October 9th, 2011 – 10 a.m. - Louis' POV

I need to stop reminiscing so much.

But it's easier said than done, isn't it? Like, I don't hate the status quo – especially when Marlon, Vi, Minnie, Tenn and the rest are around and the worst characters in the student body are no more – but as fate would want, it weren't only the baddies who got the worst of it. I still find myself strolling through the gardens behind the admin building from time to time, just looking at the graves and... trying to remember. As best I can. It was 43 of us in the beginning... and I had only been around for like half a year before the world as we knew ended. I didn't know everyone's feelings and secrets. Still remember how they looked like though. I thought I had a terrible haircut when I first showed up here... but Alice's poison green mess, Trey's ridiculous cornrows or Vanessa's mop top managed to improve my self-perception on that front.

One of my favorite pastimes is finding topics I can bicker about with Vi, but, gotta agree with her on one thing – this constant daydreaming is definitely something I need to work on. The problem for me is that whenever I'm sitting at this damn piano not being creative enough to come up with a melody on a hunch, I end up thinking too much and begin having those flashbacks run through my head. Which is the exact situation I find myself in now. But it's one of my favorite memories, so what can I do? Guess it doesn't help that I keep on having this polaroid photo of hers in a frame on top of that thing, just looking at me with her infectious smile... I just miss that girl. So much. Almost eight years, and I still do. I can't help myself.

It was a Friday. March 28th, 2003, I think? Ah... the joys of Friday. Although that Friday was a bit different from the usual shenanigans. The sports teacher Mr. Hardy (pun not intended, but he really was a hardened dude – ex-military, the last person you'd expect roaming around West Virginia) managed to break his ankle while accidentally kicking a medicine ball, so that event was cancelled, leading to a lot of 10 to 12 year olds now on the courtyard, just ready to cause havoc. I wasn't one of them though – I had more... special interests.

Clinker-clanker-climper-clay. Just from outside the door one could still hear someone trying their hardest to sort together any sort of melody, but without avail. I decided to enter the music room unannounced... just to help him out a little. Unsurprisingly, the small man sitting on the bench didn't like that, hammering down on the piano keys in visible outrage. Man, was he easy to anger. Always a source of great entertainment.

He turned to me with a venomous expression: „Could I just be left in peace and quiet? Not a single hour without any of you dunderheads knocking off the vibe... by not knocking, mainly."

„You've had your peace and quiet for the entirety of Thursday, Justin. Time to hand over the case to the professionals. Come on. I'm sure there's a math equation just waiting to be solved out there." I countered to his evermore annoyance.

„I have to perform for my audience, in case your ignorance has blinded you already.", he then claimed, pointing behind him. His audience being... a six-year old Daisy – actual name Stephanie, but she got the nickname thanks to her obsession with whatever flowers she could find, and it stuck eventually – platin blonde and with freckles all over her face, clearly taking a nap on the couch not paying attention to anything going on. Case not exactly made.

Justin Montgomery was probably the most tryhard seven-year old on planet Earth. I'll admit, he could back up his smack talking and regularly aced tests designed for the 4th and 5th graders like me or Marlon. But still, his holier-than-thou attitude was unrivalled. That and his constant insistence that it's him and only him who has the purest red hair – not the twins, not Ruby and especially not Cade. He hated Cade with a passion. Called him 'Irish Meathead' all the time. Had something to do with the time when Justin spent five hours trying to come up with a construction to attract pigeons for his science project, failing spectacularly, until Cade came along and imitated their sounds, leading them to flock towards him instead. It was the funniest thing I had ever seen up until that point.

I decided to inform him of the mild crowd, pointing at her: „I hate to break it to you, but I think your audience isn't paying much attention."

He wildly gesticulated, putting his hands into the air: „Of course she is, numbnuts. She was calmed by my soothing performance."

Oh, did I mention Justin also had a hard time coming up with sentences that didn't contain insults and/or self-praise? If it hasn't become obvious yet. I just shook my head, instead walking towards and gently shaking her shoulders, leading her to slowly wake up, yawning. With what a light sleeper she was, I was astonished she even managed to fall asleep with the incoherent piano key abuse in the background.. „Aw...hello Louis... was that just a dream right now?"

At this point, I was kicking myself what an unfortunate coincidence it was that the grade schoolers also had an off day. The boarding school had some really weird schedules. Six days of classes a week, wildly mixed. Sometimes there were two weeks without a break in-between, sometimes two free days. You weren't allowed to leave the schoolgrounds without permission – that I could actually comprehend, some of these guys were really not fit to be out in town without supervision – and because we were so few students, they just grouped all high schoolers, all middle schoolers and all elementary school kids into a single class, which was the exact opposite of helpful when it came to the sometimes relentless bullying. I couldn't blame these two for not wanting to hang around the 'popular kids'. Most of them were assholes. And honestly, I wasn't much better. I tried though.

I took Daisy's tiny hand and helped her get up. „Oh, you were dreaming about something? What was it?" I asked her, out of pure curiosity of course.

„A big beach party with coconut cake and a singing dolphin. It was fun." she answered with a big smile. It was just adorable. One of the few positives about boarding school was that quite a few students were there for reasons beyond their control, and they were generally a pleasure to talk to. Daisy got there because, according to her, mommy and daddy didn't love me as much as I loved them, and not even my teddy could make them stop yelling. Just heartbreaking, really.

„It's nice that at least some people around here see things in such a positive light. Thanks, buckaroo. But... coconut cake? Now I'm hungry. That sucks." I responded, leading her to giggle.

„Yeah, you're clearly on the verge of starvation. Very funny, you absolute disappointment." Justin was quite transparently not fine with my presence.

But Daisy had something to say about that: „I don't want to think about such things. That only gives me a bad mood. We're gonna be okay, Justin. Boarding school isn't fun, that's true. But it's only a little part of our lives. One day, we'll all be adults and get to live our lives like we want to. I wanna live on a cow farm with big flower fields and a doggie named Skip. And a beehive. Maybe with a little creek beside it, like the one in the woods? And friends who truly care about me. That'd be awesome." That optimism might've been a bit childish, but it was always welcomed.

„What would you do with a dog out of all pets? They're just big, dirty beasts. Like that one pitbull the headmaster afforded himself a few months ago. Disgusting, just the idea of it. Get a goldfish or something else easily maintained." I heard from behind me. He was trying his hardest to kill off any positive vibes.

„Is there anything in the world that you actually like and not feel the need to whine about, Justin? Seriously." I replied, getting up and walking back towards him.

„Well, yeah... I'd like you to leave and stop interrupting me while I create art." he answered with as sniveling tone. That noise pollution was many things, but art...? I was sure even Toby could do better, and man, he had like no talent whatsoever for anything musical.

I tried to push my luck: „Nah, not gonna happen, buddy. You know why I'm here. Hop off. I insist."

„What's the magic word?", Daisy threw in. I rolled my eyes, hating to show pleasantries to people who wouldn't do the same if roles were reversed, but realized it would be the best possible way to get what I wanted. „Justin... please."

„...eugh, alright. But only because you showed some manners. For once.", he answered, getting off of the bench and dusting himself off. A sceptical look by him followed, but before I could take my rightful place, I was interrupted by a knock on the doorframe behind me. I turned around and... I was met with tan skin, full lips, black hair with small red highlights, an entirely black-red outfit and a shy smile.

„Hi there. Sorry to break the harmony. So... I guess that's gotta be the music room? Just looking around. First day and all. Erin's the name and curiosity's the game."

I may have been a bit at a loss for words – 10 year old me, so easily impressed, but she really was a looker – thankfully little Daisy took command, running towards the girl and jumping in front of her in excitement before hastily making the introductions. „Hello, I'm Stephanie – call me Daisy, please – , this is Louis, that back there's Justin. What's your name? How are you? Also, what'd you do with your hair? Oh, you gotta meet Alice, she knows a lot about funny hair colors, I promise!"

The girl responded by patting her head, then kneeling down and coming face to face with her: „It's a bit of a hassle, but I can show you anytime. You're such a cutie pie."

„To be fair, so are you." I finally found my footing and the use of my vocal chords again, and wished I hadn't, blurting out this line, followed by a slightly mumbled „Are you serious right now?" from Justin's side.

All of which she answered with a bemused and partially pitiful look at me. „Thanks... I guess. But I think you'll need some more practice when it comes to sweet talking girls. That was a bit awkward, no?"

I... could not disagree with that. „I think they call that second-hand embarrassment.", Justin threw in, still standing behind me, to which I turned around replying: „And I think they call you annoying.", which was answered with light snickering from her.

Erin waltzed into the room, looking around for anything noteworthy. There hardly was. The piano was already in disarray back then, a guitar with loose strings, an electric guitar that nobody was allowed to use – why was it even there if we couldn't play it anyway? – and drums without sticks, so you could practice your drumming with pencils instead. It was a sad sight and a summary of the headmaster not using the allocated budget for what it was meant for. Something she too noticed pretty quickly.

„I'd say there's room for improvement on the musical front." she commented on the sorry state of the equipment.

„That must be the only opinion in the world where there's unanimous agreement from all students. But the teachers don't care, that's the problem.", Justin adds. And he was in the right on that front.

Daisy took a leap forward and grabbed Erin's hand: „If you wanna play something, there's a load of soccer balls, volley balls and other stuff in the gym room... but we'll have to ask for permission or sneak in to get there."

„Nah, I'm good, sweetie. I'm a bit of an egghead when it comes to sports. Not worth the risk."

She was too cute. Which applied to both of them in a way. I decided to give her some advice: „Pro tip: When you get near the gym hall, you should either expect Trey to play dodgeball against you whether you like it or not, or Joey questioning your... femininity, because apparently only boys play sports now, or something."

This was answered by a look of objection: „That Joey guy sounds like a piece of work. He always that sexist?"

„Well, Joey is short for Jocelyn, but yeah... any girl that doesn't drown herself in make-up isn't a real woman in her mind. Ignore her. Do yourself the favor." She called herself Queen Bitch, Ryan on the other hand called her the Bitch Queen. A bit rude, but then again, couldn't disagree with that either.

„Oh? But still, that's a weird name abbreviation for a girl..." she added.

„Do you guys seriously have nothing better to talk about?" Justin said, being visibly upset.

„No." we said in almost unison, followed by a „Jinxed!" and pointing fingers at each other in the same sort of unison and a shared snorting laugh.

„Eww... I'm outta here. Good luck with the self-entertainment.", he commented, beginning to move into action himself.

While we were looking in the direction of the piano, we didn't see what was going on at the doorframe... which was a mistake. We heard someone falling down, Justin shrieking in pain, and turned around to find the most unwelcome sight I could've asked for.

„Gonna get outta here? Are you now, small time? Doubtful."

It was none other than Dewey himself, holding a familiar cane in hand, Justin holding his chest in obvious distress.

„Just leave me alone for once, you unbelievable jerk." Justin yelled with a determinant, yet also audibly fearful voice.

„No, I don't think I will, boy-o.", he countered with a wicked smile on his lips.

Erin didn't take too kindly to that showing: „What is wrong with you? He's a little kid, there's no justification for this! Who the hell do you think you are?"

And he didn't take too kindly to being called out like that. He was used to people cowering to him or, worse, encouraging him – open opposition was a rare sight. He proceeded to walk in a few steps, pointing the cane at her: „If you don't know who the fuck I am, you clearly haven't settled in yet. You're gonna learn, princess. Little Erin Hutchison, isn't it? 12 years old, brought into this lovely establishment for repeated offenses of financially screwing over her relatives for a supposed crush that probably ain't even real 'cause you never met 'em in person. Anyone dumb enough to trust the internet deserves a prize for that alone. Think I'll call you... Little Miss Perfect. No sarcasm there, of course."

„How the heck do you even know all that stuff, and why should I care about your dumb superiority complex?", she responded, being visibly creeped out already.

„I have my sources. If I may introduce myself, I am Dewey Coldon, the one and only, and I happen to be the undisputed ruler of this school. No pun intended. Here's the deal: Appease me and you'll live well, do not and we're gonna have a problem."

If there was one thing that almost everyone hated about Dewey, apart from his cruelty, his constant belittling and his car crash of a black haircut with white highlights, it was his mocking nicknames. Marlon was Bully Maguire, I was Homewrecker, Josh Mr. Boombastic... he always found out why people got to the boarding school in the first place – still don't know how, probably paid off the douche of a secretary – and then proceeded to laugh at them for their miseries. It was really impressive just what a scumbag he was, almost all the time.

He then proceeded to caress her cheeks, clearly to her dismay. „And you certainly wouldn't like that, now would you, cupcake?"

I reluctantly tried to tell him off: „Would you stop touching her, dude? She clearly doesn't like it."

Before I could even react, his right hand was forced around my neck and he violently smashed me against the walls, almost crushing my throat and choking me out. „I've been living in this scrap heap before you were even born, kiddo. You don't fucking get to tell me what I can cannot do around here. I run this goddamn show. Always have and always will be. Even in death."

„What the heck! Leave him be, douchenozzle!" Justin tried to pull him off, but his size disadvantage wasn't helping much. Dewey didn't stop himself from using his other hand to grab his face and violently push him off, taunting him: „How about you fucking make me, big man? C'mon, show us who's all grown up already!"

His high and mighty attitude was thankfully cut short, and I, having my eyes closed in panic, was surprised to feel his grip lessen, while at the same time hearing a massive impact and him grunting in pain. I slumped to the floor, sitting my back on the wall I was just pinned to. When I opened my eyes, I saw Erin holding the cane that he let go the other way around, so the hilt impacted the side of his head, resulting in him sitting two feet to my right, his hand cupping his bleeding ear.

She had a victorious smile on her face, and then regrettably decided to kneel in front of him, mocking him: „Not such a tough guy anymore, are we?"

I saw it coming and tried to warn her: „Erin, don't...", but before I could speak any further, Dewey had already struck back, forcefully scratching his pointy fake nails across her cheek, leading to her too shrieking out in pain, bleeding from the several scratches she received.

„Shit! You motherfucking...", and she returned the favor by bashing her head against his nose, knocking him back, before she herself sat back and put pressure on her cheek to surpress the bleeding. He tried to raise himself as best as he could not knowing whether to hold his ear or his nose, giving her a hateful look.

„You little fucking bitch... I gave you the chance for a comfortable ride-along, and instead you cause this kind of farce. Enjoy nurturing these wounds. I somehow have a feeling you're gonna have to get used to that in the coming months. I'm almost outta here – I have no reason not to go all in. See you around... missy.", storming out of the room and slamming the door in a way that it seemed like it was gonna fall from its hinges.

A few seconds of silence only interrupted by slight painful moaning and heavy breathing ensued, before Erin managed to get back on her feet, holding her cheek, blood dripping, before looking around. „You okay, Justin?"

He sat up, breathing heavily and rubbing the back of his head, pointing at me instead: „There's a big bump on the back of my head, so, no. I'll be fine. Help this simpleton."

I was still busy trying to fix my throat – felt like it had been crushed by an anvil – but I appreciated the help, still. Only problem was that when I reached for her hand, grabbed it and she then proceeded to pull up me up that my legs weren't working as well as I expected... so I fell forward and she had to catch me in a tight embrace, which made the situation even weirder for both of us.

I immediately pulled back and she held me on my shoulders, letting me stabilize myself. She responded with another lighthearted smile, only this one had been tainted by her blood, which at this point was already slowly dripping from her cheek: „You're a bit too eager for my taste, you know?"

I decided to break the awkwardness as subtly as possible... 10 year old me didn't know what that meant. „Umm... like, I hate to break the mood, but I think your jacket's a bit red there.", pointing to the bloodied spots on her left. „Oh fuck, nooo... this thing alone is more expensive than my entire existence. You have a tissue or something?"

And yeah, I actually did – purely a measure of safety. Stewie asking me for one to fix his allergy-ridden running nose had been a common occurrence in the past few weeks. She gratefully took it. „Thanks... do me a really big favor and tell me this assholery isn't common practice around here. Pretty please, with sugar on top?"

I chuckled. I wished it wasn't, but I couldn't be quite honest about it. „It's not... if you're around the right people. You can hang with me and Marlon. And the twins. We're not assholes. Most of the time."

Justin walked by, still rubbing his head. „Me neither... unless you too decide to ridicule my creative genius, that is."

„Sure won't, pancake." she answered with a sympathetic eyeroll, while he finally managed to get up and dust himself off yet again: „Darn it... wait, where'd Daisy go to?"

Now that he mentioned it, we too noticed. We had to scan the room, but we saw her little frame... cowering in a corner in the room, softly crying. Erin had run over there before I could even move.

„Aww, sweetheart... don't cry. It's all over already. Come here.", gently making her stand up and pulling her into a hug.

„Why does he always have to be so mean? It's like he enjoys it. I wish he wasn't here..." she said in between her tears.

„I'd love to know that... it's gotta be exhausting to be this much of a shitty person every day.", I answered, still keeping my hand around my throat. Now even I was getting angry. Be a terrible person however you want, but emotional damage to kids not even half his age was beyond acceptable.

„I wish he died.", I heard Justin say from behind me, to which Erin just shook her head: „Well, this is a well-oiled machine. But I can handle broody grade schoolers. It's the violent thugs I'm worried about. For good reason, it seems."

Justin, in a rare show of humanity, walked up behind Daisy, whispering something into her ear, which led her to release her grip from Erin, trying to dry her tears with her sleeve: „What... you'd really show me that spot where all the blue butterflies are? Promise?"

„Promise. Come on. Let's let those two fix themselves. Here's hoping we don't run into any more jerks." he answered back, taking her hand.

„Yeah... let's.", she said with the hint of a grin on her face.

„Just... be careful, guys.", I hesitantly added.

„I know what I'm doing." Justin snappily reacted, adding: „...I think. Louis, would you mind bringing that cane back to the headmaster's office? I don't wanna walk by the library, Jared's too bored for his own good."

„Sure thing, buddy.", I agreed.

„I'm not your buddy... but thanks, I guess." It was quite the special interaction. I guess the united dislike of high school age bullies was almost bigger than any animosity between us.

„Hey, sweetie. I'm in room 112, if you wanna talk about it. Have fun.", Erin added.

„Does that apply to me too?", Justin threw in.

„Sure... if that's what you wanna do.", she replied.

„Jeanne's also in room 112, so that's a welcome spot to hide out. You watch out too. Dewey doesn't like resistance to his screwed attitude.", he advised her.

Jeanne was a good-hearted soul, and coincidentally one of the very few people Justin actively praised... partly because of her attitude, partly because of the extensive knowledge about Native-American stories her mother taught her. Jeanne had been here for quite a while. Since late 1999, so she at least knew her way around. Was the one who showed me around all the rooms when I got here. Guess I could've done the same for Erin, if she wanted. But she was confident she'd find everything on her own. Spoiler warning: She didn't.

After seeing off the two youngsters, the two of us were alone in the room... and I think I spent more time staring at her than I should've. She of course noted that right away: „You're weird, you know?"

„No, I'm not... I mean, just wondering how you're doing with those scratches. At least they stopped bleeding. You gonna be alright?" I knew my blushing face told another story, but I was worried. Those fake nails could do a number if used for malicious purposes.

„Could be better. I feel my blood pulsing in these wounds. Doesn't feel too good, frankly."

„I'd hate to be a smartass, but my advice is to stay away from the guys and gals with crazy hair colors. Most of them have a screw loose.", I suggested, still slightly massaging my throat.

She took off the final tissue I gave her from her cheek, which wasn't quite bloodied anymore, but still, the scratch marks were visibly deep. I could tell she was in more discomfort than she let on.

„Great. Thanks for the info. How old is this loser anyway?"

I shook my head in disbelief at that fact: „Seventeen, if you'd believe it."

„He's seventeen years old and has nothing better to do with his time than to try to assert dominance over a 10 year old? Wow, what a tough guy. Really impressive."

„He's turning eighteen in August, and once he does, he's outta here and we never have to see him again. Thank fuck for the age limitation. One rule I can live with.", I informed her.

„He needs to get off his high horse, seriously. Undisputed ruler of this school? More like undisputed tool.", to which I actually laughed out loud. She wasn't wrong. His demeanor was pretty cringy, but still threatening. As much of a tool he was, he was still strong and vicious enough to seriously hurt people.

„What were you even here for?", she then asked.

„What'd you mean?" I asked back, forgetting for a moment where we even are.

„In this room. It's a music room, so... I guess music? Possibly the piano, because I can't imagine another reason why you were in the middle of arguing with the boy while I was leaning on the doorframe."

„True story. I just wanted a bit of training, if you get my gist. I don't think as highly of myself as he does when it comes to my musical abilities... as Ruby'd say, I'm a total greenhorn when it comes down to it."

„Guess we could practice together, if you don't mind a bit of interference...", and this was an offer I couldn't refuse. But I was cautious. Normally anyone joining me in my attempts at musical improvement walked away within minutes because... it wasn't very good.

„If you can bear it, sure. Buuut I could get you some ear protection, if you'd like. You're gonna need it, I think.", I signalled to her as a warning.

„You're that much of an, let's say it nicely, amateur? Come on, can't be that bad. You could hit the keys with your fist alone and it'd still sound better than my dad's Oldsmobile. I'll manage." she said with confidence in her voice. Guess that was about to be tested. I took a seat on the bench, her left of me, having some unspoken doubts about my abilities, it seemed.

„Dumb question, but you have any expert knowledge about music and composition? It'd be appreciated, you know.", I asked out of pure curiosity.

„I think I know a thing or two about it. But just saying, isn't there any tutor or music teacher or anything that could help you on that front? There's gotta be a book around somewhere, at least.", she replied with a questioning look.

„Books? As Justin said, Jared's all over the library, giving unsolicited facts about his supposed autism, and his sister Jenny isn't doing jack to stop him from pestering people. And, well, tutors or teachers who really care? In this school? Nah. Could I afford a private one? Nope. Not anymore at least. You're not the only one who made some bad decisions money-wise."

Just after I let out that ironic remark, Erin's face darkened and she looked downward with a sad expression. That might've just been a bit insensitive. I always forgot not everyone was as welcome of self-deprication as Marlon was. „Dammit... sorry about that. I didn't mean to kill the mood... as you may have noticed by now, I'm a bit of an idiot sometimes."

„Don't worry about it. I too am here because of, well, questionable decision making, as Mr. Jerkov already alluded to. It was... just stupid." she said, softly smiling, before taking a deep breath and letting herself open up.

„I told you about my dad's Oldsmobile, right? It was a really oldschool Cutlass, with a supercharger I think. Just, super noisy. Dad had sole custody over me and my older brother Roger, and we were driving all over the country, as far as the Golden State. Mind you, we lived in Vermont. Spent a lot of time on the road. I hated how the car sounded, but spending all summer long with the two of them, who accepted me for all my strange quirks, was just the best thing I could've asked for. But... then he died, and it all went south."

She was on the verge of tearing up, and I put my hand on her shoulder, giving her an encouraging look: „I'm listening."

She looked up to me, continuing: „It was my 6th birthday, and he forgot about it until Rog reminded him, so he went out in a hurry to get me something. But just a few blocks further, a truck T-boned him. He didn't have a chance. They... they found a small red teddy bear that I told him I wanted so badly when visiting the store a week earlier. I was so crushed. And my brother was even more, because he thought it was his fault. It wasn't. It was just a shit situation."

„And so... because of that, we were forced to live with our mother instead. My mother family's like, upper class, at least, so we didn't have to sometimes skip dinner like we did when living with dad, but they were just... snobs. Totally unsympathetic to anyone who they deem unsuccessful in life. The anyone who's poor isn't working hard enough kinda crowd. You know anybody with that attitude?"

I didn't have to think long to come up with an example. „Yeah... unfortunately. What was this dude's name? Lucas McLaughlin or something? He's some extremely successful investment broker who we sometimes see wandering along here. I'm pretty sure he wants to buy the entire school and convert it into some sort of West Virginia Forests condo complex. Makes even my dad look low income. Really full of himself. And probably racist. Once called Becky a shyster hobo. She's Jewish, by the way. And like six years old. Not a good look."

„... I just hate these people. Seriously."

„I think you'll find most students her actually agree on that front. Except Dewey, probably. He's just such an edgelord, it would be funny if he wasn't such a danger to people."

„Huh. Promising." she said with a light chuckle.

„Yup. Sorry. Again."

She shot me an understanding look: „You need to stop being sorry. You listen. That alone is a bigger contribution than any of my family members have afforded me in the past few years."

I tried my hardest to come up with an uplifting comeback, but the only thing that sprung out of my mouth was: „Maybe I just do it because of your soothing voice, you know."

Instead of giving me a straight answer, she instead grabbed my arm and laid her head on my shoulder: „Haha... funny. You're getting better at this though. Give it five years and average girls might really start liking you."

She looked up to me with a sly grin: „To be clear, I'm not an average girl. Just so you know." I know it sounds weird, but... that was legitimately the first moment in my life where I felt like my heart was about to jump out of my chest. She was... special.

Erin placed her head back on my shoulder and we sat like this for a few seconds before I heard her breathing heavily, and she continued: „Anyway, where was I? Oh, right. So, my maternal family... they just aren't good people. And they're tax fraudster too, I think. Probably the reason why dad got sole custody. The first thing they did when we got to their country house wasn't hugging us or welcoming us in any way really, they just announced that we'd immediately be transferred to some kinda high class private school, so we could get fixed. They really called it that. This school was just a nightmare. Just a bunch of high class, wealthy jackasses who thought it was funny to mock me and Rog for our commoner upbringing or whatever."

She slightly adjusted her head, sighing: „And the worst part was that we couldn't escape that at home either. My mother, for reasons I was never told, absolutely loathed my dad, to the point of refusing to ever let us visit his grave, claiming it'd be just be a reminder of our previous 'terrible lives'. Of course, it was only terrible in her mind. Me and Rog would've loved nothing more than to go out there and travel in the summer, or ever leave the backwood area we were forced to live in, period. We weren't allowed to do anything that could possibly damage the so-called flawless reputation of the family. If it wasn't for each other, I'm not sure if either of us would've survived the first year alone."

I interjected as she paused: „Hmm... and let me guess, the reason you came here is because you were searching for a way out? Is that what it's about?"

„Shh... we're getting to it. Patience, cupcake. But you're not mistaken. There was one thing that I didn't have limited access to, and it was the internet. I guess they thought there's nothing there other than search engines and chatrooms, so what could possibly go wrong. Well, plenty for them. I met a guy there – claimed to be 14 and to be fair, his profile pic did look young. I know what you're thinking, and what this douche from before said is in the same vein – how could you be that stupid to believe that would actually work? – but it didn't really matter to me. I wanted out. If it worked, I'd be out. If it didn't, what were they gonna do? Lock me up? They couldn't lock me up more than I already was in that house."

Erin again paused, before continuing her rant: „That guy, if it was a guy, said his name was Phil, and he claimed, similar to what I grew up with, that his family is pretty much without money, and he's communicating with me through an old laptop with barely working internet. I kinda felt bad for him, and that's pretty much when it started. He would always complain that this and that house gadget didn't work, that he or members of his family didn't have enough food, that he couldn't afford school books... so I asked him to give me his address, and starting from that, I regularly sent stuff there. Cash, clothes, small but expensive gifts. The thing was that I didn't get any pocket money and any expenditures regarding myself were thoroughly regulated by my mother. So, I got the money from anywhere else I could. My relative's credit cards, their secret money stashes that were all openly marked in their houses... it's not like they really needed it, greedy pricks that they were, and I thought that it would make at least one person and his family happy."

„So... did you do it out of the goodness of your heart or because you simply crushed on the guy?"

She put her head up again, looking at me: „I don't know... he said he lived in California. Isn't that place pretty expensive compared to Vermont?"

I chuckled, knowing where this was gonna go: „Umm... I can definitely confirm it is."

She then smirked in a doubtful manner: „How would you know that, exactly?"

„Because if you don't know yet, you're talking to the one and only Louis Franklin Willard DePrince, born and raised on Laurel Drive in Beverly Hills, California."

„You... Beverly Hills? You're joking right?"

„Why would I do that? Aren't my super wealthy looks and mannerisms obvious?", I said with a clear shade of irony.

„Ummm, nope. You totally don't look like someone who'd be from there. You're not... you know."

„Let me guess: Not white, blonde, with a sun tan, driving a Lambo? Is that what you mean?", looking at her in feigned outrage.

„No, but... look at you. No offense, but your hair looks like it hasn't seen a shower in months.", she said, slightly shaking her head in disbelief.

„To be fair, I've been here since last November, so that counts, I guess?"

„Okay, point taken.", she retorted, continuing: „DePrince... are you for real? That name's even less believable than the Beverly Hills story."

„Honestly, I'm unsure whether this isn't some sort of stage name. My dad is a pretty eccentric dude, wouldn't be surprised if he was called born a Jones or something, but then decided that was too mainstream for him."

„Huh. I'll take your word for it... but thinking about it, that's actually a cool name. Certainly creative. But fitting... eh, not so sure about that.", she said, folding her hands.

And that presented another opportunity to sweet talk. Sometimes I couldn't help myself: „Eh, yours isn't too bad... but I know a way we could share that surname. I think we're too young for that though. Maybe in a few years?"

She snickered: „Alright, that's pretty creative, I'll give you that", before surprisingly throwing her hands around my head, resting them on my shoulder, looking directly into my eyes „You're a feisty one. I like that. But also a bit of a weirdo. That's a negative."

„And you're a pretty one. I like that. But also a bit of a... umm... nope, can't think of any negatives right now." I like to tell myself I had game, but I most certainly sounded like a total idiot. Thankfully she didn't mind that. She never did. One of the main reasons I cared about her so much.

She then let go of my again, sitting back to her previous position: „Impressive. But I can help you out with that. Alright, where to start... I fuss too much about my hair, I refuse to wear anything that isn't red or in any shade close to it, I only wear a specific and friggin' expensive brand of nail polish, I sometimes sound like a siren when I sneeze, I'm allergic to tuna, I'm terrible at sneaking, my French pronounciation is a disaster, and the worst thing, I can't eat what I want and have to keep insulin at hand at all times."

„Think you're too negative... wait, insulin? Isn't that normally only something the elderly need? My grandpa always complained how expensive it was. "

„For the most part. I'm one of the very few cursed with Type 1 diabetes. Need to keep that around, at all times. And yup, it's expensive as hell. Gladly mom doesn't completely hate me and pays for it upfront. I'd be screwed without it. Went into hyperglycemia – meaning blood sugar's wayyy too high – once, and I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy."

„Your family screws you over, your body too... I think it's remarkable you still manage to be so upbeat." Her attitude despite what she told me was impressive. You wouldn't have guessed any of it if she didn't state it outright.

„Thanks. I do my best. Talking helps. I know I repeat myself, but... I appreciate being listened to. Normally almost everyone ignores me."

I tried to give her my best encouraging smile: „No problem. Like I said, soothing voice. Speaking of listening... you still haven't finished that story about how you ended up here. I can imagine how it went, but confirmation's always welcome."

„Alright, alright... to make a long story short..."

„Theyyy... found out?" I suggested.

„Nope. I told them.", she answered bluntly, to my shock.

„Rog of course tried covering me, but I doubt he'd even know how to turn on a computer, so nobody bought it. Grandpappy gave me a biiig lecture about how disappointed he is, how we brought shame to the family, how we're ruining our lives – not like either of us cared – and he sent us to two different boarding school. I got here, Rog's somewhere in Minnesota I think. But I got the phone number, so won't be a problem. We fist-bumped the last time we saw each other yesterday. Totally worth it. How's that for a story?"

„Pretty entertaining actually. Like the ending. But a question remains: This Phil guy... is he actually real?"

She just shrugged: „Don't know. But I have an address, sooo... if I wanna have a go, I'll have to take an unscheduled vacation. You wouldn't mind guiding me through the beaches and redwoods, right? I'm gonna assume you're a good boy and won't mislead me out of... jealously or anything."

No, I really wouldn't have. Just the idea of walking out to Venice Beach and sunbathing on some yacht was of an incentive to risk a few hours of detention. And explaining a possible missing person's report, for that matter.

„I guess you could tell me all about California. And why you came here. Gotta be a good reason for it. Hope it had nothing to do with credit cards though", she continued.

„Ehh... does have something to do with credit cards, I'm afraid."

She crossed her legs and arms, shooting me a look of expectation: „Interesting. Well then.. I told you my story, it's only fair I get to know yours too."

Couldn't really say no to that, especially after she made such an effort to tell me hers. I tried my best to picture the entire story to her – which coincidentally also involved a whole lot of money, and Richie Sambora, for some reason – and she actually looked kind of sorry for me at the end.

„Goddammit... you really had that much cash? That must've been even more than I had."

„Really did. Not anymore though.", I replied with a faint smile.

„Toodles... you got any writing talents? We could pen a How to ruin your financially secure future from a young age guide. Quite the team effort that'd be. Sucks..."

„Haha... no. But I did always wanna try my hand on songwriting." Little did she know English was probably my least favorite subject. Teachers hated my penmanship.

„But at the upside, at least you didn't come here for torturing animals or something. Makes me think you still got humanity left."

„Umm, not to disclose any more personal information, but I'm pretty sure Justin got sent here for that, and a few other not-so-nice things. What did Dewey call it? Sociopathic tendencies?"

„Ooooh... that's a blow to my faith in the human race."

And it was about to get worse for her: „You haven't heard me on a piano yet. That faith is about to get vaporized."

„Don't think you're alone with your lacking competence. You haven't heard me sing yet either. Think we'd both get eardrum damage from that. Soothing voice or not."

„Who knows... maybe with a little while of training, we could think about going on a world tour. Lou & Rin, the Dangerous Duo."

„Hmmm, dangerous in what way?", she curiously retorted, resting her head on her hand.

„A clear danger for all the elderly and their hearing aids... or just because your looks are killer."

She sighed, then looked back at me with a mellow expression, before hitting me on the side of my arm.

„Ouch... what was that for?" I remarked with a pain-filled smile.

„You know how lucky I am that I'm the one sitting here? Because if it was any other girl, you'd have been shoved off of that bench already. Luckily for you, I bite when it comes to genuinely flattering sweet talk... even if it's just by a tryhard."

„It is my pleasure, gentlewoman. Always trying my best to be hella rad to the ladies."

„Weirdo.", she replied with a light giggle.

„Do that sometimes. Sorry." I stuttered back. I'm impressed for how long I've been such a dreamer. That habit I could never let go.

„Apology accepted... with conditions that I will announce on a later date. Did anyone ever tell you you've got some skills when it comes to storytelling?"

„Aw, come on, you've definitely done a better job picturing your boarding school admission story. Thanks though. You're like the only person who's willing to spend like half an hour actually talking to me. That's new." It really was. Normally no one could be bothered to listen to my ramblings for such a long time. Even Marlon normally needed a break after a few minutes.

„You're willing to listen, so... I'm willing to listen. But damn, half an hour already? Time flies when you're having fun. Speaking of fun...", she then lightly tapped one of the keys, leading to a high note emerging: "...we gonna use this thing here now or am I too interesting?"

„Enlighten me, conductor...no, really. Won't sound good though. Pinky promise." Can't argue that high self esteem was a quality of mine back then. Took a while to get there.

„Just... start with something easy. Imagine by John Lennon. Easiest you could possibly try."

„Easy for you, maybe. Show me what you've got. You're self-taught, I presume?", I shot back with considerable doubt in my voice.

„To be honest, I actually got sooome piano lessons... remember them. Hated them. Think we should've switched parents. I woulda loved to do anything but those lessons. At least they come in handy now. Let's go."

And so, after what felt like an eternity of … intellectually stimulating conversation, we spent the following hours trying our best to come up with a rendition of that song that wasn't the equal of spitting on the poor man's grave. She wasn't that bad – okay, no Elton John – but as predicted, I wasn't much better. But the encouragement certainly helped. Bickering about our preferred music choices less so. Something we weren't quite as harmonious about. One of her favorites was... right. That could work. But I don't have the lyrics down yet. The melody works though. Lemme tryna remember... think I can.

We've got time to wait
And we wait until it's too late
We always move in seconds in a world of hours and days
We've got bones and blood
Is this all what we've got
I thought there was a brain but maybe I just thought in vain...

All the while I glance at that damn picture. You need to stop giving me those inspirations, Rin. Minnie's gonna kill me if I hit that high note.