Song: Grade 8, Ed Sheeran

Angels' POV

The assembly yesterday was nothing short of uncomftorable, well in all the moments Xander wasn't serving as a personal distraction to me. I did my best to hold my composure under not only Zanthus' stares, but the many that had been accumulated from the other students around us.

It was quite impossible to ignore the pointed glances, whispers, even some blatant points in my, in our direction. It was all rather embarassing, and rather infuriating as well, knowing well that many could have been avoided if Zanthus had corrected the boy who'd made the comment on out relation.

Of course there's a small part of me that actually enjoyed his assumption on us, it's nothing but naive and is surely overpowed by how upsetting his silence has proved to be afterwards. I've never been one for attention, and I surely wasn't getting anything short of it now, if the few stray looks weren't enough previous to the affairs of the assembly.

I bid Xander a quick farwell once it had come to an end, Hades as well who I'd shared a few words with, and purposely ignoring Zanthus who seemed rather put off from his lacking bid adieu on my end. He deserves, though, for leading people to believe falsities regarding the both of us, which are too far gone to go back and speak truth on.

I'm upset with him now, of course.

He was in no place to for starters, essentially make my decisions for me. What if I had wanted to sit with the blonde haired boy who'd offered? But that's less of where my anger is sparking from.

It's apparent that the real issue lays in the fact that majority of the people, if not all, that attend sixth form with us are speculating that the two of us are involved romatically. This is unsettling for not only the reason being how clashing our characters our and his despicable reputation, but even more the lacking respect it appears he has for me.

If he possesed any, he would've been quick to shoot down the boys comment. I wouldn't have had an issue with people thinking we were friends, that would be far better to them thinking were getting about with each other. I never agreed to have people speculate such things, and he surely didn't pay take that into account nor heed how I would be affected.

With the mass of attention he already recieves from our peers, it's obvious they're meant to jump on anything and anyone whose involved with him. It's almost as if he's a celebrity or something of the sort, it's a bit sickening how cliche his popularity is. I've been made to be a sort of target now, not missing the stares I recieve at each step I take.

I feel a small tug on my arm as I scurry down the crowded halls. I stop shortly, and close my eyes, taking a breath and prepare myself to be faced with Zanthus. I turn around slowly but see I am now standing in front of Xander. I let out a breath of relief and let a tiny smile rest on my lips in his presence.

"First, you bolt out of class and next you act as if you don't want to see me. I'm glad to see how much you enjoy my prescence, Angel." Xander says, faux hurt as he places his hand over his heart. "And I was here, thinking this friendship was off to a great start." He jokes, though his words cause my heart to skip a beat.

"Friendship?" I chirp out a bit to chuffed, causing him to give me an odd look before he shakes his head and looks back to me.

"I mean what else would you call this, Cherry? We're friends. If we weren't, I would not be talking to you right now, yeah?" He offers up, which I nodd mutely to.

"Uh, nothing, nothing. Yeah, friendship. Sorry, I was being half-brained. It's just, you're my first friend. Ever. Like ever, ever. So I wasn't sure if you actually wanted to be friends. Of course, I'd like to be on of yours. Well, not, you know what I mean. But you're just such a character, and tall and a bit scary -well not scary, intimadating is more like it. Then again, you are scary, but not when you talk to me. You're like-" I'm cut off by Xanders laugh bouncing through the air around us and reaching my ears.

"Angel, slow down. I know what you're trying to say. No need to be all nervous around me. I am your friend now, remember?" Xander tells me, my breathing a little heavy from my rambling. "Don't expect me not to work that one far past its' grave, by the way." He adds, which only heightens my embarassment in this moment.

"Lord." I groan as my cheeks heat no doubt, which only earns another chuckle from Xander.

"Right then, wih all that out of the way, I came to inform that I have been personally sent on behalf of a very nervous lad to invite to lunch with the lot of us today." Xander tells me, and my eyes widen as I quickly shake my head in disagreement.

"No way! I will not sit with Zanthus, let alone the rest of your group, that'll end horribly." I tell him in response.

"Come on, it won't be that bad." Xander states, and I feel as if I'm going to burst already

"I won't do it, Xander." I inform him, starting to stand my ground for the first time, surprisngly.

"Angel, please. I know your situation isn't ideal, but please trust me on this." He starts me, andwhen he sees I am not giving in so quickly he speaks again. "Come on, It'll be a perfect opportunity for us to develop our newly founded friendship. " I can't help but break a smile as he gives off his biggest grins, placing his hands under his chin as a young child would do.

"Alright, alright." I comply to his wishes, letting out a small huff after I realize what I've gotten myself into.

"Just meet us in there alright? I'm sure you know where the table is. I won't be there at the beginning since I've got to grab lunch for the lot of us today, but I will be there before you know it." He informs me which has me frowing a bit.

I feel my nerves rising at the thought of being alone at a table with Zanthus and the rest of the lads, considering Xander is the only one I've got any relationship with. Things only go wrong when you have them at one table, and adding me to the mix won't be any better.

"Ok. Fine." I tell him, but count help the frown that tugged on my lips. Rest assured I was not too happy about this, although I saw Xander let out a sigh of relief at my agreement.

"Thank you Cherry, I'll see you soon enough." He tells me and then turns to walk down the halls towards the exit.

"Hey! Seriously, I said stop calling me Cherry!" I call after him, but he just keeps walking, and no doubt he has a smirk resting on his face as he does so swiftly.

****

As lunch hour comes, I try to will myself to calm my nerves that seem to stay unsettled no matter what I do. The only thing that I am looking forward to is the fact that Xander is going to be there, really enjoying the new company I've had the past days of a friend.

After enough overthinking about this whole ordeal, I decided to make my way into the lunch room that is now my death room. I walk through the doors of the lunchroom begin to scan the room. My eyes lock with Zanthus quickly and I see him perk up, as I try my best to conceal my annoyance with him and hold an even glance.

I slowly begin to walk towards his table, avoiding his eye contact by keeping mine trained downwards. After some time, I finally finish my way over to the table, to my dismay. I stand feeling nothing short of out of place as I asses my new surroundings.

"Sit, Angel." Hades says, offering me a small smile as he does so.

I nod, and eye the table, looking for the seat farthest away from Zanthus, though I am out of luck when I see the only two spaces left are next to him, one for me and one for Xander I presume.

I slowly walk around the table and hesitantly sit down on the bench, leaving a gap between Zanthus and I. Looking back over to him, there's a frown etched into his features, at this, but don't pay too much mind to it.

I watch as Zanthus moves down the seat a bit, but I immediately scoot further away from him, causing his frown to deepen. I can tell he is upset because of my actions and the generous gap between us, though I ignore the part of me that's sympathizing with him and remind myself that he deserves to be upset.

The table is silent, the only thing heard was the dull chatter from around the cafeteria behind us. I stared into the space around me, particularly avoiding eye contact from Zanthus, though I did catch a glimpse of him every now and then. His mouth would open and then close as if he were trying to say something but couldn't get it out of him.

It's probably best that he keeps his mouth shut, because him talking would mean me having to converse with him, and that's definitely not something high on my list today.

"Ah, Cherry joins us today." I hear a voice say from behind me, and I turn to see Xander looking at me with a slight smirk on his face. He looks at the seating, and then glances to me, thankfully understanding my pleading glances and hestitantly taking the seat between Zanthus and I.

I feel my cheeks heat up as everyone at the table has their eyes on me. It's probably not hard to tell, but I'm not used to having people around with me. I am certain I look extremely awkward at the moment, and have looked so in all prior moments as well.

"Does she speak?" I hear Jax offer up in an all too serious tone, causing all of the guys to let out a slight chuckle and me to turn red yet again.

"Not quite sure. How do we go about testing it out?" Maxim responds, aiding to the faux drama, obviously trying his best not to break his serious facade.

"Shall we poke her a few times? See if we can get something from her. A reaction of sound possibly?" Hades stifles a laugh while Jax speaks.

"Now now, that won't be necessary, I can assure you she still speaks, I believe it's just the fact that you two are such tits, she is just incapebable of lowering her brain capacity enough to communicate with you." Xander states, causing the boys to immediately cease from their laughter at their own antics and send sharp glares towards Xander.

"Oh fuck up," Maxim says, which Xander immediately retaliates to by standing up, reaching across the table, and slapping him upside the head.

"Should I, should I not..." He mumbles under his breath as if contemplating something. "To hell with it." He says before quickly slapping Jax as well, and must I say, his slaps were not light.

"To hell with it? To hell with you!" Jax sputters out before jumping atop the table.

My eyes enlarged surely when Jax seems to mount Xander in a way, and the two begin to go at it. They pummel each other in the most absurd manner,and to what seemed to me to be to the death. It's not long before Maxim joins in, Hades following after, first seeming like he's going to break it up but things go to plot.

"I know for your sake you did not just punch me where I think you did!" He sexclaims, after regaining his balance from the low blow, literally, the low blow that he had just recieved on behalf of Jax.

I look over to see Zanthus merely watching the seen in front of him, and have to look again in order to make sure the smile I saw on his face as he watched this horrific encounter between the now four boys wasn't dreamt up by me. How could anyone find amusement in something of this sort? They're essentially destroying each other and he hasn't uttered a single word or set forth any action to intervene.

"May you all stop acting like fucking nobs for just a few seconds?" I hear Dimitri spit as he glances at the four boys rolling around on the floor.

They all immediately comply, to my surprise, and began to help each other up, brushing their clothes off as they do so.

"Hey, you wanker, help me up!" I hear Xander exclaim as Jax laughs while he remains on the floor. Xander just shakes his head and pushes himself up, brushing his palms over his jeans after he straightens his shirt. "Can never get a bit of fucking help around here," he mutters.

"Jesus Dimitri, always the fuckin buzz kill aren't ya'!" Maxim says as he throws an arm around Dimitri's shoulder roughly.

Dimitri gives him a hard slap in the chest, though Maxim seems the least bit affected and just puts him in what seems to be a headlock as he messes his hair about. Maxim eventally releases him and Dimitri lets out an angry huff and runs a hand through his now rampid hair, taming it best he can.

The order between the boys continues per usual, as if nothing had just occured amongst them, let alone a brawl. They immediately begin to dive into the multitude of dishes Xander had brought to the table. I turn away from a laughing Hades, only to find Dimitri looking at me in a less to pleased manner.

I immediately tense under his gaze, and look around to see the other four boys engaged in some sort of debate. Regardless of whether the topic was valid or not, they are too preoccupied to notice Dimitri glowering at me, to put it. I do my best to shrink down into my seat as his stare on me doesn't let up.

It proves of no avail which I had expected, but nontheless it leaves me feeling a bit helpless. I feel a closer prescence to my right and turn a bit to notice Zanthus is seatd beside me, who must have switches with Xander while the ladder was engrossed in combat.

I asses his form to see him gripping the table to the point in which his knuckles ware white. I can't deny how incredibly attractive he appears, with his jaw clenched, sharp of course. Though alas I will myelf to ignore his physical characteristics and pay attention to the situation at hand.

He is quite obviously upset, and with Dimitri to add to that. Dimitri seems a bit more reserved now, certainly no longer even sparing a glance in my direction, and his eye contact flutters between Zanthus and eveyrthing else around him, never holding still to one things.

Slowly the boys debate on whatever it is they were so passionate about titters out as they begin to notice Zanthus' position. I could see the underlining worry in their eyes, a bit of nervousness possibly is what it is, though these looks are quick to leave them.

The tension is high, completely oppisite of what it was just minutes ago. I haven't got a clue of what I'm meant to do to aid the situation, if I am even meant to do anything. Though, it appears my possible roll of peace maker is already spoken for, as Jax stands from his seat, fork in hand, a wicked smile on his face.

"FOOD FIGHT!"

Well, that's one way to intervene.