Seraphina strolled to school, lost in the beats of her favourite playlist blaring through her earpods. Suddenly, Octavia appeared in her path, causing her to halt abruptly. He greeted her with an exuberant wave, while Seraphina maintained her trademark bored expression, though something stirred within her. She reluctantly removed one earpod.
"Is this your way of saying good morning?" she quipped, raising an eyebrow.
"I feel like we're destined to be best friends for life, you know? I can just feel it," Octavia declared, a glimmer of excitement in his eyes.
"Yeah, sure. Such a profound connection binds us, Octopus," Seraphina replied, dripping with sarcasm.
"See? You get it! Friends for life!" Octavia insisted.
"What do you want?" Seraphina asked, her tone bordering on annoyance.
"Didn't you mention wreaking havoc and getting expelled?" Octavia reminded her.
Seraphina rolled her eyes and resumed her walk, popping her earpod back in, determined to ignore Octavia. "Hey, I asked you a question," Octavia persisted, trailing behind her. They entered the school building, eventually arriving at their lockers, surprisingly adjacent to each other.
"See? It's fate. We're meant to be together," Octavia beamed with unwavering joy. Seraphina simply rolled her eyes and opened her locker. As she reached for her books, she heard a locker door slam shut and a cry of pain. Octavia was clutching his hand, wincing in agony, with a group of troublesome boys nearby. "So, you're the new kid, huh?" one of the boys sneered. Octavia remained silent, focused on his injured hand. Suddenly, one of the boys shoved him, causing him to stumble and fall next to Seraphina, who observed the scene with an unwavering gaze.
"And what do you think you're doing?" Seraphina confronted them.
"We're giving him a proper welcome ceremony, setting boundaries, and making things clear," one of the boys explained.
Without uttering a word, Seraphina walked away, leaving Octavia on the floor in pain. Octavia received medical assistance at the school clinic and returned to class after the first period had begun. He had a plaster on his hand but continued to wear a bright smile.
He glanced at Seraphina, who showed no interest in acknowledging him, yet he couldn't help but smile in her direction. He wasn't hurt or disappointed by her lack of assistance; he was still fascinated by her. During lunch, he joined her at the table.
"I must admit, I'm a little hurt you didn't come to my rescue," he joked, attempting to eat his food with his injured hand.
"And I'm a little hurt you expected me to save you," Seraphina retorted, a hint of sarcasm in her words as she observed his futile attempts to eat.
"Have you ever listened to the song 'Atlantis' by Seafret?" she asked abruptly. Octavia paused, deep in thought, then shook his head. "Nah, not familiar with it. Anything special about it?" he inquired, curious.
"Nothing particularly special. Just heard it in passing from someone. Oh, and try using a straw for your drink. You know, something that doesn't require your hands. It's kind of annoying to watch you struggle," she suggested.
"Well, if there was a straw, I'd gladly use it. But sadly, there's none," Octavia replied, surrendering his failed attempts to eat. He shifted his attention to Seraphina, captivated by her eyes as they wandered around the cafeteria. "Staring is rude," Seraphina chided.
"And so is your ass, but I love it," Octavia quipped.
"You're weird," she stated plainly.
"I'm your weird friend."
"Friend? I barely know you," Seraphina retorted.
"But I feel like I've known you forever," Octavia insisted, his face adorned with the goofiest grin.
"I hate you," Seraphina declared, rising from her seat, determined to leave before the lunch bell rang.