Zoey Proasheck sat on the floor of her dorm atop a fuzzy red-and-white spotted rug, her knees drawn up, arms hugging them to her chest. Her bare skin had been scribbled on with pen; lines and dots making up her faux tattoos and the meaning of the design making very little sense to anyone but the girl that had drawn them; and her wrists were cluttered with a multitude of bracelets.
She was watching her roommate Minty. The girl was still dressed for work, and she was pacing back and forth, chattering animatedly and flipping her purple-tipped blonde hair every few moments.
"-And he suggested we go dress shopping together tomorrow, so we can find something to match his suit. He offered to pay for it and everything!" Minty was talking about a mile a minute; a normal occurrence for the girl when she was excited- or nervous- or both.
Zoey clapped her hands together, a wide grin brightening her face. If there was one thing she loved- (well, actually there's many things she loves, but that's not the point here)- it was people in love. "That's fantastic," she squealed. "You two are just the cutest!" Her head tipped to the side suddenly, and she contemplated her words. "Well, you're one of the cutest anyways. Madia and Xephy are pretty cute together too. All of our other friends are cuties too, even if they aren't in relationships, I mean really, Mint, have you ever noticed how cute everybody-"
She was cut off by Minty's soft giggling. The girl was holding her hands up, waving them around wildly. "Breathe, ZoZo, breathe."
Zoey gave a brisk nod, and then sucked in a lungful of air, her cheeks puffing out like a chipmunks. While Zoey caught her breath, Minty spun around once, and then flopped down backwards onto her bed, spreading her arms out across the flowery comforter and snatching up her sheep plushie, cuddling it to her chest. "I am a bit anxious, though, if I'm being honest..." Her tone had dropped a bit, growing several decibels softer. "I mean... He's pretty much Mr. Perfect, right? Ridge Goates. Say his name, and at least one girl in the nearby vicinity will faint."
"Do they?" Zoey questioned, deciding not to mention that that was kind of ridiculous, considering he was sort of a douche, for the sake of her friend. Minty didn't really reply, however; she merely kept going.
"So what if I'm not good enough? What if he hates the dress I pick out, or the makeup I wear, or decides I'm not pretty enough?"
Zoey had never heard her friend sound quite like that; so obviously anxious and stressed out, and the redhead pursed her lips, removing her arms from around her legs and flicking strands of stray hair out of her face.
Major cheering up was obviously in order.
"Ridge doesn't like you based on how pretty you are- and you are very pretty," she gently scolded her friend, raising a hand to point at the blonde. "Minty, you're pretty as an angel. Or something less cliché than an angel. Whatever. That doesn't matter. What matters is that you are beautiful, and Ridge better think you're beautiful because I have a brother that's so hecking skilled with a bow and arrow it's crazy, and I don't even need to say that because he DOES think you're beautiful, I can see it in the way he looks at you, he thinks you're beautiful and he thinks your smile is beautiful and he thinks you as a person are beautiful, and you're going to be the most beautiful person at that gala, and Mr. Preppy Pants is gonna be so much more in love with you, it'll be crazy."
The words flowed from her lips in a rapidly blurring jumble of thick British accent, not even pausing to take a breath. Minty was peeking at her over the top of her sheeps furry head, and it almost looked like tears were glistening in her pretty blue eyes.
Zoey pushed herself to her feet, and tugged her gray tank-top down a bit, before trotting over to Minty's bed. Without a word, she grabbed her friends hand and hauled her to her feet, tugging her towards the mirror that was hanging on the wall. Positioning Minty in front of it, she then turned and grabbed a pale pink flower from a vase sitting on her desk; which was promptly tucked behind Minty's ear.
"Look at yourself, Mint," she said, voice growing much softer than normal. It was full of love, light and tender. "You're gorgeous. I've always thought so." She paused, before murmuring, "I bet Ridge has, too."
At this, a small smile slowly spread across Minty's face, as she tentatively reached up, tucking a few stray strands of hair behind her ear and staring at her reflection. "I'm gorgeous," she murmured, and the words made the smile widen. Zoey's smile widened as well. "You're gorgeous," she echoed back. "And you and Ridge are going to have sooooo much fun at the gala, I can feel it!" She was back to her normal self again, perky and cheerful.
Minty turned around a bit, and threw and arm around Zoey's shoulders, pulling the redhead closer. "What would I do without you, Zo?"
Zoey shrugged a bit, smiling sheepishly. "You'd get along, I'm sure. You're quite capable. Besides, I didn't do much of anything. Just showed you the truth, is all."
Minty's smile grew softer, and she pressed a quick, friendly kiss to Zoey's temple. "God, Zo, you're so special and you don't even realize it."
A faint, pleased blush spread across Zoey's cheeks, and Minty went on. "And we're going to have so much fun at the gala. I mean, really, you didn't think I'd ditch my bestie at a party like this, did you? Besides, double dates are fun!"
At this, Zoey's smile flickered briefly, and in its absence the world actually seemed to darken a few shades. Minty perked a slender blonde eyebrow, noticing her friends sudden, subtle drop in mood. "You DO have a date, don't you?..."
Zoey bit her lip, rubbing her arm a bit, uncertainly. "Well..."
------------------
"I say we play Tokyo House Party."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm with you there man; but have you considered Fallen Kingdom?"
"That's a shit song for a party, mate."
Ninja Desseau leaned back against the baby grand piano, his slender fingers absently plinking away at the ivory keys as he watched his two friends with an amused expression on his face. Sparkles Clarke sat perched atop a metal folding chair, while Jordan Maron stood, gesturing expressively and waving his arms around with such force he probably could've knocked someones head off. The three self-proclaimed musicians of the school, Mr. Notch had given the honour of playing music for the Spring Gala to the three boys; and they were currently debating on which songs they should play.
"What do you mean it's a shit song?" Jordan looked and sounded indignant; his voice rising to a much higher pitch as he pointed an accusatory finger in Sparkles face. His other arm was flailing around. "I worked hard on it!"
"I'm not saying it's a bad song; I'm just saying it's shit for a party. Losing your position on top of the world and whatever the frig else. It's a tad depressing." Sparkles explained in a completely calm tone of voice, his fingers drumming against the pages of his flipped open notebook, which was resting on his knee, as he blinked up at Jordan.
Jordan opened his mouth to retort to this comment, but then snapped it shut again; kind of resembling a codfish. Sparkles did have a point. Before he could find a way to admit this without excessively bruising his ego, Ninja decided it was high time he join in on the action. "Is now a bad time for me to suggest Melee All Night?"
"Melee All Night?" Sparkles cast an inquisitive glance Ninja's way, while Jordan perked up, bouncing on his toes and nodding vigorously. "Yeah yeah yeah! That's pretty upbeat!" At this, Sparkles shrugged. "Cool with me, then. Add it to the lineup." It didn't matter that he'd never heard the song himself. He trusted his friends judgement.
"Should I put Go!! Fighting Action Power on there too? And maybe figure out a better name for it while I'm at it?" Jordan expected the slap to his arm, and countered it with a pitiful swat of his own. He wiggled his eyebrows in his friends direction teasingly.
"Screw you, it's a great name," Sparkles snickered. "And yeah, may as well add it on. Though it won't sound as good with the two of you playing instead of the rest of the lads." His tone was teasing, but there was still a touch of wistfulness there; and it was pretty obvious Sparkles missed his mates.
Before arriving at Tekkit High he had formed a band with his friends Parvis, Leo, and Kogie; but he'd had to leave them behind to go to school. It was a band Jordan and Ninja (and pretty much everyone else at school) had heard stories about countless times, as it seemed to be one of Sparkles favourite subjects to talk about.
Sensing Sparkles change in mood, Jordan adopted a lighter tone. "Oh, so sorry that you're stuck with us instead of your little band buddies, Sparkles." He grinned, resting a hand on his hip. "Must be so hard for you, being stuck with such amateurs."
"Amateur? Speak for yourself Jordan, because I am no amateur." Ninja was grinning as well, although he pretended to be offended. Sparkles had started smiling again as well, his, in Ninja's opinion, adorable face lighting up once more.
Ninja thoroughly enjoyed every moment of time he spent with these two nerds.
So far, Tekkit High was turning out to be so much better than his old high school...
"Plays piano for a few years and suddenly he thinks he's a big shot." Sparkles stood, elbowing Jordan in the side as the dark haired boys chest heaved with giggles. The mood of the room had been quickly lifted. "Must be all those compliments we gave him. They inflated his ego."
"Inflated it big time." As of now, Jordan's grin was reminding Ninja quite a lot of the Cheshire Cat.
"A few years? Try my whole life." Ninja chuckled, shaking his head at his friends. "Are we done here now?" He was having fun, sure; but it had been a long day and honestly, Ninja just wanted to get back to his dorm and take a shower.
"Done? Mate, we've barely even started."
Loud groans met Sparkles words. Ninja slumped back against the piano with a loud cacophony of keyboard smashing. Jordan slipped to the floor with a moan.
Sparkles arched a ginger eyebrow at this response. "You guys realize it's already Thursday, right? The gala is in like, two days." He rested his hands on his hips. He was trying to remind his friends of their important business, but in his floppy-haired, stripey-jumpered glory he didn't look very intimidating.
Ninja rubbed his hands over his face, letting out one more moan. He wasn't really that upset, he was just kind of tired. "He is right, Jordan."
Jordan slowly pushed himself upwards again, smoothing down his rumpled black t-shirt, the front of which had some sort of band logo scrawled across it. "He's right, but that doesn't mean I have to be happy about it."
At this Sparkles clapped his hands, rubbing his palms together. He was happiest when he was talking music, and he was even happier when he had other people to talk music to.
"Vectors?"
"Fallen Kingdom."
"Fine, have it your way."
---------------------------
"Is it Minty?"
"... Is what Minty?"
Duncan had been bent over his desk. Sheets of paper and notebooks were spread out before him, homework for maths and history. As usual, he'd left that homework for the last minute, and now he had to cram.He did this with pretty much all his classes but science.
Almost nothing took top priority over science for Duncan Jones.
At the sound of his roommates voice, however, he raised his head, squinting up at Rythian. The brunette was leaning over him, so close he was pretty much breathing down his neck. His black wool scarf hung limply around his neck rather than being tightly wound around his jaw and throat as usual, his scars on display for the scientist to see. Most of these scars had faded since the /incident/, only thin lines spider-webbing across the teens jaw and neck; some even dipping below the neckline of his shirt; but a few thicker scars remained, cracks in his toffee skin that seemed to scream you will never fully recover.
Rythian rarely ever let his scars show like that; preferring to keep them under wraps. He was ashamed of them, even though they weren't his fault; he hated having people stare at them, having them look at him with pity and those horrible, curious glances that made bile rise up in his throat.
Duncan wouldn't admit it, but this display of obvious trust from Rythian meant a lot more to him than the other boy would probably ever realize. He would never gape at those scars. He hated seeing the nauseous look it brought to Rythian's face when other people were inconsiderate enough to do so.
Unaware of what was going on in his roommates mind, Rythian rolled his violet eyes.
Duncan had always found those eyes captivating. Deep and dark, cool and calculating, mysterious. Or maybe just really angry.
"Is Minty your crush?" Rythian tried to sound annoyed to cover up his eagerness, but it slipped through regardless.
Duncan couldn't stop the small smile from slipping onto his face; so he balled his hand into a fist and rested his head against it in an attempt to hide it.
"Oh, you're still going on about that?" He tried to sound as casual as he possibly could as he turned back to his homework; trying to seem as uninterested as possible as well as trying to avoid his roommates intense gaze. His pencil scratched across his paper, busily solving a maths problem.
Rythian let a hand come to rest on his hip, huffing slightly when he received no further reply. "Well?" The word rolled off his tongue.
"Wellllll?" Duncan echoed back, certainly not trying to avoid the question.
"Is she?"
"No."
Duncan kept his head bent down, methodically scribbling answers onto the page in a messy scrawl. Several beats of silence passed, but before he could hope his roommate had dropped it, Rythian piped up again.
"Sjin?"
"Rythian, please."
"... Nilesy?"
"I am trying to work, you know?"
".... Ridge."
"God damn it, Rythian."
------------------------
"Okay, so Minecraft Style is a definite yes?"
Jordan's dark gaze flicked between his two friends, folding his hands into a steeple and pressing them against his lips as he awaited their responses.
Ninja shrugged, lazily lifting a leg to rest against his other. "Cool with me."
"I hope you know you'll be singing it then, Ninja. It just doesn't sound right when I try it." Sparkles head was bent down, and he was busily scrawling something in his notebook.
"What is this? The great vocalist admits to being unable to sing something? This is incredible." Ninja cracked a teasing grin, shooting it in Sparkles direction. The ginger made a face in response, mocking the boys words back to him with silently flapping lips.
"I'm perfectly fine with singing it," Ninja added, nodding confidently. Although Sparkles typically held the title, Ninja was quite the vocalist himself; and he was actually the one Jordan would often go to whenever he had written up a new song.
"Great! We're really getting somewhere guys." Sparkles clapped his hands, looking positively giddy. His excitement was infectious, spreading to Ninja and making his heart rate speed up.
His giddiness apparently didn't have the same effect on Jordan, however, as he ran a hand through his dark hair and piped up, "Can we maybe arrive at that somewhere sometime soon?" He raised an eyebrow. "It's dinner time, and I'm starved."
From his perch on the piano stool, Ninja raised his hands and arched his back, stretching his stiff-from-sitting-around-all-day muscles. "I'm pretty hungry too."
"You're always hungry though," Sparkles quipped with a snicker. Ninja grabbed a dust rag off the top of the piano and chucked it at the ginger, hitting him square in the face and earning a soft, muffled yelp.
"Dinner. Food. Now. Please?" Jordan gestured towards the door, waggling his eyebrows at the other boys. His foot was tapping impatiently against the floor, and the comic expression on his face was hilarious. At his urging, Ninja lazily pushed himself upwards, ambling towards the door.
"You had me at dinner." The tall boy flicked strands of longish hair out of his face, and snagged his sweatshirt off of a guitar that was sitting propped up by the door, slipping it on. Not wanting to be left behind, Sparkles leapt out of his seat; slamming his notebook shut. Much like Rythian, he carried that book around everywhere; but instead of using it as a journal of sorts, he could rather be seen scribbling down lyrical ideas.
Smoothing down the front of his jumper, he hurried to join his friends. "I guess a little dinner isn't such a bad idea."
The trio was soon assembled around a mahogany wood table in Tekkit High's cafeteria (although it was nice enough and the food was delicious enough for it to be considered more of a café), trays of food and cups of drink spread before them on the glossy tabletop.
They were shiny enough to hold a reflection; the janitorial staff scrubbed them spotless, most likely due to Sjin's habit of drooling over them.
Sparkles were currently staring at his reflection in the tabletop, running fingers through his ginger hair and fluffing his bangs as he waited for his friends to get settled; leaning back in his seat.
"I think," Sparkles began once they were all comfortable, stirring a bit of milk into his cup of tea before raising it to his lips, "We should start planning lineup. Like which song we're going to play first, which one comes last..."
"Well, Minecraft Style is a viable opening option. It's pretty upbeat; that would set the right mood for a party." His opinion out on the (shiny) table, Ninja took a bite of his sandwich.
"I agree with Mr. Kawaii Desseau over here." Jordan tilted his head in Ninja's direction before popping open a can of cola. "For finishers, maybe Dream and Reality or Rubik's Cube?"
"Yeah yeah, those are good ideas." Sparkles gave his approval with a quick bob of his head, grabbing up his own sandwich. "I'm game for whichever of those you guys want to do."
After that, silence descended over the teens as they ate their dinners, chewing and sipping and the occasional shuffle of feet being the only sounds in the otherwise empty cafeteria. It wasn't long, however, before the silence was broken yet again. Late afternoon sunshine streamed in through the wide windows, casting long shadows across the cafeteria floor.
"So, are you guys excited for the gala?" Ninja broke off a chunk of his brownie, popping the sweet morsel into his mouth.
Sparkles perked up a bit at this question, breaking out into a wide grin. "Hell yeah!"
Jordan rested his elbows on the table, leaning forward slightly. "Bit disappointed I don't have a date, but other than that I can't wait!"
"Why would you even want a date?" Sparkles took a drink of his tea, glancing at Jordan expectantly. "We're gonna be on stage all night, anyways."
Jordan sighed, casting a withering glance in Sparkles direction. "Take a break from being a dream crusher will you, Sparkles?" He shook his head a bit. "Doesn't matter. All the ladies are accounted for anyways, I'm pretty sure. At least I think... Well, wait, does Kaeyi have a date?"
"How should I know?"
"I'm pretty sure Zoey doesn't have a date," Ninja offered helpfully, while polishing off his brownie.
Jordan's eyes were promptly widened in Ninja's direction. "Dude, do you think I have a death wish?" he spoke rapidly, Sparkles nodding along in agreement. "Something I learned pretty early on here at Tekkit High is that you don't get on the Enderborn's bad side."
"Enderborn? That's Rythian, right?" Ninja tilted his head a bit to the side, squinting. Violet eyes and scarves. "He's got a thing for Zoey...?"
"You didn't know that already?" Sparkles sounded genuinely surprised.
"Hello, only been here for like, a month now."
"Yeah, he's got a thing for Zoey." Jordan tipped his can of coke in Ninja's direction. "And you'd do well not to talk about it around him. He's kinda sensitive for some reason."
Ninja gave a short half-chuckle, eyes taking on a sort of glisten. "He's interesting, I'll give him that."
Sparkles snorted. "Kind of?" He said to Jordan, before turning to Ninja. "Just take my advice, Ninja. Stay away from Rythian. He'll only hurt you." With that, he slapped his hands down onto his tray, standing up. "C'mon, we've got work to finish."
Following his example, Jordan and Ninja stood as well, Ninja staring off into space and Jordan mumbling something about still kind of wanting a date.
Sparkles threw an arm around Jordan's shoulders, patting him. "There, there, little hetero. There'll be plenty of time to pine after the fine ladies of our fair school when we're finished with this shit. Guys, too," he added, glancing meaningfully at Ninja.
Jordan caught this glance, and giggled softly. "Finest, top-of-the-line, bred in Tekkit High pedigreed guys," he put out.
"Woah, isn't breeding against the rules?" Ninja perked an eyebrow, trying his best not to laugh.
"Yes," Sparkles stated swiftly, before assuming his best impression of Mr. Notch's voice. "Remember students, underwear IS mandatory at all times!"
"Even in the shower?" Jordan's words came out in short bursts, accentuated with laughter.
"Shower? Who showers? If it involves removing ones underpants it is definitely prohibited."
Now Ninja had given up his attempts to hold it back and was laughing as well, full chest laughs that were deep and genuine; wiping his eyes as tears welled up in them. "Well shit dude, guess I've been a rebel all this time." He then picked up his tray from the table, spinning on his heel to head to the trash bin. Sparkles trotted alongside him, leaping up to pat the tall boys head. "Good lad. Rebel against the system. But don't rebel too much, if you know what I mean." Ninja could hear the wink in Sparkles' voice.
"I doubt I'll be doing that anytime soon, thank you very much." With that, he deposited his trash into the bin, and was promptly swept up by Sparkles and Jordan: Jordan having gotten his second wind after fueling himself with food.
As he was tugged by his two best friends through the halls and back towards the music room, he couldn't help but think god, I'm so glad I moved to Tekkit High.
--------------------
"I thought you said Ryth was going to ask you...?"
Minty furrowed her brow up at Zoey, who sat cross-legged on the bed across from her. Minty was laying on her side, propped up on one arm. A bowl of popcorn, Jaffa cakes, and bits of candy were spread out on the bedspread between the girls. They always had various snacks lying about their dorm (who doesn't, though?) ready to be whipped out for impromptu /slumber parties/ or other emergencies at a moments notice. Minty's sheep plushie, Shaun, was tucked into the crook of her arm, and Zoey's fish plushie, Fishton, sat in her lap.
"He WAS going to! I mean, why else would he have followed me out to the archery range?" She tilted her head to the side, as though contemplating her own question. Zoey had a habit of using her entire body to tell her stories, which was just one of her many lovable qualities. "But then Tee' shot at him..." Zoey trailed off a bit, biting her lip.
She could still see that afternoon vividly in her mind, and she hated it. How dare Teep do that to Rythian? He could've been killed! Although something told her he would've been okay with that...
Minty seemed to sense her friends unhappiness and, acting fast, snatched up a Jaffa cake, offering it to her.
Zoey accepted the treat and took a bite, savouring the taste of light, airy biscuit mixed with sweet chocolate and slightly tangy orange as it hit her tongue. Jaffas could make a lot of situations a whole lot better. Her mood lifting a bit more, she smiled gratefully at Minty, and then let out a soft little sigh. "Tee' doesn't like Ryth very much."
"But you do," Minty murmured. She said it in the form of a statement, but still awaited Zoey's confirmation anyways.
"I do," Zoey mumbled with a short nod, setting Fishton off her lap and drawing her legs up to her chest once more. "I mean, I've always respected what Tee' thinks. He's my big brother, and he's always looked out for me, and I love him. But this time he's wrong. Rythy is different, but he isn't bad, and... I think he really likes me, y'know?" She sounded a bit happier as she finished off her sentence, almost hopeful. Absently she picked up Fishton and hugged him to her chest once more.
Minty picked up another Jaffa cake, taking a bite and squinting. "You know what," she mumbled between chews, "That is unacceptable."
"It's-" Zoey began, but Minty cut her off. "You are not gonna wait around for that emo enderdouche-" she paused, flushing a bit as she realized what she was saying. "I mean, you're not going to just sit around and wait for him to wise up and ask you, ZoZo. You're gonna get him yourself!"
"What?" Zoey squeezed Fishton a bit, widening her amber eyes at her friends. "Are you serious?" She babbled on nervously. "I really don't think that'll be necessary... I mean, there's still a day until the gala, he could ask totally ask me tomorrow-"
Minty sat up suddenly, setting Shaun gently aside before reaching out and taking Zoey's hands. "Zo," she said gently, and Zoey hummed softly in response, biting her lip. "Do you want to go to the gala with Rythian?"
Zoey let her head droop a bit, her red hair slipping down and forming a curtain over her eyes. "Yes," she whispered.
"Then you're gonna ask him yourself. Look, it'll be easy. I'll help you, okay?"
----------------
"You know, this would be a hell of a lot easier if you would just tell me."
Rythian lay sprawled out on his bed, legs up and head tilted to the side. His gaze was on Duncan; studying him like a bug under a microscope. The scientist was still bent over his homework, furiously scribbling on his paper and refusing to make eye contact. His greasy blond hair- Rythian had decided long ago he rarely ever washes it- looked shiny under the lamp light.
The only response he got was a heaving, audible sigh, followed by more scribbling sounds. Rythian pitied every teacher that had ever had to try and decipher Duncan's handwriting.
Letting out a frustrated sigh of his own, Rythian let his head flop back down. He picked up the end of his scarf, playing with it.
"Are you sure it's not Martyn?"
"Rythian, please. I am trying to study, you know."
"And I'm trying to figure out who your crush is! Look at that, we've both got goals," Rythian snarked. "I've gone over pretty much everybody in this bloody school, and you've said no to all of them! Seriously, why won't you just tell me?"
"Why won't you just drop it?" Duncan's tone sounded strained. "Why does it matter so much to you? I honestly don't get it."
"I don't get why it's such a big deal. Are you that worried I'll run my mouth on you?" Rythian's tone had grown sarcastically bitter, oddly annoyed with Duncan without really being entirely sure why.
Why did this matter so much to him? He didn't know. It just did.
"I've already told you I'm not gonna tell you, Ryth. The least you could do is respect that." Duncan sighed yet again, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Maybe he should just put the homework up for the night. It wasn't like he was getting much done anyways.
"It's not that I don't want to tell you. It's just... I just can't." He swallowed hard, twisting in his seat and glancing over at his roommate.
"You don't trust me. Is that it?"
"No!" Duncan practically yelped. "No, I trust you loads." More than anyone else at this school, probably.
"Then why can you not tell me?" Rythian turned his gaze onto Duncan once more, and for a few moments the boys sat locked in an awkward moment of silent eye contact.
"Because I... can't," Duncan said lamely, before adding, "Please Ryth, I don't mean to hurt you, I just don't want to-"
Rythian rolled his eyes, and this time it was a sarcastic sort of eye roll. "You can't tell me who you like, but you still trust me loads. Right. You know what, that's bullshit Duncan."
At that, Duncan gripped the back of his chair a bit tighter, knuckles turning white. He was trying to be patient, trying to worm his way out of this without hurting Rythian.
But Rythian just kept going, on and on, and now he was yelling at Duncan? As if he'd done something wrong? That was just too much.
"Would you just drop it?! Do you even realize how rude you're being? You go on, trying to pry into my secrets even though I've asked you to stop, and when I don't give you what you want you yell at me? That is not the way it works, Rythian. So just fucking drop it!" He snapped, finally at his wits end. And then, the bitter tone of his own voice making guilt rise up suddenly in his throat like bile, he added, "Please, just drop it."
Rythian's eyes widened the slightest bit at the bitterness laced through Duncan's speech, taken aback. He hadn't been expecting that from his typically teddy-bearish roommate.
Blinking, he bit his lip before finally snarling with as much venom as he could muster, "Fine. I don't care anyways."
Rythian made his way up his bed, slipping down under the covers. With a few rapid blinks to clear the welling tears from his eyes, he then turned away- from both the light and Duncan.
"I just pity the poor sap that has you as an admirer."
That seemed to be the end of that. Duncan slowly turned back around in his seat, lowering his head a bit and glancing over at the blanket huddle that was Rythian, which was now silent and unmoving, completely intent on ignoring the scientist.
He didn't really mean it, Duncan was sure. He was just upset. He would come around in the morning, surely. Right? Right...?
Duncan hadn't even realized he was crying until he felt something wet roll down his cheek, splashing onto his paper and smudging the pencil scratches he had been working so hard to write out. Leaning down further so his forehead was resting against his desk, the boy closed his eyes.
"Then you are full of self pity," he whispered, before turning off the light.
{Authors note:
Hey guys, sorry for the delay with this chapter. It was brought to my attention by a friend (thnx Niles) that some of you might've been a little upset when I posted an announcement rather than a chapter so?? Sorry about that, and thank you for your patience.
Speaking of the announcement, it is closed now, but I'm leaving it up regardless because it marks a really special milestone for me and I don't want to forget it.
We have our new family member now! Nilesy (I like to call him Niles or Nilesinator) has so far been a lovely addition to the Castyogs family and we love him to bits already. If you want, feel free to give him a welcome.
As always, thank you so much for reading Tekkit High, commenting, and voting. Your continued support is ever appreciated; and I'm grateful to all of you for helping get this story to 10k and beyond.
Keep on keepin' on, and stay awesome! -Rythian}