I had to break it, the wars are raging on

And I have taken my glasses off
You got me nervous
I'm right at the end of my rope
A half empty girl
Don't make me laugh, I'll choke

-Rose-Colored Boy; by Paramore

Humans were odd, that much was obvious. Raegan's understanding on them was small; she hadn't had much interaction with them when she lived with her father. He only allowed minimal contact with other people when he deemed it necessary. Because of that, Raegan's social skills were almost non-existent. But when the Incident occurred, the teen forced herself out into the world. As a result, that meant being forced out with people. With human beings. It wasn't an easy transition, obviously, but Raegan managed to make it work. She had to make it work! She came to see what was socially acceptable when it came to proper interactions. A lot did come from trial and error, since many people held different expectations when it came to socializing. But Raegan learned, and she used it to her advantage. She turned herself into a very outgoing young girl, an extrovert who enjoyed the company of others. She was seen as persuasive and enchanting, and that was something she worked hard to achieve. While those traits weren't true to her, Raegan knew that keeping up the facade was important. Hardly anyone wanted to interact with someone who was socially incapable. That was how Raegan saw it. Charm, proper social etiquette, and the right amount of persuasiveness could get a person far. So as she followed behind the young boy she ran into, Raegan wondered what would be the right kind of socializing. Due to her being new to Amity Park, she wasn't entirely sure how the inhabitants were, but she assumed they were sociable and a bit nosy. Just from the looks and whispers, Raegan would say it was true. Amity Park was definitely one city she'd have to leave as soon as possible.

"So," she stammered, glancing back at her guide, "where exactly are we going?"

Looking at her for a moment, the boy's blue eyes seemed confused before the realization it. "Nasty Burger," he said. "It's a popular burger joint here. Are you okay with that?"

With a nod, Raegan forced a pleased smile on her face. In the early days of her self-imposed exile, she'd survived on fast food. Or, rather, the remains of fast food. Because of the teen's dedication to no social interaction in the beginning, she was too anxious to even socialize with fast food servers. Though, she also had no money, so it wouldn't have made a difference. Because of that, she'd usually settle with whatever she'd find in the trash. It wasn't a glamorous start, but it was better than nothing. Raegan was just happy to have something to eat.

"Are you new here?" The boy's voice snapped Raegan out of her mind, causing her to jump a little.

"I — Yeah, I'm new," she stuttered. She could see his eyes furrow a little, looking at her suspiciously. She was messing up. Raegan was messing up and she was definitely going to be beating herself up about it later. "Is it nice here?"

With a shrug, he let out a sigh. "For the most part," he responded. "If you wanted my honest opinion, it's nothing special. Not much happens here."

That's a relief, Raegan thought.

"Are you here on a trip or something?"

"Sort of," Raegan murmured. "I'm...sort of visiting. I don't know how long I'll be staying."

"Family?" His blue eyes were studying her. He sounded genuinely curious, which definitely put the teen on the spot. She hated when people started asking questions, that made her beyond uncomfortable. But she couldn't just leave him hanging, could she?

"Very distant family."

He simply nodded at that.

"So just how popular is this Nasty Burger?" Raegan asked.

"Pretty popular. A lot of the kids from the high school hang out there."

A teen hangout...great. Raegan's eyes narrowed slightly. She had to be grateful she found someone who'd be willing to help her find a food joint, but she didn't expect it to be so popular with kids. If she thought the adults were being bad with their whispering and blatant staring, then God only knows how the teenagers would react.

"Sounds nice, I guess," she murmured.

"I guess. My friend, Sam, doesn't really care for it all that much. She's a vegetarian, so hamburgers and stuff like that kind of gets her riled up."

Raegan hummed in response.

"Are you planning on staying here long?" Turning his head a little, his blue eyes studied her for a second time.

"I don't really know. Maybe for a little while, then I'll have to move again."

Frowning slightly, he nodded in response. "If you wanted, I could give you a tour of Amity Park," he offered. "It may not be super big, but it's still something."

With a hint of a smile on her face, Raegan nodded. "That would be awesome."

-O-

Raegan had to admit, her little tour guide was a sweetheart. His generosity, his willingness to help her out, was greatly appreciated. Though his curiosity was making the teen a bit uncomfortable. But could Raegan blame him? She practically ran into him and then asked directions for the nearest food joint. Questions were bound to be asked. But, she had to admit, she did appreciate how he didn't overstep too many boundaries. Most people would go into full-interrogation mode the second she asked them for help with something. It would send her into a partial panic. But at least, from what Raegan could gather so far, at least one person in Amity Park didn't seem too worried about who she was or why she was there. It was refreshing. The one thing Raegan was curious about, however, was whether or not she'd encounter her little tour guide again. It would be nice to see him before her departure, but she didn't want to grow attached to him. Her belief of detachment was important to her; she couldn't just toss it aside for one kid.

But, since she'd be stuck with him for a number of minutes, she did take it upon herself to do a little studying. He had messy black hair and pale blue eyes. He wasn't very tall, probably standing just a couple inches over Raegan, and she was tiny. His thinness was obvious due to his clothes being a bit baggy. Though there was something about him that was endearing. Maybe it was his politeness or the way he seemed so genuinely curious. It could be the way he held himself, wanting to be as invisible as possible. That was a feeling Raegan understood very well. Her need for invisibility was crucial, and she had to wonder what it was about him that made him want that. Did it have to do with mundane things? Raegan could only assume so. Not everyone knew what she did, or would believe what she understood. This boy's life was probably more normal than she could comprehend. But what was it about him that made him want invisibility? Was it his looks? Was he prone to be mistreated? Raegan didn't have a lot of understanding when it came to things like that. She assumed she looked like an average human girl, and no one ever gave her a hard time on it. Because of that, she believed her human-like appearance was acceptable. Were human boys not supposed to look like her guide?

Giving her head a sharp shake, Raegan tried pushing those thoughts out of her mind. She couldn't focus on those at the moment. They weren't vital for what was happening at the moment. She had to keep up a brave, sociable face. She had to be as socially acceptable as possible. Raegan couldn't allow herself to slip up. She'd come close once before with him, she couldn't afford it again. Doing what she could to subtly compose herself, the teen made sure to keep an eye on the boy she was accompanying. His reactions would reflect how she was doing. If he seemed unconcerned about what Raegan was doing, then things were going smoothly. If he seemed bothered by something she said or did, then she'd have to figure out how to fix it. She didn't know how much longer she had until they reached that Nasty Burger, but Raegan had to make the best of it.

(A/N):

Not a good chapter, but hopefully some of you found it interesting. If you see anything that could use improvement, don't hesitate to let me know. Constructive criticism is always important! You could either leave a review or a PM on whatever you think could be done to better the chapter and the story.

Nothing in the DP fandom belongs to me. All I own are my OCs, my subplots, and complete exhaustion from school and work.

On that note, I'll see you guys soon.

Fernie Jamison