CHAPTER THREE: BABE

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass... It's about learning to dance in the rain.
-Vivian Greene

Though there's no real reason for it, but after four weeks of friendship I didn't expect Demetrius to come and sit with me in the library at lunch.

I should have known that he wanted to, honestly, I really should have.

Because I know he's just way too awkward to invite himself over and though I said he could I don't think I ever said hey I really want you here because when I tell him things like that, I know he feels obligated to follow through.

It's odd to be an too-honest person who doesn't say enough most of the time.

For being friends with a deaf person though, I wouldn't think it would be this much of a problem that I forget to say things.

Either way, Demetrius joined me only when he realized I was too in my head to talk about lunch and ask him.

Obviously, I didn't have a problem with it.

So when he sat down next to me in the library and I squealed really loud- -unfortunately he definitely could hear me at the moment- -then hugged him, it nearly knocked him over.

"Demy!" I cheer, calming down enough to put my feet back on the ground rather than keep kneeling on the side of his chair. He's still getting used to the nickname, but I find that it's a rather cute name to say.

So I'm definitely not changing it, or going back to Zeno.

Today I'm wearing one of my usual outfits -fishnets, a skirt, a cool t-shirt and a long sleeve. But unlike normal, today I'm also wearing one of my favorite necklaces and all of my piercings in.

My parents already let me get tattoos. It started with a dagger on one wrist, torch on the other to cover my scars- -in my family, depressive episodes are hereditary- -that isn't so I don't see it but to represent my health.

That dagger and torch represent the actual goddess Eris, and I definitely always want to treat myself like a goddess.

Other than that, I have a full sleeve on my left arm, a dragon on my back wrapping around the dip of my spine that looks like a lighthouse. There's also mango flowers going up my right hip that stops right under my belly button.

My piercings- -which are definitely more irreversible- -include four ear rings on either side, snake bites and a septum piercing, as well as a belly piercing.

In my house we're allowed to express ourselves any way we want, hence the purple hair, but not in a damaging way.

Like, I can cover my tattoos with long sleeves and makeup if it's not appropriate for a work field I want to go into and the piercing I can take out.

We're not allowed to get visible tattoos, like hands, face, neck, until we're twenty-five. All of us have followed that rule.

And I don't think Demetrius has ever really seen me blinged out before unless small glances in the halls count. This is due to us only having gym together and us hanging out when I still have the large ass long sleeve and shorts on.

His style is usually that different. He always has the hat that the teachers allow because of the hearing aids, that's a given. Other than that, he just has on t-shirts and sweatpants or occasionally, sweatshirts and jeans.

The beanie always, always, matches his outfit.

For a good minute Demetrius just blinks at me a bit owlishly, mismatch eyes moving over my frame in a 'what am I witnessing and why is it awesome' type way.

Just as slowly, he blushes and I find that pretty damn cute.

Especially because he doesn't even try to hide behind his beanie.

Demetrius doesn't handle sudden change well.

"You look..."

"Like an absolute babe?" I fill in cockily, grinning at him. "I'm aware. And hey, watch this." Standing out of my seat, I put my hands in my skirt pockets and shake them to add effect. "Pockets!"

The mechanic shakes his head at me, pulling on my wrist for me to get closer to him and, on instinct, I just hug him again.

Soon, the moment is ruined because I dissolve into giggles. "You came today!"

"I did," Demetrius nods like I'm missing something, but his smile is genuine. "Is that a lighthouse?"

Watching as he gently takes hold of my necklace and leans in, I nod. "Yeah, as a kid I used to watch a bunch of videos of them getting knocked down and falling and shit, so I just naturally started to like them as twisted as that sounds. And anyway, my older sister painted a really sweet glow in the dark painting for me."

Continuing on, well aware I'm rambling, I shrug half heartedly and poke him on the nose.

"I even have this really sweet back tattoo of a dragon twisted around a lighthouse on my back, it goes up my spine and the waves are really cool. It's like, barely colored but the red really pops out. Oh! And the dragon's a purple, I'm pretty sure. I know the waves are really realistic too. Don't quote me on any of this, it's not exactly easy to stare at your own back, you know? Why? You like them? I've never seen you wear any necklaces or anything."

"I like them... for the same reason I like the word 'Monster'." Demetrius focuses on the necklace again, thumb running over the metal edges. "I'll remember this."

Smiling, I put my hand over his and he instantly looks up at me. "Monstrum, catastrophe, myriad. Something that comes with a duo-meaning. It's a shelter and a warning at once."

Making a split second decision, I pull the chain over my head before looping it over Demetrius's.

"Here." I say. "You'll be my shelter, and I'll be your warning. Deal?"

There's a momentary pause where he just gapes at me that is a signal to the massive smile he has not a second later, tapping three times on my shoulder before holding onto the necklace like it might shatter if he didn't. "Deal."

"So my best friend Jaelynn has a boyfriend now, right? His name is Warren Connoly and I don't like him. I don't really know why, I just get really bad vibes whenever I'm left alone with him." I huff, ranting to Demetrius at the moment -he's doing math, but I know he's listening. "Jae doesn't see it at all but told me she'd be careful around him. I think he's either hiding that part of him around her, or she's just blind to it."

Pausing, Demetrius looks up and frowns at me. "How often are you around him?"

"Twice a month, for like, thirty two hours at a time. I go to their college to visit, Jae has a apartment to herself and he lives in a dorm but the last three times I visited he was there." Pouting, I put my chin on my knee and glared at the table top. "She used to listen to me about these things, but it's like since she got to college she acts like she knows way more than me."

I didn't expect that to happen, not at all and him telling her that still having a 'high school best friend' is 'immature' certainly isn't helping.

"But I've had more experience with toxic people and telling the good from the bad. Honestly, I'm just glad he treats her well. And she pays for their drinks when they go out, so his friends smack him if he even looks at another girl. She might let herself get manipulated a bit, which I hate, but if he was yelling at her or hitting her or anything there's no way she wouldn't beat him up and call the police. She's too badass to take that."

Which isn't something I'm joking about.

This guy knows how to manipulate people and dodge just the right amount of questions with perfect fake answers as a shield to make people think he's this great guy.

But I'm not easily manipulated.

And I can tell something's fucking wrong here.

There's cases like this all the time, a happy college boy will have a loving girlfriend but then rape freshmen's or cheat on her, coming home and going to class like nothing's wrong.

They don't get reported often and when they do, they aren't taken seriously.

So the guys get away with it, and when their first girlfriend finds out they move onto the next, preferably younger girlfriend.

Jae's nineteen, a freshman in college and the perfect target for his personal trainer with a 'promising softball career' and always-five-o'clock-shadow looking ass.

"It's infuriating to me that she's not taking me seriously, but I'm actually scared she can't tell something wrong even if he's not abusive."

The mechanic raises an eyebrow and drops his pen to grab onto my calf, turning my body to face him completely. "Scared?"

"Of Warren?" I pauses, considering it and ending up sighing. "I'm not sure. I know I'm scared for Jae. But I'm willing to stand up to Warren, I'm not scared enough to just... freeze. I freeze when I'm really scared. Yeah, anyway, Warren can tell that I know something's up with him because he doesn't like me either. According to Jae, he 'doesn't know why' either. Yet we all know I'm a fucking awesome person, the only thing that's ever wrong with me is when I turn into a depressed bitch and that has nothing to do with this. God!"

Crying shouldn't be my go to when I'm this angry.

Yet here I am, tears in my eyes and hands clenched into fists.

"My worry and guilt about not being there for her all the time makes this all worse." I admit, wiping carefully at my eyes so I don't ruin my eyeliner. "It's like, I want to be in college with her too and I used to just day dream about that. Lately I don't want to anymore, I'd rather be here with you and I even missed when I was supposed to visit last Friday to be with you, Demy. But I can't itch the feeling that if I don't intervene something bad will happen."

"Do you... want to go there this weekend?" Moving his hand up to run gently through my hair, tucking a piece back behind my ear before gripping lightly to the back of my neck, tapping his fingers against my skin. I take a deep breath in, relaxing. "I can come with. For help. To meet Jae, too."

Probably looking like an absolute idiot with the way my eyes light up even when I'm still half sure that I'll cry, I nod and hold onto the arm closest to me. "If you're actually willing to, I want to."

"Okay." He nods. "When do you want to go?"

"Um... wanna skip gym on Friday? We can go on a little road trip to get there, we'd get there Saturday afternoon if we actually stop somewhere to sleep. Oh! Wait," Immediately, I backtrack and grab onto his leg as if I was going to shake him, but I don't. "Her college is like an eleven hour drive, normally it takes me all weekend to just get there and back and be there for a day. Are you sure you actually want to go?"

"Yes," Demetrius bounces his knee to knock against my hands and this time I do shake him lightly, in warning. "Friday, sleep somewhere, get there. Then back Sunday?"

"If you're comfortable spending the night there, I know Jae doesn't have a problem with it and I told her about you already so I know she likes you. Or at least, she likes what I told her about you." Which, admittedly, is probably everything about him because when I'm interested in something or someone and start to rant, I don't stop. "If you're not, I'll drive back through the night no problem."

"I'm okay to spend the night. Wait." Jerking to sit up straight, Demetrius's head snaps up to me instead of looking at his papers. "You talked about me?"

Nodding, not about to lie, I raise an eyebrow at him. "Why? You're my friend and my current object of interest, not that you're an object but I don't know how better to explain it so we're sticking with that. You're interesting, I talk about you. I'm pretty sure she listened. If Rigby never met me, you'd probably tell him something about me too."

"Maybe," He just shrugs. "He can... he, uh-- He can be an asshole to people or purposely annoy them and he does that especially to people he gets to know and if I were to talk about you, he'd annoy you more than usual just to see where your limits are. Or call me a S-I-M-P."

"Simp? Ha!" I scoff, shaking his knee again. "It's not like we're dating, or you have a crush on me. It's just because you're nice? I'm gonna call him a simp for tires, and that's going to really annoy him. Please let him test me, I'll have so much fun!"

Clearly hesitant, Demetrius winces before shaking his head. "Mean."

Rolling my eyes, I lean over and bonk my head into his shoulder. "I have four older brothers, three sisters and a shit ton of cousins. I can absolutely handle Madam Rigby for all he's worth. I bet that he won't be able to annoy me, and that will annoy him in return. Besides, if he's genuinely mean to me I can dish that shit out right back. Please? I want to annoy people too! It's free real estate."

"Real estate?" The mechanic just blinks rather owlishly at me, eyes wide. "I will never understand people with siblings. You all grow up to be so adaptable to annoying people. Rigby has lots of siblings too, just so you're aware."

"Real estate, free grounds to annoy him endlessly while never actually having to buy anything, which means absolutely no consequences." I explain, tilting my head at him. "And by the way, you look cute with that expression on. Also, having siblings is like having practice at working retail, so it's pretty useful. Is that a yes then?"

Still not exactly willing to, Demetrius narrows his mismatch eyes at me. "What would I have to do?"

"Talk about me just enough to make him curious and let me annoy him. Or do whatever you think will make him want to annoy the fuck out of me."

"You're asking me to get R-I-G-S to annoy you that much? That is a really weird request, I hope you know."

"I do." Nodding, I grin at him. "I just don't give a fuck."

He pokes my hip, "Are all siblings like that?"

"No, not all siblings are like that." My amusement fades as I realize when we've talked about family, he's noted on mine or mentioned Riggs's family, but never his own. "You don't have any siblings, do you?" He shakes his head. "What's your family like?"

Demetrius shrug nonchalantly and takes one of my hands in his, tracing on my palm. "Nonexistent."

This gives me pause, of course it does, but instead of being weird about it I just grin and thread my fingers through his -tugging on his arm enough to get him to look back up at me. "You have Rigby. He's family by now, and he doesn't leave."

At this point we both know that's something he's scared of.

"Friends are better than family," Demetrius mumbles, gently resting our palms together, just for casual touch. "Not yours. They're... nice. They stay. Riggs' family stays, though his brothers joke about him being the only one their parents wanted."

"That's how siblings tease each other. I'm like, twenty years younger than my oldest siblings, and six years younger than my youngest brother. So growing up I was dubbed 'the definitely not planned one' and you just gotta laugh at those things." Saying this, I poke the lighthouse necklace now around his neck and smile at him. "If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. I don't know why you don't have a family, or what you've been through, but know that my family always has their doors open to you. And I won't leave either. Friends are better? Great! Let's be friends for the rest of our lives then, Demy. I'll never get tired of you."

"Big promise," He smiles at me, and it's really cute. "You outlive me, okay? And... it's okay-- foster system, never adopted. No one wanted a kid like me," He tapped the side of his head just below his ear "But that's okay. I had Riggs, and now I have you."

"Let's have each other for the rest of our lives and then we can die together as wrinkly old people who have no regrets." I chirp out, shaking our conjoined hands.

Demetrius laughs, shaking his head at me but not disagreeing.

I think imagining that seems like a good life to have, even if we're just teenagers and even if the world is unpredictable.

Hope is an important thing to have.