"No way!" Blonda squealed into her cellphone, flipping through countless channels on the living room 40-inch screen. "No freaking way!"

Two weeks had passed since the first week of school, and the spirit autumn settled into Fairy World. Students have adjusted to their schedules, friend groups have solidified, and classes have amplified in workload. Since she completed most of her homework, Blonda decided to treat herself to a chill Saturday; a Saturday spent relaxing in the comfort of her own home, no boyfriend, no parties, no social gatherings. Lazing about with a few nice gossips with the girls.

Flushing the toilet to the master bathroom, Wanda finished scrubbing the outer rim of the toilet seat in her yellow rubber gloves. After scrubbing grime buildup off the sink basin, rubbing dried water stains off glass mirrors, wiping dust and dirt off marble countertops, mopping the entire tile floor, washing every square inch of the shower and the toilet, she was just ready to be done with her chores. Her parents making time to treat themselves to a 'date day' was cool and all, but why did it have to come with a laundry list of household errands to complete before they returned?

Actually, the question was more like 'why did it have to come with a laundry list of household errands that Wanda had to complete by herself?' She was tasked with cleaning all of the bathrooms, including the two guest ones, vacuuming, dust, and organize all the bedrooms, guest and main alike, wash all of the dishes, clean the entire island kitchen down to the stove and refrigerator, and dust and vacuum everything in the living room (which was quite difficult with Blonda refusing to move her freaking feet off the coffee table.) As the eldest of the twins, their parents were quick to burden her with more of the responsibility. If this was their way of showing her what a 'slave' felt like because she wanted to become a god parent, this was a pretty skewed way of showing it.

As Wanda flew into the kitchen for a well-deserved water, she saw the buildup of trash bags in her peripheral next to the back door. Trash bags, which was literally Blonda's only household responsibility, to pick up and take out to the trash bin. In fact, she could have just 'poofed' the bags into the trash bin if she really wanted to be a sloth.

Normally she would have just done it herself to get it over with. But today? No; Blonda didn't get to sit on her butt all day and ignore the only chore she had.

"That's sooooooooo crazy!" Blonda reacted to one of Amethyst's pointless stories. In that same moment, Wanda flew in front of the television, blocking Blonda's view of "The Young & The Magicless."

This caught Blonda's attention, and not in a good way. "Hey Amethyst? I'll call you back…" After their goodbyes, Blonda ended the call, scowling towards her sister. "Uh…excuse you? You're in my way. Freaking move!"

"Uh…excuse you?" Wanda retorted, matching her sister's attitude as she placed her hands on her hips. "You're a lazy brat. Take out the trash!"

Blonda held her glare as she folded her arms in protest. She stuck her nose in the air and replied with a simple "No."

"No?" Wanda felt as if fumes blew out of her ears. "You literally have one job-"

"I don't like that tone of voice." Blonda slit her eyes with a menacing expression. "I suggest you fix it."

"And I don't like doing your chores!" Wanda debated, folding her own arms in irritation. "I suggest you fix your bratty attitude!"

"Let's get one thing straight." Blonda flew from the couch and stood in front of her sister's face, holding her glare. "I don't have chores. You have chores. I don't have to do anything I don't want to-"

"Cuz mom and dad spoil you rotten!" Wanda argued.

"Maybe cuz mom and dad only like me as their daughter." A teasing grin creased Blonda's lips, pushing any one of her sister's buttons.

If the opportunity presented itself, Wanda will absolutely shove a knife in her throat, shower her in battery acid, and discard the crisp of Blonda's corpse in a burning building. "You know what? Screw you, you pompous, egotistic, slutty bi-"

"What's goin' on 'ere?!"

The sisters turned towards the direction of the front door where both Big Daddy and Little Mamma stood with intimidating scowls. Great. Just when things couldn't get any worse…

Wanda let out a heavy sigh, fixing her mouth to explain the situation-

"Wanda called me a slut because I wouldn't take out the trash!"

Wanda shot a glare towards her sister. Did she really just play the victim card?

"Wanda!" Little Mamma pointed a stern finger. "How dare you talk to your sister that way!"

"I did all of my chores, and she refused to do the only one she had!" Wanda tried to explain. "I was just trying to-"

"I swear, if you don't stop complainin'!" Big Daddy massaged the side of his temples, irritated from his daughters' constant squabbles. Was it really that difficult for them to get along?

"I'm trying to explain to you!" Wanda defended herself, Blonda folding her arms in triumphant conceit.

"I don't wanna hear another word outta ya mouth!"

"But Daddy-!"

"Not anotha WORD!"

The roar of his baritone sent shivers down Wanda's spine. No matter how old she was, Big Daddy livid brought terror out of her inner child.

"Wanda," Little Mamma groaned with her hands on her hips. "Just take out the trash, it's not that serious!"

"But Mom-!"

"When we tell you to do something, we want it done! Quit with the backtalk!"

She couldn't believe this! Why did she have to do something she didn't want to just because Blonda didn't do what she was supposed to?! In what world did that make any sense?! Screw it, what was the point in arguing?

Just another 'pick your battles' scenario in the life of Wanda Fairywinkle.

Sighing in defeat, Wanda did as told and floated to the kitchen to grab the piles of trash two at a time. As she approached the doorknob of the backdoor, Wanda looked back into the living room to see Big Daddy and Little Mamma with their arms around Blonda, assuring her that everything would be okay. Story of her life; Blonda finds some way to make herself the victim, their parents fall right under her spell, and then Wanda is made the villain.

Maybe…maybe Blonda had a point.

His green locks danced in the gentle gust of wind as he sat near the brink of the cliff, allowing his legs to dangle over the edge. His skin relished in the heat of the afternoon sun, observing the subtle chaos of the city below. They frequented this cliff often, but on Sunday afternoons, he met Wanda at 'their cliff' and spend hours engaging in conversation, taking pictures for them to hide in their hiding places, or just sitting in silence, soaking in the presence of the other. It was their sort of their way of rejuvenating for another hard week ahead.

He turned to the sound of a 'poof' behind him as Wanda appeared from a cloud of pink smoke into view. He scooted away from the brink and stands to greet her as she approached. "Hey baby." He kissed the top of her forehead as she embraced him. The sight of his love always reminded him what butterflies felt like.

"Hey babe." Her chin rested on his shoulder for a moment with a small smile, soaking in his warmth. She loved the way he smelled; like the sweetened citrus of cucamelon.

They stayed in this position for a moment before breaking the embrace. Cosmo held both of her hands into his and caressed them gently. "I know you remind me of how much you hate surprises…but…I have a surprise for you."

She stared at him skeptically. What was he up to now?

"First," Cosmo directed her hands to where her palms covered her eyelids. "keep your eyes closed."

"Cosmo, what is this for?" Wanda didn't know what to expect. Cosmo wasn't difficult to understand, but sometimes, even he left her dumbfounded by his motives.

"Second," Cosmo continued as he reached for left arm and pulled it away from her eyes. "while keeping your eyes closed, hold out your hand like you're gonna shake someone's hand."

She could feel the anticipation rising in her core. Whatever the surprise is, it must be a pretty big deal. She did as told and held out her hand with both eyes shut. After a few seconds, she felt something weighted around her wrist; almost like beads with something stretchy keeping them intact.

"Okay." Cosmo let go of her hand. "Open your eyes."

When she opened her eyes, she looked down at her left wrist to find a rosette and magenta beaded bracelet with a gold heart key charm binding the elastic chord together. "Oh Cosmo…" she examined the bracelet closer, moving her wrists see every inch of her newest accessory. "This is so pretty! Where did you get this?"

"At a jewelry store." Cosmo replied, proud of himself. "I used my allowance money…well…most of it. I hid the bag in my backpack so mama wouldn't see it."

"What's it for?"

"Well…you're the key to my heart, so I wanted to get you something to remind us both."

Her heart beamed with so much love, unable to contain her ear to ear smile. They couldn't buy a lot of gifts for each other in hopes of keeping their parents' suspicion to a minimum, but when they could, Cosmo somehow thought of all the nicest gifts. As cliché yet sentimental of a motivation, this bracelet made the top of the list.

She flew into his arms and flung her arms around his neck. She gave him a smooch on the lips before squeezing him tightly, her heart fluttering from the warmth of his arms just below her wings. "I love you so much, Cosmo…more than anything!"

His chin rested on her shoulder as he nestled his cheek into the side of her neck. He never wanted to let go. "I love you too…more than you know."

A few hours later, stuck on the high of undying affection, Cosmo entered his home and set his skateboard against the wall with the dreamiest grin. His cheeks burned from smiling on the entire skateboard journey home. Sure, he could have poofed home, but he wanted to savor the sensation of butterflies buzzing around in his core.

Mama Cosma sat next to the washer and dryer in the laundry room extension of the kitchen, putting first load of clothes in the washer, as Cosmo floated into the kitchen to the refrigerator. Mama Cosmo looks over to see Cosmo open the fridge, searching for a snack. "Cosmo," she called out, catching his attention. "I need you to explain this stain in your underwear."

Cosmo eyes grew frantically wide as his mother held his briefs inside out. There was a cloudy, white stain on the jock cup, small enough to be unnoticeable far away, but large enough to be visible to the naked eye…

Mega yikes.

Cosmo and Wanda remained virgins in their two-year relationship. Not because they were saving themselves or anything, but it primarily because they had nowhere to go for…well...'naugh-ti tings.' This didn't mean they haven't had close calls, especially the more they fell in love with each other.

He had his set of chores, but his mother did all of the household laundry. It's not like he forgot she was the main person to wash laundry; he simply didn't think about it. In more recent weeks, Cosmo and Wanda's make out sessions have led to a few dry humps here and there. Wanda would always stop them before things escalated beyond control, though every now and then, Cosmo just couldn't help himself.

"Uhhhhhh." Cosmo needed an excuse, and he needed one quick. "Well, sometimes…" he licked his lips, attempting to mask the nerves in his voice. "…sometimes when Susie, Spike and I go to The Diner and I get vanilla ice cream, I'm not always careful and it spills on my lap."

"Okayyyyy…" Mama Cosma arched her eyebrow. "…but I've found this stain on two other briefs; and they're all in the same spot."

Crap. He swallowed the lump in his throat, preparing for the inevitable…

"Are you having wet dreams again?"

Wet dreams? Is that what she's calling it? Whatever, it's fine.

"Uhhhh…y-yeah." Cosmo replied with a nervous laugh, cowering in shame. "…s-sorry, mama."

Cosmo had his first wet dream when he was sixteen; slightly later than most boys his age. He didn't understand what it was, and for some strange reason, his mother reprimanded him for 'wetting the bed.' After about the third or fourth wet dream, his mother took him to the hospital, fearing there was something wrong with his kidneys. Of course, tests proved his kidneys functioned normally. The doctor explained to both Cosmo and his mother that wet dreams were a normal part of puberty for male fairies.

The real issue was, Mama Cosma knew Cosmo was experiencing wet dreams and what they were; she just chose to accept denial. Her Cosmo lo-lo couldn't grow up, he just couldn't! If her baby was growing up, that meant she was getting old. So, instead of encouraging her son that what he was going through was 100% normal, she punished him for being 'abnormal.'

This time, instead of yelling at him, she turned back to her laundry with a groan, her brow creasing in irritation. "It's fine, Cosmo. Just…wash it out yourself next time!"

What? No slap in the face? No "you're a bad boy?" No "you should be ashamed of yourself?" Nothing? Wow…he got off lucky. Seemed like she wasn't in the mood nor did she have the energy to push the issue further. "Uh…o-okay, mama."

Before she could change her mind, Cosmo quickly opened the fridge again, grabbed an apple, and hastily flew upstairs to his bedroom.

"Welcome, everyone!" the drama instructor, Mrs. Ravenclaw, greeted the members of Drama Club from the stage of the auditorium as students resided in the first and second rows of seating. Drama Club was its own extracurricular course blocked out as the second class of the day for students that signed up, something Blonda and Ruby looked forward to.

"Now that we've all become well acquainted with each other and with different theatre techniques," Mrs. Ravenclaw continued. "I would like to announce that we will begin the production of 'The Magicbook'; a romantic tale of young love!"

If you weren't familiar with 'The Magicbook' then you were living under a rock. Everyone, especially theatre kids, has either heard about, read about, or seen the movie about the poor, wand factory worker falling madly in love with the daughter of the inventors of wands. There's been mixed reviews, but 'The Magicbook' was arguably one of the most riveting, passionate, thought-provoking tale of all time, and just so happened to be one of Blonda's favorite movies.

"I've already picked my choices for the two leading roles." Mrs. Ravenclaw looked down to her clipboard of notes. "The role of Alexa Hilltower will go to Blonda Fairywinkle, and the role of Nova Cane will go to Treveston Evergreen."

Blonda glanced towards her right to see Treveston, the newest member, returning her curious gaze. His silver bowl cut framed the curve of his beige face, and his silver eyes seemed to glow in the dim lighting of the auditorium. He sported a white letterman jacket with burgundy sleeves with black skinny jeans, a common design for the CPPFH Baseball team, and oddly enough, he had the same mesomorph physique as Alewandro and Juandissimo, except his muscles weren't as brawny.

As Treveston's eyes trailed her body up and down with a sly smirk, Blonda winked at him as she waved flirtatiously. She had seen him in the halls before and knew he was a grade below her, but whoever this new guy was, he was cute as all get out.

"You know," Ruby leaned in to whisper towards Blonda as Mrs. Ravenclaw continued explaining more details of the play. "there're a lot of kissing scenes in 'The Magicbook.'"

"Don't I know it." Blonda whispered in return, her eyes still on her newfound eye candy. "I hear there're a lot of kissing scenes in the play as well."

"What if Luther gets jealous?" Ruby questioned teasingly.

Blonda turned to her friend with an arched eyebrow. "Luther? Jealous? Pssh, girl please. He knows he's dating an actress, and he knows they'll be plenty of roles like this in my future. Besides, Luther's too bigheaded to be the jealous type." Blonda turned towards Treveston as she announced with a smirk "I'm gonna go say hi to my new acting partner."

She floated over to the seat to the right of Treveston as Mrs. Ravenclaw continued explaining the details of the play. He continued to check her out as she took her seat. "Hey, cutie." She greeted him with a flirty smile.

"Hey." Treveston returned the greeting. "Blonda, right?"

"That's right." Blonda extended a hand. "Treveston, right?"

"You would be correct." Treveston latched on to her hand in a handshake. Sheesh she was sexy; those lips, those hips, those boobs, that butt? He prided himself knowing he'd be working with such a queen. He couldn't help but wonder…what that mouth do though?

"I'm really looking forward to working together." Blonda brushed his forearm seductively, gazing in those shining silver orbs. "Aren't you?"

He knew she was flirting, and he wasn't mad at it. "I think…"Treveston leaned into Blonda's alluring fuchsia eyes, sensuality in his voice. "...I wouldn't want to work with any other girl in this room."

If she weren't already taken, she'd take him to the nearest janitor's closet and do more than just flirt...

In the last few minutes of A.P. Science, Mr. Gryffindor finished his lecture as Wanda jotted the last of the notes written on the chalkboard. Since Science was a subject she tended to struggle in, there was no room for shorthand or abbreviations. To keep her parents off her back, she needed to pass this class with at least a 90, and Mr. Gryffindor wasn't exactly lenient.

"I have a project for all of you in which you will be paired in teams of two." Mr. Gryffindor announced as he erased notes from his chalkboard. He then turned to face the rest of the class as he continued. "You will write a six-page scientific report about the study of magic. Some scientist theorized magic is supernatural; that magic stems from powerful forces such as deities and gods. Others theorize magic is more spiritual; that fairies are innately born with the ability to wield magic from within their own souls. One will side with the supernatural point of view, and the other will side with the spiritual. Your job will then be to find commonalities in these theories towards the end of your report."

Wanda sighed with her chin in her palm. Great. Another group project. Watch her get pair with some lazy bum who'll let her do all the work while they take half the credit. It never fails.

Mr. Gryffindor grabs a mason jar filled with tiny strips of paper. "In this jar are names of half the class. I will be handing the jar to the other half of the class at every other desk, and partners will be chosen by circumchance. Eh? See what I did there? Circumchance?"

Crickets.

"Wow, tough crowd." Mr. Gryffindor cleared his throat. "Anywho…"

Mr. Gryffindor floated to the first desk where a student reached into the jar. "You will not be able to switch partners unless you pick a name you know you can't get alone with." He approached Wanda's desk next, and she took her turn in reaching into the jar. "I want equal efforts from both parties, and for the love of Pete, do not plagiarize."

Wanda unfolded the sheet of paper in her hand as Mr. Gryffindor continued. "Plagiarism of any kind will result in an automatic zero for both of you with no possibility of extra credit, so do yourself a favor and use your own words. Doesn't have to be fancy."

Wanda paused when she read the mystery name of her partner. She had to be partners with him?

As Mr. Gryffindor continued passing the mason jar to other students, Wanda turned to the row of desks left of her and looked one row behind. She saw Juandissimo with his chin resting on his folded forearms, staring towards the ground in a blank stare.

Granted, she didn't know much of anything about him, but she did know he was part of Blonda's social group of prissy preps and jarhead jocks. Any guy that associated with Blonda was usually stupid, egotistical, sex obsessed, or a combination of the three. He wasn't stupid since she's seen him in some of her A.P classes.

Egotistical and/or sex obsessed? Debatable.

"Alright." Mr. Gryffindor floated back to his desk with an empty mason jar. He took the stack of papers sitting on the edge of his desk and hands them out to the same students that drew the names of their partners. "These are instructions for your report; introduce yourselves, decide who does what, and get started as soon as possible; you have five weeks to complete the report."

Students gathered their belongings as the school bell signaled the end of class. As Wanda shoved her notebook into her backpack, she watched as Juandissimo slung on strap of his backpack over his shoulder. Well, here goes nothing.

Once she zipped her backpack, she made her way through a couple of students floating the opposite direction. Juandissimo veered his eyes from the floor and noticed Wanda floating in front of him. He'd seen her in a couple of his classes and in the halls a few times, but aside from her social group, she didn't seem to talk much; the total opposite of her sister.

"Hey…" Wanda greeted timidly. "…Juandissimo, right?"

"Si." Juandissimo grinned faintly as he offered a friendly hand. "…Wanda, right?"

Wanda observed him, trying to find any indication of malice or ill-intent. Either he actually was a decent person, or he was extremely hard to read. Deciding not to be rude, she accepted his handshake with her own bashful smile. "Yep…nice meeting you."

"You as well." Juandissimo released her hand. "So…I am guessing you are my new project partner?"

"You guessed right." Wanda clutched the straps of her backpack nervously. Why did meeting new people have to be so awkward? "So…what's your next class?"

"History." Juandissimo replied. "What is yours?"

"Math." Wanda confirmed. "…Mrs. Slytherin?"

"Mmhmm…Señor Petronas?"

"Yep."

Juandissimo put on of his hands inside his letterman jacket pocket while the other held on to his backpack. "Well…both teachers are in the same direction. Did you…want to go over the project a bit?"

Wanda shrugged. "Sure…if…you want to?"

Juandissimo motioned towards the exit. "After you, then."

She's been observing his facial expression this entire time and still couldn't find a reason not to trust him. He seemed nice enough, but it was only the first impression. Who knows if that could change down the line?

With Juandissimo following her, Wanda led the way out of the classroom. Friendly or not, she couldn't let her guard down. Not for a second.

CPPFH's library offered many academic assets for students, from computers, to public study areas and private study rooms, to endless encyclopedias and literary of both fictional and nonfictional alike. With 3,000 sq ft of educational material and resources, students are encouraged to utilize this space to their advantage. In this library, Wanda and Cosmo could be found at one of the tables after school, studying for their upcoming history tests.

Actually, it was more like Wanda studied for her history test, and Cosmo studied her.

Wanda's eyes scanned through endless amount of text from her history textbook. She veered her eyes for a moment to see Cosmo sitting beside her from her with his chin in his palms atop his opened textbook, staring at her with dreamy eyes. This boy couldn't concentrate to save his life…

"Cosmo, could you at least pretend to study?" Wanda griped, making sure to keep her voice down. "You know how Mrs. Slytherin is; her tests are brutal."

All the core curriculum instructors at CPPFH taught both regular and advanced placement, so each grade had the same teacher for the same subject. Mrs. Slytherin was the designated 12th grade History teacher, and she had the reputation as the most demanding and challenging teacher of all Poofy Pants-dom.

"You're so beautiful." Cosmo replied in a dreamy tone, completely ignoring Wanda's complaint.

Wanda rolled her eyes. An hour in, and she was getting nowhere with him. "Okay, fine!" She closed her textbook with an exaggerated sigh. "You win. I needed a break anyhow…"

Cosmo took the opportunity to hold on to one of her hands and smile as he caressed it softly. "If we were to have kids, I'd want them to take after you."

"Intelligence or looks?" Wanda inquired, humoring him.

"Why not both?"

As Cosmo lifted her hand to give it a tiny peck, Wanda shook head with the smallest grin. He was such a sap.

"What made you think about that?" Wanda questioned as she rested her chin on her free palm.

"I dunno." Cosmo shrugged. "Just imagining our future."

"Our future?"

"Well, yeah." Cosmo replied matter-of-factly. "Y'know, after we get married and stuff. And after we've granted wishes for a few god kids and settle into our roles as god parents."

"You it allllll figured out, don't you?"

Cosmo leaned over to kiss Wanda on the cheek. "I sure do, lamb chop!"

Wanda blushed as she smiled. Why was he so cute? "Okay, okay." Wanda grew more serious, opening his textbook. "We both have our tests tomorrow, so we should probably get to studying."

"Awww, do we have to?"

"Yes." Wanda leaned to give Cosmo his own peck on the cheek. "Now, get to it."

Blonda slammed her locker shut after discarding her English notebook. She was over everything to do with school; homework, tests, teachers, all of it. "Why did every single teacher decide to have all of their tests at the same time?"

"Because teachers love making their students miserable." Sapphire groaned as they floated to their Science class for their third test of the day.

"Agreed." Amethyst concurred, following alongside her sister. "Teachers like to think they're the only class we have to worry about."

"Senior year is supposed to be easy!" Blonda whined. "I don't get it!"

"Don't get what?"

Blonda paused, searching for the owner of that sultry, tenor voice. She found Treveston leaning against a locker with his arms folded. And that smile. That dazzling, sexy smile…

"Treveston!" Blonda's mood lifted at the sight of her newest eye candy. "Hey!"

"Sup." Treveston greeted as he approached the girls. He reached to hug Blonda which she gladly accepted, Amethyst and Sapphire glancing towards each other questioning how close Blonda and Treveston seemed.

Treveston's eyes scanned her hourglass figure after he broke the embrace, imagining very, very inappropriate thoughts. "You look super hot today."

Blonda smiled sensually, flattered by the compliment. Duh, of course she looked hot. "And you're looking like quite the snack yourself."

As an amorous smirk curved his lips, Treveston adjusted the strap to his backpack. "So…we still good to go over lines after school?"

"Definitely." Blonda agreed.

"Cool." Treveston turned toward Amethyst and Sapphire, his lips curved in a friendly smile. "You ladies have a good rest of your day."

Amethyst and Sapphire watched Blonda as she locked her eyes on Treveston floating away into the sea of other students. "Uh, what was that?!" Amethyst questioned, nudging Blonda out of her blissful trance.

"What was what?"

"That!" Sapphire pointed out, her voice squealing in pitch. "You and Treveston!"

"We flirted a little…so what?"

"Uh, that looked like more than flirting to us." Amethyst teased before she gasped. "OMG; is Treveston your side bae?!"

"Side bae…seriously? No!" Blonda corrected. What in the world were they smoking? "We're just friends!"

"Yeah. Just friends." Sapphire joked, gesturing air quotes. "Look at Blonda! Such a cougar!"

"You're ridiculous!" Blonda scoffed, rolling her eyes as the girls continued their trek to Science. Pssh, side bae. Yeah, right.

Two minutes left out of the fifty-minute class, and Cosmo answered six out of fifty history questions.

When Cosmo eventually buckled down and tried reading over his history notes, Wanda helped explain everything in terms at least he could comprehend. However, the quantity of information he was required to remember proved daunting for his poor retention, and to say he was struggling was an understatement.

A bead of sweat trickled down the side of his forehead, his palms sweating in anxiety; working under pressure was not something Cosmo could handle. Not just this history test, but tests in general. There was just so much to remember and his brain couldn't handle the load. In fact, he was pretty sure he failed the first four tests he'd already taken before this.

The ring of the school bell echoed through the classroom. Oh no…he ran out of time.

"Alright students!" Mrs. Slytherin straightened her posture in her chair behind her desk. "That's it; time's up! Turn your papers into the front, face down, please and thank you."

Cosmo felt his heart race as students passed him to turn in their tests. It also didn't help that Mrs. Slytherin counted on him to fail.

"Cosmo!" Mrs. Slytherin called out, startling the green-haired lad. "Papers, now!"

"B-but Mrs. Slytherin-"

"You get the same amount of time as everyone else, Cosmo!" Mrs. Slytherin countered, standing from her seat. "You don't finish, that's on you!"

Disappointed, Cosmo grabs his backpack and begrudgingly takes his test to Mrs. Slytherin's desk, placing it face down.

"You don't get special treatment, Cosmo." Mrs. Slytherin warned, staring him straight in the eyes. "I suggest you start putting in more effort if you ever hope to graduate."

Cosmo averted his eyes as he turned to leave out of the classroom. Mrs. Slytherin could be a bit of a hard-ass and extremely blunt; if she didn't like you, she wasn't scared to let you know it.

Spike was leaning against the wall next to the door of Mrs. Slytherin's classroom when he saw Cosmo speed past him out the room, visibly upset. "Yo, Cosmo!" Spike sped after him. Geez, he was fast. "Slow down, will ya?"

Cosmo paused in the middle of the hallway with his back facing his friend. Spike grabbed onto his shoulder to turn him around and saw Cosmo was fighting back tears. "Dude…cheer up. It's just a stupid test."

"So says you!" Cosmo retorted. "Mr. 'really smart but not in A.P.'!"

"Yuuuuuuup." Spike replied. "If I wanted to take college level classes, I'd be at the Fairy Academy already!"

"That's beside the point!" Cosmo exclaimed. "Wanda helped me study and I still screwed up!"

Spike let out a small sigh, grabbing Cosmo by both shoulders, and stared right into his eyes. Spike had become familiar with a few of Cosmo's tendencies, including his tendency to self-pity. "Dude, that test is like, what? Twenty percent of our final grade? Chillax; you have all year to make it up."

Cosmo stared at him, trying to understand where Spike was coming from. Sure, Cosmo could put in more effort; he could study more, he could try harder on his homework, he could even pay more attention in class. But school wasn't like maneuvering on a skateboard; he's always sucked at it, no matter how hard he tried.

"You think I can?" Cosmo asked, lowering his gaze.

"Yes, you can." Spike shoved him playfully, taking a stab at being all 'encouraging' or whatever. "Now c'mon; we got Alchemy."

Cosmo nodded as he followed Spike through the halls. Spike wasn't Cosmo; how could he possibly understand?

It was half past three, and Juandissimo was nowhere to be found.

Since Wanda normally studied with Cosmo on Mondays, Juandissimo had football practice on Thursdays, and games were on Fridays, they had both agreed Tuesdays and/or Wednesdays would be the best days to meet for their report. Wanda figured they could meet at the library after school so they could research scholarly journals and any scientific data they needed. Meeting right after school was a mutual agreement, and yet, Wanda was the only one of the two sitting at one of the tables in the library.

This was not a good look.

Wanda played with the beads of her bracelet, questioning whether she should leave or wait another fifteen minutes. Typical jarhead jocks; how can anyone trust them to uphold their end of the bargain?

She looked up from her bracelet from the opening of double doors to see Juandissimo fly into the library. Wanda watched as he dropped his backpack on the ground and took the seat directly across from her. "Just get here when you can, I guess."

"Lo siento mucho," Juandissimo exhaled, scrummaging his bag for his textbook. "I was…doing something and lost track of time."

"Don't worry its fine." Wanda sighed as she opened her textbook, trying not to roll her eyes. "Just, give a heads-up next time?"

"Si."

"Great."

Twenty minutes passed and not a word was said between the pair as they studied their respective textbooks on the chapter of Magic. Wanda scribbled some notes in her notebook from the paragraph she read. She didn't know if she was supposed to study the supernatural view or the spiritual view, so she studied both. There wasn't much of a structure as far as their approach on the project. She didn't know what Juandissimo preferred, and quite frankly, Wanda wasn't in the mood to care.

While finishing her notes, she decided to break the silence. "So, I think I might go ahead and say I'll take the spiritual point of view. I dunno, I just like it better. What do you think?" She didn't get a reply, so she veered her eyes from her notes to Juandissimo. She noticed that familiar vague look in his eyes, and he appeared to be looking passed her. She turned around to see what he could possibly be so interesting.

Nothing. He was staring at nothing.

She turned back around with an arched eyebrow. At this point, she didn't know who was worst at spacing out; Cosmo or Juandissimo?

Raising a hand in front of his face, she snapped her fingers to snap him back to reality. "What's going on with you?"

Juandissimo wiped his eyes with his palms and simply replied "Nothing."

This dude was seriously hard to read. "…didn't look like nothing."

His eyes cast downwards as he crossed his arms over the table. "Just…a lot on my mind."

Wanda simply shrugged, deciding not to push further. "Well...you sure you're okay?"

"Si." He lifted his eyes to seed Wanda staring at him in disbelief. "Promise."

"If you say so." Wanda sighed. She switched back to her textbook, sitting her chin in her palm. She figured if it was that important, he'd talk about it. Then again, why should she care?