"Prom." The look on Maria's face says what the hell are you thinking.
"Hell, yeah," Austin replies. "Let's do it. As friends, of course," he adds when Maria gives him another look.
"But we're too young to go to prom," she argues. "If we go to prom, then we'll be kicked out. I'll have spent all that money on a dress for nothing."
"Oh, so you were going to buy a dress?"
"No."
"But you just said-"
"Well, it won't matter, because I'm not going."
"You have to," Austin says. "Besides, anyone can go this year. There is no age limit."
"Yeah, well, still. No." Maria stands to take her lunch tray to the trash can.
"You have to," Austin begs. "Please? It will make my life so much better!" He puts his hands together and sticks out his lower lip.
Maria gives him a sideways sympathetic glance. "Why? We'll only be sitting in the corner while people shoot us weird looks."
"I don't care what they think." Austin rubs his forehead.
"Yes, you do," Maria says. "You're lying."
"Yeah?" he asks with a smirk. "And how do you know?"
Maria shrugs. "You rubbed your forehead."
"I rubbed my forehead?"
"That's what you do when you lie."
"Is it?" Austin give Maria that lopsided smirk she loves seeing on his face. His face is incredibly close to hers.
Maria's eyes fell to his lips, that grin that makes her feel safe.
"It is." She pushes his face away and walks back to their table.
Only the two of them sit there. All the other kids are too scared. Of Maria, mostly. Almost everyone likes Austin. He's just that kind of person. He tells the straight up truth, and people appreciate that.
But everyone- everyone- is terrified of Maria. She has a… creepy aura about her that everyone notices. She rarely talks, and people don't like talking to her. But in private, they talk about her. They talk about how she was scary, how she freaks everyone out- how her father is probably in prison for first-degree murder.
But Austin isn't like everybody else. He had seen Maria on her own when he moved to her school. And he sat at her empty table, talked to her. He made Maria feel like she belonged. Somewhere. Anywhere. Somewhere that didn't include her mother.
She doesn't want to belong with her mother.
"Hey, Ria! I'm talking to you." Austin laughs, waving a hand in front of her face. "Zoning out, huh?"
Maria pushes his hand out of her face. "You know I have ADHD. It's not my fault."
"Of course," he says sarcastically. "Can't blame you." Maria takes a swipe at him, but he dodges.
The bell rings, taking the two out of their happy joking.
Austin offers Maria his hand while bowing. "Let us be off!"
Maria scoffs at him, adding an eye roll for better effect. "Austin, you know something?"
"I know lots of somethings," Austin replies. "Which one are you talking about specifically?"
"The one about you being an idiot."
"Oh, yeah. Forgot about that one." That lopsided smile reappears on his face as he stands again. "Let's go to class. What do I have again?"
"Math. We've been in school for six months. You should know by now." Maria stands as well and throws her backpack over her shoulder.
"That's not nearly long enough to learn my schedule."
The two walk in silence to Maria's next class- Social Studies. People jump out of their way, hugging the walls to keep away from Maria and Austin. Some brave souls wave to Austin, but no one even glances at Maria.
Everyone only tolerates Maria's presence because Austin is with her all the time.
"This your stop?" Austin says quietly. He places a light hand on the small of Maria's back, bringing her once again out of her thoughts.
"Y-yeah. Thanks." She smiles at him over her shoulder and hurries into class.
"Freak," someone whispers. Maria couldn't see who it is, but she tries to ignore it.
This is going to be a long fifth period.
Austin rushes to his geometry class, trying not to be late. He knows he will be, no matter how fast he runs. Walking Maria to class always makes him at least a little late. But he isn't going to stop doing it. He loves taking her to class, and it makes people at least try to hide their stares.
How she's treated by her peers… it makes Austin mad. But not mad enough to hurt someone. He remembers last year, when a few jocks decided they needed to "take care of the murderer's daughter". Austin got so overwhelmingly angry… He had knocked all three out with one punch each. It had surprised even him.
No one messed with Maria after that. Not to her face, anyway.
"Hey, Austin," Kaitlin says with that smile that told him "I like you… lots" plastered on her face. "Come here often?"
"I can say that I do," Austin replies as nicely as possible. "I have geometry, like, every day."
"Oh." Kaitlin's obviously trying not to look embarrassed. "Oh, yeah. I'll, uh, see you later."
She hurries to her seat, her cheeks flushing red. Austin wants to comfort her, to say that it's okay, he messes up while flirting, too. But she's gone, and class is starting. Too late.
Mr. Shoemaker pounds his fist on his desk to silence the class. He pulls up the lesson on the Smartboard and begins lecturing them on the wonders and horrors of shapes. Austin tries to pay attention, he really does, but he already knows how to do it. He picks up on school stuff quickly, and ten minutes into the lesson, he knows how to do it. He has no need to listen to the long monologue anymore.
BRRRRRRRRRRRRING! BRRRRRRRRRRRING!
"Fire alarm!" someone shouts. The entire class jumps to their feet in an uproar, Mr. Shoemaker calls for everyone to stay calm and focused.
"Don't panic! Don't panic!"
"Single file!" another teacher yells.
Austin follows the other students, looking for Maria. He needs to make sure that she gets out okay.
"Austin!"
Her voice comes from behind him. "Maria!"
"Austin!"
"Mari-"
Someone grabs Austin from behind and pulls him backward. The lights aren't on in this room, and the wailing of the alarm is a little bit quieter in here.
"Maria, what are you-"
Somebody puts a hand over his mouth. It's not Maria.
Austin's vision comes into focus, and he sees his science teacher standing in front of him.
"Mrs. Jenkins?"
"Mr. Lewis. You were a tricky one to find," she says with a hiss in her voice.
"Uh, are you okay, Mrs. Jenkins?"
"You'll make a lovely demigod and chicken soup," she mutters, almost like she didn't mean to say it out loud. "Maybe some traditional veggies, tomatoes and such, then some egg noodles, and broth… mhm mhm!"
"S-soup?"
And then she starts to transform. Icky, disgusting scales form on her body. From the waist down, she has two tails.
"What the-"
She charges at him full speed, screaming bloody murder. Austin dives out of the way, and she runs headfirst into a shelf. The contents fall all over her.
"Use this," someone whispers in his ear. A spear shimmers into existence in his hand.
Austin looks at it, confused.
But Mrs. Jenkins turned snake thingy brings him back to reality. She charges at him again, so Austin does what comes naturally.
He throws both his arm and the spear forward into her stomach as Maria throws the janitor door open.
Mrs. Jenkins explodes into dust, covering Austin and Maria up and down.
"What… what just happened?" Austin asks no one.
The spear blinks out of existence and a bracelet flashes onto his wrist.
"Wh-what?"
"Austin, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"What the hell just happened?"