Author's Note: I feel like a short chapter doesn't make up for the delay in posting this update. But since the previous one, I've gotten two jobs, a throat infection, a spent a week dog-sitting for a friend who visited Spain. Oh, and my other ongoing Fic for Miraculous Ladybug, which I've been trying to update on a relatively frequent basis (shameless self-promotion, sorry) but hopefully posting this one will give me that little nudge to write more for Abstract Catastrophe. ~Ven.
Chapter Three:
It was a full week before Lissa spoke to Dave again; and two more weeks until they had to hand in their art pieces for the competition. Lissa had completely blanked him, she hadn't even mocked him during school. To Dave's surprise, he found himself missing her snide remarks. She had left after seeing his art piece, and he didn't have the heart to finish it. It was a reminder of the 'Labyrinth' as Lissa had called it, and he didn't want to dwell anymore on shadowed figures whispering sweet words of suicide to him. So he'd covered it with a cloth and left it there, but still he could not sleep.
As usual, Dave was late to school, and he knew if he didn't get his attendance back up the school would ring his father. He hurried through the school gates, and bounded toward the front doors. He found himself thinking of Lissa's words as he rushed to get to class. 'She was talking about you,' she had said. She was in the Labyrinth, too. He made up his mind to ask her, deciding he would push through all the low belt insults she could hurl at him, he needed to know.
His classmates were busy working in silence when he entered it. He sighed inwardly, he had been hoping for a busy lesson so that he could talk to Lissa. She was busy scribbling rapidly into her note book, and didn't seem to notice Dave enter.
"David, nice of you to join us," Mr Hopkins remarked, gesturing to Dave's folded up desk.
He set about unfolding his desk and taking his seat.
"Page 46 in the Science text book, answer the questions," Mr Hopkins said. "Silence please, I'd like to think."
Dave opened the text book and sighed at the long list of Biology questions. He started to fiddle with his pencil, and stared at the back of Lissa's head.
Mr Hopkins, who was staring at a polaroid in his hand, didn't notice Dave tossing a scrunched up piece of paper at Lissa's head. A note which read: 'bitch, stop ignoring me' on it. Lissa rubbed the back of her head as the note dropped to the floor, and turned round. Kevin Jenkins, who sat in the desk behind her, shrugged and pointed at the note on the floor. Dave, who sat behind Kevin Jenkins, watched expectantly. Lissa opened the note and stuck her tongue out at him.
As soon as the bell rang to signal the end of the lesson, Lissa was on her feet. Mr Hopkins hastily put away the picture and cleared his throat.
"Anything you didn't finish is home work, class dismissed," he looked like he was tearing up.
Lissa stormed over to Dave's desk and slammed his text book closed. Dave drew back his hands and glared up at her.
"What do you think you're doing?" She raged. "Passing notes to me, people will think we're friends!"
"Oh, but Melissa, we're BFFs, aren't we?" Dave teased, folding his arms across his chest.
"I don't have time to pay attention to your childish behaviour, David," she growled.
Most of their classmates were looking at them, or trying to disguise the fact that they were looking at them, and Dave realised they had been talking rather loudly.
Lissa sighed and turned to walk away. She hastily grabbed her bag and stormed out of the room, and Dave cursed himself for not being prepared.
"Trouble is paradise, Dave?" Someone jeered, but Dave ignored him.
He quickly gathered up his stuff and shoved it into his bag, before sprinting out of the classroom. He was vaguely aware that his actions towards Lissa would make people think he fancied her, but he didn't care about that right now. His desire to know more about the Labyrinth and the girl dressed in green was stronger than his desire to hate Lissa.
He found her outside the front gates, looking down at something in her hand. Dave approached silently, and was surprised that Lissa didn't notice him. As he got closer, he could see the gem in her hand. Its colour was hidden by a swirling blackness inside it, and Lissa seemed upset.
"Are you okay?" He asked, making her jump.
"What do you care?" She snapped, instinctively clenching her fist around the gem and holding it away from him.
"I don't want that, it's clearly important to you," he shrugged, and she shot him a confused look. "I just want to know what happened in that 'Labyrinth,' was that what it was called?"
"You don't need to be involved in this," she replied, trying to keep her voice even.
"Oh, I'm sorry," he cried, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "But I've barely slept since that day. I can't even paint, because all I paint is that mess of... of whatever the hell it was. What little sleep I do get is ruined by dreams of babies telling me I'm worthless and I should just go and die. So, yeah, I think I have a right to know."
She took a deep breath and moved away from him and the school. Then she started to walk away, and Dave followed her. His attendance would suffer even more, and he was sure to be in trouble, but he didn't want to think about it.
"Where are you going?" He asked, as he trotted along behind her.
"I need to kill one of those things," she replied. "Assuming she hasn't got them all, before me."
"Who?" Dave asked dumbly, then he realised she must have meant the girl in green.