"Heyy," an annoying voice called.
I let out a long, tired breath, before standing up and saying to Ilmestys, "Shall we leave?" as a smile adorned the features of my face.
"Hey!" Zephyr screamed into my ear, letting bells ring for a short while in my head. "Don't just try to ignore my existence. As your best friend, it hurts!"
I pick my ears with my pinky. "No offense, but since when were we best friends?"
"Uhh," he rolled his eyes, "since the night you held me in your arms underneath the light of the soothing moon."
Ilmestys choked on her iced tea, coughing loudly to force out any stray liquid within her throat. "W-What?" She considered his statement with a groggy voice.
"It's not what it sounds like!" I screamed. "I hugged him yesterday evening because I was happy to find out he moved to Bluris. It was not romantic in any way!"
"It wouldn't have been romantic if it weren't for the fact that you could never touch anyone else if it weren't me!" Zephyr preached. Ilmestys just laughed out loud, rolling on the couch.
"Goddamn it," I cursed. "Go kill yourself, Zeph." I grabbed my bag, turned on my heel, and left the café. Zephyr caught up with me along with Ilmestys.
He wrapped his arm over my shoulders, using my body as some sort of support as we walked to school. "So, have you given the bozer club a thought?" He chuckled.
"Bozer club?" Ilmestys repeated as she pondered what it meant. "What's that?"
"He means a boxing club, Ilmestys. He just insists on calling it bozer because I said it wrong last night. That's how annoying he is."
Ilmestys nodded. "You guys are… odd."
"Girl, you're odder than us!" Zephyr replied.
"I don't think the word 'odder' exists." Ilmestys sighed. "You should surround yourself with smarter people, Daze!"
"I can't help it. They're attracted to me like magnets towards a metal fridge!" I exclaimed, shrugging Zephyr's arm off.
Zephyr continued to stick onto me like tongue on ice. "So, about the club…"
"Not interested," I responded almost immediately. "I don't like boxing in any way. I don't even like hurting people."
"But you hurt me…" Zephyr muttered, rubbing his cheek.
I turned my head towards him, a disgusted look emphasized on my face. "What did you say?"
"Why're you looking as if tae ako?!" Zephyr screamed.
"You both are Filipinos?" Ilmestys finally spoke up.
I turned to her instead. It felt like my eyes would melt from merely looking at Zephyr. "Yeah. He's my childhood friend. He moved here a little after we did."
"Aww. Now he agrees that we're friends!" Zephyr walked in front of me to show me his ugly face.
"Please refrain from smiling towards me. I'd rather not see your decaying teeth."
We spoke more until we reached the school gates. We still had plenty of time to spare until we needed to head to class, so we decided to check out a few club posters on the bulletin board. Ilmestys and Zephyr ended up speaking to each other the most while they contemplated what club Zephyr and I should join.
"What about the boxing club?" Ilmestys suggested, pointing towards the boxing poster.
"Nah. Daze already denied my invitation. Sucks to suck but it is what it is."
"What about the newspaper club? There are tons of people there!"
"We're no good with journalism."
Ilmestys turned towards me. "Daze, didn't you tell me you painted as a hobby? You could join the art club."
I was surprised that she remembered that information. "I could check it out, but Zephyr isn't the artistic type."
Zephyr patted me on my back a little too hard. I could feel my lungs slam against my ribs. "Don't worry, man! I can join some sports club while you head to the art club. Maybe you'll meet a ton of friends there!"
I coughed. "What are you? My mother?" My back hurts as if I've been shot. How strong was this dude?
"I'm gonna become your step-father. Of course I have to look out for you at least once in a while!" He continued slamming his palm on my back.
In a haste, I turned around and slammed my fist on his stomach. He hunched over and fell to the ground. His body quivering and his voice coming out in forced groans. "Putang… ina… mo…"
"May you never see the pearly gates of Iphinee." I cursed before taking a step towards the direction of my classroom. "I'll see you guys later. Let's meet up here after class!" I waved them goodbye.
The last thing I saw was Ilmestys helping Zephyr up to his feet. I felt guilty for punching him. I just hope I don't get called in for violence.
I soon arrived to History. Just as I arrived, the teacher announced the seating arrangements. He left for a few moments afterwards to allow us to get used to our new seatmate.
I was seated beside a boy named Jasper Friecks. He had short, wavy, black hair, with a heavy angular fringe; blue eyes, and light skin. It seemed almost everyone in America was either fat and ugly, or extremely gorgeous.
"Jasper," he remarked, finally introducing himself to me. He held out his hand, his fingers adorned with rings of different kinds.
"Daze," I replied, taking his hand. His handshake was firm.
"You have nice red eyes. Where'd you get those contact lenses?"
My head swiveled in his direction. This was the second time somebody had noticed my eyes were red. "I don't know where I got it." I laughed. "It was a few months ago."
Jasper laughed, showing off his canine teeth. They were long, like a vampire's fangs. He pressed his cheek to his fist. "You make a good lie. I almost didn't notice."
In a swift motion, he appeared in front of my face. I jumped back, never noticing him move until then. "I'm not lying. Who are you, Flockton?"
"Maybe. I'm his descendant." Jasper said under his breath. He put his arm over the backrest of my chair, raising himself to hover over me; as if to intimidate me with his large building. "We're friends, aren't we?"
I inclined backwards to give space between the two of us. If only I was a woman and could scream, He's sexually harassing me!
I began to speak, "It's my natural-" but paused as I saw the look on his face. What could he have seen now?
He leaned closer, looking deeply into my eyes. "I could've sworn they were red," he said, his voice breathy and gorgeous. "Are you doing drugs?"
In an act of rage and anger, I pushed him away. "You!- I-I can't even express my annoyance with that question. I am not doing DRUGS!!" I hooked my hands on his shoulders and pulled him to his seat.
"Ilmestys!" He yelped, rubbing his butt. "Goddamn. That hurts. You don't have to be so mad about it. We just met!"
"Hey!" I pointed to his face. "Don't take the name of the Goddess in vain. It's against the scriptures. You'll get smited down!"
"Ilmestys, Ilmestys. It's used as a regular name anyway! It's not that special." His face looked very punchable.
Fortunately for Jasper, the teacher returned, and he didn't meet the same fate as my friend Zephyr. "Does everyone have their books?" The teacher's voice boomed upon arriving into the classroom.
The class answered, "Yes!" and the teacher started class discussion.
Holding a book, he pushed up a layer of the blackboard to reveal a map of the world. "The world, as we know it, has not always been like this. Due to unknown circumstances, a new continent beside the United States of America was discovered during the 1889."
This was basic knowledge, but I continued to listen despite so. If he suddenly called out to me and I was unable to answer, it would be unbecoming for my 2nd day of school in Bluris. I'd shrivel up on my seat and go down to Aerial lands by myself.
"This continent was a reason why many countries went to war. They fought for this land until it was in ruins. America came out victorious."
"What a turn of events!" A few students snickered behind me. Even I knew that his words were biased.
The truth about the subcontinent's existence is that due to the sea water declining over the years, an entire continent was exposed. It was the Japanese who found it first, but the Americans drove them into war for it. They ended up winning.
"Bullshit!" Jasper screamed, his mouth close to my ear. It sent shocks down my body, deafening my left ear for a few minutes. "I'm a proud American. But teaching us racoons about biased information is intolerable!"
He got sent to the principal's office. At that moment, I strived to never be like him. No matter how gorgeous or cool he is.
After my last period for the morning, Zephyr texted me. I didn't see it until I arrived to my locker, and I already had over more than 10+ messages.
Zephyr ( Red Blood Cell ! ) :
> Dude!! Come here to Stygian's Tavern
Zephyr ( Red Blood Cell ! ) :
> 😁😁 Wya bro
Zephyr ( Red Blood Cell ! ) :
> Dazeyyy wya
Zephyr ( Red Blood Cell ! ) :
> Oh shit i remember you dont know
chat stuff
Zephyr ( Red Blood Cell ! ) :
> Wer yu at
Zephyr ( Red Blood Cell ! ) :
> Bro?
Zephyr ( Red Blood Cell ! ) :
> You hate me i get it but Imeslsyy is
here
Zephyr ( Red Blood Cell ! ) :
> Imelsyusts
Zephyr ( Red Blood Cell ! ) :
> Ilmesys
Zephyr ( Red Blood Cell ! ) :
> Davis. Davis is here
I decided to respond to him, sprinkling a few lies to get him all riled up as I made my way to the cafe.
Daze ( Me ) :
> I can't go.
Daze ( Me ) :
> I have assignments to do.
Zephyr ( Red Blood Cell ! ) :
> Boy do them at home
Daze ( Me ) :
> Nah. I wanna draw later.
Zephyr ( Red Blood Cell ! ) :
> UR AN ASS JUST COME HERE
Zephyr ( Red Blood Cell ! ) :
> UR GIRL IS HERE WAITING
FOR UUUU
Daze ( Me ) :
> Dawg what girl? I like men.
Zephyr ( Red Blood Cell ! ) :
> Then I'm here waiting for u bb
Daze ( Me ) :
> I was contemplating on going there
but now I decided I should not.
Zephyr ( Red Blood Cell ! ) :
> YOU FUCK JUST COME HERE
Daze ( Me ) :
> I AM ☹️😭
Zephyr ( Red Blood Cell ! ) :
> Yipee!! Mwah mwah
I rolled my eyes, saying, "What an idiot." as I put my phone in my jumper's pocket. Even though he was incredibly annoying, conversations with him like these over chat had always left a smile on my face.
Deciding to not make them wait any longer, my speed increased until I was running down the halls. The wind and exhilaration was overwhelming, pumping adrenaline into my veins. I jumped and slid past obstacles easily. Until I arrived at the front of the cafe where I stopped abruptly at the entrance. They can't see that I rushed over here.
The bells rang as I opened the door. Immediately seeing Ilmestys, Zephyr's bright expression, and a new face in the same booth we occupied this morning. Zeph waved me over, "You were fast!"
"I was already on my way out," I responded, taking a peek at the new face. Lo' and behold, it was Jasper. The boy who got sent to the principal's office on the 2nd day of school.
"You-" I grimaced. "Why are you here?"
"Woah! If it isn't my awesome seatmate!" Jasper smiled brightly, flaunting his impressive canines. "If you hadn't been informed, Zeph and I share the same English class. We hit it off and now we're besties."
I turned to Zephyr. "Is it a coincidence or on purpose that you become close friends with my acquaintances?" I said as I took a seat beside Ilmestys. She contemplated the menu as if it was a life changing decision.
"Coincidence, I tell you! It's the step-father's luck. I'm destined to be your father!" Zephyr chirped.
"Please refrain from being weird in front of my new acquaintances."
"Hey. They're my friends too." He pouted.
"What're you guys ordering?" Ilmestys spoke up after a long while. "I'm having trouble deciding between the pizza and the buffalo wings."
"Why not just get both?" I inquired as I peeked into the menu. I wanted to get something similar. Pizza sounded nice.
"I'd love to get both but I used up a third of my daily allowance on today's breakfast and snacks!" She said as she moved the menu in front of the both of us.
"Didn't you eat a ton this morning? How much is your daily allowance?"
"Like… $100? It's not that much-"
"Not that much?!" Jasper cut in. The entire booth was silent after his interruption. "That's the most I can save up in a month!"
"Dang. How rich are you, Davis?" Zephyr commented. He was truly amazed. "Should I call you Miss Davis?" He laughed.
Ilmestys laughed, cocking her head from side to side while raising her shoulders in sync with her head. "Good one. I'm not rich, Zephyr. I'd say I'm middle class."
"Middle class with a golden house," Jasper muttered.
"Daze," Ilmestys turned to me, "can you find another friend and exchange them for Jasper and Zephyr?"
"Trust me. I'd love to replace Zephyr anyday." I turned to Zephyr and Jasper, both looking shocked with my words. "L-Let's just eat."
"Let's pitch in for the pizza." Jasper suggested, putting his arm behind Zephyr's. With how comfortable they are with each other, you can assume they had been friends since childhood. "How much does it cost?"
"The vegetable pizza costs about $12.56," Ilmestys answered. "I can't eat anything with pork and the pizza's they have with beef don't really taste… appetizing."
"I'm all in for the vegan pizza," Zephyr raised his hand. Now, his head was on Jasper's shoulder. They are looking more like a couple the longer my gaze adverts from them.
Jasper hissed. "Not really a fan of pineapple on pizza."
"It's vegetable pizza with vegetables." Ilmestys sneered. "It's delicious if you don't pay attention to a singular taste!"
"It's not that. I'm just… a fascist," he chuckled, his eyes squinting.
"If you're not up for it, Jas, then we can order something else," Zephyr looked up to Jasper. He spoke in a tone that indicated they were in love. This was getting ridiculous.
"Nah. Davis can't eat anything without pork and—I must agree—the beef pizza sucks!" Jasper complained.
"Buy something else that isn't pizza. Problem solved!" I suggested, my voice dripping with sarcasm. I could see Jasper frown in the corner of my eye. "I'll put down a four."
"I'll also put down a four, then!" Ilmestys added.
"Why a four? Shouldn't we put down threes'?" Zephyr asked, finally leaving his tight cuddle with Jasper.
"We put down fours' because Jasper isn't gonna be eating," I answered.
"What?" Zephyr cocked his head in confusion. "3 times 3 equals 12, right?"
The entire booth was silent once again. Was he being serious?
"Okay ka ba?" I asked, my face twisting in confusion. "3 times 3 equals 9, dumbass."
"No?" Zephyr whispered.
"YOU'RE AN!-" Ilmestys screamed. She buried her fist on the table as forced laughs escaped her throat. It was a scary sight.
"You've broken her!" I yelled, shaking Ilmestys in a last ditch effort to put the cogs in her head back to normal. "Do you know how expensive it is to fix her?"
"Yes, and I'm not ready to pay up to fix her. Put her in rice!" Zephyr screamed, going along with my joke.
Jasper just laughed. We got so distracted that we ended up forgetting about lunch, and went to class hungry and moody. We decided to add the four of us into a GC, just in case we ever wanted to hang out again.
Jasper ( Druggie ) :
> i cant focus in class
Ilmestys ( NOT GODDESS!! ) :
> On* And this is because we forgot
to eat lunch!! It's all Zeph's fault
Zephyr ( Red Blood Cell ! ) :
> Im as much as a victim as u!!
Ilmestys ( NOT GODDESS!! ) :
> SURE. WHO ELSE KEPT
CRACKING JOKES FOR 30
MINUTES?!
Zephyr ( Red Blood Cell ! ) :
> UHH MY BOYFRIEND DAZE??
Daze ( Me ) :
> Don't butt me into your bullshit.
Ilmestys ( NOT GODDESS!! ) :
> HE'S MINE >:((
Zephyr ( Red Blood Cell ! ) :
> NUH UH. HE'S MINE
Ilmestys ( NOT GODDESS!! ) :
> FYM NUH UH. HE LIKES ME
BETTER!!
Zephyr ( Red Blood Cell ! ) :
> I'VE KNOWN HIM LONGER!!
Ilmestys ( NOT GODDESS!! ) :
> PROVES NOTHING!!
I decided to put my phone down and let my notifications ring. I had to pay attention somehow, even if my classmates were unable to due to the constant pinging.
"We don't wanna hear chats from your bitches. Turn that damn phone off!" Someone in the back yelled. I snickered as I did what I was—rudely—asked to do.
"Thank fuck!" The same voice added.
"No problem, man! Always glad to help!" I responded with a sarcastic tone. The teacher just laughed.
"Whatever. Fuck you, man!"
At the end of the day, I headed to the art club to get myself signed into the club. It was near the edge of the main building. My new found friends followed me, with the exception of Ilmestys due to unforeseen reasons.
"Sorry. I wanna go home and study!" Ilmestys apologized with her head bowed.
"You want to go home and study?" Jasper repeated, raising a brow. I was as stumped as Jasper.
"Yeah? I don't find anything wrong with what I said." Ilmestys raised her head.
"Everything is what's wrong with what you said!" Zephyr interrupted. His arm wrapped around Jasper's waist while Jasper had his arm over Zephyr's shoulders. If I see them kiss, I wouldn't be surprised.
"Yeah. What my boyfriend said!" Jasper yelled. "Who the fuck likes studying?!"
"Uhh, me?! Studying is my hobby!" Ilmestys declared, her head held up high. I could see a smug behind those determined eyes.
"You liar. No one likes studying!" Zephyr accused, pointing a finger towards the girl. She blew him a raspberry in response, and left to head home.
As we walk down the hallways, I still wonder how anyone could even like studying. I always thought Ilmestys was a girl who loved art and was creative. Is she more of an academic driven person?
"This is it," Jasper called out. His voice sounded far. When I turned around, they stopped about 5 feet away. I strutted back towards them, feeling embarrassed for not paying attention.
I took a peek at the door. It was designed to catch attention. Truly fitting for the entrance of the art club. I knocked on the door, saying, "Is anyone here?"
We waited for a moment. It was dead silent. It felt like someone was killed in the room.
Daze ( Me ) :
> Should we call the cops? 💀
"Why the fuck are you texting?" Jasper cursed, making me jump. "Dang, you're pathetic."
"It just feels like someone got killed in there. If the murderer is still in there, I would like to not be chased down the empty hallways!"
"Who are you; Flockton?" Jasper snickered. He pushed me out the way and opened the door. "I'm the descendant of the greatest detective in history. Not you!"
The moment he stepped into the room, he froze. "What the fuck? I was sure I was right."
"What happened?" I asked as I came up from behind. I looked over his shoulder and, lo' and behold, there was a dead body lying on the floor.
"Holy shit," I muttered, my hand flying to my mouth. I could feel myself getting nauseous. I reached up my hand to find Jasper's arm. I could feel him shaking. What was he feeling?
"Let's-" Zephyr croaked, "get out of here."
"I'm never wrong," Jasper whispered. His entire body shook. "I'm never wrong. Why is there a dead body? I'm not wrong. I'm never fucking wrong!"