Not much to say right now other than review replies;

DoggyPocky: Ha, Spike be plot innnnn lol jk. I too am glad Wandro and Juan can work on their differences. It was honestly exhausting keeping them at odds.

McSgwizzle: Yeeeeah I'll just go ahead and say when we focus on Cozzie boy again, he's mad irritating lol like I can anticipate how many people I'm 'bouta piss off with that chapter (sorry in advance, y'all.) But yes, Wandro didn't mean what he said and I'm glad Juan sees that now.

Guest: Coz might not go that far...buuuuuuuuuut...(TBD)

Lost iin Fanfiction: I've definitely channeled my later seasons Coz in this one. I literally just watched The Big Bash where he bet his wife for a nickel. I was like "wow, 9,895 years is worth five mutha-effin cents?!" And yes, we love a good ray of sunshine for Juan :)

Floating out from the diner into the still of night, Thornton ventured through the parking lot until he reached his motorcycle, thinking of places to go for his lunchbreak. Granted, it was Friday night so his lunchbreak was more like a late dinner, so if he wanted something quick, fast food might be his best option. Then again, in a college town on a Friday night filled with other broke college students, it all came down to which fast-food joint would give him enough time to wait on and eat his food to avoid being late clocking back in.

"Going somewhere?"

Stopping from the low baritone coming out of nowhere, Thornton scanned the lot until he noticed a familiar cantaloupe-orange afro and same-colored eyes, an extended goatee beard ruffled on his caramel jawline. His slim fit hunter-green polo accented his muscles, tucked into navy dress slacks, footed in black loafers.

Knowing exactly who this was, Thornton slit his brow as he merely muttered "I'm not really supposed to be talkin' to you right now."

"Why is that?" Ahmaud quizzed, hovering from his black SUV towards Thornton. "Cuz the woman who raised you said so?"

"You mean my mom." Thornton corrected, standing his ground.

"Wow." Ahmaud chuckled, folding his arms across his chest. "That woman can really keep a secret."

"The hell are you doing, stalking me?!" Thornton had seen Ahmaud around the diner before. Every time Thornton saw him, he'd catch him watching him, almost in a plotting sense.

Unintimidated by Thornton's challenge, Ahmaud replied in a side-smile. "I wouldn't call it stalking."

"Sure feels that way."

"All I want to do is talk." Ahmaud held his hands in defense. "Your 'mom'" he inserted air quotes "doesn't have to know we spoke."

Perplexed, Thornton stared at him. "Why would I wanna talk to you?"

"You need to know who you really are."

"…I know who I am."

"Sure." Ahmaud grinned. "Keep telling yourself that."

When his mother told him not to associate with Ahmaud, he couldn't understand why because he seemed pretty nice. Over the summer and now well into the new semester, the knowledge of the 'why' was still unknown, but his understanding of the 'why' became more prevalent. More so with how haughty this guy was. "…I'm on my lunch, and I'm just wasting time dealing with you."

And so, Thornton stormed away, ignoring Ahmaud's watchful eyes still on him.

. . . . . .

"Can't believe I lost my stupid ID again…" Cosmo crumpled his server's hat, grumbling under his breath. This was the third time since he attended Fairy Academy that his student ID 'miraculously' disappeared. It was free of charge to replace the first time, but any repeats came with a 5 penalty.

"You keep losin' that thing, and the school's gonna charge you extra." Thornton traveled from the diner to his motorcycle with Cosmo beside him, speaking half-jokingly. "Might wanna invest in a lanyard or somethin'."

"Looking for something?"

The pair stopped to turn to the sound of the familiar voice, Rhonda dangling an ID in the tips of her fingers. When she came up to them, she took Cosmo's hand palm-side up, playfully setting the ID in his possession with a coquettish batting of her eyes. "Shouldn't leave important stuff like this lying around."

"Thanks." Cosmo tucked the ID away in his front pocket. "Where'd you find this?"

"Someone else found it in the men's restroom." Rhonda's grin looked, to Thornton, a little too 'inviting.' "Dunno why, but they gave it to me to give to you."

"Ah." Cosmo didn't care to question further. "Well, thanks again."

"Of course." She leaned to pinch Cosmo's cheek in a kittenish manner. "Cutie."

Something in the pit of Thornton's stomach grew uneasy at the sight of Cosmo smiling to Rhonda in response. For the first time in a while, Thornton noticed the soft twinkle in Cosmo's eyes, a twinkle he probably shouldn't have for another woman. Once Rhonda wished the two of them a good night, Thornton watched her wink to Cosmo before she flew to her car a couple spaces from them. The absolute nerve of this woman…

And the absolute nerve of Cosmo for doing nothing about it. "Bruh, just do it already…"

Confused by Thornton's muttered comment, Cosmo's smile soon disappeared as he queried "Do what?"

Thornton grabbed the extra helmet, handing it to Cosmo. "Break up with Wanda and get it over with…"

Cosmo blinked as if he pretended not to know what Thornton referred to. "Why would I do that?"

Trying his best to hide his true disconcertment, Thornton stood before his best friend. "You know what emotional cheating is?"

"Seriously? I still hardly even know Rhonda!" Cosmo defended, though Thornton sneered internally at that blatant lie. "What gave you that idea?"

"How about the way she pinched your cheek and winked at you just now?" Thornton tested.

"She's friendly, so what?"

"And how about the way you just smiled at her?"

"Again, so what?"

"Looked a little too friendly to me." Thornton held his helmet under his arm, stern in his brow. "So stop draggin' Wanda through the mud, because Rhonda nor you seem to care about your relationship that's already hanging by a thread."

Cosmo frowned stubbornly. "If she's really that unhappy, she can leave and go back to Muscle's Magoo's arms. No one's stopping her."

Jaw dropping, Thornton couldn't believe the words that just came out of Cosmo's mouth. "Dude, do you hear how ridiculous you sound right now?! You can't possibly be that much of a victim!"

"She was the one who lied to me!"

"She's learned from that and has been doing everything to do better by you!" Thornton disputed. "But what good is that when you refuse to trust her?!"

"I don't wanna talk about this anymore…"

Cosmo shoved his helmet on, refusing to divulge this subject any further. Reluctantly, Thornton sighed as he did the same.

Even when Cosmo stayed with him and his family over the summer, the rift in their friendship pulled apart at the seams and steadily tore thread by thread. This 'new' Cosmo annoyed him, irked him even. There've been times where he witnessed Cosmo's gaslighting Wanda firsthand, and just like a few seconds ago, anyone's gripes towards Cosmo's downright abusive behavior went in one ear and out the other.

Never mind Cosmo's actions towards the girl he used to swear up and down that he loved; Thornton had an even bigger issue with his 'acquaintance' with Rhonda. A big pet peeve of his was lying, and even if subconsciously to himself, he could tell Cosmo was lying about how close he'd gotten with Rhonda. He'd see them around each other a lot during their breaks, sometimes taking the same lunch break together. While he couldn't always make out what they would converse about, Rhonda's 'handsy' nature screamed bad vibes and waved many red flags. Red flags that he knew Cosmo was aware enough to see yet chose to be blind to.

Part of him wanted to show Wanda how hypocritical her boyfriend was, tell her everything about Rhonda and the connection with Cosmo that Rhonda simply didn't deserve. Based on what Rose and Susie have told him, however, he was afraid Wanda was just too fragile, that hearing her boyfriend afford the level of intimacy he withheld from her would send her over the edge and make her hurt herself more than she already has. Also, from what the girls have told him, Wanda would be too mentally bruised to see Cosmo's own fault, because she would take it out on herself for 'driving Cosmo away.'

Love is built from trust, and without trust, then true love cannot exist. If Cosmo doesn't trust Wanda, then there's no way he can claim to still love her. Thornton hated seeing all of this unfold just to do nothing about it. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, he wasn't sure what else to do. Either Wanda finally remembers her worth and stops settling in the abuse, or Cosmo finally stops blaming everyone else but himself and does Wanda a favor by calling it quits.

Regardless the outcome, Thornton nor the others can make those decisions for them, but he really wished they would, not just for their sakes...

Tangerine eyes lifted sluggishly from their slumber, squinting from the bright tints of sun shining through the shutters of his room. A groggy arm reached for his phone set on the nightstand next to his bed, opening the screen to read 8:31 am written across it. One thing Thornton hated with mostly 8:00am classes in his weekly schedule…the good ol' days of sleeping 'til noon on weekends were long gone once he entered adulthood. Despite arriving home from work six hours ago, his circadian clock made sleeping in nearly impossible.

Along with the ungodly time of morning, he saw a voicemail from his mom following her missed call. Lazily propping himself to an upright position in his bed, he leaned against his pillow, the developing tone in his torso muscles exposed as he as dressed in just his black boxers. Rubbing his eyes as he pressed 'redial,' he placed the phone on speaker as monotone drones rang through his ears, and after a few rings, the voice of his mother came through the other line.

"Hey, baby…"

"…hey, ma."

"I didn't wake you, did I?"

Guess the low croak in his voice gave that impression. "Nah, I woke up on my own…" he picked up on a hint of stress in her speech. "What's wrong?"

"…you free at all today?"

"Gotta clock back in at two this afternoon…" Thornton spoke through a yawn.

"You get any days off?"

"Sometimes…" he tittered faintly. "…depends how generous Mr. Wonka's feelin' that day."

He heard his mother 'hmph' through the phone. "Well I…I called to see if you can come home for a bit? The girls and I are havin' some brunch and, we'd like for you to visit."

"Yeah, sure thing." Between full-time school, full-time job, and an attempt to maintain a social life, Thornton didn't get to see his family as often as he'd like, so he'd jump at any opportunity to do so. "Just gotta, y'know…freshin' up and all that."

"Aight well…" his mother trailed off, hearing what sounded like little girls yelling and feet shuffling in the background. "For tha one hunnit time, y'all quit that runnin'!" she raised her voice, followed by an irritated mumble "Lil' badass kids…"

He couldn't help but chuckle, reminded of how often he'd hear his baby sisters get reprimanded for practically anything and everything.

"…anyway." Her tone returned somewhat to normal, that same hint of stress still lingering. "See you soon, baby."

"Aight, ma…" came his goodbye before ending the call.

. . . . . .

Driving his motorcycle onto the driveway of his childhood home, Thornton parked next to his mother's woody station wagon beneath the carport, shutting off the engine. He took a moment to gaze upon the one-story home as he took off his helmet, magenta wood cracked in a few places with panels nearly hanging off the drywall. A few boysenberry shingles were missing on the sweeping roof line with a few matching window shutters hanging from their hinges. Aging lavender shrubs lined the front of the house, along with an old oak tree on the side, shading the house with its changing leaves.

Despite her salary as a registered nurse and the long hours she often had to work, Sandra, Thornton's mother, lacked a lot of years under her belt which resulted in a lowered wage. As a single mother of three kids with one working his way through college, she still faced the financial strain she had when working basic minimum wage jobs. Bills often took top priority which meant aesthetics of both a rustic vehicle and house were often set aside for when she could afford such luxuries. A few kids would ridicule him growing up for how 'unpresentable' his house often looked, but Thornton knew how much his mother struggled to make ends meet, so their juvenile jokes were like water off a duck's back.

Taking out his extra house key, Thornton used it to unlock the front door, entering inside. The aroma of air-fried chicken and red velvet waffles sent his stomach in a low rumble. He didn't realize how hungry he was until his nostrils smelled good ol' momma's home cookin', a privilege he rarely got to enjoy since he started university.

"Thorn!"

Two simultaneous squeals trumpeted, and before he knew it, Thornton was barraged by two young fairies whose maya-blue eyes beamed in excitement. Charleena, the eldest twin, had her maya-blue hair styled in half up half down cornrow braids, tied in a high-pony tail. Her pastel-pink raw-cut muscle tee cropped just enough to show a peek of her pecan-brown torso, paired with distressed denim shorts and pink converse sneakers. Atatiana, the youngest twin with penny-brown skin, had her black Fulani braids styled in two updo buns, and her outfit mirrored her sisters except her muscle tee and converse were a pastel purple.

"Well hello to you, too!" Thornton chuckled as his now eleven-year-old baby sisters attached themselves to each of his legs in their little happy giggles. "Can I have my legs back?"

"NEVERRRRRRRRR!" Atatiana squealed triumphally, both arms and legs circled tight around his left leg.

"…pretty please?" Thornton asked hopefully, playing along in their little game.

"Nope!" Charleena gleamed from ear to ear, snaked around his right leg. "You cannot escape!"

"…oh, is that so?" Grinning down craftily at both of them, the sisters giggled in anticipation of Thornton's 'escape tactic.' "Well then…looks like this calls for drastic measures!"

One by one, Thornton's fingers unleased the 'tickle monster,' Atatiana falling victim first in her fits of laughter by Thornton's swigging hands. When his left leg was freed from her young grasp, his fingers switched to Charleena, unable to resist as her limbs tore from his right leg in a vigorous shriek.

They did this every single time Thornton would come home, a running gag between the three of them ever since they were around seven. Some might find it a bit bothersome with them being pre-teens, but as long as they had their young and innocent mentality, he didn't mind.

"You guys are a total trip."

Pausing his tickles, Thornton looked up to see his fifteen-year-old sister Tanisha hovering towards him with a friendly smile, scarlet eyes lined in black eyeliner. Scarlet box braids draped just blow her back, an off-shoulder white tee beneath her mini denim suspender dress paired with white platform sneakers that seemed to pop against her syrup-brown skin tone.

"Hey, sis." Thornton went to his younger sister, kindly giving her a side hug which she too greeted him with. "How's it goin'?"

"Yo, you won't believe what's been goin' down at Spellman." Tanisha released her hug.

Curious, Thornton cocked a brow. "Besides some dumb fight breakin' out every ten minutes?"

"Even better." Tanisha enthused. "Principle Mudblood's finally retiring, and it's got everybody geeked!"

"'Bout time!" Thornton snorted. "Dude's like…freakin' ancient; ninety thousand years old or somethin' like that!"

Stepping out from the kitchen, Sandra entered the living room in her blue apron over her turquoise t-shirt and jeans, seafoam-green shoulder-length curls matching eyes gleaming in delight. Seeing his mother, Thornton flew over to her, pulling her in his tender embrace as her motherly arms circled him.

"Glad you could make it, baby." she said warmly to her eldest, a hand rubbing blow his wings against his souvenir jacket. Staying like this for a moment, she parted from their hug, turning towards the kitchen as she addressed all of her children "Brunch is ready so, come fix ya plate."

"Can you fix miiiiiiiinnnnnne, Thornton?" Atatiana pleaded to her brother, exaggerating her 'I'm so cute, give me what I want' factor.

Recognizing this, he simply palmed the top of her head, rocking it back and forth lightheartedly which made her laugh. "You're old enough to fix your own."

With Sandra working multiple jobs before she became a nurse, meals as a family were another luxury that happened rarely. Growing up, the refrigerator often had nothing but maybe a few tv dinners or canned food that could last. When Thornton was old enough and started working from the diner, sometimes he'd bring home whatever extra that would have been thrown out otherwise, just so they wouldn't have to spend money eating out or money that otherwise needed to go towards bills and other necessities. When Sandra became a nurse almost four years ago, she would use what she could of her extra funds to purchase fresh meats and vegetables, and at least once a week, she made it a point for her and her children to sit together over a fresh meal.

As the Garners enjoyed their chicken and waffles, Thornton pondered over what the special occasion was. A brunch like this wasn't expected nor did it happen often, especially with red velvet waffles. What also made him intrigued was his mother's overall silence as his twin sisters chatted back and forth about trivial nonsense with Tanisha conversing with Thornton about college life, something she had to look forward to in the next couple years. Sandra's expression looked lost in thought, like something troubled her and she didn't know how to express it or whether she should.

"…so, ma." Thornton spoke up, gaining his mother's and his sisters' attention. "Somethin' on your mind?"

Shifting her eyes between her only son and her three daughters, Sandra hesitated, folding her arms over the round table in a sigh. "…there's somethin' I need to tell you." Eyeing her son first, she then turned to her three daughters all sitting next to each other with her youngest sitting right next to her. "All of you."

Unsurprisingly, Atatiana and Charleena looked to each other puzzledly, and both Tanisha and Thornton held perplexed expressions on their mother. "…tell us what?" Tanisha probed, sensing the gravity of whatever it was Sandra was going to say.

Lightly tapping her fingers against her forearms, Sandra exhaled in a heavy breath, meeting Thornton's tangerine orbs. "…Ahmaud called last night, threatening to take me to court."

The girls, obviously, had no clue who this 'Ahmaud' was, but in recalling his encounter with him the night prior, Thornton intently asked "The heck would he take you to court for?"

"…he said he won't if I come clean." she averted her eyes.

"About what?" Her stalling made Thornton more uneasy.

"…I know I said I didn't want you talkin' to him or his wife." Sandra met his inquisitive gaze. "But I said that so I wouldn't confuse you."

"You bein' around the bush is what's confusing me." Thornton blatantly stated, placing his knife and fork on his finished paper plate. "Just be straight up…what is it."

All three of his sisters sent quizzical glances towards each other before their eyes all fell upon their mother. Sandra could see the anticipation in Thornton's stare which, quite frankly, only worsened her nerves. Thornton always knew his mother to be extremely blunt, never afraid to speak her mind. The fact that she was apprehensive about telling him something he obviously needed to know unsettled him, because he'd never seen her so nervous before.

So with the courage she managed to muster, Sandra spoke her truth, a truth she kept locked in a volt for decades. "…Thornton, I…" the slight worry that soon etched in his brow made her pause, yet she couldn't chicken out now. "…Ahmaud…and his wife, Breonna…are your biological parents."

…was that really it? Would have been nice to know before now, but still. "Okay, I'm adopted." Thornton shrugged, not sure what the big deal was. "So?"

Licking her lips, Sandra then clarified "…you're not."

"…say wha huh?!"

"I am confusion..." Tanisha uncertainly interjected, just as lost as her sisters. "If Thornton's not adopted but he's not related to you…what does that mean?"

"…when Thornton was just two hours old…" she closed her eyes briefly, as if softening her own blow for herself. "…I took him from his bassinet…and I took him home with me."

"Wait…" Charleena's young mind attempted to make sense of it all. "…does that mean we're not related, too?!"

"You girls already know you have different dads," Sandra verified as the wheels churned in Thornton's mind "but you did come from me, so you're biologically related to me and each other."

"…except Thornton?" Atatiana turned to her brother, even more confused.

Connecting the dots, Thornton eyes darted towards the woman who raised him, who took care of him and taught him most of everything he knows. The only mother he's known for twenty years…the mother he didn't know anymore. "…you stole me from them?!"

Seafoam eyes glossing in regret, Sandra slowly nodded, watching as the betrayal her son felt gradually warped his face from total shock to total irritation. "…I'm sorry…"

Making no attempt to hide his frustration, he shot from his seat, ignoring Atatiana's calls for him to come back as Sandra soon followed suit, chasing after him. Storming through the living room to the front door, Thornton swung the door open with it crashing against the wooden exterior upon impact, fuming as he zoomed to his motorcycle. He jumped onto the seat and reversed the bike out of the carport, stopping when he reached the end of the driveway.

"Thornton, STOP!" Sandra burst through the front door, catching up to Thornton before he had a chance to put on his helmet. "I can explain!"

"What's there to explain, ma?!" He shot round to the woman that stood before him, a lot more upset than he expected to be. "My whole life is nothin' but a giant LIE!"

Tanisha and her little sisters all stood by the front doorway, cautiously standing by as Sandra grab Thornton's arm to stop him from getting on his motorcycle.

"I know what I did was wrong, but I had my reasons!" Sandra argued, the anger glaring back at her forming more guilt weighting her spirit. "I don't expect you to understand, but at least hear me out!"

In spite, Thornton yanked his arm from her grasp, head shaking in denial as he muttered in a vindictive tone that was barely audible "…I can't even look at you right now."

"THORNTON!"

Much to her dislike, Thornton shoved his helmet on, and with a loud roar of his engine, her cries for him drowned out before he pressed down on the throttle, his sisters watching along with a distraught mother as his back tire screeched, speeding away onto the main roads.

Floating behind the building of both their respective apartments, Rose slowly advanced towards Thornton, seated alone on one of the wooden benches overlooking the large pond where the aerating fountain sprouted decorative walls of water. When she received a text from him just minutes prior asking her to meet him, judging how short his messages were, and seeing his focuses glare staring vacantly out into the water, she wasn't sure what to expect, but It definitely wasn't good.

Taking the vacant seat next to him, both of his elbows propped against his lap to support his brooding chin, she thought to lay a consoling hand on his shoulder. "…are you okay?"

His eyes didn't stray from the water, lips shut in a fixed line.

If she wasn't that concerned before, she definitely was now. From freshman year at Spellman to present, she had never seen Thornton this silent. If something bothered him, he found some way to make a joke out of it, or he'd try not to think too much of it. The fact that he was so in his own head that not a single word was said? Dial 9-1-1, something is terribly wrong.

"Thorn…" She coaxed, stroking his shoulder. "…whatever's on your mind, I'm all ears."

Remaining silent, his glare lowered to his fire-orange sneakers, until let out a sullen sigh. "…my mom lied to me…my whole freakin' life…"

"Ms. Sandy?" Rose loved Thornton's mom the same way she loved her, so she found it hard to believe considering how outspoken Ms. Garner was. "About what?"

"…she's not my real mom."

"…so you're adopted?" Rose assumed.

He veered his stare towards his best friend. "…you know that dude that kept comin' around the diner?"

"Yeah." Rose hadn't seen this 'Ahmaud' but has heard many of Thornton's chance encounters with him that, to her, almost seemed like stalking.

Just the thought, even hearing Ahmaud's voice in his head telling him he needed to know who he really was, boiled the bile in his stomach. "…when I was born…she took me from him."

Teal eyes blinked rapidly. "So sorry?!"

"…people used to always comment how we looked absolutely nothing alike when I was growin' up…" Thornton continued despite Rose's perplexity from what he just admitted. "…said the same thing when it came to me and my sisters…" He looked away, the snake of deceit continuing to seep feelings of betrayal into his veins. "…every time I'd ask…or someone else asked…she came up with this lie about her 'baby daddy' having strong-ass genes…the baby daddy I never met…and come to find out, said baby daddy never existed…"

Continuing to let him vent, Rose removed her hand, unsure if it was actually helping anyway.

"…I'm just so…angry." He griped, clasping both hands into one balled fist. "…at her for making the two very reasons I even exist complete strangers to me…she says she has her reasons, but what the hell justifies stealing a freakin' kid from random people?!" Slitting his brow, he lowered his arms to cross them over his lap "At the same time, I'm also angry at them…for not coming for me sooner. "…like…if they really wanted me, they would have done something long before now…hell, Ahmaud would have just told me when he saw me the first time at the diner, askin' for her number! Like, I was right there…and he said nothing! He did…nothing! All the while, I've only ever seen him…I don't even know what my 'birth' mom looks like…"

Rose kept quiet, uncertain of what to even say.

"…I have no freakin' idea what to think or feel…or even how to process any of this…" Agitation switched to hurt, a sharp pang slit through his heart as he spoke just above a whisper. "…I don't even know who I am anymore…"

"You know exactly who you are, Thornton." Attempting to give some encouragement, Rose felt inclined to at least say something. "Things in your life don't necessarily have to change because of this."

"How can you say that when this literally changes everything?!" Thornton lashed out, something she'd never experienced coming from him. Exhaling in instant regret, Thornton returned his glare towards the sprouting fountain. "…I'm sorry…"

"Don't be." Rose dismissed in understanding. "It's okay."

"No it's not…" Thornton eyes sunk, as if he could feel his esteem fraying inch by inch. "…how can anything ever be the same…"

. . . . . .

Well into his shift at the diner, Thornton wished he was anywhere but. A small part of him almost called in; however, Mr. Wonka wasn't going to take 'My life was flipped completely upside-down' as a valid excuse to skip work. Sure, he could have used his physical and mental fatigue as an excuse, yet at the same time, he felt he needed to be at work as a means to take his mind off of the fact that his whole life was flipped completely upside-down.

So far, Spike and Rose were the only other souls privy to his situation. Having known Rose the longest out of the bunch, he trusted her the most, and with Spike being both his roommate and Rose's boyfriend, he figured he might as well also be in the know. Cosmo sensed something was up on their way to work. As much as he appreciated him actually thinking about others enough to care to ask, Thornton was in no mood to explain anything to Cosmo in a way he could understand.

After preparing an order for a server's table, he went to his supervisor advising them that he was going to take his 15, and once given the ok, he floated out the back kitchen, not looking where he was going. Almost as soon as he turned the corner from the kitchen's door, he bumped straight into a stack of plates full of fresh orders, dining plates cracking against the tiled floor as food items splattered everywhere. Bits of food had spilled onto his uniform, but he felt even worse when he saw the distraught in her yellow eyes, horrified that her entire table's order was now piles of mush.

"LeShae! I'm so sorry…" Thornton frantically apologized, a few other co-workers observing the scene before them. "I-I didn't see you…"

Frozen in place, LeShae stared passed Thornton, the sheer dread in her eyes causing him to turn in the direction of her view.

Snarki, annoyance in his glare, came brooding down the narrow hall, bothering not to excuse himself as he forced his way passed a few of his subordinates. "This is the second time you've wasted orders!" he started berating almost instantly, Thornton backing out of his way like backing out of the way of a speeding train.

"…I-I'm sorry…" LeShae shamefully apologized, Thornton noting her eyes moistening as she hugged herself. "I…I'm just not having a good day."

His face fell in remorse, thinking he might have caused whatever it was that ruined her day to become much, much worse.

"No one cares about your pathetic excuses!" Snarki showed no sympathy, yelling close to LeShae's sunken gaze, watering despite her best efforts to conceal her tears. "Grow up and take accountability for your idiotic mistakes!"

"Yo, back off!" Stepping in between server and lead server, Thornton matched Snarki's glower. He was sick of Snarki and his 'puny peen' attitude. 'Bout time someone told him about himself. "Stop giving her the third degree! It was my fault; I ran into her cuz I didn't see her comin-"

"I wasn't talking to you, Burrhair!"

Gathering a small crowd of watchful co-workers, including Cosmo, Thornton brow slit menacingly. Oh, that's what we're doing?! Okay, bet. Snarki better watch what he says next, because he caught Thornton on the wrong day at the wrong time. "I got cho' Burrhair, in my foot, straight up your saltine ass!"

Snarki inched closer to Thornton, chest puffed and fists balled tight. "You watch who you speak to like that." Snarki warned threateningly.

Thornton, of course, was not intimidated by his stance, and inching even closer, he spoke a lot more crossly than he ever thought he could. "Please give me an excuse to rock yo shit. I got time, today."

As furious as Thornton was, he knew better than to lay a hand on Snarki, even if it'd make him feel so much better. Any physical misconduct or act of violence results in automatic termination, something he wasn't about to let snark-ass fault him for. 1), Snarki wasn't worth losing his paycheck, and 2), Snarki wasn't worth it period.

There was a special place in Hell for pricks like him, Thornton was sure of it.

"Dealing with peasants like the two of you will be the death of me." Snarki grumbled, referring to LeShae as much as he was referring to Thornton. Not only was it known that he his vendetta targeted Fairy Academy students, he had a very particular target towards fairies of a darker complexion. Reason being? He was a straight up douche, as far as anyone can deduce.

"And you!" An intimidating finger pointed directly to LeShae, ignorant of her flowing tears. "Get your butt in gear and clean this mess up!"

Scowling into Thornton's glare once more, Snarki pushed passed him and LeShae, storming away through the small circle of servers and a couple bussers. It was then that Thornton turned back to LeShae, teary eyes staring as if she had no idea who he was…

…who was he at this point?

Confrontation was not his go-to, preferring to fight with wits over fighting with fists. It would be different if in self-defense or defending someone else from physical harm, but he would never intentionally start a fight. If he didn't have an ounce of restraint, a few seconds ago, he probably would have thrown hands with the intent to kill. He hated being aggressive, and what he felt earlier, that almost overwhelming urge to grab a knife and stab Snarki square in his jugular until he had no blood left to bleed…such violent thoughts never crossed his mind before…

And he felt disgusted of himself.

Growing more uncomfortable from unwarranted attention on him, he sped past LeShae and other employees, speeding away in the opposite direction. Breaths straining his lungs, he burst through the back exit, in dire need of fresh air.

AN: If I were Thornton, I honestly wouldn't know how to react to the news that I was stolen at birth and lied to about it my whole life. Probably wouldn't take it too well like ol Toronto here.

So. I'm gonna go ahead and let y'all know that the next two chapters focus primarily on OCs; one being Rose, and the other being LeShae which is the newest OC. LeShae has her own chapter because 1) she's about to be a reoccurring character, and 2) she's roughly based off me and my own experiences as an introvert, so her chapter really hits home. For those of you who don't care too much for OC storylines, they won't necessarily add to the main plot, so if you want to take a week off, feel free, I won't make you read something you don't necessarily have to. If you would like to get to know these OCs more, then, hopefully the chapters are worth the read.