"So anyways, the teacher was giving me "the look", you know the one they give you that practically says "I'm waiting," Travis was rambling and talking about his previous class as the rest of us smiled and nodded along while eating our lunch.

Aphmau was probably the best at faking interest, between his sentences, she would whisper sarcastic comments to me, making me laugh.

A few girls were sitting at a far off table, staring at Travis and giggling.

"Aph?" I tugged on her sleeve.

"Yeah?"

"Who are they?"

"Travis' fangirls," she rolled her eyes., "they're always swooning over him."

"Are we talking about the same dork?" I rose a brow, causing her to laugh.

"Are you two even listening?" Travis paused and looked at us.

"No," I smirked.

"Yes," Aphmau said at the same time as me.

We started laughing again and Travis blew some bangs out of his face. Garroth was zoned out, staring at Aphmau with a small smile. I smirked and kicked his shin under the table, snapping him out of his trance. He looked at me and rose a brow. I smirked and crossed my arms, leaning back in my chair. I tilted my head to Aphmau's direction as she babbled to Travis about homework. I wiggled my eyebrows, his eyes widened shaking his head while a blush crept to the tips of his ears.

The bell rang and we stood up.

I had art class with Travis so we were walking together as I threw out my trash.

"Do you know him?" Travis suddenly asked. I looked up to see Director Garte.

"Uh, yeah...stay here, I'll be right back."

I walked over to the tall blonde and cleared my throat.

"Katelyn, there you are. I just came to check up on you and Garroth."

"You flew all the way over here to check on us?"

"Well I also have some business in this part of the country, so I'm just making a pitstop," he explained.

"Makes sense, we're all going to class right now. But you can stop by the house after school if you want. I really should be going."

"Alright, see you later then."

I smiled and jogged to catch up with Travis.

"So who was it?"

"That's Garroth's dad."

"Oh...wow, they look a lot alike, except Garroth smiles more," Travis laughed at his own joke and leaned against the locker beside mine as I switched out my books.

"Yeah, but he's a nice man," I shrugged, glancing at the awkward man before he left.

"I liked you going to talk to him," he sighed.

"Why?"

"I gotta admit, Katie, I hate to see you go away from me, but Irene, I love to watch you leave."

"Pervert," I grumbled.

We got to art class and sat at the back table. We were given the assignment to draw an object.

"So what do you think is the deal with him?" Travis elbowed me lightly, nodding towards some student.

"I don't-" I looked towards him and froze, "know..." I trailed off, making eye contact with him.

Gene.

I felt my pencil fall from my fingers, onto the floor. The hollow sound echoing through my ears. Gene smirked and did a small half wave. My heart tripped in my chest and I felt tears rising to my eyes.

"Katelyn?" Travis shook my shoulder, catching my attention, "what's wrong?" He made me look him straight in the eye, his expression dead serious.

"Nothing...I just...he was....at my old school..."

"And...?"

"We...we used to date," I managed, swallowing the lump that was forming in my throat.

Travis opened his mouth, but sighed as the bell rang and everyone got up to leave. I tried to rush, but was fumbling over everything, and couldn't work something as simple as a zipper.

"Katelyn, right after school you are coming to my dorm and we will talk more," he ordered.

I could reject him or go.

Rejecting would be for personal reasons. To protect myself, and not have to open up.

But going would be smart for the mission, and right now, that was more important than my feelings.

I nodded and collected the last of my things, walking into the hallway. Students were already all in their next class, waiting for the second bell. I went to my locker, and flinched when a hand slammed on the locker beside me. I turned and saw the piercing blue eyes that had hurt me so much before.

"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes," Gene laughed, looking me up and down. I glared at him quickly before looking back at my own locker.

"Leave me alone, Gene," I sighed, hoping that no emotions would return.

"What are you doing here? I saw blondie earlier, and now you're here too, what's going on?"

"A mission, not that you care."

"What makes you think I wouldn't care?"

"You made it pretty clear when you left us."

"Well I did miss yo-"

"Don't even start with that bullshit, you left me like you left everyone else. You got me to say that I loved you, and then you basically took every sweet promise and turned them into pretty lies, but now that I think about it, they were always lies."

"Katelyn, give me some credit. My life was hard back the-"

"Gene, my life was hard too, all of our lives were."

"Not as hard as mine was."

"Let's go over everyone's "easy" lives then. shall we? Garroth's dad slept with his target, had two sons, and then he had to kill her, after she cheated on him, for a mission. Jeffory was forced to train because he showed talent at a young age, Nicole's father has been planning a forced marriage for her, her whole life, Laurance is an orphan, and Dante, your brother was going through a whole lot of hell. First his dad dies, then his mother dumps him and you at the school, and then his good for nothing brother left him to."

"And you?"

"My parents abandoned me, and my brothers, never visited, and now they're dead. We all have our fair share of family drama, and shitty lives, so shut up and screw off."

I slammed my locker door and walked away, praying to Irene nobody finds out about that confrontation, because I said a lot of things loosely, and I could've screwed myself over.

I held my books close to my chest and drew in slow breaths, trying to stabilise myself.

I wasn't prepared for that.

A/N "But Hope, Gene and Katelyn were never a thin-" shut up, because I just felt like NOT making it generic, because everyone uses Jeff like that, and honestly, I just wanted Gene in the story, just because. I love you all devils, byeeeeeeeee.
Song: Wolf In Sheep's Clothing