(Song of the Chapter: 'Bad Blood' - Taylor Swift)

Disclaimer: Neither I nor any of my family or friends have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). As a psychology major I have some knowledge of the disorder, but the events of this chapter came solely from my imagination and do not reflect any reality I have witnessed. It might also be triggering for some, so read at your own risk.

_

That wasn't the end of it though. More trouble was to follow, worse than I could've imagined.

I sat at the lunch table reading a book, my lunch forgotten in front of me. Rhys, Jasper and Brandon sat around me, the former peering into his phone while the other two chatted. And I read my book as usual.

Nothing out of the ordinary. This was the new normal for lunchtime, and I guess I would just have to get used to it.

This morning I had poured everything into one last ditch effort to... well... ditch the Horsemen. I wasn't exactly sure why I still tried. I had to actually pause and ponder it while preparing to scale the tree at the side of my balcony.

I actually liked their company, despite all my fronts. Having someone to talk to at school was a nice feeling, and the unexpected and unrequested rides to and from school were quite convenient. But I've lived for a long time not getting too close to anyone outside of my Pack.

Even then, the only person I really and truly trusted was my brother. I could always count on him to be there for me. And it didn't hurt that we could see into each other's minds so his intentions were always available to me.

I've only known the Horsemen for less than a month, and during that time they've displayed a variety of unexplainable altruistic behavior. I didn't know a lot about them... which could change if I read their dossier. However, I haven't, and thus they were still quite an enigma.

The only working theory I had about them was that they weren't bullies, but that wasn't good enough. People could be motivated to do all sorts of things they usually wouldn't with enough reason.

Besides, I was guessing that they only saw me as interesting now. They'd get tired and leave me alone soon enough, it was only a matter of time. It wasn't like I was reciprocating their goodwill.

And so, I continued with my plan. I stealthily scooted down the branch, which hovered over the street behind my house. Using the back road would take me approximately ten minutes longer to get to school, but that was fine. As long as I was able to evade them, and it could be done, I didn't mind the consequences.

I lowered myself till I hung precariously from the tip of the branch, then unceremoniously dropped to the ground. It wasn't a long fall since the branch hung quite low once 115 pounds of werewolf-human dangled from it like Tarzan. I brushed the sides of my shoulders, feeling accomplished. Once I made sure everything was in good shape, including myself, I swiveled around to begin my journey.

I hadn't even taken two steps when I spotted a rather familiar blue car coming towards me. I could scarcely believe my eyes.

The window rolled down once it was right beside me, and sure enough, three Horsemen peered out of it with mixed expressions on their faces. Brandon, bless his heart, looked very concerned for my, um, mental state. Jasper was torn between amusement and apprehension, and Rhys had developed a strange twitch in his right eye.

Was he about to cry from witnessing my insane abilities?

"Are you insane?"

I sighed deeply, my shoulders slumping, then started the walk of shame towards the stupid flashy car.

"Were you practicing to be a superhero?" Brandon asked innocently.

I opened my mouth, but Jasper cut me off.

"As what, Groot Girl? Poison Ava? Or maybe Kitty Lady, because you have by far the most lives of anyone I've ever met."

I snarled in annoyance. "I am not a cat!" I got in and slammed the door in a huff. Cats weren't the only nimble creatures, for crying out loud.

I'd just buckled in when I felt the back of Rhys's palm on my forehead. I slapped his hand away, ignoring the little tingles I felt when our palms came in contact.

"Quit it, jeez. I'm not sick," I said, turning to scowl at him.

He raised his eyebrows, his blue eyes looking stormy. "Then explain to me why on earth we saw you crawling across your tree at 8:00 AM in the morning. Did you lose a dime, or is it heat stroke?"

I crossed my arms and sunk lower in my seat. He kept looking at me. He hadn't started the car back up or put it in gear. Apparently, he wasn't going to move without an answer.

"I was trying to run away, okay?" I finally blurted out. "I was gonna be gone with the wind by the time you guys came around, so you wouldn't be able to take me to school." And I couldn't accomplish something so simple.

I thudded my head on the dashboard in front of me. "I'm a failure," I wailed. Evasion was my forte, but in the face of three well-meaning but misguided boys, I was practically an amateur.

Maybe I should have worn some camouflage, I pondered, straightening. Ah yes, maybe with a green camo suit and some mud smeared on my face, I would have disappeared into that tree. Avalana Jones, they'd call me, once they finished choking from eating my dust, that is.

Rhys's jaw had started to sway in the most interesting way. As I looked at him, he pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers and inhaled deeply.

"Um, Rhys?"

His eyes when he looked at me were like storm clouds. I sat very still. He reached over and started the car, his muscles bunching as he switched gear. He didn't bother to look at me the whole ride to school. He was so done with me, and I don't think I could really even blame him.

I sighed and went limp in my seat.

All my classes today had gone as usual. I didn't go to Music during my free period, and didn't participate in P.E as usual. Rhys was still really distant in Spanish. Estás enojado conmigo? I wanted to ask, but I didn't. I wasn't sure why I cared.

Now I glanced at him over the top of my book. He was consumed with his phone, as always, which didn't really tell me anything. I sighed again, eating my yogurt.

The back of my head felt like someone was boring a hole into it... which someone actually was. I'd noticed the staring since the beginning of lunch, but I'd chosen to ignore it.

But turning back to my book, I found I couldn't concentrate on the damn pages. Was he ignoring me cause he was pissed off?

Usually, when someone was mad at me it wasn't this hard to figure out, dammit. Rhys was as expressive as an ice cube. I had to know. The urge to rip the phone out of his hands and force him to look at me was nearly overwhelming.

I needed to take my mind off of him before I did something I'd regret. So I decided to do something else I knew I would regret.

I turned and stared deliberately in the direction the glowering daggers were coming from.

My gaze landed on the Wannabe table. The Wannabes were students who obviously wanted to be popular. Unfortunately for them, they were destined to be permanently cockblocked by the It Girls.

Everyone in school knew the It Girls - the school's most popular squad, formed by none other than my evil stepsister (we're getting to her, worry not grasshoppers). Other than her, Kaitlynn Wu, Lola Ramsey, Aurora Summers, and Mary's bitchy little half-sister Alisson Montgomery made up the It Girls.

The most well-known member of the squad, other than Mary herself, was Kaitlynn. With her straight black hair and the simmering temper in her dark brown eyes, Kaitlynn and I could've been twins. She was on the honors roll, in all AP classes, on the volleyball team, the debate team, mathletes club, archery club...

Heck, the girl did it all. I guess one could say she could've been Jacques' twin too, but I didn't appreciate the indirect connection to yours truly.

The spot beside Kaitlynn was where Lola Ramsey always sat. Lola Ramsey was the polar opposite of Kaitlynn - her hair was light brown and very curly, which she wore in a number of eye-catching styles. Her skin was a warm caramel-like tan, and her eyes behind her glasses sparkled instead of glowered.

Several males often shot her longing looks, but she never seemed to acknowledge them or even realize that males existed. She was the opposite of a social butterfly, discarding all forms of social interaction in favor of her laptop computer or some other electronic device she was always holding.

She mostly only talked to Kaitlynn, and whatever bond they shared seemed mutual.

Then there was Aurora, aka Rory. At this very moment, she was feeding her French fries to some jock beside her who was almost in her lap, a coy smile on her lips.

Rory, quite frankly, disturbed me. The smile she usually wore was very mysterious, which contradicted the amount of skin she chose to display. Sometimes, like right now, I wondered exactly what was going on in her mind.

I didn't dare ask though. I had a feeling she would tell me.

And last, but not least, was Alisson Montgomery. She was a midget compared to her peers, standing at only a 5'0. Her chestnut brown hair and deep brown eyes should've made her the plainest of the lot, but that wasn't the case. She was strikingly beautiful, and it was obvious why Jacques chose her as his girlfriend.

She was only a sophomore, which meant she was a grade lower than us, but she was head cheerleader and wore her cheerleading outfit whenever she could. Maybe she did it to match with her boyfriend, who wore his football jersey like he'd had it surgically attached. Or maybe they'd both decided on it subconsciously - which was even more terrifying.

She didn't always have the same lunch times that we did because of her different timetable. So most days she wasn't present during lunch, but lucky for me, today she sat at the table with the rest of the girls, a resting bitch mask on as she daintily chewed.

Whatever beef I had with Mary seemed to be genetically inheritable because every time she looked at me her expression curdled like sour yogurt. I hated her guts as well, but I probably shouldn't take it so personally. According to rumours, she was a raging bitch to everyone - a tiny terror of unfathomable evil tucked into size five point five Adidas sneakers.

Each of the girls had their own personality and were all known for something different. Their clique wasn't the most cohesive in the world, but it worked somehow.

The Wannabes, on the other hand, were just that - bees. They operated on a hive-like mentality - they all did the same thing, and they stung passers-by at random for kicks. They wore the same cheerleading squad uniforms, acted the same, and even looked the same - all long, leggy and light-haired, with ridiculously high-pitched voices, and oxygen as their lunch time meal.

The glarer who wasn't letting me eat my delicious meal was... I think her name started with an 'F'? Faith? Ferocious something or other? Felicia?

Whatever it was, she was staring at me like she wanted to inject me with her bee venom. Or maybe park her stinger up my butt. I wasn't in the mood for such kinky nonsense, so I gave her a cool, evaluating stare, trying to communicate equal disdain.

I was really still just trying to figure out what her name was.

Giving up, I turned away dismissively.

The sound of a chair scraping back caused my calm façade to fly out the window. Shit, shit, shit.

I discreetly checked behind me. Yup, Ferocious Felicia was actually heading my way, gray eyes glinting with malicious intent as she made a beeline (get it? lol) for me.

I sighed fatalistically, pinching the bridge of my nose. There goes my peaceful lunch.

"You shouldn't be sitting here."

Dropping my hand, I stared at her. She sneered at me, glittery lips curling up all the way to her nose. She flipped her long, blonde hair over her shoulder pompously with pink-tipped nails. So far, nothing unexpected.

I disregarded the fact that the noise level in the cafeteria had reduced a decibel, or that the guys were probably staring right now. Well, not Rhys though. From the sounds on his phone, he was playing Candy Crush.

I raised my eyebrows in question, which caused her to continue.

"This is a cafeteria where people eat. I'm sure no one told you this because they were trying to be nice to you or whatever, but you look like something my cat shat out this morning. It's not a good look, and honestly, I'm concerned about how healthy it is to eat here with something like you in here as well."

It took a lot for me to keep a straight face at that point. Eat what, exactly?

But, I decided to be polite and let her finish.

"Anyways, I think we'll all feel better if you stepped outside. Someone might leave a doggy bowl for you there, or toss you some scraps. Or maybe not, but at least no one would be at risk of catching whatever disease a rabid animal like you has."

She eyed me expectantly. It was safe to assume she was finally finished.

I pondered her, sucking on my teeth for a few minutes.

"You know what, you're completely right."

I didn't miss the heads that swiveled to me in shock, but Miss-What's-Her-Name just looked smug and superior, like she'd expected this outcome.

I smiled at her apologetically. "Thing is, I always seem to forget just how dangerous I am." I chuckled self-depreciatingly. "It's a talent, really."

I pushed my chair back. "So... I'll just be on my way now. Your concern is just so touching, and I don't want to risk giving anyone, much less these guys, that disease... uh..." I snapped my fingers, frowning.

"What did you call it again?"

She blinked, thrown. "Huh?"

"You know, you said I'm a rabid animal carrying this dreadful disease? I'm sure everyone would benefit from knowing exactly what disease it is, so they'd make sure to stay away. And you do want to help these guys, right?" I gestured at the Horsemen.

"It for their benefit, right? So tell us, what disease are you talking about?"

Felicia blinked her fan-like lashes so fast they started a breeze. Looking around, she found everyone waiting expectantly for her response. She grew even more nervous when she saw Brandon and Jasper watching her.

She licked her glossed lips. "Uh..."

Rhys's head finally lifted up from his phone. He shot Felicia an expression I could only describe as incredulous disbelief. No, don't laugh Avalon. No laughing.

"Rabid animals have rabies, Felicia." I pronounced it really slowly, so her small mind could make the connection. "Can you spell it?"

She looked confused. "My name is Felicity."

Oh. Well, I was close.

Her eyes widened. "Wait, are you mocking me?"

Finally caught on, did she?

I finally allowed myself a snort of laughter. "Took you long enough. You really should've done your research before coming for me. Now go away, your face is making me lose my appetite."

Her face reddened, not really making the situation better. "Why, you little -"

I turned and shot her my death glare. It was the equivalent of a thousand yard stare from a sniper lens, right before a bullet found a home right between your eyes.

My narrowed eyes showed nothing but an intent to kill. It came in handy sometimes, such as in this situation.

Felicity wisely shut up and backed up a few feet.

"You are ruining my lunch," I spoke slowly. "If you try pulling this shit again, I will shove those heels of yours so far up your nose, it will scramble that tiny, tiny brain of yours. All the blood probably won't be good for your outfit either," I added, to make my threat more terrifying.

She paled, to my satisfaction. I thought I could turn back to my meal now.

No such luck.

"You really think you're all that now, but we know you're just fake," she spat hatefully. "Once Mary comes back, you'll be back to crying in the bathroom in no time. And no one would feel sorry for you, just wait and see."

Why was this my life? I just wanted to eat my veggie burger in peace.

"I'm quaking, okay? Just fucking go away!"

She opened her mouth again to speak...

"Leave."

She let out a croak, the words dying in her throat. I looked over and saw Rhys facing her with his chin propped on his fist, his eyes glinting ominously. It almost rivalled my death glare.

I sure wouldn't like to be on the receiving end of that stare.

"Now," he whispered as she just stood there, looking like a deer in the headlights.

She went white as chalk, then galloped back to her table and hid from sight amongst the rest of the clones.

"Bye, Felicia!" Jasper called out amiably.

I sat, feeling annoyed for a few seconds. I was always running into misogynistic problems even as Vixen. I'd go into detail about how it was no use running or trying to fight because their death was inevitable, and some men would still have the gall to argue despite knowing what I could do.

No one ever went, "No I ain't gonna fucking die, bitch" when faced with Batman, or even Deadpool. I could be all kinds of terrifying, but I couldn't be a man.

It was unfair.

Oh well, no use complaining. It was finally over.

"Thought she'd never leave," I remarked, picking up my burger. Ah, peace and quiet at last.

Rhys turned and looked at me appraisingly as I took a bite. "Who's Mary?"

I raised my eyebrows at him. "You don't know the mother of our Lord J.C?" I bristled lightly. "I knew you were a heathen."

Rhys rolled his eyes. The others chuckled, and I hid my own smile as I brought my sandwich to my lips for my next bite.

I was cheesier than my burger, but I couldn't help it - things had gone back to normal between us.

_

After another non-P.E period the next day, I was at my locker, fumbling with the combination so I could get my brown paper lunch bag. Rhys and Jasper stood nearby, engaged in conversation while they were waiting for me.

It was taking longer than usual for me to get my locker open, and even Brandon was now heading our way, having put away his stuff in his locker. I spun the dial in frustration. The hum of voices around me in the hallway wasn't helping me to concentrate.

I closely focused, then put in the combination again. Nothing happened. I'd never had this problem before. I had no time to figure it out. I just wanted to get my lunch before I died of hunger.

I yanked the padlock. With enough force, I could break it easily enough.

The back of my neck prickled.

The noise volume had decreased just the tiniest bit once I made to break the lock. I paused, stilling my hands.

Casually, I looked behind me.

Some people had their phones up, their faces buried in their screens. Others were turned towards the person next to them, seemingly deep in conversation. Despite this display of distraction, once I turned in their direction I saw eyes abruptly turn away.

Faces dived deeper into their screens like they wished to face-plant into their phones. It was almost like seeing ostriches trying to bury their heads in the sand. Those chatting with other people automatically leaned closer to each other like they were about to share a kiss.

Disturbed by this bizarre behavior, I turned away. Instantly, the eyes returned.

Quite a number of people were watching me, the girl struggling with her locker. That wasn't so out of the ordinary.

Why did they find me interesting? What was I missing?

I tuned my sharp senses towards my locker. I planned to discern exactly what numbers would open the lock with my super hearing.

Instead, I heard something else - a tinny hissing sound coming from within.

"Everything alright, Sunshine?" I heard Jasper ask behind me. I turned and saw him watching me curiously.

I discreetly checked the crowd, who were all still pretending to talk amongst themselves while waiting for the lunch bell to ring. We currently had a ten-minute break before lunch after our last period.

I turned my attention back to him and quietly said, "There's something in my locker."

He stood straighter. Rhys glanced up from behind him. Brandon noticed the sudden tenseness.

"What's up?" He asked.

"Just brace yourself - I'm about to get my locker open but I think there's something strange inside, so you're gonna want to be careful."

"Do you know what it is?"

I turned to Rhys. "No, but I do hear a very faint hissing sound, so it might be a snake. Somebody's dumb idea of a prank I guess," I shrugged.

They looked floored, either from the situation or the nonchalance I showed.

"People put animals in your locker? Just for kicks?" I didn't have to look at Rhys's eyes to know that they were glinting with anger.

"Yup. Would've been in real trouble too if it weren't for all those snake charmer lessons," I joked to lighten the mood.

"Relax guys, I got this. Now, everyone, back up."

Brandon and Jasper moved to the side. Rhys, however, backed up only a foot, still standing closely behind me. I decided not to worry about him. If anything happened, he was probably insured for millions.

I quietly broke the lock, then flung open my locker.

It wasn't a snake. An aerosol spray can had been rigged up to spray anything in its path.

Thankfully, only the back of my locker had been affected so far, but now a jet of yellow paint was gunning for me like an arrow.

My quick reflexes had me sliding out of the way before I even realized it. Thus my clothes were spared, but paint splattered all over Rhys's designer leather jacket.

Oops. I quickly toppled the can and slammed my locker door shut.

I spun to see Rhys ripping his jacket off him like it burned. Okay, I get that its expensive, but I don't think it warranted such a dramatic reaction. The guy almost never took that jacket off - it was like seeing Ariana Grande without her ponytail, or something equally as strange.

"We can fix it," I was saying when I noticed Brandon.

His stance was rigid, almost uncomfortably so, yet every single one of his limbs trembled like he was standing naked in a snowstorm. Jasper reached out to him and he jerked back, arms flailing wildly.

I looked in his eyes and saw that he was currently on another plane, seeing or feeling something so horrible I felt a throb of pain just looking at him.

Rhys moved around me, hiding him from view.

"Who's idea of a joke was this?"

Rhys's wintry voice turned the hallway into the frozen winter land Brandon was feeling. It went silent as the grave, everyone staring yet no one daring to speak or breathe.

Brandon flinched when Rhys spoke, nightmares flashing through his glazed eyes. I turned, further concealing him from sight. I heard Jasper quietly murmuring to him, then the sound of footsteps receding down the hallway.

I looked back at the hallway of students, dread pooling in my gut like acid. I desperately wanted to reverse whatever had happened to Brandon, but I didn't know how. So I just stood there beside Rhys, as useful as a limp noodle.

"Who?" His voice got even quieter.

This spurred people into action. They started murmuring and looking around, swinging their heads back and forth in search of the culprit. I noticed some heads were turning in a specific direction, but I couldn't make out exactly who they were looking at.

Then I saw some guy stumble. All eyes turned to him, including those that weren't already fixed on him.

He made to retreat, but was forcefully shoved out of the crowd and right into the line of sight of a really angry Rhys.

I recognized him as some bland-looking bloke from the lacrosse team. I didn't doubt I'd been bullied by him before.

I looked back at to the spot he'd been standing, and saw Kit blinking innocently blinking at me.

Lacrosse guy looked like he was about to wet himself.

"Look, I'm sorry okay! It was only meant for her! I didn't think you guys would get in the way!"

Rhys studied him for a long moment.

The guy started shaking, sweat rolling from his temples. He quivered like some pathetic dog that had lost all its fur, and watching him I couldn't find any anger inside me. Only deep disgust.

"Get. Up."

He flinched, then very, very slowly began to rise to his feet. For a moment, I worried that Rhys might kill him.

Around us, some students leaned forward with cellphones in their hands, eagerly anticipating the next move. I side-eyed them, feeling the burning hatred that had been missing starting to flood inside me.

So many of them were complicit in what had just occurred, and even now they still didn't care who they'd hurt. I could handle it being me, but Brandon had done nothing to deserve what they did.

My hands shook. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes before someone ended up accidentally catching my eyes changing color on live.

I reopened them to see Rhys fling his stained jacket at Lacrosse guy.

"Get all of it out," he said coolly. "I want my jacket back by the end of school, without even a speck of paint."

The guy gulped. He stood and scurried away as fast as he could with the jacket.

The crowd parted to let him pass. Some people with their phones out sighed in discontent since nothing dramatic had happened.

I briefly wondered how the media would've reacted to a video of Rhys wiping the floor with a fellow student, and suddenly felt relieved that he hadn't, though I really wished he had.

Rhys looked at them.

They quickly put their phones away, but the damage was done. I saw realization in the faces of everyone in the crowd. Girls gasped with despair and guys retreated in fear. If they ever thought Rhys or any of the Horsemen were going to be their one-way ticket to fame, they were sorely mistaken.

Dreams died. Any hope of being their new best friend/girlfriend/anything at all was gone. His gaze was complete apathy. If he was a Greek God of old like Zeus, he would have completely smote every single one of them to dust and felt nothing afterwards. They'd all fallen out of his favor, and they knew it.

And it hurt.

He quietly turned on his heel and strode away. Inhaling deeply, I hurried after him.

_

We stood outside the library. The door was open, revealing a room empty except for Brandon. Jasper had gone to go get something, leaving Brandon sitting alone at one of the tables. His head rested on his knees, and he was subtly rocking back and forth.

I let my eyes travel away from him briefly and looked at Rhys.

He leaned against the door jamb, arms crossed around his chest. His face was stony, but he was chewing on his lip, something I'd never seen him do.

This was all my fault. I'd been nothing but a raging bitch and pain in the ass since I met them. I wouldn't have been surprised if I'd somehow caused this to happen subconsciously, like my misery demanded company.

I turned my attention back to Brandon, my heart going out to him.

"Synesthesia."

I startled, turning to stare at Rhys. He slowly looked over at me.

"Yellow splatters or splotches or anything like that tend to freak him out. None of us have any idea why. It just does."

"Huh," I turned to study Brandon again, "how'd you figure that out?"

"I like to paint."

No surprise there. He had really nice hands, long, fine-boned fingers and precisely cut nails. They'd look so aesthetically pleasing running through someone's hair, I found myself thinking.

I snapped out of such crazy thoughts when he continued.

"One time, I was just messing around with different colors. I'd dip my brush in the paint, then just flick it at my easel. Brandon was in the room, and didn't seem to be paying attention. However, when I did the same thing with yellow, he just lost it. Completely destroyed the entire easel, then spent the entire day in a nervous wreck. I made the connection then, and now we're careful not to get him anywhere near graffiti, or, like, second-hand clothing stores."

He shifted his shoulders, causing his biceps to ripple. I pretended not to notice.

"We covered this in Q&A video one time, so our fans know. Which means this was intentional, and not an accident."

His words were still casual, but I knew him well enough now to detect the raging fury underneath.

And he had every right to be pissed. If I understood this correctly, some manipulative, calculating gilipollas had tried to weaponize Brandon - Brandon, who had been nothing but kind and sweet to me. And then the spineless coward hadn't even wanted to own up to his actions.

I was livid, but at the same time, I was kicking myself for not expecting something like this. If I'd read the file, or maybe did one Google search on them, I could have prevented this.

"Stop it."

Rhys's eyes were hard. "This wasn't your fault."

I blew out a breath, running a hand through my hair.

"I'm sorry."

"I just said it wasn't your fault."

I tugged on my sleeve. "Its just - I always seem to be causing you guys some amount of stress, and not only when I intend to. I'm just... sorry."

Rhys studied me thoughtfully. Whatever he was going to say was lost when Jasper returned, holding something in his hands.

Was that a rubik's cube?

He pushed past us distractedly and headed straight for Brandon. Rhys lifted off from the wall and followed him, which I took as my cue to tag along.

Jasper sat across from Brandon. "Here," he said, sliding the cube to him.

Brandon's hand shot out and snatched it up with an almost feverish desperation. His arm was trembling at first, but when his fingers started to fly across the cube, twisting and turning it, his tremors began to still.

Rhys inched forward. Brandon suddenly flinched. I looked at Rhys, who sighed and backed up. His retreat made Brandon relax, and he resumed solving the cube.

In twenty seconds, he'd slid the final row into place.

I gaped in surprised Pikachu.

I hadn't even finished processing that when he started scrambling it again. I looked at Jasper, who patiently waited. Rhys was staring off into the distance.

I looked back at Brandon and found he'd finished solving the cube again.

I sat heavily in a nearby seat.

The cube was being scrambled once again when Jasper finally spoke.

"Brandon."

Brandon looked up, his hands still fiddling. His gaze was sort of blank, like he wasn't really seeing Jasper.

"Brandon, I need you to listen to me."

Jasper waited until Brandon's eyes focused on him.

"Rhys isn't the bad guy, okay? He's your friend."

Brandon flinched again, his hands moving even faster, but he didn't look away from Jasper.

"I mean, yeah, he can be a colossal asshole at times, but he has some redeeming qualities. You've known each other since elementary, remember? I need you to remember that, and trust that, not what your eyes are seeing."

Brandon gripped the cube so tightly his palms went white.

Slowly, slowly, he looked at Rhys.

Rhys glanced at him. There was that instinctive flinch again which made Rhys' gaze darken, but then Brandon shook his head fiercely as if trying to snap himself out of it. Finally, he met Rhys's gaze and held it.

I inwardly whooped.

All the breath seemed to release out of him at once. "Yeah, I remember," he said, sounding lucid. He turned back to the cube, but nudged his head at the seat beside him.

"You can sit. I'm not gonna hit you."

Rhys considered him for a moment, then confidently sat down beside him. Brandon showed no reaction this time.

"Your locker."

I blinked, realizing he was now talking to me. "Huh?" I said eloquently.

His eyes briefly darted over me without making eye contact.

"It was supposed to be you," he explained. "I don't think I could've stopped myself then. I might have actually hurt you."

I felt a sting in my chest. He felt bad and he hadn't even done anything wrong.

This was the first time anyone had shown remorse about even the possibility of hurting me. I was clearly on a completely different planet, one with unbreathable air, which explained the pain in my chest and the very slight watering of my eyes.

Rhys snorted, interrupting the moment.

"That wouldn't have happened."

Brandon stared at Rhys.

"I would have stopped you," Rhys stated matter-of-factly. There was an undercurrent to his words that told me he would have used as much force as was necessary.

This seemed to relieve Brandon. "Thank you," he said, finally putting away the Rubik's cube.

Rhys curtly nodded. "You're welcome."

I looked back-and-forth between them. Yup, definitely on a different planet.

_

A video was already circulating all over the internet. Rhys's phone kept buzzing during our last period, and when I asked him about it he opened his Twitter app which were flooded with notifications and showed me.

It seemed like everyone and their mother had something to say about what happened. Public support was obviously in Brandon's favor, the victim in all this.

Every other tweet was busy cussing out Lacrosse guy. Sad times for him.

One person tweeted, "Damn, @itsRhysMason✔ looked super hot when he was mad ( *_*) but also, like, super scary? (^_^;) I'd really hate to be that other guy."

I'm sure 'that other guy' agreed. He ran to meet us in the parking lot while we waited for Brandon and Jasper.

"Here," he said, passing Rhys his jacket. It was strung up on a hanger inside a plastic bag like he'd taken it to the dry cleaner's. And judging from the amount of sweat running from his face, he'd likely run all the way there and back.

Rhys studied the jacket. Lacrosse guy - whose name was actually Dennis - continued to sweat.

Finally, Rhys reached out and took it. A nice lavender smell wafted from it when he slid on his jacket, concealing his biceps. It made me... sad, to see them go.

"If I ever see your face again, I will crush it."

Rhys sounded cold and practical, like he was simply describing an 'if, then' sequence of events that couldn't be prevented or changed.

Dennis went as white as detergent. He turned and sped away like he was trying to outrun, well, a horse. Or a Horseman on a horse.

He'd have to spend the rest of his days until graduation hiding from Rhys, praying Rhys never saw his pitiful face again.

I thought it a quite fitting punishment. The paranoia would eat him alive.

I decided I'd forgive Rhys for people thinking he was scarier than me. I was just a nice person like that.

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Again, I apologise if my portrayal offended anyone. I honestly didn't mean to, but if you have an issue with it, feel free to message me and we'll talk about what should go!

Remember that I love you,

Lulu.