War of the Wilted Roses

Chapter One- Sounds Punk

FOUR MONTHS PRIOR

Michael Gordon Clifford

I always thought I would hate high school, mostly because of the films. The ones that portrayed high school as this cage less hell filled with snobby preps and meat head jocks, and anyone who dared defy them would end up quote-on-quote: "disappearing".

I believed that nothing good would ever come from high school, that all my time would be wasted filling me with knowledge that would do nothing for me in the real world.

However, looking at the building in front of me, I could tell that this school wasn't going to be anything like I imagined.

"Are we sure were at the right place?" asked Ash timidly as he set his luggage down and took out his phone.

"Yup. Look the building says 'Twin Pines International Academy of the Gifted.' " said our six foot tall friend, pointing at the thick gold colored writing that hung off the side of the brick building.

"Luke, nowhere on that building does it say 'of the gifted." remarked Calum.

"True, but this is a school for those who are advanced within certain talents." I interrupted before walking through the doors to our new home for the next four years.

Erin Vivian Walker

"NOT IT."

"What's not it?" I asked as I walked through the doors of the musically gifted building, holding in my hands everyone's orders from McDonald's.

There weren't many in the musical program that Twin Pines offered, in fact there was only eight, four girls and four guys. Though the guys weren't here much anymore because they taught to some younger class men who were interested in playing musical instruments, but weren't exactly prodigies.

This morning it was just us girls, Rose Harper, Lucy Williams, Beckett James, and me, Ren.

"Mia just came in while you were gone and told us we needed to go around the school and hang up some posters but no one wants to do it." Rose explained. She's kind of the mother in our group, which isn't surprising since she's the oldest out of all of us.

She's 18 going on 19 next month while the rest of the girls turned 18 already, all except for me who had yet to turn 18, my birthday is at the end of the month, August 30 to be precise.

"I'll go, but only if Lucy comes with me." I said as I handed Rose and Beckett their meals.

"BUT why do I have to goooo..." Lucy dragged on in a whining tone.

Lucy was the laziest out of all of us and also the biggest hothead, but what she did with a guitar was killer so she made up for it.

"Because I have food and you're not getting any of it till you agree."

Lucy did an over exaggerated puppy dog face trying to change my mind, but it was already set. I waved the bag of food in the air slowly, waiting for her to give up.

"It's not going to work, Ren."

I stayed quiet at her words as Beckett started a count down, mouthing the numbers at first till she got to four.

"Four, three, two... On-"

"FINE, GOD, PEER PRESSURE ME. I SEE HOW IT IS." She exclaimed as she slid on her Uggs before grabbing the small stack of papers. "Lets go."

I swapped her food for the papers and scotch tape before heading over to the front building.

We walked into the building from the side entrance , it wasn't cold out side seeing as it was only August , however I realized that we could put more posters on more walls and be done faster .

"See, this isn't that bad." I smiled , dragging my feet across the floor as Lucy shoved the last of her fries into her mouth, rolling her eyes at me.

I was a few feet ahead of her so I spun on my feet and started walking backwards. "Lucy, stop being such a Grinch. Come on, this isn't that bad, you're just keeping me compan-"

Suddenly my head felt like it was on fire as did my butt, "What the hell." I mumbled seeing nothing but a few black dots. I closed my eyes tight for a second to relieve myself of the sight smudges before opening my eyes to Lucy's face.

"Oh my god, Ren. Are you okay?" she exclaimed. "Do you want me to call the nurse? She's just across the hall."

I tried to nod but the pain in my head made it feel impossible so instead I raised my hand and gave her a thumbs up, she quickly disappeared from my view and instead I heard her combat boots squeaking against the floor.

After ten minutes of Lucy being gone I started to feel better and slowly sat up, touching the sides of my head to see if I was bleeding. I wasn't, so I took that as a cue to start gathering the multiple different colored papers that were scattered everywhere along the floor.

"Woah, you need some help?" said a strange, very strong and distinctive Australian Accent. Which was strange since the only Australian here was Lucy and she was gone to get help.

Slowly I looked up only to see a guy with bright dull white and dark hair walk in. His hair looked kind of similar to what a skunk would look like if it was reversed.

" I- um, yes please." I said after I realized how little the amount of multicolored papers seemed when they were together and how many there really were when scattered.

Slowly I watched the boy set down his bags against the pale lilac colored wall before he came over and crouched next to me, slowly collecting the orange papers into a pile.

"What in the world is a Wilted Roses? Is that supposed to be cool?" he chuckled, showing me the cover. "

I mean who even made these."

"I think Wilted Roses sounds punk and my friend Mia made the flyers." I responded carefully. My jaw starting to clench. Could he be any ruder?

"No offence to your friend. The flyers aren't the bad part, its the title of the band. Its dumb, what even is a Wilted Roses?"

"Its a metaphor for life."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, it is. We're all roses, were all beautiful even with the thorns that we carry, and from the moment were born we begin to wilt. Even in the best conditions were slowly dying."

"Woah, I just walked into some deep stuff." giggled a new voice that also carried a strong Aussie accent.

"Okay, and how do you know that's true?" he- reverse skunk boy -remarked, setting the last of the orange paper into the pile he'd made.

"What's your name?" I said, momentarily changing the subject.

He smiled at my words, holding out his hand as he looked at me. "Michael Gordon Clifford. New student from Australia."

I looked at his hand before picking up the pile he made along with my own before standing up.

"I'll have you know, Mr. Clifford-the-big-red-fuckboy, that it is true. I know that because that's my band and I came up with the name."

With that I took off, heading to the Nurse and leaving him dumbfounded.

What a prick.