AS SOON as he stepped into the hormone filled hallways Bethany and May latched onto Noel's arms at either side.

"What are you doing?" Noel croaked out tiredly.

May looked ready to blow a fuse, her lanky brown hair tied up into a makeshift bun and her glasses looking ready to slip off her nose. Bethany had that cool unbothered expression on her face, yet she was grabbing onto Noel's arm tightly, readying herself to berate him.

"Where are all the clothes we bought you?" Bethany stated coolly. She unlatched herself from Noel's arm and stood in front of him defiantly, Noel towered over her by at least four inches (being six foot) but her look was enough to make Noel shrink back, if it wasn't for the fact May was grabbing Noel's arm uncomfortably he would have bolted out of there.

"In my house."

"Why aren't you wearing them!" May whined, she had went to join Bethany, crossing her arms against her chest as she scrutinized Noel. "Trust me, they'll fit you!"

Noel shrugged carelessly. He didn't know what to say to them, so he wasn't going to say anything at all, opting to push past them and stalk off to his next class. He was fairly certain he could hear a string of profanities pouring out of their mouths and them screaming for him to come back, that he almost laughed at their outlandish behavior.

He didn't know why they cared so much.

____________

Pushing the door open to his English class, Noel was quick to note the absence of Miss Mulroy as the seating arrangements she had implemented had quickly reverted back to their default. Noel took a seat in the second row, since his old seat had been taken by two girls (Cassie and Leah, maybe, but he's never talked to them) who were giggling uncontrollably at something on their phone.

Noel sighed and brought out his books, adjusting his hoodie once more. Suddenly an onslaught of boorish laughter came booming from the meatheads at the back of the classroom. They were hitting each other's backs and screaming. Noel was also quick to notice Myron sitting there, but his gaze was fixated on his phone that he didn't seem to notice there screeching.

His eyes then made contact with one meathead who gave Noel a devious smirk, before nudging his elbows into another meathead. Noel could tell they were going to do or say something horrible so he quickly reverted his eyes back to his blank notebook.

Much to his chagrin, one of them came striding towards Noel, he had big nostrils and greasy hair that hung limp against his ears, his dull dark eyes glinting at Noel mischievously. "Hey Pizzaface." He boomed, making sure his voice was loud enough for the entire class to hear.

Noel chose to ignore him, turning a page of his notebook, his hands shaking slightly.

"Yo, why you always covering your face, you look crazy creepy, looking like the grim reaper and that!" A spatter of laughs sounded through the classroom, most noticeably at the back. It was always the back.

Noel turned another page, his eyes focusing on his messy scrawl of notes about the novel Black Wings.

"Are you deaf or somethin'?"

Teala was a strong girl, defiant and sure of herself, though she was regularly marginalized, she had a clear view of who she was.

"You even smell funny though" More laughter.

This is demonstrated through how she stood up for herself against the Elders.

The meathead then forcibly yanked Noel's hood off, his face bright bare and cold.

Despite her black wings, her power was white, fresh, pure.

His large face scanned Noel's, his eyes widening for a few seconds before he started spewing garbage. "Oh shit, your face is really, like really bad. You need to see a doctor or somethin', what if it's contagious, it doesn't even look like acne. "

No matter what anyone said or did to her.

Noel felt twenty nine pairs of eyes staring at him, then looking away quickly.

"It's repulsive."

Miss Mulroy then came swanning through the classroom doors, her long dreadlocks cut to shoulder-length. "Sorry I'm late guys."

Noel left the classroom.

_____________

Storming through the hallway Noel clutched his backpack so tight, his fingers started to burn slightly. His face was cold and the pimple on his forehead was throbbing so badly. He passed a group of sophomores in his dazed haze, only catching words like 'ew' 'it's so much' 'I could never go around like that'.

He walked straight out of the school before slowing to a halt by the bus stop, reluctantly sitting on the gum covered bench.

He didn't want to go home, it was the last place he wanted to be right now. Ever since Ron and Cheryl's unwanted appearance he couldn't help but feel lonely. He knew his mom didn't purposely reject him for them, but it still hurt seeing pictures of those three smiling together, as if Noel didn't even exist.

His hands started to shake again, that he pressed them into the bench, taking deep breaths, but it was no use.

Repulsive.

The words sat like bad milk in his mind, the word poisoning his brain.

Disgusting.

I can't even look at you.

Noel couldn't ignore how his heart was pounding in his chest, his ears turning a dark red. A bus then trundled by, the windows of the bus reflecting Noel's appearance, his spots seeming to have magnified, or maybe they were always like that.

It's really bad. Like really bad.

He brought his hands up to his face, fuck those acne.org pages, he started to scratch and peel at his face, the spots starting to bleed open and streak across his face, large tears started pouring out of his eyes at an alarming rate, mixing with blood and pus. His lips were trembling, his mind shutting down.

How can you go around like that?

Blood and unidentifiable liquids stained his pale hands, the gunk and the dirt crusting up in his fingernails, his tears dripping into his hoodie.

It doesn't even look like acne.

He inhaled and then exhaled, his mouth coming out in uncontrollable gasps.

Your face is disgusting.

His mind imploded, it felt like someone was pouring black gunk through his organs, the gunk replacing his blood with something unrecognizable.

Your that kid with all the acne right?

He felt angry that he didn't bore any personality in people's eyes, he was just a mask, a spotty, bloody, repulsive mask.

Have you tried Pro-Activ because you need it.

Fake concern. Fake freaking concern.

Who's Noel? The kid with the red face?

He remembered how red his face turned that day, how he bit the inside of his cheek so hard blood spilled out into his tongue, his food tasted like metal for the rest of the week.

His face is scaring me momma.

Never again will he trek to the convenience store without his hoodie.

You never like going anywhere anyways.

Because wherever Noel went they treated him like he wasn't there, because they were embarrassed to be seen with him.

You're so weird, like the freaking Grim Reaper.

Being compared to the grim reaper is probably the nicest compliment he's received.

Omg! What if it's contagious!

He wishes it was. But he'd never wish his skin on his worst enemy.

I could never go around like that

Noel doesn't get a choice.

Another bus trundled by, but this time it was empty, Noel's reflection glared at him through the windows, he could faintly see dried blood and mucus smeared across his face, but the sky was grey and dark and the windows were a tinted black so he wasn't sure.

He felt his chest heaving, there were no more tears left in his body, his head was pounding, whenever he whipped it out around he could feel fluids moving, and it hurt so much.

He felt dirty, disgusting, his hoodie had absorbed so much crap from his face that it had flakes and crusts scattered across the neckline. The sky then rumbled, splashes of heavy rain then poured out, washing the blood off Noel's face, however it seemed to worsen it, as now the blood slipped off his face like tears and his nose had started to run and he had no tissue in his bag, so he tilted his face to the sky, letting the rain roll off his face.

The last time Noel had cried that hard had been in eighth grade when his Dad had left abruptly.

He felt his shoulders shake at the thought of his Dad, his voice almost a fleeting memory in Noel's mind. He missed him so much but he couldn't say the same for him.

Noel grabbed at his hair, the curls sliding through his fingertips as they were so wet, he almost wanted to shave it all off, but then he remembered about how much attention it'd draw to his face that he cringed inwardly. It probably looked ten times worse, he's probably scarred it for life. Noel felt more tears slip through his cheeks, colliding with his nose and lips.

Pizzaface

They never referred to him by his name.