TROUBLED || thirteen reasons why

002.

The October air is crisp and unforgiving as Tristan wraps her jacket closer to her body as she enters Liberty High. She rubs her hands together trying to create heat, but when that fails, she shoves her frozen fists into her pockets. Caroline can be spotted by the two girls' lockers and she smiles when she sees Tristan approach.

"Tris, perfect timing," Caroline says, slamming the blue metal closed and leaning against their neighbor's locker as Tristan unlocks her own, "I've been doing a lot of thinking about our costumes, and I was thinking that if we're already going to be wearing them to the party, then we could possibly enter into the school contest... What do you think? We could win two hundred dollars!"

"Have you even decided on what we're going to be?" Tristan asks absentmindedly. Caroline starts to ramble on about possible ideas, but Tristan's mind starts to drift. It's not that she doesn't care about Halloween or entering into some costume contest... because she does care, honestly, anything to make her friend happy, but Tristan has been preoccupied the last few days, as her nights have been filled with Seth Massey's intoxicated rage, trips to the Walker's residence and the return of her nightmares. It is safe to say that Tristan's loss of sleep is catching up to her.

"Tris, come on," Caroline nudges the girl out of her thoughts for her to realize the bell has rang and everyone is starting to head to their first class, "Don't want to be late."

Tristan nods and tries to ignore the locker with pictures and notes taped onto it as she and Caroline pass it. The girls head up the stairs; Tristan's brain finally switches on and is able to hold a conversation with her friend. Ms. Byers is standing by the door as students begin to file in and Tristan can see the stack of papers the woman is handing back to each student. Caroline curses under her breath, "Do you think that's our last essay? I told you we shouldn't have used that paper we found online. She's going to fail us."

"Well, we didn't really have a choice, neither one of us read the–"

Tristan cuts off when she feels a tap on her shoulder and a loud voice sounding over her's, "Hey, Tris."

Tristan's brows twist in confusion as she turns to see a tall boy with brown eyes and raven black hair, "Hey, Zach. What's up?"

Zach Dempsey is at least two heads taller than Tristan, and the girl has to crane her neck to look at him. Zach glances around the hallway for a brief moment and seems to hesitate before opening his mouth again, "I was... just wondering if we could talk for a second."

"Oh," Tristan struggles to find the right thing to say to him. She feels her face flush. There are still a few people in line by the classroom door to receive their paper, so Tristan turns back to the boy, "Okay."

The two step a couple feet back from her class and Tristan gazes up at the tall boy when he doesn't talk, "So what's up?"

Zach appears to chew on his cheek before looking at her, "I just wanted to see how you were doing?"

This takes Tristan aback, "I'm good, Zach... How are you?"

"Good." He simply says. Tristan nods again. There are now two people ahead of her at the door, and Tristan thinks that she would rather wait in the line to receive her D than stay with this very awkward conversation with one of her brother's friends.

Tristan also starts to wonder of the meaning of this conversation. She and Zach weren't exactly friends. Sure, they would talk at parties or he would make an effort to include her if she was the only girl at Bryce's house, but other than that they rarely talk. Why the sudden interest?

"Are you and Justin doing okay? I've seen you guys hanging at Bryce's a lot lately."

Tristan's mouth is dry, "We always stay at Bryce's... It's just easier, you know?"