dedicated to zarents for being an absolute star!

t w e l v e

"I don't trust you at all."

"Shut up and eat your animal crackers, this'll work."

Sam and Ellen were currently making their way over to the darker part of the school where the misfits hung out and Sam never ventured.

"I don't see how getting killed by one of your... goth creep friends is going to make Felix fall in love with me."

Ellen gave him a long look."Were you trying to come up with a insult there? That was pathetic."

Sam looked away and shoved a biscuit giraffe in his mouth, not giving her the satisfaction of a retort even though she was right, and if anything gave her the reaction she was wanting judging from her obnoxious snort she gave out once Sam had turned his head.

During the discussion of "GETTING SAM HIS MAN" - as Ellen gracefully titled it, even writing it in bold black marker over one of Sam's good notebooks - following Ellen to his gruesome death had been the most popular option.

"Hypnotism." Jake suggested humourlessly. "You can do that kinda stuff, can't you?" He offered Ellen with a cheeky smile. Ellen just gave him a dark look as if he was stupid.

"Not my thing," her voice dropped dangerously.

"Oh sorry, voo doo dolls are more your thing, right?"

Ellen gave a predatory smile. "Oh sure. Why don't I make a voodoo doll of you and snap your freaking neck, huh?"

"Try getting near enough to take any of my hair, you goth bitc-"

"Oh-kay," Sam intervened swiftly, getting between the two." None of that, thanks. Can we please find a solution that doesn't involve Felix falling for me against his will?"

Jake gave a dramatic sigh, leaning forward. "We'll that's going to be a bit hard, isn't it?"

Jake grinned at Sam and Sam punched him in the arm. "Dick."

Ellen rolled her eyes. "Can we puh-lease time down the whole bromance-bordering-on-romance thing?" She turned to Mia who was silently writing down suggestions. "It's a wonder how you've put up with these two for so long."

Mia smiled, radiating everything good in the world. "Talent." She shrugged.

The rest of the suggestion pulled out after that became just as bad as the others, and now here he was. Foolishly letting Ellen walk him right into his doom.

"I don't know why you lot make a big fuss over us, we're exactly the same except we prefer the colour black." Ellen said presently, shaking her head, her long hair shimmering with the little light that passed through the crowding trees next to the building.

"And sacrifice newborn babies to the devil," Sam pointed out, grinning.

Ellen took one look at him and burst out laughing. "Yeah, that too."

However, Sam's smiles were brief as he approached the group he had seen around Felix, all noticing him one by one and giving him enough heat behind their glares that it was possible to knock him back to the 18th century.

They were a gabble of dyed hair, black clothing, skulls and eyeliner and Sam was suddenly terrified of every single one of them.

"What is he doing here, Ellen?" One of the guys near the front said, Sam recognised him vaguely from playing the drums on the drama stage. His face was much harsher than it was playing the drums. Sam swallowed.

"Oh, keep your pants on, ladies. He's just here to see Felix, maybe hang out a little, okay?"

"Felix isn't going to be happy, El. You know how he is."

Ellen gave a wide grin, looping her arms around Sam's so he couldn't escape, as if she knew that Sam was seconds away from fleeing with his tail between his legs. "You leave him to me, Vlad."

The guy - Vlad - just grunted, amused, and turned to a tall girl with short, spiky black hair and purple lips who still kept a sharp eye on Sam as Ellen steered him closer to the group while answering whatever Vlad was asking.

"Okay, so this is Sasha," Ellen pointed to a small girl with green hair and blue eyes. "Her boyfriend, David." Scary guy with long fringe and eyebrow piercing, the bass player. "You know Vlad," Ellen gave him a steely smile as he turned and did the same, curtseying. "And Emma."

Sam nodded awkwardly at them all, only getting pinched looks in return."Uh, hi?" A beat of silence before Sam looked at his hand and thrust it out. "Animal cracker?"

If there was anything that Sam would have thought would win over a bunch of black-wearing, ritual doing, angst-ridden teenagers, it wouldn't of been animal crackers - which was a good thing, because they definitely were not. Sam had thought he was getting the full capacity of dirty looks from this lot but suddenly he felt like he was standing up in the Arctic as every look turned hundreds of degrees lower.

All but Ellen who started snorting into her hair and snatching an animal out of the bag he was still offering in spite of him.

The silence was almost unbearable, the only sound that being of the kids chattering and squealing about the courtyard behind them and the soft breeze also spiting him as it sang about his ears in emphasis of the awkward situation.

And then there was a loud, rusted squeak of a door which everyone turned to, seeing Felix emerge from the old fire exit door, unlit cigarette in his mouth and eyes cast to the ground.

Sam went weak.

"V, you got a light?" Felix asked casually, walking right past Sam and completely missing the strange look from Vlad he was getting as his cigarette was lit from a zippo taken out from Vince's overly-pocketed pair of trousers.

Maybe it was what Sam was wearing- you know, actual colours against the dark that the rest of his cult were favoured with wearing- that finally caught Felix's attention, or the still silence that swept around them, like they were in the eyes of tornado of all Sam's doing. But Sam saw it coming; the sudden awareness as he froze and straightened his posture, the sure turn of his head and the sharp gaze that came with it.

Though what Sam didn't expect was the blink of surprise, the shift of demeanour and the slackening of posture as Felix realised who Sam was before bringing it back again.

"Sam?" Voice still deep and throaty, slightly muffled by the burning stick in his mouth. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm just showing him the family," Ellen piped faster than Sam could open his mouth. There was a sick smirk on her face and Sam decided that he hated her along with Jake and Mia who let him go with her.

Felix took a long puff, looking away and letting out a cloud to his left as he turned his head, exposing his long pale neck and the shape of his Adam's apple before snapping his eyes back to Sam before Sam had even time to react to the sudden burst of arousal the sight had given him, not a swallow or shift of his trousers. And then he was stalking forward, cigarette cast to the floor and hands stuffed in jean pockets as he came into Sam's space, crouching low into his face. Of course, even when he did he still didn't meet Sam's height. it didn't matter, Sam followed Felix's eyes until he was tipping his head up to meet them as Felix hovered over him in a menacing manner.

"Just because I let you off the hook for the last time you were sneaking around us doesn't mean you can hang all over us."

Ellen let out a huge sigh,"Felix..."

"No, Ellen. I know you've finally getting along with the cool kids or whatever but that doesn't mean you can bring along your little pet and-"

"I'll leave, it's cool." Sam faked on a smile, interrupting Felix before he started saying anything else about him. "Honestly, I didn't think it was a great idea either. But, you know, its awesome to find out everything from the other day was complete bull from you."

With that Sam walked away hearing nothing, no jibes or hoots as he retreated just the sound of skin against leather and a yelp. "You're such an asswipe, Felix."

a/n: exams are finally over and so is my time in high school!!! I'm freeeee- well, until the end of August at least when the adult world consumes what's left of my soul :)))))