The rest of the day passed in a blur of classes and occasional interactions with friends. Now Tallulah and Theo were in their last class of the day, Tallulah's favorite class, history.

"So with the fall of the Byzantine Empire a new power arose. Can anybody guess who they were?" The history teacher asks later class that day. "Here's a hint. At the end of a long day, you might put your feet on it."

"The dog?" Charlie Van Der Hoek replied, earning snickers from some fellow students in the room. Tallulah rolled her eyes at him. Charlie was one of the most popular boys in school and the older brother of Annabelle. It was crazy to her that they were related, they were so different. Charlie was your typical arrogant, selfish and self centered jock while Annabelle was nothing but a sweetheart, kind and loving. She found it strange how siblings could be so different, yet, they were close.

"Nice try, Charlie." Mr. James comments, not amused by his remark. "Anyone else want to give it a shot?"

Tallulah glanced around the classroom to see if anyone would speak up. When no one answered, she decided to take a chance. She raises her hand. "Yes, Tallulah?" Mr. James called on her.

"The Ottomans," She said confidently. "The Ottoman Empire rose to power after the fall of the Byzantine Empire."

"Correct. Well done, Tallulah." Mr. James praised, impressed. Tallulah grinned, happy and pleased she got the answer right. She thought it was, but she had some doubt. She was glad she was correct. She glanced at Theo when he turned in his seat to look at her with surprise yet a proud smile on his lips.

"How did you know that?" He murmurs, keeping his voice low so only she could hear him. "I mean, I know you like history and everything, but that was a pretty random fact to know."

Tallulah shrugs, her face flushing a little as she glanced at Theo. "I guess I just remember random facts sometimes. It helps I really like history. There's a lot of cool facts and interesting stories to learn." She explained.

"Fair enough." Theo nodded, smiling at her before turning to the front as the teacher continued, turning to the mat he put on the chalkboard below the words 'Ottoman Empire'. Tallulah didn't even realize it had been written on the board. Mr. James had a reluctant Charlie read from page seventy-three where they were at in the history textbook. Tallulah listened to the story about Vlad the Impaler and his cruelty during the fifteenth century, her eyes focused on the book.

After a few minutes, Mr. James's voice pulled her from her thoughts. "Alright, hold a beat there, Charlie." He pulls over a whiteboard with writing and different pictures on it. In big writing up top on it said 'Historical characters'. "Where else have we heard of Vlad the Impaler?" Charlie shrugs, looking confused. "You might know him as Vlad Dracula. The inspiration for Braam Stroker's 1897 novel."

"Does that mean that vampires were real?" Charlie asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Just folklore." Mr. James responds. "But it's a good reminder that people can be scary too." Lila Cross comes to mind at that statement in Tallulah's mind. She didn't seem scary at first. In fact, she seemed sweet. But she was anything but sweet. She stabbed her in the back and has been out to get her since then for some reason. "Vlad was known to nail the turbin of his enemies to their heads."

"That's far out, Mr. James." Charlie commented, looking surprised.

Mr. James nods in agreement. "So, let we repeat our mistakes, we should pay attention." He grabs a book from the desk, walking over to Theo, who Tallulah realized had fallen asleep. She grimaces, watching as Mr. James loudly sat the book on the desk, jolting Theo awake while everyone chuckled or snickered. "To the past. Let's all try to stay awake for tomorrow's lessons, huh?" Theo smiles sheepishly, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Mr. James glances at Charlie with concern as he heads back to his desk. "Hey, uh, Charlie, any idea where your sister, Annabelle, is today?"

"I don't know. Hey, maybe she's with, uh, Vlad the Impaler." Charlie joked, earning an eye roll from Tallulah. She couldn't believe he would joke about something like that. Didn't he care about his sister? She was worried about her. She hadn't heard from Annabelle in awhile and hadn't seen her either and hoped she was okay.

When the bell rang, signaling the end of school, Tallulah picks up her bag, looking at Theo with concern. "T, you good? I noticed throughout the last few classes you've been having trouble keeping you awake. I mean, I even had to nudge you a few times during other classes to keep you from falling asleep. Are you sure you're okay?" She asked, her brow furrowed.

Theo sighs, giving her a halfhearted smile. "I'm fine. Just didn't sleep well last night."

"Is it because of what you heard last night? Maybe it really wasn't the wind." She said, frowning slightly.

"I'm not sure, but it was definitely weird." He admits, his expression troubled. "And I could definitely go for a coffee right now." He admitted, causing her to grin.

"Me too. How about we stop by Junior's and grab our drinks? We can head to my house to do homework and then head over to the protest, or at least, we'll meet Flora there. Bet she'll be there before us." Tallulah commented as they left class together, heading to their lockers.

"Yeah, probably. But that sounds like a good idea." Theo replied, smiling at her.

As they walk in the hallway, they pause as they round the corner after hearing a commotion. Charlie and his friend, who Tallulah didn't bother remembering his name, had pushed Flora around, who was handing out flyers for the protest that evening. Charlie's friend had swatted the papers out of her hand, making a mess everywhere as they both bumped into her. Charlie and Flora had never gotten along, especially given Flora's outspoken stance on environmental issues and Charlie's tendency to mock anything he didn't understand or care about.

"Watch where you're going, hippie." Charlie told Flora.

"Or what? Your dad is gonna drill holes under my house?" Flora remarked, glaring at him. Yeah, on top of Charlie's arrogance and egotistical attitude, his father was the major of Milwood. . He was rich, spoiled and selfish. And it was clear he didn't care much for Flora, or her beliefs.

Charlie scoffs, shaking his head. "At least my dad has a job unlike your deadbeat parents."

Flora holds back tears as she steps closer to him, the glare never fading. "You know what? You and your dumb family think that you're perfect, but you're not and one of these days you're going to get what's coming for you." With that, she turned and left.

"Yeah, she is the worst kind of girl." Charlie complains to his friend. "She's stupid, she's loud."

"I don't know what her deal is." His friend add as he nodded in agreement.

Tallulah felt a surge of protective anger rise in her chest. She hated seeing Flora picked on, especially by someone as arrogant as Charlie. Theo, sensing her shift in mood, immediately put a hand on her arm to hold her back.

"Hey, it's not worth it, Tulip. Let's just go." Theo murmured quietly, but Tallulah was already stepping forward, her expression determined.

"Charlie, seriously?" Tallulah calls out, her voice sharp as she walked up to him. "Do you really have nothing better to do than mess with Flora?"

Charlie pauses, turning to face her, a smirk forming across his face when he saw her. "Oh look, it's Flower Girl coming to the rescue. What's the big deal? It's just a few pieces of paper. It's not like anyone cares about her little protest anyway."

Tallulah narrows her eyes at him. "Maybe you don't care, but a lot of people do. And just because you don't, doesn't mean you have to push her around and mess with her. Why don't you try acting like a decent human being for once and stop being such a jerk?" She noticed out of the corner of her eye everyone who was in this area of the hallway were now watching them. Some had went back to doing their own thing after Flora had left, but now that Tallulah had approached Charlie, their attention was back on them.

Charlie scoffs, crossing his arms. "What's your deal, Flower Girl? Since when are you her bodyguard?"

"I'm not, just a concerned and upset best friend." Tallulah replies, glaring at him. "You can't just go around pushing people and acting like it's okay. Especially not Flora, who's out here trying to make a difference. Maybe you should try doing something worthwhile for once."

Charlie falters slightly at that, but his arrogance takes over, and he sneers, stepping closer to her. "Maybe you should try staying in your lane, Flower Girl. Or is the flower crown cutting off your brain circulation and making you lose your mind? You're starting to sound as crazy as that hippie." He pulled off the flower crown she had on, smirking as he held it above her head, too high for her to reach.

Tallulah glares at him, feeling her patience run out. She could handle a lot, but mocking her and her friend and taking her flower crown was the last straw. Without a word, she kicked him in the shin. Hard. He yelped, stumbling and letting the flower crown fall to the ground as he grabbed his shin, glaring at her. "What the heck was that for, Flower Girl?" He snapped.

She picks her flower crown and carefully puts it back on her head, making sure it was on properly. "Don't touch me or my flower crown ever again. Stay out of my way, and stay away from Flora. Or I'll kick you somewhere else that will hurt a lot more than your shin." Tallulah's voice was calm but firm, and her eyes glared up at Charlie with determination.

Charlie, still nursing his shin, was taken aback, clearly not expecting Tallulah to fight back. His face flushed with a mix of embarrassment and anger as murmurs and snickers spread through the onlookers. His friend, who was standing by him, looked surprised. Charlie opened his mouth, about to respond, but his eyes fell on Theo, who had been watching, and he closed his mouth, his eyes narrowing.

Theo's presence seemed to fuel his anger. Charlie's face twisted with irritation as he noticed Theo standing nearby, his posture calm and unyielding. "What are you looking at, Theo?" Charlie snaps, his voice dripping with venom. "This is none of your business." Theo doesn't reply, but he does glare back at him before turning to Tallulah.

"Come on, Tal, let's go." Theo suggested, gently grabbing Tallulah's arm and gently guiding her down the hallway past Charlie and his friend.

"This isn't over, Flower Girl!" Charlie calls out, glaring at her. "You'll pay for that."

Tallulah ignores him, letting Theo guide her away. She was fuming. She was furious. She couldn't believe the nerve of him! Charlie Van Der Hoek was an arrogant, entitled bully, and Tallulah was done letting him get away with it. She could still feel the heat of the confrontation, her heart pounding with a mix of adrenaline and frustration. Theo's presence was a calming anchor, though, and as they walked towards Junior's, she tried to steady her emotions.

"Highkey so cool to see you stand up to Charlie like that," Theo said, trying to lighten the mood. "But maybe next time, let's avoid getting into physical confrontations. I'm glad you didn't let him get away with it, though."

Tallulah sighed, her anger slowly fading into exhaustion. "I know, but it just feels like he always gets away with bullying people. Flora didn't deserve that, and I just couldn't stand by and watch him push her around."

"Totally. And it's good to stand up for your friends," Theo said, nodding in agreement. "But you can't let guys like him get to you, Tulip. They're just trying to get a rise out of you. Next time, just take the high road, okay?"

Tallulah gave him a small smile, her mood lifting slightly. "Thanks, Theo. You're right. I'll try to remember that. It's just Charlie...He's so—"

"Frustrating?" Theo guesses and she nods in agreement. "Trust me, I get it."

They continued down the street, the tension in the air fading away as they neared Junior's, a coffee shop. Going to Junior's always brought a smile to their face, especially Tallulah. It was a cozy little place with warm colored walls, the smell of coffee beans, and an overall welcoming and calm atmosphere. They arrived at Junior's and ordered their drinks, the comforting hum of the café providing a welcome distraction from the earlier tension. Tallulah and Theo settled into a booth and began working on their homework, the atmosphere relaxed and familiar. They decided just to do their homework here and then stop by at home to get their bikes before heading to meet Flora at the protest.

Tallulah was thankful for the quiet distraction. As she worked on her homework, she felt her earlier anger and frustration slowly fade, replaced by a sense of calm and focus. She loved getting lost in her studies and learning, especially on topics she was passionate about. As she focused on the questions, the world around her melted away, and the only thing that existed was the paper and books in front of her. Theo's presence was a calming anchor, and as they worked in companionable silence, Tallulah felt her mood lift, her earlier frustrations forgotten. Being with Theo always helped her calm down and feel more grounded. The warmth of Junior's café, the soft clinking of cups, and the quiet murmur of conversation provided a comforting backdrop.

As they worked through their homework, Tallulah found herself enjoying the routine of their study sessions. Theo, despite his earlier exhaustion, was focused and engaged, and his occasional comments or questions helped clarify things she was unsure about. She appreciated his support and the easy camaraderie they shared. Their study sessions were a welcome distraction from the stresses of life, and Tallulah always felt more energized and motivated after spending time with Theo. She knew she could always count on him to help her stay grounded and focused, and she was grateful for his friendship. She couldn't imagine her life without him.

She glanced up at him, a small smile playing on her lips as she took in his relaxed and focused expression. His hair was a little messy and his brow furrowed slightly as he concentrated on the math problems. Her heart fluttered a little, and she quickly looked away, her cheeks flushed. She was supposed to be working, not staring at Theo. She pushed her feelings aside and tried to focus on her homework, determined to finish it before they met up with Flora.