Skylynn

Skylynn was experiencing what had to be one of the most terrifying days of her entire life, and she had found most of the days she lived terrifying.

For someone like Skylynn, school was a minefield. You could go unnoticed one day, and then the next you could have everyone's negative attention focused on you. She wished her parents would have let her remain homeschooled, but they wanted their frail little girl to learn social skills and be around normal children her own age.

So, freshmen year she was suddenly thrust out of the safety of her home and into public school. It wasn't like Skylynn was upset with her parents for their decision, they did it because they were worried that she would never gain any real social skills. All she seemed to know how to do in social situations were smile and sit silently, responding as simply and quickly as possible to any questions directed at her.

Personally, Skylynn felt like she could live her life fine like that. It was peaceful and simple, with nothing she really had to worry about. Well, nothing social at least.

The last two years had been rough, but she'd mostly been able to stay well under anyone's radar, and her grades were good enough to keep her parents happy with her. A few people had taken short notice of the brunette, but she'd managed to dodge them until she was forgotten. Even if her parents wanted her to, Skylynn simply couldn't muster up the courage to make any friends, not with these kids at least. She'd heard so much about how girls would turn on each other in an instant, and how boys were likely only after sex if they talked to a girl out of the blue. Skylynn was content being alone, even if that was admittedly, well, lonely.

This particular day, however, she could not shake someone's attention, and that someone was one of the most petrifying people she had ever seen. The male was an extremely tall ginger, with piercing, forest green eyes. Those eyes always seemed to be glaring, especially when he looked over at Skylynn. She felt like he could crush her with just his pinky, let alone if he put any actual effort into the action.

Danieal Lockwood sat next to her in their first period.

Danieal Lockwood sat next to her in their second period.

Third.

Lunch he and his friends sat at the table close to her, the other three talking loudly while he seemed to just...Glare at Skylynn. Not stares, or glances, but full on glares. The kind that made someone feel like someone else wanted them dead, as soon as possible. The kind that made Skylynn feel like she'd grant that desire and drop dead on the spot.

Her break from him in fourth period was short-lived, because he came back again in fifth, sixth, and seventh.

It was ridiculous. Skylynn had never had so many classes with the same person in one semester, she didn't even know that could happen. Yet, there he was. And when he was given the option, he always sat as close as possible to her.

Skylynn didn't know what Danieal wanted from her, but she wasn't sure she wanted to. Whatever a scary looking guy could want from a girl like her wasn't anything good. He threw a girl around in first period that was about her size like it was no big deal. Skylynn didn't know what happened after that, she blacked out from fear, but when she realized what was happening again the teacher was going through introductory things and Danieal was just glaring at her again.

The one and only plus side of the day was finding out that she shared two classes with Terra Walker. It was impossible for her not to happy from that, even if she couldn't get any courage to speak with the female. Just being around her made Skylynn's heart race, for a completely different reason then it did around most of her schoolmates. She wasn't sure if she'd call the feeling love, but it was definitely adoration at the very least.

But that was two classes compared to the many she shared with her new phobia, which was being added to a very long list.

The brunette was finally making her way carefully out of school, the halls almost completely empty. She'd hidden in the last stall of the girl's bathroom near her locker after the final bell rang, keeping track of the noise outside until it seemed safe to go. This wasn't a new thing because of Danieal, it was her usual habit to avoid being caught in the middle of a teenage tidal wave. Skylynn was rather sure that people died during the dismissal rush and nobody talked about it.

There were still a few lingering students, most of them heading off to various clubs or study tables, but most of them didn't glance at Skylynn was she walked. That was the way she preferred it, obviously. It helped her relax for just a bit in the school building, and didn't make her seem like a panicked mess by the time she arrived at home. It was nice.

However, Skylynn stopped dead in her tracks when she got close to the exit, witnessing a fight. Luckily for her heart, it was only a verbal one that was more on the quiet side.

Unlucky for her heart, it involved both Terra and Danny, along with three others she recognized from her first period class.

"It's not like you can stop us, is it?" The blonde girl, Annabeth if she was remembering correctly, smirked up at Terra. She definitely seemed like the type who just wanted to start things, though she'd heard people say that Annabeth could back up her attitude with her fists, which, of course, scared Skylynn. From all the things she heard, the short girl was not someone to cross. And right now, she was pretty up in Terra's face.

Terra had a look of pure disdain on said beautiful face as she took a small step back and crossed her arms. "I'll tell the principal. It's a restricted area." She replied, "And you know what happens to students who go there."

"You think that's going to stop me? You'd have to prove that we were even planning on it, let alone going. I mean, he'll believe you about me, for sure. But, I'm the only one who has a record. Besides, are you going to get Marie in trouble too? She doesn't even want to go, really." Annabeth replied, leaning back a bit, right onto Danieal. The ginger stood behind Annabeth, dwarfing the blonde even further. And yet, to Skylynn at least, she still looked just as intimidating.

They would make the most disquieting couple on the planet.

That statement seemed to make Terra hesitate a moment before she continued. "And yet, you're forcing her along. You really don't care much for her at all do you? That place is restricted to everyone for a reason, and yet you plan on not only going and putting yourself in danger, but you plan on forcing Marie along. Just like you always do. For someone who claims to look after her so much, you don't seem to take her into account at all, because you are selfish."

Annabeth's face noticeably darkened as Terra spoke, and she went silent for a moment. It wasn't the kind of silence someone gives when considering another's words, or when they're thinking of a comeback.

No, it was more the face of someone who was considering snapping, and Terra seemed to know that, at least subconsciously, as she took a rather large step back.

Danieal put a hand on Annabeth's shoulder, but it was shrugged off quickly as she kept the same expression, stepping forward and closing the gap between herself and Terra. The female kept her hands in her pockets, though Skylynn could see she was struggling to keep them there.

"Listen up whore, because if you say shit like then it's going to be your last time saying anything. Don't fucking judge me when you don't know the full situation, and definitely don't fucking question what I'll do for Marie, or ever say I'm forcing her into doing shit. She's a big girl, if you couldn't tell, who makes her own damn choices. Tagging along is one of her choices. Yeah, she doesn't really want to, but people do things they don't want to do all the time. It's not me forcing her to do shit, and if she decides to back out, that's still hella cool with me." The tone Annabeth used was cold, but unlike her expression, it didn't really seem to hold many emotions.

This time, the tan girl who Skylynn thought to be Marie, or possibly Marilyn, was the one who put her hand on Annabeth's shoulder, and it wasn't shrugged off like it had been before. Marie looked at Terra, though it wasn't one that seemed threatening or anything, before back at Annabeth. "Let's just go home for today, okay? It isn't worth getting into a fight here over."

Annabeth held her look on Terra for a moment, before nodding and turning away. "I'll walk you home, but I'm going out after that." She replied, before finally walking out of the school, the tan girl following behind her.

After a moment, the other three left as well leaving a shaking Skylynn standing alone in the hallway. Though she hadn't been a part of the fight in any way, from the way her heart was racing, she felt like she had been. From the way her stomach felt, she might as well have been punched there.

A few minutes went by, before Skylynn rushed out of the school, just wanting to get home.