"Wren?" A soft voice echoed through her ears interrupting the deep thought she had fallen into.
Looking up from under her thick hair, her eyes met her teacher's unwavering sympathy.
It confused her; he had repeated his question, his tone almost more patient.
"I am ok," she lied.
Her teacher could tell as his smile shrank writing on the paper that lay in front of him.
Her hands lay under the table, her long nails scraping against her thumb as she grew more nervous.
The classroom was cold, a familiar feeling.
"Do you have any close friends?" He asked curious.
Wren nodded before he could ask again, surprising him. "That's good," he said, his smile widening again.
"Percy," she said, attempting to copy his warmth, "Percy is a great friend, isn't he?" The man's voice echoed through the room;
To which wrens small chin nodded slightly
"And how about your parents?" Those words pounded in her head, the teacher suddenly grew cautious.
Watching her silence, she attempted to speak disappointed as all she could do was mumble under her breath.
"Well, Wren, it was nice to get to know you," he said, hoping to return her to her original state.
Holding his hand out, he examined as she hesitantly shook it, barely touching his skin.
Wren had stood up, the room now empty. She packed her bag, wincing as she discovered the blood that dropped from her thumb, unaware she had been scraping her skin with the long nails that highlighted her fingers; she tucked in a tight fist, afraid of the image.
Leaving the room, she walked slowly down the long, poorly mopped hallway, avoiding eye contact with the walls that always seemed to trap her.
Turning the corner, she could imagine her father's stature by the doors, almost copying the events that had happened before, as well as Ronin behind her minutes before he ran, as they always did.
The scene suddenly changed as her eyes caught Percy's friendly figure sitting on a nearby bench; he instantly stood up, greeting her with a similar presence as her teacher.
Taking his hand willingly they exited the school, meeting the familiar setting sun.
Percy asked carefully about the visit with her teacher, leaning closer to hear her voice. Percy's eyes widened, his body tensing as his nose caught the brief smell of nicotine escaping her mouth as she began to speak.
Percy's nerves shook as he recognized the smell; unable to confront her, Percy followed in a pitiful, almost disappointed face he'd never let her see.
Wren's hand had gotten warm in percys as they had arrived at the tall fences that surrounded the small baseball field.
Ronin's rough figure mixed in with the others as they surrounded the coach, a loud cluster of voices within it.
Percy wandered over to the fence, wren close by his side.
Departing from the group, Ronin rounded the corner, meeting the two behind the cold fence that pushed against his leaning weight, from which Percy had greeted him, causing a strangely willing grin from Ronin.
A sense of friendship he had never considered began to light.
Almost upset when the coach had called Percy over, Ronin watched as his hand left Wrens.
She hesitated following before turning, meeting Ronin's troubled eyes which had escaped the past weekend.
He examined her face behind the dark hair she wore; the familiar stain coating the corners of her mouth, the corners she refused to smile with.
Licking his finger, he pressed it to her mouth, wiping the yellow that seemed to compliment her pale face.
He watched as those corners twitched, and the pale skin he knew turned to a flushed, peach color mixed with a confused and embarrassed expression only he could spot beyond her hair.
Ronin retracted his hand and turned around quickly, unable to fathom what he had done; he almost felt proud.
The feeling quickly escaped him as he scanned the small worn bleachers in sight for his father. He hadn't known why he thought he'd be there, and why he wouldn't stop looking and wouldn't have if his coach hadn't called his name.
The game had only been a noise in the background, as his eyes still scanned the bleachers for his promised father.
In the first half of the game, he had been alone, only joined by Percy and Wren after they confirmed a definite loss.
Ronin threw his decrepit glove on the floor. He hated losing, and yet he kept doing so in and out of baseball.
Percy quickly met him on the cold hard bench providing a sense of care and motivation he had craved.
The conversation was short, only to again be cut off by his coach Ronin Lept to his feet; a gentle pat on his back followed him out, resisting the urge to turn around and say something. He followed his coach's raspy voice.
The same voice that had only gotten louder as the game came to an end, his coach screams, leaving with the rest of the team.
Ronin packed his bag, hoping he could catch up with them.
"You did awesome!" Percys' sharp voice echoed through the empty dugout.
Ronin looked up, met by Percy's friendly face; he glanced around at his lean figure, watching as the team slowly grew out of sight.
He hadn't realized Percy had been talking to him until he looked back, seeing the fast-moving mouth that he didn't remember starting.
"Ronin?" Percy's voice began to sound somber; Ronin hated it.
"Can we talk?" Percy asked, watching his reaction. Ronin only wished he heard the missed compliments Percy gave him, afraid of the conversation that was yet to come.
"Wren is," Percy hesitated, "special; she sees things differently than us." Ronin raised an eyebrow, almost scared of what Percy would say next.
"She's been through a lot," he managed to finish, hoping to use the right words; he stared at Ronin, looking for a sign he could hear him.
"So?" Ronin snarled back, looking through Percys' clear glasses.
"Ronin, has Wren been smoking," he said as if it were a question or rather an accusing tone.
Ronins stood up fiercely, almost meeting Percy's eyes, "You've got to be shitting me!" Ronin cussed, a sarcastic grin replacing the real one he kept hidden.
Ronin pushed the conversation sending it back at Percy as he argued, defending his side poorly
He knew that.
"Just because I'm a fucking mess, you just assume it was my fault" Ronin's voice began to rise, and Percy froze. His envisionment of the conversation had shattered as Ronin swung him forcefully against the chain fence, the links dug through Percy's thick sweater.
He attempted to calm Ronin, afraid of his capabilities, but his voice was cut off as his back hit the ground. His eyes winced under his glasses, a breathless moan escaping his bridged mouth.