Chapter One

The results for the end of year test were finally in. 'I have to have beaten him this time! There's no way I'm second again!' I thought to myself as I rushed out of class and past everyone towards the bulletin board where all test scores and everything else important were found. As I rounded the last corner, I had to force myself not to run. Now just wasn't the time. No, that would come later when I prove to Near that he wasn't as good as he thought he was. I pushed past the few students who stood in front of the board, only to stop dead.

"No way!" I almost shouted. I was second again! "How is that even possible?!" I muttered to myself, as I shoved my way through the students who were now gathered around the test results, loudly talking to their friends.

As soon as there was no one around me I took a deep breath. I had just fixed everything I'd broken last time Near got on my nerves and I didn't need to be lectured by Roger for hitting Near again. Eventually I turned and headed towards the only computer room in the institution. I had a laptop in my room – much like the rest of the kids here – but I didn't want to accidentally break it…again…

Once I'd reached the computer room, I slowly opened the door. Students weren't supposed to go into the room unsupervised. I didn't particularly care for rules but I'd only just narrowly escaped a whole year's worth of detention from when I broke Near's favourite toy.

I slipped into the room and shut the door behind me quickly before taking a seat in front one of the computers. As I switched it on, I remembered that Roger had made me change my password after he'd found out the little message – as he'd like to call it – wasn't just random letters or words.

When the computer had loaded up the log on screen, I typed in what I thought might be my new password. Only for a message to pop up saying that I had the wrong one. I frowned and tried a few different passwords with the same message popping up on every try.

Frustrated, I stood up quickly, sliding the chair out from underneath me and tipping it over as I did so. I grabbed the sides of the computer screen and attempted to pick it up and throw it before I was stopped by a red headed boy pushing in front of me.

"Give me a sec." He said and I instantly recognised his voice. He was Matt, otherwise known as Near's best friend. I glared at the back of his head while he hacked into my school account for me. "There." He said and moved out of the way, revealing my desktop background. I didn't say anything as I picked up the chair and sat in front of the screen, for some reason not wanting to write out my normal rant with Matt in the room with me.

I sighed as the silence started getting awkward and started typing in random words when I heard Matt mumble something.

"What was that?" I asked absentmindedly, still typing in random words.

"I uh…didn't say anything…" He replied, sounding distracted. I shrugged and went back to my 'work' before he spoke up again. "What's your favourite food?" He asked and I blinked in shock.

"Why..?" I replied trying desperately to think of a food I like, my mind having annoyingly gone blank.

"I dunno, just asking I guess." He said and I could hear the ruffling of his clothing as he shrugged. I sighed and turned to look at him, his eyes were focused on whatever was on the screen in front of him and his fingers seemed to twitch whenever he pressed the wrong key. "If you would kindly stop staring at me that'd be great…it's distracting." He said calmly and I averted my eyes, trying to look around the room but my eyes kept falling back to him. He didn't seem to be as irritating when he wasn't around Near, for whatever reason that only made me all the more interested in him.

"Chocolate." I said suddenly, making him jump.

"What?" He asked once he'd settled back into his game.

"Chocolate, that's probably my favourite food." I said again and started spinning on the desk chair, causing my hair to spin out and hit me in the eye. "Ow…" I muttered as I stopped spinning and rubbed my eye.

"Interesting…" I heard Matt mumble. I frowned over at him and he looked like he was laughing a little bit. "I never would have guessed." He said and turned to face me now.

"Alright, what about you then?" I challenged however I wasn't quite sure why I was even talking to him in the first place. He was best friends with Near for crying out loud!

"I don't have a favourite food." He said, smiling. I, for some odd reason, smiled back and we continued on talking like that until we were interrupted by a knock at the door. Matt and I jumped in unison as the door opened. I quickly spun my chair back to the desk I was originally sitting at as the small albino boy entered the room.

"Matt, it's time for dinner now." Near said in his irritating high-pitched, girl-like voice. I frowned at the computer and started typing furiously, trying not to think about what just happened.

"It's that late already?" Matt asked, sounding shocked before I heard him get up and start walking out of the room. "Uh…I guess I'll see you later then Mello." He said quickly before he left the room. I sighed and kept writing down whatever came to mind. As I re-read what I'd just written I realised that most of it was about my conversation with Matt and not my usual thoughts about Near. I quickly shut down the computer – not bothering to save what I'd written – and left the room.

Instead of going to the dining hall for dinner, I opened the window in my room and climbed onto the roof. The sun had just started setting, leaving the playground different shades of pink and orange. I smiled and lay down as I watched the stars slowly coming out. Day dreaming of the day I finally left this place and got to live in the real world.