Turns out this was a war. That is, a war for sanity. Pretty boy Joshua seemed to have every one of her damn classes, and there was only one person happy about that.

Guess who.

"Come on, can't you at least be a bit friendly? I thought all Southern folk were supposed to be friendly."

"I thought people from Wisconsin were supposed to like cheese." Low blow, since she only found out, involuntarily, that he was lactose intolerant during a rant he had over the macaroni and cheese. She tried to avoid him by sitting at the back corner table, yet he pursued her, just to complain how his body couldn't break down the protein in dairy products.

Whoop dee frickin' doo.

"Hey, that's uncalled for. I don't get on you for being a vampire."

Dess stopped and wheeled around, glaring at him through her shaded lenses. "I'm a bit photobic, okay? My eyes can't stand direct sunlight." She said that lie so many times in her past, along with…..

Well, they weren't around anymore.

"Okay, I'm sorry about your sensitive eyes." Joshua walked alongside her, not seeming to care if she wanted him there or not. "But look, you're the only person I can seem to talk to here. You talk almost like my sister."

"Thank goodness for that. Then you can't date me, someone who resembles your sibling." She looked at him sideways, curiously but with good sarcasm. "Unless you imagine those sort of thi-"

"Ah! Ew! No!" He shuddered, chalk one for the photophobe. "I just mean that you're a complete sarcastic smart ass, just like her."

Huh, that was the best compliment Dess ever had in a while.

"Also….I was wondering if you could help me after school. Tutoring I mean." Joshua nudged her, smiling. "Hell, you could even meet her and you two can throw insults at each other as if there was no tomorrow."

Hmm, interesting proposal. But…well, she honestly had no life since the others left or abadoned her. Meeting Mr. Hunk's Dess-like sister might liven things up a bit. "Sure, I'll tutor you. I charge five bucks an hour, though."

Joshua grumbled protests, "Well, I'd rather have my sister smart ass me for free…" but he complied like a good little Lautner look-a-like. He gave her his bus number, followed by a wink (how any person could use all forty-nine of those muscles in such a stupid gesture, she would never know).

Dess was uninterested by all of the comments and gossip going about, being in a small school everyone saw everything that happened, only wanting to meet the sister. Hmm, she'd have to test her. But with what? Aha! The polymath smiled like a cheshire and pulled out her notebook filled with math puzzles. Over winter and summer break one year she got really bored and made a bunch of very well thought out mind teasers and brain benders that would make a mathmatician cringe in defeat. But not for someone like her.

The perfect tutor.