I wind up wandering the buzzing hallways aimlessly. Students throwing concerned glances at me but immediately go back to their conversations about weekend plans. They had always seen me as the kid that was happy and said, "Hi!" to everyone in the hallways. After 10 minutes of walking, something odd happened. A female with long, ivory hair pulled into an offset ponytail passes by me.

She glanced at me with icy blue orbs that could pierce even the most solid piece of tungsten. "Hi there!" the girl said gleefully. I kept walking, distancing myself from her. This angered her for some strange reason, "You dolt! When someone says 'hi' to you, you say it back!" she screamed. I don't look back but keep walking, finally having a destination in mind. "What, are you just ignoring me? Why you insufferable -" the girl paused when she saw where we were. "Why are we on the roof?" she deadpanned.

I shrug and reply, "You followed me. Who am I to stop you? Who are you, anyway?"

The white haired girl had a quizzical look on her face, "Me? How do you not know me? I am Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company!"

"Whatever princess, just leave me alone," I tell her.

Weiss explodes, "How dare you call me princess! I just told you my name, so use it, you dunce!"

I shake my head, annoyed, "Leave, snow angel.."

"Not unless you tell me why you are standing here on the frozen roof with a hat, bandana, jacket, and shorts on. You must be freezing, erm, what is your name?"

I laugh to make her feel less awkward and answer, "It's Darren. I'm no one important like you so I understand if you didn't know my name." Weiss' face turned a darker tinge of rose at being called important.

She continued, "Well, Darren, I assume you are starting to get frostbite so -"

"You're wearing a skirt yourself! Aren't you cold?" I interrupt.

"I am, but aren't you?"

I run my hand over my bandages, "I can't feel it, Weiss. You see my arm? It was just sliced open in the lobby not even an hour ago and it didn't hurt. Not even a little bit."

"H-how? You shouldn't even be able to move it," Weiss states.

I elaborate, "I'm not limited by pain, for some reason. You can break my jaw and I would still talk. Try it." She stares at me in disbelief, blue eyes filled with concern.

"I can't hit you," she mutters.

"Speak up, princess!"

"I said I can't hit you, Darren," Weiss says, light blue high heeled boots clicking as they meet with the ground. As soon as she is in arms distance, I feel pressure on my chest. Her shove sent me sliding on the icy cement, not anticipating her to be that strong. My foot collides with something as I'm moving backwards. I brace for the impact, but it never happens – and not just because I can't feel it. I'm weightless, like a leaf in the wind as I plummet down the side of the dorm building. Tensing up, I accept my defeat and wait for the inevitable to happen.

After a few seconds, my flight was ended by the sidewalk. At least I thought it was the sidewalk. I open one of my eyes, to see that I am shrouded in a pure white glyph. Just over halfway down the brick building, I'm suspended in front of a curtained window. The glyph then changes to a midnight ebony color, skyrocketing me back to the top of our dorm building. I land on my face, failing to land a flip. Looking around to see if Weiss had seen what had happened, I don't see what I expected. What I do see is a pale face with tears streaming down her cheeks. "W-Weiss? What's the matter?"

The silence was shattered by an unsteady voice, "I-I thought I h-had killed you Darren..."

"What do you care? I just met you! Seriously?" I respond, bewildered.

Weiss paused, "I just feel like you are... special. Sorry if that sounds a bit strange?" she blushed and looked away from me.

I say sarcastically, "Does someone need a hug?" She actually falls into my arms and I stand there for a few moments holding and comforting Weiss as she sobbed. "I know you didn't cry for just almost killing me. What's really the matter here, princess?" I inquire after 10 minutes of uncomfortable silence. Her icy eyes gaze into my crimson ones.

"First, tell me why you took me to the roof. Then, perhaps I'll tell you," she bribed. I scratch the back of my beanie as if it were my hair. "Out with it," she coaxed.

"To get away from it all, you know?" She shook her head, confused, so I continue, "Have alone time. Leave everyone else, be alone with my thoughts. All with the help of this," I pull out a large bottle of vodka.

Weiss gasped, "You? Drink? You're under aged!"

"Hey! I'm 17, the same age as you! What, you gonna go get Goodwitch to give me detention, snow angel? I was considering sharing too..." I counter.

She huffed, "I suppose alcohol would be good right now."

I cheer, "Great! Are we going to 'talk' up here or inside?"

Weiss shivered and asked, "Inside?"

"But then we get no privacy!" I fake pout, "Besides, if you're cold, take my hoodie! I don't mind."

She protests, "But you need that to.. stay... warm. Nevermind. Give me it." I slip off the comfortable black hooded, thick red and white horizontally striped sweatshirt. Weiss snatches it out of my hands and examines it. She starts to giggle, and I am flummoxed. Her laughter became louder when she saw my facial expression.

"Oh, that's perfect. No vodka in your system and you're already drunk," I complain sarcastically.

Weiss calmed down and spoke through suppressed laughter, "I was just laughing at your face come o-" she froze when she realized what words had just escaped her lips.

"Huh, I guess I was right," I mutter.

"Right about what, Darren?" Weiss questioned.

"That the ice queen in front of me truly has no heart. Or is it frozen? Take your pick," I say nonchalantly.

Something inside of her snapped when a stranger had called her cold hearted, "Oh, 'heartless' is what you think of me? After I saved your helpless ass from plummeting to death? Why did I even bother to save you, the failure that is letting his whole team fall apart?" she spat. I was certain that she had only said those things to get back at me for saying some rude things about her, but what Weiss didn't know was that those words sunk into my heart, reminding me that I am a failure at being a leader and at just about everything else.

"I'm a complete failure and loser. Why would a Schnee family member even want to talk to me? I fuck everything up. This chance at a friendship (or something more), being a team leader- by being a burden on everyone because I couldn't care any less about my grades or life, and as a person- hitting rock bottom, being depressed." I think. I could tell that what she had said was the awful truth, and I accepted it.

With tears welling in my ruby orbs, I collapse like a ragdoll. I fall to the snowy roof, laying on my back. My vision is blocked by the hoodie as Weiss drops the crimson and ivory article of clothing on my face. It is followed by my large bottle of vodka that she had also taken out of my hands. I groan, exhausted. Hearing the click of the door closing, I realize I'm alone. "Just like always, heh," I force a fake, muffled laugh and smile. I just lie there, letting my consciousness slip away so I can slumber, even if it's in the middle of a snowstorm. My mind fades into the seemingly infinite abyss.