The skies overhead are grey and churning like an upset belly, thunder cracks and birds in the near vicinity flock away startled. She arrives like any other day and walks with her head held down. Pulling the school jumper over her fingers she detours to a secluded seat along the side of one of the school's old buildings. She pulled out her current book and shoved her earphones in to escape the world until class came. She's used to this. Everyday, at home, on the bus, at school, it's always like this. Her mind drifts to dangerous places and she tries desperately to distract herself but the jumper covering her arms and stockings protecting her thighs show that she isn't always successful. The wind blows and she's thankful for a legitimate excuse for her attire that day. Oh so many times has she had to attempt to cover her actions only to be questioned. Even when her parents or teachers interrogate her they never ask how she's feeling and that's because they would rather feign innocence and disbelief when they see the bandaids. "I just got a scratch from a tree on the way to school," always manages to put the teachers off. They don't care. They just want to enjoy teaching and got on with their job, not have to deal with some troubled teen. She just wants it to be over, but would never try because of the fear of not succeeding. No one wanted to be the loner's friend, no one wanted to talk to some freak who maintained A's in every class, no one wanted to be paired with a young girl who sat at the back of the classroom with bands on her wrist.
She was used to it. She was in grade ten and didn't bother trying anymore. She used to, before her family moved for the umpteenth time. She had had friends, close ones and she had been happy, oh so long ago. Over the humming of her earphones she could decipher the sound of the bell above her ringing to announce the beginning of class. With a sigh she slowly trekked her way towards her first class. The bustling of people caused her to halt on her path, waiting for the squealing set of girls to move out of her way the drained girl finally reached her classroom. Taking her usual seat at the back of the room she lost the world she was in and went to her own. She's never taken note of any of her peers before, always too ashamed to know that none of them would ever think she was good enough to be their friends. She was generally paired with the teachers or on her own during group work. Everyone all knew too well of the girl with the distant look and would never approach her for a task in class, so when a tall brunette cast her shadow over the blonde in the back of the room she looked up with puzzlement. As she scrutinised the taller girl she concluded that she must want to borrow something, or make fun of her. She didn't remember seeing this girl around but then again she never really socialised or ventured further than her classrooms and the abandoned seat next to one of the buildings. "Hi, may I sit with you?" came the angelic voice of her new company. She looked on sceptically but nodded and now was sitting next to the brunette. She wanted to know why the intruder was here and what humiliation she was most likely about to encounter. "Would you like to do the group project together?" Arizona only stared with bewilderment. "What are you doing?" floated over pink lips before the blonde could stop herself and she saw the brunette flinch at the venom that the words were sent with. "I just wanted to know if you'd do the project with me. We've never really talked but you seem interesting and yeah. I'm sorry. If you would like me to leave then just say the word," all but gushed out of the intruder.
With suspicion still evident over a worn face, the blonde simply shrugged and pulled out her work that she had already started. The brunette took this as an invitation and so introduced herself with "Hi, I'm Calliope. Well Callie, everyone just calls me Callie." As piercing azure eyes found deep chocolate ones Callie couldn't help the quick breath she sucked in. "Arizona." It was short and blunt but it was something and the raven haired goddess would take it. With small smile gracing her features she glanced at the blonde and the two began, with very little discussion, their task for the subject. After 40 minutes the teacher instructed the class to pack up and what looked like disappointment seemed to resonate from the brunette. Looking over at the blonde with hands tightly tucked into her maroon school issues jumper Callie took a leap of faith. "Arizona, before we leave I just wanted to say that I had fun that lesson and maybe we could hang out at lunch or in other classes we shared." By the startled look adorning the shorter girl Callie immediately regretted attempting to be friends with the girl. Clearly she wasn't interested. "Calliope, you're lovely but you don't want to be friends with someone like me." Now it was the brunettes turn to look startled. Disbelief had her grounded and before she had time to react the blonde had already left for their next class.
In a dazed state Callie somehow made it to her next class without being late and took a seat. Her class was uneventful and eventually break came and the brunette couldn't sit still so decided she'd explore more of the school. She'd been here for some months now but hadn't had classes at the bottom half of the school for the most part. With a sense of adventure and hope for something she didn't know she began her small trip with her black leather bag slung loosely over her shoulder. After having almost made a full circle she passed an older building and took two steps up to another landing. Hearing what she thought was page scrape along another from being turned she peered to her left and was greeted with a sight for sore eyes. On a lone bench down the side of a building she found the blonde beauty who she tried to befriend early completely engrossed in a book with earphones in. Noticing the cute little focused look the young girl had on Callie just watched her for a moment. After what she considered a creepy amount of time to be staring at someone without them knowing she took several steps in her direction until, much like earlier that day, her shadow darkened the light over the blonde. Upon noticing this, the blonde looked up and jumped slightly. Ripping her ear phones out and quickly shutting her book she took in the figure in front of her as well as she could as the sun was right behind them. Realisation dawned on the pale girl almost instantaneously and she let out a high pitched 'Calliope!" without a second thought. "What are you doing here?" her question wasn't meant to be rude, she was honestly just curious. No one ever came to this side of the school anymore. "I was just exploring the school. I'm sorry I startled you. Actually, I wanted to talk to you." Before the blonde could interrupt, as she had seen she was about to, she held up a hand and continued. "I do want to be friends with someone like you. I really do. I'm not trying to use you or humiliate you if that's what you think, I just honestly think that you would be a great friend and I am also a great friend and it looks like you might like a friend too." The blonde saw the slight blush creep across the brunettes chest and while the other girl was lightly shaking her head in embarrassment she replied. "Okay, Calliope." And the two girls sat together for the remainder of lunch, not talking about much but enjoying each other's company.