"H-Help?" a voice called as Marie walked through the empty hallway. The sixteen-year-old stopped in her tracks.
"Hello?" she called.
"Marie?" the voice called back. Marie recognised that voice.
"Stein! What's wrong?" Marie called.
"I… I need your help." Stein said. Marie sighed.
"Where are you?" Marie asked.
"I'm in the boys change rooms." he called back. Marie's eyes widened and she walked over to the wall where the change rooms were.
"I can't go in there!" Marie called back, quieter this time.
"Yes, you can, and you have to. You're my only hope. It's empty in here." Stein said. Marie sighed and, shutting her eyes, walked tentatively into the change room. The overwhelming smell of teenage boy and sickly deodorant filled her nostrils and she recoiled.
"It's disgusting in here!" Marie called, opening her eyes. There was nobody in sight.'
"Stein?" Marie called. He sighed.
"In the showers." he called. Marie walked around the wall and saw Stein's green eyes poking out above the top of the dividing wall of the communal showers, bare feet under the gap before the floor.
"You're… naked." Marie said, swallowing deliberately. She might have had a little crush on Stein.
"And you're blonde. What's that got to do with anything?" Stein asked.
"Well… you're naked." Marie said. Stein rolled his eyes.
"Somebody's hidden my clothes." Stein said, sheepishly. Marie sighed.
"Oh, Stein." Marie said. Stein sighed.
"Just… could you throw me a towel?" Stein asked. Martie looked around for a fresh towel.
"Really, any old one will do." Stein said. Marie recoiled and picked up a towel, throwing it in Stein's direction, washing her hands immediately after.
"Gross." Marie said. Stein rolled his eyes.
"I s'pose the girl change room is all giggling and towel fights, right?" Stein asked. Marie turned around, furrowing her brow.
"I hate it in there." Marie crossed her arms before actually focusing on the towel-clad Stein.
"Geez, Stein, when'd you get so… face?" Marie said, trying to divert attention from the fact that Stein had a mighty good set of abs for such a lanky-looking kid.
"What?" Stein asked, the towel wrapped around his waist. Marie shook her head.
"Nothing. Uh… clothes. You need clothes." Marie said, trying to pull her eyes away from Stein's chest back to his eyes.
"I do." Stein said, sitting down.
"Who took them?" Marie asked. Stein rolled his eyes and turned to Marie.
"Who do you think?" Stein asked. Marie sighed.
"I'll go and find him. You stay here abs- I mean, and wait." Marie corrected herself, turning away and walking out of the change room.
"Spirit Albarn." Marie said, hands on her hips. The older boy turned around slowly; he knew that voice and he most certainly knew that tone.
"M-M-Marie?" Spirit asked. Marie walked up to him and grabbed the neck of his shirt, scrunching in in her fist and pulling Spirit down to her eye level.
"Where did you put Stein's clothes?" she snarled. Spirit's eyes widened.
"T-They're under the third bay of lockers in the ch-change rooms." Spirit confessed. Marie nodded and her expression changed back to a pleasant one.
"Thanks, Spirit." she smiled, walking off. Spirit turned back to Kami, who was smiling.
"What's so funny?" Spirit asked.
"She's so possessive over him. It's cute." Kami said. Spirit rolled his eyes.
"Cute. I keep trying to tell him, she likes him, ask her out, but he just won't." Spirit said. Kami sighed.
"She definitely likes him. We had a good 45-minute conversation the other night comparing yours and Stein's backsides." Kami said. Spirit's eyes widened.
"You what?" Spirit asked.
"Hey, we were completely objective." Kami said. Spirit sighed before looking expectantly at Kami.
"Stein's is better." Kami said. Spirit's eyes widened further and his jaw dropped open.
"What? That's bullshit! Mine's ten times better than that little scrawny-"
"You've looked?" Kami asked. Spirit stumbled slightly. Kami giggled slightly.
"It's alright. It's hard not to look. It's like in the girls change rooms, it's just boobs everywhere…" Kami said, before slapping Spirit in the arm.
"Stop salivating, you idiot." Kami said, crossing her arms.
"I'm sorry, you lost me at boobs." Spirit said. Kami smirked slightly.
"Of course I did." Kami sighed.
"You still here?" Marie called.
"Just me, myself and I." Stein said. Marie smirked slightly before walking over to the third bay of lockers and kneeling over to look underneath them. Stein's eyes widened and he had to look away.
"Don't stare, it's rude, and wrong, and terrible, and you're going to go to-"
"These yours?" Marie asked, standing up with a handful of clothes, walking over to Stein. He sighed exasperatedly.
"They were here the whole time?" Stein asked.
"I'm afraid so." Marie said, giving Stein the clothes and turning away. Stein took them with a 'thankyou' and proceeded to get dressed. After a few seconds. Marie figured she was safe. Stein would be adequately covered and-
"Hello!"
Marie's eyes widened as she turned away once more, having just caught a rather candid look of one of her best friends' and her crush's backside.
"Who puts their shirt on before their underwear?" Marie thought to herself. I mean, sure, she'd looked there before, but when Stein was fully clothed and in the distance, not half-naked and three feet away from her. After feeling quite bad for a minute, Stein stood next to Marie.
"Thanks for this." Stein said, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"No problem." Marie said, walking out of the change rooms. As she and Stein walked down the corridors, Stein asked her a question.
"Why do you hate the change rooms?" Marie asked. Marie turned to Stein.
"Really?" Marie asked.
"Yes." Stein said. Marie sighed.
"Everyone stares." Marie said, looking down slightly.
"At you?" Stein asked.
"Yes, at me." Marie said, quietly. Stein looked at the sadness in Marie's eyes, and though not able to exactly discern her feelings, asked another question.
"And this seems to bother you, yes?" Stein asked. Marie nodded.
"Can I ask why?" Stein asked.
"If someone was staring at your junk, wouldn't you get a little self-conscious?" Marie asked, matter-of-factly.
"We're guys. We don't do that." Stine said. Marie smirked slightly.
"It's just… nothing." Marie said. Stein raised an eyebrow.
"Go on." he said. Marie sighed.
"You know in movies, when you know, two teenagers have their first time?" Marie asked. Stein shook his head.
"I don't watch movies like that." Stein said. Marie sighed.
"Of course you don't." Marie sighed. Stein shrugged slightly before recalling something.
"Although, Kami was over the other week. I seem to recall her making Spirit watching a move that fits your parameters." Stein said. Marie smiled slightly.
"Well, you see that, right? And there's the music and… it's stupid, really." Marie said.
"Very few things you say are stupid, Marie." Stein said. Marie took a deep breath in.
"Well, they're about to… you know…" Marie stuttered slightly.
"Engage, is that a good word to use?" Stein asked. Marie nodded.
"That'll work. They're about to engage, and they do that whole romantic, 'let's see each other naked first' thing. And they're always the first ones to see the other naked. And half of the class has already seen me naked." Marie said, rubbing her arm.
Stein swallowed slightly. He may not have been the emotional type, but when Marie used words like 'me' and 'naked' in the same sentence, it was hard to keep track.
"Well… what do they do?" Stein asked.
"They gossip. Because they're girls, they gossip. I get 'Inflato-boobs', I get 'Barbie Doll,' I get just about everything in between." Marie said, quietly.
"Well, it's hardly your fault that you're… endowed… in the manner you are." Stein said. Marie sighed.
"I know that. People just suck." Marie said, exasperatedly.
"Gym class should be banned." Stein said.
"Tell me about it." Marie said. Stein smiled slightly.
"I'll deal with the gossip, if you need, Marie." Stein said. Marie smiled widely.
"I'll be okay. Thanks for just listening." Marie said, kissing Stein on the cheek. Stein smirked slightly as the two walked away from the bathrooms, both of them with a tiny blush on their cheeks.