Chapter 15: Above the Law

Rating: (T-M) Not for Kids.

Warning: Bad language, suggestive content, you know how teenagers are!

Pairings: Louis/Clem, Aasim/Ruby, etc.

A/N: It is ridiculous how long it took me to post this. I'm angry at myself mainly because—A few weeks ago, I had it. I finished this chapter. And then when I went to look for the document, apparently it hadn't saved! And I was so enraged I didn't write at all. I wrote this all today. Because this quarantine has been driving me nuts, and you know, whatever. But here it is, and I'm so so sorry it took this long. I hate being kept waiting, and I can't imagine what you've guys been through. :(

A bit late for this Valentine's Chapter... But REALLY, is it EVER LATE!?

Yeah... maybe.

[. . .]

February 12th, 7:30 AM

[. . .]

Clementine didn't expect to bump into the person she least wanted to. She was supposed to get out of her father's car, bid him goodbye, and head into the school to grab things from her locker. She was not supposed to be almost shoved aside when said person she least liked came in her way.

"Move outta ma' way," She hissed at her with a look of repulsion, her head turned back to sneer at her.

Clementine glared in return. "You've got some nerve," Clementine growled, making sure to stare at her long and hard. She had a rough morning already; she fell in her shower and managed to slip in the mud the moment she came outside in the early morning, and not to mention, she lost her earpods, which brought upon no music to listen to. And now this girl just had to show up?

Michelle made a face, "I got it. What about it? You wanna get down and dirty again? I'll fuckin' pop you." She said, a smug look playing on her face. Clementine wasn't sure why she was smiling if she was the one who got her ass handed to her the last time.

"Oh, like last time?" Clementine retorted, raising an eyebrow, eyeing the cut that failed to heal on the side of her face. "Even your face knows you'll lose," She told her, making sure to hold back the smugness she felt rising to her chest. It was wrong to feel smug, especially after it almost cost her a full month of suspension. It did make her feel good when she saw the anger on her face. She was always so humble, and yet she felt like being the bad bitch in this operation. She knew she could take anyone on, be it female or male. It didn't take much.

That wasn't who she was, though. At least, she hoped she was more than just a rugged 17-year-old.

Michelle clenched her fist. Her fake nails dug into her skin, and, furious, declared, "Just wait til' afterschool. You ain't gonna be walkin' right no'moe'."

Clementine rolled her eyes. "Then watch me report it to the school," Clementine shrugged, not bothering to care. She wasn't a pussy. But she wasn't an idiot, either. She was just threatened. Of course, she would take it to the heart, but she wasn't a petty teenager. No, she's a strong, confident, and smart young lady. The girl before her just happened to have angered her once. It was a slip, she'd admit, but it doesn't matter now. What's done is done.

Michelle smirked at her reply, "What?" Michelle scoffed, leaning on her hip, "Suddenly you get scared? Ain't shit."

"I'm not scared like you were when I punched some of the ugly off your face," Clementine counterclaimed, "I'm being cautious."

Michelle scowled. "You're being a fuckin' pussy. All I'm hearin' is bullshit right now," She sassed.

"Well, it's not my fault you like to pick petty fights all because you can't get the man you want," Clementine said, narrowing her eyes. There was a brief moment where she paused to study her, trying to evaluate the reaction she would give. She could say it, and she would. But... She would feel like a complete loser if her whereabouts bring truth to the surface. It was a fact, she was sure, that she liked Louis. Way more than she would want to admit. The thing was, she had no idea if Louis liked her back. Lee was right; when it came to crushes, she was the absolute worst at finding out.

Before she stood a girl who disliked her for spending time with Louis. It was clear she had... something towards him, even if it brought sourness to Clementine's very soul. If she didn't wear a stupid wig and if her makeup wasn't so neon, this Michelle girl would be fairly pretty. Clementine knew, and she had to respect that, even if she didn't like it at all.

For saying such a thing about her and Louis, Clementine was sure to be caught on a lie. However, it was a small percentage considering Louis despised the girl. What more wrong can it produce if she says what she wants?

"I can get any man I fuckin' want, bitch. Louis is just trying to make me jealous," Michelle spat, flipping the short hair that reached her chin.

Clementine tried not to laugh. She really did. "Really? That's not what he told me," Clementine said, reaching for the combination lock on her locker. She made herself appear nonchalant as to discourage Michelle's way of finding out the lies she was spewing left to right.

Michelle's eyes had widened slightly. Then, her countenance formed itself to one of hate. "What?" Michelle hissed quietly, cautious not to jump at her. She knew that Clementine was dangerous. She even held her tongue. But that... was for other reasons.

Clementine opened her locker, "You do realize me and Louis are a thing now, right?" Clementine asked casually, reaching for the blue English book in her locker as she turned to look at her. She made sure to lock eyes, just to show that she wasn't lying even if deep down she was.

She moved out of the way when the Michelle girl slammed her locker shut.

"You've got some damn—"

"You've got a problem," Clementine hissed back, and didn't back down when the slightly taller girl stepped forward, "You're just angry that he likes me more than you." Don't say that. This isn't you.

They were face to face.

There was no one around.

Michelle could fight her, mess her around.

She couldn't.

"I suggest you fucking watch your back, bitch," Michelle shoved at her, "Or you gon' get it."

Clementine dusted off where she touched on her shoulder. "I got it," She mocked, and jeered at her when she got angrier, "You're just mad that you don't."

Michelle stepped back, the anger on her face slackening. She crossed her arms, and Clementine could see the way she scratched at her skin, her eyes scrutinizing her.

Clementine stared back, undeterred. She wasn't about to be scared over someone who didn't know how to fight, let alone handle her. Clementine could be a bitch if she wanted to, but as always, she held back. She thought it wasn't a righteous path if she thought the way her darkened side did.

Michelle's lips curled downward, and she looked her up and down before scoffing. "I doubt he likes you. You've got the tits, ass, and hips, but that's all he's gon' like," She smirked, "Do you think guys give a fuck about personality?"

Clementine gave her an innocent smile, "I've got something he wants." She shot. What are you doing?

Michelle didn't like her response. However, she pushed aside the irritation that was building up, and tried her best to muster up a convincing look, "You're probably lying," She mumbled.

Clementine didn't remove her eyes off her, "Who said I was lying?" She asked. What are you saying?

Michelle licked her lips and clicked her tongue, placing a hand on her hip. "If you ain't lying, then prove it," Michelle smirked, "I want to see how much he fucking loves you."

Clementine's heart dropped. "You've seen us," She shrugged, "Wasn't that why you got all bitchy in the first place?"

Michelle scowled, "Ain't seen shit of you guys kissing and shit. So you, miss fucking boys-loves-me headass, gotta be lying. Which also means he's using you," She muttered, an edge of scorn in her voice. Clementine missed the way she twitched her fingers in nervousness, and the way her voice held uncertainty in her tainted words.

Clementine gripped her English book tight on her right arm. Her eyes narrowed, "If that's—"

"Clementine?"

Clementine turned around and locked eyes; amber on hazel. Her heart made a tremendous thud, and her breathing hitched when she saw Louis, standing by where he always waits in the morning.

Michelle's eyes flashed.

Louis furrowed his brows in worriment. "Is she bothering you?" He asked uneasily, making a face of discomfort when he saw Michelle checking him out again.

Clementine was about to reply with a solid no, that she wasn't being bothered because she wasn't letting herself be bothered, but was interrupted when Michelle shoved her against the lockers. Clementine glared and watched her make her way over to Louis, who was now backing away.

"I told you to back the fuck off," Someone else said, making the three students turn to the voice in curiosity.

Violet stood beside Minnie not that far off of Louis, their eyes narrowed down to slits. Their arms were crossed and the expression on their faces indicated that of threatening anger, and Clementine couldn't feel more relieved.

Michelle glared at them and turned her head around to issue Clementine the stink eye, "So you need your bitches to help you? What a fucking joke." She ridiculed.

Clementine went closer towards her, more for Louis' sake than her own, and made sure to grab onto Louis' arm to pull him away. Holding an arm would signify something, right? And it didn't seem to look so... overly feely like. "Let's not forget the fact that you brought your crew of five girls to try and jump me a few weeks ago," Clementine retorted, unconsciously pulling Louis closer to her, "And besides, I don't need the help of my friends to fuck you up."

Minnie nodded, "Completely true. I'm pretty sure she can beat me up if she wanted to. Not that I would mind," Minnie said, which made Violet snort.

Meanwhile, Louis was completely confused. Before he was included in this mess, he arrived at school not too long ago. He parked his car and made his way to where Clementine's locker was. He always waited there in the morning, even if most of the time Clementine didn't show up. He never got offended by it, because eventually, he would remember that she doesn't always come to her locker and that sometimes she's waiting at his. Too bad for him though, by the time he realized it, the bell would ring.

Fortunately, they had the first period together. It was sort of strange; it was as if the world itself wanted them to interact more. It was a nice thought, but he scolded himself time and time again because he thought it was a little too cliché of him, even if he enjoyed clichés. As if Clementine would ever like him like that anyway...

Either way, he always waited by her locker. And today wasn't any different; he made his way toward it, embarrassingly ecstatic at the thought of seeing her. However, he stopped when he heard Clementine talking, saying something about having something that this supposed 'he' wants. It had broken him instantly, but, as a person, he always was and continues to be, he didn't judge quickly until he got the whole story. So what if Clementine liked someone else? She wasn't his to lose.

His questions only rose when he heard Michelle bit out that she was lying. Why would Clementine lie? She wasn't that type of person. He knew her, and she wouldn't lie about anything, not unless it involved something with authorities. He couldn't call out on Michelle that she was just being rude, because she never spoke like that. Not that he knew her, but he knew enough that she was always having public issues with everyone that talked with him. It wasn't his fault the ladies all liked him!

Well... all the ladies except Clementine. He just wasn't good enough for her.

Maybe that's why Michelle mentioned that she should kiss that 'he' in front of her, just to prove it. Michelle was a gigantic bitch, but unfortunately, he's known how... jealous she could be. And with that jealousy, although she's a jerk to all his other friends, she was always uncomfortably protective. It bothered him a lot, but because he knew, he couldn't help but be kind to her. Well, awkward was more like it. Violet had to pull him away from her since... forever ago because of his lack of rudeness.

"Go ahead, then, Clementine," Michelle growled at her, turning her yapping towards a glaring Clementine, "I want you to prove how much he fucking loves you."

Louis stopped thinking to notice Clementine gripping his arm, with Violet and Minnie holding themselves back from fighting. Just what happened while he was pitying himself?

Violet and Minnie exchanged panicked looks when they saw Clementine freeze. Now was not the time, they weren't ready yet!

"Ew," Omar said, cutting off the silence. The five teenagers directed their attention to him, finding him mindlessly texting while chewing very loudly on a piece of gum. His three friends didn't find it weird that he appeared all of a sudden; they were used to that. Plus, they realized his locker was being blocked by... the troubled couple.

Michelle turned to him, "Who're you tellin' ew at pube head?" She sibilated, glaring.

Omar's expression was blank when he spoke, "Your cheapass," He said, still texting.

"You want this smoke?"

"What, the smoke of your disgusting armpit smell? No thanks. Your weave is flammable enough, thank you." He said mindlessly and continued to stand by, waiting for them to move.

Louis noticed, "Oh, sorry man. We forgot your locker's here," He said, sheepish, and pulled Clementine with him to move away. That served as a good excuse to get away from Michelle, right?

Michelle snatched his backpack and he turned back to look at her with wide eyes. Clementine grabbed onto her wrist and pulled it away harshly, glaring profusely at her.

"The fuck?" Violet snarled, shoving Michelle back, "Hands off the luxury!"

"Exactly." Omar said and finally glanced away from his phone to stare at her, "You're canceled. Reported. Blocked."

"Why are you even still here?" Minnie asked, shaking her head in disbelief.

Michelle held her hand and continued to glare at them, even if she wanted to leave. She could, but that would mean that this... Clementine girl would win.

"What's goin' on?" Ruby asked, coming in with Duck and the Mitchelsons, all of whom looked irritated. Mitch, mostly, since he was the one glaring at Michelle. It seemed he hadn't forgotten what her friend Becca did before...

"Petty Bitch is trying to steal Clementine's boyfriend," Minnie said, pointing her thumb back at the arguing teens.

Ruby looked at Clementine who was holding a blushing Louis and having a glaring contest with Michelle. She let out a sigh at the event unfolding before her. "Again? Didn't we warn her not to mess with the pairin'? Hey! What in the holy lord are ya doin' messin' with this couple here?" She asked, and cracked her knuckles.

Michelle swallowed and stepped back when Violet and Minnie advanced on her.

"She ugly," Duck whistled, making a face.

"We know," Mitch said, rolling his eyes.

Michelle made a pitiful face. "You guys ain't shit." She muttered bitterly and flipped her hair, click-clacking her way out of the scene. She made sure to brush past Louis, and he tried not to gag in disgust. Call him a good guy, because he was getting just about done from hearing her accuse Clementine. Just what has she done to provoke any negative reaction? If she wants to do things, let her. Judging others is just as bad as judging yourself.

As the girl made her way out, the teens stared after her with a glare, Clementine mostly the one having an actual issue with her. She was so mad she was gripping Louis' arm too tight, unknowingly hurting him a bit.

"Finally," Violet said and rubbed at her face, "First thing in the morning and this happens. Just what the fuck does she want?" She asked, feeling like she wanted to pull her hair out.

"His dick," Mitch mentioned, thumbing over at Louis' direction.

"Don't say it like that," Ruby scolded.

Duck rose an eyebrow, "But ain't it the truth? She wants hella."

"Yes," Omar said as he moved the combination on his locker, "Purposely she came to demand a fight once more toward Clementine for that exact reason." He explained, earning various groans.

Louis perked up.

"It pissed me off," Clementine mumbled, shaking her head, "I don't know why. I usually just don't care. Maybe I was just not up for her shenanigans again," Clementine said, sighing.

"We hear ya," Duck spoke, crossing his arms. "She's been puttin' up too much of a fight all them years ago. It was a load of fuckin' shit." Duck disapproved.

"What the hell did she tell you anyway?" Minnie asked, curious.

Clementine shrugged. "The same thing she always does." She mumbled, and the crowd only grew more suspicious when she left it at that.

"Like...?" Willy added on, moving his hand.

Clementine glared, still holding onto Louis. Not that he minded. "Too pissed to even mention it. I'll tell you guys later," She assured, and they all nodded, understanding.

Omar closed his locker. "Louis should come clean. There's no point of us trying to tell her otherwise if he doesn't contribute." Omar said, staring at Louis blankly.

Louis thought back to what Michelle said. He thought back to what Clementine said. He wasn't sure, but his heart was doing flips. "Um... Yeah. Sorry. I chicken out," He said, chuckling softly.

"No kidding," Violet snorted, "You always were a bit of a pussy."

"Shut up Violet. You're one to talk," Mitch interjected, a humorous smirk appearing on his face.

Violet shrugged. "You are what you eat." She said, side-eyeing Minnie.

Minnie rolled her eyes. "She's lying. She's a bottom." She returned.

Violet elbowed her with a blush forming on her face, resulting in everyone to bark out in laughter from what they just discovered.

In the meantime, Louis was having a crisis. He was pretty sure Clementine was talking about someone else, but now that he recognized Michelle would be most likely fighting over her frequent joins with him, he had to think. They're just... There was no way they would be talking about him. But then again it wouldn't make sense. Why would Michelle be talking all that shit with Clementine if she doesn't hang out with another boy other than... him?

Clementine felt Louis awkwardly move, and she looked at him, suddenly aware of what she was doing. She let him go, "Oh shoot. Sorry, Louis. I didn't realize I was suffocating your arm," She said, furrowing her brows with an awkward smile.

Louis blushed, "Oh? What? No. Nothing. Uh—I meant it's okay. I suffocate my arm all the time." He corrected, smiling.

She rose a playful eyebrow.

Louis blinked, processing what he said. "—Oh, did I say that? I meant. I meant it's okay, haha... You were just depending on me. Uh—! I meant defending. Me. Yes." He nodded his head as he spoke, tongue-tied and confused. He granted her an embarrassed smile, hoping she accepted his words.

Clementine smiled, unaware that she was also trying not to become a blubbering mess. "It's not okay. Wait, yes, it's okay." She blinked, feeling her face heat up when he became confused. She looked away with a shy nature, the edge of her textbook most likely worn from how hard she held it.

"—Last time I checked Duck, you were into bondage," Minnie said, raising an eyebrow.

"What? Who in the hell told ya that?" Duck asked, eyes wide.

Violet snickered while Omar silently watched the couple a few feet from them.

"Well, my sister. Obviously. She said you like cock and ball—"

"Can we please stop talkin' about this? What the heck is wrong with you people?" Ruby asked, traumatized at this point.

Mitch pat her head. "Don't worry, Ruby. Aasim likes bondage too. It's clear he likes being a bottom." Mitch said.

He received a punch in the gut which sent him on the floor. He raised his finger in the air, out of breath, "Its... true!"

"One more yapper about them nasty things and everyone's gon' be dead!" Ruby said, waving her fist around.

Everyone stopped talking and immediately began to apologize, much to Ruby's satisfaction.

Omar remained quiet, however. Nobody bothered him; they knew Omar was always the quiet type. He felt good about that because his friends learned almost quickly that his demeanor was different than everybody else's. He didn't ask to be invited nor did he bother to be present during invitations. He liked his solitary life and cooking. So, finding him eerily quietly staring at Louis and Clementine wasn't out of character. They all thought he was observing them.

That wasn't the case.

He was determined to put them together, mostly because the plan the girls had set up was going to fail. Valentine's day was just around the corner, and there was no way these two dumplings were going to miss it.

He would make sure of it.

The school bell rung.

"Well great. Now we're going to be late for class. Thanks a lot, Vi!" Mitch said sarcastically.

"You don't even like class, dude." Louis pointed out.

Mitch scratched his chin. "Huh." He snapped his fingers at him, "Son of a bitch. You're right. C'mon Willy, let's ditch first." Mitch said, giving him a high-five.

Willy slapped Mitch's hand hard, "Don't gotta tell me twice!"

They scurried off in the opposite direction of their math class and left everyone else there to head to their destinations, which none bothered to do.

Minnie side-eyed Violet, "So... Class?" She asked, grabbing her hand.

Violet glanced down and shrugged, her cheeks tinted the slightest of red. "Whatever, sure." She replied, and then turned to Clementine, "By the way, we're coming over your house tomorrow. This is a threat," Violet informed and clicked her tongue as she made her way out of the scene with Minnie.

Clementine looked confused, "What? Since when?" Clementine asked herself. She shrugged afterward, remembering that her friends don't tell her anything until it's far too late. At least she was warned a day before.

Louis glanced at her. "Should... Should we go to class? The rest of us left, well, except Ruby, her class is down the hall. Omar mysteriously disappeared. Again. So...?" He gave her a cheeky smile, "Plus, the bell rang. And we're probably going to be late considering we've been standing here for three minutes and our class is on the other side of campus." He further mentioned, calm despite his claim.

Clementine surprisingly couldn't bother. Her encounter with Michelle soured her morning. Possibly her entire day, even. The last thing she wanted to do was go to class. "Might as well go now so that we aren't late," Clementine told him, sighing. Classes were boring, but considering Louis was there...

Louis took into account the tired expression on her face, and then very carefully, placed a hand on her head.

Clementine looked up, confused but not entirely complaining, wondering why he would do such a thing. She knows she's short—He's like, a foot fucking taller.

"Don't worry. By the time you know it, classes will be over and we'll all go home! Well, if we don't happen to die today." He paused when he saw her glare at him, "Okay. That was a little dark. What I meant to say was—we shouldn't be so focused on how dumb the classes are. If you focus on that, then it'll seem long. Trust me, take it from a guy who knows. You won't even know it's over until it is! Also, your knight is there, so it wouldn't be an issue at all if you just so happened to focus entirely on him instead of—"

Clementine grabbed Louis' hand gently from her head and smiled at him, causing him to stop. Human contact! Alert!

A blush formed on his features when he saw the soft look on her face, "Thanks, Louis. That was surprisingly wise of you to say." She furrowed her brows, thinking. "I think. But thanks." She smiled again, and that smile of hers sent his mind into a dizzying fantasy.

"Oh... yes, no momprem. Problem. How did I—You know what? We should go to class. As much as that sounds terrible for you," Louis stammered, giving her a timid grin.

Clementine nodded and let go of his warm hand, not at all hindered from his stuttering. She was still smiling at him, not exactly sure why she couldn't take her eyes off him.

He didn't mind, of course. He was too busy telling himself what an idiot he was, unknowingly unaware of the girl beside him, practically head over heels about him.

Damn teenagers.

[. . .]

Same Day, 10:37, Period 3

[. . .]

There was a horrendous sound of a tuba in the sudden quietness of the outside. Three students remained by it all, wincing from such sounds echoing in the surprisingly calm racket of the class stilling in playing their harmonious tools.

Louis, among the three—no, four—had cringed after hearing said noise. "Um..." He mumbled, uncovering his ears after appreciating that Marlon—the second of the four—would stop playing, "I think it's a safe bet to say that you're not good at playing the Tuba." He said truthfully, smiling sheepishly at his friend.

Violet was the third in the group that rubbed at her ears, "No kidding. Sounds like a dying whale," She muttered bitterly, receiving a well-deserved glare. She did not care that he didn't appreciate the look of offense he snapped at her.

"Excuse you, Violet. I'll take constructive criticism from Louis, but don't you dare say anything. You're hurting its feelings," Marlon told her, pouting.

Violet's eye twitched, "I don't give a fuck about that Tuba's stupid feelings. You suck," She hissed.

"The audacity!"

Clementine rolled her eyes at Louis' exclaim.

Marlon clutched his tuba dramatically, "You know what? That's it. You need your vibe checked. Louis, if you will," He pointed at Violet, putting his nose in the air.

"Your vibe is currently under investigation, Ma'am," Louis said, picking out a strand of grass and placing it on his head, "You have the right to remain silent."

Violet rose an eyebrow.

Clementine gave him a look, "Why did you put a piece of grass on your head?" She asked him, confused.

Louis looked confused. "What do you mean? This isn't a piece of grass," He pointed to it, "This is a police hat. Clem, I thought you were better than that."

"It's clear these women need to go back to the kitchen," Marlon said, shaking his head in a disappointed manner.

Clementine cracked her knuckles. Violet growled.

"Uh... Nevermind."

Clementine smiled kindly from Marlon's fearful reaction. She angled her head in Louis' way, "You wouldn't mind it if I became your partner, right?" Clementine asked, clearly humoring, including a pinch of truthfulness behind her words.

"As in, girlfriend?" Marlon asked, amazed by her straightforwardness. He'd need to tell Brody about this!

Violet blanched. The males can not know about their plans! "No you idiot, she meant that as a joke. You know... considering Louis is a police officer now with the privilege to be stupid," Violet groused, rolling her eyes. She eyed Louis after her speech, hoping to see any sort of reaction from him. Unfortunately, all she got was this panicked look. Interesting...

Clementine hummed and with her hand, picked out a few strands of grass, placing some of them on her head just as Louis had done. "That wouldn't be bad..." She mumbled to herself, feeling the wind pick up and blow the strands of grass away. She sulked at the loss.

"What was that?" Marlon asked, genuinely confused. Louis smiled at her, also curious.

Clementine didn't blush. But she did panic, as usual. "Nothing. I was just saying how we aren't even studying for the Note and Rest Values Quiz." She lied quickly.

"Oh shit, yeah huh," Marlon said, blank. Then, a smirk befell him, "I think I'll pass on that."

"Oh boy," Louis shook his head, "Dude, you're kind of an ass at it."

"No u," Marlon attacked.

"Oh no!" Louis patted himself, "My reverse card, where is it?"

Violet ignored the grass pelts hitting her face from the wind overturning the ones that used to be stuck on Louis' head to run over what Clementine said. It was quiet, barely audible... but Violet was sure she heard right. If she did, then this was great fucking news.

If things went into the plan and the girls' theory was right, then Clementine and Louis indeed did like each other. Equally! This would make for an easier reunion of the two, and just the thought of that alone brought sappy excitement from the powerful lesbian.

Glancing at Clementine who was presently busy staring at the bits of leaves that fell from the huddled tree they took shade from, Violet noticed something off about her. It was like she was avoiding eye contact, and though she thought it must've been her that she was avoiding, she found herself wrong when she saw Louis staring at the girl, blankly ignoring Marlon's needless and usual complaints about the school system and how they shouldn't have kicked him off the football team.

It was then when she got to thinking. Louis and Clementine... They shared similarities, but they were almost... completely different. Watching Louis' impulsive nature and Clementine's desire to hide away the conflicted complacency got her to notice as such. Clementine was calm, almost motherly. She tended to be wise when their friendship group wouldn't be, and it was very obvious that she had a badass, bad-bitchery to her. In simple words, Clementine was a strong and understanding compassionate girl who doesn't back down on anything.

Then... There was Louis. For as long as Violet's been friends with him, it was clear to her that he was very forward, childish, and unfortunately, loud. She was known to be the most annoyed by his terrible antics that often got her in trouble, and when they were young and she asked him what was his problem, he told her simply that she was just plain old fun. Louis was super confusing, and he still is, and more often than not, he's known to give up on things. He lacks future insight and has a terrible philosophical belief; tomorrow doesn't exist, only today.

It was something Violet hated and still hates to this day. But... Despite his dramatic cues and overused jokes, Louis is a great friend. Much like Clementine, he's very understanding and surprisingly strong, which Violet wished she could be as. He's not so reserved and is, unfortunately, for her, very social, as he likes making friends with whoever.

What Clementine lacked he made up for, and vice-versa. It was almost like they were made to be with one another, as cliche as it sounds. Though, Violet wondered if Clementine needed anything.

A small smile appeared on Violet's face. Observing as Louis was brought back into the argument with Marlon and Clementine listening on tiredly, she felt a sense of welcoming be brought to her. She belonged with her friends, here. Differences or not, there was always a bond that existed between two rifts. It only mattered that it never be torn, no matter how much damage it has been dealt with.

She wondered if the others felt the same as she had.

"It's not gay to blow on a horn, dude," Louis spoke.

Violet stilled. What.

"Well, no, but what if the Tuba's a guy?" Marlon asked, glaring suspiciously at the instrument in his hands, "Is that why it makes noises?" Marlon looked appalled.

Violet narrowed her eyes. You're fucking kidding.

"Marlon, the tuba isn't a boy or a girl. It's a tuba." Clementine said, leaning against her knees that were pulled in toward her chest.

Violet swore she heard someone say "Non-Binary rights" in the background.

Marlon blinked. Louis nodded, "See, it's just a Tuba. A tuba."

"Are you assuming it's instrument?" Marlon looked shocked.

Louis face-palmed. "Dude—"

"Hey, Johnny-come-lately's, where's the teacher?"

The four teenagers perked up. Behind them, they turned only to take witness to an irritated male wearing khaki pants and a camouflage shirt that decorated surprisingly well with the one earring on the right ear. It was none other than Shawn, son of a—bitch. He was holding a broken clarinet and looked upset about something; the object in his hands must have something to do with it.

Marlon shrugged and immediately became hostile. "Don't know, man. You should ask Irene. She's the T.A around here," Marlon answered, issuing a scowl in his direction.

The two leaders held a staring contest. There was an unspoken hatred among the two, and the only bitching member missing was Michelle herself. If you haven't already known, there were three main groups in New Frontier High. Marlon's group, known more as the Troubled Kids; Michelle's group, consisting of Ida, Bertha, Becca, Gabby, Linda, and Michelle or, who called themselves Bad Bitchets—though others called them the Ghetto Bitch Club—and Shawn's group; Greg, Travis, Troy, Gill, Drew and along with various others formed to become those named the Pitstop A's. They all held beef with each other and nobody knew why; except for the leaders themselves. Of course, nobody bothered to know, so they all kept to themselves if no one else got in the way.

Shawn scowled back, "I knew it was useless asking." He said, and turned around, clenching the broken clarinet in his hands. His eyes caught sight of Clementine sitting beside Violet on the grass, and he suddenly found himself staring. He even stopped walking.

"Then why ask?" Violet muttered bitterly.

Louis bristled from where he sat on the grass upon seeing Shawn staring at Clementine out of nowhere.

Shawn turned to Marlon, eyebrow raised. His eyes then were forwarded to Violet and then Louis, three familiar faces that he disliked. Especially Marlon's. But that girl...

"Who are you?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Clementine leaned forward with her arm propped on her knee. "I'm—"

"—Taken," Violet interrupted, scowling at the male.

Shawn gave her a dirty look. "Nobody was asking you, uglyass." He shot.

"Nobody asked you to talk, either, bitch," Marlon sassed back, the Tuba placed neatly down on the grass.

Shawn thumbed the edge of one of the broken clarinet pieces, "Who are you?" He repeated, ignoring Marlon's statement and instead focusing on the very pretty girl sitting on the suddenly lovely looking grass.

Clementine's face was blank when she spoke, "I'm Clementine." She replied calmly, not sure why the guy seemed so interested. She wondered why the males usually had that same reaction... Not all, of course. Some. Most.

"Clementine," He nodded his head, tasting the word on his tongue. "That's a nice name. Hey," A charming smile grew on his face abruptly, his body positioning itself more comfortable rather than the tense look it had just moments ago, "You seem interesting. There's this party going on—"

"We know," Louis said.

Shawn scowled, "Was I talking to you, rich boy?"

"Nobody cares about a stupid party," Violet seethed at him, sneering.

"Exactly. So you and your broken clarinet, get the fuck out of my sight," Marlon growled, pointing at him in a threat.

Shawn scoffed with the dirtiest look on the planet, practically offended that Marlon told him off. He was going to retort and ask who the fuck he was to tell him what to do, but held his tongue when he realized he was outnumbered. He wasn't sure who it was, but one of them from Marlon's group managed to fuck up almost all of Michelle's group. Whoever that was had guts, and he wasn't about to have himself crucified at the moment if that rumor going around was true.

He turned to Clementine, "Anyway. There's a party, and I was wondering if you'd want to come by. Greg's Ex is hosting it, and she put me in charge to send out the invites." Shawn explained, smiling once more. "You down?"

Clementine was interrupted again before she could answer.

"There are no invites. Everyone's invited as long as there's no trouble," Louis corrected, bitter to his tone of words. Shawn snapped his head at him and stared menacingly. Louis stared back with his head leaning on his hand, looking unbothered from eliciting such a reaction from the punk.

Shawn crossed his arms, "How the hell do you know?" He asked, challenging.

Louis pretended to fix his attire even if he knew it was flawless and he cleared his throat, smiling at him. "Maybe because I'm the one who paid for this party to happen?" He asked, trying not to look too egotistical in front of this man. He had a reputation to uphold. "I am known to have great skills on hosting parties," He added, smiling innocently as to throw the male off.

Violet snorted while Marlon covered his mouth with the back of his hand, biting down on the knuckles to keep from laughing.

Shawn's face slowly began to glow red from embarrassment.

Clementine stared at the new male, bored. Was he going to invite her? Because if he was, she wasn't going to attend if Louis wasn't going. It was a habit she didn't realize she did often; she just really didn't want to be anywhere if Louis wasn't going to be there to distract her. She would never admit it, but his attention did wonders to her.

Shawn glowered at the rich boy in front of him. "I'll ask Paige myself," He seethed, and without another word, he left.

Clementine watched him leave, unconsciously feeling glad that the Shawn guy hadn't invited her somewhere she probably didn't want to go.

Marlon scoffed. "Fucking bitch," He muttered, looking at his Tuba.

"Exactly," Violet agreed, looking at the grass a little hurt.

Louis sighed. "Don't take anything he said to heart. He's just being Shawn," He mumbled, patting Violet's back.

Violet glanced at him, "Yeah, I know. I'm just pissed I can't knock his teeth in," Violet said truthfully.

"Honestly. He's lucky I was in a good mood today," Marlon scratched at something on his Tuba, "Or else I would've seriously been over the edge."

Clementine frowned. "Does everyone treat you guys like this?" She asked softly, wondering.

"No," Louis shook his head, "Most people like us. It's just his group and Michelle's that has a problem with us..."

"It's annoying, but we learned to live with it," Violet shrugged.

Clementine bit the inside of her cheek. "That's not something you guys should be dealing with." She said earnestly, glaring. The three appreciated her words.

Marlon put the Tuba back down and leaned forward, sitting like a male with Jock issues. "We tried dealing with it, but they inevitably had the upper hand on us. To be honest, we're the weakest of the three groups," He admitted, and he made a face, sour about the known fact.

"Were," Violet corrected.

"Oh yeah," Louis snapped his fingers, realizing, "We're like, second right?"

Clementine furrowed her eyebrows. "What changed?" She asked.

The three of them went silent.

They stared at her for a moment and then looked at each other, sending psychological messages through their heads. They looked at her again after a little while.

"You," They said in unison.

[. . .]

Bitch, it's Lunch Time

[. . .]

"I didn't know other groups hated us."

Ava stopped beating up her pizza to regard the troubled girl sitting in front of her. "What?" She asked, narrowing her eyes in confusion. Clementine wasn't known to talk out of anywhere without including everyone else too. The others were busy talking with one another currently, which baffled the tattooed female that Clementine took it out of her reserved nature to begin a conversation.

Clementine furrowed her brows. "I met the Shawn guy you've told me about," She muttered, tapping her spork repeatedly against the edge of her tray.

Ava's eyebrows soared. "What? For real? What the hell did that bitchy-bitch say?" She asked, and back her glare was.

Clementine glared as well. "He threatened Marlon. And disrespected Violet. And Louis," She paused to clench her spork, "He also invited me to—"

"—The party," Ava deadpanned.

Clementine nodded.

At this, Ava groaned. "I knew it. Ugh, just ignore him. He has a piece of shit stuck up his ass all the time," Ava grumbled, biting into her pizza.

"No shit," Clementine sighed, shaking her head. "Why does he have a problem with us?" She asked, a fit of anger bubbling behind her curious eyes.

Ava chewed on her piece as she thought. There were too many reasons to list why. For one, they were different and any other group was just enemies in the older kid's eyes. Not to mention the awful advantage of having an officer as a father. Which didn't make sense, but somehow, that was a sign of power for the boy. "There's a lot of reasons why," Ava replied.

Clementine stabbed at a piece of lettuce, "Yeah? And what are those reasons?" She asked, eyeing the girl.

Ava swallowed and bit again, "Power. Rich principle. You know, the usual stuff." Ava paused, "Also maybe because Marlon was the first who stood up to Shawn. With a couple of punches on his face," She groused, nodding.

Clementine widened her eyes. "Marlon fought Shawn?"

"Beat up, more like it," Ava replied.

Clementine hummed. "I thought he was just scared of things. You know, like a coward," She shrugged.

Ava almost choked on her pizza from the sudden laugh that erupted in her throat. She coughed, grinning, "You have some jokes on you, Fruity. Trust me, he's both." She said, hitting her chest as to stop herself from choking any further.

Clementine studied the information. Across the messy table, she eyed Marlon up and queried why it was that he managed to stand up for himself. Don't get her wrong, it's a good thing he did. But she remembers specifically that she was told that nobody has ever stood up to anyone, at least not before she came to take part in their awful jokes and messes.

Part of her was confused. Another part of her was happy they did. She didn't believe them the first time they told her they were shy before her.

But...

If their Friendship group was the least—now second—to be the supposed 'strongest', then how had Marlon beat up the Shawn guy without any further consequences?

"If you're asking how he beat him up," Ava spoke, wiping her fingers on the napkin, "Then you're gonna be living with that for the rest of your life because nobody knows how. But. They do know that Shawn lost. Nobody was around to witness it to the end, which is a load of bullshit if you ask me. But whatever," Ava answered, not at all helping her discover the answer.

"That's suspicious," Clementine said, furrowing her brows.

"That's exactly what I said," Ava agreed.

"How does anyone know Shawn lost if no one saw the fight happen?" Clementine asked.

Ava frowned. "Someone who used to come here told us. I forget his name... I think it was Charles? Chadwick? Whatever. But he said it to everyone. It was like a whole speech," Ava pointed to one of the lunch tables that resided in the middle where a lonely boy sat, "He stood right over there, on the table, talking all loud. This was like three years ago, so keep in mind, imagine a pipsqueak the size of Mariana yelling in full vocals that the tough guy Shawn, lost," Ava snickered, recollecting the memory.

Clementine blinked. "But... How did he know?" She asked.

Ava stopped. "That one... I don't know. After what that kid did, that's all anyone knew." She replied.

"And people just believed him?" Clementine rose an eyebrow.

Ava nodded. "Yeah, I mean, it sort of makes sense. At that time, Marlon was way stronger than Shawn. Now, they're kind of equal," She said, poking at the salad she had yet to open.

Clementine knew that wasn't all. "Did the boy move schools?" She asked.

Ava's expression became grim. "No. It was all over the news that year; he got killed by three dudes," She responded somberly, regretfully watching Clementine's face morph to solemnness. "The only friend he had was this guy named James. I forget what happened to him," Ava waved off, lifting her shoulders in nonchalance.

Clementine stilled. "James?" She asked. Her voice had become almost breathless.

Ava scratched at her head. "Yeah, I think. Maybe Jason. Dunno. I don't remember names all that much," Ava said.

Clementine wasn't sure why a twist was encountered in her stomach.

"Yeah... I knew I shouldn't have told you. You're kind of the paranoid type," Ava blunted.

Clementine glared.

"Hey," Ava lifted her arms, "Just saying it how it is. I'm sensitive, so... I think that evens it out," She smiled genuinely.

Clementine sighed. "This is confusing."

"Tell me about it," Brody said, sitting by Ava with a tray of food in her hands. "How can anyone choose between a flower dress and a rose blouse?" She asked, incredulous.

Ava rolled her eyes. "Obviously the rose Blouse." She said, opening her salad.

Brody stared.

"I think a flower dress would be nice," Ruby chimed in.

"What about black, revealing skin-tight spandex?" Mariana asked enthusiastically, grinning.

"What about baggy pants?" Violet asked.

"With a cute yellow shirt?" Minnie added.

"Or cute preppy boots!" Sarah clapped her hands.

"Or skin-tight spandex," Sophie said.

"I said that," Mariana grumbled.

"I thought about it first," Sophie replied.

"No, you didn't," The young girl argued back.

"I totally did!"

Meanwhile, the boys were watching. They each respectively set down their mobile devices to see the common argument between the girls, interested in what they were partaking in now.

"Bikinis! But with our asses out."

"You can't even throw it back, Mari."

"Who said anything about that?"

"You need to throw it back."

"We can just suck their dick."

"Girl, no."

The boys glanced at one another.

"So, clothes again?" Aasim asked, bored.

The boys nodded.

Aasim sighed. "I won't partake in any of this. I almost lost my hand the last time," He muttered, returning his attention to the romance novel in front of him.

Mitch scoffed. "Be lucky they didn't take your dick off." He refuted, shoving a chicken nugget into his mouth.

Duck furrowed his brows. "Wait, what?"

"What?" Mitch asked, "I still have it. I think. Should I check?"

Gabe face-palmed. "Have you peed?" He asked, tired.

Willy looked grim. "Peed? Ya mean pissed?"

"And what do you mean have I peed? Why do you wanna know?" Mitch asked, glaring.

"It's obvious this feller here has a crush on ya, ya willy-dingle," Duck teased, elbowing Gabe.

Gabe glared. "As if. He's gross!"

"You're gross!"

"Your mom!" Willy chimed in.

"You've just been murdered."

"No, yours!"

"Can you idiots keep it down?" Aasim growled annoyingly.

"Can you get pussy?"

"What has that have to do with anything!?"

"Please refrain from touching my meal," Omar glared.

Soon, the two genders had fought. It was the norm, and usually, Louis would be among the destruction. He had yet to speak. He was lost in thought.

Clementine was the same. She was often dragged in, but no matter how much they asked for her opinion, they could not get her attention. Not that the girls noticed. They were still arguing, after all.

"Guys, guys," Marlon then said, waving his hands downward.

The girls stopped to stare at him. The boys stopped choking each other and yelling 'harder daddy'. Clementine and Louis snapped out of their coincidental ponder.

He cleared his throat and fixed his football sweater, attempting a stretch with his hands. "What about being naked altogether?" He suggested, grinning as if he were a genius.

The boys looked confused.

The girls glared.

"That's it," Violet stood, grabbing a spork, "You lost penis privilege."

Brody squawked. "Hey now! I still have use for that!"

"You don't even swallow, Brod," Minnie pointed out.

Ruby looked appalled. "What is wrong with y'all!?"

"That's what I'm saying," Aasim agreed, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, it's not my fault Gabe has a crush on me," Mitch seethed.

Everyone looked at him.

"What?" Clementine asked, raising her eyebrows in surprise.

Gabe looked exhausted. "Nothing. They think I'm gay again." He replied dumbly, blinking slowly at her.

Marlon looked stunned. "You're not?"

Gabe slammed his face on the table.

[. . .]

It's the same day... Except it's Sixth!

[. . .]

"Aasim... I think Clementine likes me."

Aasim stopped scribbling nonsense onto his journal to forward his attention to the boy next to him. "What?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Louis tapped the edge of the pencil he held against his desk, a conflicted expression decorating his once enthusiastic one. "I heard Michelle talking today." He mumbled and furrowed his brows when he reminded himself again.

Aasim immediately lost interest. "I thought you told us not to pay any attention to her?" He asked, and began to mindlessly dot down the words of the teacher.

Louis scratched the back of his neck. "Well, yeah, but..."

"Then?"

Louis let out a tired huff. "She was... Did Ruby tell you? What happened this morning?"

Aasim's heart thudded. "Yeah. Michelle was supposedly trying to fight Clementine again when she lost the last time," Aasim grumbled, trying to ignore the thoughts of Ruby roaming in his head again.

"That wasn't just it, though," Louis muttered, anxious, "I heard a little of why they were going to."

Aasim perked up. "Really?"

"Yeah..." Louis stopped moving his pencil, "Michelle was talking about Clementine's... special someone," He said, unable to hide the scorn in his voice. Sure, he had a very good idea it may have been him, but if it was another... He'd be heartbroken.

Aasim said nothing, curious. He'd never seen Louis like this before. He'd have his occasional pretty girl admiration before Clementine arrived, and they'd last barely a week at most. And he assumed with Clementine, it would be the same. He surprised all when he kept pursuing her, despite her joyful rejections. If he can even call those rejections.

"I think that special someone is me," He said, and his mood lightened, "I think."

Aasim had to give him credit. He assumed Louis would remain oblivious forever, and he hoped Clementine would be the first to react. "Not to sound like Marlon or something," Aasim waved off, "But why do you think it's you?"

Louis blinked. He flushed slightly. "Well, I mean, I don't know. I'm just guessing it's me because Michelle wouldn't make a big deal about it," He paused, remembering the blush on her face that morning, "And... She... I think—"

"Mr. Kyng!"

Louis and Aasim jumped respectively and snapped their heads toward the front of the classroom.

Omid stood with a gleaming smile on his face. "I've been told by one of my students you seem to know well of America's political culture, traits, and beliefs of the American voter?" He asked, poking his marker on the whiteboard.

Louis calmed down. "Oh yeah? And who said that?" He asked, smiling cheekily.

Omid cleared his throat and smiled, "Why, your girl, of course! At least... I'm assuming she is. Celeste, was it?" Omid muttered to himself, taking out a piece of paper from his pocket and reading the note.

The class erupted in a gasp.

From the back, Violet snickered.

"What?" Louis then squeaked, unsure if he heard correctly.

"Ah yes," Omid nodded, placing the paper on his desk, "Clementine! That's the name."

Louis almost fainted.

Luckily, Aasim smacked him before letting the void swallow him whole.

Oh boy...

[. . .]

February 13th, 8:57 AM, Friday

[. . .]

It was no surprise for Clementine when she saw Violet and the girls all huddled at her door. It was to be expected, as Violet had warned her the day before of such occasion.

"Girls?" Clementine asked when she opened the door, smiling in greeting, "You guys are early."

Violet and Minnie scoffed.

"That's what I said!" Mariana whined, glaring at the group behind her. "I could've slept in!"

"And miss the chance to go to the mall? Are you nuts?" Brody squawked, offended.

"The mall?" Clementine asked, confused.

"Yeah!" Sophie gleamed, clapping her hands together. "The earlier we go, the fewer people there are!"

Ava sighed grimly. "We figured since the school's off on a Friday, we'd go shopping." Ava scratched at her chin, bland, "For the party."

Clementine smiled, "Yeah, that seems nice. I haven't been there in a while." She hummed.

"It's been so long since we went out," Sarah lamented, feeling the joy swarm her insides, "I missed you guys."

"We see each other every day, darlin'," Ruby cooed.

Sarah nodded. "Yes but... I meant as girls. The boys are always with us and don't get me wrong, it wouldn't hurt spending time with Mitch," Sarah unintentionally flushed, "But being around with only you guys makes me feel comfortable," She explained, issuing a kindred smile to all.

All smiled respectively. "Thanks, Sarah," Ava said, "Even though I hate girls."

"No, you don't. You like them, right?" Sophie narrowed her eyes, "Right?"

Ava stared at her. "No. I like males," She narrowed her eyes, "What, you thought because my head's shaved and I wear baggy pants and training bras I'd be a lesbian?"

The girls stared at her.

"You convinced me," Minnie brushed off.

Ava rolled her eyes. "I wish. I've tried," She paused to grimace, "She dumped me."

Violet's curiosity spiked. "How?"

Ava shrugged. "I accidentally said I was experimenting. Or something. It didn't feel right, you know?"

Clementine nodded. "It feels that way. If you have the wrong partner," She replied. "Maybe she wanted a committed relationship. She should've respected your thoughts, though."

Ava smiled at the girl. "Yeah. That would've been better. I don't blame her, though. She sort of had a thing for me for a while," Ava winced, "And well, you know."

Clementine looked solemn. "Maybe it just wasn't meant to be. It happens." She told, earning a regretful sigh from the girl with the scars.

"I guess," Ava muttered.

"Trust me," Clementine leaned her hand on her hip, "Girls are just as hard to read as boys. I've had... My fair share." (Just to clear up, it's only Crushes! No dates.)

Every girl whirled there head in her direction. "What?" They asked, surprising the curly-haired female in the house.

Clementine blinked innocently. "I'm bisexual," She said as if it were the most obvious thing.

Violet began choking on air and almost fell.

"Sweetie," Minnie called briefly before excluding herself out of the group with Violet.

The other girls huddled. "Really!? How come you never told us!?"

"I assumed you guys knew," Clementine chuckled. "Louis calls me fruity sometimes."

Sophie glared. "That's an offensive term. I think."

"Not the way he says it," Ava said.

"I think he doesn't even know what it means," Brody pointed out.

"Doesn't it mean crazy?" Sarah asked. "I asked Mitch... He told me."

"I thought it meant gay?" Mariana asked. Then, her eyes sparkled. Latching onto Clementine's arm, Mariana bellowed, "Clementine! Be gay for me!"

Mariana was then shoved in the face. "No," Brody pushed her back, "Calm down. She's only going to be gay for me."

Clementine quirked an eyebrow.

"Marlon's gonna cry," Ruby deadpanned.

Brody shrugged. "Too little too late!"

Clementine shook her head and released a small chuckle, earning mystified looks from the girls. "Are we going to the mall or not?" She asked, humoring the female squad.

The girls replied with various and quick yes's.

Violet then returned, "You like girls too," Violet gasped.

Clementine issued her a dry look, insinuating her playful nature. "No, Violet. I like rocks."

She began choking again.

"I thought you liked Louis!" Sophie cried mournfully.

Clementine face-palmed.

[. . .]

The boys had shared a... similar route. Due to finding out that the girls were going to the mall, the dudes of all dudes opted for a guy's night out. Or day, for lack of time values.

"Shut the fuck up!"

"Suck my cock, bitch!"

"Eat my ass, pussy!"

And by deciding on a day for the boys, they were all situated in Louis' home, playing a game. They huddled at a large screen with most holding controllers, while others cheered behind their desired player.

"Stop being whores!"

"Shut up, chicken!"

"Dickhead!"

And unfortunately... Their morals were deceased.

"Can you all please keep it down?" Aasim hissed from a corner of the room, forced to remove his attention away from his phone to guide a glare over to his insufferable friends.

They paid the quiet boy no mind, which caused him to groan.

Louis found it funny. "I see you're enjoying your stay?" He asked, grinning from one ear to another.

Aasim shot him a dirty look. "Yeah. Totally having the time of my life." He grumbled sarcastically.

"Oh come on, Ass," Louis walked over to the table, sitting beside him, "You should be having fun! Look! They're having fun!" Louis pointed, causing Aasim to make a face when Mitch punched Marlon in the face.

"No thank you," Aasim brushed off, "I'd want to keep my face."

Louis smiled despite the rejection. "I swear it's more fun. Even Omar's playing!"

The two turned their gaze to the boy sitting between Marlon and Mitch, easily avoiding their swings as he munched away at his sandwich.

Aasim didn't much care that he was. "So? That's not going to change my mind."

Louis hummed in contemplation and studied his response. This wasn't entirely out of the blue for Louis. Aasim tended to side-away from the group due to his lone-wolf trait circling in his blood. It was precisely why Aasim liked Ruby because just like him, she liked to stay alone and to her studies. She was more social than him, of course, because every mom friend liked to coo and care for others. It only succeeded to make Aasim fall in love with her more.

But to the matter at hand... Aasim did not like people. He hated most because, as Omar would say, they lacked brain cells.

Not that Louis minded. He grew used to Aasim's nature, and like Violet, he enjoyed teasing them relentlessly about it.

"What about some chess?" Louis offered, smiling gleefully in his direction.

Aasim peeked over the book he was reading and rose an eyebrow.

Louis could see the mirth enchanted in his eyes.

Aasim could see the mischief in his.

The two had a staredown that attracted the attention of the others who stopped screaming, and even of the golden-retriever puppy that Louis received from Violet as a gift a month ago.

Duck sighed. "Did those darn do-Lil's challenge each other for that tasty board game again?" He asked, looking extremely tired all of a sudden as he stood and cracked his aching back.

Marlon and Mitch sighed as well, taking in the intensity of the two. "Yep," They both said, rubbing at their faces from the punches they threw at each other for fun.

"Tasty?" Gabe asked.

"He ate a chess-board piece once," Omar replied simply.

Willy made a face.

"What?" Duck scoffed, "It looked like them choco figures my momma used to make!"

"How did you not die?"

Duck paused. "Huh." He muttered, "No idea. The lawd was probably by mah' side," He said, nodding approvingly.

Gabe shivered. "I'm starting to think instead he left you because you were the epitome of Satan himself."

Needless to say, Gabe got punched.

Meanwhile, Louis and Aasim were still having their staring contest. None had blinked, and Marlon was beginning to question his reality again.

"Are you challenging me?" Aasim asked, and the group fell silent when a tiny smirk manifested on his lips.

Louis shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not." He grinned cheekily.

"Are you guys having eye sex?" Marlon asked.

"Without us?" Mitch asked indignantly.

Omar rolled his eyes. "Shall I bring out the chess materials?" He asked the two, not at all surprised when the two had paid attention to him and not the others. It was said Marlon was the leader, but as far as the friendship group and Marlon knew, Omar had a pretty good sense of authority.

Louis' smirk looked almost as similar as Aasim's. "Dude," He said, and snapped his fingers, "Totally!"

The others began to huddle around the table the two were seated at, eager to watch the game take place.

Omar nodded and left to a corner decorated with games in the room Louis had specifically brought out from his closet, holding back a tired sigh. Everyone in their right mind knew Louis was said to be the... dumb one. Well, perhaps the over-enthusiastic. The dumb one was usually Duck. However, all were presently aware that Louis was quite a master at the board game.

Anyone who he had ever challenged lost, all except Aasim. It was a silent truce between the two to never battle because one always came close to winning, but when they would challenge... Let's just say there was a contest dedicated to the town due to such a game from them.

Omar was expecting crowds of people any minute. Part of him also expected a confession. He wondered why such a presence happened to be thought of by him.

Grabbing onto the board, he stared at it in dismay before returning, placing it neatly onto the table. "Alright," He said, and removed the top, "Arrange the materials and I'll let you know when to begin," He instructed.

The two nodded and did as he said as Omar searched for the timer.

"I'm betting a quarter Louis wins," Mitch grinned.

"A quarter? I'm betting seven!" Willy said.

Marlon hummed. "I'm betting ten dollars on Aasim. He's one smart bitch," He complimented.

"Twenty for Aasim." Gabe challenged.

"It's on," Mitch hissed.

"I ain't bettin' Nuthin'. I like mah money, and I ain't givin' shit on some stupid chocolate game," Duck dismissed.

"It's not chocolate, Ken," Marlon deadpanned. Then, he smirked, "It's a battle to the death!"

Then he got smacked by Omar who returned. "Is everyone ready?" He asked, monotone as always.

Marlon pouted as he rubbed at his head, glancing at the two friends sitting down and formed. "Yeah," He whined childishly.

Omar pressed a button on his phone, "Then begin."

Without a second glance at the friends who took sides, the two knuckleheads proceeded by starting their game.

The first two rounds were intense. The occasional clicks that were surprisingly frequent from the two were swarming in cheers from their friends on each side, ecstatic. While Louis would move one chess piece to another, Aasim would react immediately by moving one of his own.

The first round was won by Aasim. He had a smug look on his face and for once, received the boost the others gave him whole-heartedly, saying something about "accepting this hubris" for now. All Louis' white chess-pieces were gone except for his king, who was surrounded by various blacks from his friend.

The second round was won by Louis. In an all imaginable tangle, he had managed to trap both the queen and king by the time Aasim reached his side, which was renounced in an applauding chorus from their friends. Aasim had nodded and even complimented his skills, to which Louis couldn't help but swell joyfully. It wasn't everyday Aasim gave praise.

The third round... was beyond words.

In the first three minutes after their two hours playing, they had moved every piece around significantly. Not once was one knocked or the other shortened, but rather, the board was full of mixed pieces.

Their friends watched quietly, eyes profoundly staring, looking for a flaw even if they didn't know how to play.

Louis and Aasim were caught stumped. The moment Aasim moved one of his pieces, Louis moved his to counter-attack, leading to a draw and no pieces being removed.

Louis attempted a move, and it ended on the first pieces to be removed. A rook, and a knight. Aasim had captured Louis' rook in a spit of blindness, unaware of the knight that had knocked his piece away.

Currently, after about two more hours of relentless moving and knocking of pieces that led to a draw, they sat silently, thinking.

Aasim had a very contemplative look on his face with a hand over his chin. His brows were knit together in thought, and the corners of his mouth were straight and serious.

Louis pondered almost the same. Except, his slight frustration in discovering a better move was in its wake a blankness. Louis had a thing to him where he didn't show how troubled he was, no matter how deep the situation was.

The others were still watching. Some awaited with bated breath, as others had yet to speak due to falling asleep. Omar, who was among the awake ones, took a look at the timer on his phone. He realized it had been about five hours since they'd started playing, which surprised him. It was at that time when he noticed a text message from Violet.

'so we bought dresses for the party'

Omar opened the message and began to type a response.

'That's nice.' (He's dry af, I'm SORRY).

Omar waited. Three dots appeared.

'Yeah we were sort of thinking hooking those two up tomorrow'

Omar was surprised. Were they?

'I thought you were doing it on easter?' He replied.

There was a pause in the audience that went unnoticed by Omar.

'Nah fuc that shit, valentines it is'

Omar seemed content. 'A wise decision. Hopefully, Paige is down for it.'

The answer was almost immediate.

'oh she will be, lol'

Omar doubted, but he accepted. Leaving her on read, he fled the messages app and took a look back at his timer, which marked five hours, three minutes, and seven seconds. Now eight. Now nine. Now ten.

"No!" Someone exclaimed, causing Omar to remove away from his phone and to the game that was most likely over.

Everyone asleep startled awake when Willy's outburst caught them off-guard, scrambling up to see who had lost and who had won.

To nobody's surprise, it was Aasim.

"Damn," Louis whistled, smiling wide, "I knew I should've placed my king left!"

Aasim stretched. "Well, it was a good game either way. Two to one."

Louis nodded. "Seemed like it," He turned to Omar, "How long has it been?"

"Five hours and four minutes with three seconds," Omar replied smoothly without glancing at his phone again.

Louis widened his eyes.

"We've been playing for five hours?" Aasim asked, surprised. "I thought it'd be longer."

"Right," Mitch caught on. Then, he groaned. "Aw, come on, now we have to pay."

Willy grumbled under his breath at the news.

The others grinned. "That's right boys," Marlon yawned, scratching his growing hair, "Twenty—"

"Whoa, there shooty," Duck eased, "They bet quarters. Not some political green selling cabbage!"

Marlon and Gabe glared. "Seriously?" Gabe asked, crossing his arms.

Mitch put his hands up, "Hey, at least you guys get eight quarters each." He shrugged.

Gabe and Marlon shook their head.

"You guys bet on us?" Aasim asked, incredulous.

"I ain't do no such thing," Duck refuted.

"Duh," Mitch rolled his eyes. "It wasn't like we've never done that before."

Aasim pinched the bridge of his nose. "You guys are so childish."

The boys shrugged.

Louis chuckled. "Hey, I would've done the same thing. Remember the baseball thing?"

Everyone then became grim.

"I'd... rather not," Mitch muttered, glaring as he touched his nose.

Louis immediately regretted saying anything. And he seldom regretted. Louis liked saying. He liked talking. He always talked.

Somehow, Aasim had noticed Louis' unease. Something was wrong, and Aasim wasn't sure if he liked it. "Gabe told me he's better at Mario Kart than you are, Mitch," Aasim said nonchalantly, in hopes the attention was brought elsewhere.

Gabe gaped. "I didn't! Marlon said that!" He hissed, pointing.

Marlon let out an ingenious noise that sounded like a warthog. "What!? Brody said that, not me!"

"I'm clearly better," Duck piped in.

Anger was flared. Things were yeeted.

And Aasim sat there, both relieved and amused that the topic was brought down.

The boys left the two to their devices afterward. Not without throwing more colorful language and causing a ruckus that brought a few maids in to see the commotion, that is. Luckily, there wasn't anything big going on. For now.

"I think you got better," Aasim admitted, smiling at the boy once they were left alone.

Louis smiled in return. "I think I did," He said resolutely, surprising the winner.

Aasim then furrowed his brow. "You're upset about something," He exposed.

Louis stopped. "What?" He snorted, "Nope! I'm just... tired. Yep, tired." He grinned sheepishly.

Aasim shook his head. "You can't fool me. I know you're upset about Clementine."

Louis felt himself freeze over. He let out an awkward laugh as an attempt to brush off the uneasiness, "W-What? Who told—"

"Nobody did," Aasim said, "I could just tell."

Louis then deflated. Was he that easy to read? "Okay. Yeah." He paused, wincing, "I don't know, Aasim. I'm still thinking if it's me or not."

"Why wouldn't it be you?" He asked, "Clementine doesn't hang out with another male by herself besides you."

Louis blushed a little at the mention. "Well, yeah, but... I don't know. It could be anyone I don't know," He looked at the bright colorful screen the others were playing in, "What if it's someone from her old school?"

Aasim let out an exasperated sigh. "Louis, why would Michelle be making a big deal about it, then? You know her sorry ass has eyes only for you, like, actual emotional appeal besides appearance," He told.

Louis made a face. "I don't think Michelle likes me like that. Maybe—"

"She's made it super clear," Aasim interrupted.

Louis shook his head. "I would've known if she... you know," He moved his hands awkwardly, "Truly liked me."

Aasim issued him a dry look. "Whether you like it or not, and this comes from me, who hates the girl just like everyone else," He scoffed at the thought, "Michelle's been decently affectionate. She's just too touchy-feely with you. That's why Michelle doesn't like Clementine."

Louis blinked.

"Clementine... She's close to you. Emotionally close. Physically, I don't know. I don't like getting into people Business," Aasim waved off.

Louis looked confused.

Aasim glared. "Do you understand what I'm saying? Clementine's intimacy with you has Michelle jealous. Even if Michelle shouldn't be, because she's a stupid girl with no morals whatsoever." He explained, irritated upon seeing the further induced confusion ever-present on Louis' face.

Louis said nothing on the matter. It looked like he was still processing.

Aasim face-palmed. "She likes you, idiot!" Aasim hissed, annoyed that he can't understand, "Clementine's been liking you since, well, I don't know, forever? That's why Michelle's mad!"

Louis became blank. "...What?" He muttered.

Aasim just stared at him. Is he being serious?

Omar observed the two from across the room. He supposed his plan was going quite well, now that Aasim told him. Now it only came to the party tomorrow...

"She... likes me?" Louis whispered, remaining expressionless.

Aasim sighed. "Okay, tell you what," He reached across and grabbed the phone from his dress shirt's pocket, "How about you call her and invite her as your date to the party tomorrow? If she says yes, then she likes you. And if she says no, then... you know," He shrugged, holding the new phone Louis bought a couple of weeks ago, "We'll see then."

Louis took back his phone and stared at it.

"Alright," He muttered, and a confident smile overcame his face, "I'll do it."

Aasim smiled.

[. . .]

The girls sat on the busy tables of the lunch cafeteria. Some ordered drinks while others ordered their life's worth, and each respectively enjoyed their time.

They chatted away with girlish things; clothes, makeup, World War Three, uh... etc. Unsurprisingly, one of those things were boys.

"Marlon's cute," Brody argued, glaring at Violet.

Violet scoffed. "He looks like a rat."

"I bet you he isn't even good in bed," Mariana became smug.

Brody smirked. "He's hit home base."

"Nobody ever says that anymore," Ava spoke.

"Doesn't matter. He still hit it," Brody flipped her hair.

Violet made a face. "In the wrong places."

Brody glared.

"Duck gives better head," Sophie then remarked.

Suddenly there was silence.

"Excuse me?" Ruby asked with widened eyes.

Sophie blushed. "What? How come she can talk about her man and I can't?"

"Because she's naturally gross," Violet replied. Minnie nodded.

Brody sighed.

"What exactly does Homebase mean?" Sarah asked, genuinely curious. The table became silent as all-powerful females stared at the girl.

Clementine winced.

Ava didn't care. "You know your boyfriend Mitch, right?"

Sarah nodded.

The girls gave Ava narrowed looks.

"Okay, imagine him kissing you."

Sarah flushed.

"And then imagine him doing it," Ava continued.

Clementine opened her mouth, "Ava—"

Sarah crinkled her brows, extremely confused. "What do you mean by doing it?"

"Having sex," Violet answered.

Sarah gasped. "What!?" She exclaimed, flushed entirely red.

"Girl," Brody waved off, "It's okay. Marlon told me you guys did it already." She smiled bashfully.

Sarah squawked. "No, we didn't! He only kisses me!"

"Awww," Sophie cooed, fluttering her eyelashes, "That's so cute!" Minnie smacked the back of her head. Sophie ducked and dodged it, all while still looking cute.

"Does he kiss well?" Mariana asked, suspicious. She would not say it out loud that she only wanted to know because she thinks kissing skills are family hand-me-downs. You know. Hereditary. Stupid Willy...

Sarah shifted a bit in her seat. "...Yeah..." She whispered and pushed her glasses up her nose.

"Has he touched you?"

"Sophie!" Ruby scolded.

Sophie shrugged sheepishly.

Sarah rubbed her arm, "...No..."

"It's okay if he has, sweetie," Brody said, assuring the girl, "Males like doing that."

"A little too much," Sophie grumbled.

"Chair. And make it electric!"

Sarah shook her head. "No. He only likes hugging me close." She shrunk in her seat, "And touching my waist."

"What about your butt?" Mariana asked.

Sarah colored, "No! He's... He's never—"

"Okay, sweetie, don't worry," Brody said, smiling warmly at her as she placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, "We believe you."

"Well, yeah," Ava states, rolling her eyes, "We were just wondering."

"Okay girls," Clementine stopped, sternly gazing at them, "I think Sarah's had enough questions." She warned.

The girls backed away, sulking. "Oh come on," Sophie mumbled, planting her face onto the table, "We were just asking!"

Clementine didn't look convinced. "Asking can still bother someone. You guys should respect someone else's privacy."

"Okay mom," Violet snorted.

Clementine sighed.

"Okay. Well then, what about Clem?" Minnie piped in, earning a smug grin from the girls around, "How are you and Louis doing?"

The girls 'ooohed' at the said question, and each looked at the quiet lady in talking.

Clementine didn't blush. She merely froze, "What about me and him?" She questioned, quirking an innocent eyebrow. She silently wished they hadn't figured out about Michelle.

The twins shrugged. "Something tells me that you guys are... pretty intimate now." Minnie winked.

"And by intimate you mean...?"

"Sexually frustrated," Brody gleamed.

Clementine hated that her face had bloomed pink. "Seriously? No. Louis and I are just..."

"Dating?"

"Friends with benefits?"

"Emotional support that drives another up a wall because of how oblivious your love is?"

Clementine looked a tad sad. "Friends," She muttered.

The girls frowned and looked at one another.

"Friends can be a good thing too, Babycakes," Ruby said, offering Clementine a tiny smile of assurance.

Clementine rubbed at her arms. "Yeah, I know. It's just..."

"Girl," Mariana scoffed, pushing Ruby aside, earning a well-deserved glare, "You are a very hot and powerful female. Don't tell me you're being all sad because you and Louis are friends!"

Clementine blinked at the girl standing beside her, taken back.

"You have your looks, and your worth, and even better—Your personality! Seduce him! Make him explode!" Mariana exclaimed, grinning sinisterly at each word.

The girls merely looked at the evil little girl. Violet wondered why a sudden cold had imploded the area.

"You think you don't have a chance?" Mariana snorted, "Please! You can snag anyone—female and male. If I had your everything," Mariana fluffed her hair, "You wouldn't see me here. You know where'd you see me?"

"Where?" Ava asked, enjoying the girl's inspirational speech.

"A castle! I'd be the President!" Mariana punched the air in hype multiple times, "You have the guts! Now take your chance, and fuck his ass up!"

"Yeah!" The girls cheered, clapping and banging on the table.

Clementine chuckled a bit, unsure of what to think about the girl's nice words. "That certainly does help," She said honestly, smiling.

"Duh," Mariana smiled back, "It's my thing, you know? Besides stealing."

"What!?"

[. . .]

"Come on, Louis. It won't be that bad."

"Yeah man, don't be a pussy like Duck."

"Hey, now wait a damn minute ya piece of horse shit—"

"It's only a phone call."

"Ask her out. And then bang her. Easy. E-Z."

"That is not how you spell easy."

"Shut up, nerd."

Louis held the phone in his hands and stared at the bright screen. "I don't know, guys. What if she says no?" Louis asked, pressing on a few numbers nervously before erasing them.

"You guys suck," Gabe muttered, rubbing at his face where Duck punched him.

"You're beating yourself up about this," Sighed Aasim, ignoring Gabe's small outburst, "She'll say yes, I guarantee it," Aasim said, surprisingly sincere.

Marlon nodded his head in agreement. "Plus," Marlon pat his back hard, "You're like the hottest dude I know."

Mitch opened his mouth—

"No homo," Marlon said quickly, turning to each of them quickly with a smug look.

Duck, Mitch, and Willy gave a sad sigh at the missed opportunity.

Louis frowned. "Okay, just because I'm cute doesn't mean she'll say yes. She doesn't care about looks!" Louis answered, pouting.

"We've been over this," Aasim huffed.

"But she finds you funny," Omar replied, "That's enough for a woman to fall in love."

"True," Aasim agreed, "Why do you think Sophie got up with Duck? Most of the time she has her eyes closed from laughing too hard, so she doesn't get to see his ugly face as much." Aasim said, earning an indigenous squawk from Duck.

"At least I have ma' girl! What do you have? Yer' left hand?" Duck asked offended, waving his fist around to mimic the motion.

Aasim scowled at that false claim. "For your information, I do have a girl." He said, rolling his eyes.

Everyone looked at him.

"Really?" Marlon asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Really."

"Please tell me it's the person we're all thinking of," Louis said softly, full of suspense.

Aasim crossed his arms and blushed, glaring. "Well," He scoffed, "Obviously."

Omar raised an eyebrow. "And by 'obviously', you mean...?"

Aasim scrunched up his nose in annoyance, "You guys should know. You've been taunting me about it since the 5th grade." Aasim hissed.

Everyone knew who he was talking about. However, they were afraid to be wrong. Aasim had a notch for bringing someone's hopes up and sending them crashing to the ground with only a mere word uttered from his mouth. His friends called it his specialty, but Aasim was convinced that his specialty is withstanding the pressure and annoyance of being friends with them.

"Ruby," Gabe said in a hushed tone when it became quiet, eyes wide.

Aasim turned to Gabe in surprise, and from that look alone, everyone had hollered an ecstatic cry.

"I knew it!" Mitch cried, pumping his fist in the air which Willy mimicked. Willy mimicked everything, but Mitch didn't mind.

Marlon slapped his forehead with wide eyes, "So you finally got pussy?" Marlon asked, shocked.

"Congratulations." Omar said, taking a picture of himself and posting, 'Homeboys finally had the balls to ask their beloved out!'

"Dude," Louis wrapped an arm around Aasim's neck, bringing him close, "Congrats!" He said, poking his cheek.

Aasim pushed him away a bit, chuckling. "Yeah, sure. Thanks." He mumbled disinterestedly. He was often bad at thanking people but was showing genuine happiness from the reaction of his friends. He was glad they were very understanding and accepting, even if they were incredibly annoying at times.

Duck nodded in approval, his annoyance vanished. "Golly, I take back ma' comment. Congrats there, Assy boy." Duck said with a toothy smile, giving him a hard pat on the back that sent Aasim forward.

"Okay, for the record, Ow." Aasim said, rubbing his neck, "But thank you."

"Yer' Welcome." Duck replied.

"Does this mean you guys are going out?" Mitch asked, surprisingly hopeful.

Aasim made a thin line with his lips. "Well, I don't know. I'm not an expert in... dating or... Whatever. I just know she's coming to the party with me," Aasim said, unsure still, feeling insecure about whether Ruby's intentions in asking him out were friend wise or... something more.

"Oh wow, I completely forgot about the party," Louis admitted. He ignored Aasim's comment about 'calling for the party in the first place' and turned to the rest of his friends as he let go of Aasim, "Have you guys seen my bag around here?"

"You mean the one full' a moolah?" Willy asked, "Because I stole some."

"Rad," Mitch commented.

Louis sighed. "You can keep the money," He said.

"Awesome. Time to buy some drugs with this!"

Aasim glared at him, "Unless you want to be the next Shrek, I suggest you use that money for something decent," Aasim reproached, scowling.

Marlon looked confused. "Shrek is hot?"

"What."

"He's hot, man," Marlon repeated.

Aasim stared at Marlon as if he had just grown another head. "What?" He said again, so confused and convinced that his friends were going crazy.

"Yeah," Mitch butt in, clasping a hand on Marlon's shoulder, "He's hot. Tch—What, don't tell me you haven't watched all four movies?" Mitch told, saying it in such a way that voiced offense and shock.

"Since when did this topic become Shrek? Weren't we talking about Aasim taking Ruby to the dance?" Gabe asked, confused as well.

"Shut up, Gabe."

Gabe sighed.

"Hey, Gabe might have a darn point," Duck said, eyeing Louis, "Why give a damn 'bout Shrek when we can talk about all that other mushy shit? I'll have y'all know, Sophie told me some pretty interestin' things these last few buckers."

Marlon nodded, "Brody has, too."

Mitch scratched at his chin, "Oh yeah... Sarah's been talking about the same thing." He said, earning a nod of the head from Duck.

"About what—Oh." Aasim turned to Omar and gave a nod of his head towards Louis, to which Omar replied by giving a simple thumbs up.

Louis narrowed his eyes at them. "Either I'm even more stupid, or you guys are hiding something from me."

Mitch waved a hand, "Psh, when would we ever?"

"First option."

"May I remind you the time where you guys hid the grabbing balls game—"

"That was like, once. Shut up."

"Twice," Aasim corrected. He glared specifically at Mitch, who shrugged.

"Okay," Marlon put his hands up which quieted everyone down instantly and eyed Louis. "We could be going on about what we're hiding—"

"Which is nothing—"

"—Or, we could be calling Clementine right now about the party," Marlon tilted his head toward the phone in Louis' hand, giving him a speculative look.

Louis went warm.

"Oh yeah, lowkey forgot about that," Mitch scratched at his teeth.

Duck clapped his hands together, "Loser."

Then, Duck was passed out on the floor.

[. . .]

Clementine blinked at her cellular device that rung as the boy that she denied loving presented himself on the screen. It flashed his very image, blinking and blinking as she, stupified, stared at it. Louis was calling her. He was. Calling her.

"Ooooo, is that your man?" Brody asked enthusiastically, peering over her shoulder to sneak a peek at her phone. The girls perked up.

"Brody quit it." Violet huffed, staring blandly at the phone in her hands, scrutinizing a strategy. "Stop messing around with Clem and get back to the game, you're taking up all the time!" Violet complained, issuing a glare in her direction. (If you haven't known, they're playing Uno.)

Brody ignored her, "It's Louis!"

"You're fuckin' lying," Minnie said.

"Lemme see," Violet said while dropping her cards, standing up from the ground immediately to rush over to Clementine's side, now on her other shoulder, looking at her phone just like Brody was doing. The girls had done the same, and soon, they all crowded around Clementine, forming a circle over her phone.

Mariana opened her mouth, "Open your purse—"

"So it is!"

"What a dumb-dumb."

"Isn't it cute?"

"Of course it's Louis," Ava said, rolling her eyes. "There isn't anything new there."

The girls glanced at Ava with a raised brow.

Ava looked puzzled as well. "What? He's just calling her. Don't they do that?"

Clementine pursed her lips, "Sometimes," She shrugged. No. She was scared to call him.

"Well?" Ruby pushed, smiling gleefully, "Answer!"

All at once, the girls exploded their agreements.

Clementine swallowed. And with hesitance, she slid her finger and answered the call. "Hello?" She called, placing the phone against her ear.

[. . .]

"Hello?"

Louis panicked.

"She answered!" Gabe announced.

"Uh..."

"Say hi, you idiot," Aasim hissed.

Louis gulped. "...Hi..." He muttered and made a face when Marlon put two thumbs up and pushed the rest of the group out.

[. . .]

"He said hi!" Sarah squealed, jumping in place.

Clementine flushed.

"Girls, it's time," Ava dismissed, waving them off, "Can't interrupt the call."

The girls all sighed dejectedly. Each, however, listened and left, Ava not that far behind.

Clementine panicked.

Brody merely offered two thumbs up.

[. . .]

A/N: And now... for the SONGS. Toosie Slide by Drake and It's All Love by Anderson. Paak, Justin Timberlake, Mary J. Blige & George Clinton helped me out!

(Also maybe the song Infinity by Jaymes Young)

I want to take the time to say I'm sorry again.

I've been so mad I didn't even want to answer any messages at all, and really, none of you deserve to be kept in wait. I'll try my best to try and finish the chapters I've planned. Seriously.

Thank you for your patience, as always. I don't deserve all of you lovelies.

I will include the party scene next chapter! It's just... It would've made this chapter too long, and besides, the next one is almost done! (Also maybe because next chapter something big WILL HAPPEN!ldjlsjkfjfk)

(I'm also editing old chapters as we speak! Don't worry, they'll still have the same plot, hehe...)

Toodles~

Ana.