Orchid took a long time on purpose to analyze Professor Madeleine Xing. She looked so friendly, but it had to be a facade. She huffed, shaking her head. A boy next to her tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hey, stuck on a question?"

"Oh, yeah, the first one is so stubborn. I want at least three to show I mean business," she said meekly. The boy had pale skin with a burst of fiery red hair. He wore a black leather jacket under the school blazer. "Doesn't it get hot with two layers?"

He smirked. "So, you're calling me hot? "

Orchid's cheeks went as red as the boy's hair. "No, I didn't mean it like that—"

"No talking!" Madeleine's voice boomed.

The two's voices dropped to a hush. "You know, I got a few for you. Azure Eyes of Blood by Charlotte Kee, The Loose Noose by Bill Johnston, and Still by Chris Grace." The redheaded boy was definitely helpful.

Orchid scribbled the answers down, despite knowing the first two. "Thanks."

"No name?"

"It's Orchid," she said, hesitating. She didn't like sharing her last name, it gave someone too much information on her. Now that she thought of it, the ginger was kind of cute. You can't think about boys, she scolded herself. Remember last time? Orchid shuddered.

"Thompson Asterion, but I go by Tommy," Tommy said while writing a few more answers on the exam. Orchid peeked over and realized he finished, but was pretending to keep writing to talk to her. That made her feel somewhat special considering Tommy was on the lacrosse team, he was quite popular among the sporty students of Silverleaf.

"Asterion? Doesn't that loosely translate to 'the starry one' in Greek?" Orchid asked, tapping her pencil against the desk.

"Yeah, but it's also the name of the Minotaur, one of Greek mythology's most famous beasts. Asterion killed a bunch of innocent people from Athens and stuff," he grinned, his grin reminded Orchid of Stoll's. Why are you thinking about Stoll so much? Orchid was almost embarrassed. "So, who knows, Orchid? Maybe I am just a big, scary monster under this leather jacket."

"Oh please." She stifled a laugh. "You're so weird."

"Weird's not a bad title."

"No talking!" Madeleine shouted again.

┉┈◈◉◈┈┉

Maybe alarm bells should have gone off in Orchid's head when she first met the charming Tommy Asterion, but that didn't stop her from thinking about him. After leaving the Exam Room, they decided to walk together through the hall. Orchid wanted for him to go away—she was as red as a cherry—but also wanted him to stay. "So you like gothic literature?" Orchid asked Tommy.

"Sort of," he replied, shrugging.

"You seem to know a lot about it though." They were approaching the stairwell. The Originals were supposed to meet at their usual spot; the rooftop. Orchid needed a way to get Tommy off her trail.

"I just pay attention in class," he said half-heartedly. Orchid arched an eyebrow but ignored it. He glanced at her, smiling. "What?" she asked and he shook his head, chuckling to himself.

They arrived at the stairwells. "Where are you going?" he inquired.

"Just to my dorm." Translation: Definitely not my dorm room. "I need to go now, thanks for walking me here, Tommy." Before he got another word in, Orchid quickly ran up the stairs, not stopping until she reached the rooftop.

"Sorry I'm late," she said breathlessly.

"Damn, even I was early." Stoll laughed as Orchid huffed. The rain had died down, at least for the evening, and it felt nice to be back on the roof. Orchid joined Stoll and Saira by the ledge.

"Okay, I know it's usually payment day, but things have been slow," Orchid told Saira and Stoll. "I don't think an exposé is appropriate in this period of grieving for Professor Green and Scarlett. Let's just let the heat die down first."

Saira fiddled with the hem of her skirt. "I don't like the feeling of this. Shades of Gray isn't, well, the Shades of Gray anymore. And what about when this is all over? The media will be all over the place with Green's and Scarlett's deaths and your name will be dragged into the headlines."

Orchid slumped her shoulders. "I haven't thought of that."

She nodded, curling back her pink-dyed hair. "Is... Is this going to be the end?"

"The end? It barely got started," Stoll said desperately. "We're the Originals."

"Look," Orchid pinched the bridge of her nose, "I don't know where, when, or how this will all end. All I know is that we have got to the bottom of these murders. So that means sleuthing."

"We first need alibis," Saira said, tossing Orchid another note and pen.

"Sam has an alibi," Stoll added. "Just felt like saying that."

"I'll check on Yarwood and Asher, but I think they'll have alibis too," Saira gnawed at the ends of her nails. Orchid noticed that she was extra fidgety today. "Sorry, I didn't get much sleep, Fareeda likes to sleep like the lights on. Who the hell still sleeps with a nightlight on at that age?" She rubbed her eyes. "I'm also more cranky."

"We can tell," Stoll snorted and Saira huffed, slapping him on the back. "Ouch!"

"So far, we only have one alibi, which isn't good." Orchid tapped the end of her pen on the paper, shaking her head. She chewed the insides of her cheeks. Don't worry about it, but that was all she could think about.

"We need to find alibis to confirm that Sam, Yarwood, and Asher can be properly crossed off the suspect list," Saira urged before pausing, glancing at Stoll. "No offence, we don't actually think he's guilty."

"Fine," he grunted.

"I guess we have nothing else to say," Orchid said, clasping her hands. "Well, it's getting late and we have a buttload of homework due the next morning. I'll see you guys around."

Before Orchid left, Saira called after her. "Wait, Gray, who's the boy you were talking to?"

Orchid paused. "Thompson Asterion. Why?"

"I think you should stay away from him."

Stoll looked between Orchid and Saira, looking a bit defeated. Orchid didn't know why. "Why should I?" she asked Levine and she hesitated. Orchid crossed her arms, raising her eyebrows. "Tell me if it's worth concerning me about. What is he? A drug dealer? A cheater?"

"I'm Gossip Girl, I know things. I've heard things, Gray."

"I just met Tommy," she said, almost laughing. "It's nothing serious."

"Sounds serious," Stoll muttered.

┉┈◈◉◈┈┉

Orchid Gray laid in her bed, alone in her cold yet increasingly humid dorm. Bailey still hadn't returned. She was probably staying over at Rob's, but Orchid confessed she missed her roommate. She thought back to what Saira Levine had said. You should stay away from him. Orchid didn't even know Tommy, so she convinced herself she didn't care.

But boy, was Tommy Asterion charming.

Orchid haven't had a crush on a boy in a while and the last time something happened... It ended in disaster, her mind supplied. And it hadn't even been her fault. She closed her eyes, turned to the other side of her bed, and flipped the pillow on the other side. It had been a long week, she deserved some rest.

┉┈◈◉◈┈┉

Orchid saw Navaeh and Jackson at the park, laughing and giggling on a bench. In a way, Orchid hated Jackson, he could be cocky and ignorant, and she didn't like the way that he made excuses for his bad habits.

She just knew that Jackson Millers was going to break Navaeh Naylor's heart.

"Orchid! O-M-G, come over!" Suddenly, Navaeh spotted her. Orchid awkwardly walked over to the bench, uncomfortable. "I love your outfit, having a fashion statement today?"

Orchid wore a white blouse with a checkered jacket, sporting a brown jean skirt that covered her knees, keeping in mind the dress code. "One of the teachers tried to write me up for 'showing cleavage' or whatever," she kidded. Jokes on the teacher, she didn't have any cleavage.

"Ugh, the teachers are insane, they're too strict," Navaeh complained.

"Totally," Jackson murmured. That's when Orchid caught Jackon's eye, noticing he was checking her out, primarily her waist. That sparked anger in Orchid. She shrugged off her checkered jacket, tying it around her waist in retaliation.

Jackson merely smirked. He's breaking Navaeh's heart, Orchid thought wearily. She looked at Navaeh, who looked clueless. Jackson Millers was a pervert. "Well, Nava," Orchid said, clasping her hands. "Want to walk home together?"

"Sorry, Hillary already offered a ride for me and Jackie," she gestured to the black car in the parking lot not too far from them. "Maybe I can ask Hillary if she can accept another passenger? It's not a big deal."

Orchid froze, paralyzed. She vividly remembered how Hillary Arthurs made Orchid feel like her whole existence was a living hell. It nerved her. "I think I'd rather walk than ride with a racist bimbo," she spat. It was out of the unknown, but Orchid was seething with rage. Bailey's

"Pardon?" Navaeh looked shocked.

"Don't you remember Hillary's racist comment? She called me a Chinese slur!" Orchid was angry that Navaeh wasn't angrier. Jackson, however, seemed to be enjoying the girl drama. Shut the hell up, Jackson, she wanted to say even if he said nothing at all.

"It was just a joke," Navaeh insisted. "Don't call Hillary a bimbo—"

"A joke? I'm your friend, not Hillary! She's like the real version of Regina George from Mean Girls, Nava!" Orchid cried out, feeling too warm. Suddenly, the argument got more heated as they both added to the blazing fire. "It's like you became a part of Hillary's posse of girls ever since Hillary shoved the taste of popularity down your petty throat—"

"That's enough, Orchid!" Navaeh shouted, rolling her eyes. She grabbed Jackson's hand and they both stood up. "You're just jealous of me and Hillary. You're just jealous that I've made it to the top of the ladder while you're still climbing it at the bottom." Navaeh stormed off and Jackson shortly followed.

Orchid was reeling from what Navaeh had just said. She was a fool, an utter fool, to try and fix things. Navaeh had made her move, and so had Orchid.