the super awesome story i have yet to name!

It's a relatively typical day at the highschool in Bellingham, WA.
Second semester started a week ago, and everybody's going about with their lives.
But for a group of slightly atypical teenagers, a lot's gonna change.

Alright everybody, open your textbooks to page 267 and get out your packets.
And make sure you have a pencil! I don't have any more to give out.

Hey Lucia, do you have a spare pencil?

Um, let me check.

Lucia rummages through her bag in search of a pencil for a good minute.

Yeah, here you go.

Thanks.
So, how was that band festival?

It was... something!
The trumpets sounded absolutely horrible.
Like, we've been practicing for a good three months and you still sound like crap?

I never hear anything good about the trumpet players.
Are they like the violins of band?

Yeah, pretty much.
Always out of tune, and never know what's going on.

Lucia and Alexandra, stop talking!

The two of them snicker a little bit, and proceed on with class.
After what feels like an eternity, class is over.

So, wanna come with me to the party at Jakob's house tonight?

Hell yeah!

Sweet.
You wanna hang out at my place until the party?

Yeah, sure.
Anyways, I gotta go to science.
We've got some fuck-ass lab or something.

The lab's really easy, you just overprepare to mix a bunch of water for forty minutes.

God, that's so stupid.
Pray for me!

The two part ways, and go to their respective classes.

Alright class, it's time for the lab.
Now, I need all of you to put your goggles on.
This is no joke! Lab safety is very important!

It's really not that serious, but whatever.

What was that, Alexandra?

Nothing, nothing!

You really need to learn to just do the work.

Shut. Up.

The class goes by pretty fast, and the lab was really underwhelming.
Alexandra rushes to meet Lucia out by the track.

Alex!
How was the lab?

Fucking terrible.
I would die happy if I never had to see Mrs. Malevuk ever again.

Right, she's so weird.
I don't think anyone likes her.

Anyways, let's walk to your place.
I'm so excited for tonight. Great start to the weekend.

The two boisterously walk to Lucia's house, loudly yapping the whole way there.

Okay, brace for impact!

Lucia's dog, Whisper, pounces on Alexandra and slobbers all over her.

Eugh,
Sick, dude!

They pass through the house and into Alexandra's room.
Alexandra's house is a small, single-story house with a faded yellow exterior and gravelly shingles.
A thin grated metal fence surrounds her house, and her lawn is fairly dead-looking.
You can tell it's a very lived-in home.

Alright, so what do ya wanna do to pregame for tonight?

We should do eachothers make-up!
Can I do yours first?

Sure, just don't make me look rank or anything.

Can you put on a CD or something?
You've got Celebrity Skin, right?

Oh my god, yes!
Love that album so much.

Lucia puts on Celebrity Skin, and grabs her make-up kit.

Aw yeah!
We're like the same shade, right?

Yeah, I think so.

Okay, just making sure.

They sit on Lucia's bed, and Alexandra does Lucia's make-up.
She chose to use a bit of purple in the eyeshadow, and tried to keep it pretty simple, but chic.

Okay, look in the mirror! Whaddya think?

Oh my god, I love it!
The sparkly lid is so cute!
You should like pursue doing make-up professionally or something, because you're GOOD.

Oh shut up, I'm not that good.

Uhm, yes you are!
Like, damn.

Anyways, time for you to do minee!

Just a heads-up, I'm absolute garbage when it comes to make-up.

Girl, your make-up looks great every day. You're not bad at all.

I warned ya!

Lucia does Alexandra's make-up. She chose to use a cyan-blue-green color scheme. It really complements Alexandra's chocolate-brown eyes.
It's hard for something to not look good on her (when it comes to make-up, at least).

Well, uh, what do you think?

Oh my days, it looks so good!
It's perfect!

Oh, really?
I didn't expect that.

You really tend to underestimate yourself.
You're way better than you act like you are.

I- I don't know how to respond to that.

Haha, real.
I wouldn't know either.
So, what do you say we do now?

Well, the party's in forty-five minutes. Maybe we could grab a snack from the gas station; it's on the way to Jakob's house!

Ooh, yeah!
I've got like seven dollars, that's enough, right?

Yeah, I'd say so.
C'mon, let's get movin'.

The two head out of Lucia's house, and walk down about three blocks to the local gas station.
Rumor has it, they sell alcohol and cigarettes to minors.
But that's not of interest to either of them. They just want some Skittles and Kit-Kats.

Okay, I've got what I want.
And thanks for paying. I'll repay you at some point.

No problemo, I don't mind.
Just this, thank you.

That'll be five dollars and seventy-nine cents.

Alexandra slides a five and a one dollar bill onto the worn-out counter.
The cashier digs around for change for a minute, and then passes her the twenty-one cents.

Thank you!
Alright, let's keep going.

The two snack on their food while they walk to Jakob's house, which is about a mile from the gas station.
After about twenty-five more minutes, they arrive! A little late, but that's alright.

You knock! You're the one who invited me!

But I'm scared!
What if this is like the wrong house, or something?

I'm pretty sure this is the right one.
You can hear the music from out here.
Just knock!

Okay, fine...

Lucia shakily knocks on the door, her body tense with fear.
It's quite a relief when Jakob opens the door.

Hey, c'mon in!
You're a bit late, but whatever.
Knock yourselves out.

Alexandra, can I tell you something?
I've never been to a real party before.

I've been to parties just not, this kind.

The room reeks of alcohol, sweat, cheap perfume, and all sorts of other things.
There's really loud music playing on his dad's stereo, and there's a lot going on.

Heyyyy!!!!
Great to see you guys!! What's up??

Oh my god, hey Kim!

Isn't this AWESOME?!

Kim is stumbling around, her speech is slurred, and her cheeks are flushed.
She doesn't look so good.

Are you... drunk?

Uh... maybe?? I don't know!
Don't ask me!

She's drunk.

The two wander around Jakob's house for a minute. I guess his parents are out of town and he decided to open up the liquor cabinet for every kid in town.

Ay! You two dig a beer?

Um... uh...

No, she's good!

They're both so clearly out of place in an environment like this. They're not big on parties or drugs, and haven't really been exposed to this before.

Uh, okay...

Actually, um, can I get something?
Nothing too heavy, but like, something?

Lucia looks terribly shocked, and quickly pulls Alexandra to the side.

What the fuck are you doing?
You don't drink!

Oh don't be ridiculous, it won't hurt!
Besides, I probably won't have anything more than this afterward.

You say that, but you're just lying!
It's never just one drink.
My mom told me that once.

Look, I just don't want to look like a total loser.
I wanna try to fit in for once.

I guess I get that.
It's just hard for me to believe that you'd do it.
I never took you as the kind to do that.

Me neither.
I didn't think I'd be doing this either.
But hell, maybe it'll be fun or something, I don't know!

Well if you're doing it, I am too.

So we're just going all in?

I guess so.

They turn around and face Tyler. He's the guy who offered them drinks.

Took ya long enough.
So, whatcha want?

Can ya grab us both a beer?

Aight.

He pulls out two beers from a tuba case on the floor.

Here ya go.

Why was it in a tuba case?

Jeffery sneaks beer 'round in his instrument case or something like that,
or was it Tom?

Tom plays french horn.

The fuck's that?

A different brass instrument.

Whatever that is.
Fuckin' band kids.

Hey, band is awesome!

Lucia scoffs, and turns around to face Alexandra.
They're both nervously holding beers, and exchanging fearful looks.

Well, let's do it.

Okay.
Oh my god what am I doing...

They both pop open their cans, and take a drink. But not after clinking their cans together and annoyingly shouting "Cheers!".

Ew, this tastes terrible.

Literally.
Maybe it tastes better once you're drunk or something.

Probably, there's no other reason someone would drink like seven of these.

Haha, right.

So, how long until we're drunk?

Lucia looks nervous, and kind of pale.
She's a good kid, so drinking is very atypical for her.

Two more beers and an hour.

We'll see how we feel after one, alright?

Yeah.
See, this is why we're best friends.
You always make better decisions and uh... I don't know what I do.

You're like, super funny and real darn talented.
You're fun to be around.

Oh shut up, I'm nothing interesting.

Girl, what.

What?
I didn't say anything, did I?

No need to be so humble.
You're hot stuff, act like it!

Oh whatever!

What's up??
I see you've both got sumn' to drink. Didn't know you were that type.

Yeah. But um, we've never drank before, or anything like that.

That makes sense.
No offense, but you guys are like, nerds.
Nerds aren't really that type.

I'm not a nerd! I'm more of like a geek.

Oh, same fucking thing!

They're a little different.

Not to me.

Whatever.
I see you're a little less... rambunctious now.

What's that mean?

Rambunctious?

Um, yeah. I don't know what that means...

You're joking.

I'm not.

Well, it means like, loud, disorderly, and stuff.

Oh, okay.
Why couldn't you have just said that?
No need for all these fancy words.

It's not really fancy...

Whatever, I gotta go find my boyfriend.
See ya!

Ugh, her boyfriend is such a bitch.

Oh my god, for real!
Hate him.

I heard he's been doing some pretty bad stuff.
Apparently he's been cheating on her, and has been selling Xanax.

Oh damn. That's uh, something.
Has she not heard the rumors?

She has, but says it's all a bunch of crap and that it's not true.
Like, girl I love you, but he's definitely seeing another girl.

She's gonna find out at some point, I guarantee it.

I can't wait for it.
But I don't want her to be sad. I just want her to realize how much of an asshole he is.

I finished this whole beer and I still feel fine.
This is a bunch of crap.

Give it time!

I better not have done this for nothing.
If my mom finds out, she'll kill me.

My mom wouldn't find out, so I've got nothin' to worry about.

Your mom is weird.
She acts like she doesn't have three kids to deal with.

She's kind of like a dead-beat mom. She doesn't do anything.

I think my mom is pretty normal. Though, as a person, she is a bit odd.

Your mom is cool. I like her.
She's like my second mom, lowkey.

With how much time you spend at my house, pretty much, yeah.

I wish my mom was more like your mom, y'know?

I wouldn't say that, but like, I don't have a really shitty mom.

Once you have something, you don't want it anymore.

That didn't make a whole lot of sense in this context.

It sounded better in my head.

That's what I thought.

A loud crash echoes throughout the house, and everybody's gone silent. The stereo's still going, though.

Holy shit!

What the hell happened!?

What the fuck, Eric!?

Kim, I swear it's not what you think it is.

Okay, then what is it!? What the FUCK are you doing!?

Um, I- uh...

That's what I fucking thought you piece of shit!

Alexandra and Lucia try and peek over everybodies heads to see what's going on in the living room.
What they can see is that Eric's got a bloody face, Kim looks pissed, and some other chick is slowly backing away.
There's pieces of glass stuck in the wall, and something is clearly going on.

Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

Are you thinking that Kim's finally caught her boyfriend in the act?

That is what I'm thinking.

I should've listened when all those people said you're a lying, no-good, fucking cheater!

Kim grabs Eric by the hair, and slams his face right into the wall.

OW, FUCK!

What the fuck is wrong with you, bitch!?

What's wrong is that you've been fucking cheating on me!

Kim takes the empty vodka bottle on the floor, picks it up, and smashes it over Eric's head.

Holy fuck!
She's lost it!

What the hell is going on!?
Kim, what the fuck!?

Kim has pinned Eric down to the floor, and is now senselessly bashing his face in with her fists.
It's kind of resemblent of that one scene in the first Home Alone movie.

You dirty, lying, bastard!

Kim, fucking stop it!

She isn't responding to anything, or anyone.
She really has lost it.

KIM!

Jakob has to practically rip her off of him, and it was incredibly difficult to do so.
Once he's got her, he turns her around, so she's facing him.

Kim, what the fuck are you doing?

Giving that piece of shit what he deserves.

All of a sudden, red and blue lights can be seen in the far off distance, and the wailing siren grows closer.

Aw fuck, someone called the cops!
I'm out!

I HOPE THEY ARREST YOU, YOU FUCKING BITCH!!

Lucia! What the fuck do we do!?

Get out of here as quickly as possible!
C'mon, let's go!

Lucia and Alexandra rush out of the back door, and book it.
They're running faster than ever. The last thing they want is an encounter with the cops.
They're good kids with clean records. They don't want that all going out the window.

Oh my fucking god, no!

All of a sudden, another girl from the party runs up to them.

Hey! Where are you guys going!?

Um.. out of here!

Come with me. Just trust me on this.

Lucia and Alexandra exchange confused and concerned looks.

Uh, okay, I guess.

She grabs Alexandra by the wrist and practically drags her into a car.
It reeks of smoke and regret.

Where are we going?

The afterparty, of course!

Okay...

They're both highly skeptical of this girl, but she's not a guy, so they're giving her a bit more trust.

Where were you guys even going anyway?

Back to my house, probably.

Well, we sure as hell weren't going to mine.

Haha, yeah.

You guys don't go to parties much, do you?

I've never really been to a real party before.

It shows, it shows.

Oh...

What's that supposed to mean?

No, no! It's not bad, just, I can tell who's a regular party-goer and who isn't.

Ah, I see.
So, you go to a lot of parties?

Aint it obvious?

It is, kinda.

I like to think it is.

You're proud of that?

It's not always a bad thing.
But for the junkies and addicts, it sure is a bad thing.

There's junkies at our school?

Of course there's junkies at our school. They're everywhere.
You just gotta know what to look for.

What exactly do you look for?

Well, a lot of the time you just have to know. I can't explain it much further than that.
If you know, you know.

That's just real helpful.

Hey, what's your name? I think I've seen you once or twice, but I don't have a name.

Ashley Storm.

I've heard that name before.

Yeah, I'm one of the cheerleaders. My name's on the announcements pretty frequently.

That's cool.

What do you two do? Anything cool?

Well, I'm in the orchestra and art club.

I'm in the honors band and orchestra. I'm also in the art club.

Oh, I know what type y'all are.

Is that a bad thing?

Oh no, no, no, it's not a bad thing at all!
I'm just not like that.

The car slows down, and pulls into the driveway of this nice-looking house. Two stories, picket fence, and a well-kept yard.

This is a surprisingly nice house.

This is where I live. Cool, right?

Y- Yeah.
Can we get out of this car now? I've got a bit of a headache.

Me too.

Yeah, yeah, just come on in!
A few other people have already pulled up, by the way.

They hop out of her car, and walk into her house. There's a few people on the couch, two of them passed out.
Everyone looks a little rough.

Dude, that party was fuckin' nuts.
Did 'ya see what went down with Kim and Eric? She beat the fucking life outta him, I'll tell ya that.

I mean, they'd been together two years. Of course she was pissed.
But smashing a vodka bottle over his head? Crazy shit.

She's fuckin' crazy anyways.
Oh, hey! What's good, Ash?

Ayy, what's up?
When did y'all get here?

Uh.. no fucking clue.

Real.
Anyways, whatcha talking about?

Oh ya know, just the batshit insane fight.

Oh my god that was literally crazy!!
I mean, good for her for getting revenge. That asshole lowkey deserved it.

He deserved getting a vodka bottle smashed over his head?

No! I mean like, he deserved something.

Ah, I get 'cha.
He is a prick.

Anyways, who are these two?

Oh, haha!
What're your names?

I'm Alexandra.

I'm Lucia.

I ain't never heard of you guys.

Makes sense. We're not really, uh, social like you guys seem to be.

Whatever. Anyways, whaddya think happened to Kim after the cops pulled up?

Hm.. She either got the fuck out of there,
or ended up in a cop car.

Or maybe Eric started beating the shit out of her!

Nah, he was way too drunk and injured to do that.
I mean, you saw him! He had his head bashed into a wall and a vodka bottle smashed over his head.
He looked like absolute shit.

Yeah, you're right.

Well, Alexandria and Lucy or whatever your guys' names were, you can go sit down somewhere.

Alexandra and Lucia look quite perturbed at the way she'd already forgotten their names. But they spoke not of it.
They just sat down in the corner part of the couch, away from the others.
Ashley sits close to everybody else, and they're all chatting away about all sorts of party drama, recent break-ups, and such.
It's incredibly obvious to them all that Lucia and Alexandra aren't really like them. Nothing in common.

God, I cannot believe they broke up!
I really thought they were endgame.

Oh my god, literally! It came out of nowhere!

Um, who are you guys talking about?

Kaleb and Sophia, obviously!

I didn't even know they were dating...

Oh! Um... how?
Like, everybody knew.

I- I don't really talk to them or their friends much.

Makes sense.

How long were they even together?

Um, like three months.

And you thought they were endgame?

Well, they had a really good relationship!

Sure, sure.

Hey Jane, can you pass me my cart?

Yeah, here.

Jane tosses a weed pen over to Ashley.

Um, what's that?...

A cart.

So like, a vape? That's what it looks like.

God, no!
It's like that, but like, weed.

You guys are smoking pot!?

Kinda, but not really?

The thought of someone smoking weed around her makes Lucia feel incredibly unwell. It's nauseating.
She knows her mom would kill her if she found out she was even near something like that.

Lucia? Are you uh, okay?

Um, y-yeah! I'm fine!

Lucia's face has gone pale, and she's clearly freaking out. (Internally, that is.)
She's never been particularly good at keeping a straight face during times of distress for her.
She's terrible at poker.

You're clearly not.
Is it about the uh, y'know, weed?

It is. If my mom finds out she's gonna freaking kill me and I- I don't know what to do!

Listen, it's just a stupid pen thingy. It's not gonna smell like actual pot.
Atleast I don't think it will.

What're you two yapping about over there?

Oh, nothing.

Weird..

Ashley takes a rip of her pen, and decides it's funny to blow the smoke straight at Lucia.
Lucia started profusely coughing, and she was quite pissed off at Ashleys decision.

What the hell was that for?

What do you mean?

Um, blowing smoke in my face!?

What? It's funny!

No it's not! I have asthma!

You have asthma?

You're my best friend. You should know this.

You've never talked about it!

Oh my god...

Of course you have asthma.
You look like you have it.

Ashley snickers mockingly, and some of the others do as well.
Lucia's face turns red and she looks horribly embarrassed.

What's that supposed to mean?

You just... look like someone with asthma.

I- I'm confused. What makes you say that?

Your whole look. Especially that cardigan.

It's giving like, homeschooled evangelical.

Oh god!
That's terrible!

It really is.

Guys, chill.

What do you mean?

Quit ripping on her so much.

Oh, shut up!
It's all for shits and giggles.

The night continues with shallow conversations and clouds of smoke.
Lucia and Alexandra look wildly out of place, and incredibly uncomfortable.
This really isn't their typical environment.

How will we get back to your place?

Oh crap, I didn't think about that...
Um... I have no idea.

You don't know!?
You're usually the more responsible one, how does this happen!?

What're you two talking about?

Um, we don't have a way to get back to her house.

You can just crash here!
No biggie.

My mom wouldn't like that at all!

Well, do we have a choice?

Goddamnit.
Um, yeah. Sure.

Sweet. Just don't go in my parents' room.
They'd kill me.

Okay...

Lucia is highly skeptical of this whole thing. Especially considering how Ashley was making fun of her earlier.
Why would she want her to stay at her house for the night?
She doesn't know. And maybe she doesn't want to.

What will we do when we eventually have to get back home?
I know my mom won't care. But I don't know about yours.

I- I don't even know.
Can I just say I had a sleepover at yours and forgot to tell her?
She'll still be mad, but not nearly as mad.

If your mom doesn't know anything about my home situation, yeah.
But if she does know, it's not gonna make much sense.

I don't think she knows.
Okay, so I'll just say that. Everythings fine.

Yeah, it's all fine. Nothing to worry about.

They stay the night at Ashley's house, and have one of the worst nights of sleep of their lives.
When they wake up, they've both got killer headaches, and a whole lot of regret.

Holy fuck- I feel like I got run over by a truck.

Same...

I need a glass of water...

Ashley is still passed out. It's gonna be a while before she wakes up.

Do I just... get water? I don't know.

Yeah? Duh.

Well, I don't know! This isn't my house, I don't know the rules around here.

Lucia goes and searches for cups for a fat minute. Upon finding them, she gets two glasses of water for her and Alexandra.

Thanks dude.

They both quickly drink their glasses of water.

I really needed that. I feel eight times better now.

Same.
How the hell are we gonna get home?

Crap, I didn't think about that too much...

Do you think we could walk?

I don't want anybody seeing us like this!
What if someone from school sees us? Oh god...

Okay, so walking is a no-go.
Any other ideas?

Well, maybe we can take the bus?

The bus?
I've never been on that thing before.
It looks fucking gross.

Well, let's give it a chance! It's like, what, a dollar?
We've got money, right?

Uh, yeah.
I've got five bucks on me.

Great! We can just walk to the nearest bus stop or something!

Whatever 'ya say.
When does the bus come, and where the hell is the bus stop?

I think theres one down the block, and I believe it comes at noon.
Er, what time is it?

Uh... 10:04am.

Great! We've got time to clean up and make our way there.

How are we gonna get cleaned up?
This ain't our house, and we don't have anything of our own.

Um... I don't know.
I kind of forgot our circumstances.

Jesus Christ...

Hey, at least I'm trying to get us out of here!

Fair, fair.

The two are both a damned mess.
They're both doing their best to think straight, and devise a plan to get them back home.
And well, to no surprise, their best isn't great considering they're kind of hungover.
Time passes, and 11:15am rolls around.

Alex! C'mon, let's get outta here!

Gimme a second! I'm tying my shoes!

Well, hurry up!
We don't got all day!

Geez, calm down!
Alright, let's go.

They walk out of Ashley's house unannounced.
She'll have no idea they were even there when she wakes up.
Mostly because she was crazy drunk and a little high.

Okay, so, you know where this bus stop is, right?

Yeah, I think.

What do you mean you think?

Like, I know what the stop looks like.
I'd know if it was the right one if I saw it.
And I have like a general idea of how to get there. I think.

I'm just gonna you on this.

They walk down many roads, some without sidewalks, and they're slowly but surely making their way there.

I think- I think this is it.

Thank fucking God.

They sit down in the little cubicle-type structure, and wait.

We made it on time, right?

Yeah, I think so.

They wait for roughly five minutes, and then the bus pulls up.

Aw yeah! The bus!

They step on, and they hand over their money.

Where ya kids tryna go?

Um, can you just take us to the high school?

Sure can do. Just git in the back and buckle up, will ya?

The two walk to the back, and buckle up, per his advice.
The AC is blaring, and it's overall very strange and funky in this little bus.
There's some cheap pop music playing on the radio, and it's quite grating.

This is... not what I expected.

What did you expect?

Uh... not this?

That sure answers my question.

They sit in uncomfortable silence throughout the rest of the ride.
The bus is creaky and unstable, but they make it.
It stops at the high school, and they get off.
The bus speeds away, and now they're just awkwardly standing there.

Let's just.. go to your house.
I'm not ready to go home and face the consequences yet.

We can just go in. My mom doesn't give a shit.

They walk to Alexandra's house.
Her house is that of a low-class family just barely scraping by. The exterior paint is coming off, the plants on their lawn are withering, and the roof is in shambles.
It's a single-story house which is more horizontal-looking than Lucia's, with faded sable-brown paint and charcoal shingles.
It's a very lived-in looking house.

Arnold, is that you?

No, it's me mom.

Ah, alright.
Where ya been?

Lucia's house.

'Yins have fun?

Yeah.

Cool.
Now shoo, I'm watching TV.

The two girls skitter off to Alexandra's room.
Her room is that of any grunge-y teenager's room.
There's clothes all over the floor, band posters on the walls, and a Fender stratocaster guitar in the corner.
It's quite overwhelming to look at.
Alexandra practically dives into her bed, and Lucia just sits down on the edge.

So, how much trouble do ya think you're gonna be in when you get home?

God, I don't know.
It depends?...

On what?

How well I can lie to them about it.

I think you could pull it off pretty well.
I mean, you're smart, right?

Yeah, I just need to think of how to make it sound real convincing.

I mean, I'm no good at lying, I never have to.
Don't look to me for advice on this.

Damnit, um, could you at least try to tell me if my idea sounds do-able or not?

Yeah, I can do that.

So, uh, do I just like, say I was at your house and forgot to tell them?

Yeah, of course.
Maybe try to sound remorseful about it.

Yeah, yeah. That sounds good.
So do I just do that?

I mean, what else do ya do?

Good point.
I think I'll head back home in like an hour.

Good god, you are stalling.

Um, of course I am!
I don't wanna get yelled at any sooner than I have to!

Fair, fair.

Ugh, can you put some music on? I need a distraction.
Do you have the Foo Fighters self titled album?

Uh, yeah!
I fuckin' love the Foo Fighters!

Alexandra jumps off of her bed, and grabs the CD, puts it in the stereo, and presses 'play'.

Thanks. I've got one of the songs on this album stuck in my head right now.

Ooh, which one?

Good Grief.
It's really catchy, and the guitar is so good.

That's such a good song. It's definitely one of their best ones.

I'll Stick Around is also really good.

Their first album was definitely one of, if not their best albums.

Oh yeah, totally.

The two then proveed to ramble on about the Foo Fighters, among many other things.
Eventually, the album ends.
Lucia lets out a heavy sigh, and looks over at Alexandra.

I guess that's my sign to start heading home.

Well, good luck.
Don't die.

No promises.

Lucia shuffles through Alexandra's cluttered house, and out the door.
She slowly walks to her house, awkwardly twiddling her fingers.
She's absolutely dreading stepping through that door.
She arrives home, and slowly opens the door.

Well, look who it is.
Where have you been!?

I uh- had a sleepover at Lucia's house...
I just forgot to tell you guys, I'm really sorry!

You had me and your father worried to death!
Do you understand how absolutely terrifying it is not knowing where your daughter is at two in the morning!?

I- I'm really sorry, Mom.

Lucia's voice is shaky, and her heart is racing.
Her mother looks a mix of furious and despaired. Her face is red, and her eyes a bit watery.

You're so lucky your dad isn't here right now.
He wouldn'tve been nearly as calm as I've been.

Lucia's face contorts into a bit of a puzzled expression.
For starters, where's Dad?
And secondly, Mom hasn't been calm in the slightest.
She bites her tongue, and decides to just remain silent.

Listen, we just don't want anything bad to happen to you.
If we don't know where you are, you could be out with a bunch of punks and smoking pot for all we know!

Mom! You know I would never do anything like that!

You're a teenager! I never know what you could be up to without my knowledge!

I'm not like most teenagers! I'm weird!

That means nothing!
And don't talk back to me!

Mom I'm sorry, I swear it won't happen again!

It better not.
Go to your room. You're not allowed to hang out with anyone for three days.
I hope you think about what you've done.

Lucia pathetically walks to her room, and she takes extra caution to close the door gently.
You know what happens if you slam the door after an arguement with your parents.
She sits down on her bed, and wonders how Alexandra's parents just don't care.

Ugh, she's so lucky.
She can just do whatever she wants, whenever she wants to. As long as she comes home at some point, her parents don't care.
But that's kind of concerning. They wouldn't care if she went missing.
Gosh, I need to shut up.

Lucia mopes around, writes in her diary, re-reads some of her favorite books, doodles in her sketchbook, and wishes for a better time to come.
She would listen to music, but her Mom would probably chew her out and say something like,
"Turn that crap off, you're grounded for Pete's sake!"

Honey, I'm back.
Where's Lucia?

She's in her room, where I told her to go.

Ah, I see.
So, she's grounded, correct?

For three days. She can't hang out with anyone.

That's a bit generous.

I don't think it is.

Well, whatever. As long as you did something.

She listens in on her parent's comically mundane conversation.
It's mostly about her being grounded, groceries, and current politics.

They just talk, and talk, and talk.
Good grief.

What was that, young lady!?

Nothing!
How did she even hear that?

Time goes by, and Lucia spends her weekend miserable.
Meanwhile, Alexandra is having an okay time.
Alexandra wrote a few new songs, and Lucia started writing a fantasy story.
It's now Monday morning, first period English class.

So... what happened?

Got grounded for three days. I can't hang out with anyone until Monday.
And I couldn't listen to music! It was friggin' awful!

No music!?
I would've killed myself!

Gosh, I almost did!

Alright, class!
Everybody in their assigned seats, please!
I'm talking to you, Alexandra.

Alexandra skitters back to her seat, laughing.

Today we have a reading check. I hope you all read to your goals.

Uh, teach?

Mrs. Jones sighs begrudgingly, and crosses her arms.

What, Sam?

What if I like, don't have a book?

We are three weeks into this reading project, and you're just telling me this now?
What have you been doing in class all this time!?

Uh... I dunno.

Go grab a book from the bookshelf, and get reading!
I'll be writing you up.

Bro, what!?
You're doing too much! It's not that deep.

It is that deep.
We have one week left on this project, and you have nothing.
And you chose not to tell me.

Oh my god, bro.
This is stupid.

Class flies by, and Sam eventually gets kicked out of class for being disruptive.
He swore he didn't do anything, even though he shot a spitball at the teacher.

It's crazy to me how he can stand there and say Mrs. Jones targets him, when he's clearly just acting out.

Oh my god, seriously!
Like, no the teacher isn't targeting you, you just can't act right!

He drives me crazy.
But don't tell him I told you that!

Don't worry, I won't!

The bell rings, and Lucia rushes out the door.

See ya, Lucia!

Lord knows if she heard her or not.
Alexandra shuffles through the halls, and makes it to her next class.
Painting 1.

Everybody get back to working on your paintings! I'll be here if you need anything.

Hey, Jakob!

What, Alexandra?

Jakob looks terrible, as if he hasn't slept in weeks.

Woah, dude, you good?

After what happened at that damn party, no.

So, what happened?

The cops broke into my house, and they arrested Kim.
The place was a fucking mess, and my parents' liquor cabinet was empty.
They whooped my ass.

Damn, that's crazy.
Whatever happened to Eric?

He's in the hospital.
Heard they think he's got like permanent brain damage or some shit.

Holy crap!

Yeah, Kim's probably gonna spend a while in jail.

They continue their little yap session all throughout the class, and class changes once more.
Math flies by, and lunch rolls around.

Alexandra!
I missed you!!

Me too!
God, class was such a drag.

What happened?

Mr. Burnham just talked about his friggin' kids all period.
As if we don't have a really important test coming up in like, two days!

God, I hate when teachers do that.
But for some reason all the other kids like when they do it.

No, seriously!
It's so stupid.

Ashley runs up to their lunch table, all frantic and panicked.
She looks terribly distraught.

Alexandra! I need you to do me a massive favor!

A- Ashley?
What is it?

So um, to make a long story short,
some fucking kid snitched on me, and the school is gonna search my bag!
I need you to hold this until like, tommorow!

Ashley holds out her cart, her hands trembling.
It's all scratched up, and looks disgusting.

Wh- What!?
I- um, I don't know if I can take this!

Well, I sure as shit can't get caught with it!
Just take it! It's no big deal!

Ashley tosses it onto their lunch table, and skitters off.
Lucia and Alexandra just stare at it in disbelief.

What the hell?

I... have no idea.
I guess I'll just put it in my pocket?

No way you're taking it for her.

What else do I do?

Give it to someone else.

Well, she's gonna look to me when she wants it back!
And if I don't have it, she'll probably kill me.

Fair, I guess.

Good god...

Lunch flies by, and they get out all their internal thoughts that they've been holding in since second period.
They pass through the crowded, trashed hallways, to their respective classes.

Everybody get unpacked, and we'll begin working on the new piece you recieved last Thursday!

Everybody's all over the room, scrambling to get their music binders and instruments.
Alexandra plays the cello, and is really quite good at it.
Hence why she's second chair.
The only reason she's not first chair is because of Russell. He takes private lessons, and is in a bunch of other orchestra programs.

Hey, Russell.

What's going on?

Oh nothing, I'm just saying hello.
Did you hear about what happened at Jakob's party?

Er, vaguely.
Wasn't there a fight?

Yeah.
Do you wanna hear?

Well, I don't see why not.

So do you know Kim?

Oh, her.
Yes.

Well, she kind of beat up Eric.
She got him bad.

How bad are you talking?

Like um, brain damage.

Oh god. Did she have a reason or a motive?

She caught him cheating on her with some other girl.
I don't know who the girl was.
She's in custody of the police right now.

Well, of course she is!
After something like that, I can't imagine her not getting in trouble.

Yeah, it was bad.

Wait, were you there?

Um, yeah.

I didn't know you went to parties.

It was kind of a one-off thing.

Ah, I see.

Class goes on as usual. After class, Alexandra makes a stop in the restroom.
It's filthy. There's graffiti on the walls, blood on the toilet seats, and a used tampon stuck to the ceiling.
Nobody knows how long it's been there.

Alexandra, don't you have Ashley's cart?

Um, w- why?

Just- Do you have it or not!?

Er, yeah I have it...

Can you give it to me?
I really need it right now.

Like, just for a second or-

Just for now!
Please!

Um, o- okay.

Oh my god, thank you!

Jane proceeds to take the longest hit in human history.
She does it another few times, and the room is all smoky.

Can I have it back now? I need to get going.

What are you girls doing in there!?

Oh fuck! Take it!

Mrs. Hartman storms in the bathroom.
It's very obvious what had been going on.
It was smoky, Jane's eyes were red, and the pen was in plain sight.

M- Ma'am, I wasn't doing it!
I swear!

Oh, don't you try and play that game with me!
I wasn't born yesterday.
I'm writing both of you up, go to the office.
And give me that!

Mrs. Hartman snatches the pen out of Alexandras hand, and points to the exit of the bathroom.
They both walk out shamefully. Alexandra looks horrified.
The idea of a stain on her record makes her nauseous.
Jane, on the other hand, just looks ticked off.

So, thanks a lot.

Wh- What? I didn't do anything!

You didn't hide it at all!
Now my mom's gonna fucking kill me.

I'm sorry, I froze and I didn't know what to do!

I dunno, not that!

Oh god...

The principal gives them a long talk in her office, and they both get suspended for the rest of the week.

Suspended!?

Oh god, no!

Well, maybe you should've thought about that before you decided to do what you did.

Ma'am, I told you, I didn't do anything!

I expected better, Alexandra.
You're dismissed. Go home.

But-

Out of my office, now!

She frustratedly walks home, angrily mumbling to herself the whole way.
She approaches her house, and carefully opens the door.

Alexandra? Why're ya home so early?
You should be at school.

Um, well, I got suspended...
Please don't be mad...

Suspended!?
What for?

This girl was vaping in the bathroom next to me and I got in trouble for it.
I didn't even do anything!

Aw, that's fuckin' ridiculous!
I've told you not ta hang around those kind.

She wasn't even a friend of mine, either!

Now that's plain fucked up.

I'm not in trouble or anything, am I?

Was it your fault?

No...

Then no. Just stay outta my way, alright?

Okay, Mom.

Alexandra shimmies to her room, and flops onto her bed.

Suspended.
I'm gonna have so much work to make up...
And this is gonna be on my record! No college wants a girl who got suspended for vaping!

She tosses and turns in her bed, wildly uneasy.
On that topic, her room is rectangularly shaped, with a door in the lower-left corner, and a window across from her bed, which is longside against the wall in the bottom-right corner.
Next to her bed, on the left, is a wooden desk, covered in papers.
Sketches, song lyrics, guitar tablature, sheet music, and old homework assignments.
Her stereo is on the left wall, ahead of the door. Next to it, in the upper-left corner, lay her vinyl and CD collection. It's mostly grunge and alt-rock music.
The walls of her bedroom are a pleasant, warm, mild gray color. On her walls, she has various things hanging up.
Band posters, flyers, polaroids of her friends, and some of her art.
Underneath her bed, she keeps supplies and old books.
She has about three boxes full of paint, charcoal, pencils, oil pastels, canvases, paint brushes, and sculpting tools.
She has about five boxes full of artwork, some of it coming from as early as first grade. The art is organized into boxes depending on when it was created.
She also keeps some of her all-time favorite books. Most of them, stolen from a teacher's class library by mistake.
Some of her favorites are The Shining by Stephen King, The Giver by Lois Lowry, and 1985 by Anthony Burgess.
She also has an odd collection of non-fiction texts about various science topics. Chemistry and biology, for the most part.
Her room is a reflection of her mind, in a way.

Alexandra! Your little friend, what is it, Lucy?
Whatever, she's on the phone and she wants 'ta speak with you!

Alexandra jumps out of her bed, and rushes to the living room.
She swiftly takes the phone from her mother, and holds it to her ear.

Hello? Lucia?

Alex! Thank god!
Anyways, what happened? You weren't out by the track after school.

Oh, um...
God, how do I explain this...

What?
What happened?

So you remember how Ashley gave me her vape or whatever?

Uh, yeah.

Well, I went to the bathroom after orchestra, and I saw that one girl there.
The one who was at the after-party thing.
What was her name... Jane! It was Jane.

And? This still doesn't really explain anything.

She asked me if I had Ashleys vape, and I said I did, and she basically pressured me into letting her use it.
And then a teacher came in, and we both got suspended for a week.
And I no longer have Ashley's vape.

Oh. My. God.
You're so done for!
Ashley's gonna kill you!

Yeah, I know.

So are you like, grounded or anything?

What kind of a question is that?
No, I'm not.
My mom doesn't care, because I wasn't the one vaping.

What!? No way.

I don't know, I guess my mom is just chill like that.

My parents would've like, actually killed me.

Well, thank god you weren't there.

Ugh, how am I going to carry on without you!?
Whatever will I do during lunch!?
You're the only person I sit with!

I'm gonna miss you too!
I mean, I think you can still come over after school and stuff.

I'm a bit busy with homework this week, so I don't know if my parents will let me.

I hate this so much.

Me too, and I'm not even the one who got suspended!
Well, I gotta go. My mom needs to use the phone to call a friend or something.
Bye!

Bye...

Alexandra sluggishly puts the phone back on the wall.
This feels like torture to her, and it kind of is, in a way.

'Ya done?

Yeah, I'll get back to my room now, sorry.

Shoo!

Alexandra quickly scurries back to her room, and takes care to not shut the door too hard.
She decides to just put something on the stereo to occupy her time.
She's torn between Live Through This by Hole, and Dookie by Green Day.
She ultimately decides on Dookie.
She takes a seat at her desk, and brushes some papers to the side to make room.
She places down a ruled piece of notebook paper, and starts writing a little short story.
Time flies by, day turns into night. Eventually, she falls asleep with her head on the desk, graphite on her face.
She wakes up at an oddly reasonable time, the yellow light pouring through her window.
She got pretty far in her writing, about a page and a half.
And without school, the days begin to blend together, and track of time is lost.
She falls back asleep, and wakes up to her mom knocking on her door.

Alexandra! Get up!
'Yer friend is callin' again!

Lucia?

Yeah, that one!

She runs to the phone, and holds it close to her ear.

Alexandra! This is urgent!

Wh- What? What's going on?

Alexandra's barely awake, so she's a bit groggy.

It's Ashley.
Word on the street is, she's real mad.

I- Is this about what I think it is?...

Exactly what you think it is.
She's been going around saying she wants to fight you!

This immediately wakes her up completely.
Alexandra's eyes widen, and her heart drops.

She what!?

Yeah. She came up to me and angrily asked where you were.
I told her that you won't be back for a while, but she said the second you get back, she's throwing hands.

Oh, as if I didn't have enough shit going on!

Shh!
Watch your language, my parents are in the room!

Sorry, sorry.
I'm just freaking out right now.

I would be too, not gonna lie.
I don't think she's super good at fighting, though.

Still, she can't be terribly weak!
She's like a student athlete or something!

I think you'd stand a pretty good chance, right?

God, I hope!
I now dread returning to school.

What about getting to see me?

That's the only thing I'm looking forward to at all.

Well, I've got to go, my mom's calling for me.
It's dinner time or something.

Bye, call me back sometime tomorrow.

Don't worry, I will!

Alexandra puts the phone back on the wall.
Now, on top of all her missing work, she's going to have a deranged cheerleader trying to fight her.
She just sorrowfully walks back to her room, her head hanging lowly.
Being suspended is much worse than she could've expected.

Oh my god... How did I even end up in this situation?
I'll just write some more to pass the time.

She struggles to think of what to write, as she's got plenty of ideas in her mind. Picking just one would be difficult.
She decides to write about the pains and terrors of being suspended. And Ashley Storm.

The Writing of Alexandra Edwards.
I never would've imagined that being suspended would suck this bad.
I mean, I've got nothing to do all day, and when I come back to school, I'll have a bunch of missing work.
And a demented cheerleader trying to fight me.
Apparently, Ashley Storm has a bone to pick with me, and is gonna try and fight me when I come back to school.
There's a bit of backstory to that, though.
She gave me her vape because her bag was getting searched, and she couldn't have it on her.
I was gonna just give it back when I saw her next, but then something unexpected happened.
I went to the bathroom after orchestra class, where I saw one of her friends.
She asked me if I had it, and wanted a hit.
She kind of threatened me into saying I'd let her.
She didn't actually threaten me, she just seems threatening.
While she was using it, Mrs. Hartman came in, and sent us both to the office. And she took the vape.
Word spread quickly. I guess Jane just can't keep her little mouth shut.
And Ashley paid good money for that thing, it was one of the really expensive ones.
So now, I have to deal with her when I get back.
And god knows if her friends will be with her whenever she decides to fight me.
I can fend off one crazy bitch, but like four of them? I don't know about that.
And the worst part is, if her friends do come with her, I know Lucia won't fight them with me.
She's better than me. She wouldn't defend herself in a school fight unless her life was genuinely on the line.
She values a clean record, and a good girl reputation.
Though, I can't blame her for being like that. Her parents are really weird about her.
They want her to be everything they couldn't, and it puts a lot of pressure on her.
One time, she got a C on a big science test in 8th grade, and she got yelled at for like three hours.
They're harsh on her.
I don't know how much longer I can go on with being suspended, it's awful.
It feels like every day is just blending together, and I've only been suspended for what, two days?
Without school or friends, everything is just so boring.
I hate this.

She puts down her pen after an extensive hour of writing. It sure feels good to get some stuff off your chest.
Especially when you've got nothing else to do.
The rest of her days in suspension go by much the same.
It's all just playing instruments, listening to music, writing, and drawing. And the occasional call from Lucia.
It's now Monday morning, and school's just begun.

Thank god you're back!

I know, right?
Being suspended friggin' sucked.

I can imagine.
How're ya feeling knowing that Ashley's still on about fighting you?

Er... nervous.
I don't run into her often, so I don't think I have to do anything special to avoid her.

Just be weary, I guess.

Trust me, I am.
I might not look like it, but I'm internally freaking out.

I would be too, not gonna lie.

The bell rings, and Mrs. Jones walks in the classroom. She seems to be in a good mood today.

Alright, everybody get out your reading books, and get in your assigned seats!

All the chatting students scramble back to their seats, and say their temporary goodbyes.

Reading time for fifteen minutes.
After that I will pass back your poems. For the most part, everybody did fairly well. There was only one really poor grade.

A few snickers can be heard throughout the classroom. Everybody knows who did terribly.
Sam.

I definitely got an A!

Yeah, sure.

Everyone, quiet!
Get to reading!

The class gradually fades to silence, the whispers of last weekends gossip cease, and everybody is either really into their book or pretending to read.
Lucia and Alexandra both are really invested in their books, and they're both reading the same book.
They enjoy doing the things the other does. It's the spirit of being best friends.
The fifteen minutes goes by quite quickly, and Mrs. Jones walks back up to the front of the classroom.

Alright, your fifteen minutes is up, everyone!
I'll be passing out your poems, along with the rubric I used to grade them.
I hope you all are satisfied with your score. Which most of you should be.

Lucia got a 98%, Alexandra got a 94%. And the whole class knows what Sam got.

Yo, Mrs. Jones!
What the hell d'ya mean I got a 12%!?
My poem was great!

If you'd like to discuss your grade with me in private, you can do that.
Now isn't the time.

Mrs. Jones has this sense of irritation in her voice, as if she's desperately trying not to yell at him.

Nah, I wanna talk about this now!

Sam, be quiet.

Bro, you're tweaking.

Just- Be quiet!

You're doing too much, for real.

Class goes on, and Mrs. Jones has everybody review a friends work, and such.
Of course, Alexandra and Lucia review each others work.
Then class is over, and they must carry on with the school day.
Alexandra walks into the art room, and grabs all of her supplies.

What's up, Jakob?

Hey! What's good?
Heard you got suspended.

Yeah... It wasn't my fault, though!

I was gonna say, you don't seem like the kind to do anything worthy of suspension.

I'm really not. It was Jane, she was vaping in the bathroom and I just happened to be there.

Damn, that sucks.
Also, word on the street is, you and Ashley are gonna fight.

Oh fuck- I kind of forgot about that.

So it is true.

Kind of?
All I know is that she wants to fight me, and that I'm probably not safe.

So there's no scheduled fight? It's just on sight?

I guess so.
I don't really fight people, so I don't know anything about like fighting ettiquete or whatever.

I don't really know either.
Let's just hope you make it out in one piece.

Um... Why do you say that?
Is she like, really good at fighting or something?

She's pretty good. Won plenty of fights.

Aw damnit...

Eh, you're probably fine.
I believe in you.

Thanks, I guess.

They do their work, class ends, and lunch eventually rolls around.

Any sight of Ashley yet?

No, nothing.

Let's hope she doesn't pass by our table.

They both sit down, and begin eating their lunches.
All of a sudden, Lucia's face goes pale, and her eyes widen.

Um... Lucia? Wh- What's wrong?

Behind you.

Behind her stands none other than Ashley Storm.
She looks furious, and her hands are balled up in fists.
Alexandra slowly turns her head to look, and Ashley's sharp stare stabs right through her.

Let's fucking go. Right here, right fucking now.

A- Ashley, I don't think we have to fight-

C'mon and fucking fight me you pussy!

The cafeteria slowly starts getting quieter, and people are staring straight at the two of them.
Alexandra stands up, pushes in her chair, and they move to the right a bit, an area with more space.
Alexandra just stands there. Waiting.

So um... are you gonna?

Ashley throws a pretty weak punch, and she nearly misses.
She looks kind of embarrassed.
She throws another punch, this time, straight to her face.

C'mon! Don't just stand there!

Ashley takes a deep breath, and throws a really hard punch, and it hits her right in the jaw.
Ashley kind of falls over, and looks up at Alexandra with an unimaginable amount of hate in her eyes.

I'M GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU, YOU BITCH!

By now, the whole cafeteria is watching, and it's getting loud.
Ashley pounces at Alexandra, and starts trying to pin her down on the filthy cafeteria floor.
Alexandra gets one arm free, and hits her straight in the temple.
Ashley keeps persisting, and is now also ripping some of her hair out.

GET OFF OF ME, YOU CUNT!

Alexandra gets one arm behind Ashleys back, and pulls back on her slick-back ponytail.
After plenty of tossing and turning, punching and clawing, Alexandra somehow ends up kneeing her in the stomach, and slamming her on the ground.

Take that, you whore!

I hope you fucking rot in hell!

Ashley gets up and pushes Alexandra back, but Alexandra kicks her right in the face.
Ashley ends up covering her face and crying, as a teacher walks up behind them.

Now what the hell are you two doing!?

Both of them start yelling at the teacher, trying to explain themselves, and nobody can get a word in.

Both of you. To the office.
Right now!

Two T.A.'s come over and walk them to the office.
Behind them, the cafeteria echoes with whispers and laughter, all talking about them.
They're sat two seats away from each other outside the principals office.
Ashleys make-up is smeared down her face, and her hairtie is barely in.
Alexandra's hair is all tangled and frizzy, and she's got a bunch of cuts from being scratched.
They both look a mess.

Alexandra? Again?
You just got back from suspension!

Ma'am, I swear I can explain!

Alexandra, come in.

Alexandra walks in, and sits down, shutting the door behind her.

Tell me what happened.

She just- came up to me and trying to instigate something, and then she hit me, and I hit her back, and-

I see. I think I already know what happened.
Listen, I don't think you're a bad kid. I don't think what happened last week makes you a bad kid.
And if this really was just self defense, you'll be in no trouble.
We can check the cameras, and I'll speak to Ashley.

This is... oddly not what I expected.

Listen, this isn't Ashley's first fight, and it's far from her last.
With her background, I'm very willing to give you the benefit of the doubt.
Go sit outside, I'm going to talk to her.

Alexandra walks out, and sits down a few chairs down from Ashley.
The principal steps out, and calls in Ashley.
From outside the room, Mrs. Larsson can be heard shouting at Ashley. Alexandra can make out a bit of what she's saying.

What were you thinking!?
Getting into another fight like that!?
Would it kill you to stay out of trouble for once?
You might even get kicked off the cheer team for something like this!

Mrs. Larsson, you can't kick me off the cheer team!
I'm the captain!

Well, for something like this, I sure can!
Do you understand how poorly this reflects on you!?
We can't have this kind of behavior be what represents our school!

Miss, I swear it won't happen again!

Oh, lies!
You said that the last three times!

This is bullshit!
I had to do what I had to do!

You're getting a week of after school detention.
I'll be calling your parents, and speaking to Coach Anthony.

Oh my god, no!

Mrs. Larsson opens the door, and looks back and forth between both of them.

You're both dismissed for the day.
Alexandra, do you need me to call your parents and have them pick you up?

No, I can walk home.
I'll be fine.

And Ashley, your parents are on the way.

Ashley scoffs, and rolls her eyes.

We had a T.A. grab both of your backpacks, they should be over in that corner.

Alexandra grabs her backpack, waves goodbye, and walks out of the building.
She walks home, still looking a mess.
She gets a few concerned glances from people passing by in their cars.
Upon reaching her house, she sees the door has been left open. She just walks on in.
It seems her mother and father are both out right now, so she won't have to do any explaining.
She shuts the door behind her.

I suppose I'll just wait for a call from Lucia. I'm sure she'll have lots to say.

She goes to her room, where she turns on some tunes, and cleans herself up.
She struggles greatly to brush her hair, and spends around 10 minutes doing it.
But after about 30 minutes she looks fine and dandy again. Just a bit scratched up.
She waits and waits for a call from Lucia, but unfortunately, she never gets a call.
Alexandra ends up falling asleep early, as she has nothing else to do.
She wakes up oddly early the next morning, and gets ready a bit before she typically leaves.
She decides to just walk to school early anyways.

Well, aren't you early!
The doors ain't even open yet, kid!

When do they open? And what time is it?

They open 'round 7:30am.
And it's 'bout 7:20.

I guess I'll just wait.

She sits down on the old rickety bench, and waits outside the building.
As time passes, more and more people show up.
Many of them approach her to ask about the fight, talk about what Ashley's been saying about her, and all sorts of things.
The doors open, and she heads to class.

Well, you're early, Alexandra!

Yeah, I woke up early today.

Where's Lucia? She's usually with you when you walk in.

Well, she didn't wake up early.

Lucia walks in the room, and her face brightens upon seeing Alexandra.

Alexandra! I couldn't find you this morning.
And I'm sorry I didn't call you last night, my parents had to make a bunch of calls, so I didn't get a chance to use the phone.

I woke up early, that's all.
And thank god you meant to call, I was worried you were mad at me.

Mad at you? For what?

I- I don't really know.
The fight?

Why would I be mad at you for that?
You had to defend yourself.

I don't know, I might make you look bad or something.

You're my best friend, I don't care what people think of me for hanging around you.

Alexandra just flashes a warm smile, indicative of a great appreciation for Lucia.

You're a good friend, Lucia.

You really are.

Oh, thank you!

You two are some of my favorite students. Such bright minds, you have.
But don't tell anybody that I said that.

But Alexandra, everybody's been saying a lot of stuff about you.

Like what?

A lot of people actually think you're pretty cool for doing what you did.

Oh, seriously?

Well, the weirder kids at least.
None of us liked her, so everybody respects you for doing it.

I assume the high-brow, popular people don't really like me for it.

Yeah, none of them are quite pleased.

Eh, you can't please everybody.

Yeah, right.
Well, I fear that people may be a bit more... harsh on you.

What do you mean?

Well, people might be a bit more mean.
Like, more odd stares from people, random shouting, and stuff.

That's a given.
I've been expecting it.

It's quite unfortunate. You did what you had to do.

Well, it's not like they care.

Exactly.

As time goes on, everybody comes into class, and everybody sits down in their seats.

Alright, today we'll be peer reviewing a classmates poem.
You can choose who you work with, but if you don't choose wisely, I will assign partners.
Everyone come grab a checklist, and find your partners. I'm giving you all five minutes.

Naturally, Lucia and Alexandra choose to work together.
Alexandra moves to sit next to Lucia, and she sits down next to her.

I'm excited to see what you wrote.
You're really good at writing.

I could say the same myself.

Alexandra and Lucia slide eachother their poems.
Alexandra wasn't at school during the project, but Lucia told her about it in one of the calls. She got it done anyways.
They're both carefully eyeing their papers, reading through the others writing.

Stagnant Room by Alexandra Edwards

Enriching light pours through my window,
moistening the drought that is my room.
Stale music radiates from the stereo,
just noise to fill a void.
Dead ideas fill the papers on my desk,
nothing new is in bloom.

An immeasurable lack of something,
yet I know not of what I need.
I feel fine, no particular way.
That's fine sometimes, just not every day.
And as time passes, unchecked and unknown,
I feel as though I'm rotting
in my stagnant room.

Alexandra's poem was written almost as a cry for help in a way.
Lucia is greatly enchanted by her writing. She goes through her checklist, and prepares to notate everything.

Emboldened Symphony by Lucia Brooks

An enthralling sound, the trill of the horn.
Measure after measure, harmony is born.
A symphony, a piece, a beautiful song.
The final chord fermata, the sound held long.

To be a part of it, a great honor.
A musician, their instrument like armor.
This is their passion, their love.
Create a sound angelic, as if sent from above.

LAST UPDATED: 9:38am, 4/30/25