"I'm going for it." Grace looked up from her computer as she watched Zig pace back and forth. His eyes on the ground as he moved in various ways in an attempt to fix his appearance.

"You sure about that, Novak? Did she not just reject you?"

Zig sent her an annoyed look, "That was over a week ago. Besides, I've matured since then. I got myself a new jacket and-"

"Cheap Cologne?" Grace finished, moving her hand to block her nose.

"You're such a great friend." He muttered sarcastically which earned a sharp laugh as she used the neck of her shirt as a nose plug, "Maya picked it out for me."

"You should have let her put it on you."

"Is it really that bad? My nose is kind of stuffed so I can't really smell anything." He grabbed a part of his shirt and brought it to his nose, taking a long sniff, then shook his head to prove that he could not, in fact, sense the dead cat.

"It probably deluded your senses."

"I just texted Zoe to meet me here, what do I do?" Yes, make a girl come to you, nice going Novak, "Humor her when she comes, aight? I'm going to go fan myself in the bathroom."

Grace let out a loud, dragged-out sigh as he dashed out of the room without another word. With Maya obsessing over midterms(what a cute nerd), Tiny busy with reform classes, and Zig working part-time as a pastry chef, she found most of her world was overshadowed by a blunt containment of nothingness. On the other hand, she was plenty used to it since she spent most of her time in a virtual reality than real life. Growing up, she didn't really have many friends, more like passing acquaintances who allowed her to join their group when everybody elses' was full or allowed her to sit beside them on the bus if one of their friend's didn't show up(they'd rather be stuck with the weird girl than Hairy Harrison). Now she had friend's, not many, but enough, a network where people came to her, "Could you get into my account? I forgot my password!" which only took minutes to crack and with $15 bucks per person it was well worth it. And then there was the queen, herself, who earned her own category, who for some reason started coming to the rubber room more often just to complain about the fellow cheerleaders on her team. Or some "tramp" who walked through the halls parading around in excess make up because, "girl, if your hands are as pale as a sheet, but your face is as gold as a camel's bottom, you're doing it wrong!"

She would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy the company. Far from it, in fact, that it was actually hilarious. Cracks about girls who "try too hard" or boys who "obviously need to pull their pants up" which she could definitely empathize with. Of course there were moments where she just could not see eye-to-eye like when she was talking about a certain celebrity who walked down the red carpet in the "most ugliest dress I've ever seen." She found it interesting, the world she dare not test.

She stopped mid-typing as she felt something over her eyes, her hands instinctively moving up to grab the intruder's arms. She didn't need to ask to know who it was, aside from Maya, there was no one else stupid enough to touch her like that.

"Hi Rivas, you just missed him. He wandered into the bathroom real quick." Zoe retracted her hands with a pout and slid into the chair next to hers. Her eyes trained on the screen which was in front of her.

"So, what are you doing?"

"Finding movies to download and before you ask, yes I am the type of person who would rather download movies illegally rather than go to some theater where I'd have to spend about 11 bucks on tickets and 20 bucks for popcorn which I can just make at home." Plus she had no one to go with, so there was also that.

Zoe scoffed in return, "I didn't say anything."

"But you were going to, right?" She asked, glancing at her.

Zoe simply stuck out her tongue, "Well, honestly I never thought you were into movies."

"It must have been a real shocker to find out I don't actually live in a box, yeah?" Grace rolled her eyes as she looked back to the screen.

"I didn't mean it like that. I mean whenever I talk about them, you don't really look like you care or know what I'm talking about."

"That's because your type of movies consist of chick flicks or some sappy hero named Fabio."

"Hey!" Zoe swatted her on the arm, "I'll have you know, I'm just as into horror flicks as the average person."

"Oh, yeah?" Grace responde, turning to find her staring back with an almost determined expression. Zoe leant in until their noses were almost aligned, only an inch set between them.

"Yes~" She slurred.

"It's decided then. Sometime this week, my place, I pick the movie?"

"You're on." And as the promise was made, the two immediately broke apart. Grace turned back to her computer and opened up a tab to look for new titles for this new assignment. Zoe looked around the empty room in curiosity.

"So where is everyone?" She asked, taking note of the abandoned paper planes and fallen chairs, games scattered and trash cans at its fullest, rich with clumps of paper.

"The teacher wasn't around so class was cancelled. Seems they all ditched, I don't blame them."

"Then what are you still doing here?" Zoe asked, sending her an accusing glance.

"It's easier for people to find me this way. Looking for a glitch fix, an undetected profile, girl advice-" She began to list on the top of her head.

Zoe turned to her almost immediately. "Girl advice? Zig?"

Grace stopped what she was doing to look at her, "I don't give him advice, per-say, sometimes the normal attire fix, sometimes just a reality check. Nah, get rid of the cologne. No, you don't have to grow a beard. Hell no, take that tie and dump it in the sea!"

"You're talking about me, right? He's asking advice about me?" Grace shrugged, she thought it was obvious, "You think you should actually be telling me this?"

"Well I don't find any need to hide it since you already know he's into you. And he really is. I think you should at least give him a chance to redeem himself. He deleted his oompf chat already and anyone can tell he's trying pretty hard to get your attention."

Zoe stared at her with her mouth half-hanging open, quiet for a moment, "I... I don't believe this." She suddenly spat, standing up and threatening to leave. And if Grace hadn't grabbed her arm, she probably would have.

"What's with you?"

Zoe turned to her, red in the face, and yelled, "I thought you liked me!"

".. What?"

"I thought you.. you know what, just forget it." Zoe shrugged the hand away and stormed out of the room. Grace blinked once more, trying to get a grip of things. When she realized she did not have much time for that, she threw off her giant headphones and closed her equipment, chasing after her and catching her in the hallway,"Rivas, hey wait a second." Zoe wouldn't turn to her, "Rivas, come on, we should talk about this.. Zoe!"

"Why the hell do you think I've been coming to you these past few weeks? Showing up with my uniform, taking every chance I can get just to touch you, be close to you-"

Grace looked around seeing whether anyone was watching, glancing at the classroom doors, the open windows. She moved her hand to grab Zoe's arm and tried to pull her towards the room, "This isn't the place. Come on, let's talk inside."

"No!" Zoe threw a fit, wrenching her hand out of the grip. As Grace turned to her, Zoe grabbed onto her collar and brought her close, "You're all I think about. Before I go to bed, after I wake up, you're the only one I want to talk too after my day goes bad. Or good. You tell me like it is, and I don't feel like I have to pretend with you either." She bowed her head, loosening her grip, "I.. like you damnit, and you have to go and tell me that. What a joke."

Grace stared down at the top of her head, the shock written all over her face. She never expected this scenario to play out. She never expected that someone, of her caliber, would like her. She could feel her voice wavering and when she spoke - surprisingly - she sounded the most composed she has ever been, "I'm not a mind reader Zoe. I can't know what you're thinking unless you tell me."

"Damn you... Damn you Cardinal, you piss me off!" Surprised, Grace grabbed both of her hands as Zoe started scratching at her to fight her off, grabbing her forcefully and into her chest hoping she would calm down. She looked around cautiously at any passerby who she would have to threaten openly if word got out or Zig - oh god Zig - if he passes, oh man if he so passes, she had no idea how to get herself out of this one.