APRIL 17, 2003

Clementine perched her legs atop Kate's decorative coffee table, staring up at the ceiling and tapping her fingers against the suede chair's arm rests. She blew raspberries into the air incidentally as childish as AJ would behave, possibly when he was bored out of his mind during Audrey's shopping trips. However, boredom wasn't the emotion swarming Clementine in that moment, in fact, she was rather in the depths of recollection, attempting to gather an answer to Kate's question.

How did you accept people's kindness this week?

Clementine pursed her lips, her legs entertaining a jittery pattern as she continued to think. It truly perplexed her at the amount of kindness she'd been shown in just a week of being at a behaviour correctional school. Well, of course there was the expected bullshit that typically came along with bunking in a hotpot of kids riddled with ADHD and psychopathic tendencies. There was the typical death-glarer had she stared just a little too long, the fight instigators desperate for a beat down, the creeps stalking her around campus, the kleptomaniacs swiping stationary from her pencil case, the downright insane, and then there was everyone else. Everyone who, at face value, appeared somewhat normal. Chunky braces, limp haircuts, tattered sneakers. Although deep down, she just knew they weren't composed one-hundred percent of the time. She could envision it almost perfectly; neat and tidy Susie smuggling a hamster into the science room and spit-roasting it on a Bunsen burner at three in the morning. But hey, Susie was kind.

"Susie Blanchard picked up my binder when I dropped it in the hall," Clementine raised her head to face Kate. "That was nice."

"That is nice of her," Kate began to reposition herself on the chair, "I'm sure there were some other acts of kindness shown to you. Contrary to what you may believe, we have quite a few friendly faces here at Ericson's. I believe some would have found their way to you at some point."

Oh, and they certainly did.

There was the morning Violet invited her to breakfast. Given she was waiting on a never-showing Minerva the whole time, they bonded over reading – done over a tray of poorly composed breakfast.

Even after last week's incident, she hadn't got anything more than a stare down from Becca. How kind of her not to retaliate?

Then there was the safe haven, probably an act of kindness she was better off not mentioning to a staff member. Despite it ending on a sour note, Clementine enjoyed almost the entire night. Who would've thought? Sure, she was already looking to be occupied on the lonesome Friday night, she still found solace in the fact that there were some likeable people trapped on campus like she was. Louis made sure she came along. Louis helped her up the wall. Louis kept her words in his head and brought a bottle and some friends to share it with her. Now, Clementine had her doubts. That was pretty clear. She wasn't sure of his motives, but, objectively, it was kind of him to make her feel truly welcomed into his crew of friends. Maybe she liked that. Maybe a little, maybe a lot.

Maybe entirely.

Then it was the music room. Louis kept her out of trouble and brought her to a place where she wasn't going to be gawked at. Everyone focused on the music, on the talent, on everything else around her except her. It was comforting knowing she could breathe a little easier in a room where all but one person, one ridiculously obnoxious, sort of funny person was doing whatever they wanted to be doing. Aside from Ruby's helping hand, of course. Another act of kindness shown to her.

There was a rumbling inside of Clementine that told her: Take this, take this kindness; accept it, don't let it fall flat to never be offered again. It shouted cacophonously against that now smaller part of her which deemed she wasn't important enough to receive it. That she could do what she needed on her own, regardless of the intervention of someone else.

She wasn't one to listen to others. Evidently, it's what got her where she was in the first place. But when Kate told her to embrace the ways in which people would help her, she truly wanted to do so. She needed that positivity. She wanted to wake up, see herself in the mirror, and not feel singed by the burning gaze that reflected back at her. She wanted to see the change she was experiencing, the happiness she was just now starting to feel. The situation back at home? It was broken. Though like the school, it had its silver linings. If she could make do here given she accepted the hand she'd been dealt, then fixing what was back at home didn't seem so impossible.

"Yeah, they… they did," Clementine sat up in her seat, lifting her legs off the table. "These kids, they invited me to…" Don't say leave school grounds. "…hang out with them. Sometimes in their dorm, sometimes in the music room. I said yes and I—you know what? I had fun. Mostly. Most of it was fun."

"That's great to hear," Kate smiled. "What was fun about it?"

"Oh, just…" Clementine blinked. "Getting to know each other. Feeling apart of something."

Kate nodded.

"Joining a friend group can really help make the transition from home life to school life a lot easier. Friends become family here – well, if they don't become enemies that is."

"Which seem real easy to make around here," Clementine huffed, to which Kate nodded again.

"That's the thing, when you're surrounded by a lot of enormous personalities, there happens to be clashing as a result. Being who you are is nothing to be ashamed about, but we can all benefit from practicing patience and empathy."

With a dull smile on her face, Clementine allowed a brief silence to agree with the woman.

"Um, Kate… can I ask you something?" she peered away.

"I'd be out of a job if you never did," Kate responded, bringing the girl's now wider eyes back to her.

"That's… wow, really?"

"No, Clementine. What did you want to ask me?"

She cleared her throat.

"How do I help someone who… doesn't want help?" she questioned, leaning ever so slightly forward in her seat.

"Hm, well," Kate peered up at the wall, twirling her pen between her fingers as she thought. "You need to make the person feel that accepting help isn't what'll damage them. If we erase the fear of allowing others in, we respond to advice and support more positively, and we begin to figure out and then solve what's really doing harm. You encourage accepting help as something that'll benefit them, because that's what it's meant to do. If a person remains stuck in the mindset that accepting help given or even reaching out is weak, or unlike them, or bothersome to others, then they only sink deeper into unhealthy thoughts and coping mechanisms."

Clementine's brows furrowed as her intriguing words were absorbed.

"That makes a lot of sense," she lowly replied.

"Maybe you'd like to give me some context? I can help your situation better if I know it more thoroughly."

"I don't think it's my place to say. But I like what you said, about it not damaging us if we accept it."

"Perhaps it can give you some insight into your own situation," Kate smiled, her eyes flicking up to the clock on the wall. The session had been more fruitful than the last. "Looks like we've just about filled up the lesson."

Clementine sat up to turn around and gaze at the clock.

Well, shit…

"Seems to go faster when I actually talk," she stood up.

"And I'd like to thank you for that, for talking with me today, Clementine. I'm intrigued by your curiosity in the last few minutes, hopefully there's more to talk about on that subject next week," Kate insisted, standing up and making her way to the door.

Clementine gave a lastingly chaste smile as the woman opened the door for her, allowing her back into the waiting room. Her eyes set upon a seemingly patient Mitch, slapping away on his thighs with earbuds lodged into his ears.

When his gaze met Clementine's, he gave her a well-disposed nod.

"Blazin' up?" she smirked, watching Mitch yank one of the white cords out of his ear.

"What?" his features almost soured when confused.

"Nevermind."

APRIL 18, 2003

Nothing mattered. Not really, anyway. Not while she woke up, not while she looked over at a slumbered Clementine, not while she got dressed, brushed her teeth, splashed water on her face, left her dorm, walked through the hall, and into the boy's dormitory. It seemed as if nothing would ever matter again. What did it matter that she opened the door to Louis' room? What did it matter that it was almost six in the morning? What did it matter that she went to his bunk and kicked it?

Louis awoke in shock at the thud, his eyes widening as he struggled to make of what was currently happening.

"Get up."

"Hh-what?" he blurted, clutching his shirt ever so slightly. The recognition of her voice suddenly clicked.

Violet.

"We're going for a run."

It took five minutes for Louis to awkwardly take his good friend up on her offer to get some exercise, get dressed, brush his teeth, splash water on his face, and meet Violet at the baseball field.

It wasn't that he took on the form of a lost puppy and jumped at her every request, no, Louis could only imagine the anguish his friend was going through: her love, her plans, her future? All gone in the blink of an eye. Her entire life had been uprooted and thrown into the garbage disposal like last night's dinner. He was sure it was disorientating, it had to be. Violet seemed to be a shell of what she once was, no life behind her eyes. It was unsettling to see.

Louis couldn't bare it.

So there he was at almost six in the morning, running through the cold fog, desperately trying to keep up with Violet's pace after ten whole minutes of silent jogging. Well, silent on Violet's part, that is. Because that's what he felt obliged to do. As her friend, he couldn't let how she felt go unrequited.

"I- I can't run for so long…" Louis blurted out through his laboured breaths. "We gotta take a break…"

"No," she curtly replied. "We're running."

Oh, he knew that. He knew it from the metallic taste in his mouth.

"Vi, as healthy of a coping method this is… I can't partake in it for as long… as you can… without throwing up…"

"Just be quiet and run," she said.

Just be quiet and run, Louis mocked her voice in his mind, pushing on to try and keep a steady pace. Just as he began to pick up momentum, Violet suddenly halted in front of him, causing him to slow to a stop just behind her. Relieved, Louis finally took a moment to recollect his bearings, knowing that at one point or another, Violet was going to snap.

See, this wasn't the first time she awoke him so early to go for a run. It became an unspoken ritual when something weighed heavy on her mind.

"Why the fuck is she leaving me?" she spontaneously erupted, keeping her back to him. "Why me? Why do they all leave me?"

Regaining most his breath, he lifted his hands off his knees and looked to her.

"Vi…" he breathed, "it's not personal—"

"How am I supposed to believe that when they all leave?" she bitterly asked, shaking her head. "None of this is gonna matter. You'll leave. Brody will leave. Marlon, Mitch, Ruby—fuck, Clementine probably won't even last the month."

"You know what, Vi? Unfortunately, as shitty as it is, that's what people do: they leave," he told her. "People aren't around forever and they were never going to be in the first place. It's the time you spend with them and how you make each other feel that matters. You be with them, you make memories, and then you hope to God you'll see each other again later in life. And, well, if you're not the hoping type then you do something about it, Vi. You do what you want, because you can't wallow in your sadness, wishing someone will stay. Not when they can't. Not when they have to go. Sometimes for a little while, sometimes forever. Sometimes you don't need to wish at all because they don't leave, maybe you do," he poured out, all in between milliseconds of short breaths and swallows. Maybe he sounded harsh, but again, it didn't matter. Violet could only comprehend what was thrown in her face. The harder it was, the more likely she was to take it seriously. There was no sugar-coating between the two. "This will get better and you'll feel better. Give it enough time, believe me. We're all here for you, Vi. We'll do anything to see you smile again," he earnestly told her, resting a warm hand on her shoulder. He felt her breathing hitch under his gentle grasp, prompting him to turn her around and plant both hands on her shoulders.

"How do I fix it?" she asked quietly through her quivering lip. "How do I fix… feeling like this?"

He slightly shrugged.

"Distractions. Spending time doing good things. Until the pain lessens, at least. I know I feel a lot better being around the people who care about me, so be with us, okay? No more hiding away in your dorm and leaving in the middle of class. We won't let you do this alone."

Violet glanced up at him, a swelling of tears in her eyes, she let out a laugh when he finally grinned down at her. The same corny, flavoursome grin he threw about when he made another crappy joke, or saw Clementine, or just simply tried to make people feel better.

"I'll walk you back to your dorm," he insisted. "I'll talk to Marlon, get him to get you a pass on morning classes today. You can get back into bed and get some more rest before saying goodbyez`."

Violet nodded, wiping her eyes hastily.

"You know, you're an asshole for knowing all the right things to say," she sniffled, letting out another chuff of laughter.

"And as long as I say it, you love it!" he pushed her shoulder affectionately, returning his arms by his side.

"Yup. Just like I love all your jokes and your happy-go-lucky attitude every goddamn day."

"Hey, aside from my charmingly good looks, those are all I've got supporting me. You either love it or you leave it. And I don't see ya leavin'," he defiantly crossed his arms, leading the way around the field.

"For someone whose best friend is into chicks, you sure do love to tell her how "handsome" you are," she smirked, rolling her eyes up at him as she walked.

"I—okay. Yeah. It is redundant," he scratched the back of his head. "But someone's gotta hear it, alright?"

Violet sighed.

"You're a pretty girl, Lou."

"The prettiest girl?" he faux-swooned.

"No. That'd be Minerva."

Sleeping came a little easier when the notions of dread felt at ease. As the school was hyped up to be a mad house of lunatics, the worry of getting her throat slit while she slept was quite prominent in those first few days for Clementine. But as the days rolled on and faces became familiar to the eye, her seeming "impending doom" wasn't all it had been cracked up to be. Of course, not everyone in her dorm room seemed like the strongest of heroes if she was ever in need anyway.

Brody was warm yet mousy, she once flinched when Marlon raised his hand to smooth back his mullet. That was unsettling.

Despite her rare moments of standing up for herself, Sarah had an innate timidity flowing through her veins. There was always something to worry about, and those worries turned into questions, those questions turning into overthought answers, and those answers paradoxingly worrying her. The cycle continued over and over again until she either had an asthma attack or got distracted.

And Violet, the most hard-headed of them all, wasn't all that ready to stand ground these days. What with feeling distraught over Minerva's sudden departure, she was a shell of herself by all accounts.

But hey, what was Clementine going to need numbers for? Given last week's mishap in the hall, it looked like she was the one throwing all the punches around here. Yes, pun intended. Clementine was on a self-evolving mission; she didn't need gang wars, not when she had kindness to accept. And surely, she was ready to accept it.

Though, not everyone was willing to give it.

Clementine jolted awake at the slap of a hand around her mouth. It couldn't be past six in the morning, as the room was so dimly lit by the barely arousing sun that she couldn't make out the identities of the three figures above her. The moment she struggled against their grips, they grasped her tighter, silently hoisting her out of her bunk as they muffled her resistances. Her forehead sweltered with sweat as she desperately tried to repel their clutches, attempting to turn her head in the direction of Violet's bunk. Clementine's gut dropped when, as best as she could tell, she realised it was empty.

"Mmm! Mmhmm!"

Calling out for Brody or Sarah seemed worthless as the three of them managed to drag her out of the room almost without a lick of effort, one of the girls quietly closing the door behind them.

The dingy lights of the hallway soon revealed the two barely familiar faces that held her, amongst a third that, quite honestly, Clementine foolishly thought she wouldn't come to consequences with. After closing the door as inconspicuously as possible, the owner of a particularly bruised nose swung around and narrowed her eyes.

"Hh- fhck…" Clementine mumbled against the hand across her mouth, halting her resistance for a short enough moment to truly realise the depth of what she had done the previous week.

"In the bathroom," Becca ordered of her goons, jutting her head to the right.

No, no, no…

Instinctively, Clementine bit down on the girl's hand in a desperate bid to free herself.

"Ah—motherfucker!" she withdrew her hand, but only her hand, keeping a firm grip on Clementine herself.

"Shut your fucking mouth!" Becca harshly insisted, her voice in a sharp whisper. "I told you to say nothing, Ava!"

"She fuckin' bit me, what do you expect me to do? Start meditating?" Ava retorted, her brows twisting in annoyance. "It hurt!"

"Get the fuck off me!" Clementine near shouted, hurling herself upwards in yet another attempt to free herself.

Unbeknownst to Clementine, her decision to speak her bold demands wasn't going to be left unpunished.

Becca stepped forward and collided a hefty fist into the girl's stomach, forcing out of her a considerable gasp and the wind in her lungs along with it.

Quickly, Ava replanted her hand against Clementine's mouth, tears of agony now welling in her eyes as she hunched over in their arms, strenuously heaving for air.

"You don't get to speak," Becca lowly replied, leaning over as she glared at the girl.

"Guess that goes for us too, huh?" the other girl quipped, jutting an eyebrow.

"God, will you both just get her in the fucking bathroom?" Becca snapped, dropping her folded arms exasperatedly.

"C'mon, you poor idiot," Ava mumbled to the dishevelled mess in her arms. "Jane, kick the door open."

The two girls managed Clementine inside the girl's bathroom with Becca hot on their tails. They carelessly flung her onto the grimy floor, taken slightly aback when she instantaneously caught herself and attempted to lunge at them. Jane tightened her fist and swung it upwards under her jaw, knocking her back onto the ground in a tumble.

It was becoming apparent to Clementine just how utterly helpless she was against three people. All the martial arts movies in the world didn't prepare her enough for this. It wasn't everyday you were kidnapped from your bunk and forced to defend yourself at six in the morning. That, she was sure of. These weren't the hair-pulling, slap fighting types like the girls were back in Macon, these were girls who were most likely brought up having to defend themselves from something or other. Men, women, other kids. It didn't matter what it was, it prepared them – more than Clementine was, to say the least. She had her grand fights, sure, most of which ended up being intervened. But being ganged up on? People here weren't afraid to throw punches or slam your face into a locker if it meant satiating their revenge boners.

Clementine shook her head of her daze, panting as she recollected herself. She could only hope either Brody or Sarah heard something behind the paper-thin walls. Or that they at least weren't too afraid to check it out.

"Did you really think I was going to let it slide?" Becca's teeth venomously gritted as she made her way up to the girl, using the tip of her shoe to push her fully onto her back. It wasn't until Becca's continued silence had Clementine realise she was genuinely expecting an answer.

"Honestly?" she started through her pained voice. "I kinda did?"

Becca stared at her, nostril flared as she let out an exasperated sigh. With that, Clementine scrambled to once again stand back up, but was, once again, knocked back down when Becca's knee slammed into the side of her face.

Jane huffed, amused by her foolish resilience.

"Well aren't you Ericson's resident genius?" Becca teased. "I don't know what kind of dumb shit got you here, but now that you are, here's a wakeup call." Preparing to collide with Clementine's ribs, Becca reeled her foot back and kicked it furiously. "Don't!" Again, she launched her leg into the girl's torso. "Fuck!" And again. "With me!" And again.

Clementine writhed in agony, her gasps becoming more urgent with every blow. As she laid there, clasping her body and bracing herself for another blow, she didn't allow herself to give into her delusions; Becca was right, this was coming. She wasn't innocent in this. Punishment for her actions was inevitable, whether it came from being grounded for sneaking out, being sent to a boarding school for, well… and even getting the ever-living crap beat out of her for impulsively punching a girl with a colossal superiority complex. This wasn't life stringing her up by her feet and throwing eggs at her for the sake of entertainment, this was the brutal work of karma in all its glory.

As she continued to agonize on the bathroom floor, she couldn't help but come to the conclusion that, in a way, this was the beginning of something better. Now, with revenge soon walking out the door, Clementine was able to turn a new leaf on life, to truly start working to fix herself and all her flaws. Facing her consequences and being done with it was, somehow, the key to relinquishing her former self…

But first, pain.

"Fuck…fuck, I get it," she croaked out, her eyes squinting.

Becca lowered herself to the ground to kneel over her, a tug at the corner of her lips.

"Get what?" she asked, tilting her head faux-innocently. Clementine raised her head, teeth gritted hard as she narrowed her eyes into the smug visage peering down at her.

Or, well, maybe she wasn't all that ready to become a fresh-faced do-gooder.

"That you're a cunt," she bit back, and yet again, jolted to take a lunge at Becca. Expecting it all too easily now, the girl simply backhanded Clementine across the face.

"Wow, did you seriously think that would wo—"

What she wasn't expecting, however, was a thick wad of saliva shooting straight into her right eye. Ava's gaze widened.

"You—!" Becca's eyes shut instinctively, features contorting with disgust, which Clementine took as an opportunity to finally land an accomplished lunge. She had only toppled over the distracted girl for just a few moments, using them hastily to wrap two firm hands around her neck.

Jane and Ava immediately jumped to get the blithering, red-faced mess off their friend, yanking her back-first onto the cold, hard tiles. Becca sat up in a total rage, grasping her neck as her panting intensified.

"Fucking lunatic!" she growled, standing to her feet as Ava planted her boot on top of Clementine's chest, securing her down.

"Can you just beat the shit out of her and get this over with? I wanna go back to bed," Jane complained with a fold of her arms.

"Not a problem!" Becca replied through a snarl, taking a step forward to give a ferocious kick into the side of her thigh.

One after another, she repeated blows into the girl's body, then dropping to her knees and landing a few punches to her cheekbone. She jolted with each hit, even the ones that were deflected by her hands, instinctively anticipating their arrival. Ample amounts of blood spilled from Clementine's face as cuts and bruises began to form along her cheekbone, across her nose, and on her lip. Becca's eruption was hasty, perhaps twenty seconds, but it felt like hours of lying on the ground, partially protecting her face and partially finding no use in fighting back.

"Alright, Bec, you got her…" Ava declared, her arms unfolding at the now unsightly display. When her words weren't met with any sort of agreeance, she pulled Becca up from the ground by the arm. Becca stood for a moment, breathing wildly as she wiped her forehead, before sending another kick into the girl. "Bec—"

"Jesus, that's enough…!" Jane pushed her back against the wall, her hand planted across her chest to deter her. Taking unkindly to it, Becca shoved her back, her rage-filled gaze idling on her.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Ava questioned Becca outrageously, immediately stepping between the two.

"Don't you ever put your hands on me!" Becca screeched, taken over by her blinding resentment.

"I said beat the crap out of her, not try to kill her! The fuck's wrong with you?" Jane retorted, pushing herself against Ava to get to Becca.

"Enough!" Ava insisted, separating them further.

"We didn't have to help you, you know?" Jane continued. "Don't forget, we're doing you a favor!"

"Favor my ass, you owe me!" Becca corrected through her panting.

"So you found us another smoking spot, big fucking deal! That doesn't mean our lives are in debt to you, you complete maniac!"

"Shh! Shh, shut the fuck up—" Ava abruptly whispered, her wide eyes staring at the bathroom door.

Clementine's chokes and coughs weren't the only sounds they were hearing between their silence. The girls glanced at each other, eyes wide and mouths agape.

"So, is this your anxiety-adrenaline makin' you run or are you trying to outrun me to your dorm in a futile attempt to get rid of me?" Louis huffed, jogging to keep up with Violet's doom and gloom throughout the hallway.

"I'm just walking," she dourly replied, her features souring when she picked up on the notions of arguing.

"No, that's speed-walking," he corrected as he approached beside her. "Which is a lot faster than—"

"One… second…" Violet halted sharply, holding up a stern finger to Louis as her exasperated features peered up at him. "All I ask, is for one second of you… being normal. Okay?" she asked firmly, her voice low and succinct.

Louis furrowed his brows, silently obliging with her request. In doing so, it allowed Violet to, a) not hear Louis' words needlessly filling the air, and b) allow whatever arguing she was hearing to be heard even clearer. Outrage suddenly and irrationally filled her. She always had a short fuse, but given the circumstances of her situation, it was easy to get on her nerves in her nowadays of depression.

"This fucking school…" she muttered under her breath in exasperation, trudging past the door of her room and closer to the voices. "Who the hell is yelling so early in the goddamn morning?"

"Nope, no!" Louis zipped in front of her, sending her into a skittish stop. "You are not Nancy Drew-ing this morning up. Whatever's going on in there isn't your concern, not with all the thinking and crying and… sadness you've got going on. Okay?"

With a solemn expression, Violet sighed.

"Yeah… yeah, okay," she tiresomely agreed.

"Look, what you need right now is some rest. You should get back to bed. And while you do, I'm more than happy to sneak into the staff room and get you some hot cocoa," he grinned down at her. "Y'know, 'cause I'm your best friend. Your incredibly handsome, shining light of a best friend."

Violet deadpanned at him, allowing a moment of silence as opportunity for him to accept what a stupidly lame thing that was for him to say. Though, hot cocoa did sound pretty nice.

It was in that short moment of silence that the arguing suddenly ceased, and what followed was the odd sounds of gasping and coughing. Not the type that perhaps came with the flu, but… eager, and desperate, and painful. It was worrisome. Worrisome enough to kill the smile of Louis, sending his features into a downward slope of concern.

"But I can't ignore that," she maintained with a shake of her head, keeping her gaze on Louis as she walked toward the bathroom door. Unwilling to protest this time, he simply followed her in their joint curiosity.

Pushing the door open, the very first thing she laid eyes on was the quivering mess of Clementine, blood smeared on her face and huddled on the ground. The three girls standing beside her only catching her attention when they began to approach.

"What the fuck…" Violet muttered. A frozen Louis came up behind her, the color abruptly draining from his face.

Smirking, Becca allowed her cronies to push past and leave while she sauntered up to violet.

"Morning, Brandt," she spoke buoyantly through her panting. "Should probably use the other bathroom, this one's kinda… dirty," she huffed before knocking her shoulder as she left.

Louis didn't think twice as he rushed into the girl's bathroom to get to Clementine, only becoming cautious and gentle as he got on the ground beside her..

"What the fuck did you do?" Violet spun ferociously to the girls in the hallway, her molten glare searing into their backs. "You think you're gonna get away with this? You're fucking psychotic!" her voice bellowed, but the girls remained unphased as they continued down the hall and out of sight. Finding it useless to use her words, Violet finally entered the bathroom in a haste to get to the now unmoving girl.

Louis continued to glance down at her almost as if he were paralyzed. She remained motionless on the ground, breathing lowly with an anguished expression on her face. Louis' eyes almost pleadingly shifted to Violet.

"F-fuck, she's…"

"Bleeding… not dead…" Clementine spoke, causing the pair to shoot their gazes back down at her. She took in a sharp inhale before painfully attempting to sit up, Louis' hands immediately assisting her.

"What the hell happened here?!" he probed her in a panic, moving a bloody lock of hair away from her face. He was subconsciously expecting to be met with immediate repulsion on her part, but her disorientation became apparent when she said:

"I think…I got reservoir dogged?" she then glanced between the two, noticing their confusion. She blinked. "You know… like beat up?" she continued, however their expressions of sympathy told her she wasn't getting through to them – or, rather, she sounded completely out of her mind. "Maybe I'm not saying it right."

"Fuck, that's a lot of blood," Violet noted with concern, correlating the loss of it with the girl's star-gazed demeanour.

"No, I'm fine—" she began to protest.

"You are not fine!" Louis firmly denied, her eyes narrowing at him. "How could you say you're fine?"

"Who died and made you my dad?" she retorted, her eyes soon widening with the recollection of who exactly did die. "I take that back," she muttered, staring at the toilet stalls for a moment. "Personal attack on myself."

Louis stared at her in bewilderment.

"R- Ruby will help us – help her," Violet suddenly insisted, much to Louis' refusal.

"Not to diss Ruby's current protégé status, but I think we need an actual medical professional," he flat out denied, staring up at her outrageously.

"No!" Violet resisted.

"No," Clementine mumbled.

"I'm sorry—no?!" his voice raised.

"You know that's not how we do this," she adamantly explained. "If we take her to first aid for something like this, what do you think they're gonna do? They're going to look into this and Clem's gonna get in trouble for what happened last week—"

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing right now?!" Louis erupted, his brows furrowing intensely. "There is blood, everywhere! She's barely even conscious! Fuck getting in trouble, she needs help now!"

"Louis we are not taking her there!" she argued.

Clementine let out a long breath, shutting her eyes for a moment.

"I'm not… out of it," she defended, using the back of her wrist to swipe away the blood on her cheek. "I'm tired. They pulled me out of bed. It's… early in the morning," she justified, her hands then planting on the ground. Clementine lifted herself up, much to the surprise of her friends, and teetered over to one of the sinks. "Also crashing from that adrenaline kick."

"How are you even walking right now?" Louis spoke in awe.

"I'm fine," she replied, her voice raising as she harshly turned the knob for the tap. "Now leave me alone."

"What?" he rose back up to his feet.

Sighing, she cupped her hands and splashed the ice-cold water she collected onto her face, wincing at the pain.

Louis immediately looked over to Violet, his expression growing solemn as he intrinsically decided where he stood on this. He wasn't going to leave her like that, not in a bloodied, worn out state. Not in pain. Not a chance in hell.

Recognising this, Violet let out a quiet exhale. They knew each other like the back of their hands. She knew how Louis felt, not with his words, but with his actions. The way he acted around Clementine showed just how much he cared. It was boggling how instant his connection to her came about, it often confused her as to why he was so adamant about being around her and making sure she was included. Maybe there was more to the two Violet wasn't fully acknowledging, but knowing how affected Louis was by this, she had to help him help her. Not to say she didn't want to help Clementine herself, the girl was definitely the type of team player she liked to have around, all she knew was that Louis was passionate about her one way or another, and she wasn't going to let him down.

"No, no we're not leaving you," Violet insisted. "You're coming with us—"

"Look, just—" Clementine snapped, spinning around suddenly. She let out a withheld breath through her forced smile, incidentally showing the blood between her teeth. "I don't want your help. You're cool and everything, you're being nice or you're on some moral high ground bullshit, I get it. But I don't want any of it. I'm fine," she turned back to the mirror.

"Clem," her tone hardened. "Would you stop being such a hardass? We're trying to help you."

"I know," she curtly responded, examining her face in the mirror. "I don't want it."

A silence ensued as Clementine shut her eyes, forcing herself to regulate her breathing. But she couldn't make herself do anything in that moment, whether that was accepting their help to be a better person or simply getting herself back under control. This was defence mode. All she had achieved in the last week and a half was sucking into a void-like vortex and spewing out brood, and hate, and anti-socialisation. It wasn't letting anyone back in, not right now.

"Fuck that," Louis spoke up, prompting Clementine to open her eyes. Violet peered up at him, visibly taken aback. "That's not fair. You don't get to come here and be a friend to us only for you to throw it out the window," he declared, watching her turn to him like a deer in headlights. "Getting your ass kicked sucks, I know all about that. But now is when you need us the most. I don't care how long we've known each other, even if it was only for five minutes! We're your friends! We are here for you, okay?" he then tensed up. "I'm here for you! Fuck, just—look at your face! Do you know how shitty it makes me feel seeing you like tha—!" he suddenly halted, almost as if he caught himself revealing such a dark secret. His fists balled, eyes shutting as he lowered his head to regain his composure.

Violet quietly huffed. What boggled her before, suddenly didn't. He didn't just care about her or want to be a good friend, he was head over heels for her.

Holy shit…

"Lou…" Violet mumbled, her cognitive gears clicking to the sound realisation.

For the first time since they became friends, Louis had a crush. Not a petty crush, a real one. One he didn't view as something that'll lead him nowhere. One he probably wanted to take to the ends of the earth and triumph, being Louis and all.

The boy side-eyed his friend, her awe-struck expression innately pressuring him to pull himself together. He straightened up, clearing his throat as he shifted his gaze to the ground.

Clementine could only stare at him, there weren't any words to describe the feeling she had pooling in her gut. A contrasting concoction of appreciation, guilt, disgust, vulnerability and a million other emotions rendered her stone cold in motion. When faced with forcible and blistering emotional warmth, it was almost as if she faltered to it. She didn't know how to feel or what to do, standing there was the only option.

"You ran to my aid when I burned my hand," Louis solemnly started again. "I was being stupid and you did it so fast and so quick that I know for a fact you're a lot better than you think you are. And I know you'd do it again for me 'cause I really do believe you're not as mean or nasty as you are at first. And yeah, I know I helped you with your hand last week, but… how about we make it a part two or something. Let me continue to owe you this. Please. Let me get you some help."

Clementine blinked, almost as if she hadn't realised how shell-shocked she appeared to be. Yet when she finally did, her features firmed up. Bloodied, beaten, and at rock bottom, what did she have to lose?

"We go to Ruby and only Ruby."

"Now this is exactly what I didn't want to see," Ruby admitted, displeasure knitting her brows into contortion.

The music room was chilly, cold biting at the skin of the kids as they watched Ruby work her magic on a now cleaner looking Clementine. Though parts of her face were swelling. Lucky for Becca, when Violet went to Ruby's dorm to get her for the emergency, she wasn't anywhere in sight. When Violet lost something, she tended to cling onto another to drive her. Minerva is what drove her, but for the time being, to get that off her mind, the caustic itch to get Becca back for what happened was starting to kindle in the pit of her stomach. Sure, Clementine started this mess. But like she explained to her during lunch the following day, it was a heat of the moment mistake. Regret was etched all over the girl's face, even when she admitted that Becca's abrasive words was simply a case of 'pushing the wrong button on the wrong day.' In simpler terms, the girl was being an asshole. Violet understood how hard it was to resist impulsivity when faced with instigation.

Besides, it wasn't as if anyone was on Becca's side.

"I wasn't exactly expecting to be child abducted and Mike Tyson'ed either," Clementine admitted as she sat on the piano stool, neck crooked back and facing up towards a standing Ruby.

"You really got a thing for references, don't you?" Louis cocked an eyebrow.

"That's the thing, darlin'," Ruby dropped the hand that patted her wounds with disinfectant. "People here do things you ain't ever gonna expect." Ruby then grabbed her by the chin, pulling her face towards her own. "Keep, your head, down. Don't go stirrin' up more fights," she insisted, releasing her grip and continuing to pat her wounds with gauze. "All this blood ain't a pretty sight on you," she mumbled.

Clementine shrugged.

"I thought I looked nice in red," she confessed, earning a slight smile from a fixated Louis as he chewed on the nail of his thumb.

"Lou," Violet softly called for his attention from behind, gesturing her head towards the other end of the room once he turned. He followed her over to the far corner, a part of the room that was seemingly even colder than the rest, and now out of ear shot for the others.

"I know what you're gonna say," he started. "Suggesting the nurse's office was stupid. Sure. And it's not that I don't have faith in Ruby, it's just that—"

"It's that you're in love with her," Violet interrupted, a sly grin tugging at her lips.

Louis froze, his cheeks growing hot.

"W- With Ruby?" he sputtered.

"With Clem, you idiot," she folded her arms, earning his silence as he struggled to find the words to defend himself without incriminating himself. "See? Written all over your face," she smugly continued.

"No. You're wrong, okay? She's just a friend," he defended. "She helped me and now I'm helping her."

"Oh, you're helping her, alright. Helping her become used to all your blabbering and theatrics to the point that her brain is so numb, she can't consciously reject you."

Louis deadpanned, mirroring her crossed arms.

"Great. You've intercepted my mischievous plan. How ever will I live," he spoke monotoned, earning Violet's eyeroll.

"Not gonna lie, I thought you were just being weird about making another friend. But come on, Lou, don't lie to yourself. Look at how you just… attract to her," she justified, staring at her as he then did. "You gravitate towards her and honestly… I don't think she hates it as much as she pretends to."

"Lies."

"Oh, please. You looove her. You invite her to everything we do. You look around the cafeteria to see when she'll come in. Not to mention you're ten times more annoying when she's around. It's… actually kinda gross—"

"I'm sorry, weren't you just depressed a minute ago?" he snapped, returning his gaze to her as he unfolded his arms.

"Watching you flounder is my therapy. It keeps me distracted from how shitty I feel on the inside," she smirked, earning his deadpanned stare. "And… you know, she's alright in the face department. Uh… aside from all the cuts and bruises right now," she corrected, soon huffing. "Fucking Becca."

For a moment, Louis was reeled out of his intense embarrassment of being called out when he was reminded by what happened just twenty minutes ago.

"All that blood… god," he shook his head, eyes beginning to clench. "I've never seen that much before, you know? I don't know what came over me, but what I was feeling… I didn't like it. I didn't think of Becca, I didn't think of revenge. I needed to know she was okay. I mean, I know she is now, but for a second there… it sounds dumb but I thought she was dead or something. It fucked with me real bad, Vi."

"I know," she tilted her head sympathetically. "Seeing someone you care about in such a bad way is gonna fire off some shitty thoughts in your head. But if you won't listen to me, at least listen to yourself. You like her, Louis. Stop being a pussy and do something about it," she irrefutably insisted, nudging him in the shoulder before walking back to the piano. Though for a moment, she halted, peering back at him. "And… if it makes you feel any better, small cuts just so happen to bleed a lot. Makes it look a lot worse than it really is. She's gonna be fine," she nodded, receiving a nod of acceptance back from him.

Violet gestured her head back at Ruby and patient zero, signalling for Louis to join her. Taking her up on that offer, he made his way back to them in a sobered state.

"So, how're you plannin' on hiding all this mess from the teachers?" Ruby questioned, pasting on small patch band-aid to Clementine's nose. "Judgin' by the cuts, it looks like she only got a few proper licks in. You might've hid yer face well, but your teachers are gonna notice what happened to you."

"Well, they can't beat it out of me, can they?" Clementine sarcastically replied, being the only one to chuckle after it.

"Little too soon, don't you think?" Violet curled her top lip, scratching the back of her head.

"You're right. Laughing makes my ribs hurt," Clementine admitted, wincing.

"The uh… the Headmaster doesn't get in until eight," Louis told her. "If you wanna call home, I can take you," he offered, his features softening.

Clementine looked to him, allowing Ruby to tend to cut on her cheekbone. She gently nodded, brows furrowing.

"I think that's a good idea."

Marlon jogged down the main staircase of the administration building, holding the packet of exam revision pamphlets in his hand. Being Head of Sophomores sure did have its perks: leaving class whenever he wanted, being able to walk around campus without anyone questioning him, and even running small errands for the Headmaster. That included leaving school grounds – with approval of course – to get the new issue of Women's Weekly for him at the local convenience store.

Marlon really didn't want to question what he did with it.

Besides, it gave him the chance to apply for after school jobs, a program the Headmaster was trialling to "help students gain work ethic." No call backs as of yet, given his status as a student at a correctional school, but Marlon was hopeful. He had to be.

It was third hour, the usual time he got out of class to fulfil his "Head Sophomore duties." Exiting the building, Marlon walked into the courtyard with a stoic glance at what he saw. There they were, the twins, putting their belongings in the trunk of their father's station wagon. Slowly sauntering down the stairs with an ever so slightly smug appearance, he planted his hands on his hips.

"I hate to see you go," he spoke up, forcing a smile at the pair. Sophie hoisted her last suitcase into the trunk and walked around the car.

"Thanks again for everything, Marlon," she returned the sweet smile, opening the door to the backseats and getting inside.

Minerva glanced up at him once she heard the door shut.

"Well, I hate to leave so early, but…" she carelessly shrugged, "life's out there. A better one than what's in here," she told him, lifting another one of her bags into the trunk. "Soph's real grateful about our… 'early release'," she squinted her eyes at him, maintaining an anticipating grin. "Ever plan on getting out? Ericson's always raving about how reformed you are – I figured you're just about ready to head out yourself."

Marlon gazed out into the courtyard, shaking his head with a tug of his lips.

"Nah. I got friends here," he folded his arms. "People that need me. I'm not one to leave them behind."

Minerva shook her head, huffing before she shut the trunk of the car.

"Don't play that bullshit with me, Marlon," she spoke lowly. "Yeah, I agreed to leaving, but it's not like it was entirely my idea. You had your grubby little hand in this, don't forget that."

"You know, you haven't even said goodbye. You're just leaving," he dropped his arms, coming down the last remaining steps. "Leaving like it was all nothing and no one even mattered. How do you think your girlfriend feels, huh? Especially after you avoided her the whole time?" he taunted.

Minerva gave a strained smile, her tongue tracing her back molars as she looked away from him. Her hands lifted in faux defence.

"Have a good life, Marlon," she replied, walking around the side of the car. As her hand gripped the handle, she took a second to look back at him. "Oh, and some sound advice?"

His brow quirked.

"Enlighten me," he folded his arms.

"Stop hitting Brody. People don't fuck with a two-faced poster boy and I hear abuse victims take matters into their own hands these days," she spoke bitterly, quickly returning to her smile. She opened the door, stepping into it halfway with a conceited smirk. "See ya later… mullet boy," she winked, closing the door as the car pulled away.

Sliding his free hand along his face, Marlon exhaled.

Fuck.

author's note: hello again friends! over the last couple of days i've hit a writing frenzy so i managed to triumph some writer's block and get this chapter out to you (and flesh out later chapters) a lot sooner than i predicted (although it's still been 2 months and that i'm sorry for, like always). i've been in a real mental slump this year and trying to get back to normal, so what better way than to write? writing becca's revenge was a real spur of the moment thing for me. i was originally going to have her not do anything about it and have her character be all bark and no bite, but i got to thinking and i believe becca's actions truly show clementine just what type of place she's really in. she's fortunate to have met louis and violet and ruby, being the compassionate people they are, but they're not the only type of people there. not everyone wants to better themselves. there's more people just like becca, and big cool kid clem is gonna have to come to terms with losing what she's normally good at (which is kickin' some butt back in macon). thank you all for reading this chapter! i'd really appreciate your thoughts about the intensity of it and whether you'd like me to consider anything. i'm all for constructive criticism! with the holidays approaching and having more free time, i hope i can get some more chapters out for you guys without such a long wait.

okie doke happy reading!