"Ah, I'm ready to spread a little chaos. I've found out some exciting things about our beloved teens. Naughty, naughty. Wonder what would happen to this dear group if something happened to slip out. Don't think I've forgotten you. I always give back to my loyal fans. Mingle, grab a snack, and enjoy the show" - The Hive


The sound of keys jingling could be heard as Garfield opened the door to the pet store. Dogs began to bark from the inside. "I'm comin', I'm comin'," he said before opening it and seeing a bunch of smiling pet faces staring at him. Well, to him, they were smiling. "Hey, you guys missed me?" One of the dogs barked back at him in response. He looked over to see a spotted beagle jumping up for joy. Garfield called him "Jellybean" because of his appearance and personality. "Jellybean, my good buddy, how you been?" He walked over and ruffled the top of the animal's head as he wagged his tail in response. Some of the other dogs began to bark in reply for attention. Garfield held his hands up in defense.

"Woah, Woah, Woah! No need to fuss. There's enough Gar to go around for everybody!" He ruffled and patted a couple more dogs' heads, "Gar? Is that you?" Rita, his adopted mother, yelled from the back room, "Yeah, Rita! It's me," Gar yelled back. Rita came out in her apron reading Pet Stop Shop and her auburn hair bundled in a clip. "Hey sweetie, how was school today?" She embraced Gar in a hug and kissed his cheek. "School's school Rita," "That's your response to everything," "It's not—""Is to 'Gar how'd you sleep' 'Sleep is sleep' or 'Gar, what'd you think of the food?' 'Food is Food'" "Okay, Okay" He chuckled, "How about…' Gee Rita, it sure was golly, I even got the gang to help organize a sock hop!'" She swatted at him, "Oh, haha, I get the sarcasm. Rough day?"

"It's been okay. I saw Vic and Wally in the halls today. They managed to give a 'sup nod to me and then continue their conversation," He began to open up the bag of dog food, then grabbed all the dogs' bowls and scooped out a handful of food for each to eat. 'Well, next time you see them, why not start a conversation? See how they're doing—""Rita, your kidding, right? They wouldn't be caught dead talking to me. I'm at the bottom of the food chain—""—Garfield, I'm sure that's not the case," Garfield put down the last bowl of dog food as she said this and shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe. Maybe not. I did manage to make a somewhat friend today," "Really, who?" Garfield could hear the interest in Rita's voice peek, "Her name's Kory—""Ooh, Kory huh—"A blush crept on his face, "Not like that Rita, besides Kory's not my type. She's just a new friend"

"Oh right, you like that Rachel girl," Rita teased as his face got redder, "Rita!" Garfield tried to hide his blushing as Rita giggled behind her hand. Gar always had a close relationship with Rita. She laughed at his jokes and never took anything too seriously. His adoptive father, Steve, on the other hand. Steve had this stone-cold posture that silenced a room when he walked in, staring down anyone who looked his way down. "Okay, okay, all jokes aside. It'd be nice for you to invite a girl over for dinner," she grabbed a stepping stool and placed it near one of the cabinets to grab something from the top. The bell to shop rang, causing both Gar and Rita to turn their heads, only to see Steve's serious exterior standing by the door. "Hey Steve," Gar waved shyly.


"I was blown away. What could I say?

It all seemed to make sense

You've taken away everything

And I can't deal without it. I try to see the good in life

But good things in life are hard to find

We'll blow it away, blow it away

Can we make this something good?"

Dick tapped along his steering wheel as music vibrated through the speakers; while waiting for the light to turn green. The beach waves crashing against the sand, some lone couples walking along the beach. One of them is walking a dog, a frisbee is flying, and the sun is setting. The light turned green, and he lightly pressed on the gas. Dick shirts the gear into cruise mode.

"Taken all I could take, and I can not wait

We're wasting too much time

Being strong, holding on

Can't let it bring us down

My life with you means everything

So I won't give up that easily."

He glances at the beach. There's a girl with a curly mane sitting on the bench with their head in their hands. One name came to mind, "Kory?" He mumbled to himself. Dick rolls down the window, "Kory?" her head pops up in surprise. Before he could repeat it, the car behind him honked his horn. Dick drove to the nearest park space before closing and locking his door, then running to where Kory was sitting.

He started to slow down once he saw how wet her face was, "Kory?" He motioned softly. She turned and wiped off her face with her shirt sleeve. "Hi, Ri-Dick," "Hi, what are you doing out here?" he grinned, and she gave a weak smile back. He sat next to her, "You wanna tell me what's wrong?" Kory scoffed, "As if you didn't see the Hive's latest blast," "Nope, can't say I have. I turned my phone on silent. It got a bit too loud for me" "Maybe I should try that," she sniffled, and Dick felt around in his hoodie and pockets.

Only to find a couple of pieces of lint and crumpled pieces of paper with old phone numbers. He looked around and saw a couple holding cups of ice cream and napkins. "Hold that thought," he walked over to them, much to Kory's confusion. She lifted her eyebrow as they continued to converse. The woman glanced her way, and she shyly ducked down. A couple of seconds later, Dick held out some napkins, "You did not have to do that," She took them and wiped her nose, "It's what friends do," "You consider me your friend?" "Um…how about associates?" He rubbed his hand on his neck and gave a boyish smile, making them both blush. "Back home, my best friend and I knew everything about each other. From our favorite colors to our favorite movies, to celebrity crushes—"

"—Sounds like you both didn't have social lives," Kory lightly punched his arm, and he winced. Damn, the girl's stronger than she looks, he thought before lightly brushing at the spot, "Oh, I'm sorry. Sometimes I don't know my own strength," "No worries, you hit better than some of the guys on the team," he chuckled, and Kory giggled back. "You know, I always come here to think. "I came here cause it kind of reminded me of home," Kory spoke up, playing with the ends of her hair, "Really?" "Tamaran is an island surrounded by smaller islands and other countries. When I felt down or needed to escape, I would always go to this spot. Near this pottery stand, I'd sometimes stop by when I needed a quick present or help to finish an art project. They always managed to calm me down," She hung her head. Dick placed his hand gently on her shoulder.

"I come here to clear my head too, just to get away from the fame, fortune, even the girls. It can all be a bit much," "You have everything you could ever want—""—It's mostly about the fame part, the camera's all up in my face. never getting any privacy. It bites," He kicked his foot across the pavement. "Sometimes, I just want to be a normal teenager," he muttered quietly. Kory scooted closer to him to where their knees began to touch. They looked up at each other, staring for what felt like forever. Dick's eyes widened as he realized what was happening and scooted away. "Speaking of fame…So, what exactly did the Hive do?" He sputtered out. She hesitantly pulled out her phone covered in a bunch of text messages, then quickly pushed them aside and typed something in.

Kory turned the phone to where Dick could see it, and his blood began to boil. "Damn it, I knew this was gonna happen," He started to pace back and forth, "Dick, I—"Kory reached her hand out to him, "You have to stay away from us," she pulled it away. "What?" "I'm serious, Kory, you can't be a part of your group," "But why—""Cause it's a fucking curse, okay!" His face turned into a dark scowl, making her jump back in fright. He realized her fright before backing away slowly, "I mean it, Kory, stay the hell away from us, or else" her fists started to clench, "Or else, what?" She said loud enough for him to hear. Dick shook his head in a disapproved manner, "You don't wanna find out," before she could continue, Dick was already sprinting back towards his parked car. Leaving Kory near the bench, small tears dripped down her face, cleaning the napkins' remnants.


Victor typed along on his computer, "Babe, you've tried 50 times already. She's not gonna answer," Bee paced back and forth against his carpet as she continued to dial the same number repeatedly, "I'm worried about her. It was her first day, and The Hive already had to go and ruin it. I don't want her to stop hanging out with us just because of some stupid blog," She clutched her phone tightly in frustration after getting Kory's voicemail for the billionth time.

Then she flings it to the side and plops back on the bed. Vic stopped typing and turned to see his girlfriend sprawled out with her eyes closed. "You know...not trying to point any fingers, but this kind of is your fault," She flew up quickly with her eyes in anger, "What's that supposed to mean?" Vic wiped his head, "I'm just saying, Bee. You knew that if Kory started to hang with us, she'd be dragged through this shit like the rest of us—""That's not true—""—Bee," Vic stated in a warning tone. She gripped the ends of his blanket and glared at him, and he glared back at her. She threw her hands up in exasperation after a minute had passed, "Okay. Maybe I had a small hunch that Kory would possibly take a bit of a hit for us if we started to hang with her—"

"—Nope, you knew. You knew that once we invited that girl into our group, people would start to get suspicious about her and gossip. They'd stop wondering about us," She scoffed, "Let's not point fingers, Victor Stone. Don't forget Jinx and I helped all your butts when we were the ones who sent in that video of Xavier," Vic turned his head. Bee walked up to him and placed her hands along his chest. "We're all in this together.

We all have secrets to protect, and we all know what we must do to keep people from finding out about the summer from a year ago," "But inviting the new girl into it? That's low, Bee," He pushed her hands away. Bee rolled her eyes in annoyance before folding her arms, "Why do you think I'm so cold? So cruel? I wouldn't do that to someone. You know that-""—Then what about Gar? And Rachel? They were our best friends, Bee, and we fazed them out—""—You think I did that?" "I'm just—""—No, it wasn't my idea. Wally and Jinx were the ones who suggested we faze them out, saying it was for the best," Vic growled before throwing his fists down on the desk.

The cup of pens rattled. Bee jumped a bit, and Vic hit the table again. He inhaled and exhaled deep breaths. Bee strolled over to him and placed her hand on his shoulders. "We're all looking out for each other. I'm trying to keep you safe, Vic." She whispered in his ear before kissing his temple. She removes her lips and walks back over to his bed. "Bee," he started to say. She perked her head from putting the last book in her bag. He took in her current appearance: shoulders slouched, deep frown. On the outside to strangers, she seemed fine, but Vic knew her. He knew when she was stressing about something or when something was on her mind.

He knew that when she was nervous about something. Her hands would get all fidgety or bite her lip nonstop. When she's sad, her nose starts to sniffle, and she looks like she would burst into tears at any moment. "I love you," was all he could manage to say. Vic silently cursed himself for not coming up with something better. She gave a closed-mouth smile, "Me too," Bee blew him a kiss before leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

He watched the door and listened. Vic's dad could be heard on the other side telling Bee goodbye. His eyes moved to his backpack, and he quickly opened it. Vic feels around the gear, "Books, no. iPad, no. Extra gloves for football practice, no. Here we go," he pulls out a small orange bottle with a couple of pills inside. The bottle read Restandol. He unscrewed the top of the bottle, shaking out two pills; before taking a hard swallow from his water to drown it down.


Rachel sat in the back of a low-lit coffee shop finishing her homework. Her head bobbed lightly to the gloomy music playing in the background. The coffee shop shared the same wear and tear of an abandoned warehouse. On the outside: the bricks were cracked and scattered everywhere due to a lack of proper construction. Vines began to grow through the cracks, tying what was left of the place together.

However, the inside was more excellent compared to the outer parts. The walls were painted a dark gray, and fairy lights hung throughout the establishment. A small stage made out of old crates. Many found the place repulsive. Others, like Rachel, appreciated its individuality from other coffee shops. No one bothered anyone here. They never asked questions. The fresh smell of a new pot of tea brewed. She took in a tiny whiff and silently hummed to herself in satisfaction. A small shadow came over her, blocking her from getting light to see.

"Do you mind?" She said, slightly on edge. The person over her chuckled to themselves. Her heart skipped a beat. She knew that laugh. The laugh made the goosebumps rise on her pale skin and a blush on her cheeks. She glances up to see the English teacher, Mr. Malchior. He was holding an eco-friendly cup in his hand and had a smile on his face. "M-Mr. Malchior! What are you doing here?" She sputtered as she pulled her sheets of homework closer to her. He chuckled once more. "I come here for my their tea sometimes. They brew the best cuppa. What are you doing here, Miss Roth?" He emphasized her name as if he was flirting with her or intrigued. "No, he'd never flirt with me, his student," she thought. "I some-sometimes c-come here to get out of the house and do homework,"

"Ah, I figured. This place seems like something up your alley," he winked before taking a seat and scooting close to her. He sat so close to where Rachel could practically breathe in his cologne. Her heart began to speed up even more. If he sat any closer, she might fall into a heart attack "H-how so?" she managed to say, "The colors, the outside of the coffee shop, and the relaxing tone of this establishment," He tapped lightly against the table before taking a small sip of his coffee.

"Am I that predictable?" He let out a hearty laugh, and she swooned. "On the contrary, Rachel. You don't judge places or things on the outside of their appearance. But your curiosity astounds me as you find true beauty from within. One of the many things I admire about you," That last sentence nearly sent her over the edge. All she wanted to do was grab his face and kiss him senselessly. She had to remind herself that she couldn't. He was her teacher, and she was his student. A love that could never be. "What's that on your wrist, Rachel?" Mr. Malchior pointed to the dark purple bruise that was etched into her.

She quickly pulled down her cardigan and began to pack her things, "Um, nothing… a birthmark. I-I have to go, you know, school tomorrow and everything," She continued to push down her supplies in the bag. Mr. Malchior reached out and touched her hand, and a small shock shook through her. "Rachel, you know you could tell me whatever's going on," He soothingly whispered. She moved her hand away and scooted out of the booth. "I'm fine, Mr. Malchior, really," She gave a shy wave before walking out of the coffee shop without turning back. A concerned look graced his face as he watched her go.


Rachel had calmed down by the time she walked back to her house. She could hear the shouting grow louder as she wiggled the keys in. She opened the door to find her dad yelling on the phone, assuming with one of his "co-workers." "You'd better get her sorry ass back, or I'll come over and personally kill you myself," He angrily hung up the phone with his hands and threw it against the wall near Rachel.

She flinched as the phone cracked into pieces. Trigon watched with a slight smirk on his face. "Rachel, doll. How was school?" The way he asked, she knew he didn't care for an answer. "Fine," She said in her usual monotone voice. Her fist started to clench, ready for whatever he was gonna hit her with. Trigon came out of the kitchen, gulping the beer down, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. He finished it off with a sigh, then threw it behind him. She flinched when she heard the bottle crashing down against the floor.

"That's good, sweetie. Listen, I need a favor—""—One of your whores canceled, again?" His expression remained blank, "Forget it. I've got school tomorrow, and I don't want to deal with any of your co-wor—"Before she could finish her sentence, a sharp pain shot across her cheek. Her eyes began to water. Though she quickly blinked back her tears and let her face sting. "Don't fucking disrespect me when that same job that I have puts clothes on your back, a roof over your head, and food in your mouth.

You'll do what I say when I say it, right?" He seethed, and she stared back at him with cold eyes. Trigon lifted his hand once again and slapped her again. Hitting the same cheek again and giving her a split lip. "I can't hear you—""O-okay," she cried out, a small tear running down her face. He nodded again before turning back towards the kitchen, "Ungrateful ass Bitch," she let out a couple of more tears and choked back, screaming out how much she hated him.


Gar sat across from his adoptive father, Steve. He was currently staring him down with a stoic look. Gar tried to avoid his gaze by looking at everything around him. Rita was in the kitchen finishing up dinner. "So…lovely weather we're having?" Gar gave an uncomfortable laugh as Steve rolled his eyes in response. "Rita, how's the dinner coming?" Great! Just have to put on the finishing touches!" She yelled through the kitchen door, "Need any help?" Gar squeaked, trying to get away from Steve's brewing storm.

"Please say yes, please say yes," he thought. "No, Gar, I'm fine!" His shoulders slightly drooped. "Men don't belong in the kitchen," Steve grunted. Rita kicked open the kitchen door revealing three plates. One is different from the other two. "Dinners served," she smiled and put each other dishes in front of their designated spots. Rita and Steve had the same setup, spaghetti, and meatballs with a side salad. While Gar's had just tomato sauce with noodles. Only he had a more enormous salad full of colorful veggies. "This looks great, Rita!" Gar took in the delicious smell and smiled to himself. Before grabbing a fork, eager to dig in. "Thank you, Gar." She gave another sincere smile before beginning to take a bite herself.

"Gar, where's the meat on your plate?" Steve questioned as he gave a cold glare to the "bland" spaghetti across from him. "Steve, we talked about this..." Rita said in a warning tone, though he seemed not to care. "Steve, I've told you a hundred times, dude. I'm a vegetarian—""No real man is a 'vegetarian'" Steve made air quotes around Vegetarian. Gar rolls his eyes. "Steve! Cool it-"Rita snapped, making him grunt to himself before stabbing his meatball. Gar felt as though Steve pretended he was the meatball.

He twisted another bundle of noodles into his fork and put it in his mouth. They sat at the dinner table, only the sound of their utensils clanking. "So Gar," Rita spoke, "Are you interested in any clubs for this upcoming year?" He perked his head as Rita gave him an encouraging smile, "Um yeah…actually, I thought about creating my own club.

"A grunt from Steve interrupted him. "That's great, Gar!" Rita clapped her hands together, "Isn't it Steve? Gar is interested in being a leader—""—What kind of club are we talking about?" He questioned, emphasizing the word club. Gar swallowed, "An eco-friendly one. We'd organize cleanups, vegetarian picnics, campouts—""—How manly, Gar. Next to the cheerleaders, you'll be in the gardening club playing with a bunch of pansies—"He slammed down his fork. "That's it! I've had it," Gar yelled. Rita jumped in her seat. This happens all the time. It never stopped. He tried to make light of the situation.

Rita claims that Steve's pretty tough, and he's still coming to terms with the new things in society. Though he never listens, Gar always distances himself when he's around. She's tried to have Steve and Gar meet in the middle, find a compromise, or have some male-bonding time. Steve always makes an excuse stating that he's on-call or has a long shift the next day. It seems more and more like he's avoiding doing anything with Gar. When Gar has a football or cheerleading competition, Rita tries to go.

Steve, however, just grunts and pretends that he forgot about the event. "Gar wait-""'Let him go, Rita. I'm only stating the obvious," Gar rolled his eyes before grabbing his plate and heading up the stairs. "Where are you going, Gar?" "I'm taking my dinner upstairs," He said. They heard the door slam shut. Rita turned to Steve with a disappointed look on her face. "Steve, when are you gonna grow up?" She ran after him leaving Steve to eat his dinner alone.


"Don't go chasing waterfalls.

Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to

I know that you're gonna have it your way or nothing at all

But I think you're moving too fast."

Bee slathered on moisturizer as she hummed along to the blasting music. A text from one of the cheerleaders popped up on her phone saying, "Another cheer practice This Saturday to prepare for the upcoming competition!" Bee rolled her eyes and continued her skin routine. Her phone buzzed again. She gazed at it, hoping it was Kory calling to talk to her. Unfortunately, it was Jinx.

She pressed the answer button and put her on speaker, "Ugh, I'm gonna kill Brooke! Scheduling an extra Saturday practice. Right after the first game, and on top of that, we have loads of back-to-school homework to do," "I think she's just trying to see who has their toe touch, back-hand spring, tuck so we can wow the judges!" "I'll show her a toe-touch back-hand spring all right," Bee giggled at Jinx's annoyance, "Don't kill the captain. Then Kitten may have to vote herself as the next in line. At least when she's off probation," "I'd kill her too," both laughed again.

"So…have you heard from Kory?" Bee stopped. She takes the phone off speaker and puts it to her ear. "Nope. She's not returning any of my calls or texting me back. I hope she's not too mad at the post being made about her" "She'll get over it, as long as she doesn't find out it was us that put her out there.

We'll be fine," Bee inhales a deep breath, "You're right. I'm freaking out over nothing. I like her. I think she'd make a great addition to the group," "You and Dick," Jinx muttered. Bee quirks an eyebrow at the statement, "What're you talking about?" "Oh please, tell me you saw Dick checking Kory out at the table during lunch," "Um, no, I was too busy dealing with the argument between Vic and Wally to notice,"

"Well, I saw. He's sees something in her," "He'll be over her in a week," Jinx observes her nails. "I don't know. Dick's persistent in what he wants," A ping rang through Bee's phone.

"Hold on, girl," she glanced at her phone to see a text from an unknown number. She taps on the box and sees an up-close photo of Bee holding a pregnancy test in her hand, her heart drops. The subsequent text read:

"Send me something better or this is going on the internet. You have 3 days to find me something good, clocks ticking -The Hive" Bee dropped her phone with a hard fall, Jinx still on the other line. "Bee? You there? Hello?" She said on the other line. Tears shed from Bee's eyes down to the floor.


"Oh no, seems Queen Bee's got a pretty big secret. Will she tell Vic? Could a forbidden love affair be on the horizon between our Brooding Raven and our English Prince? Wonder what the new girl is hiding? We all want to know, but alas, so many secrets, so little time. I'll be watching you, my little worker bees. Tata for now" - The Hive.