Chapter 3

Color

Sorry this is a day late, I haven't been able to get near a normal computer. For those of you wondering, I most often use my iPhone as I don't own a personal laptop. I'm sorry for the inconvenience.

A young girl sat on one of the picnic benches texting on her cell phone and listening to the commotion. She watched the fight through black eyes with bags from an all-nighter the night before. She lowered the cell phone from her eyes and walk over to Matt.

In the light, her hair shone a ruddy caramel and her side bangs framed the left side of her face. She was very pale due to a love of anime. She wore a shirt that draped over one shoulder and tight blue jeans that squeezed her inner thighs and the backs of her knees when she walked.

"Aren't you going to do anything about this?" she asked him.

"Oh, you must be the new girl, Color," Matt replied, "Let me explain something to you: there's five tests each month. The scores for these tests are posted on a billboard in the main lobby. Every month Mello comes in second and Near first and every month this happens."

"And no one's going to try to stop it?" Color asked.

"Welcome to Whammy's," Matt shrugged.

"I can't stand by and see him beat up like this."

Color stood up and got between Near and Mello.

"Stop it! You're going to kill him!"

Mello started to let go of Near's shirt and the white-haired boy dropped to the ground.

"You got lucky this time," Mello growled.

Mello strode away with his best friend at his side. Matt's face showed what seemed to be a shadow of a smile.

"Are you okay?" Color asked, crouching down to his level.

"I think he broke my nose," Near complained, messaging his crooked nose.

"Do you need a doctor?"

Near shook his head. "I'll be fine."

He twisted his nose back into place with a deafening crack. His hands were bloody.

"Thanks for that," the albino boy said, starting to stand up as he picked up his backpack (which he had abandoned at the sight of Mello.)

"No problem."

Neat looked up at her with wide, innocent, grey eyes. "You have no idea how much that meant to me. No one's ever even asked me if I was okay, not to mention throw themselves in Mello's way and offer to get me a doctor. Sometimes I just feel like nobody cares."