…

…

"Vera! Wake up right this instant!"

Startled, I had about enough time to either kick my mother in the nose or gasp before I hit the floor. Unfortunately, my mother's reflexes outshined mine as she grabbed onto the blankets and tossed me right out of the comfy heaven. One of my pillows caught my fall, but my head was still ringing from the noise, movement, and sunlight.

"Time for school, young lady," She huffed at me, button nose all wrinkled. When her watch suddenly beeped, she glanced down and then glared at me, "Great. Now I'm late." She turned straight out the room, "Breakfast is downstairs. I'll be home by nine."

Groaning, I remained on the floor until I heard the front door open and close. Her car revved a second later and then she was gone. I sat up, eyes blearily taking in my surroundings. My bare legs were cold and my toes felt like they were frozen. She must've forgotten to turn on the heat last night. It took me a moment to climb to my feet and the sun's light hit my face with everything it had, blinding me. I almost stumbled into my dresser, but managed to gain my footing before I could knock over my photos. Blowing a quick kiss to my dad's picture, I headed towards the bathroom.

My reflection wasn't anything pretty—messy hair, heavy eyelids, and my face felt greasy. Grabbing my toothbrush, I scrubbed my teeth as hard as I could, splashed my face, and brushed my hair. It didn't take long—my fifteen morning routine. When I looked back in the mirror, my hair was fixed, my teeth were cleaned, and my cheeks were flushed. Satisfied, I dressed and walked downstairs, where I found my so-called "breakfast".

Toast.

And I think she let it sit too long in the toaster…

But, shrugging, I took a hearty bite, savoring the burnt aftertaste and letting it warm my palms. When I left, I knew I was a little early. I passed by a clothing store I'd never seen, but then again, I'd never been on that side of town. I hesitated as I passed by it, a dark violet dress that caught my eye causing me to frown. As I was about to push open the door, reading the "OPEN" sign, someone beat me to it.

A delicate—manicured—sun-kissed hand grazed against mine, also reaching for the door. With a start, I turned to the person, only to be in awe. The snow-white hair reached her tiny waist and swished over her suggestive, wide hips was enough to catch my attention. She was dressed to impress today—a short dress with a tie, vest, and frills, and her long, thigh-high boots were poised perfectly on her mile-long legs. With a flip of her glossy hair, she looked over at me with stunning yellow eyes, pretty face, and long eyelashes.

I blinked. Finally, the words came to me in a rush, "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"You go to Sweet Amoris, don't you?" She asked with a curious look.

I nodded meekly, puzzled.

And then she grinned, bright and wide, "I knew it! I never forget a face!" Suddenly, she grabbed onto my cheeks, pressing them together so that I was doing a blowfish impression. "Especially not a cute face like this! What kind of moisturizer do you use? And it smells good, whatever it is! Hmmm. You're not wearing makeup. Weird. How'd you get this blush?"

"Um…"

"Don't tell me! Maybeline! No? Cover Girl? Hm. Not that either? I have the entire collection. Lipsticks, lip glosses, eyeliners, lip liners, eyeshadows, even the little—"

"I don't use anything!" I finally proclaimed, wrestling my face from her grip. She blinked, surprised. Rubbing one of my cheeks, I said, "I don't use makeup. It feels weird."

Again, she blinked, "Are you serious?" I nodded and she gave me an odd look, "What're you, a freshman? No wonder your skin looks that good!" She rubbed her forehead, her lips pursing to form a pout, "Lucky~"

I took a step back, just in case she might've lunged again. She seemed normal enough, just a bit touchy-feely. Crossing my arms over my chest, I inquired, "How'd you know I went to Sweet Amoris?"

She grinned big, "I'm not a stalker or anything. I go to the same school. I'm Rosalya Gold." She gripped my hand in hers, shaking them so fast they blurred. "And you are?"

"…Vera." I said, eyeing her now.

She took my hand with her nimble fingers and her smile grew. Releasing my hand, a frown touched her perfectly glossed lips, "Where are you going? School doesn't start for another fifteen minutes."

"I live a few blocks away," I said, "And—"

"Oooooh," She nodded vigorously, "Don't worry. I know a shortcut. But, for now," She grabbed onto my wrist with another smile, "As a new addition of Sweet Amoris, I have to show you around. First, let's start here." Before I could protest, she pulled me into the clothing store.

The store wasn't anything like I predicted. It had lush, purple, checkered linoleum floors. There was a large mirror and changing rooms. The runway going through the middle of the store was like the cherry on top—all pristine and white and walkable. It made me feel small, like I walked into Vogue Weekly. The clothes were lined up neatly, some with glitter, some with stripes, some small skirts, and others dresses. And the manikins were doing odd poses, arms out and legs spread. However, I didn't have enough time to fully take in the store before Rosalya was tugging my wrist again, straight towards the front counter.

And then she paused. I nearly rammed into her back. Curiously, I looked over her shoulder, only to see two men conversing. One was taller than the other, dressed as though he were Prince Charming himself—impeccable jet-black hair, lean stature, and face fit for the next in line for England. The other was only about three inches shorter and also had black hair. He was handsome in a sort of mysterious kind of way, muscle-built and dressed nice. Suddenly, his eyes flashed to Rosalya and me. The girl in front of me tensed strangely and before I knew it, the man was walking towards us. Rosalya moved aside without a word, but I was not so lucky. His shoulder bumped into me, and with me being so much shorter and petite, it nearly knocked me off my feet. Luckily, Rosalya kept a tight grip on my wrist.

With a nonchalant shrug of his shoulder that hit me and an odd glint in his eye, he muttered, "Excuse me." And continued on with his way, leaving the shop with a ding and vanishing from my view.

Silence. The air seemed tense for some odd reason.

Before I could even ponder what was going on, Rosalya released me and rushed over to the Prince Charming Guy. I watched as she kissed his cheek and he smiled just a bit, "Is everything alright? What was he doing here?"

He averted his dark eyes, "Viktor was just asking a few questions. We made an arrangement."

Rosalya's eyes sharpened, "What kind of arrangement?"

"Darling," And then he paused, eyes landing on me. "Oh, hello."

With an awkward wave, I replied, "Good morning."

"Oh!" Rosalya seemed to have dropped the subject, returning her attention on me, "I just ran into her outside of the store. She goes to school with me! Isn't that exciting?"

Not very much, but Leigh smiled again, "Yes, it is." He seemed amused.

"And she's…" She frowned, trailing off, "What grade are you in?"

"I'm a junior."

"And she's in the same grade as me, Leigh!"

"So much excitement for you two."

"I know, right!"

Leigh obviously didn't share her enthusiasm, but his smile continued to widen until I could see the pink in his cheeks. I almost looked away as they gazed at each other. It made me think of those sappy Disney movie moments, right when they kissed. Tugging a strand of hair behind my ear, I tried to look at anything else besides them.

"Oh! That's right!" She suddenly popped in front of me, and I resisted the urge to flinch away. "Oh, her name is Vera, Leigh. Keep up!" He nodded, appearing befuddled and dazed. She returned her attention on me, "That means we probably have classes together. Wait. Are you in Honors American Lit. third period?"

I nodded, "Yeah. Mr. Winchester?"

"Yes! I probably couldn't see you. You were in the second row?" I nodded again, and she giggled, "Amber's hair was in the way."

My expression soured, "You know Amber?"

Rolling her golden eyes playfully, she replied, "Who doesn't? She's, like, the Queen Bee. Or she thinks." She eyed me for a moment, "What's with the look?"

"I can already tell she doesn't like me," I gave a one-shoulder shrug, "And the feeling's mutual."

Rosalya seemed to ponder that for a moment, "I can see why. You guys are destined to clash."

I frowned, "Meaning?"

"Your clothes," I looked down at my clothes, nothing seemed wrong. My frown deepened, "And your hair." She stared at my face, "And you're pretty."

That, I flushed at. Without waiting for me to say anything, she spun her head to face her supposed boyfriend, "Isn't she, Leigh?" She looked back at me, "Oh, I just wanna take you home with me!"

Once again, her hands were on my cheeks, squeezing my face all together. Blinking, I tried to rein down my blush. This girl reminded me a lot of my Aunt, actually.

"You're going to suffocate her, Rosa," Leigh said, chin in his hands as he rested his elbows on the counter. He looked amused again, "And you're going to be late for school."

Rosalya started, "You're right!" She released me, but not before taking my hand in hers, "C'mon." She waved an exuberant hand, "See you later, Leigh," She blew him a kiss with a coy wink and he smirked back, pretending to catch it.

And then we were off. For some odd reason, I was glad to have met Rosalya. I could definitely use someone like her.

…

…

Class was boring—very, very boring. I toyed with my hair often. When it was finally lunch time, I was almost falling asleep. I had already gone over this in my last school, so there was no reason for me to learn it all over again. The bell rung, jolting me from my half-slumber, and I walked out with everyone else.

Rosalya was there, to my surprise, and she wasn't carrying anything with her, not even a notebook or a piece of paper. Vaguely, I wondered how she could look so Vogue-worthy in the middle of a crowded, stuffy hallway. When I made my way over to her, boys were already looking at her legs and staring at her bust. Rosalya saw me, waving a hand, and I gave a wave back.

"I was going to eat lunch with you today," She looked sheepish as she made her way over to me.

I arched a brow, "And that's canceled because…?"

"Leigh wanted to have lunch with me," She pursed her lips, "I think he wants to talk about something though."

She looked back at me. Great. Girl troubles. Were we at that stage of friendship already?

I tilted my head to the side, attempting to come up with something "Girl Talk" worthy, "Communication is always key." I said something I read from a fortune cookie.

I'm such an idiot.

But Rosalya nodded slowly, "Yeah. You're right. It's probably nothing to worry about, huh? Just the shop or something." She laughed and I gave a reassuring smile, "Thanks, Kitten. I'll see you after lunch."

I watched as she strutted off, boys following after her like dogs after a nice bone. Shaking my head, I glanced at the Student Council room, only to see Nathaniel and a girl with long brown hair exit, speaking with each other, and the girl giggled at something he said.

His eyes flickered up, and landed on me, "Oh! Hey, Vera." The brunette looked up as well, her smile dropping by a degree as Nathaniel came to greet me. With a bright smile, he said, "How's your second day?"

I shrugged, "Good so far, I guess. I met a few people."

"Oh, yeah? Like who?"

I smiled a bit, "Is this an interrogation from the Student Council president?"

He had the nerve to look abashed, blushing a bit, "N-No. Why would you say that?"

"Just kidding, Nathaniel. I met a girl named Rosalya, and Iris. I already know Ken, and he's nice." I thought for a long moment, and a flash of red went through my mind, "And Castiel." I was pretty surprised when Nathaniel's smile suddenly dropped and he scowled, "Nathaniel?"

"Did he say anything rude? I can give him detention." He offered quickly.

Frowning, I shook my head, "No. Why would he?"

"He's naturally a troublemaker, rude, and disruptive. I wouldn't be surprised if he called you something silly." Wow. He was really close there, but I shook it off. Blushing again, Nathaniel shook his head, "S-Sorry. He just really gets under my skin, I suppose."

The brunette took that chance to step in, smiling politely at me, "Hi. You must be the new student, Vera, right?"

Nodding, I smiled back at her, "Yeah. That's right."

"Oh! Right. This is Melody. She's the Valedictorian. I think you saw her yesterday. She runs errands for the principle and teachers. Just like me." Ah. Yes. The girl from yesterday carrying all those papers. I remembered now, though I never got a good look at her face. Just long legs and nice shoes.

"It's nice to meet you," Melody said good-naturedly, her smile widening, "Everyone in school has been talking about you."

I felt my cheeks warm up, "Oh. Really?"

"Uh-huh. Especially Amber. Have you met her yet?"

Nathaniel looked at me, eagerly awaiting for me to answer, "Yeah. I met her. She doesn't seem very…welcoming."

Nathaniel chuckled optimistically, "Yes. She doesn't like the attention to be taken off of her really. She's spoiled like that." Melody nodded along with him. Before I could question how he even knew that, I was interrupted.

"Vera! I found you!" A thin hand wrapped around my left arm, "I've been looking everywhere for you."

I could already smell the sugary cookies, "Hey, Ken."

"C'mon, c'mon!" He started to tug me towards the cafeteria, where all the students were bustling, "I brought an extra pack of cookies, if you wanna share…?" He gave me those big green eyes and I couldn't resist. I said goodbye to Nathaniel and Melody. With a small smile and nod, I followed him to the cafeteria and allowed myself to indulge in the chocolate chips.

…

…

I didn't see Rosalya for the rest of the day. I wasn't sure if I should've been worried or not. Everyone in class acted as if it were normal so I didn't question it. Plus, I had no idea how to get in contact with her or how to retrace my steps back to the clothes shop.

The final bell rang, startling me from my thoughts. I packed up my things, my book bag heavy and my English book in my arms. I had a lot of homework and nearly groaned as my last teacher assigned an essay due in three days. I would get the rest of the information tomorrow. As I was leaving the room, one of the last people, I felt a shoulder knocked into mine. I turned my head a bit, not the least bit shocked to see Charlotte throwing me a cold glare and then walking out into the hallway. She met up with Li and Amber—the blonde smirking sarcastically at me—and they left the school, probably heading to start more crap outside the school.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

I headed towards my locker, finding it rather difficult to find since they all looked the same. At last, I found 412 and twisted the lock. I was pretty sure I got the numbers right as I tugged the lock, eyebrows furrowing. When I attempted it again the third time, I huffed, shoulders slumping. I really didn't want to have to put down my bag and books for this.

"U-Um…Excuse me."

When I heard the timid, small voice, I glanced over my shoulder to see purple hair. It was a strange color, but I've seen a lot of strange things since I entered the school. She was carrying a large sketch pad with her, which I doubted would fit in a tiny locker. She had her head cocked to the side, an innocent expression on her face, and fidgeting nervously.

"Yeah?" I turned towards her fully, nearly dropping my books. My arms were beginning to ache.

She swallowed, "I, um, had that locker last year. I can probably help you."

"Oh, really? Thanks so much!" Grateful, I stepped away. She hesitated for a moment before giving me a smile and turning towards my locker. With a few easy flicks of her wrist, it was open and we were both staring into the dusty compact space. "Wow. You make it look so easy."

She blushed a bit, smiling, "You just have to use a bit more force," She looked at me, "I'm Violette." But she didn't stick her hand out, instead, clutched at her sketchpad.

I smiled warmly, "Vera."

"Vera…" She said my name slowly, as though to savor it. She seemed in awe. And then she murmured, "…You're as short as me."

I bristled.

At my reaction, she laughed softly, eyes sparkling, "It's really surreal, though. I've never met anyone as short as me before."

Cheeks warm, I huffed, "Everyone at this school keeps calling me short."

"You could sleep more," I glanced at her and she smiled, "It helps you grow."

Nodding, I stored that away. Another bell rung over our heads, which meant it was time for clubs. I rearranged my books in my arms, just as Iris came jogging past us, stopping only for a moment. She grinned brightly at me, "Hey, Vera!" And then to Violette, "You're gonna be late Music if you keep dawdling, Vi!"

The purple-haired girl jerked, flushing again, "Y-You're right!" She smiled at me again, "Nice meeting you." And then she was scampering off with Iris, down the hall and out of sight. With a sigh, I turned back to my locker, stuffing my Geometry book and History book in. My book bag wasn't as heavy as before, but my arms still hurt.

A shoulder bumped into me roughly, almost knocking the books out of my hands. I already knew it was, I had gotten a whiff of the strong perfume, "Watch where you're going, freak!" Amber's annoyingly high voice spat. Charlotte and Li walked along with her. I resisted the urge to chuck my books at their heads.

I walked towards the edge of the hall, just a few feet away from the Student Council room, and tried to think of the way Rosalya had showed me earlier that day to get to the clothes shop. She was probably still there with Leigh. I racked my brain, biting my lip as I tried to concentrate. I could probably wander around town until I found where I was going, but that was stupid and I would end up lost.

I groaned when I saw the time. Already three and I hadn't even started walking. I watched as the last students left the school, laughing and chatting about after-school activities and what time they were getting home. The day had dragged on for what seemed like forever—from the obnoxious knock-offs of "Mean Girls", to Ken following me around all day, and now onto the talk of me being the so-called New Girl. All in all, it was beyond tiring and I just wanted to head home, bury my face in my pillow, and scream.

I hated my life. I hated my mom. And I hated how I sounded like a typical angsty teenager.

I still had to get my student ID from Nathaniel. As I started down the hallway, students chattering around me, I thought of the redhead I had met today. His snarky attitude, bright hair, and dark clothes. I'd never met anyone like him, but then again, he was probably just a basic asshole. He'd called me short, after all. Just as I caught sight of the Student Council door, I ran into someone else a second time that day.

Luckily, before I could fall on the floor, large hands gripped my upper arms gently and stabled me. I meant to thank the person, any kind of way, but the words got stuck in my throat. The eyes stared down at me, one an emerald green and the other a golden yellow. I blinked rapidly, wondering if I was daydreaming again. Should I pinch myself?

He was saying something, eyebrow arched, and I caught the end of it, "…alright? Miss?"

Miss? I tilted my head to the side. He stared at me, perplexed. I'm sure I looked stupid, gazing at him like that. Well, could you blame me? He was dressed odd, and his hair looked soft, and the tips looked as though they were dipped in black paint. I blinked again and his eyebrow went higher on his forehead, disappearing under his white bangs.

"Dude," I finally uttered, my voice holding a hint of awe, "Your eyes are awesome."

He paused, and then stared at me in clear surprise. An awkward silence issued, and it took me a moment to catch my words.

Frantically waving my hands in front of me, I said, "O-Oh! I mean, um, sorry. I mean—"

His chuckle cut me off. My eyes widened, staring up at him as he laughed at me quietly.

I pursed my lips, "W-What's so funny?"

When he finally said something, I was unprepared, "You. You should sort out your thoughts before saying them out loud."

I gaped at him, watching as he smirked gently at me. A complete opposite of the asshole I met earlier. And, jeez, did all the guys here have to be so good looking? "S-Sorry. If I offended you, I didn't mean to. I kind of have a bad brain-to-mouth ratio."

He smiled at me, "Though I appreciate the compliment, I don't believe we have met."

I shook my head, my hair falling over my right shoulder, "Oh! I'm new here." I held out my hand, "Vera."

He watched me for a few seconds, and I thought about retracting my hand, but then he took it, "Vera." I opened my mouth to reply, but a smile touched his lips, "Well, I'm Lysander."

Wow. His name was just as bizarre as his eyes and clothes. I dropped my hand to my side, keeping my other arm tight around my books, "Nice to meet you."

"And you too, Vera," Lysander nodded, "How do you like the school so far?"

I attempted a smile, "Well, I guess you can say it's interesting."

His answering smile outdid mine. "I understand. The characters here can be rather difficult to get accustomed to. But I assure you everyone here is very nice."

I frowned, brows furrowing, "Really?"

He looked puzzled, eyebrow arched, "Has someone proved me wrong?"

I shrugged one shoulder, "I guess." He looked even more confused. Quickly, I reassured him, "I-It's fine! No one has been mean or anything. I-It's just hard to get used, I guess."

"You guess a lot, don't you?" He seemed to think for a moment before he nodded, "Well, classes are over. It was nice meeting you, Vera."

I resisted the urge to bite my lower lip—a nervous habit, "It was nice meeting you, too."

He nodded, a polite smile on his face. I was prepared to leave—or watch him leave. And then something bumped into me from the back. I barely had enough time to gasp before Lysander gripped one of my shoulders, stopping my fall. His scent was something mixed with freshening soap and soft scented cologne. Lysander wasn't looking at me, instead the person who had nearly knocked me on my face.

"Castiel, you should be more careful." He chided, squeezing my shoulder as he helped me right my footing.

Castiel? I tensed.

The redhead snorted from behind me.

"She could've gotten hurt, you know," Lysander continued, and then, without warning, spun me around so I was facing Castiel. The steely gaze met mine, and I felt my stomach tighten.

"You?" His arms were crossed over his chest. He didn't seem very happy to see me. "Watch where you're going."

Quickly, I snapped back, "This is the second time in a row you've nearly ran me over. Get over yourself."

"Shut up, little girl—"

"Castiel—" Lysander attempted to break in.

"—And stay outta my damn way."

I was sure I was about to spontaneously combust. My cheeks felt like they were red hot. But I crossed my arms over my chest, eyes narrowing, "Don't you have to be rude somewhere else?"

And then he was smirking that annoying, boyish smirk of his, "Not until later."

"I can actually believe that."

"So," Lysander's tranquil, smooth voice broke in, "I can see you've met Castiel, Vera."

I glared at said redhead, "Who could miss him with his stupid hair?"

Castiel continued to smirk cockily, "Anyone could miss her. She's short as hell."

Lysander appeared amused, "Just because you are almost six feet, doesn't mean you should pick on the less fortunate."

Indignantly, I threw a glare at Lysander, "I'm not that short! Geez, what is with everyone at this school?"

"Get used to it. This school is all kinds of fucked up." Castiel jeered, "Including that crazy principal."

"You shouldn't use that kind of language in this school, Castiel," quipped Nathaniel as he made himself known. He had my ID in his hand, along with a few other papers. I watched as Castiel's stormy eyes narrowed onto the blonde.

"My bad. Should've known your virginal ears wouldn't be able to take it, Mr. President. Excuse my fucking French."

I blinked in bewilderment as I watch the same expression from earlier cross over Nathaniel's face. I glanced over at Lysander, who shrugged at my look and continued to watch the two boys.

"Right. Excuse. Just like you excused yourself from class today."

"And what's it to you?"

"It shouldn't be a concern to me. Wouldn't it be your parents—"

Castiel took a threatening step forward, "You fucking—"

"Now, now, gentlemen. Why don't we just calm down? We wouldn't want to show such conduct in front of a lady, now would we?" Lysander gestured down towards me, and I jerked when Castiel's steely gaze landed on me, intense and sharp.

Averting my gaze, I tightened my hands in balls.

And then Castiel scoffed, "I don't have time for this shit!" He stormed past me, his scent catching in my nose, and then purposely bumped his shoulder into Nathaniel's, who stumbled back a bit from the force. He glared at Castiel's back until it vanished out the school's entrance.

There was a long, tense silence before Lysander broke it, "Well, I suppose I should go after him."

"Yes," Nathaniel grumbled, eyes dark, "You should hurry before he vandalizes something."

Surprisingly, Lysander smiled, "Despite what you may think, Nathaniel, Castiel isn't a delinquent. Or, if he is, he isn't a very good one."

Nathaniel's eyebrows arched, "Really?"

"Yes, really. He doesn't spray-paint on anything. Well, doesn't anymore. And he goes home by at least twelve. Much earlier than he used to. And, from what I know, he doesn't sleep much so he can't get up very early. I'll apologize on his behalf."

"Not needed," Nathaniel said, "You cover for him all the time, Lysander."

The white-haired teenager smirked, "Isn't that what friends are for?" He glanced at me with his strange eyes, "I'll be taking my leave." And then frowned lightly, "Unless you need help with anything, Vera."

Startled, I looked up at him, "N-No. I'm fine. Thanks." I gave a smile as he nodded, bidding a polite farewell to Nathaniel and I before following Castiel out. I watched him go. Interesting, that boy…I thought, mulling it over. For a moment, I wonder what exactly had happened in front of me with Castiel and Nathaniel. The two had literally leaked with hostility.

"You alright?" Nathaniel called, and I was broken from my dazed thoughts. He was looking at me, concerned, "Vera?"

"I'm fine!" I chirped quickly, maybe too quickly because he stared at me for a long while before shrugging.

He pulled something from the stacks of papers, handing it over to me, "Here. You're ID. You're an official student of Sweet Amoris."

"Yay me," I said, my voice soft as I stared down at my picture. I wasn't very much smiling, and my eyes were shining. I shook my head, hooking it over my head so that the picture fell over my chest. And then looked back at Nathaniel, "Thanks. Did you give Kentin his?"

Nathaniel tilted his head to the side, "No. I haven't seen him. I was actually glad I bumped into you, I didn't want to go around searching the entire school."

"I'll give it to him," I offered and Nathaniel nodded, pulling out Ken's ID. He was grinning at the camera, eyes big and green behind his thick glasses. I tucked it in my back pocket, glancing towards the big clock on the opposite wall. It was only past three, so he should be in the school.

"I'm going to head home," Nathaniel said, eyes leaving my face. He looked nervous, "I won't be able to catch Amber in time if I don't leave now."

I snapped my head up to him when I heard the name, "Amber…?"

"Yes. I prefer to walk her before she can get into any trouble." He replied simply. When he saw my expression, he appeared perplexed, "What is it?"

I quickly shook my head, "Nothing…um, nothing." In my head, I was pretty much freaking out—Ohmigod, he goes out with Amber! "I should get going. Thanks for the ID!" I practically sprinted away from him. By time I stopped, I was panting and in some random ninth grade hallway. I leaned against the wall.

Sniffle, sniffle.

I frowned, regaining my breath.

Sniffle, sniffle.

I looked at the doors behind me. Giant red letters were glowing over it: EXIT. I pushed it open without preamble. Blankly, I stared down at the weeping Ken, "What're you doing?"

The skinny boy jerked, surprised. And then he looked up at me with teary green eyes, "V-Vera?"

Gosh, he looked pathetic, broken. His freckled face was covered in tears and his nose was running. He had taken off his glasses so he wouldn't make a mess, and his eyes looked smaller than usual. Sighing, I bent down to open his book bag, pulling out the box of tissues he always carried around and his inhaler. He was breathing too fast.

"Here," I handed him the inhaler. He took it, grateful and puffed while I went to work on cleaning off his glasses and cheeks. When his breathing was stable, I placed the glasses back on his nose and watched as he slumped his shoulders. "Mind telling me what happened?"

He licked his lips nervously before mumbling something under his breath.

I leaned closer, "Sorry?"

"Amberstolemoneyoffme!"

I paused and then sighed heavily, "Are you serious?"

He nodded meekly.

"Keeen!"

"S-Sorry! They ganged up on me…and…I got scared." He looked at me, eyes shining, "It was only fifty bucks, Vera. No big deal."

Only fifty bucks? I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "It doesn't matter, Ken. Tomorrow I'm getting your money back and knocking Amber off her high horse."

"Vera—"

"She just pisses me off and—"

"Vera—"

"—no one deserves to have something of theirs stolen. That's a crime, you know."

"Vera," he finally caught my attention. To my surprise, he was beaming at me, shining teeth and gums and all, "Thanks."

I averted my gaze, suddenly more than self-conscious. I had never gotten so protective over Ken before. But never had really picked on him before either. With his father being in the military and all. Everyone at our old school knew that. And Ken was also my friend, and there was no way I was going to let him cry in some staircase.

"It's no big deal, Ken." He continued to grin and I laughed, "Really. It's not."

"Here!" He thrust the chocolate cookies in my face. I took them, and watched as he continued to suck the air from his inhaler.

Yeah, well, I wouldn't have it any other way.

…

…

The next day, I woke up late.

I was quick to shower and scrub my teeth. Luckily, my hair didn't act like a jerk that morning and straightened with just a brush. I grabbed up my backpack hurriedly and practically flew down the stairs.

I was passing right by the clothes shop when I collided with someone. Luckily, I didn't hit the pavement, instead I got a face-full of boobs. Soft, full boobs. And the smell of berries and cream. "Oh! Good morning, Kat!"

I managed to give her a smile as I removed myself from her bosom, "Hey, Rosalya."

She beamed at me, "You're late too?"

"Yeah," I studied her a bit closer before smirking. Skipping ahead, I looked back at her, "Rosalya," She perked up at her name, "Your lipstick's smudged."

She flushed a deep pink before wiping furiously at her full, kiss-bruised lips. We scurried to school together, and she continued to curse Leigh under her breath. When we arrived to school, Rosalya skipped off with a merry goodbye and left me alone. The hallways were empty as I climbed the stairwell to my second period.

And then came down a flustered Nathaniel. His cheeks were pink and he was sweeping his yellow eyes all over the walls. I frowned, watching as he walked right past me, many papers tucked under his arm.

"Hey, Nathaniel?" I called after him, "Are you alright?"

He whirled around to face me so fast I thought he would get whiplash. And then he hopped back like I was on fire, "V-Vera!"

My brow raised as I eyed him, "Yes. It's me. Something wrong?"

He jerked his arm behind his back, the one holding the papers, "N-No! Of course not!"

Slowly, I looked down at the paper that fell by my feet. I swiped it up before he could protest. You couldn't believe how shocked I was when I saw my ID picture with horns and a big mustache.

"Well…" I murmured to myself as Nathaniel fidgeted nervously, "That's something you don't see every day."

…

…

So, what do you think? Did I get pretty far? Sorry it's so late. I've been sooo busy. And thanks Star for looking this over at the last minute! Hope you guys liked it. Promise more Castiel in next chapter. I just wanted Vera to meet everyone first.

Please review. I really, really need your feedback. Love you guys~! Sorry if it says a random 'Raven or Kat' anywhere. I changed the name like fifteen times. Silly me.

-Abby