I yawn like a baby lion as I walk down the smooth sidewalk.

'Crazy' by Vodka stuck in my head. I sing with him in my signature head voice. I don't care whose around me, I love to sing, and I'll do it until my lungs collapse. It would be better with headphones, but Viktor took everything. He gave my phone back but turned off the data so I can't access the internet and kept my headphones. I already struggle with boredom, but now he's just torturing me.

I should've taken Demetri's headphones before I left, shit.

The bus arrives, I stop singing. It's packed and everyone's shit is in the walkway. It's a fucking fire hazard and it's cluttered. I step over shit to sit in the back with some noisy individuals. The song is still blaring in my head, I try to concentrate on it, but they're so loud talking about nonsense I can't focus.

"Hey cutie, you a freshman?"

I hear behind me, but I don't pay attention. I don't think they were talking to me any—

"I'm talking to you, Sunny."

I turn around to the noisy white boy. He looks exactly like a parody of a white rapper, dressed in "designer" clothes with his ball-cap backwards.

"Sunny?"

"Yeah, your eyes are yellow like the sun. You a freshman? Or new?"

"I'm a freshman."

I turn back around trying to keep cool. There's no walls to kick but I have a substitute behind me.

"Leave her alone, Justin. Always bothering anyone with a coochie."

I sigh heavily to myself.

"Marissa, shut up. Hey, am I making you uncomfortable?"

"Yes."

I bluntly reply.

She scoffs roughly,

"See? Told you."

I hadn't noticed until she said something that another girl across from me is studying me.

"Are you a girl?"

I face her with a disappointing frown.

"No..."

I can hear Justin's disgust.

"Oh my god, don't tell me you're a tranny."

The nerve on this mudak. I whip around to face him.

"I'm not, but so what if I was? You're rude as shit."

"Who do you think you're talking to like that?"

"What are you the 'social police'? Everybody is so sensitive."

Marissa thought her opinion mattered.

I roll my eyes trying to defend my people. While I'm not transgender, I am gay. My morals are low but I'm not fucking heartless, and I hate when people are being insensitive. There's no need for it. Especially when they are not here to defend themselves.

"It's just like calling a black person a nig—"

"Wow, white boy, don't even try."

Not-black-Samantha stops me. The point completely flies over her head.

"Don't try what? It's the same thing."

"It is not the same thing."

She went on a rant about derogatory words as if I didn't agree with her. All three of us went back and fourth over bullshit until eventually Marissa snaps,

"Just shut up you fucking rat."

I frown again, one insult I hate being called, because I know she's referring to my teeth. They always do because they think it'll hurt my feelings the most. My feelings don't get hurt because I feel nothing. Nothing aside from anger.

"Fuck you, you goddamn slut."

Marissa is silent with surprise from my rebuttal. She chuckles for a moment, mouth wide enough for a dick to be shoved in.

"Watch your mouth for I shove my fist in it."

Justin growls. He too is shocked, they all are. I hear it in his shaky voice.

I stand up, not realizing we've arrive at school. I'm too pissed to care. I can feel the pressure fill my lungs begging for a release.

"Fucking try me, bitch. I'll kick your stupid ass."

Justin shoves me, I shove him back socking him in the cheek. He swiftly busts my lip. We're close to scrapping, but the heavyset driver pulls us apart eventually having campus security escort us to the principal's office. It's too early for this shit but fuck him and those girls.

Shit! I have to ride the bus with them every day. Fuck my life.

We sit outside the office until a tall supermodel steps out allowing us to enter. As we do, he snatches Justin's hat off and tosses it on his desk. I can feel this man's dominance as we sit, it's so strong even I can recognize it. (Usually, I don't and I don't try to.)

"It's the first day, Justin. The first day of school, and I have to give you detention?"

Justin melts into his seat facing away from me.

The principal jets his bright eyes to me.

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"What's your name?"

"Seven."

"Seven?"

"Seven Cande."

He was dumbfounded for a moment, searching in his paperwork in disbelief. He probably thinks I'm lying, they always do. I'm painfully aware how dumb my name is in English. My mom thought it was cool, but somehow forgot she's not in Moscow anymore, but Michigan, a place where they speak English and 'Seven' is a number not a name. Not to help my last name, Cande. My dad is American, and that's all I know about him aside from what everyone tells me. He apparently wanted to name me 'Scout'. I'm not exactly sure if that's better or worse.

Something in his sheet lights his face up,

"Oh, you're Mrs. Lange's special student. You know, you'll be the only freshman in her advanced algebra class, correct?"

I can feel Justin's eyes burn the side of my head. I shuffle in my seat with a sly smirk.

"Yes, I got her email."

"But you didn't come to orientation. Why didn't you come?"

"I forgot."

Lie, I just didn't want to go.

"You have to be more responsible than that. Especially going into Mrs. Lange's classroom. She doesn't play that "I forgot" card. She'll rip it to shreds. If you had shown up to orientation you would've known about the Five Strike System. You see, Seven, we may be a public school, but we function like a private. And we're in direct connection with Shenandoah Alternative School and the courts. Meaning if you reach the fifth strike you'll be seeing yourself in court and transferred to a school for behavior problems. You think Muskegon is strict, Superintendent Ellis is no joke. Isn't that right, Mr. Reyes?"

Justin's silence spoke for him.

"You won't have to worry about me... Mr..."

I stare at the name-tag.

"Principal Teller."

Mr. Teller cocks his bushy brow.

"I trust your word, young man. Now tell me what happened to get you in here this morning."

I sigh,

"We just had an argument that went too far."

"What was the argument about?"

"Politics."

Justin watches me answer in silence. I feel his thanks coming later, but I didn't do it for him, I just don't want to be in here longer than I have to.

"You fought over politics?"

"Well,"

Justin cuts in,

"Politics and name calling. It won't happen again. I'm sorry, Seven."

"Just call me Sev."

"I hope it doesn't happen again. If that's all than let's not have policing can dictate your actions. It's not worth it. Anyways, Mrs. Lange requested to see you early. Something else you would've known if you haven't forgot. We have reshoots for picture so you don't have to worry about that. Did you get your schedule yet?"

"No. I saw the lady passing them out I'll pick it up on my way to her class."

"Good. Head on over there. I'm letting you off with a warning. As for you, Justin, I'm sending you to in-school detention until class starts. I don't want to see you in the halls at all. Go on over there. Both you boys enjoy your first day."

My phone buzzed as we walked out of the office.

"Thanks for—"

"I didn't do it for you. But you're welcome."

I walk off to the library where Dria had requested me.

♂

"No headphones today?"

Dria grins as I waltz into the library still feeling victorious.

"I got grounded for being late. Then I kicked a hole in the wall and got punished more. Can I barrow your headphones?"

Dria exhales, digging into her Gucci purse for her pink headphones handing them to me.

"Can I have them back after lunch?"

"They're your headphones."

"I know how you are when it comes to shit like this. 'Give me a few more hours please thanks.' 'Ah, I forgot them I'll give it to you later.'"

She mocked me in a dumb voice.

"You'll get them after lunch, OK? I should borrow them for a few days since..."

Her ongoing stare stopped my train of thought.

"I'm kidding, after lunch. I'll just steal Demetri's."

Dria rolls her eyes.

"Leave him alone."

"He won't say anything if I say I did it for you."

She rolls her eyes even harder.

"Whatever, Sev."

She laughs looking behind me, smile transforming into worried frown.

I turn to see Cassie and Amelie. As soon as they entered they left without a single greeting. I face Dria,

"What's up with them? They ignored me all summer and now they want to avoid me?"

Dria shrugs quickly.

"I'm not sure."

"What do you know?"

"Nothing!"

"You better not be lying."

"I'm not."

"They wanna drop me I'll fucking drop them back. And I'll do it without giving a shit."

Dria opened her mouth to say something but stuttered in whatever emotion she was feeling. I'm not great at emotions, but I can tell she's at least conflicted. I know she knows something because of her silence. Usually she'll be on my side, but she isn't saying shit. After all, I didn't do anything to them. At least...

"What did I do? Be honest, Adrianna."

She scoffs,

"Seven Cande. I know nothing. They're acting weird to me too."

I face the door as if they're still there.

"Fuck them."

"Seven..."

"Fuck them! You can tell them I said that since they don't want to reply to any of my fucking messages. They want to ignore me. Fine, they mean shit to me now."

"You can't just throw away your best friends. We've known each other since the 3rd gr—"

"Dria. They're meaningless to me if they want to drop me. And tell that to them. That's it. I have to go to Mrs. Lange's class anyways. Where I'm wanted."

I begin to walk off without saying goodbye. She calls my name but I just tell her to text me. I can't stand people, I don't understand why I even waste my time.

♂

I step onto the bus still upset. No headphones, no Cassie or Amelie, no patience for the fucks I'll have to deal with on this god forsaken bus. I made sure to come early so I can sit in the front, but even getting out of class before the bell couldn't get me the front seats I wanted. I managed to find a seat in the middle of the bus, near the emergency exit just in case things get to wild. Still, it was too close to them, and as soon as they entered in their pack they noticed me.

They say nothing walking pass with a stare, bursting into laughter as they break away. I feel nothing but annoyance and anger. I prepare myself to jump up and tell them to fuck off, but,

"What are you laughing at?"

I stop at the sight of 'Guns' from Mokoro Con, Valentine. It's one thing being in the same school as him but the same bus? He noticed me, and apparently thought the same thing.

"Hey, Seven! Holy shit, I didn't think we rode the same bus."

"You know him, Vallen?"

Justin asks with a little worry in his voice.

"Yeah we met at that anime convention."

He sits in the seat across from me,

"Where do you live?"

"On Harper Street."

His jaw drops to his lap.

"We live only a few blocks from each other! I'm on Margery Hill."

"You live on the hill with the mansions?!"

"Yeah, I guess that's what happens when your parents are hustlers."

"That's really cool. I've never been in any of the houses."

"Well, if you want you can come to one of my parties and you'll be able to."

A smile forces it's way through my poker face,

"You're inviting me to a party?"

"We're not having any right now since we got robbed a while back but... maybe the next one."

The tension is intense, perfect time for the emergency exit if I weren't so invested into his dark eyes. I feel a tingle run down my back, it's so alien but I don't run away from it.

Vallen takes his bag off to sit. Justin tries to catch his attention, but he's so invested in me he ignored every one of his friends. We wound up talking the entire bus ride, and getting off at the same stop. He walked me to the corner of my street and we said out goodbyes.

Afterwards we texted each other. Throughout the day, about complete nonsense and Amanda in Bloodyland. I haven't been this excited to get a message from someone since... really ever.

The next day he got on the morning bus, it was almost like a complete turn of the first day. I didn't have to deal with their shit, because the alpha male was there to tame his pack. Same with the next day, and the day after that. I've never met anyone so... powerful. Just his mere name grabs attention of most of everyone in the room.

In fact, ever since he mentioned inviting me to a party, I've been getting stares. Stares that weren't there before. He mentioned it again, and they got more intense. I tried asking him about it, but he told me to "just get use to it".

But I don't care. The only thing that matters to me was being able to talk to him, and it became the highlight of my days.

Something later I will regret.