Monica
"I can't believe those Class Z losers are here." Monica said in disgust.
Monica, Cindy, Chris, Robert, and Joshua stood by the staircase watching as kids walked into the house.
Cindy rolled her eyes and playfully tapped Monica's shoulder. "Come on Monica, it's Valentime's Day! Today is all about spreading love! Let go of the animosity in your heart."
"It's Valentine's, you stupid bitch." Monica mumbled underneath her.
She took another swig of the bottle of vodka she was nursing.
"Easy there Monica, the night's still young." Chris smirked.
Monica ignored them and turned to look at the kids downstairs. Some were dancing to music, some were hanging out by the pool, however her gaze was focused on girl in particular: Fouzia. She stood near the ping pong table with Faith, Cleo, and Aeroylnn.
Initially melancholic, a smile creeped up on her face. "I think I'm in the mood for a little game." Monica said.
Chris smirked and moved closer to Monica. "So, it's one of those nights?"
Monica gagged and pushed Chris off of her. "Not that kind of game, jackass."
She pointed down to the steps.
"Fouzia's not following dress code, look at her she's wearing a black hoodie. I think we should go let her know." Monica smirked.
Cindy frowned. "Come on Monica, leave the girl alone."
"Cindy, if you don't plan on helping me can you kindly go fuck off." Monica said.
Cindy sighed. Even though she was highly against whatever she was scheming, she knew from personal experience getting in her way was a bad idea. "I'm going to go hang out with the cheer squad."
"Have fun with those traitors." Monica said bitterly.
Cindy ignored Monica's comment and made her way downstairs. Monica turned to face Robert.
"Robert, be a doll and go give this to Fouzia." Monica smirked.
She handed Robert the cup of vodka she had been drinking.
"I thought Muslims weren't allowed to drink?" Chris asked.
Monica rolled her eyes. "That's the point idiot."
Robert frowned and took the cup from Monica. He walked down the steps and made his way over to Fouzia.
"Now the fun begins." Monica chuckled.
Fouzia
"I swear to God Faith, if you get one more text from Edward, I'm going to set your phone on fire." Fouzia said.
Faith rolled her eyes and put her phone back into the pocket of her yellow hoodie. "He's just asking if we're still on to hang out tomorrow."
"Is that when we get to meet this mystery guy?" Cleo asked.
We're starting to think he's imaginary. Aerolynn joked.
"Very funny." Faith said sarcastically.
Just as Fouzia was about to say something she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Robert smiling at her, a red solo cup in each hand.
"Howdy." He smiled.
Fouzia raised an eyebrow. Robert has never spoken to her before and honestly, she preferred to keep it that way.
"Can I help you?" Fouzia asked.
Robert grinned. "Here, I got you a little present."
Fouzia wrinkled her nose in disgust when she smelled the foul odor coming from his cup. Fouzia pushed the cup aside and shook her head.
"No thank you." Fouzia said. For one, Islamic culture prohibited the consumption of alcohol. Even if that wasn't the case, she was still underage.
Robert didn't seem to get the hint and decided to walk even closer to her.
"Come on you can take a sip, don't be such a buzzkill." Robert insisted.
"I said no!" Fouzia yelled.
She growled and shoved Robert as hard he could, the boy falling into the coffee table behind them. Robert landed roughly on the wooden table, filling the room with a loud thud. For a moment the party went silent and everyone turned to face her.
Faith and the others were pulled out of their conversation and turned to face Fouzia, who if she wasn't red would have been the color of tomato. Fouzia turned back to face Robert and frowned. Her hands were slightly lit.
"Try that shit again and I'll barbecue you." Fouzia threatened.
Monica
Monica watched the exchange with a conniving smile on her face. Everything was going according to plan. This would all work out perfectly. She grabbed a cup that she had filled with sprite and made her way over to Fouzia, who was currently marching away from a fallen Robert.
"Hey Fouzia!" Monica called.
Fouzia stopped and turned to face Monica.
"Hi, I'm Monica, I don't think we've ever officially met." Monica smiled.
Fouzia frowned. Judging by the look on her face, Monica was willing to bet she hadn't heard good things about her. She still retained her innocent smile.
"Let's keep it that way." Fouzia said.
Monica frowned. "I'm sorry if I offended you, I just wanted to apologize for Robert's actions. He's a serious creep."
"Tell me about it." Fouzia said.
Monica held out the sprite and offered it Fouzia.
"Here." Monica offered.
Fouzia frowned. "Sorry, I don't drink."
"Relax, I'm not completely ignorant, it's just sprite." Monica smiled.
Fouzia raised an eyebrow. "I really don't take drinks from strangers, kind of a safe rule to live by."
Monica bit her tongue to maintain her facial expression. Fouzia was smarter than she anticipated. She was going to have to use the summer she spent at theater camp to her advantage. She tightened her face, bit her tongue even harder, and focused on making her eyes water.
"Do you think I would try to roofie you? What kind of person do you think I am? I was just trying to be nice to you, I was just treating you how I would want someone to treat me." Monica sobbed hysterically.
She sat the cup down on the table in front of Fouzia and sighed.
"Whatever, I'll go." Monica said. "Sorry to bother you."
She didn't wait for Fouzia to object, instead making a hasty exit for the staircase. From there she could safely watch the events unfold before her. Monica smirked as she watched Fouzia pondered and sniffed the cup to see if it was safe to drink. Fouzia sighed and picked the drink up.
She followed the direction Monica headed until she reached the staircase.
Bingo. Monica thought to herself.
She tried to pretend that she wasn't looking at Fouzia, hoping the girl would take the initiative and walk over "Look Monica I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings."
Monica shook her head. "It's fine. I'm used to it."
"What do you mean you're used to it?" Fouzia asked.
"People always make the worse assumptions about me," Monica sighed.
Fouzia grimaced. "I get the feeling."
Fouzia sighed and held the cup up.
"I'll admit I've heard awful rumors about you, and I'm sorry for believing them, instead of trying to get to know you." Fouzia admitted.
Monica blushed. "Thanks, after I was kicked off the cheer squad, I had no one. I'm just trying to make more friends."
Fouzia smiled and took a sip of the soda.
"Thanks for the drink. It was nice meeting you Monica." Fouzia said.
Monica grinned. "Likewise."
As Fouzia walked away Monica chuckled. She couldn't believe Fouzia actually fell for that.
"Stupid bitch." Monica giggled.
Robert approached her from behind and sighed.
"Sorry Monica, Fouzia didn't want the drink." Robert sighed.
Monica rolled her eyes. "No shit, Sherlock. Obviously, she wouldn't drink the alcohol, that's why I put the drugs in her sprite."
Robert's face fell. "You did what?"
"Sit back and enjoy the show Robert, this is going to be the best Valentine's Day ever." Monica smirked.
Maryanne
"You look stressed." Victoria observed.
Victoria, Maryanne, and Cindy were currently leaning against the wall watching the party unfold before them. Of course, Maryanne was stressed the whole time. If she did not officially break up with Alexander soon, something bad would happen to him. Granted that should not be so hard given the fact they haven't spoken since the family tree assignment.
"We should go dance with our friends," Maryanne said.
She was desperate to take her mind off of the threats she had been getting.
"I hate dancing, and I hate our classmates. Now that I think about it, I hate everything." Victoria said.
Cindy shrugged. "Maybe later Maryanne, I'm going to go skinny dip in the pool."
Victoria gave her a surprised look. "There's like forty people out there."
"Your point is?" Cindy said confused.
Victoria sighed. "Go have fun."
Victoria and Maryanne turned back to face the party. Maryanne groaned out of boredom.
"How'd your auditions go?" Maryanne asked.
Victoria smiled. "It must have gone really well; we're actually playing tonight, and Lance is going to let me sing."
Maryanne's face fell. "Oh really." She said in hopes her terror wouldn't show.
The thing was, Maryanne had known for a while that Victoria couldn't sing to save her life. A couple of months ago the cheer squad decided to hang out at a karaoke bar. Victoria was the first girl to volunteer. Maryanne expected Victoria to have the voice of an angel. It only made sense, as Victoria seemed to be perfect at everything. The moment she opened up her mouth…Maryanne had never heard a more atrocious sound than Victoria's singing voice. The cheer squad tried to do their best to hide it from her, however Victoria was starting to make this take harder and harder to achieve. There were a few times she wanted to tell her but could never find the heart to, whether it was because she was scared at what Victoria would do or because she was too kind to tell her she was awful. Now at this point, she was just in too deep.
"Well, that's great." Maryanne muttered.
"Actually, stay here I need to go talk to Lex." Victoria said.
Before Maryanne could object Victoria already disappeared into the crowd of teenagers. She sighed and adjusted the straps of her red dress. She hoped Alexander showed up in red, if he didn't it meant that their relationship was really over. At least then he would be safe.
"Hello lonely girl." A voice said.
Maryanne turned to see Fritz approaching her. Unlike everyone else who wore red, yellow, or green Fritz wore a blue jacket and bright blue pants. His denim jacket was covered in colorful pins, Maryanne's eyes darted across his jacket trying to figure out which was the best one to focus on.
"I'm sorry?" Maryanne asked.
"Sorry you just seemed upset, so I thought I would check up on you." Fritz said.
Maryanne smirked. "Hi Fritz, it's nice to meet you officially."
"Likewise, may I ask why you came to a Valentine's Party if you just wanted to sulk in the corner?" Fritz asked.
"Says you, you're not even fitting the theme." Maryanne said.
Fritz shrugged. "Blue suits me."
"The suit does match the hair," Maryanne smirked. She looked up at the silvery strands of hair that were sticking to his forehead.
"Is that natural?" Maryanne asked.
"Ah, that's a secret I'll never tell." Fritz joked.
Maryanne chuckled; her cheeks painted with a rosy tint.
"There's a smile." Frtiz grinned.
Maryanne frowned. With the way her life was going it might be her last.
"Have you ever been faced with a difficult decision? Like you had to hurt someone you cared about, but it might be the only you can protect them?" Maryanne asked.
Fritz's smile was replaced with a solemn look. "I understand that feeling."
"So, what do I do? Hurt the person I care about or protect their feelings. However, if I protect their feelings someone else might hurt them." Maryanne said.
Fritz pondered for a second before answering. "Well, my advice would be to talk to this person and just tell them the truth." He advised. "You'd be amazed how much it takes a weight off."
"Not an option." Maryanne muttered.
Fritz frowned. "Then I guess the only advice I can give you is to dance."
Maryanne chuckled, however her laughter died when she saw Fritz was being serious.
"You want me to solve my problems….with dance?" Maryanne said.
Frtiz shrugged. "Dancing helps me clear my mind. It's freeing, for a couple of minutes you just kind of exist."
Maryanne smiled. "That actually sounds kind of nice."
Fritz held out his hand. "Care to dance?"
Maryanne grinned and took Fritz's hand. He led her to the dance floor, where the rest of their classmates were. Someone had set a speaker blasting some generic pop song with a repetitive beat. Fritz started dancing, his body moving in sync with the beat.
"Come on Maryanne, dance!" Fritz laughed.
Maryanne followed his lead and tried dancing to the beat. At first, she felt awkward and self-conscious, she couldn't help but feel like everyone in the party was watching her and judging her every move. Then Fritz's words returned to her head: Just exist.
After a couple of minutes passed all of Maryann's worries and fears seemed to just dissolve. Of course, they were still lingering in her brain, but now it was almost as if they didn't have control over her.
"I love Valentine's Day!" Maryanne cheered.
Victoria
"Sorry, I haven't seen Lex." Kaleb shrugged.
After Victoria wasted fifteen minutes looking for Lex, she decided to look for his friends instead, figuring that he wouldn't be far off. The first one she caught was Kaleb who was talking to a couple of football players by the food bar. He was wearing green shirt with enough sleeves for all his arms.
"Didn't you guys come together?" Victoria asked.
Kaleb nodded. "He told me he had to go get Lance, so I hung out with a few boys from the football team."
Victoria crossed her arms and frowned. She wondered why Lance hadn't approached her about the band yet. She had to get in, she was great. It didn't make sense why Lance wouldn't want her in the band.
Just as Victoria was about to say something, she heard a loud snort behind her.
"Well, well look what we have here." A voice said.
Victoria and Kaleb turned around to see a tall, muscular boy staring at them. He had tan skin, brown eyes, and tousled brown hair. What bothered Victoria the most was that they were all the same shade of brown. If it wasn't for his green shirt, she would have thought he was a crayon.
"If it isn't Victoria Crown and Kaleb Rexavi." He smirked.
Although he had a smile on his face, his eyes were full of contempt. Victoria had seen it enough times to tell.
"I'm really sorry, I don't think we've met." Kaleb said.
"Oh, sorry about that, it's Carter Cunningham." He said. Victoria noticed how the moment he addressed just Kaleb, his whole demeanor went from condescending to pleasant in an instant.
Kaleb held out his hand and the two shook. "Nice to meet ya," He casually greeted him the same way he did everyone else. Victoria looked at him bewildered. She wondered if he was oblivious or he was able to look past it.
"You know who we are?" Victoria said skeptically.
"I mean most of you Class Z freshmen are what everyone's talking about these days. Kaleb here made quite a name for himself on the football team as their rookie ace…and you," Carter stopped and looked Victoria up and down. His eyes went back to hostile.
Judging by the look of disdain on his face he wasn't happy with what he saw. Victoria frowned, the only people she had ever witness judge her so harshly was her family.
"I mean everyone knows about the Crowns." He said bitterly.
"If only I could say the same, I have no idea who you are." Victoria smirked.
Carter rolled his eyes and pointed to himself with his thumb. "I doubt that, I'm the number one student in my class."
"Congratulations, do you want a cookie? You're still not important enough to be on my radar. Perhaps everyone in your class is that mediocre." Victoria said.
Kaleb groaned. "That's enough Victoria, let's just go."
"Perhaps you're just self-absorbed." Carter said.
"And perhaps you're a moron." Victoria defended.
Carter narrowed his eyes at her. Victoria was slightly confused on what was going on. She was aware she wasn't the nicest person, however she wasn't sure why Carter didn't like her. She didn't even know who he was. She was merely acting on self-defense, not wanting to lose this conversation.
"Now that I think I about it, I don't remember inviting you, Kaleb here at least got an invitation from the football team." Carter said.
"Of course, I was invited." Victoria crossed arms. "I'm Victoria Crown."
"That's your name, not an excuse." Carter snapped.
"I'm a cheerleader." Victoria shot back.
"And a lousy one at that." Carter said.
Victoria growled. She changed her mind about being diplomatic, she'd rather just kick Carter's ass in front of everyone. She balled up fists and just when she was about to strike Carter, Kaleb grabbed Victoria's wrist and yanked her away.
Kaleb waved bye smiling. "Okay nice meeting you Carter, but Victoria and I have to go now."
"Let me go dammit," Victoria growled and tried to pull herself from Kaleb's grip. It was no use, it was stronger than steel. He sighed and started to walk away, dragging a flailing Victoria with him like a parent having to drag a struggling child.
"How do you manage to have beef with everyone you meet?" Kaleb groaned.
"Kaleb, let me go I need to-"
"What stab him?" Kaleb cut her off.
"Well, I was going to suggest choke him until he passes out, but sure that works." Victoria smirked. Was she really that predictable?
"Well as long as you have a plan," Kaleb said sarcastically.
Once they were out of Carter's line of sight, Victoria groaned and pulled her arm away from Kaleb's grip after he loosened up. Sometimes his moral compass was aggravating. Sure, morals were nice in theory, but morals didn't get shit done. Morals had no place in the real world.
"This is why I hate Valentine's Day." Victoria said.
"Carter is the reason you hate Valentine's Day?" Kaleb said skeptically.
"No, I hate that on the February 14th people get all emotional and sensitive all of a sudden." Victoria said.
Kaleb chuckled. "Oh really?"
"Yes, really." Victoria frowned.
"You don't think wanting to fight someone because they were being mean to you is being emotional?" Kaleb said.
Victoria paused. She had never thought of that. Even worse was he was right, Victoria was way too sensitive. Sure, she may not have cried every time someone hurt her feelings, but she did try to solve her problems as destructively as possible.
"I need a drink." Victoria muttered.
Kaleb
"I really need a drink." Victoria groaned.
Kaleb sighed, the only thing that could be worse than a sober Victoria Crown, was a Victoria Crown with alcohol in her.
"Victoria, maybe you should-"
"Victoria Crown!" Carter boomed.
Kaleb groaned, not this again.
The two turned to see Carter marching up to them. This time, he wasn't alone. Behind him was a really pretty Chinese girl with a toned and slim figure. The only thing more distracting than her purple, chignon style hair buns was her incredibly large chest. She wore a yellow cheongsam, or at least that's what Kaleb vaguely remembers it was called. It was unique for something at a high school party. It showed off a lot of leg and really emphasized her curves. She looked like she could be a model if she wanted to. The two walked over to the two freshmen, their eyes trained on them. However, Kaleb did notice a difference between the two's gazes. Carter's eyes were filled with nothing but pure hatred and disdain. The girl however, she was staring at Kaleb with a look he couldn't quite place. It almost seemed like a hunger of some sort.
"Wow, you're so obsessed with me you brought the rest of your fan club." Victoria yawned.
Carter's friend chuckled. "You're right Carter, her ego is very humungous."
"And you are?" Victoria frowned.
The girl shrugged. "I'm a friend of Carter's."
Carter stepped in between the two girls and looked down at Victoria.
"I have a way for you to prove that you belong at this party," Carter grinned.
"If you honestly think I care what you think, you're delusional." Victoria said.
Carter shook his head. "Everyone knows how much you love a challenge."
"I love winning." Victoria corrected.
"And I love minding my own business but here I am." Kaleb mumbled to himself.
Carter clapped his hands and smirked. "A little birdy told me that you're an excellent beer pong player. So, I thought why not set up a little match between you and my friend Yin."
So that was the girl's name: Yin. She was still staring at Kaleb with a predatory gaze disguised as a smile that made him somewhat uncomfortable. He could feel all the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Even though he was twice her size, it felt like a lion eyeing a fresh piece of meat.
"And if I win?" Victoria asked.
"I'll give you anything you want," Carter said.
Victoria crossed her arms and scoffed. "I'm rich, I already have everything I want." She retorted.
"How about the satisfaction you proved one of the most powerful kids in school wrong?" Carter asked.
Victoria rolled her eyes. "Well, you're a pathetic moron, so I can't gain much from saying I proved you wrong."
Kaleb shook his head. "Victoria, just ignore him."
He turned and was prepared to walk away; he was disappointed but not surprised when he noticed Victoria wasn't following him. He sighed and kept walking; this wasn't his fight. He was done trying to do damage control for her and decided to enjoy the party.
"I'll let you know what I want when I win. In the unlikely chance you win, what do you want?" Victoria asked.
Carter turned to Yin and shrugged. "What do you want Yin?"
Yin tapped her finger to her lip in pondering until she pointed it past Victoria. "I want Kaleb." She said confidently.
"Say what?" Victoria blurted.
The tall boy froze when he heard his name. What did she just say? He turned around to face Yin who was still looking him up and down.
"I want him." She repeated.
Victoria
"Deal." Victoria said with no hesitation.
Carter grinned. "Great,"
"Awesome." Victoria snarled.
Yin had already left Carter and Victoria behind and was skipping over to a ping pop table that was already set up with red solo cups. Victoria was about to follow her when Kaleb placed a giant hand on her shoulder.
"Victoria, please tell me that I must've misheard, and you didn't just wager me." Kaleb said through a forced smile.
Victoria sensed Kaleb was deeply upset, however she couldn't tell why.
"Is there a problem?" Victoria asked.
"No problem at all, I love being seen as an object for other's people amusement." Kaleb snapped sarcastically.
"Well, you did grow up in a circus." Victoria shrugged,
"That is not the same thing!" Kaleb hissed.
Victoria shook her head and patted his back. "Don't worry Kaleb, I'm going to win."
She made her way to the table with a dignified walk. Despite the reassuring smirk and air of confidence she gave, Kaleb's face paled. "I'm so screwed."
Fouzia
Everything felt brighter. The pool water in front of her seemed to glow a beautiful shade of bright blue she had never seen before. Fouzia smiled and reached down to touch the water, it felt so soft.
I wonder what it feels like to be water? Fouzia thought to herself.
She imagined that water was probably the happiest thing on earth. Well brownies were probably the happiest thing on earth, but water was a close second.
"Fouzia, are you okay?" Faith asked.
Fouzia took her hand out of the water and turned to face Faith. Fouzia chuckled, she was so happy she was friends with Faith.
"Your hair looks like hay." Fouzia giggled.
Faith frowned. "Did you just giggle? You never giggle."
Fouzia continued to laugh. She didn't laugh enough, which was strange there was so many things to laugh about. Like the height difference between Cleo and Aerolynn. Aerolynn was so short, but Cleo had super model legs.
"Fouzia, what's in your cup?" Cleo asked.
Fouzia looked down at her cup which was practically empty. What did she have to drink again?
"I….I can't remember." Fouzia frowned.
Suddenly the world seemed a lot less bright. All the colors in the room seemed to just blur together into a distorted mess.
"Fouzia, please listen, who gave you this drink?" Faith demanded.
Fouzia groaned. The whole night was a blur. How did she get here again?
"I don't remember." Fouzia mumbled.
She could hear Faith and Cleo talking however they sounded so far away. Like her head was underwater. However, she could hear one thing: a song. Fouzia smiled it was the best song she had ever heard. It made every nerve in her body dance with joy.
Fouzia grinned. She jumped on top of the table and roared with joy.
"Do you guys hear that?" Fouzia cheered.
"Fouzia get off the damn table." Faith growled.
Sarah
"Sarah, OMG I've missed you!" Cindy said.
As soon as Sarah stepped into the party, Cindy ran over to her and pulled her into a big hug. This made Sarah uncomfortable for two reasons. One she was sopping wet, which Sarah could deduce was from her just coming out of the pool. On top of that she was bare naked and her boobs were digging into Sarah's chest. Sarah quickly pushed Cindy away. Even if Cindy wasn't very wet and naked. Sarah's big hoodie might be able to hide a growing stomach, but she was sure Cindy could feel it.
Luckily Cindy lived in her own world and didn't pay much attention to Sarah.
"I can't believe you quit cheerleading it hasn't been the same without you," Cindy said.
Sarah blushed. "Really?"
She was kind of glad to hear that. Although she did not have any real friends, she did enjoy cheerleading. At the time, it was one of the few things to take her mind off of her own loneliness and how trapped she felt with Matt.
"I remember how you used to motivate me in practice by saying things like 'if you can spread your legs for the entire football team you can do a split' or 'come on you ginger slut, is the reason why you can't do any flips because you left your self-respect at home'" Cindy said obliviously.
Sarah's face fell and her heart sank. Suddenly she remembered how horrible she was at the beginning of the year. Seeing Cindy's innocent eyes now she felt bad for what she said to her. She felt bad about what she said to everyone.
"Cindy, I'm really sorry I said that to stuff you." Sarah said. "There's no excuse for that,"
"Oh, come on Sarah it's no biggie, everyone talks to me like that." Cindy said.
Sarah frowned. "Well, you shouldn't let them." While her ditzy and air headedness tended to be a bit grating on her nerves, Sarah at least knew that Cindy was a genuinely kind person compared to her bitch of a "best friend". She didn't deserve to be treated like that by anyone. Considering how most of the cheerleaders avoided talking to Sarah out of fear that she'd insult them, Cindy was probably the only person on the squad who was still friendly towards her.
Just as Cindy was about to say something, screams of joy could be heard from the other room. Sarah frowned.
"What the hell is going on in there?" She asked.
Cindy shrugged. "One of the girls in your class is dancing on the tables."
Sarah raised an eyebrow. Other than her, she couldn't think of anyone else in her class who would do such a thing.
"Who is it?" Sarah asked.
"The red skinned girl. Oh wait that's not racist right? Can I call her red?" Cindy asked.
Sarah's face fell. "Fouzia." She muttered. "Cindy I'll talk to you later and for the love of God put a shirt on!" She yelled.
Sarah ran into the other room. Cindy was right, Fouzia was currently dancing on a glass table like there was no care in the world. The way she was dancing and the million mile gaze in her eye, Sarah knew firsthand she was tripping on something. A group of onlookers had formed around her and were egging her on. Faith and Cleo kept trying to pull her away, however when they got close Fouzia would kick their hands away.
"Take it off!" A boy yelled.
Sarah growled. "Shut it Francis."
"You want me to take it off!" Fouzia giggled.
As Fouzia's hands drifted to her hijab, Sarah quickly held up her palm and activated her quirk. Soon everyone in the moved in slow motion, like they were trying to move through jello. Sarah sighed and walked over to Fouzia. She grabbed Fouzia and pulled her off the table. Sarah grunted as she supported Fouzia's body weight and dragged her away with her.
Once she was five meters away from the crowd time went back to normal and she could hear people roaring in the other room.
Alexander
"Well, this Valentine's has been very anticlimactic." Lex said.
Alexander and Lex sat in the kitchen eating stale, store-bought heart shaped cookies someone had brought in.
"Tell me about it, this isn't how I thought this holiday would go." Alexander mumbled.
Lex nodded. "I was kind of hoping I would spend it with Faith."
"At least you have your gig later tonight." Alexander reassured him.
Lex slammed his head against the table and groaned. "Before I go on, I have to tell Victoria she can't sing."
Alexander raised an eyebrow. Was he missing something?
"What happened with Victoria?" Alexander asked.
Lex chuckled. "You're going to love this, so little fun fact, Victoria can't sing. Like she's really really bad."
"No," Alexander gasped. "She can't be that terrible."
"Take a listen." Lex pulled out his phone and swiped it till he found a video he had taken to mess with her later. He handed it to Alexander who listened to it on headphones. After ten seconds, he yanked them out of his ears in a rush. "That was horrible."
Lex nodded. "Oh yeah. The problem is she thinks she can sing. Which I honestly don't understand."
"Willful ignorance mixed with arrogance is a powerful thing." Alexander chuckled.
"To make things worse, Lance expects me to break the news to her." Lance said.
Alexander frowned. "Why?"
"He thinks if it comes from a classmate, she won't feel as hurt by it." Lex groaned. "In other words, he's too scared of her to do it himself."
"Well, that's stupid, Victoria probably hates you the most out of everyone else in the class." Alexander shrugged.
"And why is that?" Lex asked.
Alexander smirked. "For one, you've been number one all year, you don't think bothers her? She probably throws darts at pictures of your face."
Lex sighed. "Well, that's just great," He said sarcastically.
Just as Alexander was about to say something, he heard laughter in the other room. Alexander turned to see Maryanne talking to some of her friends from the cheer squad.
"You should just go talk to her," Lex encouraged.
Alexander shook his head. "I messed everything up."
"Look man, the Alexander I know doesn't give up on the people he cares about." Lex said.
I don't even know who I am anymore. Alexander thought to himself.
"I mean, you obviously still care about her, or you wouldn't be wearing that." Lex said.
Alexander looked down at his red jacket and red pants. Lex was right, he did still care about Maryanne and he wasn't ready to give up on her. He stood up and sighed.
"Wish me luck Alexander." Alexander said to Lex.
Lex chuckled, not used to being called by his full name.
"Good luck Alexander." Lex replied.
Maryanne
"Hey, can we talk?" Alexander asked.
Maryanne was so wrapped up in the music she hadn't even realized Alexander was standing right in front of her. Maryanne smiled weakly; her eyes immediately went to Alexander's red coat. He wore red, it had to be a sign. Her face showed a smile, but in her heart, she felt anguish over what she was about to do.
"Sure, talking sounds great." Maryanne smiled.
Alexander nodded and eyed the staircase. "Should we go upstairs?"
"Sure, it's quiet up there." Maryanne said.
The two made their way upstairs, passing the raging partygoers, the two tried their best to stay invisible. Luckily, everyone seemed excited to check out what was going on in another room. Alexander and Maryanne stopped once they reached a balcony on the second floor. Maryanne smiled and looked up at the night sky. It was beautiful, the stars seemed to be shining brighter than usual.
"I've been a jerk." Alexander said.
Maryanne stood quietly. She wasn't sure how to respond to Alexander's comment.
"Maryanne, I did something really bad. I lied about something very important and it's been eating up at me." Alexander mumbled.
Maryanne frowned. For some reason she doubted that. Alexander was the most honest person she knew. Granted, her best friend was Victoria Crown and she did spend a lot of time with the cheerleaders, so perhaps she wasn't the best judge of character.
"Alexander whatever it is, I'm sure it's not that bad," Maryanne said reassuringly.
Alexander looked up at her. His eyes were watery, he was trying hard to stop himself from breaking down.
"So, because of this I guess I've been kind of using you as a crutch." Alexander said.
Maryanne frowned. "A crutch?"
"You were like this escape from this bad thing I did because you always seemed so pure. Then I found out about you lying and it just kind of threw me into a spiral. I thought it was me…I thought I was corrupting you." He said.
Maryanne had no idea Alexander was dealing with all of this, which she guess made sense. She never told him about her past. She never told anyone about her past. Maryanne walked over to Alexander and placed her hand on his cheek.
"I should have been honest with you. In your defense making up a fictional family for a class presentation is pretty psychotic." Maryanne chuckled.
Alexander frowned. "Why did you do it? Is your family really that bad that you have to lie about them?"
Maryanne sighed. "There's a lot of complicated stuff in my past."
"I can deal with complicated." Alexander reasoned.
Maryanne shook her head. Alexander was struggling to bare the weights of his own secrets. He couldn't handle hers too. Her mind drifted back to the messages she had been getting. What if he really did hurt Alexander. She cared about him too much to do that to let something happen to him.
"Alexander, I think it's best for now we take a little break." Maryanne mumbled.
Alexander's face fell. "A break?"
She bit her bottom lip before forcing it out. "A break-up." Maryanne corrected.
"Look Maryanne, I know I was a dick, but I want to make up for it." Alexander said.
"It's not you, it's me." Maryanne said in an attempt to comfort him.
Alexander frowned. "Did you really just say 'it's not you, it's me?'"
"Yes, but I mean it!" Maryanne pleaded. "Alex, you're too perfect, way too good for me. Hopefully one day I can tell you."
Alexander took a step away from her. He looked down at his feet, determined not to look Maryanne in the eye. Maryanne's heart sunk into her stomach. She didn't want to break his heart, she just wanted to protect him.
"Look, we can still be friends." Maryanne offered.
Just as Alexander was about to say something, his phone buzzed. He sighed and reached into his pocket. Once he saw what was on his screen his sad expression was replaced with shock. He quickly shoved his phone back into his pocket and was preparing himself to leave.
"I need to go," Alexander said.
Maryanne frowned. "Alexander wait."
"Maryanne, I need to go." Alexander repeated.
With that he turned and bolted away from her.
Faith
"Where the hell did Fouzia go?" Faith asked.
One minute they were all standing in the room watching Fouzia dance on a table, the next Fouzia was gone.
"Lame! The bitch was a teleporter!" One boy whined.
Faith turned and scanned the room. She didn't see Fouzia anywhere. Her stomach filled with dread. Where was she? She obviously wasn't herself; someone must have slipped something in her drink. She was out there alone, with no one to look after her.
"How did she just disappear?" Cleo asked.
I'll try calling her phone. Aerolynn said.
Faith looked at Aerolynn expectancy. She tried to calm herself down, however things weren't adding up. One-minute Fouzia was higher than a kite and now she just vanished in thin air.
Aerolynn shook her head. She's not answering.
"We need to find her!" Faith yelled.
The dread her stomach quickly began to morph into worry.
"Don't worry, we'll split up and look for her, she couldn't have gone far." Cleo reassured.
Faith shook her head. "No, it will be too late by then!" Faith yelled.
Cleo and Aerolynn jumped back in shock, surprised by Faith's outburst. Faith shook her head, this was Homecoming all over again. Another person she cared about was going to get hurt. It felt like everyone around her was doomed to suffer. First Matt died, Lex almost lost his life, now Fouzia was going to be next.
The walls began to close in around her. Suddenly she became very aware of how much she was struggling to breathe. She had to focus to remember to breathe in and out.
"Faith, are you okay?" Cleo asked.
1…2…3. Faith counted in her head.
Then she lost count and suddenly she couldn't breathe again. She started to gasp for air as panic filled her body. Then the world went sideways, and she found herself on the floor. She could hear Aerolynn and Cleo trying to talk to her, however she couldn't make out what they were saying.
Cleo quick get some help, I think she's having a panic attack. Aerolynn panicked.
Victoria
"Are you okay Miss Crown? You seem a little sick there." Yin chuckled.
Although Victoria hated to admit it, she was not okay, and she was more than a little sick. She and Yin were currently playing a round of beer pong. Both girls had impressive aim, and despite the fact Victoria scored more points than Yin, she was the one that felt like her guts were going to crawl out of her mouth.
"How are you not sick?" Victoria groaned. The girl didn't even look slightly buzzed at all and she had drunk more than Victoria.
Yin smirked and grabbed another cup. She held her head back and downed the liquid with ease. Once she finished, she giggled before licking her lips.
"I'm from China, this American beer tastes like apple juice." Yin said.
Victoria groaned. Now it made sense why Carter had her play instead of him. She was tricked. "You exotic, alcoholic bitch." She slurred.
Yin chuckled. "Come on Victoria, I'm told your insults are a little wittier than that."
Victoria could hear Carter cackling behind her. She growled; she hated the fact that he got to see her at her lowest. She has just met him, but she decided that he was going to be her new archnemesis. Granted her list of archnemeses was a rather long list that ranged from Dark Solstice, to Quirk Killer, to a barista that spelled her name wrong at Starbucks.
"Poor Victoria can't party with the big kids." Carter mocked.
Victoria growled. "I just want you to know that when I sober up, I'm going to shove my knife so far up your ass you'll be able to taste it."
Carter raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? I think you'll be too busy puking your guts up."
He was right, she did feel like she was going to puke.
"Victoria just step down, there's no shame in knowing your limits." Yin said.
Victoria shook her head. It was a lose/lose situation. She could keep playing the game with Yin, who seemed to have organs made of titanium; or she could admit defeat. She couldn't figure out what was worse, dying from alcohol poisoning or admitting she was a loser. It didn't take long for her to decide that alcohol poisoning would be a better way to go out.
Almost as if her stomach her heard her thoughts. It gave off a loud rumble. Victoria groaned and clutched her belly. She couldn't possibly drink anymore. Her insides hated her more than anything and they wanted out. Her eyes wandered over to Carter who was eyeing her with a smirk.
"You're right Carter, I can't win this game." Victoria said.
Carter grinned. "I guess that means you'll be leaving the party,"
Victoria slowly walked over to Carter and grinned. "At least let me give you a parting gift."
With that Victoria leaned forward and threw up all over Carter. She could hear Yin gasp in shock and disgust, while the boys Carter was hanging with burst into a fit of laughter. Carter at first froze in shock, he seemed to be in disbelief that Victoria would do such a thing.
Then he promptly stood up and growled.
"What the fuck is wrong with you!" He yelled.
Victoria grinned. Her stomach and mind felt a whole lot better. "I think we both know the answer to that question."
Kaleb
"Where is everyone?" Kaleb said to himself.
He couldn't find any of his friends. He didn't think the house was big enough for them to lose each other, yet it almost seemed like he was in a labyrinth. He sighed and leaned back against the wall. Spending Valentine's Day alone kind of sucked.
"Hey there hot stuff," A voice said.
Kaleb looked up to see Yin walking towards him. She looked the boy up and down and smirked.
"Guess who won the match?" Yin grinned.
Kaleb gulped. He didn't want to get roped into anymore of Victoria's petty fights, so he went out to find his friends. "Victoria lost?"
Yin nodded. "Yep, which works out great for us."
Kaleb raised an eyebrow. Who is us? He thought to himself. Yin traced her fingers over Kaleb's biceps and smirked. She stopped at the one that was broken. "I watched your game and saw what happened. Does it still hurt?"
"I've gotten used to it. I should be healed in another few weeks." Kaleb replied. "On the bright side, I have five more in the meantime."
"Do you mind?" Yin took a hold of one of his arms and pressed her thumb on different parts of it up and down as she examined it. Kaleb noticed she had impressive strength in her grip despite her dainty figure. "You really have such amazing muscles; how often do you go to the gym?" Yin asked.
Kaleb shrugged. Considering he had not done much lifting since his arm had gotten broken. "Probably not as often as I should."
"So, you're telling me this is natural?" Yin purred.
Kaleb felt his face turn hot and pulled his arm from her grasp.
"So…um….I think you've mistaken me for someone else," He stammered. He didn't know why he was so nervous and on his guard. She seemed like a nice girl, and he couldn't deny she was incredibly pretty. However, he knew better that no one would ever be interested in him like that.
"I am confused, are you not Kaleb Rexavi, football star?" Yin asked.
He was not only surprised that she knew who he was, but she pronounced his last name correctly. Having been called a football star was really embarrassing for some reason.
"I do have a question though, how does someone as strong as you lose to someone like Jarret Han, not once but twice? I've seen him, I could crush his head with my thighs." Yin asked.
Not the worst way to go out.
Kaleb chuckled and scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Well, there is only so much one can do when fighting a cyclone, plus I have to be cautious with my quirk."
"What do you mean?" Yin asked.
"Ever since I was little, some people have called my strength monstrous. The thing with my quirk is, in theory I could lift up to several tons, maybe even more. That's the kind of thing one has to be careful with." Kaleb said. "I want to use my strength to save people, but I also have to remember I could seriously hurt or even kill someone easily if I'm not careful, so I never really go all out unless I really need it."
Yin frowned. "I understand, but at the same time, you must admit having to hold back must be so…boring."
Kaleb shook his head. "I wouldn't say that necessarily, doing the right thing is never boring."
Yin smirked. She took more and more steps towards him to the point she was mere millimeters from him looking up at him. It had just now dawned on him that she literally had his back against the wall the whole time. "Interesting, how about you tell me more."
Kaleb frowned. "About what?"
"About everything." Yin purred.
Sarah
"I want to go party with the others!" Fouzia groaned.
"Fouzia take a nap!" Sarah barked.
Sarah and Fouzia were currently in the bathroom. Sarah hoped she could take Fouzia to an empty room, unfortunately all the rooms were occupied. So she settled for grabbing a blanket and a pillow and placing Fouzia in the bathtub.
"What are you on molly? Weed? Crack? Tequila? Those funky nachos I saw in the kitchen?" Sarah asked.
Fouzia chuckled. "I don't remember."
"Definitely ecstasy." Sarah remembered a college kid her mom dated named Lucas who dealt it at nightclubs. She knew all the signs and effects from personal experience. "Well that's just great." Sarah said.
"Why are we in the bathroom?" Fouzia asked.
Sarah sighed. "So, I can make sure you don't do something stupid, plus I'm waiting on someone."
"Is he cute?" Fouzia asked.
"You would think so," Sarah mumbled.
Sarah looked over at Fouzia who was counting how many fingers she had.
"Well, this isn't how I pictured my night going." Sarah said.
Fouzia frowned. "Why not? Is it because you're single? I would hate to be single on Valentine's Day,"
"Fouzia, you're single too." Sarah said.
Fouzia frowned. "Damn, so you mean we're both losers?"
"Jesus Christ." Sarah groaned. "My life is not going how I thought it would go at all. I came to this school thinking I would be top of my class, I thought I would be popular, and I thought I would have all of the boys eating out of the palm of my hands."
Sarah's eyes started to water. "Instead, I'm fat, I'm a loser, and I'm spending Valentine's Day in a bathroom that smells like a burrito!"
Sarah dropped her head into her hands and began to sob.
"Wow you're hormonal, are you on your period?" Fouzia asked.
Sarah chuckled. "Quite the opposite."
"Well, this night might not have been what you wanted, but it's exactly what I needed." Fouzia sighed.
"How so?" Sarah asked.
"This is the first time in weeks that I haven't thought about Matt," Fouzia mumbled.
Sarah flinched. Hearing his name after weeks felt like uttering a curse.
"Every day, all I do is just keep replaying what I did to him." Fouzia said. "I…didn't mean to kill him."
"Fouzia, it was self-defense," Sarah said.
Fouzia shook her head. "I'm a monster. Maybe I've always been a monster."
Sarah turned to face Fouzia and grabbed her by her shoulders.
"Listen to me Fouzia, you are not a monster. You are the most caring person I've ever met. You saved my life." Sarah said.
Fouzia's face went still, it seemed like her mind began to wander, trying to escape the memories of Matt.
A knock on the bathroom door was heard. "Sarah?"
If she hadn't heard his voice, she probably would have told him to piss off. "Come in," Sarah sighed.
The door opened revealing Alexander. He looked down at the sight of Sarah holding a crying Fouzia in her arms.
"Fouzia, are you okay?" Alexander asked before turning to Sarah. "What happened?"
Sarah frowned. "She's high as a kite. We need to get her back to our room so she can sober up."
Alexander was thrown off. "Since when did Fouzia do drugs?"
"She's much too smart for that. My guess is, someone slipped her something. Can you please just help me get her back to the dorms?"
Alexander nodded. Sarah had never once asked anyone for a favor using please. "Of course."
Sarah stopped when she noticed how red and puffy Alexander's eyes were.
"Alexander have you been crying?" Sarah asked.
"I hate Valentine's Day," Alexander said simply.
Jake
Jake's face grimaced when he saw her. There Aerolynn was, walking through the party like she was looking for something. Jake took a deep breath and walked over to her.
"Hey, happy Valentine's Day," Jake said.
Not now Jake. Aerolynn said.
"Um…your outfit looks nice. Red looks great on you." Jake complimented.
I said not now. Aerolynn said.
Jake frowned. What could he say? He didn't know if there was anything he could say that would get her to stop hating him. Jake was used to being hated, he was aware of the fact he could be a douche, however he never thought Aerolynn would be one of the people hating him.
"I miss you. I miss my best friend," Jake mumbled.
Aerolynn stopped and turned to face Jake. Look Jake, I can't talk about this right now. Fouzia went missing and Faith just had a panic attack. I have a lot going on right now, and to be honest I don't want talk about this with you. Can you please just leave me alone right now?
With that she marched off, leaving Jake alone. Jake sighed and grabbed a bottle of vodka that was sitting on the counter.
"Well time to get this party started." Jake mumbled.
Kevin
"Kevin! Happy Valentine's Day!" Cindy chuckled.
She threw herself at Kevin and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
"I feel like it's been forever since we've talked!" Cindy said.
Kevin frowned. "I saw you yesterday."
Kevin wasn't sure why he came to this stupid party. He didn't have anyone to celebrate Valentine's Day with. Instead, he was at a party alone drinking Diet Coke.
"Where's Jarret?" Cindy asked.
"Looking for you," Kevin frowned.
He realized Cindy was still holding on to him and pushed her away. "So, you should probably go look for him."
Kevin tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice, but it escaped anyway. What could Jarret see her in? Sure, she was gorgeous, but other than that what was there? How was she better than him? Kevin stopped himself, not that it was a competition. He didn't have any feelings for Jarret.
"You don't seem happy to be here." Cindy said.
Kevin shrugged. "Any reason I should be?"
"Well, you survived a massive villain attack, the world's not ending, plus you're attractive. These are all things we should celebrate." Cindy smirked.
Kevin frowned. "Attractive?" He repeated.
Kevin smelled Jarret before he saw him. His cheap cologne made Kevin's nose feel like it was on fire. Kevin looked up to see Jarret walking over to them. He had a bright smile on his face; however Kevin knew it wasn't for him. It was for Cindy.
Kevin looked back at Cindy.
"Yeah, vampires are so hot." Cindy said. "I've seen Twilight like a hundred times."
Jarret was getting closer.
"Well technically, I'm not a vampire. Once you get down to it my quirk can be explained with science." Kevin said.
Cindy pouted. "That sounds boring and a mood killer."
Jarret was close to them and Cindy was moving closer to him, Jarret didn't seem to have picked up on what was going on yet.
Kevin looked back to Cindy. "I thought you liked Jarret."
"I like a lot of people." Cindy said.
Jarret was getting closer and his bright brown eyes were trained on Cindy. Kevin growled. Reacting on instinct he leaned in toward Cindy.
With that Kevin leaned in and kissed Cindy, a kiss she happily reciprocated. Her lips were soft and tasted like bubblegum. Kissing Cindy felt nice, however it felt like something was missing.
Kevin could hear Jarret stopping in his tracks. Once he saw them Kevin pulled away from Cindy and his gaze went to Jarret. Jarret's mouth hung open in a mixture of shock and betrayal. His body went stiff and his eyes were filled with pain.
It destroyed Kevin to know he did that to him; however he knew it would have hurt worse to see him kiss Cindy. He couldn't let Cindy have him. Cindy turned and saw Jarret. She waved and grinned.
"Hey Jarret, happy Valentine's Day." She said.
Jarret ignored her and turned back to face Kevin. "What the hell?"
Kevin didn't answer. Instead, he just hung his head down in shame. Did he really just do that?
"You knew I liked her!" Jarret yelled. "I thought you were my friend! My best friend!"
Kevin looked up at Jarret and snarled.
"You didn't like her at all! You're just clinging to Cindy because no girl has shown any remote interest in you!" Kevin snapped.
"I'm so confused." Cindy mumbled.
Jarret growled and took a step closer to Kevin. "I don't think I want to be your roommate anymore."
Kevin's heart began to shatter. "Well….fuck you too."
Kevin howled in frustration and turned away from the two and ran off, making sure to bump into Jarret on his way out.
He knew Jarret would hate him, but all he could think of was how Cindy wouldn't have him.
Jarret
Jarret groaned as he plopped down on the couch.
"I'm so stupid." Jarret mumbled.
Cindy followed Jarret and sat down right next to him. "Why were you and Kevin fighting? Aren't you guys best friends?"
Jarret frowned. Kevin was his best friend. He was pretty much his only friend. Not only that but he had been his rock at this school. He struggled to wrap his head around why Kevin would do something to hurt him.
"I thought you liked me, as usual I was wrong," Jarret sighed.
Cindy raised an eyebrow. "Who said you were wrong?"
"Your tongue was down Kevin's throat." Jarret said.
"I get it." Cindy shrugged. "Look Jarret, the thing is, I'm not the relationship type. I don't like being tied down to one person and I'm also a big flirt."
"So basically, I imagined you being into me?" Jarret groaned.
God he was such a loser.
Cindy chuckled. "Not really. I do think you're cute. However, I don't think you're going to find what you're looking for with me."
"How do you know what I'm looking for? I don't even know what I'm looking for." Jarret groaned.
Cindy smiled weakly. "I think you're searching for someone to love you. And I'm sure once you find that person their going to want to make you their world. But to perfectly clear I am not that person. My love is spontaneous and ever changing, sort of like the wind."
Jarret frowned, what she said kind of made sense, almost sounded damn near poetic.
"You're a lot smarter than people give you credit for." Jarret said.
Cindy shook her head. "Not really."
Cindy leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek, surprising him greatly. The spot where her soft lips had touched grew really hot. She got up from the couch and smiled. "Don't worry Jarret, there's a girl out there for you, and if you decide you're tired of waiting for her my door is always open. Actually, not always open because I usually have a lot of people over. So, it's probably best to make an appointment."
"I'll keep that in mind." Jarret chuckled.
Cindy nodded. "And one last thing, the safe word is Ronald Regan."
"I'm sorry what?" Jarret said.
"Bye Jar-Bear have a good night!" Cindy said.
Lex
"Lex, thank god I finally found you!" Victoria cheered.
Lex froze in fear. The moment he had been dreading was finally here. He had to tell Victoria the truth. Lex looked over at Lance and the drummer he recruited. They were already setting up. Victoria frowned when she noticed the band getting ready.
"Lance never got back to me," Victoria frowned.
Lex gulped. His nose crinkled from the smell of her breath. It reeked of alcohol. "Have you been drinking?"
"It's alright, I just bet your roommate in a beer pong game and lost against this crazy Chinese girl who I think has the hots for him."
That one sentence threw off so many red flags in Lex's mind that he made sure to remember to get more details from her later. Right now, he had more pressing issues to deal with
"Victoria, you have to know something."
"I don't get why he wouldn't want me in the band, is he intimidated by me? I didn't want to say it earlier, but his vocals are really amateur." Victoria said.
"Victoria, you're not in the band because you can't sing." Lex blurted. He pulled his head back and closed one eye bracing himself for her worst.
Victoria chuckled. "Good one, Lex."
Lex sighed. "I'm serious Victoria, you can't sing…at all….not in the slightest."
Victoria frowned. "You're just trying to sabotage me, aren't you? It's your fault I didn't get the gig."
Lex groaned. It was actually starting to not be funny anymore. He figured it would come to this. He pulled his phone and pulled up the recording of Victoria singing.
"Victoria, I'm going to play two audio clips. One's a recording of you singing, the other is a recording of a cat being brutally stabbed to death. I want you to tell me which is which." Lex said.
Lex handed her the headphones, pressed play and waited for Victoria to react. At first, she was silent. Then a puzzled expression grew on her face. What followed next was a look of cringe.
"The second one, the first one was horrendous." Victoria answered.
"That was a trick question, they're both recordings of you singing." Lex said.
Victoria's smile deflated. "Oh, so I guess I'm not as good as I thought." Lex shook his head agreeing with her.
She sighed and took a seat a nearby table. Lex shrugged.
"So not only are you a better hero than me, but you're also a better musician?" Victoria groaned.
Lex raised an eyebrow. "Did you just admit I'm better than you at something?"
"I'm drunk and I won't remember this tomorrow." Victoria groaned. Now he understood why he wasn't in an ambulance car already.
Lex smiled. "Well, in case you do remember, I envy a couple things about you. One, you're wicked smart, plus I wish I had as much determination and drive as you did."
"Did you just compliment me?" Victoria asked.
Lex chuckled and took a seat next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder in an odd attempt to comfort her. "Yeah I think I did. Listen Victoria, you can't expect to be good at everything. Everyone has that one thing they just suck at, it's what makes us human. If you ask me, perfection is pretty boring in my opinion."
"Thanks for letting me know I'm a bad singer. If I went up there and somebody laughed at me, I would've probably had to kill everyone in the party." Victoria said.
Lex gulped. Was she serious?
"Oh my god, Lex I'm joking." Victoria groaned. "Do you actually believe I could do something like that?"
"I'm sorry, have you met you?" Lex asked.
Just as Victoria opened her mouth to respond her and Lex's phone simultaneously went off. Then a phone nearby got a message. Then another. Then another. Soon everyone in the room was getting a text message, Victoria and Lex frowned and pulled out their phones. It was a video clip. The moment they played it, all the color had drained from their faces.
"Oh fuck." They said in unison.
Maryanne
"You came." He said.
Maryanne's blood curdled when she saw him. She felt her heart beat in her throat from fear. He wore a black hoodie but she knew it was him. He had texted her to meet him outside the party, and it took everything in her not to stay inside. However, she knew that if she didn't come out, he would go in.
"You look good. That's a pretty dress." He said.
"Why did you come back? You said you would stay away." Maryanne gulped.
He smirked. "I missed you."
"Please, just go back to Harper Port. Please don't hurt any of my friends. Edward I'm begging you." Maryanne said.
Edward grinned. "I don't think that's gonna happen Maryanne, I think I might stay around for a while."
"You're going to stop texting me and you're going to leave my friends alone!" Maryanne snarled.
"Don't shout Maryanne, somebody inside might hear you. And if they come out, it would be a shame if I had to tell them the truth about you." Edward said.
Maryanne gulped. She always feared her past would come back to haunt her.
Maryanne's phone buzzed causing her to jump.
"Go ahead and check your phone, I'm sure Alexander is desperate to know where you are." Edward said.
"I broke up with him like you said." Maryanne hissed.
Edward smiled. "Good girl. Still, I want to see what's on your phone."
"Jesus, what did you do?" Maryanne gulped and pulled out her phone. It was a text from an unknown number, attached to the text was a video.
The first clip read in bold letters: EVERYONE IN CLASS Z IS A LIAR.
The screen than shifted to an old news video of a highway pileup in Fort Lauderdale. The timestamp on the corner dated back to about three years ago. Several cars were turned upside down and one was even on fire. Given the old quality of the video, it was hard to tell what was going on. Suddenly, the camera zoomed on an individual and focused, showing a young boy with familiar glowing golden eyes. Maryanne gasped. It was Lex. Had he had caused the accident?
The screen then shifted to a parking lot. The phone shakily moved up to follow two girls holding hands. They made their way from the parking lot and up the steps into some old and rundown building. That's where Maryanne saw the sign: Marshall's Motel. When one of the girls opened the door, that's when Maryanne got a glimpse of her face and gasped. It was Cleo. And judging by the long blond hair on the girl she was with, that was definitely not Aerolynn.
The next clip was at a train station. This time the camera was zoomed in and Maryanne could clearly see two figures talking. Her mouth hung open when she recognized who they were. It was Hunter and Jarret.
Jarret had a large gym bag in his hands and handed it off to Hunter. Hunter nodded and said something the camera couldn't pick up. Then he pulled Jarret in for a hug. When Hunter pulled away, he smiled weakly and waved goodbye, right before hopping inside the train. Suddenly Maryanne understood what was going on. Jarret helped Hunter escape the academy. He might even know where he was!
The next clip showed a boy sitting in the common room. He was reading something on his phone when someone spoke to him.
"Hey Diego." A feminine voice said.
Diego looked up and frowned when he saw who it was.
"Aurélie?" He asked.
Even though he couldn't see her face, Maryanne knew from her tone of voice that wasn't Aurélie, but Alice.
Before he could get the next word out, Alice punched his Adams apple, causing him to gasp and clutch his throat as he struggled to breathe. She grabbed him by his shirt and threw him off the couch on his back. She growled and jumped on top of him. What Maryanne saw next made her nauseous. Alice began to punch him over and over and over again without showing any sign of stopping. Each punch was more brutal then the last, all of them landed straight on his face. At first, Diego tried to struggle but after about the ninth or tenth, his consciousness drifted and his body went slack. Even after that, Alice continued her onslaught, hitting him until her entire fist was bloody. Maryanne gulped. Alice beat him so badly he was unrecognizable.
The next clip played and Maryanne raised an eyebrow. It was dark and it was hard to make out the figures, however judging by their movements it was safe to say they were engaging in…intercourse. Maryanne frowned when realized what room they were in.
"Are they having sex in the gym?" Maryanne gagged in disgust.
The video changed again to a locker room. The lighting in here was better and Maryanne could make out the figures. Her heart shattered when she realized who it was.
"Are you sure no one saw us?" Victoria said.
"Totally." Jake said.
Victoria nodded and smirked. "I'll go lock the door."
The clip cut out before she could see what was going to happen next, but Maryanne had a good feeling she already knew.
As if she wasn't scarred enough another clip played. This time just a blank screen with red bleeding letters across it.
It wasn't a villain that killed Matt. It was one of them.
Ms. Morningstar's Notes
Name: Fouzia Zambiea
Quirk: Fire-Spin
Parents/Legal Guardians: Emir Zambiea and Rhima Zambiea
Medical Conditions: N/A
Notes: Fouzia Zambiea is unpredictable. She is naturally caring and empathetic due to the harsh treatment she saw her brother endure, however she's also bottling a lot of rage. I have yet to find what's the source of said rage or how far it could possibly go. Fouzia nurtures people because focusing on others helps her avoid how angry she feels. Her anger is her greatest weapon and will be her greatest downfall. Aside from her hidden anger, Fouzia feels torn between worlds causing her to never feel enough for anyone. This manifests into trust issues, she views all relationships as temporary and some relationships as too good to be true. She can be molded to fit the program, however, she may be too attached to the others to be of any use. Plus her range of her quirk is limited.
Danger Level: Orange
And that's a wrap on Valentine's Day! In the next chapter, we go to the circus both literally and metaphorically. Also Fritz's quirk will be revealed soon, any theories?
New Character
Yin-Dere God
