Her fingers worked on the flimsy cardboard of her chocolate milk container. Thin-fingered and boney in a feminine way, she hated her hands. In attempts to balance them out she kept her nails short and painted in alternating neon green and blue, the middle finger half-and-half with a tiny black ‘KMA’ painted on it. She examined the paint job for the twentieth time that day as she finally wrenched the carton open and took a long drink. It wasn’t cold enough, and she wrinkled her nose as she set it down again, licking the remnants from her top lip. She eyed her lunch dismally.

The sound of metal chair legs being dragged across the stone floor roused her only slightly. She glanced at the table’s new occupant from the corner of her eye, the tiniest of grins tugging at one side of her mouth as she glanced over the older male. It faded quickly when she met his chocolate gaze.
“You too huh? …Perhaps this’ll make you feel better,” she said sarcastically as she reached out and grabbed the pizza, lifting it up so that the orange-yellow grease ran from the surface and drip-drip-dripped onto the tray below. She swayed it from side to side, temporarily amused before letting it drop with a ‘splat’. She grabbed a thin paper napkin form beneath her silverware and laid it on top the pizza to absorb the remaining liquid.
“So…‘School for the ambitious’ not so motivating?

I wanna join (^^) I'm going to use my two characters Zabby and Affe(nickname: Monkey), they're going to be brother and sister. Zabby is the older sibling and Affe is still just a young kid not even in his teens yet, but he skipped a few grades due to being sick and there for home schooled. Zabby and Affe are both sophomores.

Affe: He's a very energetic young boy and is also short for his age, just passing the 4foot mark. He talks like he's moving at the speed of light and is very flexible and loves to climb.
Zabby: She's just as energetic as her younger brother and also talks like she's moving at the speed of light. She's taller then Affe, but still smaller then average kids her age.

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A small boy made his way through the long line as his eyes greedily looked at the pizza coming closer and closer until they where almost in his reach. A hand reached out and grabbed at the handle on his backpack; a pack almost as big as the boy himself. His eyes met his big sisters eyes; it was his first day in this school and had yet to 'calm' his excitement about it. He had spent most of his days in home schooling because of being sick for many months and when his parents finally said he could go back to normal school he chose to go in to a school that matched his home education.
His parents didn't like the thought of him going into high school, but he didn't stop pestering them, like he always did to get what he wanted. His excuse was that Zabby would be there to help him out if he got into trouble.

Zabby grabbed them both a piece of pizza as well as a drink for her and a chocolate milk for him. He looked at his sister with curious eyes; she had been unusually quite from the time they got to the school. He had never known her to be silent for this long. He studied her eyes trying to read them; they were deep in thought, darting from side to side as she paid for their lunches.

"What's wrong Zabby? I've never seen you so quite... especially when there's pizza around!" He said as he grind happily at the pizza on his tray.
She seemed to snap out of her trance and looked down at her brother. "Oh, it's nothing you need to worry about Monkmonk." She gave a half hearted smile as they dodged around people, chairs and tables. "Oh I hate lunch some days! There is no place to sit now."
Affe shot a confused look toward his sister. "What are you talking about? There are plenty of places to sit. Just look over there," He pointed off to a table near by with a smaller group of four people at. "Why don't we ask to sit with them? There's plenty of room at that table."
Zabby rolled her eyes slightly. "Trust me if it was that easy I would have done that by now."

Affe looked at his sister with a funny look; not watching his own steps. Zabby saw the incoming collision, but by the time she reacted Affe had already collided with a table where two people sat at. His tray slid down the table, lightly tapping into the try in front of a girl.
He looked up; his scruffy dark brown hair fallen in his face slightly covering his yellow colored eyes. "Oh sorry! I guess I wasn't looking where I was going even though I should have you always should look where your going... eheh..." He sputtered out nervously at a speed that almost made all his words meld together into one.

The girl bristled at Uio’s comment, narrowing her eyes at him and setting her already dismal expression into a hard scowl. While it was true that most of Uio’s crass comments and insults bounced off of her, threats were another thing entirely. Nobody threatened Kail and got by unscathed. Several comebacks immediately came to mind, tingling at the end of her tongue behind pursed lips as she stared unfalteringly into his hard gaze. Has he held it any longer she may not have had the ability to contain herself, but luckily he glanced away just as she was about to unleash. A flicker of recognition in his gaze caused Kail too to turn and glance across the room. Gavin.

Forgetting the ass beside her she forced a smile on her face and raised her hand to beckon him, but once more her attention didn’t linger long. Suddenly the table in front of her screeched as it was forced toward her a couple inches, causing her to jump. Her head snapped around, eyes resting on the klutz responsible. Her hands moved to the edge of the table, but she couldn’t help but pause and stare at the young man as he began speaking…if that was indeed English that was being articulated. Her stare lingered and she remained quiet for longer than necessary, her expression shifting from surprise, annoyance, and then a mix between the two.
“Are you on drugs? “ she finally spoke, questioning him sarcastically as she lifted a brow. Her eyes moved over him in a slow, unnerving way before she huffed and forced the table back to its original place, bumping it against him. Her instincts were to unleash on this kid. Her mood had gotten no better thanks to Uio’s mouth and now this? The girl was on edge. But glancing past the small fry she noted the large group of teenage girls looking over at them, smirking and giggling in their annoying holier-than-though way, and looking back at the clumsy stranger couldn’t help but not want to be like them in any way shape or form. That crowd would definitely have pummeled this poor kid for his slip up. She was better than that.
Not really.
But who was the gullible new kid to know?
“You must be the new kid everyone’s chattering about…Sure are short enough to fit the part. Hey what do you know I did learn something today,” she chuckled good naturedly, though her comments may not have been received as such.
“Sit,” she practically ordered, bumping a chair with her foot from under the table to send it sliding out for him, “Feast with us. Well, me and Gav. I‘d be careful of this one. Just don‘t make direct eye contact and you should be safe,” she joked as she tilted her head toward Uio.

Gavin squinted, his golden eyes scanning the room, overlooking tables full of giggling girls and other clicks and cliches. It was then that he noticed Kailani's arm and the commotion that seemingly surrounded it. Adjusting his backpack once more, he headed for the table, his pace comfortable and confident.

"Hey, Kail, Uio," he grinned as he slid into his seat, throwing his backpack to his side. "Hair pizza, anyone?" he questioned sarcastically as the tray landed with a thud on the table in front of him. He then took notice of Affe, raising an eyebrow at the younger boy. "...Who's the runt?"

Pushing her lunch tray back to its original position the girl shifted in her seat, leaning forward she watched the boy before her. The girl beside him was hardly noticed, recognized but unacknowledged, even when sent a potentially fuse-igniting glare her way. Instead her once dull eyes livening up a bit as she followed his movements and tried to keep up with what he was saying. Skipped a few grades? Brows lifted in genuine interest.
She shifted her attention to the ivory-haired young man that sat down next to Uio, offering a wrinkled nose as she eyed his pizza quizzically before she grinned at his second comment.
“We got us a regular boy genius, Gav,” she said a bit too brightly, leaning further across the table to prop her head up with her hand. She began to pick at her pizza with a plastic fork with the other, cutting it into small bites.
“You any good at Algebra then, Monkey man? How ‘bout you? Do you talk?”
Her gaze shifted to Zabby, whom she offered a monotonously curious look and nothing more. She didn’t like the girl’s attitude already but figured she may as well acknowledge her.

[Sorry this is bad >< Im really tired and didn't feel like positng at all but I felt bad leaving you guys hanging all day so...here's a little something XD]

It's pointless. It's all pointless. They won't stay...don't trust it...don't trust them, don't--

Uio slammed his elbow into the table and buried his face in it. These childish thoughts always invaded his head...he never wanted to meet new people, never even wanted to talk for fear of being responded to. He sighed uncomfortably, and peered back between the white tips of his hair caught in the fingers, eyeing the sudden 'crowd' with luminous chocolate-brown eyes.
Fine. He nodded to Gavin, offering him a quiet, "Hey."

Just as he was about to speak, a wandering Chianna caught his attention. He didn't want to wave...but forced his black-sleeved arm halfway into the air anyway to save the girl some trouble. Meanwhile, as the rest of the group talked, Uio made amends to at least try to say something. He was a complete social idiot, but despite that, decided a bit of conversation probably wouldn't hurt; and besides, he'd been nothing but a complete ass all week, and Kailani must be tired of it by now. He moved his arm and sighed, unsure of what he was even going to say, and then shifted so he sat back straight. Pointless.

((I think I'm going to pull out of this one...I'm already falling behind and I don't really have much of a human-feeling to Chianna like I thought I did...))

Affe fiddled with his milk carton as Gavin spoke to him. He gave a look like 'I hope you're joking' when he spoke of wanting him to do his homework for him. His gaze shifted quickly as Kailani made her remark. Zabby's gaze also fell onto Kailani, but hers more a 'How dare you' look to her eyes.

Affe looked at his milk carton as he spoke, "Didn't you say that was 'hair pizza'? And I would be more then willing to help out with study notes and tips, but I wouldn't do someone's homework for them. That's just unethical." He took note of the sound of Kailani's voice and the look she gave him. He knew better then to trust that type pf response. He didn't have much time with others near his age, but he had read more then his fair share of human psychology books to know a few good things. He however was just going to give it all a pass thought and take their little remarks as mere joking... for now.

Zabby on the other hand didn't take it so lightly; even with her younger brother's response to them she couldn't let those remarks go so easily. "'Saw him first'? What? You think him some sort of 'object' you can use to your will?! What the hell is wrong with you?! I mean how low can you get to try and con someone younger then you to do your schoolwork just because you are either too lazy or just aren't smart enough to do it on your own!?" She yelled out, sometimes breaking into a German accent as she yelled. She slammed her hands down on the table lifting herself out of the chair as she gave off her rant.
Affe jumped at the reaction of his sister; a look of almost fear on his face as she ranted. He has never seen her get even mildly mad and the only times she ever yelled were only in playful or joking context. This was far from anything he had ever seen his sister act like; and he really wasn't sure how to react.

Zabby grabbed her bag and Affe's bag in one hand; not waiting for a reply for any of the others she grabbed Affe's arm with her free hand. "Come on Affe. Let's get moving, class will be starting soon anyways. Sorry to have wasted any of your time." She said turning back her gaze to the others at the table before pulling Affe away from there. His face had a look of shock plastered on it as he was pulled off the chair and lead through the room away from the others.

((Zabby seems to be a little irritable herself, lol... Sorry for the quick leave... I'm not trying to push my way out of the RP, I just know that's what I would have done if I was Zabby))

The whole conversation went over a little awkwardly, but Uio sat forward again with a dissmissive sigh. On one hand, he wanted to speak and on the other he wanted to rub his shameful face in his palm again. He wondered again how he'd had the 'luck' to grow up with Kailani and meet all these...rather awkward people. Then again, there he was being the pot calling the kettle black again. Suddenly he jumped and dodged the item of assault, a pear slice, and in return casted Kail a bewildered look. Seetling back into his seat, Uio inwardly laughed at thier little spat; refusing to stay silent.

"Relax," he started, but quickly dismissed his comment as Zabby and Affe marched away.He could have been the better man and trotted loyally after them, gnawing thier heels until they returned. He could have even tried to stop them; but this was Uio we were talking about. Talk, dark, handsome, and totally heartless.Hardly even casting a glance at the 'twittering bitches' , Uio focused his gaze thoughtfully on Kail's lunch. He stretched out a hand and grasped the edge of Kailani's tray with his index finger, dragging the plastic thing and its contents nearer him. He picked off a piece of crust with bird-like preferences, and popped it in his mouth. The senior seemed to be debating the trouble of either not eating, or forcing down more under-cooked, greasy pizza.

"It's not so bad," he concluded.
"If you haven't eaten since thanksgiving, that is."

Just then he spied Faytha only moments before she flopped down next to Kailani. He was a little unsure as to how to respond to the greeting from the spunky teen, and eyed her with great displeasure. It wasn't her; it was his social retardness that made him unsure that he even wanted to respond. He blinked, and muttered a quiet hello. He hadn't met Faytha many times, but knew she was apparently Kailani's friend. What was that saying? A friend of a friend is always a friend? Sure, we'll go with that. Or was she her cousin? Ignoring the thought, Uio lowered his head and peered out through his tranparent-orange shades and through the bleach-white hair-tips at Kailani, almost eager for a response. It occured to him that he might need to get a life; because living to watch your best friend get fired up and angry was certainly an awkward habit to say the least. He snickered.

“Ugh…people with no sense of humor tick me off,” Kailani grumbled irritably after the siblings little outburst and departure from their table. She glared after them, secretly wishing they never found a better table to sit at. That’s what she got for being nice. Turning back, her set her annoyance on Gavin instead.
“Wow, nice job man. Love the subtly. He’s a boy genius not artificial technology you dunce.” she ‘attacked’ in a flat tone. Irritated, yes, but her halfhearted words let the world know she wasn’t in the mood to give a damn. Stabbing another pizza square she popped it in her mouth, eyeing Uio’s hand as he picked at her lunch. He was nit picky…it was a wonder he was the size he was. She often nagged at him for it, but today she simply watched and rolled her eyes before glancing off into the lunch room.

A brow rose at the sight of Faytha coming energetically towards them.

Kail was never sure about what sort of relationship she and her cousin had. They went to different schools, has different friends…friends that when she was younger she had tried hard to be a part of, but with no luck. In fact Faytha seemed the type she would usually avoid in school…the type that might sit at the snickering table across the way. Yet Kail found her to be far more tolerable…maybe it was simply the fact that she was family and she didn’t see her all the often. Either way, her greeting wasn’t as exuberant. One brow remained lifted as she followed the girl over. Faytha collapsed into the seat next to her uninvited, and Kail opened her mouth at ask what she was doing here when she caught sight of the fast food bag.
“Just peachy,” she answered, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
And then she just had to mention the game.
Was the world seriously out to get her today?
“Tell me, was THIS the look?” she inquired, giving her the best scowl the could muster up.
“I think I’m going to quit. They’re all a bunch of bitches anyways…give me those,” she reached out and snatched the cardboard container of curly fries, taking 3 of 4 before sliding it back.
"You should share a little of the love next time,"

Faytha was a little disappointed in how they all greeted her. She said hi to them, why couldn't they return the favor? At least nod, if you're that lazy... She grinned at Kailani's enthusiasm. Unfortunately, Faytha learned not to be insulted or put down by her cousin, she knew she didn't really mean it. In fact, it happened so often, she found it amusing.

She partially grinned at her own little victory as well, managing to tick her cousin off even more. She knew how to do that pretty well. She looked over at Kailani, who was now scowling at her. She laughed, rather loudly, "Oh that, and a few other looks." She noticed a red-headed freshman looking at her from the other side of the room. She winked playfully, which made the boy blush and look back down at his food. She giggled again, and finished the last of her burger. "Aww well... Easy come easy go. Lucky for you, I'm not playing again after this year. I've about had it with sports."

It was true, she was tired of volleyball taking up all her freetime. Lucky for her it was only a few months long, but with practice every night at ridiculously late hours, it just wasn't for her anymore. Two years was enough. She finally noticed that Kailani took a few of her fries before returning the box. "Mm... I believe the love is now spread." She snatched the box and quickly swallowed the last of them before anyone else would beg her for some. Well, maybe they wouldn't beg, but what was better? One curly fry, or a big slice of disgusting pizza? Oh well, all she had to finish now was her soda. She doubted anyone would steal that from her.

(lol sorry! had a lot on my mind this last week, so i didnt really feel like writing until this weekend ^^; sorry for the wait!)
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[[[[[[[[Warning: This post contains Catfight and what some might consider 'Strong Adult Language', young viewers are not advised to read. Reader discretion is advised!]]]]]]]]]]

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Kailani let loose a groan as she saw the exchange between her cousin and the red head. As thought she herself hadn’t flirted from time to time, heh. Kail was one of those people who were very hypocritical, however, often turning her nose up when people did things she herself did, offering up excuses as to why her actions were any better…if she offered an excuse at all. Truth was though that the teen wasn’t really interested in guys. She befriended them, toyed with their emotions, and has been attracted once or twice…but otherwise pursuing any sort of relationship with one was out.

Stuffing a curly fry into her mouth, she addressed Gavin as she chewed.
“Fo’ yo’ information, I wanted ‘he’p’, not to cheat,” she argued, finally swallowing.
“I’m not about to ask Mr. Riggy, that dude scares the shit out me, and the only other geniuses in that class are snooty chicks and guys that want to talk your ear off about Halo.”
She grabbed her chocolate milk carton and sipped till it was finished, and then some, seeming to take pleasure in hear the empty, stuttering noise of sucking air before she pushed it aside and opened the next one, taking a fresh drink.

More giggling.

Her eyes zipped around to the table that seemed to enjoy drawing attention to itself. She once more met the eye of the girl. Long wavy brunette hair, perfect skin, overall pretty…she and Kailani might be competition if it weren’t for the fact that they had two different styles…and came from two different worlds. Lauren was her name, and Kail stiffened in her seat as she watched the girl’s eyes move from her to Uio to Gavin, then back again before she grinned and leaned over to the guy sitting beside her, speaking to him in a low voice, never taking her eyes off whom the words were no doubt intended until they all started laughing again.

That. Was. It.

“Excuse me,” she excused herself pointedly, sliding her chair out with a violent screech that already managed to turn a few heads. Once they saw the source of the noise, many stayed interested, stopping what they were doing to watch her march up to the large gathering.
“Would someone here like to explain to me WHAT in the HELL is so funny?" she growled as she hovered over the back of Lauren’s chair. The girl looked back at her, surprise in her eyes though it was obvious she was attempting to keep her expression smug and subdued.
“None of your business,” one of the other girls snorted, trying to be equally brave. A couple of the others looked nervous without trying to hide it. The boys remained silent, smirking at the spectacle.

“No it’s alright. We might as well ask her,” the cheerleader mused, sliding her chair out and standing, seemingly uncomfortable with Kail hovering above her. Lauren was taller by a few inches, and seemed to think that might scare the girl off. Pfft, fat chance.
“We were wondering which of them is better…you know. Bigger?” she spoke coyly, keeping her voice low as though to conceal her words from the three still remaining occupants at Kailani’s table.
“What the…?” Kailani stared at the girl, a bit taken aback, the vicious expression on her face fading away. This seemed to give Lauren an extra boost of bravery, because she wasn’t slowing up. The girls at the table began to nervously giggle again.
“See I made a bet with Jess that Gavin’s carpet doesn’t match the drapes…that albino thing or whatever is all an act to get attention. I guess nobody would know better than you. I bet you like freaky shit like that. If you can sleep with Uio I guess you can sleep with anything,”
Kail’s expression went from bewilderment to disgust. She wrinkled her nose in a sneer and stepped forward, getting right in the other’s face.
“Unlike you, some of us don’t hump all the moves and dangles,“ she breathed quietly, her words barely escaping through clenched teeth, “Now if you want to keep that pretty face of yours looking pretty, shut up and mind your own business,”
Lauren stared at her a moment, perhaps searching her expression for a bluff. Perhaps she found it. Kail was shaken by the comments for sure, and suddenly feeling not so steady on the ground she stood on. So many eyes were on her…nothing new, but the judgment that went along with it? And not even just judging her, but her best friends? With a smirk the popular brunette finally turned her head to her friends.
“Her breath smells like d***," she announced, louder than normal. They all laughed.

Kail raised her arms and shoved the girl against the table, sending her chair skittering off to the side. Someone’s tray went sliding, milk spilling all over the table. One of the guys cursed under his breath, calling her something fowl. She didn’t care. Her green eyes locked onto Lauren’s brown ones with pure venom. For a moment the cheerleader looked as though she’d finally break under the intimidation, but with her friends now suddenly cheering her on and the whole student body watching, she knew she had to fight. She shoved Kailani back.
“Get the hell off me you dyke!” she yelled, probably in attempts to draw attention from someone of authority nearby. Out of the corner of her eye she saw lunch ladies gathering, and a male teacher came striding toward them quickly. Oooh no. Kail wasn’t about to let her get away with it. Her mind wasn’t on the consequences, or on anything going on around her, only on the sheer pleasure of knocking the brunette’s face in. Without hesitating any longer she balled her fist and send it flying. Her knuckles cracked and pain shot down her arm as she connected with the girl’s face. Gasps arose from the crowd, and more cheers erupted. Kailani didn’t care who they were for. To her surprise however, the cheerleader didn’t go down as easily as she hoped. Had her punch not fully connected? Before she could fully register the situation, a fist came flying at her, connecting between the bridge if her nose and her eye socket. She stumbled back, surprised she had gotten a counter at all, much less an actual punch. She tried to blink past the pain, her eye flashing white and black as it attempted to recover. Like an injured animal, her rage was now at its peak. Letting loose an almost feral growl she ran at Lauren, still half blind, and tackled her. They both slid onto the table, sending treys, food and people scattering as they began to hit and tear at each other.

[Ohhh boy XDD Sorry if that was horrid, I've never er...done anything liek that before hehe. Feel free to pile in <<'' if someone wants to play a teacher or something you can do that too. I don't mind any powerplaying at this point XD]

Going into the graphic-design industry perhaps made Uio a little more familar with the game of Halo, but he kept his trap shut and glanced down at the dull brown table, still under the impression that humanity was better off without his dampening snippets of conversation. He eyed the curly fries jealously, but seeing as Kailani was in a rather foul mood (or was she always that way?) he deciced fighting with her like they did as kids probably wasn't worth the small but tasty delicacy.

Now he was all too familiar with Lauren, the snitty cheerleader. A member of her posse once insulted his mother, and he promptly broke his nose. Uio came out on top though, at the court trial, and avoided jail. The annoying girlish giggles were getting louder. He peered over his shoulder, just in time to be startled by Kailani's chair scuffing the floor. His eyes fixed on her back, as if hoping to pay her back for startling him by burning a hole through her back. He perhaps would have been more distracted by his thoughts, but instead he focused in on the sharp dialouge. Years of being damn near close to a mute had taught him to listen well.

He reacted furiously, arriving to his feet so quickly the his chair tipped and crashed into the floor below. The movement was indeed so sudden and so noisy that a few onlookers glanced back at him from the fight. He moved quick, and instead of going around the next table, the senior leapt up on top of it, and stepped off.

Now all of this startling process happened in under 5 seconds. Uio had moved so quickly towards Kailani and Lauren that his mind was beginning to switch into defense and offense mode versus logical thought.

"Well damn!" he cried, to no in particular, "If you two think you're going to get suspended and leave me in this shithole, well, reconsider, because," the senior paused and lifted a pale hand to his face, and swiped off his orange-tinted shades and hooked them over his pants. "You're fuckin' wrong!"

As the 'wrong' was gruffly announced, Uio shoved his hands into his coat pocket, and let his foot connect with the face of Josh, Gavin's 'attacker', and pushed the boy into the table behind him. He leapt back up furiously, and for a moment Uio wondered why he'd done that in the first place; get involved in Gavin's fight. He knew all too well what one guy helping out another would come off as, and stepped back to let the leucistic teen have his brawl. Uio moved rapidly through the screaming teenagers towards Kailani. She was certainly capable of defending herself, but... To put it simple, Uio could stand Gavin getting knocked around a little, but Kailani was another thing. It was one of those, "I hit you, no one else does," type of relationships. He blinked, and moved in, dodging flying fists but getting socked in the back by Kail's unusually strong fists as he snatched up Lauren's collar. "All right, Kail is going to hate me for stealing her show,," he said, glancing at her for the smallest of moments. "But I can't exactly let you get away with those crude comments, either." His own fist connected with her cheeck, and he let go of the collar of her shirt.

-----------------------------
GAH I PPed SO BAD. -feels bad- Fell free to like...whack him. xD

OOC

I'm think the direct punch was a little too harsh. Make it that he picked her up by her collar as originally planned, but only shoves her back down against the table, but let go so that she falls. That wasy he can claim, "She could have not fallen, it's her fault for tripping over her feet that she fell xD" Or something.

Gavin watched, a bit taken back, as Uio's foot met with Josh's face. The football player nearly tumbled backward upon receiving the blow, but he quickly caught himself, his mood shifting from one of arrogance to anger. As Uio moved toward Kailani, Gavin took the opportunity to tackle Josh to the floor, his knees soon making contact with the tiles below as his opponent fell to the ground.

"I'm not a freak," he finally persisted, breathing heavily as he squinted through his left eye. The skin underneath had already begun to bruise black and blue. "And you and your airhead assholes better leave me and my friends alone. Got it?"

"Get the hell off me," Josh replied through gritted teeth as struggled to free himself from Gavin's weight. It would have been an easy task had Gavin not been so persistent and in the position of power on his chest.

Instead of replying verbally, the leucistic teenager's words soon curled into his fists, and he began to furiously punch at Josh's face. The football player's head was violently shifted left and right against his will, a small trail of blood accumulating under his bottom lip as the scene blurred into a mixture of knuckles and deafening cheers. It wasn't until a male teacher pried him off of Josh that Gavin gave up the fight.

Gavin kicked his legs for a moment as he was dragged away, as if to relieve his body of the last of his hormones, or whatever it was that caused his sudden outburst. The cheers had shifted to boos, the crowds dispersing as the participants were either detained or attended to. "All right, all right," he muttered, finally returning to his feet and walking alongside the teacher to the nurse's office. His pace was hastened by a clenched hand upon his shoulder.

"Stay here," the teacher remarked gruffly as he opened the door to the nurse's office and released his grip on Gavin. "I'm going to go tell the principal what just happened." His narrow eyes soon shifted to Kailani. "...This isn't the first time that you've gotten into trouble either," he shook his head, the mint green collar of his shirt displaced with his movements. "I guarantee that you'll be suspended. This school does not have time for students like you." He left just as quickly, slamming the door shut before proceeding to the principal's office.

"What an ass," Gavin remarked bitterly as he slumped into a cold plastic chair. The blue surface was cracked and worn, reflecting upon the school's budget. He nonchalantly snatched the cheap icepack from Kailani before taking notice of her bruised, scratched skin. "Damn, what happened to your face? Are you all right?"



"Hello," a nervous voice replied as a video game was placed upon the glass counter by a frequent customer of the small electronics store. The nineteen-year-old scanned the item, which registered with a faint blip, its price appearing in broken green numbers on the cash register. "Uh...that'll be thirty-two dollars and ninety-five cents."

The customer handed the employee an even thirty-five dollars, which he accepted and held awkwardly in his hand, staring at the cash register in what appeared to be a desperate manner.

"Here," another figure, an older man wearing a manager's tag, stepped forward and pushed a series of small black buttons on the machine, his actions accompanied by a subtle chuckle. "And you hit this button to open the drawer."

The employee did as Zilant told, relieved to see the transaction completed with a conclusive chime. "Here's your change," he nodded as he dropped two singles and a nickel into the eager hand of the customer. He soon placed the video game into a small plastic bag and pushed it over to the other side of the counter.

"Have a good day," Zilant smiled as the customer left the store, filling in the gaps for the newest employee. "Don't worry. I made the same mistakes when I just started. I..."

"Zilant, there's a call for you." A young woman emerged from a room in the back of the boutique. She peeked through the door, holding the receiver of a black telephone in her right hand and covering it with her left.

"Can you take down their information or have them call me back? I'm sort of in the middle of something here."

The woman cleared her throat quietly, pushing her left hand closer to the receiver. "It's the principal from Kailani's school."

Zilant's brow furrowed at the mentioning of Principal Restivo, his thin, black glasses falling down the bridge of his nose. "Excuse me for a minute. I should probably take this," he nodded, acknowledging the employee before walking into the back room and accepting the phone call. He shook his head as if steady his ponytail behind his head and placed the phone to his right ear. "Hello, Principal Restivo. I apologize for the wait. What did you need to speak to me about?"

The man on the opposite end of the phone line droned on in a nasal voice that was reminiscent of abrasive toilet paper, at least according to his daughter. Zilant remembered the analogy as he played with a blue ball point pen, absentmindedly rolling it between his thumb and pointer finger as the principal began speaking about what the high school stood for. However, as the conversation continued, Zilant's once mild expression degraded into one of concern and disappointment. "...I see," he mustered quietly, as if responding to being lectured himself, "I'll be right over to pick her up. I'm sorry for the trouble...Yes...Thank you. Bye."

The woman that had answered the phone immediately took a few steps backward as Zilant returned to his feet. "We can take care of things from here," she smiled awkwardly, her expression twitchy and nervous like that of a mouse.

"That would be great," Zilant replied with a forced smile of his own. The woman seemingly fidgeted for details, but he ignored her mannerisms and slipped on his jacket, grabbing his car keys and walking out of the store to his Honda. After unlocking the vehicle, he quickly took a seat and slammed the front door shut. He ran both of his hands down his face in frustration before placing them upon the steering wheel. Kailani had gotten into trouble in the past, but she had never actually been suspended before. He sighed and started the car.

The lanky teen drew back when Lauren hit the table behind him. It stirred up a distasteful memory. He clapped his hands together, and stepped back with a groan. Teachers has already swarmed in like collies to the straying flock. One grabbed up his wrist roughly, and he spun towards the teacher angrily. "Don't touch me," Uio growled. The teacher blinked, as if startled a student would disobey him ,and them reclaimed his grip on the teen's wrist without further hesitation. Uio hadn't been injured, but having to look at Kailani's battle scars was painful in itself. Unnatural claw marks and black marks dotted her face. He'd been taken into the office, and told to stay there. The other side of the fight's participant's were being held in a seperate room. Uio's eyes surveyed his two friends. He wasn't feeling lucky about not having been hit, but he wasn't exactly sad about being suspended either. Que Sera Sera, right?

"Kail." he finally muttered, puffing a breath of air that scattered his white-tipped hair.
"You're one helluvan idiot."

The senior sat back and bore a hole into the carpet with his brown eyes.

"Are you okay?"

The question was directed at Kailani, but he glanced at Gavin, too, who'd also been knocked around a little. There was a small buzz of activity in the back suddenly. He only caught snippets here and there, like, "Uio; No Parents; Alone; Jail..."

He sat back further.

"That's not it," he snorted, leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. His hair shifted into his visage and withheld his eyes from the view of the other two. He could still see them. It was at that moment he'd realized that he'd lost his cheap, lightly-orange-tinted shades. The teen smacked his hand into his open palm, more annoyed than at a loss. He turned his partially covered face back to Kailani.

"It's not because you're a girl; Hell, I've punched you before--But it's because on the off chance that this coldhearted fox," he shoved a thumb into his chest, "might actually give a damn if his friend is hurt." He sat back. "Oh, the phenomenal." He wasn't sure how to respond to Lauren's fighting abilities, but was also unsure he even wanted to. No matter how much he wanted to ignore it; he knew he was going back to Juvie. Two trips seemed like an eternity, and a third was not exactly the highlight of his day. For a moment, he thought back to his trips. The first time was when he was fifteen.

"This yours, Uio?"

The emaciated puppy whimpered. The grip on his skin was tight, and he hadn't much to spare for the hold. He'd found the thing on his way back to his apartment, and a passing group of teens had seen him with it. Uio had set the ratty mutt down to search for a cracker or something for it, when the posse walked by and retrieved it. One of the kids- what was his name?- held the thing up and examined it, then gazed back to Uio. The two girls tagging along squirmed. They so desperatly refused to ruin thier images that they refused to pipe up. The kid compared the matted creature to Uio; who was currently living in the streets behind an apartment complex. He'd never told anyone, not even Kail or Gavin, that he'd lived there for almost two years, but these kids knew it. And they let him have it. Uio wasn't sure if it was compassion for the animal he could relate to; or self-defense, but he'd knocked the kid to the pavement and broke one of his ribs. It was all in vain; the puppy died before his court hearing even took place.

His second trip held no interesting story. He'd broken a kid's nose. Not much about Uio was interesting at all anymore. He was handsome-when he tried-and he was a placid kid who ironically made great scores; despite low attendance and his bad reputation. Pulling back into reality, the teen watched Kailani examine her face in the mirror and snap at her looks. Someone really ought to bring her a band-aid or peroxide or something... He mused absentmindedly.

"Her face looked more 'effed up' than yours ever did in the first place," Uio remarked in her defense. Oh, he had a nice side. It usually only showed when his guard was down. That didn't last long. The door opened and in a shuffle of feet, worried glances, curious student's peeled eyes, a squeal of amusment here and there, the rattle of handcuffs and something about when his hearing would be; Uio was gone.

"Of course ya can take a few punches," Gavin replied as he propped himself upright. "Hell, you fight better than most of the guys at our school." He would have laughed, but he lacked the energy and the will, the bone and skin about his left eye sore from his encounter with Josh. "And I didn't see that comin' either, I'll give ya that much."

Gavin's good eye glanced around the room, his thoughts wandering along with it. Perhaps it wasn't a wise decision to pursue a fight after all, to tackle a fellow student to the floor, but he had a nasty habit of acting on impulse, drawing upon emotions rather than thinking things through. The room went silent for a moment, until Kailani returned to her feet and paced. Gavin could have sworn her footsteps were etching holes into the very tiles.

"Stop that," he finally broke the silence once more, trying his best to retain his confident composure. "Your face isn't that messed up, and we aren't goin' anywhere." The leucistic adolescent offered his friend a subtle smile until he realized just how wrong he was. In a matter of minutes, footsteps, confusion, and handcuffs had entered the room and removed Uio, leaving Gavin speechless and dumbfounded. His golden eyes widened in a mix of fear and anger, frozen as they watched the senior being arrested.

"...This is bullshit!" he finally exclaimed, his voice shaky and uncertain. "My dad's a policeman, he, he can get him out of this...Oh God, Sagittarius. He's going to kill me. Oh God dammit..." Surprising even himself, Gavin collapsed into the palms of his hands, concealing his frustration and embarrassment from his remaining friend. He was impulsive, but this time he had even disappointed himself.



Kailani's high school was only ten minutes away from the small electronics store, but Zilant felt as if he were driving across the state itself. Where did I go wrong... he questioned, his blue eyes melting into the road ahead as he mindlessly judged his speed on the distance between his car and the one in front of him. As an overprotective father, situations always had a way of falling upon his shoulders, or rather he found comfort in bearing their weight. This time, however, the phone call was much too heavy, rendering his frame tired and weary as he pulled the car into the school's parking lot. He exited the vehicle, slamming the door shut once more, before acknowledging the security guard on campus and heading toward the front door.

Zilant brushed a few strands of dark brown hair behind his left ear as he passed a group of students loitering in front of the school. It had been many years since he last stepped foot in such territory, but he felt vulnerable and out of place, as if these creatures were studying him. He persisted forward until he met up with the principal in the hallway, their voices carrying to the room that caged his daughter and her friend.

"Ah, Principal Restivo. Good afternoon," he initiated the awkwardness, almost hesitating to introduce himself. "I'm Zilant, Kailani's father. I'm terribly sorry for the trouble."

"Well, your daughter will have plenty of time to think over what she has done this week. She must also complete her work if she wants to receive credit in her classes."

"I understand," Zilant could only nod as he observed the small gray-haired man. His voice was particularly draining and Zilant couldn't help but feel as if he were being lectured to.

"I would also like to have a meeting with Kailani and you and your wife afterward, to see if we can fix this problem. Now, if you would follow me."

(Gah, Shi. I'm sorry. I've been so preoccupied with midterms and my systematics report that I have completely forgotten about this. ><; I certainly do not want to abandon it, though. If you don't mind waiting, I can probably find my muse on Thursday, after my last exam. My apologies for the wait, though. :/ )

Kailani gathered her books without a word. The big man sent to escort her stood nearby with his arms crossed, trying perhaps a little too much to act like some secret service body guard with that stern, emotionless look on his face as he watched her in silence. The same guy who would check out her ass in gym class, ironically. She’d always suspected him to be caught one day with child porn or making out with a student or something. So far she hadn’t been gifted the amusement. It was this thought alone that let her be less than unnerved by his presence as she shoved random books into her too-small backpack. She left two behind, the weight of the bag already past the border of ridiculous. Guess she’d just have to miss those subjects. Who the hell needed Spanish and World History anyways. Swinging the bag with an ‘oof’ over her shoulder she trudged back to the office without giving her escort a single glance, scowling all the way. Students gawked at her as she passed, whispered and giggling to themselves. Kail wanted to go straight to the car. To sit back and blast Linkin Park angst music and just go somewhere else for a while in her head. Anywhere but this hell hole…

Restivo regarded Zilant with a falling expression, less than pleased with the man’s response. He paused, thinking over his words carefully, almost as carefully as the dull way in which he spoke them, before giving the girl’s father a sharp look.
“Well nothing has to come out or be decided now…But this is not the first time we have heard ‘It won’t happen again’. We have been incredibly lenient with your daughter, but we can no longer overlook the wellbeing of our more deserving students and their educations. She WILL be asked to take mandatory counseling here at school when she returns, and if we see no improvement the next time she will be expelled from this school.”
The man gave Zilant one last once over before he turned and walked out of the room, leaving the man to think over what he said and leaving no time for rebuttal.

The girl now stood by the counter at the front of the office, leaning against it as she waited for her father to come sign her out and take her home. She glared across the room at a kid sitting in one of the waiting chairs, a quiet, shy bookish boy she shared her English and math classes with whose name she couldn’t recall. The poor kid looked away from her and squirmed beneath her hard gaze.

Green eyes followed the man wearily into the room. Kailani’s overall stance was defiant, her arms crossed and her expression pinched, but her eyes spoke of something weaker brimming within her, a side to herself she all too often tried to hide. She watched her father sign her out in silence, and followed after him obediently. While she wanted to get out of the school it felt a lot like an out of the frying pan into the fire sort of situation, and she hesitated a bit as they reached the front doors, slowing her pace and allowing a greater distance between them as she walked. Her eyes scanned the segmented concrete, flecked with flattened bubble gum, bottom lip tucking inward to be chewed upon as she neared the car parked just up the walk.

She was somewhat surprised when Zilant moved to the passenger side and opened the door for her. The girl eyed him briefly from the corner of her vision, pausing as he wondered if he planned to slam the door on her or something. Taking a breath, she took her chances anyways, flopping down into the seat. She winced as the door was closed behind her, letting out the breath she’d been holding. Shifting awkwardly she let her backpack slide to the floor of the car as her father moved to the driver’s side, opened the door and climbed in. Subconsciously she leaned away from him, turning her head to look out the window. From one of the side mirrors she saw a police car park just behind them and watched as Gavin’s father emerged with a grim expression on his face. Her gaze began to follow him into the building as she wondered how her friend would fair. Then she thought of Uio. Her lips pursed, pressing firmly together as she fought back another surge of emotion. She couldn’t let go…not yet…

Her eyes remained trained on the officer as he walked briskly toward the front door, though it became too much of a strain as they pulled further away from the building. She settled her back into her seat, trying to relax her muscles which were still coiled and ready to spring into action beneath her tanned skin. She almost jumped at the sound of her father’s voice, though his tone was low enough not to cause too much alarm. She couldn’t remember her father ever raising his voice to her…though there had been plenty of times she had deserved it, and expected it. Now she may have even wanted it…someone to drill into her head how stupid she was, to confirm the sinking feeling in her gut as real and relevant.

Of course, this sounded much better in theory than it did in practice.

She couldn’t help but feel increasingly more defensive as Zilant spoke, voicing his doubt and dismay in her. Despite her ‘need’ for a reality check Kailani’s pride would not so easily subside for a noble cause. Her eyes narrowed as she continued to scan the scenery as it passed, and she clenched her jaw as her father went quiet, knowing it was her turn to speak. She wanted to snap a him…to take her pent up emotion out on him. How dare he say those things…how could he…how could she…
She sighed.
“That bitch Lauren was talking about my friends,” she finally answered, her tone low and cold as she still avoided her father’s eyes. She paused then, glancing towards him, her expression unreadable. Words danced at the tip of her tongue, but she pressed her lips tightly and looked away again, her green gaze eyeing the digital clock in the counsel. After another short pause she reached forward and turned up the radio.

Darcy, Shyla, and Kailani's Updates/Bios

She didn’t turn the music too loud, just a few notches above the barely audible point it was at before. Has she been a bit bolder she would have cranked it, anything to drown out his voice and the thoughts in her head. Kailani loved music and often submersed herself in it in times of stress. But despite her whole bad-girl act, she had too much respect for her father to do it. Was it respect? Did she really know what respect was? He had never really demanded respect from her…not like everyone else’s parents seemed to.

Her father began again, talking over to music as she’d feared he would. She tried to concentrate on the lyrics to the 90’s rock ballad but couldn’t focus away from his words no matter what she tried. Glancing up, she eyed the street signs. She didn’t live too far from the school…but the ride already seemed to be taking forever. She sucked it some air and let it out in a half sigh, half growl, letting her head hit the back of the seat in annoyance before glancing over at the man beside her.
“Nothing is ‘wrong’ to tell about. She was being a major douche and deserved to have her face caved in. What, was I supposed to ‘talk it out’? You don’t know these people dad. At least I have friends to stick up for, and who stick up for me. I don’t care what you think of them, either…”
Her jaw clenched as she looked away again.



Darcy, Shyla, and Kailani's Updates/Bios