A school email asked parents for their children to wear black for a "special occasion."
Obviously, it's a funeral. I'm not that dumb.

My thoughts had dwelled about last night. 
Jade.
The name always popped into my head. She sounded familiar and looked familiar.

If I had seen her once, she was pail. But this time she was paler than usual.
Lighting could've affected the way she looked.

I wore a black shirt with the band Kiss on it. Matching it with dark black jeans and black converse. I had covered the shirt with the same hoodie from yesterday. My hair was wavy and reached to my neck. I looked in the mirror as I placed a slouchy black toque on my head. The toque had made my hair look shorter than usual. My light hazel eyes spark a sun tint from my yellow lava lamp. I'm pretty skinny and much taller for the kids of my age. I come from tall genes, my dad being 6'4 and my mom being 5'11. I have an older sister she's 6'1. She's also in college though she lives right at home. She's usually not at home as she hates the thought of seeing my parents. She only stayed in California because her boyfriend begged her, but I assure you that she will do this school year and leave for Princeton. At least, that's what she has told me.

For a brief moment, I stare at myself in the mirror.

. . .

I placed the earbuds I've had for 3 years. I played 80's hits. The '80s, to me, is the best decade of music. Rock music also placed with some pop. Sometimes even mixed. It gives me that feeling. Not gonna lie, the White Stripes are one of my favorite bands though they're not from the eighties. I remember listening to Seven Nation Army when it came out. I love blasting the song before falling asleep or getting up.

that song is a bop tho)

I take a stroll around the neighborhood. It's really early in the morning. I've always loved the dark mornings but I've never been a morning person. It's around 4 AM and I start heading to school. I do not think they have opened the school yet. I head south where the park I visited last night. The park was pretty far from school but the stores there were interesting. If I had friends I could spend time around the restaurants there. I've heard the Hispanic and Chinese food is good. A tiny Barnes & Nobles is paired on that street next to a Starbucks. The two stores connect from a tiny door.

I arrived at the park and I sat by a tree. It was around 4:28 when I set foot on the sand.

I let out a huge sigh and played Plague Inc. 

. . .

It wasn't long after I headed to school. I wandered around the trees. The expresso colored trees had given off a black tree and shadowed the same color. The air felt so eerie, I took small breaths. Nothing really scared me, but I had a strong premonition as the wind had become stronger. Given the fact that I was walking, I had believed that I had been making the noise of stepping on branches and being hit by leaves.

I stopped.

I turned.

Then I saw her, at least I presume I did.

"Hey," She said with a serene voice though looking like she'd seen something unbearable.

"Hi," I responded, "what're you doing?"

She looked at me with visible confusion. "Who are you?"

I tilted my head, "You were at the park with me yesterday...?"

"Was I?"

"...you look like her..."

Then I started focusing on her physical features. She was much skinnier than Jade. Her eyes were a dark brown, almost saying as it was black. Her face was more symmetrical.
I started noticing the difference between Jade and her.
For a fact, Jade had blue highlights. This girl has black-brown hair and wore a plain black shirt with a beige high waisted skirt. She also had black and white stripes under the black t-shirt and black high top shoes. Her warm ivory skin was darker than Jade's light and pale skin. 

My eyes deceive me.

"Well, I'm obviously myself," She grinned as she stepped closer to me. "where are you headed?"

For a split second, I was confused if I should trust her. She could be following me. 

I stuttered then she impulsively pronounced, as she pointed her index finger to my hoodie, "Hollywood Arts?"

I slightly nodded.

"Same, my name is Amber."

"Charles." I smiled at her.

We'd continue walking forward until arriving at our destination. 

Amber, another jewel.

. . .

Once we had arrived at the entrance of Hollywood Arts, you could notice the people shaded in black. Many people were in tears of the "incident." The clouds hovered the part of the skylight and gave off a dark and warm setting. At this point, it started pouring. Amber took my hand leading me inside trying not to get wet.

The ambiance of the school darkened. The atmosphere filled with a rather rust smell. No one was communicating in any form. Everyone glanced at their feet and huddled around a locker. 

A locker with black paint filled with a scissor with colorful handles.

A redhead sobbed while she was in the firm grip of an African-American.

Amber dismissed herself. Walking to the guidelines, viewing the pessimistic of the people. While I led myself to the Asphalt Cafe.

I sat down on one of the tables. The consciousness of the cold tears dripping from the sky. My apparel, moist and stiff. Pulling my hood over my toque avoiding the fabric from absorbing the liquid.

I stared down at my knuckles.

The mustard sky split apart as the sky turned into a smoke color. Clouds covered the sun from entering the atmosphere. Leaving the climate humid. But the breeze had stared in the air. The precipitation descended like petals being tossed at you gently. It was capricious, appearing to standard days at Hollywood.

An umbra emerged from the posterior of me.

I identified a frequent face watching me from the corner of my eye.
"Jade?" I asked turning my torso to face her.
"Yeah," she sat down across from me. I continued following her with my gaze.
"What's new?" she questioned.
"Someone died." I continued to glance at my knuckles.
"Do you know who they are?"
"What's with all the queries."

Her face went melancholy on the word "queries."

I sighed. "No, I don't."
"You're dumber than you look." She reached out the playfully hit my shoulder.
I looked at her offended. But I should've guessed it. It is Jade West. And possibly the rumors were true.

She got forced herself up. Her hands intertwined with the tiny wholes between the table. She let go and proceeded to walk forward. Her head swiveling around the cafe as if she was remembering memories.

I'd not understand her.

That isn't a shocker - I don't understand girls.

I stood up and caught a glimpse of my reflection in a nearby puddle.

. . .

I sat in Mr. Sikowitz's class, focusing my attention on my phone. I was part of the "background characters" when I first was introduced by a kid named Sinjin. Sinjin was mysterious, giving him an unlikeable character. But as helped me get to class and told me what we "background characters" do. I understood him. No one was noticed here. 

Only those six. Those six, not including a puppet, he explained were selfish, always liked, made them feel unreal, and made them unnoticeable to the public. Cause all the teachers liked them. All the record labels liked them. All the colleges wanted them.

Everyone possessed to be them.

Sinjin explained them as the Seven Deadly Sins. Including someone's annoying sister, to make seven.

I felt bad for this "annoying" sister, pride. Sinjin also said she was also in the background before her sister entered the school.
Now she has to live up to her parent's expectations. 

Not only was she mistreated in their everyone's eyes. But most importantly in her family's eyes, she was a disgrace.

Sinjin said one of the only times she spoke to him, she said, forgive me for misquoting, "The only way I can find happiness in myself, is by believing in myself, which made me narcissistic."

It seemed like these six people made people feel unappreciated.

And it's all when a girl, gluttony, came. Sinjin had almost given me a full essay of why she was the worst of the six. But some of the others seemed like they suffered from issues.

Wrath suffered from her parents never getting along. She never understood love. She thinks love is a battle where a couple fights for their ways. She suffered from a long time of being abused and not mention in her family abominating her. Her parents saw her as someone who rebelled against them out of nothing. Causing her to rage at almost anything that moved or breathed.

Greed suffered from her brother having many problems. She never got attention from when she was younger. Her parents only helped her problematic brother. They think she never grew up. In fact, it seemed like she had ADHD and schizotypal personality disorder.

Envy had tried so hard to relate to people. He almost wanted the lives of others. He made a show disregarding his friends. He tried so hard. People thought he was weird. He shoved a puppet up his hand. When he was young he got the puppet, thought it would be his friend. But just ended up making fun of him everywhere. But envy never could be separated from the puppet. He had to imagine his world. But his puppet was always with him.

Sloth was not lazy, he never carried drama, he just... was there. Almost like envy, he and envy were almost distinctive background characters. They were used by gluttony. His grandmother had a mental disease. Having to take care of his poor grandmother always screaming and being afraid of plain things. Caused him to have an emotion bomb.

Lust was almost similar like gluttony. But unlike gluttony's parent approving of her. Lust's parents never approved of his girlfriend, wrath. Fearing she would be a bad influence on him. As a matter of fact, he was just a good influence on her. His parent's forced him to break up with her. He never listened, he loved her. But one day when he did, his parents practically had a celebration for him. He started to dislike them and rebel against them. They had blamed wrath for this problem. But it was a problem they caused.

I sat there, chewing gum at the back of the class. The lights dimmed. I looked around the room. Sikowitz placed a chair onstage. Probably another weird method, I thought to myself. I continued scrolling on my phone. My hoodie was soaking wet. My shirt was mildly dry. My hoodie tugged around my waist.

Everyone kept their heads down. Watching their feet. No one wanted to talk. The same African-America sat in front of me. He had a sheet of music in his hands. He carefully studied it.

Before I could scold him or interrogate him about it, the intercom turned on. A gentle voice came in, struggling to talk. The female voice asked for students and staff to head to the Asphalt Cafe. The female took deep breaths announcing it. It was only a couple of words.

Sikowitz stood up and glanced around the room. His attire was similar but different from the last time I encounter him. He wore a long black with a white tank top pairing it with vertical black and white baggy pants. One side white on the other black. He took a top hat and placed it on his bald head.

His mouth parted but was left speechless.

He cleared his throat and uttered softly. "Let's go..."

toque = beanie

sorry for not updating uhh but yeah. it did go off-topic for reasons about his parentage. probably??

this is a bad story but i'm going to try to complete it. hey, i forgot to mention the victorious ten year anniversary happened. a great milestone

i'm working on rewriting something a wrote about a 2 years ago cause my writing sucked even worse than now. not sure if i should post that, or if anyone would like that.

k bye.

if there are any problems, well um pretend that never happened.

:)