your hometown is where you make memories. the place where you feel the most loved and cared for. the place where nothing could ever go wrong.
that's what's expected from a hometown. because no one talks about the resentment and hatred some of us share towards it.
they don't understand where the root of revenge comes from.
✧༺ ༻∞ ∞༺ ༻✧
it's the next day and you were still thinking about your conversation. there was still so much you wanted to tell pon, but that chance was washed away when he walked back inside. his advice was always good and he made you question certain things. maybe thats why you're sitting at a wooden desk looking out the window.
the rain had cleared up but the many puddles did not. the sun shined brightly above, not a cloud in sight. it's sun rays littered down on the ground evaporating each drop of water it could find.
the overwatered plants have now slightly drooped and the wind has started to pick up. it circled around objects giving them a bit of cool air while the sun blasted its heat wave across the city. you were already counting the hours to the sunset. heat has never been your favorite.
a couple knocks were planted on your door causing you to turn your head. blinking you looked back over at the desk below you "come in."
the door swung open but the culprit caught it before it could crash into the wall leaving a dent. nervously smiling hange looked at you "hey were leaving, you ready?"
ready. the first day officially back at marley, who wouldn't be ready? a big city with a population of over 50,000 people. each with their own attitudes and different views on the world. some bad and some good while others just stay neutral. marley has been classified as the best city around with gracious people. the rivers that flow through and the tall buildings hovering over everything. it's labeled to be extraordinary. but that's just an outside view of businesses wanting to sway people's minds to live here so they can collect money.
marley has never been a good city, it's just advertised to be.
nodding your head you stood up from the small chair and collected your things. you all would be out for a while considering the new staff at marley high. supposedly they have a stick up their ass and make things difficult. but luckily you have levi, who also has a stick up his ass. maybe they can share a cup of tea and get you back into the school.
the only unpleasant part about this, is that it's a school day. you had to walk into that school and see everyone's faces. they weren't clueless about you, they knew what you do. and that's what made them tread lightly around you. their heads down while they keep a five feet radis. but none of that will ever be enough. they would have to move to another country and bury their secrets in a ditch.
grabbing onto your phone you glanced at the time "levis here?" you questioned.
hange hummed while walking down the stairs. their hand glided against the railing and she used her finger to point down below "yes he just got here and is already rushing everyone." their voice slightly raised hoping to get the males attention. which didn't work as he was too concentrated on his phone.
walking off the last step you looked around the room "whos car are we taking?"
pushing herself off the wall yelena raised her hand "mine. is everyone ready to go?"
after watching everyone string out 'yes' and nod their head, the blonde began to walk towards the front door. everyone followed along and gave hange weird looks as they ran to the car. sticking up the finger they let out a cackle "shotgun!"
levi creased his brows "calling shotgun when you're right by the car door doesn't work."
sticking out their bottom lip hange pouted "cry about it." they teased.
ignoring their remark the male walked past them and opened the back door. taking a step to the side he moved his hand gesturing for you to go in first. giving him a slight nod as a thank you, you ducked down and scooted your body to the middle seat. levi followed in and closed the door while pon sat to your left. they both got situated and pulled the seatbelt across their body to buckle it. yelena wasted no time in starting the car and pulling out the driveway like a maniac.
"if you're going to drive like an idiot then get out of the car." pon warned with a serious look.
chucking the blonde raised her left hand in a surrendering motion "don't worry pon, you'll be the first one dead if we crash."
giving her a fake smile the male looked down at his phone scrolling through different apps. hange sat quietly in the front as they adjusted the ac vent to blow directly on them.
"how long is this going to take?" you questioned while turning to face levi.
not glancing your way he continued to look out the window "why, have somewhere to be?"
"no, i was just wondering."
"about an hour."
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞
and there it stood in all its glory. marley highschool, the place every kid goes to be something great. at least that's what they tell you. the building's exterior was lined with gray bricks as vines wrapped its way around each corner. right in the middle sat a wall of glass with a set of double doors in the middle. the windows traveled all the way up to the second floor letting you see the 'excellent' and 'intelligent' students walking around to their next class. by the doors off to the side sat two white flags, each an award given to the school.
everything else was the same as every other school. parking lot, picnic tables, flags, and of course gates to keep you closed in.
before anyone stepped out of the car levi leaned forward and tapped on hange's shoulder. instantly they leaned down to the floorboard picking up a black folder and handing it to him. after the small tradeoff was made everyone opened their doors and stepped out. you were going to scoot out and follow levi but he slammed the door closed leaving you to crawl after pon.
muttering under your breath you stood up closing the car door. hange and yelena gathered at the hood of the car as they examined the school. pon followed in lead as he took in the foreign scenery. the three took in a deep breath finally realizing that they had to walk back in and be greeted by everyone.
yelena was completely fine as she had stayed at marley, she just took in a deep breath to mock the two next to her.
noticing hange lifted their hand to slap the back of the blondes head "fucking asshole." they cursed.
levi spoke up as he was already halfway to the school doors "enough sightseeing, hurry up."
creasing your brows you picked up the pace chasing after him. you could have swore he was just next to you. how did he travel that far?
yelena caught up with your fast pace and walked the rest of the way beside you. pon and hange stayed behind you not wanting to go in first.
pulling open the door levi held it with his foot as each of you walked in. instantly the change in air was noticed by many students and that resulted in them looking your way. and once they caught your gaze they froze in place just staring. mouths hung open as they watched your every move.
more students came pouring in creating a small crowd. they lifted their hands to point and turned their heads to start a chain of whispers.
getting out their phones they texted group chats relaying the message of who was back. dings and phones buzzed only spreading the information further. eyes glanced between you and their phone. feet shuffled through the hall to hide from your gaze, scared you'll lift your phone to send out a text. hands bawled into a fist wishing they could run up and land a hit on you.
but no matter how many curses they muttered, empty threats they whispered to their friends, and the shaking in their throat, they did nothing. they all collectively stood and watched like a hawk.
hange was the first to make a move as they lifted their arm up to wave at the ever growing crowd. with a small smirk they licked their lips showcasing the silver ball "how nice to see you all" they taunted.
the students reacted by dropping their heads lower than before and scattering around the hall to get to their next class. it was fun to sit around and whisper but once one of you started talking, it was time to cower down and run.
you found it hilarious.
yelena planted a couple knocks on a door before pushing it open. she didn't even attempt to wait for a 'come in'. levi pushed his way past you to follow suit after the blonde. biting your tongue you stepped into the room to see five chairs layed out in front of a desk. choosing the one closest to the door you plopped down in your seat and started to examine the room. in front of you sat a black metal desk with a bunch of office supplies sprawled across it. sticky notes were planted on a silver computer towards the corner of the desk. bookshelves were in the corners of the room with self-help books organized by last name. pictures of dogs and family members were plastered everywhere.
and finally, sitting on a white chair behind the desk was mrs. frieda reiss.
smiling, the female leaned forward to get a closer look at each of you. "i'm glad you three are finally rejoining us at marley." she asserted.
no one spoke up, they kept their lips sealed only staring back at her. levi took the initiative to speak first as he outstretched his arm to place the folder on her desk, "this should be all the information you need to enroll hange, pon, and y/n back into marley."
frieda lifted her hand to smooth out her white blouse before setting her hands onto the folder "you know i love you all equally. you're part of the reason marley has such high scores.." the female trailed off while looking down at the folder. her eyes scanned across it but she never lifted her hand to flip it open. "but it's too difficult to add these three back in. too many problems."
yelena raised a brow and leaned back into her seat. with a short smile she lifted up her chin, "difficult for who? all you have to do is import the files and transfer them back."
shaking her head she moved her hand back and pushed the folder away from her "im sorry but i just can't allow this." frieda urged.
"if there's too many problems then can you answer the question on why I haven't been suspended yet? I'm the same as them, therefore this is unfair treatment." the blonde bellowed with a small smile.
taken aback at the tone frieda frowned "we treat all of our students the same. pon, hange and y/n are no different. but if you all are together problems will arise."
"then i want to transfer to paradis." levi interjected.
letting out a small sigh the female clasped her hands together "levi you are a prized possession to us, a great addition to the student council. it would be a shame if you left us so close to the finish line."
shrugging levi copied her actions and intertwined his hands, "i'm sure i can be a great addition to paradis too. i've heard great things about their school."
lifting up her hands frieda took a quick glance at her computer screen "i simply can't allow you to do that."
raising a brow you looked over to her monitor. her eyes kept traveling back to the screen as if she was looking for reassurance. scooting your body to the edge of your seat you watched the female throw her hands up as in a way of saying 'i can't help'. and shortly after she pushed the folder further away.
levi and yelena both started to talk but it was inaudible as you kept staring at the computer. it wasn't facing you but from the white screen reflecting on frieda's skin you knew she was looking at something.
turning your head you looked at pon to see him staring right back at you. his eyes slowly traveled to the computer before looking back at you. cocking his head to the side he raised a brow.
not understanding the message he was trying to relay he picked up his phone and began typing.
pon
make a choice. what are
you going to do? sit and watch
or say something.
setting your phone back down, you looked at the female sitting in front of you. her brows were creased as she went back and forth with the blonde and black-haired male. having enough of her silly games you crossed your left leg over your right "do you know one thing i despise about people?" you inquired.
at the sound of your voice all eyes focused on you. frieda furrowed her brows at your sudden need to speak. "what?" she questioned back.
tilting your head to the side you looked off into the direction of her computer, "liars.." you trailed off but soon continued "now i'm sure there's many reasons why your computer could be interesting. but I find work emails to be boring. so i have to ask, what did cora say that's so eye-catching?"
the female froze in her seat as she straightened up. swallowing she shook her head with innocence "i'm sorry what are you referring to?"
lifting up your ring covered hand you pointed at the device sitting right beside her "the computer screen, turn it over." you demanded.
her mouth slowly opened as she glanced at the screen. with a small smile she gripped the desk to move her chair back "there's nothing worth seeing. also i don't recall ever knowing a cora." she shuttered.
pursing your lips you nodded your head taking all the information in, "interesting but i find that hard to believe. cora is one of histoira's closest friends, you would of had to meet her some time."
watching her struggle to form a sentence you smiled "this will be the last time i repeat myself. turn the computer screen over, now."
her hands quickly lifted from the desk as she maneuvered the screen to face you. just like you predicted it was an email sent by cora.
carefully reading over the words you noticed the time it was sent. 9:38, five minutes before you arrived in her office.
"Mrs. Reiss lovely day isn't it? so i've heard a couple old friends of mine are going to enroll back into marley, but that simply cant do. if i hear that you signed off on y/n l/n, zoe hange, or onyankopons papers, i will single handedly deliver the two pictures i attached to this email to your husband. and i would hate to see the look on his face. dont fuck this up. sincerely cora." hange read out loud.
before anyone could comment about the email you raised your finger to point at the time it was delivered "five minutes before. someone told her we were coming today."
pon furrowed his brows "does that mean she broke the agreement?"
shaking your head you leaned back into your seat "no, the agreement never stated she couldn't attack me."
"what the fuck are you guys talking about" yelena questioned.
waving her off you looked over at frieda "don't mind what cora tells you, i'll handle it. that said, I want all three of us enrolled back into marley."
hearing the slight promise you made to her she quickly leaned forward to grab the folder. opening it up she grabbed the stack of papers and started to sort them. putting them into three different piles she looked back at her computer and turned it towards her. grabbing ahold of her mouse she started to click on things and input information into the computer fairly quickly.
you observed her making sure there were no signs of her contacting cora. that would only make this situation difficult.
frieda stopped in her quick actions as she peered down at the paper below her. picking it up she flipped it to the back searching for something. not finding what she needed she began to search through all the piles. dropping the papers on the desk she looked down at the floor making sure she didn't drop anything.
looking up she pointed towards a paper "y/n i need your previous school records. I have pon and hanges just not yours."
letting out an angered sigh you snapped your head to look at levi. he sat calmly in his chair with a smirk playing at his lips. you continued to glare at him as you spoke "can you contact paradis to get the information?"
the female shook her head "no i need you to go back and get all the paperwork."
averting your eyes you raised a brow "why can't you contact paradis?"
"i can contact them but they won't give me all the information I need. it will be easier if you can go and collect everything." she elaborated.
silently cursing you looked down at your phone "and when do you need it?"
humming the female looked down at the stack of papers "today's monday so thursday. that will leave you two days and leave me one day to get everything settled."
opening your mouth you went to reply before levi cut you off "perfect, i'm glad we got this all figured out." getting up from his seat the male looked over at you and gestured to stand up and leave. rolling your eyes you stood up walking over to the door. pulling it open you walked out while the others rushed out.
"and people wonder why I hate the staff here." hange muttered
yelena gave them a weird look while closing the door "you didn't even say anything."
squinting their eyes hange waved their hands in the air "that doesnt mean i can't dislike someone! also i was talking with my eyes."
"really what'd you tell her?" you asked sarcastically.
the male next to you went to speak until a shout cut him off,
"y/n l/n!" a voice hollered
turning on your heel you were met with a female standing a couple of feet in front of you. her hair was placed in a low ponytail while her clothes were a mix of beige and gray. it's as if she was cosplaying the school.
and sadly it didn't make her any smarter.
her lips upturned into a smile as her eyes raked over your body "back in marley?" she questioned.
licking her lips she raised her eyebrows in pity "it's almost like i told you this was going to happen."
"really? you were too busy lying on the floor, i couldn't hear anything." you shot back.
clenching her jaw pieck ran her tongue along her lips "well I just wanted to stop by and welcome you back. everyone is so excited you're here, and i can't wait to finish out the school year with you." she beamed.
returning the smile you glanced down at the phone in her hand "i can't wait to spend every second with you either. it's going to be so much fun, just like last year." you rejoiced.
once her smile dropped, the grin on your face got wider. biting back a laugh you lifted your hand to give the female a wave. not wanting to see if she would return it, you turned to your left and began walking to the front doors.
you could hear the footsteps behind you as your friends followed you out. you could also hear the loud stomps of pieck walking away. it was mindracking to put clues together, you had to be smart and open to everything. you had to be able to take in every little detail. that's how you knew pieck was the one who let cora know you were enrolling back into marley.
and pon was right. there is a decision to make.
and levi was right. giving up is not an option.
there's still so many things to say, and do. so many papers you had stored. and now that you were over your pity party, it was time to get back into your original state.
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞
the next day
this time the sun wasn't beaming down on you. clouds covered half the sky including the sun rays that tried desperately to give you a sunburn. there was no storms or anything like that. just a normal average day.
while you were inspecting the weather, you heard someone take a seat in front of you. they put their bag on the back of the chair and crossed their legs.
smiling you turned your head to face the figure,
"hello hitch."