Chapter 1: Below the Ice

"I will crawl my way up from the hell I've seen, you're the only one I see. I'm not moody, but I get in these moods. Empty, but I still feel something. The ground beneath my feet is the only thing that keeps me going. Everything is grey, I see colors but they're not the same. Lost all interest, in interesting things. I can't concentrate; rain down on me, heavy rain. I'm disrespecting in the most respecting way. Lying to you, but I always tell the truth. Walked miles to get away, but took a few steps, and I'm in the same place. No matter where I look, it will never be enough. Everything constantly changes, I keep my eyes shut. Burnt to ashes, I shall arise again. I am a Phoenix given another chance. A folk, a story, a myth it may be. But who I am today, is the not the same, It's not who I use to be."-Red

The more Keith reads his note to himself, the more he hates it. And after the 10th time, he crumbles it up and tosses it in the trash bin. He misses, but refuses to pick it up. However he gets paranoid that someone might-

"Shit!" Keith curses to himself when Lance McClain walks into class and proceeds to pick up the paper, he then opens the crumbled up note and decides to pocket it, instead of throwing it away. "This is just great, fanfuckingtatsic" Keith utters to himself. How will he get himself out of this one? Throughout the entire class period Keith steals glances at Lance, hoping to spot the note. Lance sits three desk over to Keith's left, so glances aren't so obvious. Well, Keith likes to think so. Head resting on his right hand, his blue-grey eyes look at McClain once again, but this time he gets caught. Lance smiles and finger guns at the boy. Blood rushes to his cheeks and Keith covers his face and lays his head down on the desk. From across the room, he hears a light giggle, and now he's even more embarrassed. The bell rings and Keith prays to the Gods, he gathers his belongings and runs out the door. Keith's pace begins to speed up and a gently swoosh of his bangs falls against his forehead. He opens the restroom door and walks towards the sink. He turns on the faucet and places his glasses on the counter. He splashes water on his face hoping to chill out. The raven-haired boy looks at his reflection and squints. There's an ominous figure behind him and Keith can't quite make out who it is. After wiping his face dry, he reaches for his glasses and realizes that they're missing. He turns around and the mysterious figure started cackling. "It's not funny, give them back" Keith protested.

"What are you going to gain from it, hm?" Keith rolls his eyes. "Most likely my sight, stop being an ass Lotor" Lotor groans telling Keith that he's no fun. "Here's your stupid glasses, Mullet" He leaves the restroom and apologizes on his way out because he ran into Lance.

"What was that about?" McClain questions. Keith awkwardly scratches his head and averts his eyes towards the window. Nothing, people just like to treat me like shit for their own personal entertainment." There was a brief awkward silence before Lance coughed and spoke up. "I'm sorry," he said. "Not your fault, don't apologize," Keith affirmed. Feeling overwhelmed with this sudden contact with Lance, Keith bolts to the door. Lance pushes the door closed. The sound echoed throughout the restroom. The sudden noise alarms Keith and when he turns around the taller boy is looking down at him. Keith panics and tries to avert his eyes because his current predicament is making him sweat out his ass. "Where do you think you're going mullet?" declared Lance, his deep blue crystal eyes gleaming at Kogane. Mullet? Keith thinks to himself. "I was trying to leave, but that's kinda hard to do, since you're in my way!" Keith snapped. "Huh, is that so?" remarked Lance as he leans towards him. This forces Keith to look straight into his eyes. Keith is shocked because of the color and wonders how he hasn't noticed them before. Like Lance's eyes are so pretty, so blue. Keith becomes mesmerized in them, lost in thought, he almost misses what the lanky boy is saying. Lance removes his arm that's hovering over Keith, and walks to the urinals. He unzips his pants, and turns around to find that Keith is still standing by the door. "I was kidding, you can leave now." Keith jumps a little with McClain's blunt words, not knowing what to say he just opens his mouth and leaves the restroom.

"I'm alive, but I haven't lived. I want people to know who I am, but I refuse to tell them anything. I have issues." - Red

Keith scribbles another note down and this time he decides to keep it. Regretting what he did earlier and dreading his awkward encounters with Lance, he confides his sorrows with Pidge. He walks into third period advanced Computer Programming and Technology Studies (CPTS) and sits next to her. "Katie" he drags her name out, whiny like a three year old. "My day sucks ass, and I'm not talking about a fun time." Pidge groans with annoyance, but still listens to the boy. "What happened Keith?"

"Not like my life is some inaccurate, over-dramatic high school movie, but it might as well be." Keith grumbles loudly as he clenches his fist and slams his forehead against the keyboard. A soft 'Ow' escapes his chapped lips. He tells Pidge about the note and bathroom scene, turning his head to the right to see if she's still listening. Pidge adjust her glasses and says "That sounds like a personal problem." Keith gasps and whispers "Fuck you" in her ear. "Just ask for the note back, and Lance is a flirt, so what?" retorted Pidge, wondering where she went wrong with her friendship with Mullet boy. Kogane sits up in his chair and scoots closer to her. " I can't just ask for it back, it's embarrassing, and my note is personal so I don't want him to know that it's me. And did you forget who we're talking about here? The most social guy at school Pidge. Mr. Popular Lance McfuckinClain!" Keith exuberates. Pidge types away on her computer, "Just send him an anonymous letter or something, and I didn't forget dipshit. Social status isn't a real thing. You just don't talk to people." Keith face scrunches up and he's slightly offended. "Neither do you, and how the fuck would I do that? Should I throw a brick at him? Send a carrier pigeon? Telegram?" Pidge chuckles and places her palm directly on her temple. "Keith, it's 2018, send him a fucking snapchat or something." Before Keith could utter another word walks into class and shushes the students. "Quiet down now, Ladies and Gents; sign in if you haven't already and pull up the document you worked on yesterday." Keith moves back to his computer and quietly tells Pidge that she isn't any real help, but he's grateful anyways. Third period ends, he walks to his locker which is practically miles away. Why is this school so fucking big? Keith questions to himself, light jogging through the hallway in hopes of making it to the opposite end of the school before the minute bell. He reaches his locker and fidgets 86423 into his padlock. He opens his locker and digs around a bit until he finds his journal, that's covered in sad faces. Much aesthetic. Keith slams his locker and sprints to his next class. Only to run into a certain someone again. "Hey...just who I wanted to see, where are you heading red?"

" I'm walking on a thin slope, I slip and fall. Breaking through the ice, I've lost it all. No one comes to my rescue, I have to fend for myself. Below the ice, Im freezing to death."-Red