Maggie held her head up with her hand, elbow on the table, still reeling from the events that took place last night. To think, he could be that violent, that brash. No wonder she hadn't paid him much mind. But no less, he had been determined to impress her.

She ran her hands through her bright, white hair. Her piercing, yellow eyes scanning the cafeteria. She wished to be left to her own devices, to reflect on what had happened, but no less should someone sit by her when she wished to be alone. It was just her luck. She'd sat in a lonely corner, far away from commotion, as well. So it was clear he sought attention from her.

"Can I help you?" she asked, in an annoyed demeanour. She tried to sound throaty, gravelly. As if, to turn him off.

"Yes, actually. I would like to get to know you," he stated in a posh, condescending voice. His sailor-like accent didn't help that point, however. "You seem like an interesting character."

"Yeah, big words. Impresses blondes like me," Maggie shot back sarcastically. "How 'bout you do me a favour and fuck right off?"

"Alright, no need to be rude," the redhead stated at last. "I might be a ginger, but I at least understand kindness."

"Yeah, you seem like it," Maggie said under her breath, before taking a sip of her water bottle.

It was no easy job putting up with pricks everyday. But, she had to, for the sake of her own social life.

She shot a glance over to Alfred, a boy with strawberry-blonde, right-parted hair, and beautiful blue eyes. He was listening closely as another girl spoke in the opposing corner of the room. She thought back to yesterday, immediately, seeing his face.

She sat at the lunch table, not eating, but rather listening in on everyone else there.

"It's one thing to take a man's meal, it's another to eat it right in front of them. I just had enough of her shit," Tony said. "She was such a bitch, but no less could be expected from Tina."

"That's my sister you're dissing, there," Chica stated, spewing mouthfuls of pizza everywhere. "Nice going!"

She fist-bumped Tony, and they both smirked. But, not before Tony wiped some pizza spit from his cheek.

"Well, Tony, would you ever say that to her face?" Fredrick asked condescendingly.

"Boy, that's legitimately what I said to her when I dumped her."

"Damn," Bonnie chimed. "Th edge is too much for me."

Fredrick snorted with Bonnie's retort, which prompted an agitated Tony to shoot glares in the brunet's direction.

Maggie just sat back condescendingly, watching the drama of the situation unfold. Alfred sat in front of her, keeping quiet. He usually sat in an odd spot, seeing as he'd always sit with that other girl in the corner. The weird girl who everyone always talked about. She'd never actually met her, but she seemed a bit odd and outlandish.

She glanced at him whenever he'd look away. She had no interest in him, but rather whatever the hell was on his mind.

After a bit of time, he cleared his throat, as if to grab her attention. She paid minimal attention, his usual prestigious and pretentiously smug attitude being a major turn off for her. He looked nervous, however. He was sweating a bit, but she couldn't blame him. It was hot in the cafeteria.

"Hey," he greeted her, at last. "There's going to be a party this weekend at Foxworth's house tonight. You interested in going?"

She sighed, mentally. He was asking her on a date for the fifty thousandth time. She figured she'd stall her answer a bit. He knew the answer, but she wanted to tease him a bit. Make him think he'd interested her.

"Who the hell Foxworth?" she asked, having at least overheard the name, but being unfamiliar with the face.

"Red hair, yellow contact lenses, baby face, sailor's accent. Anything ringing a bell, here?"

She noted herself that she wasn't the only one who thought yellow was a cool eye colour. Like, yellow.

"No, not really. Either way, probably not going to go," Maggie lied.

Of course she'd go, but not with him. He'd be the last man on the fucking planet before she'd ever even consider dating him. Even then, his chances would be slim, and would honestly let the human race die out than have anything to do with him. He hung out with the oddball in the corner, and was a pretentious fuck. He had weird taste, they didn't fit.

He sighed in defeat, "Alright, then."

He moved back to where he usually sat, and Maggie went back to listening in on the conversations of her peers.

"I swear to god I'm going to murder you when we get home," Tony threatened Bonnie.

The purple-haired latino scoffed. "Fat chance."

...That's enough 'friendship' for today... Maggie thought.

Maggie lounged around her house, the empty, silent space being more than enough of an area for her to think. She had to think about how she'd work around Alfred being there, as well. Because, lord forbid, she actually go to a party without him. He couldn't learn to take motherfucking hint.

That was one of the things she hated most about him. He was arrogant, smug, and an overall detestable person. He'd push her to the brinks of insanity before he gave up trying to go out with her. He didn't understand that she didn't like him like that.

She would've gladly been friends with the guy, if he wasn't trying to constantly win her over. She was tired of his shit, yet couldn't tell him to go fuck himself. How didn't she have that kind of confidence? If she was so intent on claiming that he was an asshole, why couldn't she say it to his face?

If anything, she planned to do so the next time he asked her to a dance, or some stupid shit like that. His heart may have been in the right place, but his mouth was not.

Either way, she decided to switch to a more fitting outfit for the party, as apposed to her pink and white shirt. Instead, she switched to one with a light grey sleeves and collar, as to replace the pink, leaving the white the same. Two different shirts, exactly the same pattern, just different colours. She honestly had no reason to change. She just felt as if she should. It wouldn't really disguise her or anything, it was just a need for compliancy.

She grabbed her black jacket off the coat rack, and her phone, and keys off the end table next to the door. She opened the door, and locked it behind her, walking out to her car. She had to hand to her mother, even if they hated each other, she was still pretty cool. Hell, Maggie had her own car at sixteen, she felt like fucking royalty.

To be fair, her mom did work her ass off. But, still. It was no less, or no more, an amazing gift because of that fact. It just made Maggie so happy to have a thing she barely even used. She could only remember really filling up the tank once or twice, and it had a very small amount of mileage.

She took a wild guess at where this "Foxworth," was living, and somehow ended up being right. She just followed the cars that looked like they had people from school in them. Sure, there were a few bikes outside, but there were a small amount of cars compared to the people inside. She guessed a lot of people carpooled because not everyone had cars of their own.

She parked and headed inside, and loud EDM music was blaring out of the speakers. The place was packed with people dancing, and the socially awkward groups that stood around with their drinks. She immediately spotted the one she oh-so despised out of all of them, and made a herself a path to avoid him. She knew if she showed her face with him here, he'd get all emotional.

"Hey, I know this isn't really your thing," Alfred said to the girl next to him, Spring.

"No, no, it's fine, it's just— I'm honestly really nervous," she replied.

"Hey, no need to be, you have me here. Should anything go wrong, you can drag me down with you," Alfred told her.

"Heh, thanks," Spring said, taking a sip of her drink. "Y'know, if you wanted to just hang out, we could've just gone to your place. I'd honestly had rather been there."

"I mean, I invited Maggie originally, but, as always, she said no. It's getting really discouraging trying to ask her out sometimes. I mean, she's pushed me away so many times, I just don't feel it's worth it anymore."

"Maybe you should stop, sorry to say," Spring said. "I mean, she clearly doesn't want a relationship, maybe it's better to move on. I've never been in your position, so I don't know."

"Maybe you're right. I mean, after all, I have been kinda pushy. But, I just don't want to let go," Alfred replied. "I mean, I've tried so many times just to get her just to talk to me. But, I feel compelled to continue, and I don't know why."

"Maybe you feel like you have a chance to be her friend or something. I don't know. I just feel like you're wasting your time with her. I mean—"

"Hold that thought," Alfred interrupted. He'd realised that Maggie had come, but just not with him, which he could deal with. He just sort of went back into position, feeling a bit more defeated. "I think I may give up. I mean, she's here, she's just not here with me. It's kind of hard to think, she wouldn't have been here if I hadn't invited her originally. She didn't even know Foxworth existed, much less that he was holding this party."

"Alfred, I don't know what to tell you. But, I've had something on my mind for a while, and, I–I haven't had the courage to say it…. I'm still not sure if I do…."

"No matter what you can say, I'm sure it won't make me feel any worse than I do right now. I just feel absolutely shitty."

"Alfred, I— …I really appreciate that you're my friend. Even if you may not be the person you want to be, you're still the kind of person who holds compassion for his friends. I want you to know, going forward, I support you with what ever happens."

Spring cursed herself in her mind for not actually saying what she wanted to. Now, she imagined he'd question her, but he remained silent and stoic.

"Alfred? Are you okay?" Spring asked. "You look kind of upset. Is it something I said?"

"N-no, I just— I-I dunno. The fact that I can make such a difference in your life, and yet someone else can push me away like that, it's a bit surreal to me."

"Hey, don't think of it like that. The difference you made came after you were my friend. You had a head start on that with the fact that I had no one else caring for me. All you had to do was come into my life, and treat me like a human. Sure, there were the orphanage counsellors at the time, but they wouldn't really be able to truly understand my angle."

"I guess you're right. It's difficult to be friends with someone who has other people to look after them. But, I can sense something with her. There's more there than she's letting on, and I want to help her."

"Alfred, stop kidding yourself. You just want to be closer with her. You need to get over that, because the fact that she doesn't want to be with you won't change. I hate to be that person, but you kind of need that truth bomb."

Alfred was silent, staring blankly at the ground, and Spring stopped paying attention for about a split second, and then she realised Alfred was gone. She set her drink down and hurriedly went outside, to find that he'd just gone. She sighed, knowing he was her ride home. It was raining, and she regretted not telling him upfront that she loved him.

Blindly, he went home in a rage of tears, and forgot completely that he'd left Spring there by herself. He'd regret it later, but for now, he just felt so stupid for holding onto the hope that maybe he could've had something with Maggie. He should've known from the first rejection that she had no interest.

He sped well over the speed limit, and was surprised he didn't crash and die on his way home, and made it home safely. He fumbled with his keys, trying desperately to unlock the door and just get inside to be alone with his thoughts. He didn't want an outside force influencing him, he just wanted to think.

His mind was clouded, and he barely knew what to do with himself, pacing around his room as tears slowly dropped from his face. "What am I even doing?" he whispered to himself. "Do I even know what I'm fighting for, anymore? Am I still the same person I was before? What is anything, anymore?"

His phone began to ring, and he ignored it the first time, until it rang again. He didn't want to answer, but he imagined it was important. It was Spring. He sighed, knowing he'd have to face the music on this one.

He answered the phone call, and greeted with an elongated, "Hello, Spring."

"Where the fuck did you go?!" she demanded. "You left me at the party to walk home in the rain!"

"I'm so sorry, Spring. I just, I knew I had to get out of there. That talk we had, it's made begin to rethink major parts of my life, and I just didn't want to break down in front of everyone," Alfred explained.

Spring sighed. "I suppose I can let you pass on that. I know where you've been on that front…. I've had many mental breakdowns in the past, and I didn't want to be in public for them."

"I'm glad you understand. I've honestly been becoming slowly unsure of myself, and our talk just sort of solidified that."

"I'm sorry for what I said. I guess I shouldn't have questioned your idea to keep chasing after Maggie. She's who you want, and I shouldn't be one to intrude on that with my own thoughts. But, you could have at least told me we were leaving."

"I s-suppose you're right. It's just— I don't— I don't know what to think, anymore," Alfred said.

"I'd love to help you, but I can't right now. It's late, I need to get a shower and go to sleep," Spring told him. "I think maybe you should, too."

"Maybe you're right. Thanks for talking for a bit, anyways."

"Anytime."

She hung up, and he put his phone down. He laid down on his bed, staring at the ceiling, his mind still racing with many thoughts he didn't know how to control. He didn't know what to do with himself. Tears continued to roll down his face. He contemplated just how much people actually wanted him around. He could count Spring and his brother as a possible two, yet he was so unsure of everyone else.

He heard a knock at the door. It slowly creaked open, and Fredrick poked his head in.

"Hey buddy," he said softly, "you okay?"

"I— I don't know for sure, Fredrick," Alfred replied. "I'm just contemplating if all of this is even worth it, anymore."

"I don't like hearing that out of my brother," Fredrick sighed. "Do you want to talk?"

"It's just— I dunno. Why is it that I'm not able to give up? I've asked Maggie out so many times, yet, I still don't know when to quit. When to just give up. I feel like I'm abandoning other people just for a futile cause."

"It's something you've wanted for a long time, and you don't want to give up on it, because you think you can succeed."

"That's a bit cryptic, but I'll keep it in mind. Thanks, I guess…."

Fredrick closed the door slowly, before walking downstairs. He sighed, knowing he'd have to make the call he was about to make, eventually. He never wanted it to come to this, but Maggie had fully broken his brother. He didn't want to get in the middle of everything, but yet he'd have to stand and side with his brother.

He picked up his phone and hesitantly made the call. He waited patiently for the call to go through. When it did, he was greeted with an annoyed Maggie.

"The fuck do you want?" Maggie asked aggressively.

"I want you to take a second to calm down before we get this conversation started," Fredrick retaliated calmly.

Maggie sighed on the other end of the line. "I know what this call's about, and I don't want to have to deal with this situation. Your brother's a prick, whether you see it or not."

"It doesn't matter who my brother is to you," Fredrick said, "I'm the one who has to live with him. If he's in there contemplating life and death, then I have to take action. I cannot come home to a dead brother. So no matter who you think he is, you're going to come over here and fix this, or I will personally drag you here and lock you in the same room until you apologise, and at least agree to get to know him."

"Your brother's a jackass. You are not going to get me to apologise to him, even if you starved me to death. I would rather starve to death, instead of apologising, that's the point we're at. He's being a little bitch if he thinks that what I have done is malicious."

"I swear to god, Maggie. You're claiming him as a bad person, but you've broken his heart on many occasions, and he's feeling guilty, now, because of what he's been doing. If he's guilty, you have no choice but to apologise and forgive."

Maggie sighed again. "If I do, will it shut you up about the subject?"

"For now."

"Fine. I'll be over soon."

The conversation ended there. Fredrick sighed himself, pinching the bridge of his nose. He couldn't help but wonder to himself why Alfred had been interested in the first place. There wasn't generally a mutual hatred between himself and Maggie, but she was being difficult, and he had to wonder some things.

Hopefully it wouldn't be long before Maggie would show up. The sooner the two could work things out, the sooner Alfred would hopefully be feeling a little better about himself. Fredrick secretly hoped, that after all of this hell, maybe the two could be good friends. He doubted it highly, but he believed it could happen. It wasn't impossible.

It took her about half an hour, but she finally arrived.

She opened the door, stepping in, without having the courtesy to knock.

"I hope you're happy with this," Maggie said begrudgingly. "I'm forgiving the person I hate most for exactly the reason I hate him for it. Did you ever have the idea that this would be a bit disingenuous?"

"I think he just needs to see your face, and hear those words, and he'll be better," Fredrick said. "I think, so long as he thinks it's real enough, then you'll get by. He's not a very violent or grudging person. Unlike someone."

"You can fuck right off with that. And just know I'm only here so I don't have to hear the subject ever again."

She quickly went upstairs, mentally rolling her eyes from the fact that she had to be here to do this. She couldn't believe she agreed to this in the first place. She stood in front of the door that she'd soon have to open. She took a couple moments to mentally prepare herself, she didn't want to forgive him.

The door creaked as she slowly pushed it open. She thought about what she was going to say for a moment.

"Hey, Alfred," she said in the calmest, nicest voice she could fake. "You okay?"

"I dunno. But, I'm sorry for being the way I have been towards you," he replied.

"It's okay. I guess I was a bit quick to judge you, anyways…."

"A bit? A bit?!" Alfred echoed. "We wouldn't be here if you hadn't been so damn quick to judge."

"I don't like the hostility in your voice," Maggie replied. "I came here to apologise to you, and now you're starting to turn on me."

"Because, why should I forgive you? You put me through mental hell, and I'm supposed to stand here and forgive you?!"

"Look, you don't have to forgive me, I figured you might have wanted an apology, either way. Maybe I was wrong."

She pivoted on her heel, and began to walk out.

"Don't you dare move," Alfred said sternly, and Maggie stopped dead in her tracks. The threatening manor of his voice was something she'd never heard a human be capable of, before. It was cold, and he sounded ready to kill.

She felt as if she knew what was coming, but she soon felt a foot in her back, and was forcibly pushed against the wall. With the force that was put to her, she was surprise the wall didn't crumble. There was nothing but a massive crash.

She could hear footsteps running up the steps, and she knew Fredrick was coming to be her backup. The door swung open to her left, and the darkness of the room was suddenly lifted, as she stayed put, and heard a crash behind her. She soon finally built up the ability to peel herself from the wall, and turn around, and found that Alfred had been thrown into the opposite wall.

"She came here to apologise, and forgive you, and yet you have the nerve to suddenly get violent," Fredrick said angrily. "You should be ashamed of yourself."

The air was tense after that moment. Maggie had no clue what to say, Fredrick was fuming, and Alfred was probably feeling a bit terrible about himself.

Fredrick left the room with steaming anger, presumably to walk off said anger. While Alfred laid against the wall, a darkened expression on his face, and uneven breathing.

"I-I'm sorry," he sputtered, "I'm so, so sorry."

"It's okay," Maggie replied, "it's okay to feel enraged. I just hope we can come to an understanding."

"I guess," Alfred whispered, pushing his knees to his chin. "I just hope that you don't absolutely hate me, now."

"No, no…. I think I understand who you are a bit better, but I just don't think I'm necessarily ready to be your friend, just yet. But, I think we can slowly, actually start understanding if we want a relationship or not."

"I suppose."

The two went silent for a few moments, each not knowing what to say, and not moving. Maggie contemplated leaving at this point. There were no more words to be said between the two, and it felt awkward at this point.

"I'm just gonna... I'm just gonna go go," she said at last.

"O-Okay, then," Alfred replied emotionlessly.

She slowly stepped out of the door, and stepped down the creaky stairs.

"We worked things out, I suppose," she told Fredrick. "I have a new view on him. Not good, not bad, just new."

"I suppose that's how most people view him," he said with a sigh. "Can't exactly help it. But, once you get to know him a bit better, you'll start understanding more things. He isn't usually this way, I don't know what happened, so I apologise on his behalf."

"He apologised, already. I can't even sort of see the justification, but even still, it all happened so fast…."

"Well, hopefully, this kind of shit doesn't happen again. I don't get why you're not pissed, though, heh. Seems out-of-character to me."

"It's just so confusing to me, that's all."

And with that, Maggie left.

She was still so stressed about last nights events, she just wanted to blow off anyone who would get in the way of a reflection on it. She began to regret pushing away Foxworth.

But, she sighed, assuming that it was too late to make things up. She stood, threw away her tray, and just in time, as the bell then rang. She sighed, knowing that today was going to be a long, boring day. But she didn't know what was going on afterwards.

4,165 words.

I SCREWED UP! I uploaded the wrong document for this story originally. That's why this one was updated. I'm working on chapter two, but I uploaded Unparalleled Part 4 instead of Golden Ages Part 1 for this. I am an idiot. So, here it is again, the proper version this time. I had no clue that this was the wrong document.