I sighed as I tapped my pencil on the desk impatiently, I quickly felt my eyes glaze over as I gazed into the distance. The seconds ticked away slowly as the sound of the clock became like the deafening sound of a time bomb, ready to send all students to their inevitable doom. I was caught in my drooling trance up until the point when I noticed a hand waving to her from a distance.

         "Ms. Duce? Ms. Duce are you alright?"

         I snapped up quickly and gave the teacher a stern nod. "Y-Yes Mr. Simons. I'm quite alright." I quickly added a small smile to make it less awkward.

         "Alrighty then. Let's continue with the lesson." Mr. Simons said as he turned towards the whiteboard. He uncapped a red dry erase marker and began writing on the board. "You're homework for this evening is to take notes on pages 120-129 in your textbook. I then want you to consult with with a partner over what you gained out of your reading and what the turning point in this period time was."

         The class groaned in annoyance and many rolled their eyes. The bell sounded with an abrupt ding and students began to file out of the classroom. I collected my things as quickly as possible and slung my brown, leather messenger bag over my shoulder. A small, delicate hand touched my shoulder and I turned around to face my best friend, Charlotte Knight.

         "Hey Charlie," I said sleepily as I grabbed at my sweatshirt. Charlie's light curls bounced as she crossed her arms with a smirk. "You're kidding me, right? Your best friend walks up to you and you say 'hey'? You should be saying, 'Hello my flamboyantly amazing, and talented friend, who I could never live without for all my days!"

        I smiled at the dramaticness of Charlie's script, "How about we just stick with 'hey' for now, sound good?"

        Charlie groaned nod let her shoulders relax with an exasperated sigh, "Fine." she said, dragging out the word as if it was a note in a song. "So, where are we off to, 'Ms. Dunce?" asked Charlie, doing a perfect imitation of Mr. Simons' voice as he taught a group full of kids nobody wants to deal with.

        "Well Ms. Knight," I said just as annoyingly, "We are of to the wonderous world of knowledge, harvested in the crops of the ever-growing Media Arts room--where only the finest of brain food can be fed to the royalty of the eager and developing teenage mind." I turned to Charlie with a smirk. "How was that?"

        "Stunning, Your Highness."

        "Are you suggesting I'm high?"

        "Luka!"

        "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" I threw my hands up, defensively.

        Charlie rolled her eyes, "Someday, you will be the death of me."

        "Will that be the day I steal your Cheetos and you go diving into the Grand Canyon to retrieve them?" I asked nonchalantly.

        "Yes, that is exactly right," Charlie said with a grin.

        I gave her a big, goofy smile before my entire happy demeanor was crushed by a tiny, floating rain cloud of pure evil and sadness. I froze in my tracks and stared, eyes bulging out of my skull. Charlie looked back to see what was wrong, but I didn't move. I was too focused on the figure standing merely a few inches away.

        "Well, if it isn't Luka Duce. Short as always, I see." A big, toothy grin spread across his face.

        Cassian Price. Seventeen years of age, tall, dusty caramel hair, and teal-ocean-blue eyes. His dad died serving in Afghanistan, so now he lives with his mother and sister. He moved to Michigan about three years ago, but recently came back due to financial (and family) reasons. Or so I've heard.

        I straightened up. I mentally slapped myself out of the wave of emotions drowning me. He was standing directly in front of me. I needed to say something. Anything.

        "And if it isn't Cassian Price? Back at it again with the annoying 'I'm still a five year old' haircut," I spat out. I seriously couldn't think of anything better? I need to practice some more.

        "Aww, come on, Luka. You probably think it's hot," Cassian said with a devilish smirk.

        Heat began to rise to my cheeks as I firmly stood my ground. I glanced over to see Charlie with a perplexed expression. To be honest, I had kind of forgotten she was still standing there. My tongue went dry and I couldn't think of a witty comeback worthy enough for this type of quarrel. I suddenly felt a large arm wrap itself around my shoulders and pull me closer towards them.

        "Why don'tcha back off buddy. Little Luka here doesn't need to pick a fight with the likes of you." Kile. Kile McLean. Ew. I quickly whipped around so I was facing him with the nastiest glare possible. I half expected a reaction of 'Ah! My eyes!', but it didn't happen.

        "Kile, what the hell are you doing?" I said angrily. My tone alone gave it away that I was pissed off, but he was so clueless that he couldn't take a hint.

        "What's it look like, cupcake? I'm defending my girlfriend from a school pest," Kile smirked.

        "First of all, I'm not your girlfriend. I have declined your requests dozens of times, and for good reason, too," I responded angrily, my blood boiling. "Secondly, nobody calls Price a school pest except me. So, back off McLean. I can handle myself thank you very much. Good. Bye." I quickly grabbed Charlie's arm and stormed off angrily, steam practically shooting from my ears. Once we were far enough away, I finally let go of Charlie's arm, and she immediately began doing what she does best. Asking questions.

        "Girl, what was that? You still in that feud with Cassian?" Charlie said in disbelief.

        "Yes," I said blankly, my blood still boiling at the fact Lover Boy had to step in and defend me. I would have been fine by myself. I crossed my arms and looked away from Charlie, a strand of my light blonde hair falling in my face.

        "Jeez Luka. What did he even do?" Charlie asked.

        "He knows what he did!" I snapped. I turn my small frame around to face her and see her face stricken with disgust. My face softened and I sighed, stepping back towards her. "Look Charles, I'm sorry I snapped. It's just, Cassian gets on my nerves sometimes."

        "It's fine," she said, "But you can't stay mad at him forever, it's just not logical." Charlie smiled and fixed her baseball cap back on her head. She wrapped her arm around my shoulders. "Come on girl, let's get you to Media Arts, before we're both late for class."

        Cassian's POV

        I walked down the crowded hallway in a slump, my teal hoodie hiding my face from the crowd, as I squeezed my way through the crowds of smelly teenagers. I thought back to this morning with my mom and sister. Yeah, mom! Last year of highschool and it's a great idea to move back to Indiana, be the old-new kid, and have a child-prodigy little sister to keep and eye on while I'm at it. Mom of the year!

        And it isn't that I don't like my little sister. She just tends to one-up me in a lot of things related to academics. Hell, she's even skipped a grade. She is so smart she literally knows how to find out what the Christmas gifts are just by using her iPad and a silver spoon. But it only puts more pressure on me.

        After my little run in with Luka, Kile, and Charlie, I wasn't exactly in the best of moods. First week of school and we were already back at it again with our rivalry. Great. Then again, why do I care? I just need to get good grades so I can go to college, get a job, and help my mom at home. Not to mention making sure Reyla can have the money to go to Harvard like she wants to.

        I was too lost in my own thoughts to even think about where I was going, and I ended up bumping into someone quite hard.

        "Ow!" they yelled. I looked up and pulled off my hood to get a better look at the figure and immediately realized who it was.

        "Thanks a lot Cass," said the sarcastic voice of Markus Coldum, his bright-eyed smile flashing. I rolled my eyes at him and punched him lightly in the arm. "Sorry about that, man. Kind of got lost in a daze."

        "It's cool. Just try not to run me over next time," Markus said with a laugh. "I'll see you later; I gotta get to PE before Ms. Fife has my head for being late!"

        I waved as Markus took off in the direction of the gymnasium, a small smile still cracked along my lips. Markus and I had been best friends since preschool, and had stayed friends even during the move. It was nice to know I had friends like him to have my back when needed.

        I glanced at my schedule to find that my next class was pre-cal. Oh, joy. I was walking along the deserted West Hallway when I saw one kid cowering in the corner, a tall figure looming over him. I quickly hid behind the wall to get a better look at what was going on.

        "What kind of grade is that Dumada? And A-? I thought you were supposed to be a genius!" The tall figure punched the boy in the side, causing him to fall on the ground. I clenched my fist tightly and furrowed my brow. I knew it wasn't my place to step in. I needed to lay low, fit in with the rest of the crowd, not get in a fight on the first day back.

         But, I could also hear my parents voice in the back of my head telling me to do the right thing. Well, I thought to myself, it's bound to happen sooner or later. Timing doesn't really change anything.

        I marched my way over to the corner of the hallway, the smaller boy's face bruised from being punched, his pale hands extended in front of him, begging for mercy. I directed my view towards the taller guy, who was pinning the little one's head into the cement bricks, winding up for another shot. "Hey, Gigantor! Maybe you should pick on someone your own size. Then again, I bet I am twice as strong as you so..."

        Step one: Provoke.

        The bully immediately turned around with a glare so stone cold it was if he was the son of Elsa. "What did you say to me, punk?" he snapped in a gravelly voice.

        "You heard me!" I responded loudly. "I don't really feel like repeating myself to someone as small-minded as yourself. Just a waste of effort, in my opinion. Wait a sec, lemme see if I can help you out. YOU...SUCK...make sense now?"

        The bully immediately dropped the Dumada kid and marched on over to face me, his fist clenched in anger. When he was merely a few centimeters away from me, he took a large swing at my face. I was luckily able to dodge the punch and whip around to sock him in the side with my own fist. The guy groaned in pain before turning back on me and taking another unsuccessful swing. Then another, and another, and they just kept coming.

        "You know," I began, dodging another punch, "you really shouldn't pick on a guy who's obviously athletic. My reflexes are already quicker than yours. Probably from all the junk you eat."

        The bully groaned in frustration and took one last swing before I stuck out my foot, causing him to trip face first into the hard, tile floor. I quickly rushed away to the side of the Dumada kid, as the bully groaned on the hallway floor in pain.

        "Here, let me help you up." I gave my hand to the small kid that has retreated as far into the corner as possible. He slowly stood up, his other hand clutching his face where he had been punched two or more times. I hear large footsteps and immediately whip around, but it's not Gigantor...

        It's Luka.

        "What in God's name is going on here!" She screamed, mainly at me. She rushed over to me and the kid and immediately checked him over. I wanted to ask where she had come from, but at this point who cares.

        "Oh God, Marin are you alright? Did Cassian hurt you?"

        I glare at Luka. Like I would ever do such a thing! She continues to check the kid, I mean Marin, and examines his face as if he were a puppy being chased by a wolf.

        "I'm fine Luka, Cassian was just helping me defend myself. He's actually the one that put Zeke on the ground." Marin smiled at Luka as she whipped around to examine me with a skeptical face. Her eyes stared so far into my soul I thought she might shatter it on purpose.

        "Well, thanks for helping Marin, but...don't think that we're friends or anything!" Luka says, crossing her arms with a scowl.

         I sighed, "Over course Duce, I would never think that." I turned my view to Marin and smiled. "You sure your alright, man?"

        "Yeah, I'm good." Marin said with a sideways smile. "Just a little beat up, that's all."

        "Yeah, a little too beat up for my taste. We're going to the nurse!" Luka said, grabbing Marin by the arm and starting to pull him down the hallway behind her.

        Marin groaned, "Already? But it's only the first week of school!"

        "It's your fault for doing Zeke's homework, now come on!" Luka said bossily, dragging Marin away Like a mom dragging her kid away from the playground. "Thanks again, Price. Now get to class!" Luka yelled, waving me off with her free hand, not even bothering to turn around.

        I groaned and picked up my books, giving a small wave to Marin as he was mercilessly dragged away by Luka. I had to laugh, Luka treated everyone like she was their mom. Even me sometimes, except I was treated like the trouble child. I guess life is just weird that way.

        As I began to walk down the hallway, my head started to hurt slightly. I rubbed my temple a bit to see if it hurt but quickly jerked it away. My head felt like it was on fire. The pain grew more intense with every step I took, throbbing back and forth like a relentless game of ping pong. If I could just make it to class, I would be fine. Everything would be alright. My head felt like it was going to explode. I couldn't handle it. The pain was too much. Where did it even come from? I felt my body start falling towards the floor.

        Help.