasnt.

"No thanks," She hummed softly. Billy closed the fridge with his heel without grabbing his soup.
He gave her a worrying look as he walked by and climbed to his bunk, but neither twin spoke.

Night faded into...later night, and Lily was left staring into the darkness of the dorm, as she had days prior.
Quietly, she pawed around on her bunk until her hand met her phone.
She hadnt touched it in days.

The screen was too bright when she turned it on, and she was forced to look away with a grunt.
Coming back to lower the brightness, Lily's gaze softened at the messages the dulled screen showed.

A few messages from people like Carla, who she never expected a worrying message from.

A couple messages from Alice, holding nothing but concern and worry for her friend.

Messages from Kidd...
"Hey Lily? U good? Didnt see u 2day."
"Lily?"
"Are you alright?"
And plenty more.

But what got her most were the messages from 'Nugget♥'.
"Is the pretty Lily feeling okay? Nugget did not see the pretty Lily today.
"Pretty Lily? Is everything alright?"
"Has the evil Cindy hurt the pretty Lily?!"

It was 'pretty Lily' this, and 'pretty Lily' that. It was all Lily was able to process.
He typed the same way he spoke.
And the craziest thing about Nugget's messages were the fact they were still coming in--even at one in the morning.
Every message from him held nothing but the utmost level of concern.

Staring from the messages, to the little heart beside Nugget's name, Lily still couldnt bring herself to respond.
But...

She scrolled though those messages for an hour. Nugget was nothing but considerate.
He'd been texting her about his day, about key events of the day...
"Nugget noticed the pretty Lily's punky friend Austin struggling with talking to the pretty Lily's friend Alice. Nugget figured the pretty Lily may get a laugh out of that."

And she did, Lily smirked before snickering breathlessly into her hand, laughing for what felt like the first time in forever.
He'd been texting her homework answers--under the assumption she'd even been doing her homework.

He was too sweet.

Reading Nugget's messages made Lily miss him greatly. She wanted to just...have him beside her. Hug him, touch his calloused hands...

After that hearty hour of browsing Nugget's messages and yearning for Nugget himself, the dull light from her phone was still burning her eyes.
Lily was forced to put the phone down to protect her eyes.

But even when faced with darkness once again... Lily suddenly didnt want to sleep.
It was a queer feeling, one that almost didnt sit right with her...but she still fed into it.

With a delicate ruffling of the covers she's been so absorbed in for the past almost week, Lily brought her legs over the side of the bed.

It took more effort to reach this position than it should've, but she managed.

She stared down at the floor for a while, contemplating standing up. She'd been thinking about this for about twenty minutes, the action of bringing her feet down feeling impossible.
Her neck hurt from the position she'd been holding.

Very, very tentatively, she stood up. Immediately, she almost stumbled to the floor, but she held her balance.
It felt like ice shot up her feet, making her shiver.

She felt very lightheaded, maybe because she was so starved, but Lily payed no mind to it.

The dorm was cold, freezing, as were the wooden floors she'd just layed her bare feet upon.
Lily glanced behind her at the bunkbed.
There was Billy.

Sleeping, and curled up in a little ball.
He was still wearing that oversized shirt as a stand-in for pajamas.
"Hey, I'm up." Lily wanted to say, but she wouldnt wake her brother for something stupid like that.

She shouldve been up and about for the past week, and it was selfish for her to think that her getting up was special.
...Probably.

Silently, Lily glanced around until her eyes landed on the front door.
She didnt know what drove her, but she needed to get out

Go somewhere,
Do something.

Before she could commit to leaving, a glint from her bunk drew her attention back. She glanced over at it, as though the odd shimmer was a trap to coax her back into bed.
But there was no trap.

The moonlight creeping through the window had hit that little pack of crackers from Billy.
The crackers werent visible beneath the white wrapper, but that ache tainted Lily's stomach as she stared at it.
Her hands clenched into fists, but she decided to leave them behind.

Bearing what little self confidence she had to roam the campus at night, she slipped out the door and closed it silently, ensuring Billy didnt wake up.

Kids werent normally supposed to be out this late. Not out and about roaming the school, but here Lily was.
Barefoot, and wearing clothes that mustve had her scent driven into every stitch.

She wandered absentmindedly for a while, roaming into dead ends, and even trying to walk through the courtyard--which was locked at night.
Lily peered through the glass panel that lay in the door. She felt nothing as she stared at the deserted courtyard. The only sign of movement was the wind rustling the trees which lined the walkway.

Eventually, Lily hauled herself back upstairs to the first floor of the dorms. It was cold, her stomach hurt...but the cold was enjoyable after being cooped up in her dorm for a week.

A faint chill gagged the air, and Lily payed no mind to how cold her feet were getting. The only thing she payed any mind to was how awfully lightheaded she was.
Lily had to stop a few times to crouch down or breath, letting that empty pounding leave her head.
She walked up and up set of stair after stair until she hit the school rooftop, the concrete burning her feet.

She hadnt meant to go to the rooftop, her feet just carried her there.

The door was locked up tight.
NO ACCESS TO STUDENTS
The sign said.

The kids had a whole school, yet they'd rather hang out on the roof. Typical highschoolers.
With a grunt, Lily seized the doorknob and jiggled it very specifically, and after a few minutes.

Click!

Ha. You cant hide rooftop access from someone as sneaky as Lily!
...Actually, Nugget had taught her that trick to open the door.

She crept onto the rooftop, letting the door close silently behind her.
Immediately, the cold air had been amplified as it whistled past her every which way. Lily was suddenly chilled down to the bone.
But still, she walked on.

If she were a smoker, she wouldve lit one up right here.

Taking in the cold, the night sky, and all the stars that polluted it,
Lily found herself absentmindedly wandering to the edge.

It was just her. No Kidd, No Billy, No Nugget...
In a way, that thought was almost comforting, but not quite.
Lily felt more prone to do something stupid when placed on a rooftop in the dead of night.

The fact she knew that none of the boys knew where she was also wasnt helping any thoughts she was having.

Her eyes felt heavy. Not with exhaust, though... there was a faint stinging feeling every time she blinked.

Despite the locks to hide away rooftop access, railings were still present to prevent fatal accidents or actions.
But...these railings werent all that tall. In fact, Lily was leaning on one right now.

These are too short... she thought, bitterly, flicking the railing and hearing the metal clink against her overgrown yet chewed up nails.
She continued to lean on them however, for support. The urge to pass out was intensifying within Lily's weak body.

It got to the point she was bent over the railing, one hand clasped over her flower--which threatened to blow away with every passing second.
The cold was getting to her. Why'd she get out of bed again? Cause she's stupid?

Just as Lily's knees were beginning to buckle--sending her slipping backwards-- someone caught her by the waist.
Lily flinched. "Who's there?" She asked weakly, not being able to turn her head or see who had caught her. She tried to turn her head, but that just made it throb.

Whoever they were, they dragged Lily backwards with a hum. Away from the railing, and up against a large metal protrusion upon the roof, which mustve been for a ventilation shaft.
Lily didnt object as she was carefully leaned upon it. She sat on the cold rooftop, her knees--even through her skirt--burning with the cold.

Her stomach hurt, her head hurt...
She missed her bed.

The person who'd caught her sat down beside her with a soft 'oof'.

"Hello, pretty Lily."
"Nugget?"

Lily said as she glanced over at the person beside her, who was infact, Nugget.
His blonde hair was as fluffed as ever, and he smiled over at Lily. There was no mistaking those heterochromia pair of eyes glistening at her, or that puffy mess of blonde hair.
Of course it was him…Nugget was the only other person who could jimmy the doorknob to get onto the roof.

“Greetings, pretty Lily.” He said.
“I don’t…what are you doing up here?”

On one hand, Lily was a little mad he was up here with her, but at the same time…it felt good not to be alone up here.
Kept her from doing anything stupid.

For a split second, her gaze found its way back to the short hand railings.

On the way other hand, Lily was happy to see him. She missed him. And Kidd. And Alice. And even the kids she thought she'd never miss.

“Nugget came to check on the pretty Lily.” Before Lily could speak, her mouth froze half-open.
“How’d you know I left the dorm?”
She hadn’t left her and Billy’s dorm all week…so surely he couldn’t have just predicted she’d get up and leave on a rush of adrenaline at…whatever time it was.

“Nugget has his ways…” Nugget spoke cryptically.
Lily raised an eyebrow, but then she pressed her hands to her arms and slumped further down. She wasn’t sure what she expected from Nugget.

Both teens lay on their back, staring up at the sky.
The stars still remained spread across the night sky. A few were sprinkled into loosely aligned patterns, but Lily had never been one for astronomy, so she couldn’t name them.
“The moon is beautiful tonight, isnt it, pretty Lily?” “I s’pose so…” Lily muttered.

The moon was pretty. It shone bright, despite only being a crescent against the darkness.

Fighting off a sudden wave of aching in her stomach, Lily adjusted her hands to wrap around her waist.
The fabric of her turtleneck was fleecy from being worn so carelessly for the past few days. It felt weird on her burning arms.

“Is the pretty Lily okay?” Lily blinked, her dull eyes shifting to look at Nugget.
“I…huh?” “Is the pretty Lily okay?” Nugget asked again, although he already knew both the real answer and Lily’s answer.

Lily shifted her gaze away from Nugget.
For a second, Lily chewed her tongue until she tasted blood. “Mm…” she said, but that wasn’t really an answer.

“Pretty Lily.” Nugget said again. Less of that sweet tone he typically used while talking to her. Lily kept staring upwards, even as she noticed Nugget in the corner of her eyes turn to look at her.
“Nugget is…very worried about the pretty Lily.” He said. Lily gave a huff of breath. Noticing he wasn’t letting up, Lily shook her head.

“Don’t be, Nugget. Please.” “But—“ Nugget paused again. He finally sat upright, adjusting his position.

“The pretty Lily is ruining herself.”
For no more than a second, Lily’s breathing hitched.

“Nugget knows of the pretty Lily’s struggles…”
Using one of his slightly calloused hands, he motioned to Lily in different parts.

“The pretty Lily’s stomach has been rather noisy since Nugget sat down with her. Has the pretty Lily been eating properly?”
Again, no response. Lily pressed her arms further over her stomach. That thought couldn’t have crossed his mind unless he already knew about her struggles…right?
Or maybe he really was just that observant?

Anything to convince herself he didnt really know, that he was just poking around to find anything wrong with her.

Well, Lily had been eating crackers every now and then this week. That counts for something, right?
It was only as that thought crossed her mind that Lily came to the full realization that crackers were small, and most definitely not a filling meal.

She bit down the aching in her stomach as her expression shifted.

She had never considered herself to be the stubborn type, but she didn’t want to speak. She couldn’t find it in her to speak, actually.
Lily would have just screamed at the top of her lungs if she didn’t think it’d alert anyone to their position.

Nugget’s expression hardened slightly. He opened his mouth to say something, but—
“No.” Lily spat. The words fell out of her mouth so fast she didn’t have a chance to control the volume of her words, or the tone of voice she’d use.

Something stung the corners of her eyes, building a weird prickling sensation under her nose. “No..” she repeated with a rather averted stare.

Nugget nodded slightly. “Nugget also notices…” his voice trailed away, drowned out by the whistling of the wind. Lily’s jaw tightened as she waited for Nugget’s next observation.
But Nugget was no idiot. He sensed Lily’s discomfort, and once again fixed his position as he tossed the words around in his mind, desperate to find the right ones to say.

“Arms…the pretty Lily is very protective of her arms. Surely the pretty Lily is not…?”

Instead of speaking, Lily just sat up, albeit rather slowly. When she was finally comfortable with the cold concrete roof burning through her thin yellow dress, she crossed her sleeved arms and glanced at Nugget.
She didn’t respond to the rather important question Nugget asked, even though she sure as hell knew what he meant.
Maybe she was just too scared to admit it.

“Tell me Nugget,” she started, voice mellow yet laced with a tremble.
Nugget perked up, eyeing Lily.

“What else do you notice about me?” She asked, her words coming out much more blunt than she’d ever planned it to be.
There was a tinge of sarcasm tainting her words, as she hadn’t really come up here to have all her problems pointed out. She hadn’t come up here to communicate with anyone at all, actually.

That odd prickling was still there, just in the corners of her eyes…

“Well, in terms of changes in the past week. There are the things Nugget has already pointed out, but also…”
Lily watched as Nugget gave her one quick scan, taking no more than two seconds.

“The pretty Lily’s hair is heavily knotted and very messy, her face is thinner—she is much thinner to a very unhealthy extent—and it is very clear that the pretty Lily has not been out of bed the whole time she has been cooped up in her and Nugget’s friend Billy’s dormitory.”

Lily’s mouth fell open slightly, although his observations werent much of a shock.

“Nugget has also noticed that there are dried tears down the pretty Lily’s cheeks.” He tilted his head. “But, they are only visible in the moonlight.”
Lily’s gaze flicked up to the sky avertedly, casting a weak glance at the full moon with a bitter expression.

Lily brought her fingers up to brush her cheeks.

For a second that felt like eternity, the rooftop fell silent.
"Nugget notices everything the pretty Lily does." He said.

"Nugget sees how selfless the pretty Lily is. Nugget likes the way she teases her friends, Nugget enjoys her laugh."
Nugget's expression exuded one that was unreadable.

"Nugget has not seen the pretty Lily laugh genuinely in a while."
Lily squeezed her eyes shut, fighting against the moisture welling in the corners of her eyes.

“Nugget is well aware that the pretty Lily is not okay, and Nugget knows that the evil Cindy lays at the root of the pretty Lily’s problems.”
He was speaking a little bit faster now, as though trying to quickly get something out.

“And, if Nugget may be honest, Nugget does not know why the pretty Lily will not talk to Nugget, or friend Kidd, or Nugget’s good friend Billy.”
“The pretty Lily’s brother Billy is very worried about her.” He said with a huff, before empathetically staring at Lily.

“I know…” Lily said slowly, pressing a hand to her head, which ached a little bit. She blinked back the oncoming tears “Then why doesn’t the pretty Lily talk to her brother Billy about her problems?”
“Because it’s not his problem!”
She gave a shaky breath, struggling to find out why she couldn’t think straight or speak properly. “I-I just…he shouldn’t have to worry about me. I’m his older sister…I …should…”

“That does not mean the pretty Lily’s brother Billy does not care about the pretty Lily’s problems. Nugget is sure that the pretty Lily’s brother Billy would have no problem comforting the pretty Lily.”
She shook her head. “I should be protecting and watching over him. Not the other way around.” “Protecting friend Billy from…what?”

Lily blinked. “If the pretty Lily means kindergarten stuff, then please note that kindergarten was eleven years ago, pretty Lily.”
Nugget nodded informatively. “Friend Billy is older now, and smart enough to avoid any possibilities of being used in unlicensed child experimentation.”

“But I’m still worried.” Lily muttered, unconsciously wrapping her arms tighter around her waist.

“Well, the pretty Lily can’t take care of or protect her brother Billy if she can’t take care of herself.”

“…”

Lily was silent. For a minute, two minutes…just processing this. Nugget let her process.
When she finally opened her mouth to speak, her voice cracked, and it was all over.

Finally, Lily had done the very thing she’d been threatening to do since she got up and out of bed.

Folding her hands over her face, she began to cry. An occasional whimper would sneak out as she sobbed. The cold wind sent shivers down her folding spine.
Nugget very gently scooted closer and tentatively placed a hand on Lily’s back, trying to be comforting. “There there, pretty Lily.”

For a while, that’s all it was. Lily sobbed until she could barely breathe around her tears, and Nugget focused on consoling her without words.
Eventually, it got to the point where Lily was choking on her own tears, and she was forced by Nugget to stop crying.
When she pulled her—now soaked—hands away from her face, she saw Nugget staring at her rather worriedly.

Still sniffing back a few rogue tears, Lily opened her arms shakily, and Nugget leaned forward to give her a hug. Lily gently wrapped her arms around Nugget, her frail body shaking in his arms as he caressed the back of her knotted hair.
“The pretty Lily is okay,” Nugget consoled. “Nugget has the pretty Lily.” “Nugget…”

Nugget’s fingers would catch in knots that lay scattered throughout Lily’s hair, and he eventually had to move his hand away as to not hurt her.

“Does the pretty Lily feel a bit better?” Nugget asked as Lily straightened up away from him, pawing at her eyes.
“Mmm…” she sniffed. “Would the pretty Lily like to talk about any of her problems?” “…No.”
“Then may Nugget talk?”

“…Sure.” With Lily’s confirmation, Nugget straightened up and stared at Lily. He didnt look at her softly, he didnt smile at her…

“The pretty Lily cannot let the evil Cindy get her down like this.” Nugget said. “The pretty Lily is very strong, and very brave, and very smart…and very pretty, too.”
While Lily’s mopey expression didnt change, a tinge of blush peppered her sunken cheeks.

“Then why does Cindy make me feel so…” Lily’s voice ran off for a second. “Weak?” “Yeah.”
“Nasty bullies do that to people.” Nugget said, nodding informatively. “The evil Buggs has kept Nugget down for a long time, but Nugget finally broke free from the evil self loathing.”

He nodded. “Yes siree, pretty Lily! It is not impossible to ward off cruel bullies like them.” A small smile blessed Lily’s chapped lips, but it faded just as fast.

“I didnt know Buggs got to you that bad…” She said, sounding a bit guilty. “That is because Nugget never told anyone.” He held out a hand and gently patted Lily’s back again.
“Much like how the pretty Lily did not tell Nugget or her brother Billy or her friend Kidd about what she was feeling.”

Lily was thinking about speaking, but her mind fell this...staticky sort of blank. “It is like with Nugget! The pretty Lily and her brother Billy and Kidd saw Nugget getting bullied, they spoke up about it and were actively against it.”
Nugget shook his head.

“But Nugget never spoke about how badly the bullying hurt his little nuggety soul.” Lily was still staring back at him, visibly connecting dots in her mind.

“I’m…sorry.” She blurted. Lily gave a small hiccup. “I…d-d’d’nt…” “No, no! Nugget—gaahh—dont be sorry, pretty Lily!” “I didnt know!” Lily wailed, too emotional about…everything, really.

Nugget caught Lily’s hands again, and this time gave her a small shake.
“Nugget is just saying—If the pretty Lily felt sad enough to coop herself up in her and her brother Billy’s dorm, than she should speak to someone.” Lily finally blinked, and her eyes glistened.

Not with tears, just…glistened.
As though life had been restored to them.

“Sometimes talking is hard, and Nugget knows that!” He spoke in a way that gave Lily no time to cut him off. “But Nugget cares deeply for the pretty Lily, and Nugget would hate to see the pretty Lily end up doing…uhem.”
Lily tilted her head softly as Nugget tossed words around in his mind. “Things…Nugget has done to try and ward off the bullying.”

For a split second, Nugget’s gaze instinctively landed upon Lily’s sleeved forearms.
Lily blinked as she thought of Nugget’s words, but then…

She let out a gasp, her eyes widening, yet her gaze tearing clean through Nugget.

“Nugget!” She cried, launching forward onto him again. Nugget let out a startled yelp as Lily tackled him, her arms locking tight around him.
It was less of a tackle and more of a glorified flop though, given what little energy she had. “Nooo…” He groaned. “Do not worry about Nugget, pretty Lily!” He said almost exasperatedly.

“Nugget should stop talking—Nugget will stop talking.” “No—” Lily sniffled, and turned away from Nugget to sneeze into the crook of her arm.
“Bless the pretty Lily.” “I didnt—thank you, Nugget…—I didnt know, Nugget..” She said, shaking her head slightly as she threatened to cry once more.

“Nugget knows the pretty Lily doesnt, or, didnt know. But that is a story for another time. Nugget believes the pretty Lily will catch a cold if she is up here any longer.”
Using his calloused hands, he maneuvered Lily off of him. Lily blinked.
“If the pretty Lily does not mind, Nugget would like the pretty Lily to eat something before he returns her to her and her brother Billy’s dormitory.” “I can just…eat back in the dorm.” Lily insisted.

Even though she still didnt want to…

“No. Nugget insists. Nugget will bring the pretty Lily down to the rec room and get the pretty Lily a donut, the kind that she likes.”
Lily paused, and then slumped a little.

She did like donuts.
Her favorite kind were the white ones with that heavy dollop of pink frosting and a childish amount of rainbow sprinkles on top.
Thankfully, that was a very common favorite, and it was among the donut assortment downstairs.
The thought of one of those donuts however reminded Lily of when she was five. In kindergarten, when Billy was ‘missing’…

She remembered ever so faintly—it was barely a memory against the current haze in her mind as she rose to her feet.
When the brunt of Cindy’s bullying was getting too much for a five year old to bear, and Lily pawned her donut off on Kidd.
She still remembered the way his fingers brushed hers as the wrapped donut left her hesitant hand.

”You can have this instead,” she’d said. ”I’m trying to lose weight so she picks on me less.”
…
Five.
Lily had been five.

And skipping that donut had never stopped Cindy.
Nor did skipping another,
Nor did spitting up every one she forced down,
And nor did skipping meals as a whole.
Lily swallowed nervously as Nugget seized her hand, pulling her away from the memories that clouded her mind. Tears lay behind in her eyes, her eyebrows furrowing uncomfortably as her stomach ached in the same persistent way it had all week.

“Come, pretty Lily.”

The wind whipped at Lily’s hair one last time. “Alright. Lets go.”

Lily was having a hard time walking. She was so cold, and she’d get lightheaded every time she stopped moving. “Nugget—!”
Nugget only just barely managed to catch a falling Lily once or twice until they finally stopped in the stairway down to the first floor.

“Okay. The pretty Lily is worse than Nugget thought. Hm.” Nugget looked around, as though something would be nearby to assist him and Lily.
“Would the pretty Lily like Nugget to leave her at her dorm and bring the pretty Lily a donut?” Lily shook her head, which was a dumb idea with how lightheaded she was.

“No. I dont…I dont want to go back yet.”
“Nugget understands. Hm…”
For a minute, they both sat there. Lily sitting on the stairs breathing rather heavily. “Nugget has an idea.” “A good idea?” Lily teased.

“Waah—Nugget!” Lily gave a startled cry as Nugget hoisted her into his arms, handling her very easily. “There, pretty Lily! Nugget shall carry you safely.” “I—mmm…”
Lily couldnt reject. Nugget’s hands were very warm despite being on the roof for so long with her. Nugget himself was rather warm. She didnt question it, she just cozied up to him and closed her eyes as he shifted her ever so slightly.

It felt weird being carried down the stairs, but Lily focused on the faint humming coming from Nugget.
Not a song she recognized, and she’d reckon to say it wasnt a song at all.

The breezeways were deserted of anyone else brave enough to be out this late…or uh, early?
The hallway on the ground floor was somehow colder than the previous three floors, and Lily unconsciously pressed herself further into Nugget, who had no problem holding her closer.

He opened the door to the rec room with one hand. It fell open silently and Nugget walked in, setting Lily down on a soft, cushioned chair. The sides of the chair were slightly worn from so much use.
Nugget flipped the light switch by the door they’d come in through, and the dull hum of fluorescent lights flooded the room.
Lily stood up from the chair Nugget had placed her on, and she stepped across the room to join him by a vending machine.

The shelves had things like chips, dry ramen cups…but at the bottom shelf was a small line of carefully wrapped donuts.
The light pink frosting glinted through the clear wrap.

It was only as Lily stared at the machine that the thought of paying crossed her mind. She knew she didnt have any money on her.
And Nugget was—
…
Pulling out something that resembled a coin?

But it wasnt a coin. What the hell was it?

Lily’s mouth fell open slightly as she stared, her head tilting as she stared. “The pretty Lily should not look so confused,” Nugget said without even looking at her. “Nugget has his ways.”
”Whatever you say, Nugget.” “Also, the pretty Lily should be sitting down.” Nugget instructed, turning to face her this time as he blindly pressed a button on the machine.

Lily nodded. She cast one more glance at Nugget who was facing the vending machine again. Lily turned back towards the chair he’d set her upon, only her head had began to throb hard as she moved it.
This empty sort of ache that she’d felt earlier, and at other times in her life of course. She stood still for a second, eyesight blurring. Lily looked over at the chair—or, the chairs since there were plenty in the rec room—but they all seemed too far away.

Lily swayed on her feet as she spun around to face Nugget again, seeing more comfort in him than a worn out chair.
“Nugget,” She slurred, leaning further to her left as the world seemed to spin. The second Nugget heard his name, he whipped around. Lily’s knees buckled and she collapsed against the floor with a weak grunt.

A rather unpleasant ringing settled in her ears as she slumped further into the floor.
With no hesitations, Nugget rushed forward and dropped down to Lily’s side. Both of her hands were braced against the ground, but that ache in her head was feeling worse by the second.

Nugget’s mouth was moving, but he wasnt saying anything. Lily squinted up at him. Nugget was mostly obscured by darkness fading into her already sucky vision. She herself tried to speak, but she couldnt hear herself.

Just as Nugget placed his hands on her shoulders, everything faded into nothingness.

The next few minutes were a blur. Lily would fade in and out of consciousness, occasionally catching glimpses of Nugget, the fluorescent lights being turned off, or the hallway walls.
And that stupid unbearable ache in her stomach was still persisting.

But when she finally came to, she was back in her dorm.
Her head was a mess of fog and confusion, but she blinked herself back into the moment.
She'd been layed out on the couch in her dorm, a nice pillow placed behind her rats nest of hair.

There was no Nugget, but there was a very concerned Billy sitting beside her.
His hands were shaking in his lap as he stared down at Lily with watery green eyes.

"Lily?!" He asked frantically the second her eyelids fluttered open for what may have been the hundredth time tonight.

The dorm was warm, a vast contrast to both how it had been earlier and the air outside. It was nice.

Lily's nose burned uncomfortably with cold, and she resisted the urge to sneeze.

"Billy?" Lily asked, still squinting against the faint light from the kitchen behind her.
"Lily!" He cried. "Jesus--I-I--woke up a-and you werent--!"

He climbed into his sister's arms delicately, sobbing as he did.

Billy's forehead was wet with sweat, and he was rather cold.
Lily carefully accepted Billy into her arms, mouth open yet no words coming out.

Noticing his sister's probable confusion, Billy leaned off her and rambled into his story.

"I got up aaa-and you just--werent there!" He cried, wiping rather roughly at his face.
"And I panicked I--I checked the whole dorm f--or you...a-a-nd just as I was--" He paused a few times to sniffle, and Lily was wiping tears off her brother's face, her confusion fading.

"I stepped out like--into the breezeway and Nugget had you--a-and--he---mmmm...Lily!"
Lily hadnt even thought of Billy seeing she'd left.

Guilt gnawed at her as she tried her hardest to console Billy.

"Its okay...I'm okay." She said repeatedly, her tone still sort of dull and empty.
"How long was I out for?" Lily asked.

Billy glanced away for a second, tear-streaked face knitting up in concentration.
"Uh. You were in and out pretty sporadically." He straightened up and pushed himself off Lily to sit on the couch by her feet.

"You were barely conscious and just...muttering incoherently when Nugget carried you in."
Lily nodded, and resumed comforting her brother, as Billy was still crying a little.

Fortunately, it was rather easy to calm Billy down past that part. "I was just up on the roof," Lily informed him, gently squeezing his hand.
Billy nodded along to this, his gaze wandering to the window behind them.

Unfortunately, his gaze snapped back to her a second later, horror in his eyes.

"You were where?!" He yelled, mostly in shock, but still.

Lily looked away from him even though she was uncomfortably aware of the fear in Billy's eyes.
She didnt repeat herself.

"I...Lily..." Billy tsked, slumping ever so slightly. "But I'm okay! I promise."
He shook his head, tone falling more serious.
"I hate the thought of you having been up there in a state like this."

Lily wanted to tell him she wasnt planning on doing what he was implying, but she couldnt say for sure that she wouldnt do it.

"I'm sorry, Billy. I really am." She muttered.
Quietly, she opened her shaking arms for another hug.

Billy gave a trembling sigh and slunk back over and into her arms.
"Did Nugget tell you anything?" She asked, trying to change the subject. "No." He said, clutching his hand into a fist.
A sense of relief slipped over Lily, and she crossed her arms weakly infront of her as she sniffled.

For a while, Billy stared down at his sister.
Out of bed, finally, but very clearly weak.

"I know you dont want to hear it right now--but you need to eat something." He told her, clamoring off the couch.
Lily watched as Billy crossed over to the bunks. Her breath hitched as his hand wandered closer to her pillow, but instead of meddling beneath her pillow, pulled something from Lily's messy covers.

She already knew what it was.
Lily held out her hand expectantly as Billy approached with the pack of crackers she'd left behind previously.

He looked surprised as Lily reached for them, but he didnt hesitate to shove them into her hands before she could change her mind.
"And...while Nugget didnt say anything," Billy spoke as Lily tried to open the pack of crackers.

Just as Lily had tore open the top of the plastic packaging, Billy handed her something else.

Wrapped in more plastic packaging, covered in little rainbow colored sprinkles...
"He did leave this. For you, of course."

Lily discarded the crackers to her left--which was the floor--she set them down gently as she ripped the donut from Billy's hands.
Lily carefully opened the packing on the donut and took a massive bite of it with a weak, indiscernible noise.

Billy stared at her for a second. Dead silent as Lily ate her donut. She didnt acknowledge him in the slightest as a few sprinkles fell down onto her turtle neck, a red one landing on her sleeve.
She wiped them into the packaging carelessly.

It only took about twenty seconds for Lily to have devoured the donut.
She sat rather silently staring down at the small mess she'd made.

It wasnt a meal of course, but god it felt good to eat something that wasnt just crackers.

Billy took a few steps closer once again as Lily wiped off her face using the back of her hand.
Traces of pink frosting smeared across her sallow hand as Billy hugged her again, his head finding its way into the crook of her neck.

Neither twin spoke, but Lily teared up quietly.

When Billy pulled away, he sat down infront of Lily, since she was still laying horizontal on the couch.
"Is...there anything you want to talk about?"

Lily blinked. Then she looked over at her bunk. Then down to her turtleneck and skirt which were very wrinkled. Then up at Billy.
She didnt want to keep him up any later, no. He must've been tired, right? Lily knew she was...

Lily shook her head no.

But Nugget's words crossed her mind.
Billy's gaze softened even further to resemble something of pity. Lily's bottom lip began to tremble ever so slightly.

"Well, if you're sure." Billy stood up, ruffling Lily's hair as he did. "Just know I'm here for you, sis."
Lily was stiff for a second, and then she shook her head.

"I'm not okay," She stammered. Billy paused, and turned back quickly to face Lily, his green eyes flashing concern.

One singular tear rolled down her check as Lily's voice faltered weakly.
"I'm not okay." She repeated, hiccupping as she pawed at her face.

It didnt take long for her to spill everything to Billy.

Billy held Lily's hands gently as she wept.
She told him everything that crossed her mind. From the deepest feelings of loathing she held for Cindy, to the same feelings directed towards herself.

Lily acknowledged the way Billy's eyes began to shine with tears as she spoke, but she just kept going.
Every awful violent thought she'd had towards herself that week, every time she considered just...

...
Billy consoled Lily as best as he could. He didnt have many unique words to help calm her down, but he knew the right things to say regardless.
Lily wasnt going for comfort, anyways. She just wanted Billy knew what she was going through.

When Lily's voice finally died and she'd run out of things to say, Billy squeezed her thin, cold hands.
"I'm really glad you're telling me this, Lily." He said, audibly fighting down the urge to cry.
"Y..yeah?"
"Yeah."

Lily sniffed, then coughed as she smiled, tears still streaming down her cheeks.
"Dont ever be afraid to tell me if something's bothering you..." Said Billy, running his thumb over the back of Lily's hand.

"I'm sorry I-I didnt tttt-ell you before..." Lily wept, freeing her hand from Billy's grasp and wiping at her tears once more.
"Its okay, its okay! Please dont cry--ohh...Lily..."

Her face was so warm. Her whole body was, actually.
Much comfier than being outside.

Even though Lily was still crying, it felt good to have all that off her chest.
Soft of like when you put a rubber band around your arm and dont realize how badly it hurt until you take it off.

Letting all that out was so...relieving.

"You feel better?" He asked, voice soft. "Yeah." "Good."
Billy leaned over the side of the couch and seized the pack of crackers Lily had deposited down there earlier.
"Here. Even though you already had that donut."

Similar to countless occasions earlier that week, the pack of crackers found its way into Lily's hand.
She held it for a second, and then pried open the packaging.

With only mild hesitation, she popped one cracker into her mouth and munched on it.

Billy watched his sister for a second. Watched her cram a cracker in her mouth and eat it ravenously.
"Is there anything else you wanna talk about tonight?" He asked, mildly concerned.

"Because if you were out running around the school...I'd like you to get some sleep." Lily shook her head, wiping crumbs off herself.

Billy nodded.
"Well, you know where to find me if anything else comes up tonight. Please dont hesitate."

Lily paused. Then she gave Billy a smile.
"Goodnight, Lily."

Lily was wiping the crumbs off her sleeves...and then she hit a sprinkle that had fallen off the donut she ate earlier.

A little red sprinkle sitting on her arm.

She paused.

"Billy." She said stiffly.
He spun back to face her.

Lily's hand lingered at the cuff of her sleeve, hesitating.

If there was anything she had to tell her brother...it was this.
This was the most important thing.

Yet words died on Lily's pursed lips.

...

"Nothing. I'll...tell you tomorrow. Goodnight."
Billy smiled at her with a small nod, and the ascended the ladder into his bunk.

Lily glanced down at her sleeve again. Quietly, she flicked the sprinkle away. It hit the floor silently.

Billy flopped down on his bunk, immediately pulling up into the fetal position as he buried himself beneath his blankets.

Lily rolled over on the couch, not wanting to get back in her prison of a bed.
She stared up at the ceiling rather stiffly. The night was quiet outside, and little flecks and flaws in the ceiling seemed to move as Lily blinked, that watery tint finally beginning to disperse.

She wasnt completely comforted, but she did feel a bit better.

She munched on another cracker as Billy suddenly sat up in his bunk.
“Two more things Lily…” he yawned. Lily glanced over. “Yeah?”

“Well first off…can you hit the lights behind you when you come to bed?” Lily nodded. “I’m sleeping on the couch.” She added.
“I don’t wanna get back in bed.”

Lily reached back for the light switch, her fingers hovering on it. “And secondly…do you still promise you’ll get up tomorrow?”

Lily paused.
She blinked at him. “Please?” “I mean, technically it’s already ‘tomorrow’.” Lily said with a weak yet playful smile. “It’s past twelve isn’t it?” She asked.
It was way past twelve. Probably almost three.

Billy was serious though. He didn’t react to Lily’s joke, which caused Lily to let out a weak huff. “I promise, Billy.”

There was silence between them for a second until Billy nodded and smiled. A real, genuine smile. “Alright. Goodnight, Lily.”
Finally, Lily flipped the light switch, casting the room into a a comfortable darkness. “Goodnight Billy.”

She'd get up tomorrow and...do whatever it was Billy wanted.
Get breakfast, say hi to Kidd and Nugget.

Hell, maybe even go back to theatre and get her role back from Alice!
To hell with Cindy!

The smallest smile blessed Lily's face as she closed her eyes.
The thought of getting up sounded better in her head now. No longer did it feel like breaking free of shackles or being bound to her bed.

Tomorrow.

And it couldnt come fast enough.