Finn was running in the hallways, an act which was prohibited by the school authorities, but somehow, he just couldn't stop. All hope for a Worthstar forsaken in the blink of an eye. The broad and sleek, LED lit, white and navy hallway had never felt so long before. Finn almost pushed a senior out of his way to dash through the foyer and into the fields.
In the distance, he spotted the group of bullies standing in the open field, now closer to the storage room, surrounding Alora with her guards nowhere in sight. How inefficient of them.
Finn scoffed as he ran, wind brushing through the dark hair which covered his forehead and consequently, the scar that Alora had given him four years ago. The day and her name, still frozen in his memory.
Finn ran with purpose in his mind. Though, he wasn't exactly sure as to why his hands were getting clammy or breath flustering without context, but he let it be. It's not like he did not understand the world order, the social hierarchy or the reasons for bullying and why it existed. It's not like this was the first time he was seeing someone being bullied.
But somehow, seeing Alora surrounded and pushed to the ground, infuriated him. Seeing her being the target of someone's probable scorn, annoyed him.
His rash steps were not chivalry in her stead, oh no no, but they were made in haste. The breathlessness of almost losing a great opportunity. The ecstacy of extracting REVENGE!!
How dare she grow up to be pushed around?!
How dare the person who gave his perfect face a permanent scar get easily bullied by others?!
This wasn't done! Where was Finn's chance at redeeming his grudge?!
And when he reached them, Finn pushed past two kids and grinned a wild grin with wide eyes and dilated pupils. "Hey you, found you at last!"
The two new kids eyed Finn weirdly, shrugging his hands off their shoulders, and Alora, much to Finn's surprise, stared even more weirdly. She looked fine, totally normal, with her hair in tact, no crease on her uniform or any injuries to hint any prior bullying experiences.
"Excuse me, I'm a little busy right now, if you want to shake hands then please get in the line," Alora smiled a gentle smile at him, gesturing behind the storage room at a a small line of kids being monitored by her two guards. The crowd wildly waved at her when she acknowledged them.
Finn's jaw dropped.
"Yeah, so as I was saying, you will push me in front of the Dean, okay? Not as softly as you did, but a little more harshly. Yes, and you all will be throwing stones at me. Yes yes, you have my consent—"
Finn stopped Alora mid sentence by grabbing her shoulders and turning her to face him instead. His face read exasperated whilst she muttered, "You're still here? Want my guards to escort you away?"
"Y-you don't remember me?!"
Finn's question was loud enough to ripple off as entitlement. His dark brown eyes scanned the seriousness in Alora's chubby face and spotted no humour. This was no prank.
The girl he had been bearing a grudge against, for the past four years. The girl he was supposed to apologise to, for the past for years. The girl who gave him a scar— HAD FORGOTTEN HIM?!
HIM OF ALL PEOPLE?!
GRIFFIN STEELE?!
"I'm sorry, you have a very npc face," Alora confessed, a little hesitantly gesturing all of him and Finn could all but look around at those six students surrounding her.
"NpC- ha- nPC- can you believe her?!" His shouted a bewildered cry, wide eyes staring through everyone's soul. He pressed a hand against his forehead and pushed up his hair to brandish his scar in front of her face. He pointed an accusatory finger at his forehead, staring six innocent souls and one criminal soul in the eye and repeating, "That Swiper gave me this. Four years ago! You see it? Yes, she made that. She clawed at me! She had attacked me!"
Alora's guards were quick to jump in and distance her from the chaotic group of students who were very interested in the thin brown line covering a small part of Finn's forehead.
Memories escaped the Deleted Files Valt of Alora's brain and flashed in 4k, reeling in front of her eyes.
"Silverado Kindergarten?" Alora questioned, stepping closer to him and staring him in his deep brown eyes. Yes, they were the same eyes. "You're the person with pretty papers!" Alora exclaimed with recognition, all but tackling him with a hug.
Finn's balance faltered, hands suspended out so as to not touch her. They were no friends to be sharing a reunion embrace. " Oh now you recognise me, you Swiper! Let go of me! I don't like you!" He swayed his body left-and-right to make her slip off him and let go.
Alora took the hint and got off, "I don't like you too," she greeted with a wide grin.
And wow, Finn realised that he would have lived well without seeing her, ever again.
"Stay away from me." Finn growled.
"You're the one who ran up to me with heart-eyes," Alora laughed out.
"They were flamey eyes, fireballs, I mean. I cannot believe I'm getting dumber in your presence."
"I don't think I can make you something you aren't already," Alora grinned. "I'm not thAt sPeCiAL."
Finn visibly cringed with all of his body. "I'm glad that you know. Can you stop wasting everyone's time now," he gestured at the many-a-jobless students stalking her from a distance.
"No, I refuse. I'm here to get an education and be a better person," Alora switched to a British accent.
"Says the one who used to lisp her Ws."
Alora frowned at that, narrowing her green eyes at him. "Why do you even remember that?!" She questioned.
Finn rolled his eyes in her face and turned to face the other way. The other way was the academic building. The other way was his classroom. The other way was his class, going on, and a realisation reflecting through the glass windows. The other way were his neglected priorities.
Finn Steele ended up skipping the first class on the first day of the first new semester just because of some petty girl who didn't even bother to remember her mistakes?!
Exasperation is him.
With wide eyes, cold hands and scrunched nose, Finn retracted himself from Alora's reach. She was a sorceress, yes, there was no other way. There was no other reason as to why Finn would just abandon all of his priorities just to be a petty fool in front of her face.
"Stay away from my sight!" The ravenette gasped, striding away.
Only for Alora to hop in front of him, "Oh-ho! I'm already here though!" She snickered in his face.
"No, DON'T COME CLOSER!" Finn all but shouted, holding out a palm to create distance.
Alora bent her head, narrowed her eyes at him and smiled an evil smile with her unblinking stare. "What will you do? I'm already close enough?" She groaned in a raspu voice, stepping closer with every step that Finn took back.
"This girl is going to haunt my nightmares!" Finn whispered to himself, feet already into a running motion.
"Only if you tell me your dorm number!" Alora shouted a laugh to his retreating figure, running as if he was being hunted for sport.
A lopsided smile graced her face as she walked back to the group of admirers she had collected and continued the talks of revolt that she was brewing.
Worthfinder was about to have one heck of a semester.