A Dad RP Persona: Philosophy of Man [IC/PG-16/No Longer Accepting]

[Dad]

After School

Tokyo Daylight

 

       "Hear ye, hear ye, loyal readers.  I, Amanda Greenhouse, do call this meeting of Ded. Fiction to order.  Tis' a new dawn, my lords!" Amanda stood before the club stand in the gymnasium with plastic prop sword in her hand.  "On this day, we do welcome into our ranks, one Haruka Hirasawa!  As she joins us on our journey into the perilous world of fiction, do take heed and remember:  Club meetings are every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, after school from 3:30 to 4:30 pm.  Actually, hang on.  Where is the new girl?" Amanda looked around over the crowd, waiting for Haruka to show her face.

 

Paul shrugged.  "She'll show, but we didn't actually give her the times for the club yesterday.  You were too busy pulling Janet off of her."

 

"That's hot," Amanda smirked.

 

"That is not what I meant," Paul stomped, trying to hide his joy in Amanda's words.

 

---

 

Fire Meets Fury

 

Having landed just hours ago, jet lag had still not left her body.  The red-headed girl jogged up to her brother, having spotted him from across the gymnasium.  "Yo!  Nathan!" she called, waving him down.

 

Nathaniel was actually in the middle of talking about modifications with Tyler, but his head piped up when he heard Christina's voice.  "Chris!  You made it!" he cheered as she embraced him.  "Ah, it's good to see you, sis.  How was your flight?"

 

She shrugged.  "Could've been worse, so I won't complain.  I'm a little jet lagged but I'll manage."

 

"Well, in that case, I won't keep you.  Let me introduce you to my friends," Nathan began.  He started with the obvious one:  Tyler.  "Tyler, Chris.  Chris, Tyler.  This is the girl I was telling you about."

 

Christina shook Tyler's hand with a firm grip.  "Wow.  He wasn't kidding when he said you were tall.  You're a God damn giant," she joked.  Christina was a red-headed Californian Caucasian girl, with grey eyes and shoulder length hair.  She had a small nose and full lips, with a toned waist.  She was a junior this year and she was also a boxer in training.  

 

"Push off my man, Red," Hensley sneered playfully.  

 

"You must be Hensley," Christina said with a smile.

 

Hensley nodded.  "Guess my reputation precedes me."

 

"Nathan won't stop asking me advice on how to get with you, so yeah," Christina blurted out.

 

"I asked you not to tell her that!" Nathaniel groaned.  He sighed before turning Christina around and directing her to the last member of the Automotive Club.  "This is Jake.  Say hi, Jake."

 

Jake stuttered as Christina shook his hand and he looked into her face.  "H-hi Jake--I mean Christina!  I mean, Chris!"

 

"He really is a nervous wreck around girls," Christina chuckled.  "Take it easy, slick.  I don't bite," Christina assured him.  Jake could only nod and follow along.

 

"You're just in time, Chris.  I was shooting the sheet with Tyler about car mods.  Hensley has a body kit but not much else.  But that can wait.  We now have enough members of the Automotive Club to form the Automotive Organisation.  Which means we'll get more space to work, a budget for the club, and we may even get a Master Mechanic if we prove our worth," Nathan said, folding his arms.

 

"No sheet!?" Jake said excitedly.

 

"Yup.  But we have to do a few things first.  Chris, did you get your schedule?" Nathan went on.

 

She took a piece of paper from her back pocket that had been folded up four times.  "Right here."

 

"Then you're set.  I just need to submit the paperwork to the Student Council who will review it before bringing it to the Dean!" Nathan practically leaped for joy.  "This is gonna be so cool, dude.  More mods, more cars to work with, a budget for club projects.  Maybe we could get a close up look at a Nascar Pit.  See how the pros do it.  Oh, man!"

 

"Keep it in your pants.  Let's get there first," Hensley said with a grin.

 

"Tyler, I'm gonna need your help with this," Nathan said turning to Tyler.  "If I'm gonna submit this paperwork to make us an Organization, I wanna have another name on it to make it official.  Would you wanna be my co-owner?" Nathan asked.

 

---

 

The Machine

 

In the back of the gymnasium by their lonesome, the Video Game Club had set up a temporary station to play on while waiting for any potential new members.

 

"funking... sheet man!  funk!  I had him!" Kevin snapped at his screen.

 

"Told you, dude.  This boss is hard," Lace said from his left side.

 

"Ugh, I was so close.  Third phase reset is bullshit," he said as he placed the controller down.  "You wanna give it a go, Brad?"

 

Bradley looked up from his handheld device and waved a hand.  "No thanks, mate.  You guys go on.  I'm trying to catch a Devilot."

 

Kevin rubbed his temples with his fingers then took a deep breath.  "Okay.  I'm gonna try it one more time."

 

"Wait, wait.  Double check your gear.  Do you have any magic protection?  And what weapon and shield are you using?" Lace asked.

 

"I have magic res on my shield, boots, chest, and shoulders.  I didn't wanna stockpile it because I need DPS stats everywhere else.  Once the funking timer in phase three starts ticking I need that damage," Kevin said as he pulled up his character's equipment and inventory.  "Look."

 

Lace examined the screen carefully.  "What coins do you have in your gear slots?  Check 'em."

 

"Let's see.  Crit chance in gloves, crit chance in my bracers.  Plus all damage in my jewelry.  Magic res in my pants and plus all damage in my chest."

 

"What about your helm?"

 

"Uhhhhh magic fin--magic find!?  That's where I was missing damage, Jesus Christ!" Kevin recited aloud.  He quickly swapped out coins in his gear and saw his sheet DPS increase by twenty-five percent.  He sighed and then thanked Lace.  "Alright.  From the top."

[a bad post]

Thursday

Afternoon

 

Quinn sat fidgeting nervously in Professor Langston's class. He couldn't concentrate and he'd been on edge the entire day.

 

"Grant's getting more and more aggressive. Yesterday was literally the first day of school and he was bold enough to make aggressively sexual moves in front of strangers. Uuuuuggghhhh..." Quinn rubbed his temples staring dead-eyed down at the English textbook in front of him. "Jesus Christ he's only going to keep escalating, and I can't spend an entire year just trying to dodge him like a scared puppy. Even if I did what good would that even do? He's only Junior, and then there's the whole summer, and there's not even any guarantee he'll go away for school so he might stick-"

 

Quinn's thoughts were abruptly cut short when he heard the sound of two quick snaps right next to his ear.

 

"Huh?"

 

"Mr. St Lawrence, would you please answer the question?" Mr. Langston loomed over Quinn his mouth curled ever so slightly into a semi-amused grin.

 

"A-ah, I'm sorry I didn't hear the question, could you please repeat it?" Quinn's cheeks flushed red. "Great I just embarrassed myself in front of a room full of Juniors too, what a funking nightmare."

 

"Well that's funny I did ask you 3 times."

 

"I'm very sorry Mr. Langston. I've just got a lot on my mind right now, I promise I'll pay attention now."

 

"Well, then why don't you start by answering my question. So, in your opinion, Mr. St Lawrence what would you say would be the main underlying themes that Nathaniel Hawthorne is trying to set up in this first couple of chapters?" 

 

"Well, I would say it's pretty obvious that Hawthorne's central theme is going to be sin. I mean right from the beginning we're introduced to a character who's being branded for being a sinner, and yet Hawthorne has made her his heroine and seems to portray her of all people in a positive light compared to her fellow townsfolk. Really though, if you want to get down to the nitty-gritty of it it's a political critique of, what would've been to him, contemporary Puritan values. It's really best illustrated in the fact that first large gatherings of the townsfolk we see are at the prison and at the scaffold, both of which are located in common gathering areas and both of which are places meant to publicly shame those deemed sinners. Quite frankly I believe that the idea of sin and sinfulness is really used as a way to critique Puritan holier than thou values."

 

"Very impressive Mr. St Lawrence. I'll expect that same level of analysis from you in the future." Mr. Langston cracked an impressed smile before returning to the lesson. "Oh. And do try not to daydream, yeah?"

 

"Of course, sir."

 

 

"Hey, Riku," Quinn gave him a small wave as he walked backstage. "Hey, um, I'm not feeling great today. Would it be cool with you if I took off for the day?" Quinn smiled weakly. He knew it was a lame ass excuse, but he still didn't know how to handle Grant, and he didn't want to be around if he showed up.

 

"Quinn, are you alright?"

 

"Uhh... No? I just told you silly I'm feeling sick that's why I want to go home, hahaha..." Quinn laughed, weakly, in reply. He knew Riku was worried about him, but well the topic was not exactly one he wanted to discuss at all, let alone in the middle of a club meeting.

 

"Alright... but be ready for tomorrow, we'll be deciding on the play we're going to do."

 

"Yeah! Of course!" Quinn nodded enthusiastically, before quickly hugging Riku, "thank you so much. Oh my gosh, sorry, germs!" And without letting Riku get in another word edgewise Quinn dashed out the back exit door for home.

 

 

"Hey there you! If I didn't know better I'd think you were ignoring me, but I know you'd never do that, would you?"

 

"Oh god!" He was almost home. No. No. No. This guy knew his route home too, what the hell!? Grant smoothly slid up next to him locking his fingers into Quinn's. "He's trying to corner me." Quinn panicked looking quickly around the square he was passing through for an escape route. "I could make a scene. No. If I try to evade him anymore it'll just make things worse. Maybe I can convince him to leave me alone if I just do what he wants for a little bit. God, appealing to a rapist's good side, great funking plan..."

 

"H-hey, babe, so what do you wanna talk about? I'm sorry we haven't gotten to get together I-"

 

"Stop making excuses, let's go." Grant didn't even wait for him he just started pulling Quinn along, more like a dog than anything really.

 

 

As soon as they were through the door Grant tossed him to the ground. Hard.

 

"Ow!" Quinn's eyes teared up a little, "babe that hu-"

 

"Don't you fuckin' babe me!" It was quicker than Quinn had time to react to. The back of Grant's hand landed hard across Quinn's face. Before Quinn could put any distance between him and his abuser the larger boy was top of him hands around his throat. "You wanna act all lovey-dovey you stupid slut! Do you think I'm funking stupid or something!? I know you've been dodging me! You think you're allowed to do that!? What do you think that sheet during the Summer Bash was!? I own you know, you do what I tell you to do, got it!?"

 

Grant's face was red with rage. Quinn had begun sobbing, and could only nod shakily in response, however, this only seemed to anger Grant more.

 

"Stop crying you blubbering jabroni!" In an attempt to quiet him down Grant picked Quinn's head up slightly before slamming it down against the tile floor. This, however, caused Quinn who up until this point had been passive in fear to began screaming and struggling against the larger boy. His screams were quickly silenced however as Grant tightened his grip on his throat cutting off his Quinn's air. "Don't funking test me. I will funking kill you. I don't funking need you."

 

"Ok. Ok. Please stop. I'll behave. Please. Please, Grant. I can't breath."

 

"Good... good. Yeah, I love listening to you beg like a jabroni in heat. I bet you probably like this. Oh yeah, you don't want to admit it, but I bet you think this is really funking hot."

 

Quinn's mind was blank. No thoughts of escape. No sassy comebacks. He was in pure fight or flight mode worried that one wrong move could be the last one he made.

 

"Now, it's time for your punishment." Grant reached into his pocket pulling out a familiar looking pill.

 

"No. No. Please, Grant, I'll be good. Please, don't. Please." Quinn shook his head furiously, squirming and thrashing under Grant trying to get free, however ultimately he was overpowered as Grant slipped the rohypnal into Quinn's mouth, holding his mouth closed until he was positive Quinn had swallowed.

 

"Alright, time for you to make it up to me for being so hurtful." Grabbing Quinn by the hair Grant dragged him into the bedroom.

 

 

Several hours later Quinn, holding anything he could get for support stumbled out of Grants home. The drug was still affecting him making it hard to move, however, the drug had hit its peak effectiveness hours ago. That along with the sheer force of will Quinn was exerting to get himself out of that house and back to his home was enough to put him back on his feet so he could walk.

 

 

Half an hour later Quinn had finally made it home. Stumbling up the stairs Quinn clumsily opened the door making a loud ruckus as he dropped his book bag to the floor thankful to be free of the weight.

 

"Hey, Quinnie! How was your second day?" Quinn's sister, Gwen, looked up from her work with a smile, however that smile soon faded when she saw the shape her brother was in. "Oh my god! Quinn what happened to you!" Immediately she put her work down quickly covering the space between her and her little brother.

 

"No- Nothing..." Quinn's voice trailed off as his eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed, only his sister's quickly reflexes saving him from hitting the ground.

 

"Oh god! Oh god! Quinnie wake up!" Gwen frantically examined her brother and noticed very quickly that something was wrong with him. "Oh my god he's bleeding! Oh- oh god there's so much blood. I-Isabella! Rowan! Someone call an ambulance Quinn's been hurt!"

[Yui]

---

Afternoon

Physics. Not Haruka's greatest subject by any means. Most types of science tended to give her trouble, but it always seemed as though physics in particular just had it out for her. As such, rather than her usual procedure of simply paying attention to what the teacher had to say and taking mental notes while drawing up whatever fantasies came to her mind - a real shame, since she'd been hit by a sudden stroke of inspiration this morning - Haruka made sure her time in physics was time spent taking actual notes. Actual notes, about the actual school subject, that the actual teacher was actually teaching. Unless I want to be a scientist, how will any of this help me anyway? And I don't want to be a scientist at all! It's like, here, let me just teach you this thing you don't care about and you don't have a choice. Ugh.

After School

Well, one thing had turned into another. At first, Haruka was simply finishing up the illustration she'd started that morning after her stroke of inspiration, but then finishing that up gave her more ideas. The next thing she knew, it was a three-page mini-comic that she would have loved to finish right then and there, but that wasn't happening. Not here, anyway. It would be troublesome if I tried working on it more here, Haruka mentally huffed to herself, heading down a hallway in search of the Dedicated Fiction Club with a moderately flushed face. It came out a bit more stimulating than I thought it would be. The fact that I'm the type of person who let the comic get to that point in a public place... I'm a terrible human being, aren't I? After a bit of checking, Haruka finally found the club she was looking for, though she was a bit later to the meeting than she would have liked.

 

Way to make a first impression, Haruka. I must seem super-unreliable right now.

 

As she opened the door, Haruka stepped in and announced "Yes, I know I'm late; I got a bit sidetracked on my way here. I'll try to keep it from happening again."

 

"I know why you're late," said an excited Janet. "Were you prettying yourself up for me?" she cooed.

"Alright, you're going back into timeout," Amanda announced, pulling Janet by the ear.

"But Amanda! She's so cute!" Janet pleaded as she was dragged away.

"Hey. Welcome back. Glad you could make it," Paul said as he pulled out an extra chair for Haruka. "We're just finishing the first chapter. Did you get a chance to read at all?" There were five chairs now around a large wooden round table, and different copies of the club's reading material for the next month.

 

"I read a couple chapters last night before bed," Haruka answered, seating herself at the spare chair while Janet was pulled away. And don't come back. She opened up the book she'd taken home with her to where everyone else seemed to be so far. "So, who wrote this anyway? It doesn't seem like a normal thing for a school to have its own manga."

 

"Some alumni. He's hoping to get it published but it looks unfinished to me. It was probably something they did for fun," Paul commented.

"Sorry about that," Amanda said as she returned. "So, where were we?"

"End of chapter one. Looks like Haruka is all caught up," Paul added.

"Nice. What do you think so far, Haruka? Any characters you can resonate with?" Amanda asked.

 

"Jeffery," she started. "...and Roto." Although, resonating with them might not be the first way I'd phrase that. Even so, they were solid characters. Two brave men fighting against the apocalypse with the help of some people they'd only just met. If it were Haruka who was writing this, they'd probably be the only characters. "I like the dynamic between them the best."

 

"I like Jeff. He feels like a real person. Like, someone I'd hang out with," Leo commented.

"I like the uh, Australian guy. Leonidas? Yeah, he's funny. I like his upbeat attitude. Having hope in the middle of the apocalypse. That's hard, man," Paul added.

"I think I'm closest to Daphne. I would've given up all hope, if--" Amanda's phone buzzed loudly. "Sorry. Just a sec."

Amanda's face suddenly lit up with urgency and she snatched her bag from beneath her chair, disturbing the top floor of the library. "Sorry! I gotta run! Duty calls! We'll pick up Monday! Uh, Paul, you guys can read up to about chapter 5. I'm gonna be busy all weekend probably, so don't get too far without me!" she screamed.

"Ma'am! Quiet down, please!" demanded a librarian.

"Sorry!" she hollered back.

Paul shook his head. "Wonder what that was all about. Anywho, how do you guys feel about the plot as a whole? Alien invasion. Time travel. A talking A.I. It's a lot."

 

"I've seen plots that are more out-there," Haruka shrugged. "It's kinda crazy to have powers based on all these gods and stuff, but it's not like everyone outright summons them or anything. That would be a lot, and a bit of a stretch if you ask me."

---

[Hakima]

After School

Fire Meets Fury

Tyler shook her hand, surprised by how calloused it was. That wasn’t something that you could fake; rough hands only came from putting in the time. She was legit. “Nice to finally meet you and confirm my suspicion.”

 

Christina quirked an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? What’s that?"

 

Tyler smirked. “You took all the good genes and that’s how we got stuck with Nathan.”

 

"Easy, Tyler. Her left hook hurts. Like 900 horsepower to the jaw," Nathan commented, rolling his eyes.

 

Tyler shrugged and they continued with introductions. Jake was as terrible around women as ever. Tyler was about ready to just pay someone to sleep with the kid and get it over with. Still, this was pretty exciting, that much he could agree with the rest about.

 

His old man was a master mechanic. He probably wouldn’t mind coming up to the school and showing them a few things on occasion. He would probably even let them work on stuff in the shop if the school agreed to get them covered on some kind of insu--

 

"Tyler, I'm gonna need your help with this," Nathan turned to look at him.  "If I'm gonna submit this paperwork to make us an Organisation, I wanna have another name on it to make it official.  Would you wanna be my co-owner?" Nathan asked.

 

Tyler bit his lower lip and grimaced. “That’s... probably not a good idea. You don’t want my name on somethin’ those guys are gonna be looking over.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned back. “Whadda ‘bout Hensley? That’ll look a lot better.”

 

"No way, man.  Listen, I know you're not this perfect little angel.  But that's exactly why I want you involved.  I wanna be able to show everyone that you can do whatever you put your mind to, especially when you're good at it.  Besides, Hensley doesn't have your skill.  She might get to be a mechanic but back in the day, you could've been working on Earhardt's cars in a pit.  I trust you.  With this, I wouldn't even pick my sister over you."

Nathan folded his arms at first, but then, he stuck out a hand.  "You sacrifice a little bit of time for me, and I'll make sure your track record doesn't leave a mark on your life.  Whaddya say?"

 

Tyler’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “That what this is about? You tryin’ to make an example outta me? ‘Hey, if Beckett can do it, anyone can’!” He snorted and snatched up his jacket, throwing it on. “Go f*** yourself Yates. I don’t need your handouts, I can take care of my damn self.” He shook his head. “Man f*** this. I’m outta here. Find some other charity case to sign with you.”

 

He was gone before anyone could get a word in edgewise.

 

Night

Aftermath

Tyler didn’t get home until late that night. He just drove, as fast and as far as he could on a full tank of gas. He shut off his phone and didn’t answer any texts that night either. F*** them and f*** their handouts.

 

He didn’t need, no, he didn’t want anyone trying to fix his life for him. He could do that on his own.

[Hälō]

Afternoon

 

"Oh... they're done, already?" The roar of the crowd caused Piper to lower her sketch book and up at the game happening in front of her. Ironically, she had the best seat in the house, despite not even caring to watch the boys beat their chests and try swinging their dicks around for the other girls...

 

Sports just aren't fun if you were playing them yourself...

 

Taking a moment to watch the large foreign guy lean in and say something to the Pete Wentz looking dude that had knocked him down early, she let herself study their broad, sweat drenched shoulders and rough jawlines before smirking to herself. 

 

Ok. Maybe it isn't that bad watching... 

 

As the crowd began to break off into free period, Piper leaned back on the bench and brought her feet up atop the seat to support her sketchbook with her knees.  She had just etched another shape into the paper, when one of the boys from the game plopped down next her. 

 

Glancing over to the blonde, she studied his features for moment. Something about his posture and the melancholy look in his eyes as he held his wrist seemed to inspire her... "Hm," Not wanting to lose this moment, she quickly turned the page and began etching out a rough figure drawing of the boy.

 

"Seem's kind of dumb to be playing with those meatheads if you're arm is messed up, man..." She called to the boy after she had gotten his general shape down. 

 

 

After School

 

 

"Hey, Coach!" Finally able to located her gym teacher, Piper marched up the man and stuck her chest out as she stared up at Coach Overton. Her demeanor was vastly different than what she had displayed during class today. Primarily because her horrible memory had allowed her outrage about the school's neglect of the arts to slip her mind after dealing with the incident with Quinn and Grant.  

 

Luckily, an announcement during last period had jogged her memory, and allowed her to hit the hallways with renewed furry...   

 

Placing both hands on her hips, Piper flared her cheeks to make herself appear bigger as she prepared to give the man a piece of her mind. 

 

"What's all this about this school not having an Art Club or any artistic after school activities ?! Do you guys just not care about student's rights to expression, or did we spend all the money for paint on those stupid projector-things for the basketball games ?!" Her tiny hands flailed in the air as she barked at the man like a chihuahua trying to bite a rottweiler. "Actually, don't answer that... you're gonna make me wanna rally the artistic brothers and sisters, and shut this whole s*** down!" Thinking for a moment, she shook her head and reached into her pocket whilst mumbling something about paint and the auditorium. "Here! Where do I sign?!" Piper huffed, producing a pen and clicking it violently.

 

"Starting today, I'm personally putting some color into this school's life. Even if I have to shove it down it's throat..."

[Super Chaos Sonic]

 

 

 

Swish

Thursday Afternoon

 

"Seem's kind of dumb to be playing with those meatheads if you're arm is messed up, man..."

 

Jason looked up and saw the young girl who spoke to him, oddly enough she was holding a sketchbook...apparently sketching something. He gave off a small smile before shrugging.

 

"It's really just my wrist actually..." Jason replied. "And, well...gotta start at least attempting to use it, right?"

 

“I guess...” she peered at the boy for a moment before bringing out her eraser and brushing it across the page. “You’re the guy that fudged the big game of whatever, right?”

 

Jason nodded with a sigh at her response. "Yeah...that'd be about right."

 

“What are you still pouting about?” she arched an eyebrow. “Hmm, tilt your head for me? Wait you’re not actually still hung up about it, are you?!”

 

"Kinda hard not to still be hung up on it...when almost everyone holds it over my head..." Jason sighed, before tilting his head as asked.

 

“...” Piper didn’t respond. Her focus was too far into her work.

 

Finally, when the bell rang to signify the change in periods, she snapped back to reality. “Well... this is how sorry for yourself you look.” Flipping the book to show him the realistic sketch of himself sitting, and sulking. “The name is Piper by the way.” She offered the boy a friendly smile before smirking and getting up from her seat. “I’m new here... But I’m pretty sure just saying “funk ‘em” and moving forward works anywhere...”

 

Jason looked at the drawing and nodded. It never occurred to him on how he really looked, but then again, he never was pictured or drawn by anyone before. "That's...that's pretty interesting work there, Piper." he nodded, before chuckling lightly. "Yeah...maybe I'll try that one day..."

 

“Let me know how it goes. I don’t think I have any friends yet...” She brought her pencil up to her lips as if thinking. “So if you ever feel like being one of my models again, you can probably find me right here during class.” With that she’ll sling her bag over her shoulder and move to leave “Later... Jason, right?”

 

"Yeah, Jason Garrett." Jason nodded. "Catch ya later, Piper." he waved at the girl, only to see her throw up a peace sign, like a true gangsta. With class over now, Jason got up and went to head off to his next class.

 

 

Thursday Afternoon

-Ready Player 2?-

 

After his classes, Jason found himself back in the gymnasium. He was going to join a club, the Video Game Club. After all, Alice did suggest that might be better for him to do, given how there wasn't a Sports Club at all. Then again, probably best he didn't go for that anyway.

 

He approached the Video Game Club's booth and heard quite the conversation...

 

"What coins do you have in your gear slots? Check 'em."

"Let's see. Crit chance in gloves, crit chance in my bracers. Plus all damage in my jewelry. Magic res in my pants and plus all damage in my chest."

"What about your helm?"

"Uhhhhh magic fin--magic find!? That's where I was missing damage, Jesus Christ! Alright.  From the top."

 

He finally arrived near the booth and approached them, rubbing the back of his neck. "Um...hey. You guys still taking applications for your club?"

 

"Yeah, dude." Lace said, turning around. "Who's our new-- whoah," she said with a toothy grin. "You're uh, Jason G. ThisisthecoolestthingthatshappenedtometodayohmyGod." Lace had begun to panic. "Oh, uh, yeah, yeah, we're totes--uh, sheet. I mean, yes, sir, we're certainly taking applications!" she said, clearing her throat and pushing her hair behind her ears.

 

Jason just sat there and blinked a bit, watching Lace moving to grab a clipboard. "Just, sign your name here, and leave us your email and/or phone number. We promise not to contact you later than 7pm unless its urgent, and uh--phew, is it warm in here? Usually we'll only contact you about club tournaments, friendly competitions and that sort of thing." Lace finished, handing a clipboard to Jason.

 

"Uh sure, alright." Jason took the clipboard and began to put down the appropriate information they needed before handing it back to Lace. "Hope I didn't come and barge in at a bad time."

 

"I recognize that voice," said Kevin, pausing his game. It was Kevin Garcia, last minute senior recruit to the basketball team. He had only just met Jason a few weeks before that unfortunate game. "Jason, nice of you to join us du--oh God. I'm sorry. I'll handle this." Kevin got to his feet and began to pry Lace away from Jason. "She did this to me too. Something something basketball team fan girl," he said with a shrug. "So, what do you like to play? Oh, that's Brad. He's playing Devilot Mobile. Spinoff from Devil's Lore."

 

Brad waved a hand and kept to his game, while Lace nervously thanked Jason and then sank into a pull out metal chair after Kevin pulled her away.

 

"Kevin? Huh, actually wasn't expecting to see you around here." Jason said with a nod, before waving at Brad after Kevin introduced him. "Anyway, I...I normally just play some sports games. Ya know..athlete off and on the court." he chuckled lightly. "I also tend to play a few RPGs here and there. Nothing too out of the ordinary."

 

"Well, don't play with Lace. Not in Madden, not in NBA 2K. I've never met a girl as good at sports games as she is. It's honestly unfair," Kevin said, shaking his head. "Normally, we'd be in room 310 in building C, but we were hoping for a few more recruits. And here you are!" Kevin said with a smile.

 

"Wow...I guess that might actually be something I'd need to see." Jason chuckled with a nod. "Room 310...okay that shouldn't be too hard to forget."

 

"I'm playing Devil's Lore. I keep dying to this God damn boss. He has an instant kill if you don't do enough damage to him by his third phase transition. Wanna come watch me suffer?" Kevin asked, as he pulled up a spare chair.

 

Jason glanced over at the game and nodded. "Might as well." he said, sitting in the spare chair. "Let's hope I don't jinx it by sitting down."

[Dad]

After School

Crunch Time

 

"I've got one in critical condition.  Trauma to the head, bruised face and neck, and anal bleeding, currently unconscious.  Patient's name is... Quinn St. Lawrence," said a gloved and masked female who was wheeling Quinn in a medical bed to the Emergency Room.  Traveling alongside her, practically sprinting, was Amanda Greenhouse.  "You got all that?"

 

"Yes, ma'am.  Where do you need me?" Amanda asked, her brain racing.  "I've seen this guy, at least once or twice before.  Doesn't he go to my school?" she thought.

 

"Take his vitals, check his blood for toxins, and when you're clear, get me an IV.  This looks like abuse but it could be a lot of things," said the doctor.

 

"Yes, doctor," Amanda said before placing her stethoscope on Quinn's chest.  His heart was beating irregularly.  His breathing was ragged and harsh.  As far as she could tell, there was no internal damage to his head but they would need to check for internal bleeding.  Now she had to take his blood.  "That's a pretty bad cut on his head.  Do you think there's internal bleeding?" Amanda asked.

 

"Possibly," the doctor said as she was suddenly surrounded by two other nurses.  "Run that blood test, we're gonna do an X-ray.  Get me those blood tests!"

 

Amanda nodded and ran off.  Quinn was wheeled to the next room over, still unconscious.  She had a single syringe with Quinn's blood in it trying to be careful not to drop it.  She placed the blood into a vial and ran multiple tests, waiting for results.  "Come on, come on!" she said through clenched teeth.  As the vial stopped spinning, Amanda stood over a printer where the results were given back to her.  "sheet," she mumbled.  She took the vial and stored it properly before sprinting back to the ER.

 

"It's date rape," Amanda said immediately.

 

The doctor turned to Amanda and did a double take.  "Amanda," she said with a glare.

 

"Oh, sorry.  Uh, it's a benzo.  Probably Rohypnol, but there are only minor traces.  This must've happened an hour or so before he got home.  But it's definitely there," Amanda finally said.

 

"Thank you, Amanda.  You did well today.  Get me that IV and you can go home," the Doctor said.

 

Amanda nodded and sprinted off.  "We don't need to pump him for this?" asked one of the new nurses.

 

"No, no.  Benzos tend to wear off somewhat quickly.  He should be awake soon.  Right now, we need to keep him hydrated and give him something for the pain.  Judging by the bruises and the damage to his body, this is emotional, physical, and mental.  And it's why patient confidentiality is so important."

 

"Yes, doctor."

 

About a minute later, Amanda had returned with an IV bag and a needle.  "Help her find that vein," the doctor said.  One of the nurses came around to help Amanda and together they put the IV in Quinn's arm.  "Looks good," the Doctor commented.  "Okay.  You two stay with me.  Amanda, you're free to go.  We'll buzz you if necessary."

 

"Thank you, Doctor.  But, uh, before I go, could I speak to you privately?" Amanda asked.

 

The Doctor looked at her other two nurses and then to Amanda.  "What's this about?"

 

"Well..." Amanda hesitated.

 

"Okay.  Let's step out into the hall," the Doctor said, now following Amanda.  When they were out of earshot of the other two nurses, the Doctor removed her mask.  "What's wrong?"

 

"I think I might sort of... know the patient," Amanda admitted.

 

The Doctor looked around cautiously before turning back to Amanda.  "Why didn't you tell me this before we wheeled him in?  You can't be anywhere near this.  It could damage your record!" she whispered harshly.

 

"I wasn't sure at first, but I'm pretty sure I've seen him at school."  Amanda's head sank.  The Doctor sighed and folded her arms.  "Alright.  Well, I'm glad you told me.  Just, go ahead and notify the family I'm sure they're anxious.  But after that, I don't want you anywhere near this.  It's too controversial and he's a student at your school.  Police will want to question him and if they suspect you're involved, I don't know what I'll do," she said with a frown.

 

"Thanks, T.  And I'm sorry about that," Amanda said, walking away slowly.

 

The Doctor shook her head as she watched Amanda walk away.  "You're just like my sister," she mumbled to herself before returning to the ER.

 

---

 

Stalled Engine

 

"What's his deal?" Christina asked, totally confused on what was going on.

 

"I guess he thinks I'm pitying him.  Maybe I presented my proposal wrong?  I'll ask the old man to help me practice a bit," Nathan replied.

 

"I still don't get it," Christina shrugged.

 

"I asked him to go in with me on turning the club into an Organization.  Apparently, the way I went about it was wrong.  I dunno.  I thought we were friends but that chip on his shoulder makes him difficult to even talk to.  And I don't have time for that," Nathan scratched his head.  "Anyway, that Organization can't happen without five people.  And he effectively just iced us so we're back to four people.  Assuming you stay."

 

"Well, mom didn't ship me out here to fly back two days later.  So yeah, I'm here," Christina said.

 

"Alright.  Well, back to work.  Hensley, you can work with my sister today.  They flushed the carburetor yesterday.  Cleaned it, put it back together and reinstalled it.  Oil was changed already, fluids are good.  Why don't you guys change the hoses and the radiator."

 

"Cool.  Alright, Prep School, let me show you a thing or two," Christina said, motioning for Hensley to follow her.

 

"You call me Prep School again and I'll throw you in the trunk," Hensley frowned.

 

Nathan rolled his eyes.  "Jake, we're gonna change the oil again, but this time I'm gonna let you lead.  Okay?"

 

Jake nodded.  "Alright.  It's not hot is it?"

 

"Course not.  The car's been off for twenty-four hours," Nathan chuckled.

 

"Oh.  Oh, right.  Okay, let's do it."

 

---

 

Arts and Crafts

 

"Hey, Coach!"

 

Coach Overton raised his head from his clipboard and looked up to one of his newer students, Piper.  "What can I do for you, Piper?" he asked right away.

 

"What's all this about this school not having an Art Club or any artistic after school activities ?! Do you guys just not care about student's rights to expression, or did we spend all the money for paint on those stupid projector-things for the basketball games?!"

 

"Well, actually, we've had the funding but no students who wanted to--"

 

"Actually, don't answer that... you're gonna make me wanna rally the artistic brothers and sisters, and shut this whole sheet down!"

 

Coach Overton sighed.  She was another one of those extremely passionate students who loved art.  So far, no one had the gall to actually run the club despite the funding being available, but suddenly, here Piper was.  

 

"Here! Where do I sign?!"

 

Coach Overton handed Piper a clipboard, which she signed, and he immediately approved.  "You'll have to put together your own booth.  Ask the woodshop class.  Mr. Sheldon is your man for that, and he'll see to it that it's sturdy so you can get recruits.  Advertising is up to you, as long as it's within school regulations."

 

"Starting today, I'm personally putting some color into this school's life. Even if I have to shove it down its throat..."

 

"Sure, sweetheart.  Have fun, and I hope you get the support you need," Coach Overton shrugged.  It was now up to Piper to bring students into her art club.  She would need to get a booth together, think of a name for her club if she wanted to, and of course, she would have to see the student council about getting a room assigned after school.  She could only do that during regular school hours because student council only met on Mondays and Fridays before and after school.  Otherwise, there would only be the student council president in the student council room during lunch hours.

 

---

 

Ded. Or Alive

 

With Amanda gone, Paul, Haruka, Leo, and Janet read through Chapter 5 of :Alive: before calling it a day.  Paul made his way to the bus stop alone today, putting in the appropriate two dollars so that he could be taken as close to his home as possible.

 

The bus was crowded today, so Paul put in his ear buds and drowned out the world around him.  The next thing he knew, he was transferring to Broad Street and drifting off.  He wouldn't be home for at least another hour.  About forty-five minutes later, he awoke with a start, realizing he was near Read Boulevard.  He shook himself awake and stood up, prepared to exit.  He got off the bus three stops later and walked the last three blocks home.  He heard a beep in his earbuds and, after safely crossing the street, took out his phone to see what it was.

 

"We're sorry.  The number you have dialed is currently not in service," said an automated voice in his ear.

 

"But... my phone was locked.  With a pin.  Did I pocket dial someone?" he wondered aloud.  Examining his call history, Paul had accidentally entered a very specific number.  It was a 1-800 number.  "1-800-733-7374?  What the hell?" he mumbled to himself.  He shoved his phone back into his pocket and resumed his music.  

 

That evening, Paul baked chicken and made mashed potatoes and green beans for dinner, to give mom a break.  He went and took a shower after dinner then went straight to his room.  If he couldn't do anything "strenuous" he at least wanted to keep reading this manga.  He took the manga from his bag and decided to go ahead of everyone else.  But before he got the chance to read, his phone buzzed.  It was a message from Amanda.

 

"Sorry about running out today.  Had a message from work," it read.

 

He replied back right away.  "No worries.  We read through chapter five.  It's getting kinda tense, lol."

 

With his phone still in his hand, Paul elected to check on the number he supposedly dialed while on the bus.  Most 1-800 numbers were usually some kind of resource line and had words associated with them.  Putting letters to numbers, Paul finally managed to figure out what the associate word was.  "Refresh?  Must be a line for soda or somethin'," he mumbled.  Paul pushed his phone to the side and opened up :Alive: and continued to read.  

 

---

 

The hours flew by, and before Paul knew it, he had finished chapter ten.  Paul heard his name being called downstairs and he sprang up from his bed with his phone in hand.  

 

"Paul!" called Ms. Brown.

 

"Yeah, ma?"

 

"It's Thursday!" she called back.

 

"Oh, trash night. Sorry, I forgot!  I'm comin' down!" he called back to his mother.  He put on his slippers and bounded down the stairs, collecting trash bins from around the house as he went.

 

"Did you get the bathrooms?"

 

"Yup."

 

"Your sister's room?"

 

"Got it."

 

"And your room?"

 

"Done."

 

"Alright, son, thank you," Ms. Brown said, turning back toward her room.  "I'm headed to bed.  I already took a sleeping pill and I'm startin' to feel it."

 

"Yes, ma'am.  I'll be right outside," Paul answered.  Paul dumped the trash bins into the larger trash bag in the kitchen and pulled it out of the can.  Then, he tied a knot on the end of the bag and made his way outside.  Paul tossed the bag into the outside garbage can and rolled it to the curb for pick-up tomorrow morning.

 

"Psst.  Paulie Paul," called a voice to Paul.

 

He looked up from the curb and saw a young man approaching him.  "Yo, who's that?" he called back.

 

"What, you don't recognize me now?" the young man said, spreading his arms and stepping past a street light.

 

"Kevin?  Man, I barely see you anymore," Paul laughed.  "What's good, man?"

 

They hugged and shook hands before Kevin took a step back.  "Man, you know I get hung up on these damn games and I rarely leave the house unless I'm going to the park.  But my moms just said she's goin' outta town this weekend.  So I'mma kick something off," he said with a grin.

 

"Oh, you throwin' a party huh?" Paul asked excitedly.  "Saturday?"

 

"Yeah, bro.  You wanna come through?"

 

"Definitely, man.  What time?"

 

"I'll prolly kick it off around 8 but you know it won't really go down till about ten," Kevin shrugged.

 

"Ain't gon be no sausage party, huh?" Paul joked.

 

"Hell naw," Kevin laughed.  "But listen, I wanna go kill this boss before I pass out, so I'mma catch you later."  Kevin began to jog off down the street.

 

"Yo, whatchu playin'!?" Paul called.

 

"Devil's Lore, man!  It's good!"

 

"Aight!  Hit me up!" Paul said before disappearing back inside.  He went inside and locked the doors, then put a clean bag in the trash can and washed his hands.  Paul sneaked into his mother's room to kiss her goodnight before returning upstairs to his room.  It was late, and Paul had to be up early to catch the bus.  He put his phone on vibrate before plugging it into the charger on his bedside table.  He said a brief prayer then climbed into bed.  He was excited for the party Saturday, as Kevin Garcia's parties were legendary in his neighborhood.  With fun on his mind, Paul turned over a few times before he finally fell asleep.

[Alaina]

Thursday

Afternoon

With the first day behind her, Avery had made her way to the second day of school with much less issue. Having managed to avoid bumping into anyone that immediately recognized her, the girl made it to her classes without incident. Once there, she had her notebook at the ready, jotting down what she could. Of course, interestingly, every few minutes or so the girl's eyes would flit around the room, looking to her other students.
 
Reclining. Note taking. Day dreaming. 
 
Every five or so minutes, the girl's note taking would come to a stop. She would wait two minutes. Then the cycle would continue. Her posture slouched, her eyes would stay on the teacher but then, at seemingly random intervals, try to focus anywhere but. Her focus eventually rested on the boy - girl? No, it was boy - as the teacher had begun to ask them a question about their reading. The girl hadn't recognized who this person was, at least beyond being in this class yesterday as well, and briefly wondered what grade they were in. There were a few other things they were curious about, but the main one was wondering whether or not the Mr. St. Lawrence had a hearing problem or not, as he did not seem to react to the teacher's questioning at all. Again. And again. Until finally they responded. In spite of seeming to be caught off guard, Avery was impressed by her answer. As was the teacher. Going on with the rest of the class, their discussion continued. 
 
"...so what were your thoughts on it, Ms. Moreaux?" 
 
Eventually it had came her turn to sit in the crucible. While the professor looked at her, expectantly, it felt as though there was fire coming from his eyes. Beginning to gulp a bit, the girl averted her eyes away from him momentarily as she said, "u-um, well." She wasn't quite sure how to go on from there. Her eyes avoided the teacher's briefly, looking at the other students. 
 
Expectant. Nervous. Unfocused. 
 
Her eyes centered back on the professor, who raised an eyebrow, before she said, "w-well um, sorry. I left my, uh, book at school yesterday."
 
It was in her bag. 
 
Some of the students smirked, others nonplussed. The professor sighed saying, "well, at least have the decency to look up a summary online, like some students who remembered to bring their book home anyway." Standing up, he addressed the rest of the class saying, "remember students, I am not a lecturer, I am a professor. And this is not a lecture hall. It is a discussion. So, I expect you all to get your reading done, so I don't have to wear out my voice telling you things you should already know. Now then, Mr. Hughes." If there were a picture for an "oh sheet" facial expression, it would be the student just called on. 
 

---

 
With the day having finished, Avery was more than ready to end her day and go home. However, as she was walking away from the school, she saw the familiar face of Lindsay, seeming to go about her own after school business. Changing her path, the girl ended up getting lost in the crowd and going with the flow. This had ended up in her getting to the auditorium, back to the club fair. The girl had been reminded of her action yesterday, having gone to join a club. She wasn't very fond of the idea. However, joining would do no good if she never showed up. Seeing the booth, she saw that there was a group of people who were busy playing games there already. As she began to step up to the place, she gulped. 
 
Her nerves were getting the best of her, though, they started to dwindle as someone else entered her field of view Him. 
 
Basketball. Star. Fallen. 
 
She knew who Jason was; it was only normal for a student at G.O.H. to know who he was. She wasn't planning on making a name for herself in this club to begin with, but because he was here, he was likely to draw far more attention than she was. All the same, while she was thinking this, she looked over to see the game that they were playing. She didn't know what it was, but it looked interesting all the same. And so, there she stood, not saying anything and merely staring at the screen. And there she would remain for the time being.

[Hakima]

 

Midnight

Guilt Trip

Tyler had calmed down a lot by the time he pulled into his driveway, having burned up an entire gas tank’s worth of thoughts. He shouldn’t have gone off like that, but where had Nathan got off pulling that s*** with him? The automotive club was his hobby, no strings attached. If it came to it he could walk away without a second thought. Adding documentation, signatures, obligations… that made it another commitment, and he had more than enough of those.

 

He had thought Nathan understood that. Guess not. Tyler sighed and turned his key in the lock, blinking to adjust his eyes to the total darkness that was his living room. It was as empty as always, just two recliners with an inn table between them, placed directly in front of a wall-mounted TV.

 

He toed off his boots and headed for the kitchen, hoping to get something to eat before he headed to bed. It hadn’t occurred to him during his drive to stop for food so he was starving.

 

He noticed a silhouette seated at the table as he stepped through the door frame. Tyler immediately felt guilty. His old man left early and got home late, so he wasn’t used to him not being there by the time he got home. It must have worried him and when Tyler hadn’t responded to his phone… He cursed his previous decision to shut his phone off.

 

He approached the table and laid a hand on his father’s shoulder, shaking him softly. “Hey Pops,” he whispered. “You need to head to bed. You’ll kill your back sleeping like this.”  

 

His father groaned and sat up. “Wasn’t asleep,” he grumbled. “Just resting my eyes.”  He blinked a few times to clear the haze of sleep from his eyes and looked at Tyler. Unspoken relief flooded his features.

 

Tyler smirked. “Yeah yeah yeah. I stopped believing that when I was ten. Now c’mon, go to bed.” Tyler started to pull away and head to his own room.

 

A large hand wrapped around his wrist, stopping him dead in his tracks. “Hold on a minute Ty.” He turned back around to find his father standing up, arm outstretched to grab him.

 

Samuel Beckett was a large man. Tyler had inherited his height and broad shoulders, but where he was a brick wall, Tyler had taken after his mother’s more lean frame. His hair was short and he kept a short goatee, both of which were originally black but were beginning to pepper with age. He looked intimidating but Tyler had known for a long time he was just a big teddy bear.

 

“What happened today? Why did you get home so late?” he asked.

 

“Nothin’, just wanted to go for a drive. It’s no big deal,” Tyler said. His jaw twitched as he said it. His give away.

 

Samuel frowned. “You’re lyin’ Ty. What? You get into another fight?” His face fell. “You suspended? Expelled? Ty you know we don’t have many options left…”

 

Tyler shook his head. “Look, it’s nothin’ like that Pops. Just… You know that club I told you I joined? Automotive?”

 

Samuel nodded. “Yeah. The one with Nathaniel? He seemed like a good kid.”

 

“Yeah well, we got a fifth member today, and that meant we could sign up as an organization,” Tyler explained.

 

His father frowned. “So where’s the problem? That’s great news.”

 

“Yeah I thought so too. Then Nathan asked me to sign ownership with the club with him and…” Tyler sighed and dropped into a seat at the table. “It’s just a lot, Dad. Too many people too fast. I snapped and told them all to go f*** themselves and probably f***ed everything up.”

 

Samuel laid a hand on top of his shoulder. “I know Ty. It’s hard to let people in sometimes, huh?” He took the seat opposite Tyler. “I was a lot like you when I was a kid. First person I think I ever really let in was your momma, and when she left I was broke Ty. I shut everyone out and just stayed at work. It wasn’t fair ta’ you or anyone else but I didn’t know any better.”

 

Tyler crossed his arms and frowned, “but you stayed. Don’t beat yourself up Pops. Sure it wasn’t perfect but at least you didn’t leave.”

 

Samuel smiled sadly. “‘Course I did. That was the choice I made.” He reached into his shirt pocket and took out a pack of cigarettes, lighting one up before he continued. “I had this conversation with your Momma once,” he said, muffled from speaking around the cigarette. “I think there’s two types of people in the world. There’s people who tough through the pressure, stick around and see it through to the end, and there’s people who run when the goin’ gets tough.” He blew out a long cloud of smoke. “Neither’s wrong Ty. Your momma left, but sometimes I wonder if that was for the best. You may be too young to remember but she was miserable. She was always a city girl with a lotta dreams. She thought she was wastin’ her life with us.”

 

Tyler crossed his arms and snorted. “Because we just weren’t good enough for her. F***in' b****.”

 

Samuel snuffed out his cigarette in the ashtray on the table. “I know it’s hard to see Ty, but it didn’t have anythin’ to do with us. It was about her. She left because she felt that’s what she needed to do. Do I agree with it? Nah, I don’t really, but that doesn’t matter. Lookin’ back I’d rather raise ya on my own than with a woman who hates the fact that she’s with us.”

 

Tyler stared down at the smoldering remains of the cigarette, not saying anything. Samuel went on. “What I’m tryin’ to say is you’ve got a question to ask yourself Ty. Are you gonna be the type to run, or the type to stay?” Samuel stood up and headed for the door. “I’ll be here no matter what choice you make, but I’m not who you should be worried about losin’.”

 

“Goodnight Ty. See ya tomorrow.”

---

[a bad post]

Pain. The first thing Quinn felt as he returned to consciousness was pain.

 

"Ugh..." Quinn groaned slowly blinking himself awake. "Where am I?" Quinn looked at his surroundings, and it didn't take him long to figure out that he was in a hospital. Noticing his return to consciousness Gwen spring up to her sear to her brother's bedside.

 

"Quinnie, oh my God! I'm so glad you're ok!" She embraced her brother in tight hug eliciting a grunt from Quinn. "Nurse! My brother, he's awake! Rowan, Bel could you see if you could go find a nurse?"

 

"Sure, Gwen. Come Ro." Isabelle looked down at Rowan, who had slipped into sleep in the several hours they'd been at the hospital. Gently Isabelle kicked his foot awakening him with a start.

 

"Ho! Uh, I'm awake!"

 

"Come on we're going to go grab a nurse for Quinn."

 

"Oh, uh, alright."

 

"Thanks, guys," Gwen smiled slightly as her friends left the room before turning her attention back to Quinn her face now much more serious. "Quinnie, what happened to you? Who... who did this to you?"

 

"No- nobody did anything to me. I-I just fell on my way home. I hit my head, I'll be fine can we just go home?" Quinn felt like a child getting caught doing something bad. His cheeks flushed red, and he had to struggle to keep himself from crying. He felt weak and helpless.

 

"Quinnie, I'm not stupid." Gwen looked at her brother a sad look in her eyes she placed a tender hand on his arm. "Please, I'm not mad at you, but I can't help you either if you don't tell me what happened."

 

"I'm fine, I was just... just fooling around with a friend, and we got too rough. Really. It's nothing to worry about." Quinn smiled weakly trying to assuage his sister's concerns. Gwen opened her mouth to respond, however as she did this there was a knock at the door. Rowan and Isabelle had returned with a nurse, however, too other people seemed to be with them.

 

"Quinn." The nurse's voice was gentle like she was talking to a wounded animal. Quinn hated it. "There are some people here who'd like to talk to you."

 

"Hi, Quinn," one of the newcomers a white woman in her mid-thirties entered, "My name's Olivia. I'm a detective and this is my partner Elliot. We just wanted to talk to you about what happened."

 

"Like I just told my sister, nothing happened. If it's alright with everybody I'd like to go home now I have a lot of homework to get done, and I'd like to get some sleep tonight." Quinn's voice carried an edge to it now. These people were treating him like some sad little kid. He hated it. Who did they think they were to think they could talk down to him. He wasn't weak. He was fine, and he wished all of these people would stop looking at him like he was broken.

 

"Quinn, honey. Would you feel more comfortable if I sent everyone else out? We can talk alone if you like?" Olivia looked at him concerned. Her partner had left the room, and he seemed to be discussing something with the nurse.

 

"Fine, but like I said nothing happened, so there's nothing to talk about unless you want to shoot the sheet."

 

"I'll give you guys some privacy..." Gwen said leaving Quinn's side, an obvious hurt in her eyes. She'd worked with rape victims before, and she knew it was often difficult for them to open up, especially male victims, but she couldn't help but be a little hurt that even her own brother was closed off about it.

 

"Ok, Quinn, just me and you now." Olivia turned to him giving him an expectant look.

 

"Ok? Nothing happened. I fell and hit my head. Now I told you while we're alone. Feel special?"

 

"Quinn we know about the anal tearing. If you don't want your sister to know about-"

 

"My sister's not the funking issue, it's the pushy cop who thinks she has the right to make any sort of assumptions about me and my life. How many times to I have to tell you nothing happened, are you stupid?"

 

"Would you prefer to talk to a man, my partner Elliot is very good-"

 

"No! Get it through your thick funking skull I don't want to talk to you, or your partner, or my sister! Not anyone! God, don't you have some minority to harass you dumbass pig!?" Quinn's shouts drew the attention of the group outside the door, however, Olivia placed a hand up signalling for them not to enter. She sighed heavily a little hurt by Quinn's statement, however, she'd dealt with more aggressive victims than this.

 

"Ok. Ok. I get it." Olivia placed her hands up trying to calm Quinn down. "Ok, Quinn. So why don't you tell me how you got knocked on the head. Then we can just file this away and we can all be our way."

 

"Fine. If it'll make you stop bothering me. I was walking home and slipped and fell and hit my head on the concrete. I thought I was fine, but I passed out so obviously not."

 

"Alright, but the doctors found some drugs in your system. I mean correct me if I'm wrong, but you don't exactly seem like the type of kid to be doing hard drugs."

 

"Well, I guess you were wrong."

 

"So, you took rohypnal on the way home from school? Even though it makes you sleepy? That doesn't seem like a great idea."

 

"Well..." Quinn was squirming now, he really didn't have a good excuse for that one. "I- I mean I'm a high school kid we do dumb stuff all the time, right?"

 

"Well, I guess, but you don't sound so sure yourself. Besides, how did you get the anal tearing? That's not just some dumb high school kid stuff."

 

"I-I don't know, ok?" Quinn was almost in tears. "I was experimenting or something? Listen can't I just go home." Quinn's last words came out like squeaks, and he couldn't meet Olivia's eyes anymore.

 

"Quinn, it's ok, you're not in trouble. You can talk to me-" Olivia reached her arm out touching Quinn's shoulder, causing Quinn to recoil quickly.

 

"Don't touch me!" At that moment the door opened and Gwen burst in.

 

"Ok, you need to stop! Listen I know you're trying to do your job, but I'm going to need you to back off now."

 

"Ms St. Lawrence, please I think I'm making progress-"

 

"Please just leave." Quinn's voice was small, but everyone had heard it and turned to him. "Please. I'd like to be left alone now."

 

"Alright," Olivia sighed in defeat. "Quinn, I'm going to leave my card here, and if you want to talk to me again, don't hesitate to give me a call."

 

"Liv-" Elliot spoke up, however, Olivia put her hand up, and he only nodded in response. After a few moments, both left the room, leaving Quinn alone with his sister and her friends.

 

"I really don't want to talk anymore..." Quinn said after a few moments. He still crying despite his best efforts to control it. Gwen simply nodded and she and the rest sat down. While he might not have shown it Quinn was happy to have the company.

[King K. Azo]

Thursday

Afternoon

---

 
Reno was quiet in his time at the Physics. He had a very bad feeling about this. He needed at least an average grade in this class. Not a D, per say, but like a C or a B, something that wouldn't make him commit suicide, but something that would get a college or something to notice him. At this point, he was almost considering joining a sports team, despite the fact that he really hated sports. Sports got scholarships though, unlike martial arts. The class seemed like it might be okay... he would just have to stay on top of the ball. He could do this.
 

He was doomed.  

 

 

Reno was a little bit late getting to his club... embarrassingly because he forgot about the club and was almost off campus when he remembered it existed. He meekly walked into the gym, doing his best not to make a lot of noise. He knew how much games hated to be interrupted.

 

There were more people here than yesterday. The shattered wrist basketball player here, and a very plain looking girl. Quietly, he stood behind the group, arms folded as he watched the screen. He knew this game, but he only just got it. He wasn't too good at it yet, so he had no advice. He stood there quietly, watching the game go.

 

[Super Chaos Sonic]

 

 

 

New Challengers Approach

Thursday Afternoon

 

It was a bit of time that Jason stared at the screen, watching Kevin play "Devil's Lore". It seemed pretty interesting, all things considered, but after a while, Jason started to feel like someone was watching. That feeling when you have someone looming over your shoulder, yeah, Jason felt that right now.

 

"Hm?" Upon turning his head, glancing behind him, he noticed two different figures standing and watching the screen as well. One a young lady, who wore glasses and a young man who looked...the word would most likely be sternly concentrated, or something to that effect. Jason cleared his throat and turned back towards Kevin and the others. "Oh uh, I think you guys have some new applicants comin' in."

 

"Hmm? Oh, hey, welcome back, Reno!" said Lace. She saw him taking in 'Devil's Lore' gameplay behind Jason and Kevin. Then, her eyes slowly settled on a young lady who appeared to almost be a child compared to Reno. You could even say she was bite-sized. "Who's this? Come to join our fun?" Lace asked of the new girl, Avery.

 

Reno? Guess he was already an applicant here, so guess that was something. Jason sighed and stood up, deciding to be a little bit friendly with the guy and the girl. "Um, hi. I'm Jason, the new guy to the club." he said, extending a hand out towards Reno.

 

"Reno. Also new."

 

"Well, uh nice to meet you." Jason said, chuckling lightly.

 

"Nice to meet you to," Reno paused. "So what games do you like?"

 

"Well..." Jason said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Namely sports games. A few RPGs here and there. Nothing too out of the norm."

 

"You look like you could do spo--- um... never mind," Reno caught himself.

 

"E-Eheh, no it's alright. I mean a lot of people have already said that type of stuff this week." Jason chuckled nervously.

 

"Doesn't make it right," Reno commented as he turned his attention back to the game.

 

Jason nodded in response to that, understanding the sentiment before shrugging. He isn't wrong...but still, doesn't mean everyone thinks the same. he thought, putting his hands in his pockets, before noticing Avery and Lace still talking.

 

Jason turned his attention from Reno and now directed it towards Avery and Lace. "Hope you do decide to join the club. I think it'll be nice having someone else here to help Lace here, since it's practically all guys." he chuckled, before quickly removing his hands from his pockets. "N-Not saying anything wrong about that Lace. Just...throwing that out there."

 

Having been addressed by the legendary Jason Garrett, Lace lost focus for just a moment, swooning over his presence. She quickly regained her composure, and commented on his thoughts. "N-Not at all! Reno here is actually already a member! If the young lady with him would like to join our ranks, I would happily bring her aboard!"

 

Avery clams up a bit as she starts to stammer, "eh? Uh, um, uh - Sure!" Her face oriented itself into a more pleasant, albeit surprised, smile saying, "if you would have me, I'd be glad to join your club."

 

Apparently what Jason said apparently helped out. So now the Video Game Club had another member, and another female at that. It made it much less of a sausage fest at this point, which was probably good in it's own right. And right there, Jason sort of enjoyed his time with the new club he joined, until it was time for him to head back home.

 

 

 

Dinner with the Parents...

Thursday Evening

 

Jason, unfortunately didn't want to come back home for a while. He actually was having fun with this club, but alas, all things must come to an end with school days. And even more unfortunate for Jason...his foster parents were home tonight.

 

Dinner was...quite silent on Jason's side as he let the others just talk, because obviously they didn't really care about anything else about him. Go figure.

 

"Oh! Jase!" Alice piped up, looking over at Jason. "How'd it go with joining that club?"

 

"You joined a club?" his mother asked, quite surprised.

 

"Yes ma'am...I did." Jason said, quickly addressing his mother, before turning towards Alice. "I got in without any problem. Apparently one of the members happens to be a huge basketball fan and I'm apparently one of those many players she's...uh what's the word..."

 

"Infatuated with?" Alice giggled.

 

"I...think?" Jason shrugged, before glancing over at his father, who was apparently giving him a disapproving look when he mentioned 'basketball'. "Anyway...I'm in the Video Game club now."

 

"Hmph..." his father scoffed slightly, before stepping away from the table. "Here I thought you would've done something better with your life. Hell, I'm sure there's a Drama Club you could've joined. But whatever." he said, putting his dishes at the sink and walking off.

 

"Gary..." Jason's foster mother sighed, quickly standing up. She went after Gary, apparently not wanting that to be something said. And that just left Jason and Alice.

 

Jason watched as both walked out and were out of sight. He slowly held up his middle finger, only to be swatted in the head by Alice and a small towel. "Ow...Alice, c'mon. You know they're trying way too hard for me to be like you. And I'm just not!" he grumbled.

 

"I know, I know." Alice sighed, shaking her head. "I don't know what's gotten into them and why the hell they've been acting like this since they adopted you. I just wish they would stop."

 

"You and me both..." Jason sighed, starting to get up from the table. "I'm...gonna just turn in for the night."

 

Alice sighed a bit, nodding. "Alright Jase. See ya tomorrow." she said, watching Jason walk off to retreat to his room.

 

 

Jason had just finished getting himself ready for bed, finishing up the last little bit of his homework and showering. However, when he turned out the light, he saw immediately that his phone was blinking. He got a text message...at this time of night?

 

He turned over and grabbed his phone, unlocking it and immediately seeing who messaged him. It was Kevin.

 

"Hey Jason! It's Kevin, don't worry it's non-club related. Wondering if you were busy this Saturday." Jason read the text. "I'm having a party and was wanting to invite ya. No worries: none of the basketball team is comin'."

 

No one from the basketball team? Well...that's sort of a good thing. Jason thought, before pondering the question for a good long moment. "None of the basketball team is gonna be there? That actually sounds like it'll be a lot less wild of a party lol" he sent back.

 

"Ivan wanted to come and I don't wanna put up with his sheet. He's an jabroni. Besides, just cuz we're on the same team doesn't mean I have to be friends with those guys. But yeah, you're def invited. Feel free to bring somebody."

 

Ivan? Oh jeez, that would've been bad. Then again, so would Brock. "Yeah, definitely thanks for tellin' Ivan and the rest of the team no. Already dealt with Brock today...rather not deal with him or Ivan. But either way, I'll be there."

 

"Nice! I'll see you tomorrow then bro. Sry for txtin you so late lol. Don't forget!"

 

"No worries! Catch ya tomorrow" Jason sent back, before putting his phone back on his nightstand. A party at Kevin's, huh? Well, maybe that'll be enough to get my mind off all this sheet...yeah, that'll be pretty awesome. Saturday just needs to hurry up and get here. he thought, before finally drifting off to sleep. The thought of bringing someone as well crossed his mind, but he figured he'd cross that bridge when he got there.

[Alaina]

 

Avery had been so engrossed in watching what was going on in the game that she hadn't been able to take notice of her surroundings. That was to say, the large man who was suddenly standing next to her. The girl had continued to not notice him, until the rest of the game club had turned around to face her. The girl paused, her body locking into place for a moment, as she realized that all eyes were on her, and that there was indeed someone right next to her. Her facial expression had, while maintaining the curiosity it had when she was watching the games being played, shifted into a more nervous one. 

 

She seemed to lighten up a bit, as the man she knew as Reno began to speak with Jason more. Standing up straighter, the girl's eyes began to move away from the booth. Instead, she surveyed the auditorium. Her eyes bounced from people to people until she saw what she was looking for. A path. An exit. As her legs began to move away from the booth, the girl suddenly stopped in her tracks as attention was brought to her. The members of the game club, and the two who were just joining, seemed to be looking at her, wanting her to join the game club as well. 

 

Expectant. Impatient. Wanting. 

 

The girl clammed up a bit as she began to stammer, "eh? Uh, um, uh -" Stop. Stop. Answer. "Sure!" Her face oriented itself into a more pleasant, albeit surprised, smile saying, "if you would have me, I'd be glad to join your club." Bad. Bad. The girl stood there with the same smile on her face, but not saying anything before she finally seemed to speak up once again. "Oh, sorry, I remembered I had something urgent to take of at home. So, if you can just show me where to sign up, I'll do that and be on my way." Even worse. The girl kept her smile on her face as she went through the whole process, only to then say goodbye to the game club members and leave the auditorium. 

 

As the girl left the school grounds, her breathing was notably slower and her face was more neutral. Walking back home, the girl's body felt more rigid than normal, and she was moving a lot faster than her walking posture would lead one to believe. With the day done with, Avery merely wanted to get home as fast as she could and forget the whole thing had even happened. 

[Yui]

---

Night

It's finished. Haruka looked over the comic she'd started earlier that day. Then she looked it over again. And a third time. The dom's hair looks weird in this panel. And I think I forgot to draw one of his fingers on that one. And what the hell's going on with that panel? Is he a cat now or something? He's hot, but if he can't stick to having an anatomically-correct body then what's the point?

 

Haruka was by all means about to correct these glaring errors after a bit of time admiring her work (as best as one can admire a work full of errors that drive the artist up the wall, anyway), but before she could do any of that, she heard the distinct sound of the door to her room opening up, and a voice calling out to her. "Hey there, what're you reading?" Haruka's uncle.

 

"Nothing!" Haruka yelped, slamming the notebook shut. "J-Just school notes."

 

"You've never been one to take notes for your classes before. They must be pretty hard this year."

 

"Ahaha, they sure are..." Could you phrase that any WORSE?

 

"Anyway, dinner's ready. Come grab a bowl."

 

"I'll be there in a bit." And then the door closed. Aaaaaaaaaah! I'm already all worked up now! It's just a matter of coming back down to Earth, Haruka you idiot. I guess it would be good to think about the weather then. That's a super-unexciting topic, and I hate the weather here at this time of year. Just thinking about it makes me want to hit something. Ugh.

[Hälō]

Night

 

Piper sighed loudly as she pushed open the door and glanced around the immaculate living room of her Uncle and Aunt's massive home. Her eyes quickly landed on the portly bald man, sitting comfortable in the expensive looking recliner in the far corner of the room. Though his eyes never shifted from the television screen, she knew her uncle Thomas had registered her presence by the slight shift he made when she stepped towards the stairs.

 

"How was school?" He inquired, causing Piper to halt her advance up towards her room.

 

"Eh, Just another day..." She did her best to sound pleasant though it was clear she was slightly uncomfortable. It was all a little bit awkward after all. Having never met Thomas and Sarah until moving into their home a week ago, Piper wasn't quite sure how to carry herself yet... 

 

"Good. Staying out trouble, right?" Piper tensed slightly. As far as she could tell, the only thing they actually knew about her was the fact she had gotten into some s*** back home, and that her being here was some sort of punishment. "Your parents said you should give them a call..."

 

"Yea... I joined a club to keep myself busy." She said quickly before darting up the stairs. "Alright, I'm beat..." Before Thomas could inquire further she had already made it the second floor. "Night, Uncle Tom!" She called down the stairs before slipping into her room and closing the door behind her. 

 

"Call them, eh?" Piper mumbled to herself as she stared at her bed. 

[King K. Azo]

Reno finished his small conversation with Shattered Wrist Jason, who seemed... pretty un-confident for a former basketball star. Granted, Shattered Wrist Jason had a shattered wrist, so maybe it shattered his confidence as well. Still, he seemed to have a decent reputation here, as Lace was... 'fawning' (was that the word?) over the fact Jason was talking to her, so it couldn't be that bad... could it? Maybe Shattered Wrist Jason was making a mountain out of an anthill. 

Then again, Reno knew by experience that shattered wrists weren't the best thing in the world, so maybe he was being too hard on him. Anyways, Shattered Wrist Jason then turned to speak with a very plain looking girl, one that someone people might consider cute. She seemed very flustered, and after confirming that she would indeed join the club, she ran off in a hurry.

Reno couldn't help but feel her uneasiness was his fault. 

"I suppose I should get going to...," Reno said as he grabbed his bag. "I guess we'll see each other at the next meeting...," with that, Reno went to leave. His walk was slow and calculated. While it might have given some the idea he was trying to be imposing, in reality, he was trying to waste as much time as possible. He was waiting for the sun to go down, for the one place he felt free to be ready. 
 

---

Night

---

 

 

The moon was out, the air was cool, and the small cafe, the one away from his school, his family. and anyone that knew who he was, had their mics opened. Tonight was a special night, one that Reno always looked forwards to, one of the few things that kept him going through the week. 

Karaoke night. 

 

People from all over the city gathered to passionately sing, some good, some bad, and some painfully average. Reno wasn't sure where he fell on the spectrum, but he didn't care. Here, it didn't matter. It was a spot where no one judged, where people could sing, write, draw, whatever without the fear of being ousted. 

Not to mention they had some killer hot chocolate. 

Reno finished sipping his drink before walking up on stage. Taking a breath, he began to let his passion out, and

[Dad]

The Poem for Everyone's Souls

The Velvet Room

 

       Paul awoke with a start, gasping for air.  He let out a jarring cough that resonated in his cell.  He felt as though he had just gone swimming and had emerged from a deep end.  When he realized where he was, Paul sat up slowly.  He was once more in chains and his evening pajamas had been exchanged for black and white striped prisoner's garb.  Dragging a heavy ball and chain at his feet, he approached the cell bars where the large dark-skinned man before had his back to Paul.  He turned around to face Paul with a grimacing expression of disgust.  The large man stood aside and gave view to Igor, who was sitting comfortably in his chair at his desk.  "Welcome, Paul.  You are nearing ever closer to your time of departure."

 

Paul shook his head and sighed.  "...these dreams are getting out of control," he mumbled.

 

"Do not test the master," said the large, dark man over his shoulder toward Paul.

 

"In the coming days, you will experience a great change in your life.  This change will shift the course of events that surrounds you, and you will begin a new journey," Igor said.

 

"A new journey?"

 

"Within you lies a dormant power which will serve to save your world from the coming ruin.  You must hone and strengthen it if you wish to see a promising future," Igor continued.  "Only by forming powerful bonds will you become powerful.  And only when you have obtained strength can you hope to prevent ruin from taking your world."

 

"Ruin.  You keep saying that.  How am I supposed to stop something I can't see?"

 

"By trusting in yourself and the people around you, there will be no limit to what you can achieve.  But be wary, Paul.  There lies many a trickster in your world which may serve only to deceive you," said Igor with a composed stare.  "In two days, you will begin your journey.  Should you fail, your world will crumble, and there will be nothing you can do to change that."

 

Paul frowned.  "There's really no way out of this, is there?"

 

Igor chuckled.  "You do not require a way out, Paul.  You require... a way in.  And so it shall be presented to you in a form that is familiar.  It is your task to go forward with those you have drawn to you and carry out a successful mission.  The question now is, will you do it?"

 

Paul took a few steps back from his cell door.  He was only now realizing how tightly he had gripped the cell bars.  He could not shake the rust from his hands, nor the empty feeling inside his head.  What was happening to him was real.

 

Paul raised his head and stared back at Igor, before finally giving an answer.

 

"I don't know how or why I was chosen for this.  I'm not a hero.  I don't even believe in heroes," Paul began.  "But for everyone else's sake.  For my sister, for my mother, for my friends.  I'll do it"

 

There came a burning sensation suddenly, rapidly in Paul's chest.  He felt a great pain like he had never experienced before.  He began to holler in pain, and Igor and his attendant observed Paul.  Paul fell to his knees and began to clutch at his chest.  He ripped through his clothes and where his heart should be was a crystal ball with a resonating blue flame within it.  It burned brightly as Paul stared down at it, trying to claw it away.  But instead, the pain slowly overcame Paul, and he could no longer maintain consciousness.  In the moments before he blacked out, Paul struck the crystal ball with his fist, and a tiny crack appeared down its center.

 

"It is time, inmate," said the large, dark man, as Paul blacked out and returned to the real world.

 

Tokyo Daylight

Friday, Morning

Heavy Fog 

 

       The school was abuzz early, as word of Kevin Garcia's "Bak-2-Skool Ba$h" had started spreading.  Invitations were limited, but what was most prevalent this morning was not the guest list.  Rather, it was the now publicly displayed "no invite" list.  An anonymous student had somehow obtained Kevin's "Do Not Invite" list, which had at least a dozen names on it.  Prominently displayed at the top of the screenshot were the names of his fellow teammates Ivan Louis, Brock Polpovich, Eric Sanders, and Oliver James.  They were among the most well-known players since Jason Garrett had been off the team due to his injuries, so seeing their names scratched out in Kevin Garcia's list was a shock to a lot of the school.  Garcia had unfortunately arrived on time to school today, and Ivan, Brock, Eric, and Oliver had not yet gotten word of his party or their lack of invitation.

 

"sheet," he mumbled, snatching down flyers in the halls.

 

"Kevin!" called Paul from down the hall.

 

"Hey.  Gimme a hand," Kevin said as Paul approached.

 

"Oh, dude.  We better get a move on.  This might be bad blood," Paul commented.

 

There was a sudden uproar behind Kevin and Paul from building D, and a storm of twenty to thirty students came marching toward them.  "Too late," Kevin groaned.

 

Leading the pack was Ivan.  Beside him were Brock, Eric, and Oliver respectively.  "What's this, Garcia?" Ivan asked as he approached his point guard.  "I'm not good enough for your shitty party?"

 

Kevin sighed and shook his head.  "You being good enough ain't got sheet to do with it, Ivan."

 

Ivan looked at Brock, then back to Kevin.  "So, what?  I'm good enough to be on the team with you but not good enough to be welcome in your home, huh?"

 

"Basketball ain't got nothin' to do with it either," Kevin said, putting his hands in his pockets.

 

"Okay then.  Explain this list to me," Ivan demanded.  He stood nearly four inches taller than Kevin and his brooding face made Ivan quite intimidating.

 

"You're an jabroni, Ivan.  You, Brock, all of you.  I can't stand you.  You can play ball, but you got no common courtesy.  Or even common sense.  That's why you ain't comin' to my party," Kevin said matter-of-factly.  

 

Ivan lurched forward but was stopped by Brock who restrained Ivan's arm.  "Do not ruin the season for a party.  It is of no consequence," Brock said in his thick accent.  "Besides.  Kevin is right.  You are an jabroni," Brock laughed.

 

Ivan snatched his arm from Brock and shoved Brock backward.  "Shut up, Brock.  Let's go.  We'll see how much you get the ball now, Garcia.  Maybe I let Grace King run picks on your ass for free next week."  Ivan flipped Garcia off before storming out of Building C, back toward Building D.

 

Kevin sighed and shook his head, balling up the last flyers in his hands.  Paul pat Kevin on the back and grinned from ear to ear.  "What're you so cheeky about?" Kevin said, almost laughing at Paul's stupid grin.

 

"Ain't no good party without a little bit of controversy.  Am I right?" Paul joked.  "Seeing Ivan the Terrible get pissy about a party will probably get him invited to even less.  So it's pretty great."

 

Kevin shook his head again, laughing at Paul.  "Startin' to think you're an jabroni too."

 

---

 

Daytime

 

Morning classes were active with chatter as Kevin Garcia's party seemed to be the talk of the school.  In Paul's second class of the day, Algebra II, he couldn't focus on his assignment because he was busy texting Amanda.  Today, he sat at the back of the class just to make sure he wasn't seen with his phone in his hands.  He sat in the shortest row of desks which totaled three, placing him behind a new student named Piper, and another Junior named Avery.

 

"So, you wanna go with me to the party?  :)"

 

"Hmm.  I want to but I didn't get an invite."

 

"Kevin's cool, he's my guy.  He won't give me sheet about bringing you lol"

 

"Okay.  On one condition."

 

Paul was elated. "?"

 

"We bring the whole crew.  Ded. Fic."

 

Paul frowned slightly.  This wasn't what he had in mind.  "...aight deal.  Group msg?"

 

"Nah.  Meet after school so we can talk it out :D."

 

"Library?"

 

"Junior parking lot.  I'll tell everyone."

 

"K.  See you then."

 

Paul audibly sighed.  He was hoping to just have fun with Amanda, but if Ded. Fiction was that important to her, he wasn't going to impose.  He could only hope that the rest of the club would oblige so that his chance to get closer to Amanda wouldn't be stifled by them not going.  He slid his phone back into his pocket, going unnoticed over the rest of the students in his class who were chatting among themselves about the party tomorrow evening.  

 

"Alright, settle down.  Even I heard about Kevin's party, but this is Algebra two, not Facebook.  So shut up, and pay attention.  This chapter is gonna cover inequalities.  And much like the difference in your grades, things will rarely be equal, so I suggest you invest in the coursework.  Now then..." said a slightly annoyed Ms. Herald.

 

---

 

 

 

Noon

Lunchtime

 

"You going to the party?" Christina asked of Nathan as she sat down across from him.

 

"Nah, I got something I gotta do.  Why?  You gonna go?" Nathan replied before shoving a bread roll in his mouth.  He had picked up a G.O.H. "Southern Lovin'" roast beef special.

 

"Ugh, I don't wanna go by myself dude.  It's weird.  Everyone's goin' with a friend or a boyfriend, and I'm new here.  I can't just show up, y'know?" Christina said as she bit into a large slice of pepperoni pizza.  She stretched out the slice and cheese fell by the wayside as she pulled the slice away from her mouth.  She caught it with a finger and rolled the cheese up and plucked it into her mouth.

 

"Should you really be eating that?" Nathan joked.

 

"Today's my cheat day," Christina grinned, wiping her lips.  "But then, I'm gonna eat badly at the party too.  Guess my workout is gonna double on Sunday," she groaned.

 

"Oh yeah, that reminds me.  You ever come up with a stage name?" Nathan asked, taking a sip of his Coke-a-Cola.

 

"Mm, not quite.  But I was thinking like, 'Crazy Chris!' or 'Wild Red!' or somethin' y'know," Christina shrugged.

 

"Crazy Chris?  How about... Luda-Chris?" Nathan laughed.

 

Christina paused and swallowed her food.  "Dude.  That's perfect."

 

Nathan nearly choked on his bread roll.  "I was joking!"

 

"But I love it!" Christina said excitedly.

 

---

 

After School

 

A large number of clubs had called last minute meetings with their members to find out about party arrangements.  Ded. Fiction, Automotive, and Drama were among those clubs involved in last minute school meetings today.  

 

"Okay," Amanda began as the Ded. Fiction club's meeting began in the library.  "Everyone should be aware of this kick-ass party going down this weekend, right?"

 

Paul and Janet nodded, but Leo did not.  "Well, now you know.  I thought it would be an awesome idea as a club event for us to all go together.  We'll get to loosen up, have some fun, and get to know our newest member a little better.  Plus, after the first week of school, I already feel like I need a break," Amanda joked.  "So, whaddya say?  We all in?"

 

Leo rubbed his chin.  "Alright, I'll go.  Maybe I hook up with Rhonda.  I know for sure her and a few other cheerleaders are gonna be there."

 

"Ew.  Rhonda's your type?" Janet said quickly.

 

Leo rolled his eyes and ignored Janet.  "What about you, Haruka?  You gonna join us?"

 

"Yeah.  I don't wanna go if it's not gonna be all of us," Amanda said, nodding at Haruka.  "C'mon.  We'll keep a close eye on you.  You get uncomfortable or whatever and we'll dip like chips."

 

Paul began to secretly cross his fingers, hoping that Haruka would seal the deal for him.

 

---

 

Stage Presence

 

"So you're really stickin' with Luda-Chris?" Nathan asked, shaking his head.

 

"Yeah dude, it's badass," Christina smiled.

 

"Well, while you two discuss the impossibility of Red becoming a big name boxer, Jake is taking me to the party.  I was going to ask Tyler but, he uh, isn't present," Hensley said with emphasis.

 

Jake chuckled.  "Guess I got lucky."

 

"Not yet," Hensley shrugged.  "But depending on the party goes, you just might."

 

Jake's face was flushed red suddenly, and he couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

 

"Can we... can we not talk about Tyler?  I'm still bummed," Nathan said.  "Anyway, I only called you guys here to see about ride arrangements.  Chris doesn't wanna go alone, so do you mind if she third wheels?"

 

"Hey!" Christina interrupted.  "I'm no one's third wheel," she frowned.  Her mean streak was beginning to take over.

 

"E-easy Red.  We'd be happy to have you," Jake said.  "I-I can pick you up.  It's no trouble."

 

Christina sighed and regained her composure.  She quickly lost it and began to pout.  "This sucks, dude."

 

---

 

Fun and Games

 

"Okay, okay, okay.  So I already got everything planned out, aight?  I got the food, and since I know not everybody is gonna eat Mexican, I got a little somethin' for everybody.  I'm half black so I can do a lil' whippin' in the kitchen, okay?" Kevin joked.

 

"Yeah, yeah, but you better have those amazing chilaquiles this year.  They were so good last year!" Lace commented.

 

"Dude, I made so many," Kevin laughed.  "But yo, I know Jason's coming.  And Brad too.  Uh, new guy, Reno.  Avery.  Y'all gonna come through?  We a club so it wouldn't be right if you didn't.  Matter of fact, I would be super sad.  I might even cry a lil bit," Jason said, faking puppy dog eyes.  "Nah, but for real, y'all should come.  The more the merrier.  My ma's house his huge.  We got room.  Trust me.  Y'all could prolly ride with Lace and get there."

 

"Yeah, I know where his house is," Lace said with a smile.  "So, what do you guys think?  We gonna party, or what?"

 

 

• Interact with your club mates.
• Decide on whether or not you're attending Kevin Garcia's "Bak-2-Skool Ba$h".
• Wrap up your day.

[Hakima]

Tyler’s day hadn’t gotten off to a good start. His phone had died sometime during the night so he slept in, completely missing most of his morning block, and then he had been forced to endure a stern lecture over his attendance when he had tried to check into the front office just before gym. That had taken so long to slip away from that by the time he got his gym class, Nathan was nowhere to be found, and Overton gave him an earful for not doing the stupid exercises he had assigned the class to keep them busy.

 

Needless to say by the time Tyler got to his fourth period, a woodshop class with basically no one he knew, he was in rare form. Most of the students took one look at the storm cloud that was his face and scrambled out of his way before he could let out his frustration on them, though a few senior boys in a group smarted off some snide remark as he walked by them.

 

Tyler ground his teeth so hard they threatened to break, resisting the urge to pick up the nearby shop stool and beat one of them over the head with it. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jackets, digging his nails into the palms of his hands until he felt blood pooling beneath his fingertips, and moved away from all the other students to find an isolated corner in the shop. Somewhere with a power outlet so he could charge his phone to listen to music.

 

It was early enough that they hadn’t been assigned a project yet so Tyler just jammed for most of the class. His reputation preceded him to the point that nobody came within a five foot radius of him, and the teacher knew him well enough to know he wouldn’t cause any trouble if he was left to his own devices. As soon as it was time to leave Tyler beelined for the door, heading towards the gymnasium to hopefully catch the club in the middle of a meeting.

 

They were there, thankfully. Tyler hung back, out of sight, hesitant. Just as he was about to go over to them, his cell phone buzzed. He fished it out of his pocket to see a new text message:

 

Got a package for you. Need it delivered tonight, no later than 8:30.

~DK

 

Tyler glanced over his shoulder to make sure no one was looking, then swore, shoving his phone into his coat. He had been working part time as a delivery man for the extra cash, over the last few months. It wasn’t quite a normal job and the hours were inconsistent, but the pay was always good and when they had first moved to New Orleans his Dad had needed help with the rent, even if he hadn’t admitted it.

 

Tyler looked back at Nathan and the rest one last time, then turned and exited the gym. He always made sure that no one in the club interacted with him on delivery day; they didn’t need (to be?) dragged into that.

 

The sun was just starting to set when Tyler pulled the dinged up Crown Vic to a stop in front of the house. He wasn’t a fan of his ride for the night. It was different every time, but they all had a few things in common; the car was always older and inconspicuous, classic A-to-B junkers on the outside, but under the hood they were a different story entirely. They had paid him to make sure of that.

 

Well… That was the easy part of the job.

 

Tyler rubbed his hands together and sighed heavily, mentally preparing himself, then exited the car and walked toward the house. He hated going to new places and meeting new people. The house was dingy, located in one of the many rundown neighborhoods of New Orleans; the ceiling had started to fall in and the paint was peeling off the walls. Tyler knocked three times.

 

Sometimes the deliveries were easier than others. In the beginning it was just dropping packages where he was told and driving away, but more recently he had been forced to meet face-to-face with people. He wasn’t all that big a fan of how things had started working lately if he was being honest.

 

The man that answered the door was tall and gaunt, with bloodshot eyes that had a paranoid flicker. “... You’re the pizza guy?” he muttered.

 

“Yeah,” Tyler told him, nodding back towards the car. “Food’s in the car. Was too much to carry up on my own.” He stepped back to give the other guy room. “If you wanna go ahead and pay me you can help me bring it into the house.”

 

The man looked around again. Tyler had a bad feeling in his stomach, and noticed movement in the house from behind the man. “Bring it in first. I wanna make sure the order’s right before you leave.”

 

That wasn’t how this worked. “Ain’t happening,” Tyler shook his head. “Money first, then food. Can’t let you eat what you didn’t pay for.”

 

The gaunt man looked around again. He was getting tense. “The money’s inside. Just bring the dr--just bring it inside and we’ll pay you.” His tone was becoming more demanding.

 

Tyler started to move off the porch. “I’m getting outta her--”

 

A fist slammed into the back of his head before he got far. Tyler stumbled but caught himself on the railing and spun around. The gaunt man was pulling his arm back to swing another punch, and two more guys came out of the house behind him.

 

God f***ing damn it.

 

The second punch hit him on the side of the cheek but Tyler was ready for that one. He swung back hard, easily the strongest of the men present, and knocked the gaunt guy flat on his ass. His knuckles cracked painfully as it happened, and he was sure he had just dislocated a few of them.

 

The second two guys were on him before he could do anything else. One of them rammed into him and knocked him into railing on the porch, knocking the wind out of him and cracking his back in a way that sent a jolt of pain up to the base of his neck. He made to grab Tyler by the neck to choke him, but as soon as he leaned over, Tyler threw all of his weight into a headbutt that collided with his nose. It busted like a tomato and he howled, and Tyler went to follow up and hit him again before his side exploded with pain and he stumbled and almost fell.

 

The last guy had apparently hit him in the ribs hard. He swung again before Tyler could even get a shot at him, knocking him down the stairs and onto the ground. The fall was hard on his shoulder but Tyler launched back up to his feet. Two of them were already bearing down on him, one of them with a bloody nose and the other gripping a bloody pocket knife. The gaunt man still hadn’t gotten up from the ground.

 

Tyler snarled and threw himself at the one with a knife, tackling him back onto the stairs and smashing his head into the edge. The guy screamed and Tyler felt blood on his hand but before he could do it again the one with a busted nose grabbed his jacket from behind and hauled him off, trying to wrap his arms around the teenager to hold him still. Tyler threw himself backwards into the hold and sent them both tumbling to the ground in a heap.

 

They struggled on the ground, and the man grabbed his face trying to get ahold of him. Tyler bit into his hand as hard as he could, and the man yelped and let him go, rolling away. Tyler scrambled to his feet and a rushed over to the car, which he had left running for this reason. The men were all still getting to their feet and the pain hadn’t set in for him yet thanks to the adrenaline.

 

The Crown Vic’s tires smoked as Tyler peeled out and gunned it.

 

 

Tyler didn’t relax until he had returned the package and car to the house he had picked them up at and was back in his own car, roaring down the highway. The pain had finally hit him and it was all he could do to keep his eyes on the road; his head throbbed, his shoulder ached, his jaw was bruised, but the worst of it was his side.

 

What he had originally thought was a punch had actually been a knife. It hadn’t hit anything major, and he wound it up tight and stopped the bleeding, but it hurt so much that even sitting up straight was proving to be a challenge.

 

He was so focused on just driving that he failed to notice he was doing over a hundred until the sirens and lights lit up behind him. Tyler swore and eased on the brakes, pulling to the side of the road and dropping it into neutral. He sagged forward and laid his head on the steering wheel. He just couldn’t catch a break.

 

In his head, he heard his Pops voice again, telling him there was those who ran and those who stayed. His grip on the wheel tightened and he watched the officer approach in his mirror, shining his flashlight. All he had wanted out of the day was to reconcile with his friends, and instead he had been stabbed, beaten, and given a god damn ticket. No. No, f*** this. He wasn’t about to get a f***ing ticket after all the s*** he had just been through.

 

Right as the officer leaned down to tap on the window, Tyler threw it into drive and left him sputtering in a cloud of tire smoke. As he flew down the road, in his rearview, he could see the officer reaching for his radio as he ran back to his patrol car.

 

He heard his old man’s voice saying, “ain’t nobody faster than a radio”, and he growled and pressed the gas harder. f***. This. Entire. Day.

 

 

“New Orleans Correctional Facility?” Hensley whispered to herself.  “Uh, yeah, I’ll take the call,” she groaned.  She had a few guesses as to who it could be calling her this time of evening from the jailhouse.

 

“Hello?” the voice on the other end of the phone was hoarse, and the accent was familiar.

 

Hensley sighed.  “Tyler.  What the hell happened to you?  Why are you in jail?”

 

“... Would you believe me if I told you cops don’t appreciate it when you run from them?”

 

She tried her best not to laugh, stifling it to a chuckle.  “Yeah.  I would.  So what’s this about?  You needed a friend to talk to?”

 

Tyler was silent for a minute, the only sound coming from the other end of the line being his ragged breathing. “I… you know I wouldn’t ask if I had any other options. I can get you the money back, I just--f***. I need you to come bail me out, okay?”

 

Hensley didn’t say anything at first.  It was late and she had a visitor.  But this was as good a time as any to be asked to be bailed out of prison.  She finally sighed and answered.  “Okay.  Stay where you ar--actually you’re not going anywhere, are you?  God damn it,” she said as she got up to throw on her clothes.  “--hand me that,” Tyler would hear from the other end.  “No, Jake, the other one.  Okay.  Alright, Ty, I’m on my way.  Just, don’t get ganked before I make it there.”

 

Tyler sighed in relief. “Yeah, alright. Thanks,” and then after a momentary silence, “so… you and Jake huh?” he snickered.

 

Hensley grunted, annoyed.  “Well you wouldn’t and he was a sick puppy.  See you soon.”  Hensley ended the call.

 

 

Tyler could say for sure that he had been locked up in worse places. The cell was small and they had taken all his stuff, but they had given him water and only hit him with the nightstick a couple times when they had finally caught up to him. He had been in worse spirits before he had gotten ahold of Hensley, now it was just killing time until she got there to get him out.

 

Right on que he heard the guard on duty talking to someone, leading them into the room. He did his best to grin at Hensley when she entered the room, even though he knew he looked like hell warmed over with his busted up face. “Fancy meeting you here.”

 

“Long time no see, stranger,” Hensley said with a yawn.  “Oh uh, before we go out there, I have a few conditions,” she said as she stopped and folded her arms.

 

Tyler’s smirk wilted. “Conditions?” he said quietly.

 

“Don’t worry.  I’ll give you a disclaimer.  That is, you won’t have to pay me back.  And believe me, this wasn’t cheap.  It wasn’t expensive, but it wasn’t cheap.  So, you ready for ‘em?”

 

Tyler shuffled around. “Yeah, go ahead.”

 

Hensley nodded.  “First thing’s first.  You’re gonna apologize to Nathan.  Not to me, because I don’t give a s***.  Seeing you in cuffs is payback enough.  But Nathan is pretty sore about you walkin’ out on him.”

 

Tyler narrowed his eyes. He had already planned on apologizing but he hated being told what to do. “Yeah well I didn’t appreciate him just throwing that at m--” he sighed and hung his head, remembering where he was at. “Yeah, okay, apologize. Got it. Anything else, your Grace?”

 

“Yeah, there’s just one other thing,” Hensley said with a suddenly sly smirk.  She almost couldn’t wait to get it out.  “There’s a party tomorrow, and I’m going with Jake.  Nathan can’t make it.  So instead, you’re gonna take Christina in his place.”

 

Tyler blinked a few times. “Let me get this straight,” he said slowly. “You want me… to take Nathan’s sister, a new girl who I’ve barely met and probably hates me, to some dumbass high school party. Sound about right?”

 

Hensley nodded.  “I’m not gonna let her third wheel with us and she could use a chaperone.  Garcia’s parties aren’t known to be kid friendly, so I think you can handle it.  Either that, or you can sit here for the rest of the night and call your old man in the morning.”

 

Tyler rocked back on his haunches, staring at the ceiling. “Ooohh… tough decision. Sit here in this cell all night with a piss bucket and nothing to do, or take Nate’s hot redheaded sister to a party.” He shook his head. “You know you drive a hard bargain, but I think I’m gonna have to take you up on that offer.”

 

Hensley was secretly glad.  She was going to bail him out regardless, but she had to make sure she got something, anything out of Tyler.  “Okay.  Then I’ll get you out of here.  Oh and, uh, Nathan and Chris are outside,” she said quickly before she departed out of view.

 

Tyler jumped to his feet, knocking the wind out of himself because he was handcuffed to the cot. “What?! Hensley you b****! You weren’--... god damn it she’s gone. f*** this stupid day.” He sagged back against the cot and hissed in pain.

 

 

Tyler rubbed his wrists, smirking at the officer who had arrested him a little bit before deciding not to test his luck. It was bound to go wrong if he did. “See ya again, Mr. Police Man,” he waved as he slipped out the door of the station.

 

He looked over to Hensley, walking beside him. “So where did you all park? I’m gonna need a ride to a motel, ‘cause I told my old man I was staying at a friend’s for the night so I can’t go home. Especially not looking like this,” he waved his hand to gesture at himself, and then grimaced again from the movement.

 

Hensley held up the remote to her car and pressed the alarm to turn it off.  Neon blue headlights flashed to her north.  “We’re somewhere in the back here.  But uh, don’t you have something you wanna say to them?” she nodded toward a slightly jogging Christina and a low-head-hanging Nathan who were approaching.

 

“Dude,” Christina said as she got closer to Tyler.  “You got banged up.  You look like me after a bad fight,” she groaned.  “You good?”  Nathan stood silently behind her.

 

Tyler shrugged and smiled weakly. “You should see the other guys,” he said softly, looking at Nate. He took a deep breath. “Look man.. I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to lose my cool like that. Just…” He worked a muscle in his jaw, trailing off awkwardly.

 

Nathan shrugged.  “You had every right to be angry, now that I think about it.  What I said was way out of line, and I didn’t mean it that way.  It’s no secret you’ve got a past but it wasn’t my intention to use that against you.  Nor was it my intention to hang that over you as some get out of jail free card.  Truth is, I don’t know anyone else besides you with the skills you have.  And your history has nothing to do with how good you are.  I just thought…” Nathan rolled his shoulder.

 

“I just hoped that maybe me and you could do something big with what we go.  But I won’t force that on you.  But if you ever change your mind, the offer is on the table,” Nathan said, finally sticking out his hand.

 

Tyler took his hand and pulled him into a one-armed hug. “I’ll take you up on it soon, man, just… not right now. I can’t right now. We cool though?”

 

Nathan nodded.  “I trust you.  And yeah, we’re cool.”

 

…

…

…

 

BGM

 

A whisper in the wind faded past them all, and no one heard it.  But on that wind, words of power bloomed, and a bond was formed.

 

They whispered, “I am thou.  Thou art I.  Thou hast acquired a new vow.  It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.  With the birth of the JUSTICE Arcana, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…”

 

But Tyler would not hear those words.  He could only grow stronger over time.

 

….

 

“But seriously they impounded my car, can I get a ride?”

 

Hensley sighed.  “I’ll get you a room in the Harahan in the Quarter.  Just make sure you don’t sleep for eleven hours.  Party starts at ten tomorrow night.”

[Super Chaos Sonic]

 

 

Daily School Routine

Friday, Morning

Heavy Fog

 

Jason went back to class the next morning, still thinking about the party that Kevin texted him about the night prior. It was no secret that Kevin Garcia's parties were quite the bash. And to be honest, he had joined at least just one that he could recall. And since the accident, he hadn't really done any partying, so this was a plus.

 

However, arriving in American History, Jason heard the mumbles about what apparently was leaked out: the Do Not Invite List. That only spelt trouble in his mind. He did notice that Paul was talking about it as well, so it would probably be best to ask about it. ...After class though...

 

Once class ended, Jason moved over towards Paul and waved. "Hey Paul. So what exactly happened?"

 

"Hmm? Whaddya mean what happened?" Paul scratched his head.

 

"That Don't Invite List that was posted out." Jason said. "Kinda made it sound like things are put under control now. Also, some of the other students mentioned Ivan almost beat Kevin."

 

"Oh, that," Paul shrugged. "Kevin's got certain dudes on the basketball team that he doesn't like. I dunno how his private list got out there, but yeah, everyone knows. And two-ton Ivan the Palm Tree Terrible didn't like it. He called his lil' possie over and they were gonna beat Kevin's ass for that list. Brock wasn't trying to lose his spot on the team for Ivan, so he held Ivan back. Then they just dipped out," Paul said with a nod. "Oh yeah, that's right. You and Kevin are tight, huh? So you must be goin' to the party then," Paul said with a smile.

 

Oh that didn't sound good at all. But then again, Jason was glad it all worked out at the end. However, Jason did make note of the last remark Paul made. "Well we were teammates..." Jason chuckled nervously. "But yeah. I'm going to the party. He said there wasn't going to be the basketball team there...so yeah. Definitely going to jump at that chance."

 

"Okay, cool. You bringin' any females witchu, Mr. Basketball star?" Paul joked, slowly walking toward the hall.

 

"Yeah...that I don't even know." Jason chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "There's always that possiblity...but I dunno."

 

"Well keep your eyes open at that party bro," Paul said. "Oh, sheet I'm being rude." He doubled back and balled up his fist, stretching it out toward Jason. "I'll see you Saturday," Paul said, waiting for the returned triple fistbump.

 

"Yeah." Jason nodded, returning the triple fistbump to Paul. "Catch ya then, Paul." he said, before moving towards the direction of his next class.

 

 

Achievement Unlocked: First Club Meeting

Friday, After School

 

"So, what do you guys think? We gonna party, or what?"

 

Of course, his first meeting in the Video Game Club, and right now all that was on the topic of discussion: Kevin's party. Then again, it wasn't too much of a surprise to Jason, since Kevin was in this club. He leaned in his chair some, before hearing what Lace said. "I mean...I think it would be cool if the whole club goes to the party like Kevin mentioned." Jason said, before smiling. "After all, with the basketball team not being there to be a nuisance, we might actually have a fun time there."

 

Kevin nodded. "Yeah, the less bastards the better."

 

Lace agreed. "And the more of the Video Game club there, the better."

 

Brad was busy in his mobile game. He only gave an excited grunt and a thumbs up.

[Yui]

---

Friday, After School

Heavy Fog

"Okay. Everyone should be aware of this kick-ass party going down this weekend, right?"

 

Haruka didn't want to be here. Her uncle was leaving on a plane for Japan tonight to spend some time with the rest of Haruka's family. She couldn't comprehend why he'd want to spend time with those people, but it meant that Haruka would have the house all to herself this weekend. A couple days of well-deserved solitude were what Haruka wanted right now, not some last-minute meeting with the Ded. Fiction Club. Especially not to discuss attending a party. Of course Haruka wasn't attending!

 

"I thought it would be an awesome idea as a club event for us to all go together. We'll get to loosen up, have some fun, and get to know our newest member a little better. Plus, after the first week of school, I already feel like I need a break. So, whaddya say? We all in?"

 

"Alright, I'll go. Maybe I hook up with Rhonda. I know for sure her and a few other cheerleaders are gonna be there."

 

"What about you, Haruka? You gonna join us?"

 

"Yeah. I don't wanna go if it's not gonna be all of us. C'mon. We'll keep a close eye on you. You get uncomfortable or whatever and we'll dip like chips."

 

And they were putting pressure on her to let them all join. If it were just Haruka, obviously she'd say no. She had no interest in some dumb party hosted to commemorate coming back to this stupid place. But, at the same time, if it were Haruka on the other end of this, she'd absolutely expect a yes. It was a conundrum. Saying no didn't seem to be in her best interest, but she absolutely, definitely, undebatably, did not want to say yes.

 

"...I'll think about it," she eventually answered. "You can expect a more definitive answer sometime tomorrow."

 

And with any luck, they'll forget all about it by then.

---

[Alaina]

Friday, After School

Heavy Fog

 
Oh no. 
 
Avery hadn't felt like going to club today. Like always, she had just wanted to go from her last class to home. However, there was talk of a party going on. It was going on everywhere. Which meant it involved everyone. While the girl didn't really want to go to such an event to begin with, there was another issue that had come up in regards to it. One that she had found out when she had went to club that day. That was who was running this party. 
 
The girl's face seemed to be a bit pensive as her foot tapped in repetition as the club began talking about the party. They seemed to be pretty keen on having everyone go, especially as one of them was hosting it, and the girl's eyes started to drift away from the club, It was then directed at her and Reno to come and join the party as well. The girl's posture froze once again, as she looked to the rest of the group with a smile on her face. "Well, if I'm invited, sure. I'm not much of a party animal so be gentle with me." The girl let out a small chuckle at her own laugh. 
 
Bad. Stupid. Why. 
 
Avery wished that she could shut herself up.

[a bad post]

Friday, Morning

Heavy Fog

 

Gwen hadn't wanted him to go to school the next, however Quinn had just wanted to get his life back to normal. They'd compromised in that Quinn had stayed home for half of the day.

 

"Stay safe, ok kiddo. If you need anything call me, ok? I'll have my phone on me at all times." Gwen said as she let Quinn out of the car.

 

"Ok, thanks. I'll see you tonight."

 

Quinn's classes passed slow and uneventfully, and as the day dragged on Quinn wished more and more that he'd stayed at home. Everything seemed so pointless, like none of it was real. Everything sounded muffled to him like he was underwater or in a dream. He wondered what he was even doing here. Return to normal. What could go back to normal?

 

After School

 

Riku had called an "emergency" meeting for the drama club to make arrangements for Kevin Garcia's party. Quinn had heard about it during the school day, but it hadn't really cocerned him. He didn't really know Kevin that well, and parties weren't exactly his first priority at the moment. Besides he'd also heard about how Kevin had gotten into a fight with Ivan earlier in the day, and Quinn didn't exactly feel like getting in the middle of fight between those two.

 

"Ok, ok. Like this is all well and good, but did any of you guys actually get an invite to the party?" Quinn tuned back into the conversation as Wren, another member of the club.

 

"Ok, but like I heard the Ded. Fic club's going," Siobhan, another girl in the drama club, piped up, "like come on if those dorks can get in, I really don't think we'll have problem."

 

"Hey, hey, hey..." Riku gave Siobhan a disaproving look, "we really shouldn't be attacking other club's members over something as silly as a party." Siobhan simply blew out a snort in response.

 

"Hey wait, Quinn, what about you?" Siobhan turned her attention to him, "you're pretty popular aren't you? You must've gotten an invite, right?"

 

"Hm? Oh, no I didn't. I don't really know Kevin that well, and I mean not a big shocker he's part of the video game club and you know what type they attract." Quinn made a face while raising his eyebrows, which again drew a disapproving and distressed look from Riku.

 

"Guys, c'mon. Please don't go roasting people for the clubs they're in."

 

"You know, I heard that kid from basket ball team joined, so they can't all be total losers, right?" Wren returned to the conversation, and at this point Riku had given up trying to control his members.

 

"Jason Garret? I hear he doesn't exactly run with the in crowd anymore, you know after that game..." All four of them know which game Siobhan was referring too. Everyone at the school had taken that loss pretty hard, and the mob mentality that had come from it hadn't exactly been the Horseman's proudest moments.

 

"Broken wrist or not he's still pretty cute..." Wren muttered.

 

"Seriously?" Siobhan looked like she was about to crack up, "he looks so mopey, I just know he's got some baggage or some sheet, and like I really don't care about dealing with that sheet. What about you Quinn would you tap that?"

 

"I mean... I guess, but like his good looks really get ruined by the fact that he constantly looks like a kicked puppy who just walked in from the rain. Also he kind of looks like he would cry after sex..." At that Quinn and the two girls burst out laughing, while Riku just shook his head.

 

"You know it's wonderful that the irony you guys are roasting a former basketball star and also the guy throwing the first big party of the year, while also not being invited to said party." All three immediately stopped laughing, Wren muttering something about Riku being a party pooper.

 

"Why don't we just crash the thing?" Siobhan asked. "I'm a sheet ton of people are going to be there, it's not like somebody's going to notice four extra people."

 

"Three." Quinn corrected. "I don't think I'm going to go out tonight, I'd rather just stay in you know."

 

"Whaaaaatt!?" Siobhan and Wren yelled at the same time. "You're going to turn down the first party of year, you can't!"

 

"Yeah we can't go to a party without our main jabroni!"

 

Quinn was about to decline again, when he heard Riku, just barely speak up.

 

"Yeah it just wouldn't be a party without you."

 

Quinn was actually a little shocked. Sure, he and Riku were friends, but well parties generally weren't his thing and he was generally pretty distant.

 

"Alright, fine." Quinn said trying to keep his composure together. "On one condition though. Riku has to be my date."

 

"Uh..." Riku could barely form words, shocked by Quinn's request. "You want... with me?" Riku's face flushed red, not sure if Quinn was joking or not.

 

"Yup. If I'm gonna go I might as well not go solo."

 

"I-I mean, but... well we'll all be there as like a group..."

 

"That's not what I meant by solo."

 

"Come on, Riku!"

 

"O-ok. Ok, Quinn I'll be your date."

 

"Good." Quinn smiled. "Be sure you're not late to pick me up~" Quinn winked before leaving the room leaving Riku red as a tomato.

"Hey how was school today?" Gwen asked as Quinn hopped in the car.

 

"It was fine, pretty boring though. Honestly, probably should of stayed home like you said."

 

"Oh... anything interesting happen?"

 

"Not really..." Quinn paused for a moment. "Hey, is it alright if I go out with the drama crew tomorrow night?"

 

"Tomorrow...?" Gwen furrowed her brow, "so soon, I mean..." Gwen stopped. She couldn't keep Quinn shut inside the house to keep him safe, and this would only serve to drive him away more. "Ok. Yeah, just be safe, and text me an update every couple hours or so. I just want to know you're safe."

 

Quinn opened his mouth to protest, however he shut it before he said anything. Gwen was just looking out for him. "Ok," he said, almost too quietly to hear. "And thanks."

 

 

At home Quinn tossed his backpack down on the bed before tossing himself down on it as well. Letting his thoughts drift Quinn thought of another person who might want to do a little partying tomorrow night. Opening his phone he went to Piper's contact info.

 

Hey. It's Quinn. You want to go to Kevin Garcia's party tomorrow night with the drama crew and me?

 

Hitting send on the text Quinn flopped to his side on the bed before letting the sweet release of sleep take him.

[Dad]

Friday

Evening

After School

 

        Paul quietly sighed to himself, admittedly feeling down.  He knew he wasn't going to be able to party with Amanda if Haruka didn't go.  Amanda always kept her word, after all.  He perked back up for appearance's sake and shrugged.  "Don't force yourself, Haruka," Paul said right away.  "These kinds of social settings are for everyone.  Not everybody likes parties.  And that's cool too."  He began to jog off from the Junior Parking Lot toward the bus stop.  "Anyway, I gotta get goin'.  I'm gonna stop at Athlete's Foot and see about some kicks.  Catch y'all later," Paul called as he turned his back to the Dedicated Fiction club.  He was lying of course.  Paul was just too disappointed to waste any more time at school.  They weren't supposed to meet on Friday anyway.

 

Once he was on the bus, Paul's smile faded.  He secretly hoped Amanda would change her mind and go anyway, with or without the rest of the club.  However, Paul was doubtful.  He plugged his Bluetooth earbuds into either of his ears and pressed play on his phone, drowning out any thoughts of Amanda or the party.  He couldn't be mad with Haruka.  It was her decision whether she went to the party or not.  How it affected him was not her fault or her problem.  He turned up the volume of his music until he could feel the bass vibrate in his ears, then leaned back against the cold siding of the bus.

 

"...so much for that," Paul thought to himself.

 

---

 

"Okay, baby.  Well, you be careful and give me a holler when you make it in," said Ms. Brown through her cellphone.  She could see Paul approaching the house as she sat on the porch in her jeans and tennis.  She had gotten off from work early today.  "Love you too.  Give Mickey a hug for me, alright?  Okay, baby.  Bye-bye."  She could see the disappointed look on Paul's face.  She didn't like it when he came home from school in a sour mood.

 

"Hey, mama.  Who was that?" Paul asked as he approached the house.  He stopped at the mailbox and lowered the handle, fiddling around inside of it for any mail.

 

"That," she said, standing to her feet and sighing dejectedly.  "Was your brother."

 

Paul took his hand from the mailbox and snapped it shut, annoyed.  "The hell does he want?  Did he do something stupid again?  Need us to send money to Mickey so she can bail him out?  Sick of him calling here," Paul mouthed off as he walked toward the screen door.  Paul pulled it open but Ms. Brown had stood up and slammed it shut before she let her open palm slap Paul across his jaw.  He turned his head at her strike and fell silent.

 

"First of all, you watch your damn mouth in my house.  You ain't no adult.  Not yet.  And the minute you wanna be a grown man, you can get out," she reminded him.  "It's what your brother did, and you have the same choice."

 

"Mama--"

 

Ms. Brown held up a hand, threatening to slap him again.  Paul went silent once more.  "And second of all, that's still my son.  I ain't proud of the way he's acting, but he's still your brother.  And no, he wasn't callin' asking for anything.  He said he was callin' just to check on us.  To see if we needed anything," said Ms. Brown.  She sighed.  "He misses you."

 

Paul was finally allowed some breathing room, so he held the door open for his mother.  He followed her into the house and closed both doors behind her.  "Ma, I don't know why you don't just let him go.  I love Randy too, but he hasn't been home in years.  It's obvious he doesn't wanna be bothered.  I know he's your son and all, but I feel like he's taking advantage of you," Paul said at last.

 

"I'll worry about my relationship with Randy.  You two don't even have a relationship anymore.  And you ain't bothered to fix it, have ya?" Ms. Brown asked.

 

Paul shrugged.  "I don't really have a reason to, ma.  I'm getting by fine, with just you and Ann.  I don't need Randy."

 

Ms. Brown sighed.  "I don't expect you to understand a mother's love, Paul.  Randy's not home, so I'm always worried.  He hasn't been in trouble in a while but I still keep dreading picking up my phone everytime I see his number come up.  'Is he dead?  Did he get arrested again?  Is Mickie okay?'  I can't help but worry about my son.  You and your brother may not be close, but I still pray that one day you two will fix your relationship.  Y'all are all I've got.  And I'm gettin' old.  One of you two shitheads has to take care of me," she joked.

 

Paul smiled.  "What about Ann?  Why can't she take care of you?"

 

Ms. Brown raised an eyebrow.  "So you gonna stick me in a home till Ann can cover for you?"

 

"Ma, I was just playin', you know that."

 

"Mmm-hmm.  There's chicken and broccoli left from last night.  I made some fresh rice too.  Go eat," she said, dismissing Paul.

 

"Thanks, ma," Paul said as he dropped his backpack in the living room and darted to the kitchen.  He was suddenly overcome with hunger.

 

---

 

Before long, Paul was exhausted.  He had eaten dinner, showered, and said a prayer.  Even if he didn't get to go with Amanda to Kevin's party tomorrow, he had still made a commitment to Kevin.  He was going to go with or without friends.  

 

"Oh, yeah.  Jason Garrett is going.  Maybe I can get cool with him.  I bet he pulls girls with no issue," Paul thought to himself.  He sighed and flopped onto his bed.  His eyes were heavy and his body felt weighted down by his blanket.  Within twenty minutes, he had fallen asleep.

[King K. Azo]

Friday, Morning

Heavy Fog

Reno eyes opened slowly at the sound of the alarm going off. It was another day, another reason he should have stayed in bed. Groaning to himself, he rolled out of bed, sighing as he stretched his nude body, its full glory unseen to the world. He then went to wash his body in the shower, warm water running down his muscular body, cleaning it of the filth and waking up the sleepy giant. 

Finally, after drying off, Reno clothed himself, heading downstairs. He sighed as the smell of alcohol filled his nose. He knew what had happened last night, it was in his best interest to get out as fast as possible. Grabbing his bag, he rushed out the door, determined to get breakfast someplace else. 
 

---

 

Friday, After School

 

 

It seemed there was a party going on. Reno never really went to parties. The last time he remembered going was... never. He wasn't a party kind of guy, and most people just left him alone. However, it seemed the party organizer was part of this club. Perhaps he did a bad thing coming to this club after all...
 
"Yeah, I know where his house is," Lace said with a smile.  "So, what do you guys think?  We gonna party, or what?"
 
"I mean...I think it would be cool if the whole club goes to the party like Kevin mentioned." Jason said, before smiling. "After all, with the basketball team not being there to be a nuisance, we might actually have a fun time there."
 
"Well, if I'm invited, sure. I'm not much of a party animal so be gentle with me."

 

It seemed like everyone was going. Reno thought about it. It was an excuse to stay out of the house, at the very least. "I guess I'll go to," He said with a shrug. "Never been to a party before though, so beats me what we do there,"

[Hälō]

 

Friday

Evening

Piper's Room

 

The low hum of the new band she discovered on her way to home filled her room as she sat with her legs crossed on her bed. There was a canvas sitting a few feet in front of her, with a swirl of dark hues that seemed to be centered around an orb of some sorts. In the orb, she had begun to fill in different shades of light blues in what was the beginning of a fiery texture... she wasn't quite sure why, but something about this painting felt... right. It was almost like she had seen the scene before.

 

She hadn't been able to focus even a bit during school. There was talk of a party, and Quinn had skipped their morning period but other than that it was just another day. She drifted through all of her classes without even noticing, and after dealing with the process of getting her Art Club off the ground. Now all she need to do was find some members...

 

*beepbeep boobeebee boop*

 

Her cell phone sounded off causing her to jump slightly. With both her hands covered paint, Piper leaned back and swiped her screen with her foot. Sight of the words "Queen" in her notification made her face light up slightly, it was Quinn.

 

Hey. It's Quinn. You want to go to Kevin Garcia's party tomorrow night with the drama crew and me?

 

Piper's lips curled into a smirk. As she moved her phone so that it between her legs, the girl already began plotting what kind of outfit she'd be bringing out...

 

. 

 

funk yes! I'll bring paint :D

 

She typed the words with her toes in a manner that clearly indicated that she had done so before. Leaning back and giggling with excitement, Piper brought her attention back to her painting. Inspiration stroke again with a vengeance.