Playlist of the chapter

1. Lex Narration- Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored by Ariana Grande

2. Victoria Narration- Rude by Magic!

3. Matt Narration- Bad Guy by Billie Eilish

4. Aerolynn Narration- Red Nose by Sage the Gemini

5. Hunter Narration- Mount Everest by Labrinth

6. Cleo Narration- Look What You Made Me Do by Taylor Swift

7. Faith Narration- Young and Beautiful Orchestra Version by Lana Del Ray

8. Sarah Narration- Mz Hyde by Halestorm

9. Jake Narration- I Mean It by G-Eazy

10. Fouzia Narration- Heathens by Twenty One Pilots

These are the songs that are playing during each of the character's POVS in case you were curious.


Alice

Alice hated bars. The liquor was cheap and the people were loud. However she needed to be here, this is where Mr. Gold was and she had to find out who placed the hit on Aurelie. Finding him was no easy job. For some reason, no one wanted to talk about him. They all did a good job of acting as if they had no idea who he was. Alice however, was a very creative girl. People usually started talking once she started breaking fingers.

"Kid, aren't you little young to be in here?" The bartender asked.

Alice smiled. "And you're a little too young to die, so don't make me snap your neck."

The bartender gulped and went turned his back, to proceed to clean bottles.

"Hey don't get mad at him, he serves the best whiskey in town." A man chuckled.

Alice smiled and walked towards the man at the table. Call it a hunch, but she had a feeling it was Mr. Gold.

"I've heard you've been asking around for me." He smirked.

She raised an eyebrow. How could he have known?

"The streets talk, you just have to be ready to listen." He smiled.

Alice rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Since you know who I am, I'm assuming you know what I want."

"I do, and I'm afraid I can't tell you." He sighed.

Alice crossed her arms. "I guess you don't like your fingers."

He chuckled. "You can torture me all you want, you still won't find out."

Alice sighed. He had a point.

"Is this about money?" Alice asked.

"I have enough money." He chuckled.

"I hope you're not insisting anything sexual because I will snap your dick like a twig." Alice hissed.

He cleared his throat. "Now I'm a bad person, but I'm in no means a pedophile. All I'm asking for is a favor. You need something from me now, and I trust that if I need something from you later you'll follow up on that deal."

Owing a favor to someone like Mr. Gold seemed like a very bad idea, however she needed information. She had to sacrifice to protect Aurelie.

"Deal." Alice gulped.

"Good. Now I can't tell you who it is, but I can tell you what they left behind." He smirked.

He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small plastic card. Alice recognized it. It was a student ID.


Lex

"Wow," Lex said in surprise.

Lex and the rest of his friends stood in front of the gym. Glow in the dark stars were glued to the ceiling and blue curtains were draped everywhere. A disco ball dangled high above their heads that gave off a bright blue light.

It actually looked pretty nice. "I'm impressed." He said.

Maryanne clapped her hands. "It looks so pretty,"

Sarah shrugged. "Still looks like the same sweaty gym to me."

Lex frowned when he noticed Faith wasn't with them. The girl said he would meet the rest of them at the door, yet she was nowhere to be seen.

"Do you guys know where Faith is?" Lex asked.

"She said she had a couple of things to do before the dance." Fouzia shrugged.

Lex turned back to the gym. "Are you guys ready for this?"

"I hope the sophomores smuggled in cheap booze." Hunter grinned.

Sarah smirked. "I second that."

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's party!" Kaleb roared.

The teens walked into the gym, the music was blaring so loud Lex thought his eardrums were going to shatter. They looked around the gym awkwardly. They were at the dance so now what?

"Look they have churros!" Kaleb grinned.

He ran to a small table that had snacks set up, causing Fouzia to groan. "I'll go make sure he doesn't die."

Hunter smirked when he saw someone kids in the back of the gym passing around something in a paper bag.

"I found my tribe. I'll catch up with you guys later." He ran off to where the other delinquents were and eagerly grabbed the hidden flask.

Alexander offered his hand out to Maryanne and smiled. "Would you like to dance milady."

Maryanne blushed. "I would love too."

She took Alexander's hand and they made their way to the dance floor, leaving Sarah and Lex alone. The rap song that had been playing before was soon replaced by some pop artist he didn't care to know the name of.

You got me some type of way (hmm)
Ain't used to feelin' this way (mmm mmm)
I do not know what to say (yeah, yeah)
But I know I shouldn't think about it

Lex blushed at the lyrics and turned to look at Sarah. She wore a simple blue dress that seemed to shimmer under the fluorescent lights. She seemed to be trying her best not look at him.

"Is there a particular reason you're not looking at me?" Lex smirked.

"Well Dayton, you're bowtie is hideous." She chuckled.

Lex frowned. She didn't know what she as talking about, his purple bow tie was awesome.

"You're just jealous." He taunted.

"You're right I totally admire your hobo fashion sense. It's so trendy." Sarah snickered.

"Would you like to dance?" Lex asked.

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "With you?"

Lex chuckled. "That was the idea."

She cleared her throat and looked away. Was she angry at him?

"That's probably not a good idea," Sarah said.

"Why not? I feel awkward just standing here, we should be having fun." Lex grinned.

Sarah gestured to the doorway. Someone had just arrived. Lex's jaw dropped at what he saw. Or rather who. It was Faith, only it didn't look like Faith. She wore a short red dress and red high heels to match. Golden eyeshadow and mascara was delicately painted on her face. It was a Faith he had never seen before.

"She's the girl you're supposed to be dancing with." Sarah smiled weakly.

"What do you mean?" Lex asked.

"Jesus Dayton, you are so fucking dumb. Faith likes you." Sarah sighed.

Lex frowned. "She does not."

"You haven't noticed anything strange about her behavior lately?" Sarah asked.

"Faith's a strange girl, I just always expect the unexpected with her." Lex shrugged.

Sarah smirked. "She's been lashing out at you lately because she likes you, and she's upset you don't feel the same way."

Lex frowned, he never said he didn't. The truth was he never really thought of Faith in that light. However, hearing those words come out of Sarah's mouth suddenly made things seem different. Faith was his best friend. He enjoyed spending every second with her. Of course, occasionally he thought of things how soft her hair looked or how nice she smelled, but he chalked that up to normal best friend stuff. Sure, oftentimes he found himself getting lost in her eyes, but he just assumed that it meant that she had very nice eyes.

"She likes me?" Lex said hesitantly.

"Of course she does. It would really mean a lot to her if you danced with her." Sarah smiled.

Lex blushed. Dance with Faith? Sure he and Faith had danced together before, but to ask her to dance now felt like it had a different meaning behind it. What if he and Faith tried to pursue a relationship and they broke each other's hearts? He couldn't bear to lose his best friend.

"What if I do something wrong?" Lex asked.

"Well you could live your life never knowing, and I'm sure that's not the life you want to live," Sarah said.

Lex blushed. She had a point. He had to know.

"Thanks, Sarah." He said.

"No problem Dayton." Sarah smiled. "You're bow tie is still hideous."


Victoria

"Why did I come to this stupid dance." Victoria sighed.

She had been at the dance for an hour and she was not entertained. Despite the fact, the whole school knew who she was Victoria had little friends. The only person she talked to was Maryanne, and the girl was currently dancing with her new boyfriend.

She sighed and walked over to the snack table. She would have preferred some gourmet pastries, but these would do.

"Kaleb, I swear to god if you eat one more churro I'm going to light you on fire." Fouzia hissed.

Victoria chuckled at the exchange between the two. "You two seem to be having fun."

"Define fun." Fouzia groaned.

Kaleb grinned. "This place is awesome!"

Fouzia raised an eyebrow. "What about you, are you having fun?"

"Of course, I am, I love to see my peers grind on each other to bad music," Victoria said sarcastically.

Fouzia chuckled. "I'm surprised you don't have a date. I figured boys would be falling over themselves at a chance to take Victoria Crown to homecoming."

Victoria snickered, she wished. She could barely get a friend, let alone a boyfriend.

"The line to be Victoria Crown's boyfriend starts behind me." A voice said.

The trio turned to see Hunter walking towards them. Victoria rolled her eyes.

"Great, you're here." She said sarcastically.

Hunter groaned. "How long are you going to be mad at me?"

"Till the day you die, which if you keep talking to me will be very soon." Victoria hissed.

Hunter sighed. "Can we at least talk?" Hunter asked.

Victoria frowned, she doubted they could have anything to talk about. He rejected her, plain and simple. She was humiliated, how could she put herself out there like that?

"You have five minutes," Victoria said.

Hunter smiled. "First can I say you look amazing in your dress?"

"Thank you, I'm sure the child workers that made it would appreciate that comment," Victoria said.

Hunter sighed. "You're not making this easy for me."

"I know," Victoria smirked.

"So are you really still mad about the fact that I didn't sleep with you?" Hunter asked.

Victoria crossed her arms. It sounded immature when he said it.

"That's not all. You've been flirting with me for years and then I finally make a move and you reject me." Victoria sighed.

Ever since she was a child her mother trained her not to feel. Emotions were liabilities in the field and liabilities made you weak. She never expected there would be so many distractions at the Morning Star Academy.

"Victoria, I didn't sleep with you because I have feelings for you," Hunter admitted.

Victoria raised an eyebrow. She wasn't up to date in romance, but she always assumed you slept with someone if you liked them. Did they do things differently in Japan?

"What the hell are you talking about?" Victoria asked.

Hunter blushed. "I like you, and that night I realized you only wanted to sleep with me because you were feeling insecure because your mom was around. I didn't want you to make a mistake that you would have regretted."

Victoria's face fell. "Oh."

Hunter sighed. "That probably sounds stupid."

"No! God, I've been such a bitch." Victoria sighed.

She smiled. "What you did was sweet, and I appreciate that you didn't take advantage of me."

She sighed, perhaps she pegged Hunter as the wrong kind of guy. She felt guilty that this entire time she just saw him as a bad boy fantasy, rather than a person. He had feelings too, and she had been doing her best to hurt his feelings like he hurt hers.

"I'm sorry, I know I'm difficult to deal with," Victoria said.

It was just like her mother said. All she did was cause problems.

Hunter chuckled and reached out for her hand. "Believe me, Victoria Crown you are worth the trouble. Although I have to admit trying to get you to go out with me is harder than an assignment we've been given combined."

Victoria smiled. "Well, I might just consider you're offer of a date."

She pulled him to the dance floor, both of them grinning. "If you beat me in a dance battle."

"Oh, you are so on, Victoria Crown." Hunter grinned.


Matt

Sarah looked beautiful. He couldn't help but notice as she walked around the gym, her blue dress flowing like a mist. How did he let her slip away from him? She walking over to Fouzia and Kaleb, which made Matt raise an eyebrow. Since when did Sarah have so many friends?

Matt tried to fight the jealousy swelling inside of him. Was Sarah actually doing better without him? He always thought that they needed each other. She needed him to feed her loneliness, and he needed her to make him feel like he mattered. Yet it seemed like Sarah seemed content dancing by herself and talking with her friends.

She was happy without him, while he was miserable without her. How did this happen? At the beginning of the year, she was begging for his attention, now he was begging for her to just look at him.

He needed another plan. He wanted her to feel everything he was feeling right now. His eyes wandered around until they feel upon Cleo McScream. She was sitting with Kevin and Jarret at, a table towards the back of the gym. Matt raised an eyebrow once he saw Jarret. The boy had bruises all over his body and he seemed like he was barely conscious.

Matt got up from the table and approached Cleo. "I need your help."

"Matt, do you even know my name? This is the first conversation we have ever had." Cleo snickered.

Matt rolled his eyes. "I know you sing well and that you're a bitch, what else is there to know?"

"Hey!" Kevin frowned.

Matt stopped the next sentence coming out of his mouth when he saw Kevin growl at him. Not many people scared Matt, but Kevin was horrifying. How could one of the nicest boys in the class have a quirk that made them a bloodsucking monster? He saw how he tore into a sweet Aerolynn, Matt feared what would happen if Kevin actually wanted to attack someone.

"I'm sorry, I'm drunk," Matt mumbled.

"Apology accepted, now did you need something or are you just trying to be a prick?" Cleo asked.

Matt sighed. "I have an offer for you."

"Is it a diamond bracelet?" Cleo smirked.

"Close, I have a way to get Aerolynn's attention." Matt grinned.

Cleo perked up at the mention of the girl's name. Matt grinned, he had her right where he wanted her.

"Dance with me," Matt smirked.

"You know I'm gay right?" Cleo asked.

"Manipulation knows no sexuality," Matt smirked.

Cleo raised an eyebrow. "Fine."

Matt smiled and held his hand out to the girl.

"Let's give them hell." He grinned.


Aerolynn

"So she going to shake it like a red nose!" Fouzia giggled as she sang along with the song.

Aerolynn, Fouzia, Kaleb, and Jake were laughing as they danced to the rap song.

"I got to say, I'm more of a rock and roll guy, but I can fuck with Sage The Gemini!" Jake grinned.

Aerolynn smiled. She wasn't really into rap music, she was enjoying dancing with the others.

"I'm so glad Maryanne convinced us to do this." Kaleb chuckled.

Aerolynn sighed. She was grateful for a night to relax as well. Everyone was always at each other's throats lately. Plus being in a large group helped distract her from the fact that Cleo wanted nothing to do with her. Aerolynn was too focused on her own feelings to realize how much she was potentially hurting the girl.

"Hey forget about Cleo, we promised ourselves a night where we don't have to worry about girls." Jake grinned.

You're right. Aerolynn grinned.

"Uh, you might want to hold that thought." Fouzia gulped.

She was looking at something past her shoulder, causing Aerolynn to frown. She turned to see what had scared the red-skinned girl. Her heart dropped to the floor at what she saw. Matt and Cleo were dancing together. Not just dancing, grinding. Matt looked at Aerolynn with a smirk as he placed his hands on her hips. Cleo either didn't notice or didn't seem to mind since she kept swaying her body side to side.

"Well fuck that tone-deaf Taylor Swift, anyway," Jake growled.

Aerolynn gulped. She was the one that let Cleo getaway, she couldn't be angry about what she chose to do in her free time.

Ignore her. Aerolynn said.

"I'm so confused about all this drama." Kaleb sighed.

"Don't worry, I'll fill you in later." Fouzia chuckled.

Aerolynn kept dancing, her eyes lingering on Cleo. Suddenly Cleo's eyes went and she gasped. She pulled herself away from Matt and slapped him, causing everyone to gasp.

"Don't you ever fucking touch me there!" She yelled.

What the hell. Aerolynn hissed.

Jake growled and cracked his knuckles. He and Aerolynn ran over to Matt and Cleo with a glare on their faces.

"What the hell Matt!" Jake yelled.

"Fuck off Jake," Matt growled.

Cleo had her arms crossed and made a point to look away from him, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"We were just having a conversation." Matt frowned.

He genuinely seemed like he didn't do anything wrong. Aerolynn, however, could tell that he was lying.

"Well if you have a conversation with her or any other girl tonight, I'll knock your teeth out." Jake spat.

"I'd like to see you try." Matt snapped.

"Matt!" Sarah called.

She walked over to the four, with a worried look on her face.

"Matt, just walk away," Sarah said.

"I didn't do anything wrong!" Matt frowned.

"I don't know what happened, but I know that you need to let it go before something bad happens," Sarah warned.

There was desperation in her voice that made Matt's face fall. He sighed. "Okay."

He huffed and marched out of the gym, leaving the four alone.

Sarah sighed. "Well, this night is going to be fun." She said sarcastically.


Alice

He was on the move. Alice watched as Matt walked through the halls towards the boys' bathroom. She growled she had been waiting for a chance to get him alone. Alice charged into the boys' bathroom and slammed the door behind her.

Matt raised an eyebrow as he looked at her. "What the hell are you doing in the boys bathroom?"

"I just thought I would give you a chance to explain yourself before I killed you," Alice said.

"I beg your pardon?" Matt smirked.

Alice growled and took a step closer to him. "I know what you did."

"Sweetheart, I'm a bad person you're going to have to be a little more specific." Matt sighed.

Alice reached into her purse and pulled out a card. She presented it to Matt who still seemed skeptical.

"Why do you have my school ID?" Matt asked.

Alice growled. "The real question is why did Mr. Gold have it?"

He smirked. "Is Aurelie off her meds again? Is that why you're acting bat shit crazy?"

Alice lunged at Matt and slammed him against the wall. She grabbed him by the throat and tightened her knuckles around his neck.

"You haven't seen crazy." Alice hissed. "Tell me why you did it."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Matt croaked.

Alice smirked. "I thought you were going to say that."

She pulled her hands from his neck and cracked her knuckles. With one swift motion, she slugged the boy in the face. Matt howled and stumbled backward.

"I don't know what you want Alice, but you're not going to get it from me." Matt coughed.

Alice growled. He was lying. It had to be him. There was evidence against him, and he was competitive enough to do anything to win. Alice sighed.

"Well looks like we're going to be in here all night." She smirked.

With that, she punched him again.


Hunter

"Did I see you and Victoria dancing?" Maryanne asked.

She walked over to Hunter with a bright grin on her face.

Hunter chuckled. "Yeah, I don't know if we made up but she seems less determined to kill me."

The two were at the edge of the gym getting punch. Hunter gestured over to Alexander who was engaged in a very intense conversation with Kaleb.

"How are things going with your new boyfriend," Hunter smirked.

Maryanne smiled. "They're going really well. This is so awesome! If you and Victoria start dating, then the four of us can start double dating!"

"That sounds painful but okay." Hunter chuckled.

Maryanne scratched her chin, she was looking at Hunter with a puzzled expression.

"If you guys just made up now, what were you guys talking about the night of the art gallery?" She asked.

"What do you mean?" Hunter frowned.

Maryanne chuckled. "Don't play coy Hunter. Victoria didn't come home that night, and when I asked her the next day she said she was with you."

Hunter raised an eyebrow. What was Maryanne talking about? More importantly, where was Victoria that night? She couldn't have gone home, so where did she go? Who was she with? The thought weighed down Hunter's heart.

"Yeah, she was with me." Hunter lied.

Hunter cleared his throat. "I should probably get back to Victoria."

"Well see you later!" Maryanne smiled.

Hunter growled and walked over to where Victoria was sitting. She chuckled.

"You forgot the punch," Victoria smirked.

Hunter ignored her comment and glared at her. "Where were you the night of the art gallery?" Hunter asked.

"In my room, why?" Victoria asked.

She lied so effortlessly, it was concerning. And he thought he was manipulative.

"Really? Maryanne didn't seem to see you." Hunter said.

Victoria gulped. "Does it matter?"

"Well, it must have been important for you to be gone all night and lie to your roommate about it," Hunter said.

What if she was with Matt? The thought made his stomach curl.

"It's my business." Victoria frowned.

Hunter sighed. "Why can't you just answer the question."

"Why can't you stop being a prick!" Victoria yelled.

She grabbed her purse and ran away from Hunter, causing the boy to groan.

"I fucking hate school dances." He grumbled.


Cleo

Six Months Ago:

"What are we going to do about the house?" Cleo's mother answered.

"Relax, we're going to be fine." Cleo's father answered.

Her mother sighed. Her voice was filled with worry. Cleo was aware her father's designs weren't selling as much as they used to but she never worried about her families' financial problems. Cleo gulped with everything going on right now, how could she tell them the truth?

Cleo looked down at the crumped up letter in her hand. She sighed as she unfolded it.

Dear Cleo McScream,

We are pleased that you decided to apply to the Morning Star Academy. Based on your test results you show great promise, and we foresee you becoming a great hero. Unfortunately, as it stands we don't have the room to accept you into the academy. You have been waitlisted until further notice.

Sincerely,

Amanda Morningstar

"Cleo is that you?" Her mother called.

Cleo sighed and put the letter in her pocket. She forced a bright smile and walked downstairs.

"Hey guys, how are you doing today?" Cleo smiled.

"Better now that you're here princess." Her father chuckled.

Her mother gestured to a plate of pancakes. "Go ahead and fix yourself a plate dear, the housekeeper is out for the week to look after her mother, so we're going to have to fend for ourselves for the time being."

Cleo smiled. "Mom, those pancakes look perfect."

"They don't but you don't have to humor me." She laughed.

She sat down at the kitchen table right next to her father.

"So honey…what's the verdict?" Her father asked.

Cleo gulped. He had to know. "The verdict?" She croaked.

He smiled. "The MSA should be mailing out letters soon. You got to tell me is my baby girl going to be a Morning Star Lion!"

"Oh, I can't wait to tell all my friends!" Her mother laughed.

Cleo sighed. How could she have messed this up? What did she do wrong in her Initiation? She answered almost all the questions right and she felt she showed great courage in the combat portion. What part about her wasn't good enough? Being waitlisted was almost as bad as being flat out rejected. It was the school's way of saying: You're totally in if we don't find someone better.

She couldn't let her parents know the truth. It would only put more stress on her family.

"I got in." Cleo lied.

The words fell out of her mouth so easy, yet it made her body feel sick.

Her parents erupted with cheers and praise. Her father leaped from his chair and grabbed Cleo and pulled her in for a tight hug.

"We did it!" Her father laughed.

Her mother was right behind them, crying of joy.

What am I going to do? Cleo asked herself.

Now:

Do you want to talk about it? Aerolynn asked.

Cleo sighed. "Not particularly."

The two girls sat at a table, silence hung in the air. Well granted only one of them could speak, however, Aerolynn wasn't in the mood to create bubble letters.

"You don't have to sit with me." Cleo sighed.

She took a sip of water down Kool-aid and sighed. This year was not going the way she expected it to. Nothing was going according to plan. She was supposed to be head of her class, yet instead, she was constantly proving why she was on the waitlist.

I like sitting with you. Aerolynn smiled weakly.

"Of course you say that now." Cleo snickered.

Cleo, I just want you to know that I do care about you. Aerolynn said.

"You have a really funny way of showing it," Cleo smirked.

Aerolynn took a deep breath and sighed. I have trouble getting close to people because sometimes I feel like, at any moment, I will lose it all.

Cleo frowned. "Why would you think that?"

I'm an orphan Cleo. My parents died when I was a baby, and I grew up in an orphanage. I've never had a real family, that's the kind of thing that messes you up. So when I realized that I liked you, I tried to pull myself away before I got too attached. I was scared that if I got attached I would just get hurt all over again. Aerolynn admitted.

Aerolynn tried to keep a composed face, but Cleo could tell that she was close to breaking.

Cleo sighed. She had no idea that Aerolynn felt that way, it made the fact that she lashed out at her seem foolish.

"I'm sorry," Cleo said.

I don't need your pity. This is why I don't tell people, I'm already mute, people would look at me like I'm the ultimate charity case. Aerolynn revealed.

Cleo frowned. "Believe me Aerolynn, I don't see you as a charity case."

That's why hanging out with Jake is so nice. He's a dick to everyone, even me. When he looks at me he just sees Aerolynn, and that's so refreshing. Aerolynn chuckled.

Cleo blushed. She always wondered how Jake and Aerolynn could get along. Perhaps Jake Hyde was an acquired taste.

"I should probably tell you why I took it so hard that you were avoiding me." Cleo sighed.

You don't have to. Aerolynn said.

"The reason I was so upset when you were avoiding me is because I thought you figured out the truth about me," Cleo muttered.

What is the truth? Aerolynn asked.

"I'm not like the rest of you guys. I was Ms. Morningstar's last pick, I was originally on the waitlist to get into this school. If some girl didn't drop out days before school started, I wouldn't be here right now. I thought you figured out that I'm not worth you're time because I'm not a real hero." Cleo said her voice cracking.

"I just figured that you realized you could do better and that I would be a mistake." Cleo continuing.

Aerolynn took her hand and smiled weakly. From now on, how about we talk to each other about how we're feeling.

"I really like that." Cleo smiled.

Speaking of feelings, I was wondering would you want to dance with me? Aerolynn chuckled.

Cleo smirked. "I thought you never ask."


Faith

"Are you having fun?" Fouzia asked.

Faith shrugged as she downed another cup of Kool-Aid. "As much fun as I could have."

Fouzia grinned. "Well, I have a feeling your night is about to get much better."

Faith followed Fouzia's line of vision and smirked when she saw Lex walking towards them.

"Hello, ladies." He grinned.

Fouzia chuckled. "You clean up nice Lex."

"Thank you, it's the bow tie isn't it." He chuckled.

"The bow tie is badass." Faith giggled.

Lex smiled. "Thank you very much."

He held his hand out for Faith and with a bright grin on his face. Did he want a high five?

"Do you want to dance?" Lex said.

Faith had to everything in her will power not to faint right then and there. She shrugged, hoping she appeared nonchalant.

"Yeah sure." She said.

Lex smiled and took her hand. The two made their way to the center of the dance floor.

"I love this song." Faith grinned.

I've seen the world, done it all, Had my cake now. Faith hummed.

"Don't you think it's weird that we're dancing to this song?" Faith asked.

Lex smirked. "And why is that?"

Faith blushed. "It's quite a romantic song, jackass."

She didn't need anything to rub salt in her wound. She got the message loud and clear. She and Lex were just friends and that was how it was always going to be.

"Well we like each other, so I figure we can make an exception just this once." Lex grinned.

Faith coughed practically choking on her throat in shock. The Kool-Aid she drank earlier threatened to come out of her nostrils.

"What are you talking about?" Faith asked.

Lex blushed. "I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, so bear with me here."

Lex took a deep breath and smiled. "From what my sources told me, you have a crush on me."

Faith gulped. Crap. Who told him? Now everything was ruined, there was no way their friendship would ever be the same.

"Look let me explain." Faith said.

"I like you too," Lex said quietly.

Faith's world stopped. The music in the background became a distant hum. He was joking, right?

"What?" Faith smiled.

Lex rolled his eyes. "Are you really going to make me say it again? Faith Abigail Ritter, I like you!" He grinned.

She smirked. "I may or may not have feelings for you."

Lex chuckled and pressed his forehead against hers. The two kept dancing until the song was over, their faces inches apart.

"Thank god for Sarah," Lex said.

The smile on Faith's face was replaced with a look of worry.

"What?" She said quietly.

"She was the one that convinced me to ask you to dance. All of this was her idea actually." Lex smiled.

What had she done? Sarah knew how much she liked Lex, and she actually helped her? Shame filled Faith's body. What had she done? She pulled away from Lex and sighed.

"I need to go talk to Sarah," Faith muttered.

Sarah was looking out for her, while Faith was plotting to take her down. This entire time Faith was looking at Sarah like she was the mean girl, now she realized she was the villain in her own story.

"I need to go." Faith repeated.

She took off in a sprint looking for Sarah. Crap, what did she do? Faith stopped when she saw Sarah by the punch table.

"Hey Faith, how's your date going?" Sarah winked.

Faith gulped. "I need to tell you something."

Sarah chuckled. "Faith I'm sure it can wait till tomorrow."

Faith shook her head. "It can't."

Tears started to run down her face. How could she let this happen? She was supposed to be a hero.

"Why are you crying?" Sarah asked.

Faith took a deep breath and sighed. "The day of the art gallery….that wasn't your father that came to visit you."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Matt hired an actor to pretend to be your dad. I saw him paying him off." Faith stuttered.

Sarah's face fell. "Your lying."

"I'm so sorry Sarah." Faith sobbed.

Sarah's kept a composed structure and looked up at Faith. "Why are you telling me this now?" She said through gritted teeth.

Faith took a deep breath. She had to tell her everything.

"We were going to manipulate you and Lex, so you guys would stop hanging out so much. I'm so sorry Sarah, I don't know what came over me." Faith mumbled.

She was in school to be a hero, yet she was manipulating her friends. How did she let Matt convince her to do this? Sarah smiled wickedly.

"Thank you for you telling me Faith," Sarah said calmly.

With that, she walked off.


Sarah

Sarah should have been more surprised. She should have known better. Of course, her real father wouldn't take time out of his day to come to see her. She knew she wasn't important enough for that. She should have been more surprised that Matt would have done something like this. However, at this point, she didn't put anything past the boy.

What was surprising was that Faith knew. Faith knew everything. Sarah thought maybe if she tried to be nicer more people would want to be her friend. It didn't work. They hated her whether she was the bitch or the good girl.

She might as well burn the place to the ground.

"Hey Sarah," Jake muttered.

Sarah turned to see Jake watching her with a smile. He blushed sheepishly. "Would you like to dance?"

"I rather catch syphilis than spend the night dancing with you." Sarah hissed.

Jake's smile was replaced with a pained frown. She rolled her eyes, was she supposed to be held accountable for his feelings? She had enough problems to deal with.

"You don't have to be such a bitch." He grumbled.

"You haven't seen a bitch, but if you don't get out of my face you will." Sarah hissed.

She turned away and skipped over to where Lex was. Lex smiled when he saw Sarah.

"What's up Sarah?" Lex grinned.

Sarah smirked. "I need you to do me a favor."

"Sure, anything." Lex chuckled.

Sarah turned to see Faith watching them with worry. The girl was still crying. Good. Sarah turned back to Lex and smiled wickedly.

"Use tongue," Sarah said.

"What do you mean-" Sarah cut him off with a kiss.

Lex's body froze when their lips made contact, Sarah smirked she was actually surprised by how soft his lips were. If this kiss wasn't for the purpose of revenge she might have enjoyed it. She pulled away dramatically and licked her lips.

"Thanks, buddy." She grinned.

"Why would you do that?" Lex frowned.

Sarah grinned and pointed to Faith, she was watching the two of them in horror.

"Ask your best friend." Sarah hissed.

She marched away from Lex and made her way to the edge of the gym. There was Matt. He was sulking under the fluorescent lights. She smirked when she noticed he had a black eye.

"Who fucked you up?" Sarah asked.

Matt growled. "It's been a long night."

"Well, it's about to get a little longer." Sarah snapped. "Did you really think I wouldn't find out?

Matt smirked. "No idea what you're talking about."

Sarah snarled. "You know what I'm talking about,"

He sighed. "Did Faith tell you?"

"Of course she did, how could you have been so stupid? You don't scheme with someone with a conscience. Unfortunately for you, I don't have a conscience." Sarah smirked.

"What are you talking about?" Matt asked.

She detected just the slightest bit of fear in his voice. It felt exhilarating to have the roles flipped. For months she was scared that one wrong move would upset Matt, now she didn't care. She didn't care if he hit her or yelled at her. The only thing she cared about was making him hurt like the way he hurt her.

"I was thinking of calling the press," Sarah said.

Matt gulped. "What do you mean?"

"I just thought that the news stations would like to know that the son of a pro hero has been physically, verbally, and emotionally abusing his girlfriend. That would be a headliner, don't you think." She smiled.

Matt had been fucking up her life for months. He left scars on her that went deeper than her flesh. She was done living in his nightmare.

Matt growled. "You're not going to say anything."

"What's wrong? Are you that scared of the truth?" Sarah taunted.

Matt grabbed her arm. "You're not telling anyone shit."

Sarah leaned in and placed a delicate kiss on his cheek. She smiled.

"We'll see about that," Sarah smirked.


Jake

"Ugh, are you following me?" Victoria asked.

Jake rolled his eyes as he made his way to the snack table. "Calm down Princess, I'm just getting a cupcake."

Victoria rolled her eyes and took another sip of soda.

"How's your night going?" Jake asked.

"Well I got in a fight with Hunter and Maryanne is dry humping Alexander, so I have no one to talk to," Victoria said.

Jake shrugged. "I'm here."

Victoria laughed, causing him to frown. "What?"

"You don't count." She giggled.

"Of course I count." Jake snapped.

Victoria rolled her eyes. "You're only being nice to me because we hooked up. We weren't friends before, and we're not friends now."

"Please, the sex was not that good for me to pretend to be your friend." Jake snickered.

Victoria crossed her arms. "Like you can do any better."

"Please, I'm Jake Hyde, ladies are lining up to get with me." Jake chuckled.

Victoria raised an eyebrow and looked around. "Where are these ladies now?"

"Your psychotic ass probably scared them off." Jake frowned.

"Well, I'm glad we both agree, what happened in the gym was a mistake," Victoria said.

Jake frowned. Was it a mistake? He didn't find himself regretting it.

"Of course it was…but if we ever wanted to repeat that mistake…" Jake said.

Victoria blushed. "That is out of the question."

"Right." Jake blushed.

"Totally," Victoria muttered.

She cleared her throat. "However, if I were to leave the gym and go to the boys locker room and you were to follow me, I wouldn't be able to stop you." She said coyly.

With that, she grabbed her purse and walked out of the gym. Just as she reached the exit she turned to Jake and smirked. Jake grinned and grabbed a cupcake to go.

"This night might not be so sucky after all." He said to himself.

Fouzia

Fouzia sighed as she downed her fifth cup of Kool-Aid. She spent the night hanging out with Kaleb and dancing. She lost Aerolynn to Cleo and Jake disappear in the crowd saying he was going to ask the DJ to put on a rock song. She turned her head and saw Alexander was laughing with Maryanne. A sight that left a sour taste in her mouth.

I should be happy for him. Fouzia thought to herself.

She turned and saw Lex and Faith were arguing about something. Well, Lex seemed to be arguing, Faith was crying? Fouzia frowned, what happened to her? Faith was her best friend at the Morning Star Academy, and she wouldn't hesitate to burn anyone that would cross her.

"I can explain!" Faith sobbed.

The rest of their conversation was lost in the music.

"I don't even know who you are," Lex said quietly.

He turned away and walked towards Fouzia. Judging by his body language, he was angry.

"Is everything okay Lex?" Fouzia asked.

Lex grumbled. "This dance fucking sucks."

Fouzia sighed. "You have a point."

She tried her best not to notice Alexander dancing with Maryanne. They were just friends; friends shouldn't be upset that their friends were happy.

"What's wrong with Faith, should I go check on her?" Fouzia asked.

Lex sighed. "She's going to need a minute. After she told me what she did, I don't even know if I can look at her right now without wanting to scream."

He seemed hurt. What had Faith done? The two were dancing happily just a couple of hours ago. Fouzia decided not to pry, Lex seemed like he was upset enough as it is.

"How are you two doing?" Alexander grinned.

He walked up to Fouzia and Lex with a bright smile on his face. "Just fucking fantastic," Lex said bitterly.

He scratched his chin. "I might follow Hunter on his offer of cheap booze."

Fouzia frowned when she noticed Alexander came by himself.

"Where's your girlfriend?" She asked bitterly.

He shrugged. "Getting us drinks."

"Of course, she is." Fouzia sighed.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Alexander asked.

Just as she was about to say something, Lex cut her off.

"Are Matt and Sarah arguing?" Fouzia asked.

Concerned flooded her mind. She had been making sure that the two stayed far away from each other. She couldn't risk him hitting her again. Fouzia and Sarah were not best friends by any means, but it made her sick to her stomach that Matt would treat her the way he did.

Sarah started to walk out of the gym, however, Matt was right behind her, not letting her out of his sight.

"Oh hell no," Fouzia growled.

She took off in a sprint, running after the two. She didn't realize Lex and Alexander were right behind her till she heard their loud footsteps.

"What's wrong?" Alexander asked.

"We can't leave him alone with her!" Fouzia insisted.

She growled and kept running, however by the time she left the gym they were gone. Fouzia grunted in frustration.

"Fuck!" She yelled.

Fouzia turned to look at Alexander and Lex who was watching her with worry.

"Fouzia what's going on?" Lex asked.

"We need to find Sarah, NOW!" Fouzia yelled.

Alexander shrugged. "Her and Matt just got into a fight, it's just relationship drama that we should stay out of."

"You don't understand!" Fouzia yelled in frustration.

Sarah could be in danger. She had to tell someone, but she promised Sarah she would keep it a secret. However, a secret wouldn't do her much good if Matt was beating the crap out of her right now.

"Matt hits her." Fouzia sighed in defeat.

Lex's face contorted, into a hardened glare. "What do you mean he hits her?"

"Matt's been physically abusing Sarah since the start of their relationship. Remember that big ring around her neck? Guess who gave that to her." Fouzia hissed.

Alexander shook his head in disbelief. "He hits her?" He repeated.

Alexander understood his skepticism. Fouzia always thought Matt was the good guy. He was sweet, charismatic, and he had been nothing but compassionate to her. However, she learned Matt had two faces. The one he showed the world, and the cruel one he showed Sarah. It made sense why Sarah never told anyone. How many people would believe the class bitch over the boy next door?

"We need to find him. And when we do, I'm going to fucking kill him." Lex growled.

"Why are you three just standing there?" Victoria asked.

The trio turned to see Victoria walking towards them a smile on her face. Fouzia raised an eyebrow, her hair was messy and her dress hung off her body loosely.

"What were you doing?" Alexander asked.

Victoria blushed. "Nothing of importance."

"Wait, did you see Matt and Sarah?" Lex asked.

Victoria nodded. "Yeah, we were heading in opposite directions."

"Take us to her now," Fouzia demanded.


Matt

"Matt stop following me!" Sarah yelled.

Matt ignored the girl's cries and chasing after her. "Babe let's just talk about this!"

Sarah spun around. There was a fire in his eyes that surprised him.

"There is nothing to talk about! You're a vile, manipulative, abusive piece of shit." Sarah spat.
Matt's heart sunk to the floor.

"I know I'm not perfect, but that doesn't change the fact that I love you. Let's just go back to how things used to be." Matt begged.

Things were so simple before.

"You mean when I was your mindless sex doll? I'm sure you would love to go back to that time." Sarah yelled.

She turned and ran towards the exit, leaving the building. Matt growled and sprinted after.

"Sarah wait!" Matt yelled.

She finally stopped. She balled her fists and screamed in frustration. She turned to Sarah and hissed.

"The worst part of all of this is that Scarlet Overkill was right. You're just like your father." Sarah spat.

"Shut up," Matt said through gritted teeth.

She was wrong. He was nothing like his father. She didn't know what she was talking about. Matt had been working hard to become a better person. He was nothing like the cruel monster his father was.

"It's the truth, isn't it! You're not a hero, you're nothing but a weak little bitch who hurts girls because you're insecure that you're insignificant."

Matt howled in anger. "I said shut up! Loft!" He screamed.

A giant gust of wind flew through the palms of his hands and slammed into Sarah. The blond girl sailed through the air like a ragdoll. Her body landed on the ground with a rough thud. Matt widened his eyes in shock. Did he really just do that? She always knew how to bring the worst out in him.

"Look what you made me do!" Matt yelled.

"Now look what you made me do!" A voice yelled.

Matt turned and saw a torrent of flames shooting towards him. He gasped and tossed a ball of wind towards the streak of fire. Someone was attacking him. But who?

He turned and saw Fouzia, Victoria, Lex, and Alexander standing on the other side of him. They looked angry.

"Get the hell away from her!" Lex yelled.

Matt growled. Of course, Lex was behind this. "Get the hell out of here! This is between me and my girlfriend."

Victoria raised an eyebrow. "Did I miss something? What's going on?"

Sarah coughed and got up slowly. Tears were streaming down her face. Did he hurt her? He didn't realize the blast was that strong. He didn't want to hurt her, he just wanted her to listen.

"He's right guys." Sarah sobbed. "You guys go, I'll be fine."

"No, you won't!" Lex yelled.

Lex growled and turned to face Matt. "We know everything, Matt."

Matt snarled and took a step closer to the blond boy. "You don't know shit."

"I'm so confused, what is going on?" Victoria asked.

Sarah shook her head. "No one needs to fight over me. I'll just go with Matt."

"You're not going anywhere with him," Fouzia said.

Her face softened and she sighed. "Sarah you've been dealing with this by yourself for months, I'm not letting you fight alone anymore. I'm your roommate and it's my job to make sure you're safe."

Fouzia held out her palms, small clouds of flames circling around her fingertips.

"Matt, I'm going to give you one chance to step away from her or I'm setting your testicles on fire." Fouzia hissed.

Matt frowned. "She's not going anywhere."

This situation was going to go south very quickly. They were willing to fight, he would have to be too.

"Terra!" He yelled.

He stomped his foot and the earth around him and Sarah began to rise up. It kept growing until he created a ten feet tall barricade.

"Matt please don't hurt them," Sarah begged.

Matt sighed. "I'm just doing what I have to do to protect you."

"You're not protecting me!" Sarah hissed in frustration.

She continued to sob. "You're hurting me. It's like you're sucking all of the air out of me. Loving you is killing me."

Matt frowned. She was lying. She loved him. She had too. He didn't have anyone else. He didn't have any friends, his mother left him, and his father was a piece of shit. That's what drew him to Sarah. She was broken just like he was.

"Everything will be better. I promise." Matt begged.

"Your promises are empty and shallow." Sarah spat.

Before Matt could object a loud crack was heard, causing Matt to jump. He turned and was surprised to see black mist slicing through the rock like it was made of butter. Victoire. Soon the wall began to shatter causing Matt to grunt. They were ruining everything!

"Nar!" Matt screamed.

A blazing inferno shot from his body flying towards Victoria. The girl yelped and held up her hands in defense. Shadows dove in front of her and solidified into a shield.

"You're not going to beat me Victoria. Remember all those times we used to spar when we were kids? I always won!" Matt hissed.

He tossed another fireball towards the wall of shadows, which earned a laugh Victoria. What was so funny!

"You stupid moron. Do you really think you won those fights? I always let you win, because you're pathetic and I pity you. But since you want to fight for real.." Victoria smirked.

The shadows that were forming a shield reshaped themselves into a claw. Victoria grunted and hurled the claw towards him. He yelped and rolled out of the way, the claw managed to slash into his arm, drawing blood. Matt hissed.

He was outnumbered in this fight he needed to view all his attackers at once. Almost as if she read his thoughts Fouzia charged at him, flames flying at him.

"Aeras!" Matt hissed.

He swiped his hand through the air, bringing a powerful torrent of wind with him. Using his free hand he punched the blast, sending the wind flying straight towards the girl. The wind snuffed her flames out and knocked the girl out of the air.

Fouzia growled and swung her fist towards him. Matt rolled out of the way of the punch and grabbed her wrist. Using her momentum against her she pulled back and flipped the girl. He snarled and punched her in the face.

"You're ruining everything!" He yelled.

He pulled back his fist to punch her again when Alexander tackled him. The boy was smaller than Matt, but getting sacked by him felt like getting hit by a car. With remarkable speed Alexander slammed his knee into Matt's stomach, knocking all the wind out of him. Matt gasped and stumbled backward.

Just as he was about to say something he felt something metallic wrap around his neck, roughly knocking him to the floor. The chain wrapped around his neck, and squeezed tightly, strangling him.

Matt craned his neck to see Victoria pulling roughly on the chain she had created. Matt growled and reached for his neck. The chain was iron tight, he wouldn't be able to get it off.

"Stand down Matt." Victoria hissed.

Black spots clouded his vision, how long would Victoria strangle him for? He needed to level the playing field. Matt pointed towards Alexander and Victoria and thought of the air filling up their lungs. He was going to win this fight. He howled in anger and yanked his fists back to his body, pulling all the air out of their lungs.

Victoria and Alexander gasped, their bodies slowly turning blue.

"Alexander! Victoria!" Fouzia yelled.

The two collapsed on the floor with a thud. The chain around his neck slowly turned into mist, allowing Matt to breathe again. He sighed in relief. He took down two of them, now he just needed to take out Lex and Fouzia, and get Sarah out of here.

Just as he was about to get back up he felt something sharp prick his neck. Matt howled in pain. He frowned and looked at the source of his pain. A bee. What bees were flying around in the middle of the night?

Matt turned to see Lex glaring at him, his eyes ablaze with golden light.

"I'm getting sick of you." Matt hissed.

"Well Matt, the feeling is mutual." Lex hissed.

"Chikyū!" Matt screamed.

The earth around Lex began to shatter, crumbling like it was made of glass.

"Matt stop!" Sarah yelled.

Matt ignored her cries and grunted, the ground tore itself apart, creating a giant hole, Lex yelled as he fell backward, his body tumbling into the crater. Matt smirked. He beat Lex. He finally won. He proved that he was better. The thought made Matt smile victoriously.

"Matt get him out of there, he could be hurt!" Sarah said.

Matt growled and spun around. "It's always about him! He's the one that turned you against me."

Sarah shook her head, tears dripping from her eyes. "You turned me against you. All of this is your fault."

"Shut up!" Matt yelled.

Matt screamed in frustration and punched the girl in the face. "All I ever did was love you and this is the thanks I get!"

Matt pulled back his fist for another punch when he felt a weight hit the back of his head. Matt frowned, even though something hit him he didn't feel any pain. His body felt stiff and cold. He got off of Sarah and turned to see who had hit him.

Fouzia looked at him with a mixture of shock and horror. She had a rock in her hands, she must have been the one that hit him. Matt groaned, he felt so cold. His eyes went to the rock, there was a lot of blood on it. Was it his? No, it couldn't be, Matt felt fine.

He turned to look at Sarah. She was crying as she looked at him. Why was she so upset?

"Oh my god, Matt." She sobbed.

His hands went to his head and he was surprised to find blood was gushing from the wound.

"I didn't mean to Matt," Fouzia whispered.

Why did their voices sound so far away? Everything around Matt began to spin, causing him to feel nauseous. He was sleepy. He was so tired. He just needed a nap. He collapsed on the floor and smiled, all he needed was a nap. He closed his eyes, and everything went black.


Cyrus

Cyrus smiled as he looked at the Morning Star campus. He thought of the bitter memories of his youth, of the times that he had fought hard to forget. However, he had to admit there were some good times here. Sneaking out of class with Amanda. Flirting with Janelle after football games. Getting high with Lucas. It was a shame that they turned out to be the people they were. Perhaps they still could have been good friends.

"Are you done reminiscing?" Scarlet Overkill asked.

Cyrus chuckled. "Yeah."

He cracked his knuckles and grinned. He had been waiting for this moment for a very long time.

"Are you ready? She asked.

"Is everyone in their positions? Have they all found their targets?" Cyrus asked.

She nodded. He clapped his hands giddily.

"That's great! Let's give these kids a homecoming they'll never forget." Cyrus grinned.


If this was a TV show, I guess this would be the midseason finale.

Also, I found someone to do portraits of the characters! I used a random person generator to select the order of who gets their picture done. Up in the corner is Sarah Smith aka Stopwatch aka the HBIC of Morning Star Academy.

"I don't care if you're Mother Theresa, scram." -Sarah Smith, 2020

AnoymousAK made an Imgur with the rest of the portraits done so far. ( ) (imgur) (.com) (/a/jFz3v5k) This is the link...ish. Delete the parentheses and spaces.