As the new girl approached the steel gates, one thought flooded through her mind: prison. This was the first time she'd actually been in a school in her entire life, and she was stepping head first into University. She held her breath as she crossed the threshold. Looking around at the various cliques surrounding the campus, there were a few that stood out: the goths, easily identifiable by their jet black hair and choker collars. They didn't seem rude, but she definitely didn't feel welcome with them. Next, she cast her eyes on the jocks, kicking around a football without caring where it went or who it hit. They began to laugh as it shot towards the group of "nerds" huddled under the shelter of a looming tree. Without a single thought, she raced to beat the ball and deflected the block with her bag.
"Wow! Thank you so much! They always try to give us hell." One of the students said.
"Hey! Are you gonna give us our ball back? It was an accident, I swear." The largest jock told. He was clearly the "alpha" of the group, judging from his confidence and notoriety. She looked down at the ball and pondered for a moment before replying:
"I have a better idea. How about you go fetch?" Without hesitation, the new girl picked up the ball and kicked it far over the peak of the campus and watched as it drifted out of sight. She found joy in tormenting the jocks as if justice had been served.
Before anyone could do or say another word, the morning bell rang across the campus and throughout the halls, signalling the first class of the day.
'Here we go!' The new girl thought to herself.
Tyler looked down from the rooftop, watching from his nest as he perched, a group of arms dealers loaded weapons into a van.
"What are they loading?" Asked a voice in his ear. Tyler pressed the communicator in his ear to reply, pausing for dramatic effect: "They're moving... weapons. M4A1s, to be exact. I'm going to give them a little welcome to our city."
"Be careful!" Cried the voice in his ear.
Tyler jumped onto the van's roof and drew his bow with an explosive arrow.
"Sorry for dropping in," Tyler said in his deepest voice. Just as he released the arrow from his bow—
"Mr Lightwood? Mr Lightwood!" Mr Crawley raised his voice, hoping to get Tyler's attention. Instead, Danni, a girl with long blonde hair and green eyes, tapped Tyler's shoulder. Tyler regained his focus from the world he had imagined through the science department window and realised that his teacher was trying to get his attention.
"Sorry, sir, carry on," Tyler told.
"As I was saying. This is our new student, Roxanne. She has transferred from Phoenix University and is starting the rest of her time with us. Would you like to introduce yourself to everyone? I imagine you'll have a lot of classes with these guys."
Roxanne's hair was long and dark brown; Tyler couldn't help but stare as her hair, which reached her hips like vines, swayed in the draft of the open window. He could smell the coconut shampoo she used as it wafted across his desk. Almost instantly, his heart sank into his chest. Her eyes were dark brown yet still sparkled as they peeled through her long, dark lashes. She wore a purple and black pullover hoodie and a pair of skinny black jeans with white running trainers that complimented her slim but athletic body. Tyler instantly fell in love and was truly mesmerised by everything about her; from the smell of her hair to how she spoke, he couldn't find a single fault in her.
"Well, there isn't much to say. Call me Roxy, I like animals, especially dogs and birds, and I like to keep my distance from people." She glanced across the classroom, taking in all-new faces that would potentially try to befriend her. Her gaze, moving from one face to another, finally landed upon Tyler, staring into her eyes whilst his own turned bloodshot from his focus. She let out a small giggle before covering her mouth with her hand and reddened with embarrassment. An awkward silence grew amongst the class, so Roxy turned to the teacher;
"So, what desk is mine?" She asked cowardly.
A long and boney finger extended from the hand of the elderly teacher and pointed at an empty desk near the back of the class, three rows from Tyler. Roxy began to walk to the empty desk, followed by Tyler's gaze.
"Right, we've introduced you. Time to start the lesson." Mr Crawley told the class; however, Tyler drifted off again, stealthily glancing at Roxy from across the room, completely ignoring everything he was being told. "Wow. She's so pretty! I've got to introduce myself to her! But how?" He thought, "It's going to look odd if I follow her to her next class..." Just as Tyler finished his thought, the teacher began to speak to the class again, attempting to get Tyler's attention.
"So, now you all know what to do; get into groups of twos." Mr Crawley demanded. Danni, one of Tyler's closest friends, looked at him, expecting to pair with him for this experiment, "Shall I get the equipment as you surely were not listening?" She asked, mockery in her voice.
"I think I'm going to go with Roxy for this one. She's new here, so it would be nice for someone to show her the ropes." Tyler explained. Before Danni could respond, he got up and made his way to the new girl; she looked sheepishly as he sat in the chair next to her.
"I'm Tyler. I thought I'd come to show you the ropes, teach you where everything is." He explained.
Roxy giggled again and brushed her hair behind her ears, "Thank you, I was a little nervous that no one would pick me."
"What! Of course, someone would've picked you! You're just lucky it was me."
"Oh? And why's that then, my white knight?"
"Because I'm the best one to make you laugh! For instance, I have NO idea what experiment we should be doing." She giggled one last time. Tyler looked across the room. He noticed Danni was staring at him and would turn away when she was caught out.
"Well, you did manage to make me laugh." Roxy began, "We're looking at circuits. So grab a battery pack, a lightbulb and some wires to start."
Tyler did as he was told, a smirk running across his face.
"So, where are you from?" Tyler asked, itching to learn something about her.
"Well, I don't usually talk about myself, but you're a kind guy. I'm from a small village not too far away from Diamond City. I moved in with my grandparents after my parents were in an accident. They couldn't afford to take me to Pheonix anymore, so I had to move here."
"Oh. I didn't realise!" Tyler began, feeling guilty that he asked, "Is it something you're open about or do you prefer not to think about it?"
"Well, I doubt anyone wants to think about their parents dying, Tyler. But I understand what you're asking. I don't talk about it to people I just met truthfully." Roxy began to feel very uncomfortable. Her smile faded into a frown as a teardrop slid from her eye, "How about you? Do you live locally?"
"I live about a twenty-minute walk from here. More into town, by the grocery store, if you know much about the area."
"Honestly, I don't know anyone or anything other than my grandparents and now you. I haven't been with them for long. It's been about a month."
"Yeah, I can understand that. I imagine being at a prestigious college like Pheonix; you never had much time to explore outside of studying. Well, I'd love to introduce you to my friends if you're happy too. There's only four of them, so it's not exactly as if you're meeting half the school or anything too serious."
Roxy turned and looked deep into Tyler's eyes, truly seeing him for the kind, generous person he was. "I'd love to! How about you tell me about them whilst we work." Tyler nodded and let out a genuine smile.
"Well, first, there's Robert. He and I have been best friends for the last nineteen years now! He's pretty cool, I guess." Tyler chuckled as a sign of his joke, "In all seriousness, Robert is a musical prodigy. That's his course here; he can play the piano by ear, shred a guitar and surprisingly, he's not a bad singer. He's kinda popular, but he still hangs with us at every opportunity; see, when it comes to loyalty, there isn't anyone I'd trust more than Robert. Then there's William. He's like the group's oddball; crazy funny and extremely unpredictable. Truthfully, without him, I don't think our group would be any fun. One thing to remember is that William will make jokes at any opportunity, but if a joke goes too far, we all will step in and let him know. Next is Thomas. See, Thomas is one of the nicest guys in the world! He really wouldn't hurt a fly. He's an absolute genius with maths and science but refuses to use it for anything!"
"Oh wow! What course does he do if he doesn't use his Tony Stark mind? And please don't say art!" Roxy, who was creating a complex circuit out of a bundle of wires, cried.
"No!" Tyler laughed, "He's taken filmmaking and is working on a whole movie right now based on a book he's been writing. Then, lastly, there's Danni. See that girl who keeps staring at us when she thinks we aren't looking? That's her. She may look intimidating, but she's the group's mother and is relatively harmless. She's doing a Veterinary course which, for some reason, includes a physics module. But that's us. The Rogues of Pioneer Campus."
"What do you mean the Rogues? Is that a club or something you guys are a part of?" Roxy politely asked. She didn't want to offend Tyler by being rude about his friends.
"See, because I and the others don't really fit into any of the cliques, and we're all from different courses and backgrounds, so I guess we are the misfits or rogues compared to everyone." Tyler explained.
Mr Crawley stood up at his desk and looked out among the class; "Right then, ladies and gentlemen, we have five minutes left of today's class, so can we please all start putting everything away? If you have a free period, please make your way to the canteen or the front of the building. Please remember that other students are trying to learn."
Tyler picked up most of the equipment they had used and walked with Roxy to the cabinets where they were stored. "You know, I never asked! What course are you doing here? I'm actually studying Forensic Science. I grew up with things like NCIS, which might sound weird, but I fell in love with the idea of catching bad guys and working with the police!"
"No way!" Roxy shouted, "Oh, that was a little loud. It's just I'm studying Forensic Science too! I have to start with a few extra classes to catch up. Thankfully, I have a free period next, so, as long as you do, could I possibly look over your notes? Just so I know where we are at so far."
Tyler looked stunned, his mouth agape. "Of course, you can! We've all got a free period next, so you can finally meet the others! I'm sure they'll love you."
Thomas was a tall, rather muscular boy with short dark hair and glasses. In contrast, Robert was a shorter athletic boy with long mullet-like hair. William was a short slimmer boy with messy light brown hair. The group, along with Danni, were waiting for Tyler to greet them in their usual spot.
"I heard the Vigilante struck again last night! Took out three armed drugged dealers, and their buyers tied them up for the police and strung them out on a power cable above the door!" William explained.
"I doubt that very much," Robert claimed. He didn't believe in the Vigilante in the slightest.
"What do you think, Tyler?" William turned to the empty seat, "Where is he? He's almost always the first one here."
"Well, firstly, I'm amazed it took you that long to realise he wasn't here and secondly, he's probably spending his free period with the new girl! Those two were inseparable in science!" Danni chirped.
"New girl? Since when did we have a new girl? Here's a better question, why is she interested in Tyler? There's no way this girl is hot." William joked, causing them all to laugh.
"Well, anyway, back to the Vigilante! What do we think; is he doing more for Diamond City than harm, or is he just causing more problems? A guy running around with a bow and arrow is ripping off Oliver Queen or Hawkeye. Surely that is something to consider!" Thomas asked, changing the subject.
Tyler approached the table with Roxy, giggling with her as they flipped through his notes from the previous term.
"I think this Vigilante is doing some good. Bringing down some of the worst criminals in the town. I'd love to shake his hand one day! Oh, guys, this is Roxy! She's new here; we kinda hit it off in science. " Tyler explained. The others looked at each other confused. "Sorry, I guess it's the first time they've met someone new. Is it cool if she sits with us? She has a free period too." Tyler prompted.
They all agreed in unison. Something about Roxy being a new student prompted the group to talk over one another, asking their various questions;
'Where are you from?'
'How are you finding it here?'
'What's Tyler told you about us?'
Feeling overwhelmed, Roxy put her hands in front of her and shushed.
"Everyone, just calm down! I'm a new student, not a new puppy! I'm from Pheonix Uni. I like it here; Tyler's nice," she said, brushing her hair behind her ear, "and he told me you guys are nice, and I've been looking forward to meeting you! Now back to the important questions! The Vigilante, a girl or a guy? I'm feeling more girl power! Whatcha think, Danni?"
"Well, as much as I'd LOVE for some girl power, most witness accounts have said a guy," Danni explained.
"That is true! But then again, most of his victims are beaten to a pulp, so I suppose they'd probably be suffering from a concussion. So who knows if what they say is true, honestly." Thomas said.
"Ahh, well, either way, I agree with Tyler. He's making the streets much safer for everyone." Roxy began. She stopped just as quickly, though, her gaze catching something. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom. Be back in a minute" Roxy got up and entered the school building.
"So, what's with you guys?" Robert asked, "You're acting like you're a thing!"
"What! No way! All we've done is joke about one another and agree about a vigilante. If that makes a relationship, then we would all be in one big polyamorous relationship, and that's something I don't want to imagine!" Tyler replied, a chuckle in his voice.
"But you quite obviously like her, yeah?" William joined in.
"Well, I mean, she's funny and cute. But we've only just met. Like literally an hour ago!" Tyler paused for a few seconds before admitting defeat. "Is it that obvious?"
"Not as obvious as her liking you, bud. As to why she does, that's anyone's guess." Thomas cockily told.
"You think she likes me?" Tyler asked in pure disbelief,
William, Robert and Danni stood up in sequence. They began to imitate Roxy: 'Tyler's nice!' pushing their hair behind their ears, causing Thomas to laugh hard at Tyler's expense.
"You should meet up with her tonight. Don't worry about us!" William said.
"Hey! Thomas cried, "What about the game night? We all said we would play Halo and watch Star Wars together!"
"Thomas is right! I can't ditch you guys!" Tyler claimed.
"Well, if you're not gonna hang out with her, then I will!" Robert joked.
"Fine. I'll ask if she wants to get a coffee or something tonight." Tyler responded, threatened by Robert's advance.
Roxy returned to the table and said, "So, what did I miss?"
"Well, we were just discussing something to do tonight, but we've all got plans other than Tyler," William explained.
"Yeah, I'm the only one free, unfortunately. What about you?"
"I'm not doing anything tonight? Wanna grab a coffee or something?" She asked.
Astonished, Tyler struggled to get his words out, "I-I-I was going to ask you the same thing! But, wow, that's weird!"
"Well, what do you say? We've got nothing else going on, right?"
"Yeah! Let's do it! What time do you wanna go out?- I mean, leave?"
Roxy blushed, "Let's walk back to your's and we'll go from there."
The others didn't know what to say! Silenced by what they witnessed, they looked at each other with blank stares whilst Tyler and Roxy giggled and blushed at one another.
Not long after, the school bell rang for the next lesson. Unfortunately, Tyler didn't share the same class as Roxy; however, he walked her to the correct classroom. Roxy kept Tyler back whilst the other students walked in first before moving him away from the spiralling staircase and into the corner away from sight. She pulled him close enough that her warm breath rested on his neck. Tingles went up and down his spine with every slow exhale. She moved closer to his ear and whispered, "Meet me outside the front gate, and we will walk to yours before getting coffee." Gently pushing Tyler away, she left Tyler breathless before entering her classroom with nothing but a wink to remember her.
Tyler looked at his watch, 11:13! "Crap! I'm going to be late!" He thought before hopping onto the spiral bannister, riding it round and round, resisting the feeling of dizziness that began to shroud his mind. When his feet reached the carpeted ground floor, Tyler started to sprint through the corridors and burst through his classroom door. Out of breath and struggling to breathe, he placed his hands on his knees and bent over and started panting.
"Sorry--- Miss---" He began, each word harder than the next, "I-I was helping the new girl to class." As Tyler rose, a smile crossed his friends as he looked across the room, only to find Danni and Robert slowly clapping, mocking Tyler for such a poor excuse.