After school, Equius didn't go home right away. He went to his usual spot on the school roof, overlooking the sea of teenagers flowing out of the school. He pulled out a paper from his pocket and just stared at it for a while. It was an old picture. But apart from the creases from folding and unfolding, Equius made sure to keep it clean. She had given this to him years ago. He took off his hat and held it close. One day he would find her. He would search the ends of the Earth for this girl. They were just kids when she left, but this girl was the only thing that made him forget all the bad things. Would she remember him if they met?
As Zahhak watched the crowd go by, he spotted Aradia and Sollux walking out together. They had been dating since middle school, and were still going strong. He started to hate both of them then, and he still hated both of them now. Who was he kidding? He hated just about everyone at the school. He tolerated only a few, including Gamzee Makara and the Striders.
He looked around the roof. Even though he disliked being around his peers, he sometimes got lonely. He had his father and his older brother. But other than that, he never spent time with anyone his age nowadays. Who would want to be around him? He was big muscled and had a sweating problem. He didn't want to try out for contact sports,since he was afraid he'd injure someone with his strength. He had no interest in most of the clubs at school either. He did find interest in the Robotics club, but he was afraid he'd get angry and take it out on their creations.
He put his hat back on and folded up the paper, putting it in his pocket. As he got back to the ground, he saw Nepeta wandering around. Everyone else had gone home already. What was she still doing here? He hoped she hadn't seen him and was waiting. Couldn't she just leave him alone?
"What are you still doing here?" He asked. Nepeta jumped a bit and turned around quickly. She put her hand to her pocket, possibly to pull out pepper spray. She took a sigh of relief once she saw who was speaking to her.
"Oh, Equius..Hi." She said. She looked around a little more. "Well, I missed the bus home, so I was looking to s33 if I could use a phone to call my sister or my mom. But…" She sighed. "I guess everyone left for the night."
"Which direction is your house?"
Nepeta thought for a moment, then pointed to the west. Great, Equius thought, same direction as my house. He was quiet for a moment, then spoke. "My house is that way, I can walk you home if you like."
The girl's eyes brightened. "Really?!" She asked, then looked puzzled. "What's the catch?"
"Catch?"
"Yeah, like when I sat next to you in class. What's the catch? Don't get close to you? Don't look at you? Erase my memory of where you live so I don't stalk you?"
Equius blinked. This girl was pretty good with her comebacks. A bit irritating, but good. "Just..don't tell anyone about this." He said. "I don't need the entire school talking about me walking home with a girl."
Nepeta giggled as they walked. "That sounds so childish. You afraid I'll give you cooties?" Equius didn't respond and kept walking. He didn't want people to think he had gone soft. He wanted his peers to fear him, know he wasn't a force to be reckoned with. Sure, the hat he wore made him look weak, but the last thing students thought of when they heard "Equius Zahhak" now was the hat.
The new girl seemed to take an interest in his hat. She looked at it from time to time, wanting to ask about it. She figured she shouldn't bother him about it. She had bothered him enough today and didn't want her first day to consist of annoying someone away and being hit on by a hipster. In technicality, she wasn't new to the town itself. She had lived her for a short time as a child. A lot had changed since.
She wondered if he still lived here…
Nepeta figured she should ask Equius at least one question. "So uhm..who was that boy in class?" The boy gave her a strange look.
"Which one?"
"Oh! Sorry. Uhm..the boy in the gray sweater. He sits next to the blind-"
"...That's Karkat Vantas." Equius said quietly. "He's from a different country. He speaks our language quite well since he's lived here most his life. But…" Vantas looked away. "He's not the nicest guy to talk to."
Karkat. Nepeta liked that name, especially since it had "kat" in it. She'd try talking to him tomorrow. Maybe Equius was over-exaggerating. Though she barely knew him, Nepeta could tell Equius didn't like people. His opinions couldn't stop her from making friends.
As they rounded the block corner, Nepeta stopped. "Here's my house." She said. Equius almost continued on. He wasn't used to stopping at another house on his way home. Great, Equius mentally sighed, She lives down the road from me. Equius turned to look at the house. It was a decent sized house with a nice exterior. He knew she had mentioned something about a sister and mom. Did she have a father too? It wasn't his place to ask. After all, he only had a brother and father. His mother had left a long time ago. They kept in touch by letters and phone calls usually. Maybe she did have a father and he was working. Who knew?
"Thanks for walking with me." Nepeta said, smiling at the tall boy, looking at him through her sunglasses.
Equius looked on. "Yeah, no problem. Just don't tell anyone." He turned away and started on to his home. Nepeta felt like talking to him again, but she held back. He seemed bothered by something. Plus, he didn't seem to like her that much. Of course, they hardly knew one another, but Nepeta felt he automatically disliked her.
She promised herself deep down she would break through his tough exterior and find the Equius that was hidden within.
