Sᴇᴘᴛᴇᴍʙᴇʀ 20. 2024.
"Alessia, please stay back after class. I need to talk to you."
Alessia tilts her head, peering at her Chemistry teacher weirdly. She says yes anyway, but what could she have possibly done to be spoken to after class? She glances around to see if she'll notice anything that's off, but everything seems normal.
On cue, the bell rings and school is out for the weekend. While everyone begins to file out of the classroom, she takes the time to finish taking her homework from the white board. Normally, she'd be done before the bell, but she's been getting distracted a lot lately. When she's finally finished, the class is empty and the only thing that's heard is the flipping of pages where Ms. Daniels is seated, reading. The teacher then closes her book after checking the time and proceeds to gather her things.
"Miss?" Alessia mutters, standing with her textbook and notebook in hand.
Ms. Daniels looks up from her desk, before concern graces her features. "I'm just going to come out with it." She begins in a still, soft voice. "Are you okay? Lately you've been coming to school looking pale and tired. Is anything stressing you?"
She's taken off guard, frozen in her stance as she stares at the older woman blankly. She's clueless as to what it means to be stressed and blinks twice in confusion. She hasn't experienced stress before, has she? Could this be it? But, if it is...isn't the question personal? "I'm alright, Ms. Daniels." She huffs, "I just need exercise."
"Nevertheless, I'm here if you ever need to talk, okay?" The woman offers kindly, unconvinced that she's fine.
"I don't want to." Alessia states.
She frowns at the girl, beginning again, "If—"
"Shut up."
"E-Excuse me?" Ms. Daniels is stricken with the way she just spoke to her and the way she's handling the situation. The girl says she's alright and gets irritated from a simple offer of help?
Alessia rolls her eyes and says, "No, Ms. Daniels. I don't need anyone to talk to." She walks around her table and leaves. She doesn't grumble or has a hissy fit, but she's surely agitated. Her mood is darker than before as she moves quickly across the front yard of the school, after exiting the building.
She bumps shoulders with mystery boy on her way to her car and doesn't look back. However, his head whips in her direction and his eyes follow her with the raise of an eyebrow, before he turns back to the group of galavanting guys he calls his friends.
Recently, they've been playing a lot of dare games. Usually, it'll be fun because the dares are stupid and embarrassing. Something to laugh at and have a good time, right? But, it gets serious today when Alessia is mentioned.
Or, at least it's serious to him.
"I'm not interested anymore and it isn't like what you think." Vincent grumbles at his Texan friend that doesn't know when to stop teasing him.
"Well, the dare does not care, Vinny. You're going to do it." The Asian of the group smirks, tuning into their conversations although he's on his phone.
"Oh no..." The Italian boy mutters, palming his face, knowing that things are about to get complicated.
"Oh yes..."
Douglas, the Aussie guy, shrugs. "Complete the four f's with Alessia. What could possibly go wrong?"
Silver eyes widen, followed by a gasp, "What the fuck, man?!"
"Shut up, Ian Somerhalder." Lee rolls his mono-lidded eyes.
He glares at the Korean boy who's stuck in his phone, but is still managing to be a douchebag. He'd say something back, but it would be racist, so he clenches his jaw to keep his mouth shut.
"Yah scared?" Alex questions Vincent with puckered lips, getting ready to coo and Vincent tries to fend off the peer pressure with a lame plea.
"I can't do all four over one weekend. She barely even talks to me—"
"Excuses, excuses..." Douglas tuts.
Alex rolls his eyes, elongating the time period, "Fahyne. A month. Four weeyks. No less."
"Are you really planning to do this?" The soft one of the 'oh-so-macho' squad speaks again, directing his attention to Vincent now. He wants him to say no. Frickin' say no!
Vincent meets his swirling silver gaze wondering if there's a reason why he shouldn't. A reason why he shouldn't act like a child for just a moment. "Why not?" He asks, utterly clueless. And, when he gets no answer as the boy recoils in disgust, he looks back at Alex and Douglas. Lee could care less if he wants to do the dare or not. "I accept." He grins like he has just won a million dollars. At least this'll put a little fun in her life, thinks the arrogant boy.