Erika trudged out of Peter's office, thoroughly enraged. Her temper was short, and her strides, swift. She truly didn't know what to do with herself. She was confused about her situation with her father, nerved with her mother's request, and irritated with Peter constantly on her case. She felt in need of a punching back, or some kind of way that she could vent her anger.

Erika ventured out onto the grassy fields of the school, but to find they were vacated, empty. It was quiet, and serene. She spotted a basketball lying around idly, and picked it up. She dribbled the ball, and loped towards a basketball court. She took shots at the net, to occupy her time. She loved sports, loved the way she could channel her strength through the games. Her shots swept through the basketball net and she retrieved the ball, and took her place once more.

"Ooh, a three-pointer."

Erika turned to meet the voice behind her. To none of her surprise, there was Sophie Becker, with her hands on her hips.

Erika turned and returned to shooting hoops. "What are you doing?" Erika asked nonchalantly and took another shot at the net.

"You're supposed to be in class, Erika," Sophie said sternly.

"Whatever."

The ball bounced off of the rim of the basketball net, and Sophie caught it easily. "Erika," she repeated. "Class is waiting."

Erika didn't budge. Moreover, she took a defiant stance and set her hands on her hips. "Not for me," she replied.

"Yeah?" Sophie said, looking into Erika's eyes. "Do you want to talk?"

Erika stifled a laugh. "Hardly," she replied.

"Your attitude isn't making things any easier for you," Sophie warned.

Erika fed her a blank stare.

Sophie sighed. "You haven't seen Adrian around, have you?" she asked.

A look came over Erika's face. "Adrian? Who the Hell is that?"

"Have you two not met? He arrived few days ago."

"Never heard of him."

"Well if you refuse to go to class," Sophie began, changing the subject, placing the basketball she held into a bag nearby that contained the other sports equipment, "I'll show you to the woodshed, and you can get ahead on your chores

"Not happening."

"It's one or the other, your choice," Sophie stated, folding her arms. "At least I'm willing to compromise. You do neither, and it's Peter you'll have to compromise with."

"What the hell do I care?" Erika replied.

"Erika, you will come with me now."

"I'm coming, jeez."

Sophie smiled in triumph. "Good," she said.

Sophie showed Erika to the woodshed. "It's like this," Sophie began. "Place the block of wood on here and take a whack at it. And for your own sake, be careful."

Erika smirked, and placed a piece of wood on the stump. She held the axe, and wildly swung it down on the wood.

"Fuck!" was her immediate invoked reaction. She had indented the stump, not the wood. Erika pulled the axe from the stump and held it, frustrated.

Sophie put a hand on Erika's shoulder. "You'll get it eventually," she said reassuringly, smiling. She was subsequently gone, to search for Adrian.

Eventually, after more than a few wild, off swings, Erika got the hang of the fluid motion, and was chopping wood like a machine. She actually was somewhat enjoying it, certainly more than she would have if she had gone to class.

But after a while, her arms tired, and she set the axe down. She leaned her back against the woodshed, deciding what to do.

Erika ventured outside the woodshed, and found the fields to now be filled with students, students playing sports, walking around idly, taking up picnic tables. It was now alive with life.

"Erika! Heads up!"

Erika's head snapped up to find a football flying towards her. She caught it with ease, and glanced towards the source. Some of the Cliffhangers were playing a game of football with some of the other students. She threw it back towards them.

Scott caught it, and called, "Hey, you comin' to play?"

"Not now I'm not. Later, maybe," Erika answered as she loped off.

Scott shrugged and resumed the game between the students.

Erika headed for the girl's dorm at a jog, adamant to take a shower. Suddenly, her feet came in contact with an obstacle, and she nearly tripped.

"Shit. Where'd you come from?" she demanded at the raven-haired boy who had sat in her path unknowingly.

A strange look came over his face. "Uh, I didn't come from anywhere," he answered.

"Well what the hell are you doing on the ground?"

He lifted his sketchbook. "Sketching," he replied

"Artist huh?" Erika observed. "I couldn't draw if my life depended on it."

He replied slowly. "Everyone can draw, I just see things differently."

"Yeah, whatever. What's your name again?"

"Adrian," he answered.

"Oh, so you're Adrian. Sophie's on a search for you."

He raised his eyebrows. "I know."

"I'm Erika. See you around," she said as she went off towards the girl's dorm.

"Yeah, sure." He stared after her as she departed.

Erika reached the girl's dorm, swung the door open. As she entered, she was greeted by Juliette.

"Hey Erika. You missed class, again."

Erika smirked. "I know," she replied. " Peter's a bitch."

Shelby smirked as she answered, "Tell us something we don't know."

Kat put in, "So how was the buddy hike back?"

Erika shrugged. "It was nothing. Boring as hell."

Daisy smiled cynically. "Well that's too bad. I quite enjoy horror stories of buddy hikes back."

"I think she needs some room, guys," Kat observed.

Erika caught her gaze. "You think?" she said sarcastically.

Shelby sat up in her bunk. "Oh, and Erika? You have a stalker who wants to return a favour."

Erika stared at Shelby blankly. "What the hell?"

"A bloody nose," Shelby replied. "You remember Daniel, right?"

Erika laughed aloud. "Oh, shit," she exclaimed.

Shelby nodded. "Yeah, that's about right."

"You know, this place has become so much livelier the past few days," Daisy noted.

Erika grabbed a towel and headed to the bathroom in the dorm. "I need a shower," she said.

Shelby smirked. "Yes, you do."

Erika smirked back and threw a pillow at her.



Erika returned from the shower in some time, her just-washed hair wrapped in a towel. The dorm was somewhat quiet as she returned. She set her things down on her bunk. "Hey who's this Adrian kid anyways?" she asked suddenly, inquiring about the Cliffhanger she had encountered just minutes before.

Daisy looked up to her from her bunk."So you've become acquainted I see. He's just a new member in our happy little family." She smiled cynically.

"He's an artist," Juliette added enthusiastically. "Kind of cute, too."

"Yeah," Erika agreed.

Juliette smiled, widely. "Is that a crush, Erika?"

"You might want to rethink your little I-don't-feel speech."

"Chill, I just met the guy," Erika explained impatiently. "Nearly ran over him," she continued.

Shelby and Juliette laughed.

"Yeah how'd that happen?" Kat inquired.

"He was drawing or whatever and me, I was running. Collision," Erika explained.

"Nice way to become acquainted," Daisy put in.

Erika smiled. "Hey, it works."

Juliette giggled. "He is cute though, admit it."

"Yeah, alright, he's cute," Erika said. "Not my type though."

"So what is your type?" Juliette questioned.

"Well, it's not the artist type, I know that."

"You know, there's no such thing as an artist type," Juliette said. "I mean, look at Auggie."

Erika stared blankly. "Auggie's not an artist."

"He is. Really," Juliette began. "He's really good. Graffiti artist mostly, though. Who would have thought I'd end up with an artist?"

"You and Auggie?" Erika said, almost skeptically. "Wow, this place is all coupled up."

"Well there's not exactly much selection," Daisy put in.

"Daisy!" exclaimed Juliette. "You know that you and Ezra would make SUCH a cute couple."

"What does it matter?" Daisy questioned. "It'll never come into fruition, I make sure of that."

"Oh come on, he's not that bad," Kat tried to argue.

"That's not the problem."

"Well then, what is?" Juliette asked.

"I don't have boyfriends, I never have," Daisy replied curtly.

"You can start now, you know," Juliette began, still wearing an impossibly wide smile. "C'mon, you guys would be perfect for each other."

"Should I take that as a compliment? Just, give it a rest, Juliette. You're not going to change my mind," Daisy said decidedly.

"Meh, it was worth a shot," Juliette said in defeat.

"Not really."

There was a slight pause in conversation, until Kat turned to Erika as she was brushing out her damp hair."So what'd Peter do now, Erika?"

"Decided I could use another week of chores," Erika revealed. "Wood chopping now."

"C'mon, 'fess up," Juliette said to Erika. "What'd you do?"

"Profanity thing," she replied, rolling her eyes.

"You have a hard time following rules, dontcha Erika?" Kat observed.

"Please, what are you talking about? I'm a perfect angel."

Shelby smirked. "Yeah, sure."

"Oh, fuck this. I can't stand standing around," Erika said as she advanced towards the dorm's exit.

"Where are you going?" Juliette questioned.

Erika rolled her eyes. "To get acquainted with Adrian," she replied. And she was subsequently gone.

As Erika left, Juliette turned to the others, a broad smile on her face. "What do you think, girls?"

"They'd make a cute couple," Kat said nonchalantly.

"They're complete opposites," Shelby argued.

"It doesn't matter," Daisy opined. "It's not about similar personalities, it's about compatibility."

"Yeah. Who knows. It might just work," Kat said.

"We're totally getting ahead of ourselves. They might decide they hate each other and that'll be the end of it," Shelby said.

"She did say he wasn't her type," Juliette recollected.

"I doubt if she even knows what her type is," Shelby put in.

Daisy wore a tight smile as she replied, "Guess we'll just have to wait and see."

Juliette wasted no time. "Daisy, get those tarot cards out, now," she said.