As the school day drew to an end, the students gathered with their friends in the various classrooms. On a typical day like this most of the students would hang around after their last class. They would find their friends, gossip, plan for the evening, start their homework or wait for their clubs to meet. Jayce, however, was in his own little world. He sat at his desk with his head propped up in his hand as if it wouldn't keep itself up otherwise. It was his first year at the Institute so he didn't know many of the students. In fact, he maybe only knew one from back home.

As his gaze shifted around the room he scanned for potential. He'd seen Janna on the morning announcements, she was pretty cute. Jayce did like blondes. His eyes lingered for a moment before moving on to a girl with a long red braided ponytail. He wasn't sure of her name, but he thought he'd seen her with the guy who ran for student president. Something the Fourth? If they were dating then that's a shame. Jayce did like red heads. Traveling once more, his eyes ended on a girl who was just entering the room.

She strode in with a confidence that demanded his attention. Jayce started low. She wore thick sole boots that ran up to her knee, ready for business. His eyes continued up her creamy legs to her purple skirt, then locked on to her shiny belt buckle: a gear with a gap in it. It almost looked like the letter C. His eyes continued their trek up as he inspected her vested chest. He lingered for a while before he noticed the purple and yellow armband she wore. It had the same C-shaped gear as her belt. He wasn't quite sure what it signified and honestly didn't care at this point. Jayce finally found his way to her face. She had a stern expression, pursed lips and sharp eyes that surveyed the room. Her entire demeanor softened as she found her friend and a smile lit up her face in a way that made Jayce's heart race. Best of all, underneath a stylish purple and yellow stripped top hat flowed long, beautiful, silky brown hair. Jayce did like brunettes.

He had imagined her walking over to his desk. What would he say? Something smooth no doubt. She'd be drawn to his winning smile, his ruggedly handsome jawline and his expertly styled hair; swept back with a perfect spit curl in front. They'd then go to town, do a little shopping, maybe get something to eat (his treat). Then they'd walk back to their dorms in each other's arms and before the night was over, they'd kiss. Oh Jayce, she'd say. Jayce. Jayce.

"Jayce! Runeterra to Jayce, come in. You there man?" A sudden snap in his face brought reality crashing back down upon him. His head slipped from his hand and he nearly bashed it into the desk. Looking up in anger he saw his friend from Piltover, Ezreal, had ruined his perfect moment.

Ezreal laughed as he sat back on the desk next to Jayce's. His uniform was simple, short sleeves and tie, but he wore a leather gauntlet on one arm. A replica from some Ionian anime he was a huge fan of. He also wore a pair of goggles for the same reason, resting on top of his wavy blonde head.

"You looked lost. You need a map?"

"Who is that girl?" Jayce asked ignoring the taunt. He was used to Ezreal's cocky ego and mocking jests by now. In fact they both shared those traits which is probably why they were friends in the first place. Ezreal followed his gaze to the brunette then turned back to Jayce.

"Oh, you don't know Caitlyn? She's from Piltover too, I'm surprised you never met her."

"Ez, I think I'm in love." After a pause Jayce quickly realized a slight problem. "Wait, does she have a boyfriend?"

"Well, no, she doesn't have a boyfriend, but-"

"Then my future is bright!" Jayce exclaimed as she stood from his desk. He pulled the collar of his jacket up in a way he felt made him look cooler and rolled his shoulders, loosening himself up as if things were about to get physical. After more than ideal prep time, Ezreal cut the warmup short with a whistle across the room, waving Caitlyn over.

"Yes, Ezreal?" she asked as she approached, the stern look back on her face. She spoke with an accent exclusive to, but not commonly used in, Piltover. Only the wealthy and privileged spoke with that accent. Jayce was finding her even more irresistible now.

"Hey Cait. Have you met Jayce? We're old buddies from Piltover."

"Is that so?" She turned to face the new student and offered her hand. "I'm Caitlyn. Charmed."

Jayce knew words. They existed, he was sure of it. He even knew how to make sounds that could be words. People would understand him if he made these sounds. Talking! That was it. He knew how to talk with words, he now simply needed the right ones. What were they? How did they work again? He extended his hand as well and shook a greeting as he tried his vocabulary.

"Yes." Yes? That wasn't right. She was looking at him funny while Ezreal was grinning madly. Jayce stammered and cleared his throat for a second attempt. "I mean, yes, I'm Jayce. Pleasure to meet you." Having regained his composure, he released her hand and quickly slid his into his pockets. They were starting to sweat.

"Well I've got to get going," Ezreal said as he hopped down from the desk. "Anime club is starting in a few and I need to get some stuff ready. Catch ya later!" With that, Jayce was alone with the girl of his dreams. Just him. Her. And the silence...

Jayce was screaming internally. Why is this awkward? Say something to her. Tell her about your project in shop class. No! Talk about her! Girls love talking about themselves and it'll make you seem interested. Yeah, that's the ticket.

"So, uh, nice armband. Is that... for something?" Smooth. Jayce leaned against his desk to try and play it cool, only to have the desk skid under his weight just enough to trip him up. He didn't fall, just lost his balance for a second. Upon recovery he sighed in relief. Caitlyn's gaze was turned to her arm as she idly tugged at the armband. She hadn't noticed.

"The student council president appointed me chief of the student disciplinary committee," she explained. "My partner and I were on the committee last year as well. It means if we see anything untoward happening we can step in. Bullying, cheating, curfew violations, unauthorized dorm visits..."

"Wow, so you're like the law here, huh?"

"Student rule enforcement has been shown to be an effective solution in many instances. It builds trust between the students and doesn't detract the teachers from their other responsibilities. Of course, the school counselor is notified of our decisions and is required to sit in on our peer to peer talks." Caitlyn was very passionate about this, Jayce could tell. She continued to tell him about procedure. Then she talked about cases from the year prior. Then she started to talk about... something. Her parents? Or partner? Maybe pen pal? Jayce had zoned out at this point so it's hard to tell. She was so cute the way she went on about whatever she was talking about. As Jayce "uh-huh"ed and nodded her on, a slight smile reappeared on her face bringing just a tinge of warmth and redness to Jayce's cheeks.

"So, Jayce," (She said my name, time to pay attention!) "Are you interested?" Caitlyn was still idly tugging at her armband as she looked up at him.

"Yes," he responded, this time yes being the right word. "I'm very interested. Maybe we could head into town? Do some shopping, maybe get something to eat? My treat."

"Oh?" She seemed pleasantly surprised by his answer. "Why, yes, that would be lovely."

"Great. Great! Yeah let's get-" before he could finish his thought, a voice called out across the room. It originated from a tall, lanky young man who was leaning against the door frame catching his breath. Most of his body was covered; long sleeve shirt, white gloves, he even wore a surgical mask over his face. All that could be seen were his eyes. And his gloriously golden hair. The two were in extreme contrast with each other. His eyes seemed sunken, circled and weak while his hair was rich and full with a lustrous shine.

"Caitlyn!" his cries silenced the room and turned all heads. "Please, come quick!" Caitlyn did just that, assuring everyone they could resume their business as she did so. Jayce followed in confusion.

"Catch your breath Singed," she said calmly. "When you're ready, tell us what happened."

"It's nearly time," he said, checking his watch as his breathing normalized. "We must hurry. My chemistry project has gone missing."
"Don't worry Singed. I'm on the case." The absolute conviction in her voice was normally awe-inspiring for those who heard it. In fact Singed felt greatly relieved to know she was there to help. Jayce, however, saw his afternoon of flirting and love starting to slip away. Why this? Why now?

"Maybe you should check lost and found," Jayce quickly suggested to Singed. Turning to Caitlyn he asked, "Didn't we just make plans? I'm sure he simply misplaced his project."

"Jayce, it's our duty to help those in need. The student disciplinary committee is about more than assigning detentions to delinquents. We need the peoples' trust if we're to be respected. If we just got people in trouble they would resent us and shun the order we help provide." The look of disapproval in her eyes struck Jayce right in the ego. Though she quickly shifted her demeanor, that look lingered in Jayce's mind. He decided then he would do everything in his power to make sure she never looked at him the same way again. If he were to ever stand a chance, he would have to do what was right. He would win her back!

"Right, Singed was it? Have you got any leads?" He spoke with confidence, convincing himself and the others present that he knew what he was talking about. Caitlyn nodded and quickly pulled a small notepad and pencil from her bag. A bit old fashioned, just the way she liked it.

"Even better, I know who did it!"

Warwick's chemistry lab was adjacent to his classroom, separated by a glass wall. The room was very white and sterile. White walls, white tables, white chairs, white chemical lockers, white refrigerator, white lab coats hanging from hooks which, by chance, were white. Sitting across from Caitlyn at one of the tables was the accused who's hair matched the rest of the room: white.

"Riven, I'm going to start by simply asking for the truth. Did you take Singed's project?" Caitlyn rested her arms on the table, her fingers interlaced before her. She sat upright with a posture that claimed dignity, but also kept her from being too imposing. In contrast, across the table Riven was slouching in her chair with arms crossed defiantly across her chest. The mean expression she wore had Jayce hesitant. She was not a delicate woman, her purple jacket battered and worn. Her gaze passed from Caitlyn, to Jayce, to student counselor Shen before narrowing in on Singed.

"No, I didn't!" she exclaimed at last. "I've learned from my mistakes. I'd never get caught up with him again." The acidity in her voice as she said the word was vicious. It was filled with hate and contempt, but also a hint of guilt.

"You were in Mr. Warwick's class last period with Singed, were you not?" Caitlyn asked, undeterred.

"I was."

"And you stayed after the other students had left, did you not?"

"I did. But I was just cleaning up a mess from my project." Her gaze again turned to Singed. "Some of us prefer to keep things clean, instead of making a mess."

"And do you know what happened to his project?"

"No! And I don't want to know. For all I care he can fail this class."

"Doesn't sound very innocent to me," Singed instigated.

"Me?" Riven jumped from her seat and slammed her hands on the table, startling all but the student counselor who remained stoic. "You're one to talk of innocence. You are beyond redemption!" She thrust an accusing finger in his direction. "Do you know what this secret chemistry project of his is Caitlyn? Has he told you that? I'm sure if he finally told someone what he was working on you'd be trying to dispose of it!"

Caitlyn followed Riven's aim and turned to inspect Singed. He seemed very uncomfortable with the sudden turn of events, she could tell. His breathing, the darting glances, slight perspiration. "Well, Singed, is there something you'd like to add to this?"

"I-... uh..." He stammered to find the best response. "I don't see how it matters what my project it!"

This was it, Jayce's time to contribute. He stepped up to the intimidated student and used his larger frame to his advantage. With as much presence as he could muster he demanded, "The lady asked you a question Singed. Tell us, what were you working on?"

"I'll tell you what he was working on," Riven chimed in aggressively. "He was making another stink bomb, just like the one he used in middle school!"

"Stink bomb?" Caitlyn asked, seeking clarification. She rose from her seat as to not be the only one still sitting, and began to wander throughout the lab as Riven explained.

"It happened while we were in middle school. Noxus Middle School and Zaun Middle School had planned a field trip together to Ionia. It was so we could meet with other students and learn about different cultures. Some of the Noxian students got into an argument with some Ionian kids and started a fight. I went for help. But instead, I found him. He decided he'd help in his own way.

"Before I knew what was happening, he had flung some sort of bottle right into the middle of things. The next thing I know it cracked open and the worst, most foul smelling gas began to escape into the air. It was so bad everyone was in tears. Some kids started to throw up so bad they had to be taken to the hospital at risk of dehydration! It was the worse thing I've ever seen, but nobody else saw him do it. None of the teachers would believe me because the other Noxian students stood up for him! He's sick I tell you, and he's at it again!"

"Is that why you're wearing that mask Singed?" Jayce leaned in closer, trying to hammer away at his resolve. "Were you going to release another stink bomb? Trying to make sure you don't have to smell it?"

"I'm sick. Er, not like she says I'm sick. I'm actually sick!"

"Singed, how many beakers was your project in?" Caitlyn's voice drifted from across the room, muffled as she spoke into the refrigerator. Everyone was so caught up in the moment they hadn't noticed as she drifted away. All save for the student counselor, who still didn't show any sign of involvement at all in what was happening.

"Uh, just the one," Singed answered, unsure if he was condemning or liberating himself. They all turned to watch Caitlyn as she pulled several empty beakers from the fridge and wafted them under her nose, carefully smelling the contents. She made note of the names on each beaker before placing them all back from which they came and shutting the door.

"I believe Riven is innocent. I also have reason to believe Singed was not working on a stink bomb. But a new urgent matter is upon us. Singed, would your project be poisonous if ingested?"

"Well, yes. It's not intended to be drank."

"Quickly," Caitlyn fired off desperately, "Who sat next to you during class?" Singed placed his hand to his chin as he thought back to the answer. As if she already knew, Caitlyn spoke in sync with Singed as he answered. "Gragas!"

"Gragas stole my project? But why?"

"Hurry, I'll explain on the way. We have to stop him!"

As the four students rushed through the halls at full speed, Caitlyn clung to her hat for dear life with one hand, her other tapping away furiously at her mobile phone. They were running from room to room trying to find where the guilty party might have went. After checking the main classrooms on the floor, they descended down to the ground level and continued their search.

"Cait, slow down," Jayce wheezed, his chest on fire from the sudden exertion. "Why did Gragas steal the project?"

Caitlyn was barely breathing heavily, all of the running scarcely affecting her at all. Or maybe she simply knew how to hide it better. "He didn't know he was stealing it. I found his empty beakers right next to the one Singed was using. And do you know what he was working on?" The others looked amongst themselves and collectively shrugged. Caitlyn added on, in attempts to clear it up, "What would Gragas make if given the opportunity? What is the one thing he loves most?"

With that they understood and everything clicked in place. Except for Jayce. He wasn't sure who Gragas was, or what it was he loved most.

"Soda!" Singed and Riven said in unison, regretting the fact.

"Exactly! His beakers smelled like soda. He must have thought your project was one of his creations and bottled it up. If we don't hurry, he could drink it at any moment. And knowing how quickly Gragas goes through soda..." She let her sentence hang, not wasting anymore time on exposition.

As if summoned to punctuate her statement, a loud barreling sound echoed through the halls. A rumbling, disgusting burp from off in the distance. The call of one who drinks his soda too fast. Gragas had left the building. Without a word the four were racing again down the halls, heading for the main entrance.

A jumbled cacophony of warnings echoed across the quad as the four burst through the opening in the massive wooden doors. But just as their yelling over each other only made their shouts indeterminable, their running had broken out of conjunction as well. Jayce's legs had finally given up on him, mad at his abuse and refused to do his bidding any longer. As he went down his arms flailed in protest, grabbing whatever, or whoever, they could and dragging them down as well. The four looked on is horror as the oblivious, round bellied, wild red haired student put a new bottle to his lips to take a deep swig.

"Boom, baby!" A streak of pink lightning flashed onto the scene and before anyone could register the situation, the bottle had been knocked free from it's grasp and sent flying through the air, spraying it's contents out in an aerial dance. The pink lightning, now a stationary pink-haired girl, pumped an arm victoriously as the bottle drained the rest of it's contents into the dirt. "Yeah! Teamwork!"

"Ow! Me hand!" Gragas bellowed as his senses came about him. Then, as if more pained by the sight cried out even louder, "No, not me soda!"

"Heh, no need to thanks us. Piltover's Finest, on the case."

"Vi!" Caitlyn barked as she pushed herself up from the ground. The pink-haired girl froze in place, closing her eyes to try and relish the moment just a little while longer. "You better not have broken his hand. The school year just started and you're already acting recklessly."

"But, your text," Vi defended. "You told me not to let him drink it! I couldn't just grab it. I've got these gloves on! See?" She held both hands up to prove her point. The girl was, in fact, wearing gloves that prevented any manual dexterity. A pair of red boxing gloves. As an aside she added disappointed, "There wasn't enough interest for a boxing club this year either. Student council wouldn't appffft-" Her words turn to hysterical laughter as she pointed an arm in Jayce's direction.

Confused, Jacye finally pulled himself to his feet again and looked himself up and down. He was a little dirty, sure, but nothing to laugh at. Though as he began to pat himself down he realized something was amiss. Wait, where did I get this... uh... what is this? He tried to make sense of the item he found mysteriously in his grasp. It was out of place, that's for sure, but why? What was it? Is this... hair?

And then the last horse crossed the finish line as Jayce turned to Singed. "Your hair..." he said, putting the puzzle together. "It's a wig?"

Angrily, Singed snatched the wig from his hands and attempted to adjust it back onto his bald head. What little of his face could be seen was turning bright red. "I told you I was sick. And yes, my sickness made my hair fall out. My project wasn't a stink bomb, I was trying to make an oil to help my hair grow back!"

The sound of laughter filled the silence until Caitlyn snapped at Vi, the only one oblivious to the seriousness of the situation. With tears welling in his eyes, Singed quickly turned away from the group and tried to escape, only to be cut off by Riven.

"Singed, wait." She hesitated, unsure of exactly how she should feel. Here before her, a man she hated was vulnerable and defeated. She had wanted this moment for so long. Victory would finally be hers, redemption at last. But instead, she simply adjusted his hair, making sure it looked natural. She then placed her hands on his shoulders and looked into his eyes. "What is broken can be reforged."

The words seemed to steel the man's resolve and, after wiping his eyes dry, he walked back into the school alongside his rival. Meanwhile Jayce watched as Gragas pulled another bottle of soda from his backpack, all pain from his hand seemingly gone, and took the large swig he was denied from the last bottle. Uninterested in the events around him, he simply wandered off with a loud burp. Jayce, completely dumbfounded by the way his afternoon had unfolded, turned back to the two girls.

"GG Cupcake!" Vi said as she patted Caitlyn's backside with a gloved hand. She was wearing a blue track suit. An acceptable school uniform, though typically only worn during PE or sports clubs, Jayce recalled seeing her around the school wearing the same outfit. On her arm was a matching purple and yellow armband to Caitlyn's. Her hair was an expression of her individuality, long and wild on one side, buzzed short on the other, tied back into a ponytail. Three pieces of tape on her cheek seemed to spell out her name, VI.

"I've told you before, don't 'good game' me. This isn't one of your sports clubs." Caitlyn's voice was terse but Jayce could see a hint of crimson in her cheeks. A smile slowly creaked onto her face, a familiar smile he had seen her wear before. I remember now, Vi was in my class this afternoon. She was the one Cait came to see. "Vi, did you bring it?"

"Oh yeah, it's in my pocket. Get it for me?" Vi whined as she began to bite at the Velcro straps on the wrists of her gloves, attempting to free her hands. Jayce watched as Caitlyn casually slipped her hands into Vi's pockets, one after another probing around. The familiarity between the two caused Jacye's mind to wander further. Wait, that smile. Cait smiled like that when she saw Vi in the classroom. She smiled again when she was talking about her, her partner! Wait... does this mean?...

Caitlyn had found what she was looking for by the time Vi had freed her first hand. "Jayce, since you said you were interested earlier, I'd like to officially welcome you onto the student disciplinary committee." She extended her hand, offering Jayce a purple and yellow armband of his own. Struggling to come to terms with the situation, he took the armband with an absent thanks.

"Welcome aboard newbie! Put 'er there!" Vi grabbed Jayce's hand and a sudden rush of pain shot up his arm. Her grip was like steel and he couldn't stop the yelp that left his throat in response.

"Broken hands!" Caitlyn warned as Vi grinned in satisfaction. She released her death grip and smiled up at Jayce smugly. "Well, now that we're all here," Caitlyn continued on, "Jayce has offered to take us shopping. And to buy us dinner."

"I what?" he asked.

"Your treat, right?" Caitlyn echoed his offer from earlier.

"Aww yeah! I know a great buffet place, c'mon!" Vi grabbed both members' arms and dragged them out through the gates.

"So, how did things with you and Caitlyn go last night, eh?" Ezreal asked as he sat himself on the desk next to Jayce's. Another school day over and Jayce was still at a loss. He simply tugged at the armband, drawing his friend's attention to it. "Ha! So she roped you into that huh? She asked me to join but, eh, not my thing. But hey, you can be Jayce!" he ran his hand through the air, as if reading an invisible marquee, "Defender of Tomorrow!"

"Shut up Ez," Jayce rebutted, resting his head on his desk. "Things were going so well until... She showed up."

"So what happened? Details. Go."

"First we did some shopping. Caitlyn and Vi got a matching pair of aviator sunglasses. They weren't cheap."

"Ouch," Ezreal empathized.

"Then we went to an expensive buffet. Again, my treat."

"That's rough buddy."

"Of course Vi ate too much and got sick, so Caitlyn helped walk her back to the dorm in each other's arms."

"And just like that you let chivalry die?"

"She wouldn't let me help! Said I was too tall or something..."

"So that was it then?" Ezreal asked.

"No, then there was the kiss."

"She kissed you?" The blonde nearly slipped from his seat in shock.

"No," Jayce groaned. "She kissed Vi. I'm telling you man, I've got a broken heart. I don't think I can ever love again. I just don't know if... If..." Jayce sat up straight as something caught his attention. "Hey Ez, who's that girl?" Following Jayce's gaze, Ezreal looked at the doorway and answered, "Oh, that's Luxanna. But everyone calls her Lux."

"Lux," Jayce tested the name. "I think I'm in love..."

"Wait, no! Hold on, back up, stop! You can't!"

With a surge of renewed purpose Jayce shot up from seat and exclaimed "My future is bright!"