Weiss was trying to pay attention to the teacher's lecture, but was utterly failing.

Why is it so hard to catch a break?

The girl had received numerous texts from Cardin over the last few days. The harassment even escalated to threatening phone calls.

As she tried to listen, she felt a slight vibration in her pocket, so she pulled her phone out and read the text in horror.

It was from Cardin.

Those texts effectively distracted her and now, as she glanced to the right, a pair of devious eyes met hers.

Weiss shuddered from the eye contact. Cardin glared at her like she was his prey.

And she hated it.

She'd be lying if she said she wasn't a little frightened of him.

She immediately looked away and pretended to listen to the lesson as she watched Glynda teach.

It was ironic in a way. The class was full of people and yet no one was aware of the tension in the air, how much the girl was distressed, and how often he harassed her. Cardin was a classmate, so it wasn't likely someone would sense something was amiss.

He had isolated her in a room full of potential friends.

Why can't he just leave me alone? Things are hard enough…

She felt like she was trapped in a corner with nowhere to turn.

No one to turn to.

That's when she remembered the talk she had with Blake the other day.

I can't believe they want to be my friends.

The girl nonchalantly casted her azure orbs to the right and Jaune's gaze met hers. She noticed his eyes were far different from Cardin's. As the two pairs of blue eyes met, he flashed her a genuine smile.

Weiss didn't scowl and remained poker faced but took comfort in the fact that maybe… just maybe… they were people that would be there for her.

Maybe he really does want to be my friend, even if he stares a lot.

She knew it wasn't just Jaune either, thanks to the talk she had with Blake. It was also the other blonde, her sister and Blake herself.

That made her feel a little better.

Jaune couldn't help but notice something was off about the white-haired girl. Typically she was poised and seemed so self-assured, but not today. She seemed worried about something, and when he saw Cardin staring her down, he knew it wasn't a friendly gesture.

Something was wrong.

To him, Weiss seemed frightened of something and he was willing to bet it was because of a certain bully.

"...Your project will be to think of a viable Psychology experiment that could be performed and tested. You will present it to the class using the guidelines on this paper," Glynda held up the rules sheet. "You will have assigned partners so when your name is called I'd suggest to get with the person and start brainstorming ideas."

"Nora and Ren," she called. "Coco and Fox. Cardin and Dove..."

Great, Weiss thought. A project. Perfect timing. Just when the company needed my full attention too. This is troublesome.

"...Jaune and Weiss…"

I'm with Arc again? As long as he doesn't flirt with me things should go well. He better not slow us down.

Glynda finished reading the list. "And lastly, Ruby, Blake, and Yang will be a three person group since there's an odd number of students."

Little did everyone know, Glynda paired people with whom she secretly shipped. She was quite pleased with herself when the students got up and went over to their partners with smiles on their faces.

Yang shot her hand in the air to gain Glynda's attention. "Thanks for the awesome pairings, bitch-sensei!"

Well… everyone except Yang.

Glynda scowled and yanked on Yang's collar and whispered. "You better not tell anyone."

"Psh," Yang waved off. "Who would I tell?"

Glynda deliberately gestured to Ruby, Jaune, Blake, Weiss, and then the whole class.

"You have nothin' to worry about!" Yang assured. "Even if people did know, you'd be their hero. Their shipping hero. Bitch-sensei the shipping hero!"

Glynda casually leaned into Yang's ear. "If you do tell anyone and if I find out about it, I'll beat you up after school. I doubt anyone would believe you if that happened. Do you?"

Yang audibly gulped. "I get it, I get it! I won't tell anyone… sheesh."

Glynda nodded. "Good, now get to work," she walked away.

Yang mischievously smirked. "Okay, bitch-sensei."

The teacher stopped in her tracks but didn't respond.

Yang always had the last word.

Jaune had already set his Psychology textbook on the table. He was nice enough to move his desk to get to Weiss so she didn't have to move hers over to him.

Arc is chivalrous in the strangest ways, Weiss thought. It's not a bad thing… it's just different.

Weiss wasn't sure if she liked 'different' or not, but she couldn't ponder for long.

"Do you have any ideas?" Jaune asked her.

Weiss shook her head. "I haven't the slightest clue."

She was usually on top of things, but in her defense, things have been pretty hectic lately.

Especially her home life.

"We'll definitely think of something," Jaune assured. "We have a full week after all."

Weiss nodded. "You're right, but we should get started soon."

Jaune smiled since he could actually get alone time with her. "Would you like to go to the library with me after school tomorrow?"

"Why not today?" Weiss asked, keeping her voice even.

Her father would allow it. He always told her that academics comes first.

Jaune wished he could. He really did, but…

"I have a meeting after school today, so I can't. But tomorrow is definitely doable," he replied. "Sorry, it's something I can't miss."

Jaune hated the fact that it his time with Weiss would have to be delayed, but the meeting was important.

"Understandable," the white-haired girl replied. "It seems I've underestimated you, Arc."

Jaune tilted his head. "How so?"

"I didn't think you had other responsibilities," she admitted. "I thought you were quite useless."

Jaune couldn't help but laugh at her bluntness. "Well I'm useless in some things," he joked. "Like cooking!"

"Huh…" Weiss mumbled. "Cooking of all things?"

"Yep! Can't do it to save my life. I swear, I can burn water without trying," he chuckled.

Weiss liked clever humor. "That takes talent."

"What about you, Weiss?" Jaune asked.

When he said her name, he got butterflies in his stomach. For a moment, he thought he wasn't allowed to say her name, but persevered nonetheless. The conversation between the two was calm and pleasant for once.

"What about me?"

"Are you hopeless in anything?" Jaune asked, hoping the girl would actually give him an answer.

"Well, I'm not very good at mathematics," she admitted.

"No way," Jaune feigned a gasp. "But… you're at the top of our class!"

"I know," she said dejectedly. "The last test wasn't pretty."

Jaune leaned in so no one else would hear her answer. "What was the damage?"

"A ninety percent," she dropped her head in defeat.

Jaune's mouth was agape. Weiss was officially the smartest girl he'd ever met.

"What do you mean didn't do well? A ninety is still an A," he encouraged. "Most people would kill for that grade."

Weiss thought back to Blake's promise she intended to keep as the words rang in her mind...

"Don't be so hard on yourself."

Weiss knew the class rep was right.

"I suppose… it wasn't the worst grade."

Jaune beamed a smile. "There ya go! That's better."

"Hey guys!" Yang easily found her way into the conversation. "Have you decided on a project?"

"We're not sure," Jaune answered. "We're deciding later."

"You've known Arc for a while, right?" Weiss asked the blonde.

"Yep!" Yang pat Jaune on the back. "Why?"

"Is he as hopeless cooperating on a project than he is with cooking?" Weiss asked with no hint of joking tone present.

"Hey!" Jaune whined.

Yang heartily giggled and fake wiped a tear under her eye. "Oh man, that was a good one. All joking aside, he's actually dependable."

"Props to you, Arc," Weiss teased.

"Aw come on! I'm not hopeless in everything I do, ya know," he whined.

Weiss accidentally let out a tiny giggle from the boy's reaction.

Jaune's eyes went wide and he got lost in her azure eyes. She really was more beautiful when she smiled and laughed. He wanted to make that happen more often since his heart fluttered at the mere sight.

Weiss noticed he was staring and played it off. "Is he always this creepy?"

Ruby heard the question and cringed. "Oh, you have no idea."

"Do I even want to know?"

"No," Blake joined. "You really don't."

Weiss looked back over at Jaune. "You really are hopeless."

The comment elicited giggles from RBY, but Weiss didn't laugh when she noticed a certain orange-haired boy continuing to stare her down with threat.

She grit her teeth.

Leave me alone. I just want to try to make friends...


"You sure you want to bring me along for this meeting?" Yang asked Blake as the two stood outside the door. "It's seems too... class rep-y."

Blake smirked. "Trust me, it's nothing you'd expect," she put her hand on the knob. "Let's go."

Yang nodded and the two entered the classroom. To say the blonde was surprised would be an understatement.

"Hey guys!" Blake greeted and strutted her way through the room to a vacant seat. "Let's get started."

Yang was left in the middle of the room in shock. "What… is this?"

Nora, Coco, Jaune and Velvet were in office chairs sitting from across one another at the long brown table. Blake took the seat at one of the ends, while Pyrrha sat on the other end.

The most surprising presence in the room to the blonde was…

"What the hell are you doing here, Jaune?"

"Ehehehehe," the boy rubbed the back of his head. "I got dragged into this last year."

"What exactly is this?" Yang asked.

"You'll see," Blake answered. "Now come sit and we'll get started!"

"Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!" Nora beamed. "Who's up today?!"

Yang was so confused as she sat next to Blake.

"Hello, Yang," Pyrrha greeted. "It's nice to have someone else here for once."

"How long has this been a thing?" Yang asked. "Not all of you are class rep's."

"Ha!" Coco scoffed. "Yeah right!"

Velvet giggled. "That's always been a cover-up for the true nature of these meetings."

"Did I accidentally join a cult or something?"

Everyone in the room laughed at the question.

"Nooo," Nora waved off unconvincingly. "You're so silly!"

"Blake, you didn't tell me you were a leader of a cult," the blonde feigned hurt.

"Quiet," the ravenette grabbed the remote on the table. "These meetings are the reason I know everything about everyone."

Coco smirked. "That's why her hair's so big it's… full of secrets."

"Can it, Coco," Blake turned on the large T.V. screen. "Let's get this started."

That's when Yang noticed they actually had a plasma screen in the room. "How the hell'd you get that?!"

Blake smirked. "Ms. Goodwitch."

"Bitch-sensei kept this from me!?"

"That's probably because you call her 'bitch-sensei,'" Blake replied.

Yang dropped her head in defeat, but she whipped it back up when she heard a gasp.

A picture of Coco's face appeared on screen.

"Wha- oh no," Coco was saddened. "Oh god, why?"

"Since you were distracting earlier it's you who gets roasted this time," Blake smirked. "Go."

Jaune stood and pointed accusingly at Coco. "Take those sunglasses off!"

Coco stood in a fury. "NEVER!"

"Coco's so short she can't reach the tops of kitchen cabinets," Velvet said confidently.

Everyone frowned; Velvet never was good with roasts.

"You think you're suuuuch a fashionista," Nora started. "Because… you are?"

Blake face-palmed. "Stop."

Pyrrha sighed. "Why do we still do this at the beginning of every meeting?"

Yang stared at Jaune across the table and mouthed, "What the fuck?"

"I guess we'll stop the roast sessions since none of you have a backbone," the ravenette concluded. "On to the real business," she clicked the remote and a picture of Cardin popped up on screen.

"So he's one of the subjects for today," Pyrrha crossed her arms. "I think we can all agree he's a jerk, yes?"

Everyone nodded while Blake put a reassuring hand on Velvet's back.

"According to our resources," Pyrrha added. "He was seen with Weiss in a vacant hallway earlier this week."

"Huh?" that sparked Jaune's interest.

Pyrrha played the tape from the security camera. It showed Cardin casually leaning against Weiss' locker with confidence, but the girl was obviously distressed.

"She looks unnerved," Nora observed. "Does anyone know if he's still bothering her?"

"He might be," Jaune chirped. "Don't worry guys. I'll keep a close eye on both of them."

At the time, Jaune didn't have a clear view of her face, but it was clear as day on the security camera. He was certain Cardin was actually bothering Weiss rather than them being together.

He remembered the menacing stare Cardin sent her earlier, and he wasn't about to let that go. Weiss showed a few uncomfortable signs during class, so he was going to help her out.

It was the Arc way!

Yang was amazed. These people were like secret guardians that knew everything about what goes on in their school. Although she found the fact that they had free access to security tapes a bit creepy, the intentions were pure.

"So this is how you know everything," Yang said.

The class rep's job really is to know everything, no wonder Blake was eager to be elected representative.

"Yes," the ravenette nodded. "We also have access to all the student's personal files. We usually have these meetings to discuss these things and help students out. As you already know, we are pretty good at keeping it low-key."

"How the hell do you have access to all this information?" Yang was stunned. "It's a little unsettling."

"Glynda," everyone said in unison.

"Of course," the blonde replied.

Pyrrha looked to Jaune. "We'll leave Weiss and Cardin in your hands."

Jaune bowed his head. "I am honored."

Yang had to admit, the atmosphere was professional, but what they were doing was prying into other student's lives. However, that was overlooked since they were a group of people who wanted to help others and never gossiped about them to the public.

"Speaking of Weiss," Blake clicked the remote again and the screen changed to her school picture. "She's the other person we'll be talking about today."

Yang pointed at the screen. "Hey! It's the princess!"

"Weiss Schnee," Pyrrha started. "The transfer."

Coco picked up her clipboard with several papers on it and read. "Says here that she's the heiress to a multi-million lien energy company and a former fencing champion."

"The Weiss Schnee?" Velvet asked. "How'd we not know sooner!?"

"Schnee Energy," Pyrrha informed. "It seems Weiss wants to keep that fact on the down-low, so let's respect her wishes."

Everyone nodded in understanding. It wasn't their business to pry. Even though that was all they were doing at the moment.

"So that explains it," Yang chimed. "Bitch-sensei never calls her by her last name. Is she in on it?"

"Ms. Goodwitch looks out for everyone in her own little way," Pyrrha smiled. "I'm willing to bet she never called Weiss by her last name because she asked her not to."

Yang leaned back in her seat in awe. "Well played, Glynda…"

Jaune was shocked. Weiss never once mentioned anything about her personal life. He was wondering what other things he didn't know about the snow-haired beauty.

It all came into place. Why she seemed so busy all the time, why she needed to get back home as soon as possible, and why she didn't bother with the stress of making friends.

But just because Weiss seemed even more unreachable for an average guy like him, didn't mean he would give up.

Jaune cleared his throat. "What does it mean by former champion?"

He always wondered why she quit and was surprised Weiss didn't mention the fact that she was a fencing champion when she first introduced herself to the class.

Coco scanned the pages. "There's no official reason given, although there are rumors it was because she received a scar over her eye during one of her fights."

Jaune held his chin in thought. "If she enjoyed fencing I'm willing to bet she wouldn't quit, at least not willingly. She must have a lot of different pressures with all of that on her plate."

"Great inferences, Jaune!" Nora beamed.

"No big deal, Nora," Jaune nodded.

"I've never seen you so…" Yang mumbled. "NOT dense."

"Gee thanks, Yang," the boy rolled his eyes. "I'm only perceptive when it comes to the people I care about."

Pyrrha smiled. "You do realize you get both missions assigned to you, right?"

"Yep!" Jaune happily smiled.

"Great," Blake put the remote down. "Keep pursuing Weiss and watch out for Cardin."

Jaune mocked a salute. "Yes, ma'am!"

Pyrrha picked up the gavel and smashed it on the table. "This meeting is adjourned."

Yang stared at every single one of her friends. What had she gotten herself into?


Cliché rules include: pretending to be alright when nothing is okay, 'coincidental' assigned partners, and 'class meeting' *cough cough* School Rumble *cough*