It was only the second day of school, and Jesse was already feeling miserable. Another day of school was another day to suffer, after all. The tired boy made his way through the crowded halls, heading to math. The poor guy barely got any sleep last night, and the more he tried his best to stay awake, the more he regretted staying up late to play video games the night before.

When Jesse arrived at his classroom, he walked in and sat down at a desk in the back of the room.
The bell rang shortly after, and an old man with spiked white hair entered the room with some paperwork in his right hand and a cup of coffee in his left. He wore a long purple checked robe with a bright golden inner-dress, black glasses, and for some reason, a viscous glare of pure murder.

To Jesse's surprise, the desk next to his was empty. Normally he wouldn't care, but it wasn't just anyone's desk, it was Lukas'. Technically there weren't any assigned seats, but the boys always sat next to each other in the classes they had together. Except for today, of course.

Where is he...?

The teacher had barely started the lesson when the classroom door suddenly opened. A guy who looked like he was ready to actually stab someone stood still in the doorframe for a second, then walked into the room and sat down at the desk next to Jesse's.

"Normally, I'd have to mark you late. However, I appear to be in a surprisingly good mood today, so I will let it slide just this once," Mr. Hadrian announced, before continuing where he left off.

"There you are man," Jesse quietly spoke to the blonde boy sitting next to him. "For a second I thought you were skipping class or something."

Lukas turned his head left to face Jesse, a small, forced smile playing across his lips. "You know I would never do that."

"So, how was class? You look like ass," Jesse pointed out. And he wasn't wrong. Lukas looked like he just came back from actual hell. "What's wrong?"

Lukas opened his mouth to speak, then shut it again when he heard someone clearing their throat. Wondering who it was, the blonde boy faced away from Jesse and was met with his teacher's cold death stare.

"No talking during class," Mr. Hadrian spoke in an upset tone. He kept staring at the two boys for a moment, then continued with the lesson. Startled, Jesse and Lukas decided to stop talking and started paying attention. After a while, the teacher announced that the students could work on their homework. Lukas and Jesse took this as an opportunity to talk to each other.

"So, how was your first period? Biology, right?" Jesse asked, flipping through his textbook so that it looked like he was studying. Instead of replying, Lukas simply nodded his head to the question. Raising an eyebrow, Jesse pointed out, "You seem out of it. Did something happen?"

"Aiden happened," Lukas answered without missing a beat, and he rolled his bright blue eyes.

Jesse nodded his head in a understanding manner. "Ah, that explains it. Anything else I should be aware of?"

As soon as Jesse said that, Lukas immediately thought about his tour with Jess that morning, more specifically the talk they had. "I showed Jessica around this morning. She seemed interested in the art club," Lukas responded, pretending to write something down in his notebook. He glanced over at the teacher to check if he noticed them, but Mr. Hadrian was far too busy grading some paperwork to notice anything around him.

"That's great," Jesse replied. "I've considered joining a club too this year, but I'm not really that big of a socializer."

"About that.." Lukas began, but Jesse didn't let him finish. "Oh Notch, what did you do?"

"Nothing!" Lukas answered a little too fast. "I mean.. I asked her why she switched schools, but then she started to act kind of aloof. Did something happen?"

"Oh no, not at all," Jesse explained nonchalantly. "Ever since Jess started attending high school, we barely saw each other anymore, even at home. So, this summer she decided to move to Emerald High so that we could hang out more."

Lukas was skeptical about Jesse's explanation, but decided not to make a big deal out of it. For the next thirty to thirty five minutes, the boys just talked and chatted instead of making work. Everything was going fine until their teacher noticed them slacking. Mr. Hadrian threatened to send them to the principal's office, and that shut them up quickly.

Jess on the other hand, was taking advantage of her free period by hanging out in the library. It was the primary resource at Emerald High for people looking for information, frequented by students and teachers alike. The library housed a vast repository of knowledge, as well as yearbooks for each graduating class, and it was one of Jess' favorite places to chill. Or at least, it was at her old school. It calmed her, being surrounded by all of the books. She could do anything there, travel anywhere with the right story. Or just pretend to be studying while instead she'd just doodle in her sketchbook. Plus, it was quiet. That was nice too. Or at least, it usually was.

Jess glanced up from the book she was reading, hearing the screech of a printer. She looked around, trying to identify where the sound was coming from. Eventually, her eyes landed on a figure with long, bright red hair, and black glasses that framed their face perfectly. Aside from their striking crimson hair, one of their most noticeable features was the red armband they wore around their left arm. Jess did not realize she was staring at the person, and their eyes met. Like Jess, they were green, but the color of the person's eyes appeared to be in a different shade than hers. Jess' eyes were bright verdant, while the red-haired person's had a beautiful shade of olive.

"Can I help you?" the girl at the printer asked abruptly. Startled, Jess scratched the back of her head, searching for the right answer. But before she could think of a response, the red-haired girl's eyes widened slightly, as if she just remembered something. Something important. "Wait a minute," she mumbled to herself, but loud enough for Jess to hear. "Just-over-the-shoulder black hair, eyes that shine like emeralds, a cute, awkward smile... Are you by any chance the new student I've been hearing so much about?"

Shocked by this correct assumption, Jess' mouth fell open slightly. "That depends," she managed to reply. "Who's asking?"

"Spunky," the girl at the printer commented. "I like it." She made her way over to Jess, clutching printed documents to her chest. "My name is Cassidy Rose Burch. Cassie for short. I'm assuming you're Jessica Farland?"

Jess nodded her head, closing the book she was reading and putting it aside. "How do you know my name?"

Cassie grinned at Jess's question. "As the student council president, it's my job to make sure every student at Emerald High feels welcomed. That includes you, too," she explained with a smug smile on her face. "That, and somebody in the council told me about you."

"I suppose that makes sense..."

"It's nice to make your acquaintance, Jessica," Cassie said, extending her hand. Jess hesitated for a moment, then shook it. "Just call me Jess. And it's nice to meet you, too."

A smile played over Cassie's lips as she took a seat next to Jess. "You know, you look really pretty."

Jess scratched her head again, confused by the unexpected compliment. "Uhm, thanks."

"So you agree?" Cassie asked without missing a beat. "You think you look really pretty?"

"No, that's not what I—"

"Oh Notch, I love your hairpin. Where did you get it?" Cassie interrupted Jess. At this rate, she might as well be having a conversation with a rock.

"My grandma got it for me," Jess hesitatingly answered.

"I see," Cassie responded with a small nod, before changing the subject. "So, how are you liking the school so far? Have you made any friends yet?"

"The school is pretty great," Jess replied with a grin. "And yes, I made some friends yesterday. About three, I think? My brother goes to this school as well, but I don't know if that counts as a friend. Though, one of his friends showed me around this morning. So that's... four friends, if I'm correct."

"Well," Cassie began. "Turn that four into a five, because I'll be you friend."

Jess was absolutely shocked. "Are you sure you want to do that?" she doubtfully asked. "I can be a handful sometimes."

"Well then," Cassie started, a smug smile playing across her plump lips. "Good thing I have two hands."

—

A/N

Shitty chapter written by a shitty person. Goodnight y'all.