Well, this was it. This was her last few minutes of total certainty, of being one-hundred percent sure that her secret was safe. . . . I can’t believe I’m a Junior this year, to think, this time next year I’ll be a Senior and getting ready to graduate. . . . Lynn thought with a sigh, staring up at the blank, white face of the ceiling above her bed. She couldn’t believe that she’d been at Bloodworth Prep for two years now, the only contact she’d had with her Uncle had been monthly checks sent to her so she could sustain herself on campus. There was never any notes or letters, nothing but the checks. After she had regained herself, and her senses had come slamming back into her, Lynn had understood her situation, why she was at Bloodworth Prep, and why it was she was enrolled as a boy. . . .

Her aunt and uncle wanted nothing to do with her, and blowing her secret would only mean having to go back to a place where she did not belong; though, it wasn’t as if she belonged at Bloodworth in her current guise. Yet, here at least she felt like she at least had somewhere to call home. . . . And in her mishaps and escapades, Lynn had managed to form a friendship with someone. Someone who knew her little secret, and had kept it to himself, the secret had bonded her with him, and in turn, they had managed to become best friends in the time of her attendance in Bloodworth.

His name was Darwyn, but Lynn called him Noél. He’d found Lynn out almost as soon as they met; he was able to tell that there was something off about her and her assumed disguise, and had called her out on it. Panicked she didn’t know how to answer, so she just spilled the beans, Lynn had explained her situation to him, and he’d kept her secret. The two of them had been friends ever since.

Here, Lynn had managed two years at keeping her secret from almost everyone, and now everything was at risk because of a sudden influx of new students.

Lynn hadn’t been booted out of her own dorm, but she was now being forced to share it against her will with a guy, someone who could very well learn her little secret. I don’t even know who’s getting assigned to live with me. Why didn’t I check?

The little reverse trap groaned, loudly and turned over onto her side, looking out at the vacant half of the bedroom with half-open eyes. As soon as her roommate arrived, it would be full, and things were going to feel awkward to her. So . . . so very, very awkward. So, she was being stuck with a roommate, yet she hadn’t even bothered to check who it was? Why hadn’t she done that?

Lynn shrugged as she questioned herself and her own course of action; she figured it was probably because she had been so flabbergasted and shocked when she found out that she was being stuck with someone. Letting out a rather lazy yawn, the blonde moved her legs off of her bed, her bare feet touching the carpet, standing to her feet as she stretched her arms up above her head. Her sweatpants bagged up around her feet, and her shirt hung off one of her shoulders; her clothes were terribly ill-fitting. Lynn hated the fact that her clothing had to always be so baggy, but it what else could she do?

It’s either baggy clothes or having to leave. she rolled her eyes, heading down the hallway and to the kitchen, “Tch, that could happen now anyway.” She muttered, bitter.

She wasn’t even going to have a place where she could be a little at ease anymore, she was going to have to be on guard regarding her secret all the time! Hopefully, her roommate was going to be someone who was a bit on the oblivious side, so even if Lynn did have a slip up it would just fly over his head, and he didn’t notice anything was out of the ordinary. Lynn ran a hand through her hair before cracking open the fridge and dragging her milk of there. It was cereal this morning. . . .

“If I wind up with an oblivious roommate, my luck will have made an about face.” Lynn laughed to herself as she poured her milk over a bowl of Cheerios. Yeah, like my luck would ever be that good.

After shutting her milk back into the fridge, Lynn dumped a ton of sugar over her cereal, grabbed the bowl and a spoon and set it on the counter, and just as she was about to sit herself down on one of the bar stools, there was a knock at the door. Lynn’s small shoulder’s drooped, as she knew just who it was that was knocking. He’s here. she thought, shuffling over to the door, unlocking it then proceeding to open it.

With her eyes shut and a loud sigh she said, “Come in.” stepping to the side.

Delen Tonkyn

Delen pulled open her ancient computer and waited for it to realize it was no longer in sleep mode. It was a pretty old laptop, she'd had it for seven years and her mom had used it for five years before that. So by modern standards it was ancient. But Del wasn't about to throw it out, she'd invested to much in it. All of her documents were on here, and over the years she'd spent a lot of money patching up it's different problems. At one point she'd spent a month or so doing an intricate painting of all sorts of plants, animals, and things found in nature on the front of the laptop. It wasn't the kind of computer one through out just to upgrade to a model that ran a little faster.

The computer let out a loud beep to tell Del that had finally turned on and Del clicked on the mail icon. After a few more minutes, in which the sound of whirring gears and the computer fan going into overload was far too audible, Delen's mail box finally opened. She scrolled through her new messages as fast as her computer would allow, deleting spam messages left and right, until finally she reached the newest e-mail from her sister. The email was entitled "DEL! R U READY FOR SCHOOL?!?" and Delen spent a few moments chuckling about her sister's obsessive Capital letter usage before opening the email up;

OMG, HI DEL!
how is ur life, cause mine is gr8! i just got 2 my new school, and its pretyt freakin awesome! My room mate's neat 2, she has like 20 pairs of high heels (which i could use some more of, if u know what i mean ;).) any how, she said she be like totally cool with me borrowing some once in awhile. I <3 THIS SCHOOL! but it does kinda suck, gram and gramp not lettin us go 2 the same school XP. I mean seriously, what is their problem with u?
On a cooler note, my b-day is comin soon! Just thought you might want to know, in case you want to get me something...
Also, i've been talking to my room mate, who asked her mom, who asked her sister, who is a psychiatrist, about how to get you to listen to me. She said I should lay down what I want you to know in a neat and consciest way. So here it is, in list form;
1. You have god awful style sense
2. you should let me tell you what to wear
3. you have long legs, skinny jeans and ankle boots are like made for u!
4. if your going to dye ur hair, at least stick to one color, like blond!

Anyhow, i g2g, class starts soon, <3 u,
YUR EPIC SISTER!

P.S, i need a new photo of u!

Del smiled, her sister simply couldn't be bothered with the rules of spelling or grammar, and when it came to capital letters it appeared to be an all or nothing situation with her. Delen didn't bother sending her a reply yet, she needed something more interesting to other than , "Hey I'm alive and at school!" Hopefully something cool would happen this year, last year nothing too terribly exciting had happened.She was pretty sure the coolest thing that had happened was the fire alarm going off in the middle of her math midterm. Something exciting was bound to happen this year, if only to compensate for the previous year's lack of news worthy events!

Darwyn Noél Johnson

This was it, his Junior year and only one more year to go before he graduated. The thought made him smile as he went about his daily routines. Being President of the Drama Club since his freshman year, as well as Vice President of Student Council throughout his high school years has been quite beneficial to him. Darwyn knew just about every student at Bloodworth Prep, all except the new freshman who he shied away from, as well as the new registers. Not because he was being mean, or anything like that, but because he had found it quite odd that most freshman were drama magnets. They argued and fought more than any other grade level in Bloodworth Prep. Rumors and gossip followed the new registers, and Darwyn was always filled in on the gossip and rumors of Bloodworth Prep, even if he didn’t participate in spreading the gossip. He was a Junior now, and he showed himself friendly to all at Bloodworth Prep.

Unlike some, Darwyn didn’t have to worry about money, for his parents kept his bank account filled to the brim. Yes, he was a rich kid, but he didn’t show it, nor did he act as if he were above anyone. He often times wished he hadn’t opted to keep a debit card, because he could hardly keep up with the darn thing. Luckily this morning, as he got out of the shower, he was reminded that it was in his dresser drawer. Sighing, he got dressed in some gray skinny jeans, a knee high pair of converse shoes, and a cute button up shirt that was plaid, and was pink and gray. His earrings were pink hoops, and his bracelets matched the rest of his outfit. As he looked in the mirror, he winked and grabbed his keys and wallet, sliding the debit card into the folds of the wallet securely.

He was headed to his best friend’s room. Lynn was the first girl he met upon arriving at Bloodworth Prep. Funny thing was, when he met her, she was pretending to be a guy. Of course he saw right through her disguise, but after he called her out on it, the two had become nearly inseparable. She was like a sister he never had. Yesterday, she had informed him that she would be getting a roommate this year. At first, Darwyn protested and had informed her that he’d talk to the Principal, even threatening to go over the Principal’s head in order to get her to keep from sharing a room, but she had informed him not to. Darwyn was worried that the roommate would find out about Lynn’s secret. Sighing, he looked back at his particular room. He was supposed to be getting a roommate as well.

“I hope he’s cute, and flirtatious,” Darwyn stated as he closed the door behind him.

As he approached Lynn’s room, he couldn’t help but wonder what her roommate looked like. Darwyn was very flirtatious and didn’t care what a person’s orientation was. He believed in having fun, and a little flirting never hurt. When he got to her room, he knocked.

“Come in.”

Opening the door and stepping in, he could tell that Lynn wasn’t expecting him, and probably thought he was her new roommate.

“Hey mamí what is up?” Darwyn asked as he walked over to Lynn, giving her a hug and walking straight to her fridge.

He looked through and found some organic orange juice he had bought her. Pouring a glass, he sat next to her and starting sipping away.

“So, I’m taking it your anxious about this roommate thing? Or are you scared?”

Leo Knightsbridge

Leo sighed. Why was it that he had to change dorm? He like his last one; he'd even engraved his name behind the bed (even though he was a tad bit hyper at the time). Then, for the first actual time that day, he thought of what his roommate would be like. Hopefully, the guy wouldn't be a jerk, because that would just lead to fights. Despite Leo's destructive behavior, he still wanted someone nice to basically live with for the rest of the year. He sighed again, lying face down on the bed, swinging his legs. Suddenly, the message alert on his phone buzzed and he yelped, falling of the bed.

"Argh! What the hell?" He said, rather loudly, and took his phone out of his pocket. Was Clark even in school yet? No, it was just his sister.

Hey kid,
how's school? Lacie here is missing you but she says she hopes you're having fun.
Don't get expelled, but have fun (without accidentally setting the toilets on fire) Lucy x

Leo smiled a bit, but burst out laughing at the last line. "That was five years ago!" he laughed before finally going to change. The temperature wasn't hot or cold today, so he put on some black denim capris and a yellow hoodie, making him seem even younger. He growled at the reflection in the mirror. Grinning at the little growl he made (his sisters often commented he lived up to his name with his growls) he went to lie back on the bed, but he stubbed his toe and yelled out before falling onto it.

"Why is today so bloody unfair?" he mumbled, climbing up onto the bed and getting his almost full doodle book out and... well, doodled. Hopefully, his roommate person would turn up soon, or at least Clark. He was starting to get bored and the possibility of the toilets getting burned were only getting higher as his fun levels were getting lower. He looked at his picture. An iPod was sending out his doodles through the headphones, and he put a smiley face on the screen. There! Now if only the boredom would end!

Lynn watched Noél walk into her kitchen after giving her a quick hug, going for her fridge. She smiled and shook her head, knowing he was probably going for that orange juice he’d bought her ‘her.’ Letting go of the doorknob, Lynn swept her foot behind the door and used it to kick it shut. Though she had not been expecting Noél to pay her a visit today, especially so early, Lynn was glad that he was the one who had been at the door and not her new roommate yet; she really was not in the mood to put up with that yet.

“Hi Noél,” Lynn said, her voice a little breathy. Seriously, she was relieved. . . .

The reverse trap wandered back to her stool, and sat herself upon it while Noél was pouring himself some juice, she’d started eating some her now soggy cereal while sort of staring off into space. “So, I’m taking it your anxious about this roommate thing? Or are you scared?” Lynn looked over at him, swallowed her food and sighed.

“Well, I’m not happy about it,” she muttered, setting her spoon in her bowl, truthfully she really wasn’t all that hungry. Lynn pushed the bowl to the side and rested her head on her hand, an obvious pout on her face. “Ugh, why couldn’t you have been assigned as my roommate?”

Lynn looked over at Noél, and down at the cup of orange juice he had and she cracked a smile, yeah, he had said that juice was for her. Thing was though, Lynn didn’t drink orange juice, she didn’t even really like it. “I still find it amusing that you bought that juice just so you’d have something to drink whenever you decide to stop on by.” She said, pointing at it. Laughing, she went on, “I don’t even drink juice, I’m a soda girl after all.”

Eh, there’s no point in leaving that cereal out, I’m not going to eat it. she thought, hopping off her stool, taking the bowl and dumping the contents into the sink.

“So, do you know who you’re getting stuck with for a roommate this year?”

Like her, Noél had been living in his own dorm without a roommate until this year, and because of those random new students who all decided they just had to apply to Bloodworth, a ton of people were being made to move from their dorms or were getting roommates. Ah, freshmen students, just a new batch of people Lynn had to keep her secret from.

Darwyn Noél Johnson

Darwyn smiled and sipped his orange juice the entire time Lynn spoke and referenced the fact that he had purchased the orange juice just to make sure there was something for him to drink when he came to her dorm. He nearly choked, but managed to laugh as he sat the half full cup on the counter top.

”Ugh, why couldn’t you have been assigned as my roommate?”

“Girl you know good and well we wouldn’t have gotten any work done. I’m talking about partaaaay up in heeeeereee,” Darwyn replied doing a little dance on the stool.

So, do you know who you’re getting stuck with for a roommate this year?”

“Oh God, don’t remind me. I hope he’s cute, and open minded, but I’m sure my flirtatious side won’t get on his nerves that much,” Darwyn replied with a wink.

Lynn knew all too well the flirtatious side of Darwyn. She had gone to many parties with him and had seen him in action. It didn’t matter if the guy was straight, gay, or whatever, once Darwyn had gotten finished flirting, he usually left with that individual. Darwyn looked at Lynn and sighed.

“I wonder what’s taking them so long. I’m glad I’m a patient being. By the way, this is for you my dear,” Darwyn stated as he pulled an envelope out of his pocket. He laid it on the counter and waited for Lynn to take it. “Don’t say anything, just take it. Consider it an early birthday gift.”

In the envelope was a 24 karat gold tennis bracelet with Lynn’s birthstone in it. There was also a matching necklace, and then there were two 100 dollar bills. Darwyn knew that Lynn wasn’t a materialistic person, but he wanted to keep her mind off of the threat of being found out by this roommate. He would help keep her secret as best as he could.

For the first time all day, Montana Williams was able to sit down and breath. She had gotten up at six to make the five hour trip to Bloodworth Prep. The whole ride was spent with a fake smile plastered on her face and a hallow laugh, which sounded fake even in her own ears, echoing along with her cousins, David, Brandon, and Eli. The three of them were more than cousins to her, David, the father figure, Brandon, the cool uncle, and Eli, the best older brother. They didn't tear about Montana moving away to Bloodworth this year, and for that she was greatful. Instead they each gave their own advice, which she knew she would remember. After pulling into the long drive to the school at eleven, they had to go to some orientation, meet the dean, and collect the key to her dorm. With the four of them, it was some kind of cluster. Finally in her dorm, she found a copy of the student handbook, as well as her class schedule. The boys helped her unpack and settle in, and only left after they made sure she was comfortable and everything was in its place. They were good that way. She was going to miss them. As soon as they were out the door, Montana lay on her bed to think, to breathe. Her mind wandered to the reason she was here at Bloodworth in the first place; picturing the mangled body of her first love, and the lined and crazed face of the man who had hit their motorcycle. She shook her head to get rid of the negative thoughts. She decided a safer mental topic would be thoughts about the roommate she had yet to meet... She fell asleep on the twin bed with these thoughts lulling her into restfulness, then into sleep.

Lynn listened to Noél prattle on about how he hoped his roommate was cute and open-minded; she looked away from him when he winked in addition to the last part of his statement about his flirtatious side. She smiled to herself and shook her head, Darwyn was really something else. He was like an older brother to her. An older brother who would drag her disguised rump to parties that neither of them should have attended. . . . The smile disappeared from Lynn’s face as she thought about that, her hands continued to work at her cereal bowl to get it clean while she thought to herself a bit.

She knew how he was, he liked parties and that sort of scene at night, Lynn wasn’t the kind of girl who really cared for those scenes, but she let Noél drag her along anyway so she could look out for him. The parties the two of them typically wound up at involved things Lynn couldn’t say she was quite fond of, alcohol, drugs and sex. . . . More than once Lynn found herself dumping her punch into a nearby plant because it turned out to be spiked or something. Unbeknownst to Noél as well, Lynn had found herself having to ward off some drunkards on occasions, because they didn’t seem to understand the meaning of the word ‘no.’ Sometimes it had been guys, other times it had been girls.

It’s a really good thing I know how to throw a punch, she thought, staring off into space for a moment. Lynn was what teenagers referred to as ‘straightedge,’ simply because she refused to engage in anything illegal or anything sexual in nature. The latter not only had to do with her hiding her gender, but also because the very notion of sex or anything like that embarrassed the Hell out of the reverse trap and it stunned her into utter silence. Sure, she wished she could gush over her latest crush openly, but little more than that and Lynn turned into a mime, like her mouth was sewn shut. It really wasn’t as if she ever had crushes anyway.

Lynn wouldn’t tell Noél about having to punch out some people at those parties on the off chance he wouldn’t drag her along, or would just not tell her he was going to one. She didn’t want him going alone; even if he was safe with whatever he did, she just . . . well, she would worry too much if she didn’t know he was okay. It was when the water that was coming out of the sink faucet suddenly got hot that Lynn was wrenched from her own thoughts with a seethe. She heard the last bit of what Noél had been saying, “Don’t say anything, just take it. Consider it an early birthday gift.” and turned around while rubbing her possibly burnt hand.

“Birthday gift. . . ?” she parroted him, speaking softly. My birthday’s coming up? Oooh, right! Lynn looked at Noél with a nervous smile, and let out a tiny little laugh, “Hah, I forgot. . . . I’m going to be officially sixteen in a couple of days.” She turned her gaze to the envelop that Noél had set on the counter, although she really didn’t want a birthday gift, she knew well enough to not protest since it would be useless.

Noél wouldn’t take no for an answer as far as gifts went; plus he was probably trying to take her mind off of the whole roommate situation. . . . Lynn sighed with a smile, and took the envelop, opened it and was surprised, He spent too much money again. she thought, “Peridot, my birthstone.” She said quietly, a bracelet, a necklace and two-hundred dollars. Really it was too much.

She smiled, “You know this is too much, but I know you won’t let me refuse it, so thank you Noél, the jewellery is amazing, and thank you for the money.” Laughing she added on, “You know you’re getting a hug for this!” And with that, Lynn glomped Noél right off his stool before he had time to protest. He should have expected as much, she was a hugger and a glomper after all!

By the time Montana woke, the sun was about to fall past the horizon. Glancing at the clock on her bedside, she saw that it was already five, and according to the handbook she had skimmed earlier, nearly time for dinner. She got up from the bed to discover that the position she had fallen asleep in had left her shoulders sore. She shook her arms out and went over to the vanity where she had organized her makeup and her straightener lay on a protective pad, begging to be used. She plugged it in, quickly touched up her makeup as it was heating up, and flattened her red hair into a silky sheet. Before heading out the door, Tana spritzed herself with a bit of Kat Von D 'Sinner' and snatched her phone off the charging pad. She headed out of the dorm building and to the Dining Hall. She dreaded the thought of eating alone, but there was nothing she could do about it. Then she realized that her room mate had not shown up yet, weird, but she hoped she would get lucky and have the room to herself.

Darwyn Noél Johnson

“You know you’re getting a hug for this!”

She had barely given him time to prepare before she glomped him, right off his stool. Darwyn laughed as Lynn hugged him for the gift. He continued to smile after he was released from the hug. Nothing could bring him more joy than seeing a smile on his best friends face, or doing something for others. Darwyn was really into the whole “giving back” thing. In fact, he volunteered a lot to help those who were less fortunate. Regaining his composure, he looked at Lynn and sighed. There was so much Darwyn had on his schedule that at one point he had to slow down and take a breather. Now he volunteers when he has the time and he doesn’t over work himself. He takes things slow and he enjoys life. Looking at Lynn, he wondered when her roommate would show up.

“Seems to me your roomie is a bit shy. Though I’m not even in my room to welcome my roomie,” Darwyn stated as he chuckled heartily.

Grabbing his keys, he decided that he’d at least welcome the guy to his dorm. Not to mention he didn’t really know the guy, and being able to meet him face to face the moment he moved in would give Darwyn as sense of relief. Giving Lynn two air kisses, one on her left cheek and the other on her right, Darwyn decided that it was time to take his leave. He had washed the glass he used to drink the orange juice and had made his way towards the door.

“Don’t forget my dear, we have plans later on. Tell your roommate he is welcome to come along.”

Darwyn exited Lynn’s room with a smile, hoping that he was able to lift her spirits about the whole roommate situation. He was actually kind of excited to see his roommate, even though he knew that there was bound to be some sort of tension between them. Arriving at his dorm room, he entered in and sat down on the bed. His flat screen 50” TV was mounted on the wall near his bed. It was turned off at the moment. His dorm room was rather unique. There was a living area, a kitchen, and then two rooms that surprisingly didn’t have doors. He figured it was a way for the school to get roommates to mingle with one another. The bathroom was located in between the two bedrooms. It was a full size bathroom, one that Darwyn had customized for so long that he had forgotten how it originally looked. Even the living area had been decorated by Darwyn, yet he had never touched the other room. He sat in the living area and turned on the 40” flat screen television set that he had purchased. He wasn’t the type to restrict anyone from using his stuff. The fridge was filled with any item you could imagine. Sighing he looked over at the clock. It was 5 o’clock already. That meant that the café was now serving dinner.

“I wonder where this guy is.”

Delen Tonkyn

Delen grabbed her Ipod, headphones, and (of course) sketchpad and slipped out of her room. She stuck her earphones on but didn't bother turning on the music. Sometimes it was nice to just let people think you were listening to music, when actually you were just listening to what they were saying. Del moved down the hall, navigating through the crowd with ease. It was kind of disappointing that her room mate hadn't bothered to show. More than disappointing it was annoying, it was practically a ritual of Del's to meet her roommate on the first day and annoy them to no end. If they managed to like/tolerate her for a week then they were fine by her, but if not then it would not be a fun year...

But this year her room mate had possessed the audacity to not show up at all! Del had finally decided to head down to the cafeteria and get something to eat. But first she sprawled her stuff all across the room, so that she could annoy her roommate if they showed up and Del wasn't there. Del slipped into the line at the cafeteria listening quietly to what was going on around her.

There was a couple of people who were gossiping about wether or not there would be a back to school dance, some girls obsessing over the latest fashion icon, a couple of jocks planning on hazing freshmen, and etc. Del sighed and pulled her head phones down around her neck. For once she wished someone would talk about something interesting for once, like rolling stones concert, or the current state of Africa. Delen slid her tray down the line and grabbed some pasta with meat sauce and a water bottle.

Del couldn't spot any of the people she'd hung out with in years past so she just plopped down at an empty table and pulled out her sketch pad. She slowly began to pick her way through her food, making sure not to spill any sauce on her sketch pad. She was halfway through one of her favorite drawings yet. It featured a cat frozen mid pounce. In her mind the cat was after a ball of string, but she'd yet to complete the drawing so at this point all that could be seen was a pouncing cat.

Skimming the food options, Montana skipped the line, and opted to grab a salad instead. She got a cola and headed back into the dining area. Most of the tables were full, or nearly anyway. Tana's stomach gave a little twist. She wasn't used to being the girl who had to sit alone in the cafeteria... But then she remembered what her cousin told her, "Just be yourself, because you're like a magnet. People are drawn to you." Boy did she hope he was right. Spotting a table with only a single occupant, Montana made a beeline to it, and set her food down. She thought about eating, and ignoring the girl with the sketch pad. ON second thought though, the girl was probably just as miserable as she was. She scooted over a seat so that she would be sitting directly across from the girl. "Hey," she said, leaving it at that for now.

Leo Knightsbridge

Leo came back from the cafe, since he decided he should actually eat stuff when he's hungry, rather than lounge about. He missed his twin. She'd always roll about on the floor with him when they were bored. What had he eaten again? The events of the boring day all blended together anyways. Maybe the guy who was meant to be his roommate had finally arrived. Or maybe that Clark had finally arrived, after all that. Leo sighed, knowing Clark was probably going to arrive at the very last minute instead of arriving early and meeting his roommate.

Leo opened the door, walked straight past the guy already sitting there and sat on his bed, before jumping up and running back into the living area. "Hey, are you my roommate? Ah, I'm sorry. The day was just droning on and on, so I guess my mind's being doing the same. Sorry, sorry. My name's Leo. What's yours?" he said, sitting down next to the guy and putting his hands on his lap, staring intently at him. , s'He's tall!' he thought. 'Why is everyone taller than me? And he probably thinks I'm a total JERK for not even noticing him there. Or an airhead.' Leo continued to stare at the guy, not smiling but rather looking quite confused, like a curious child intrigued by what's in front of him. Or like a curious cat, living up to it's name.

Clark Valentine

Clark sighed, hoisting his bag up further on his shoulder and running his hand restlessly through his already-unruly brown hair. He stared up at the towering dorm-building, more than a little apprehensive. Arriving late on his first school-day was bad enough… arriving late to meet his new roommate for the first time… well, that was just something else.

He sighed roughly and started through the door, heading for the stairs. He wasn’t going to bother with any sort of elevator – he wouldn’t be able to find it if he tried, and it was just a waste of power. He wanted the walking time, anyways. He was more nervous about this than he liked to admit. He was an eager young man, always happy to meet someone new. That did not mean that he was exempt from the terror of meeting that someone new.

He jogged up several flights of stairs, glancing occasionally at the letter in his hand that detailed the room he was supposed to go to. It seemed to take forever, and yet not long enough, to get where he was going. He didn’t seem to be able to stop jogging when he hit the right floor, however, continuing on his easy, athletic lope down the hall towards the room where he would be staying for the upcoming school-year. He drew up alongside the door, slowing to a halt. He checked the paper again, three times, just to make sure he wasn’t about to knock on the wrong door and embarrass himself.

No… his luck wasn’t that good. He’d found the room.

Sucking in a deep breath, Clark raised his hand and rapped lightly on the door.
“Hello?” he called into the room, hesitant but friendly. His heart was pounding, both out of fear and eagerness to make a new friends. “Anyone in there?”

Darwyn Johnson

Darwyn sat in the chair and watched the rather large television screen. He wasn’t bored because he had found one of his favorite movies, What’s Love Got to Do With It. As he watched the movie, he had begun to feel his eye lids get heavy. Moving around in order to keep him awake, Darwyn wondered if Lynn’s roommate had made it. Just as he was thinking on Lynn’s roommate, his own roommate finally walked in. He looked at the man as he rushed pass him and straight into his room. Darwyn simply crossed his legs and smirked as he watched the young, rather cute, guy walk back into the living room and sit next to him. He introduced himself and began talking to him as if his mouth couldn’t stop. After he finally stopped talking, Darwyn placed his hands on his knee and smiled.

“Well, it’s about time you got here. I’m Darwyn, but most just call me Dar, or Noél. I prefer Noél. I’m glad you found the place with ease. It’s perfectly fine, I know the first day can be a bundle to take in at one time, just calm down and breath.”

Darwyn shook his head and continued to smile, though he wondered why Leo was looking at him like a confused child.

“Umm, are you okay?” Darwyn ask as he waved his hand in front of Leo’s face, “first things first. Mí Casa es Su Casa, but all I ask is that you respect my property and I’ll do the same for you. After all, you’re far too cute to be disrespectful.”

He stood to his feet and finally broke the smile that had plastered his face with a cheery expression. He looked down at the sitting Leo and strutted over to the fridge, grabbing a bottle of orange juice and walking over to the door. He was hungry, and he’d be getting something to go rather than sitting in the Café.

“You do know that there is a back to school party. I’d really like it if you came. You seem like the open type, and you might as well explore all your options while you’re here. Besides, it will give me a chance to introduce you to my friends,” Darwyn stated and winked as he left out of the dorm room.

His flirtatious side was ever present in every word he spoke to Leo. He could tell that Leo was straight, but Darwyn had his ways of breaking people out of their comfort zones and exploring a little. He recalled the time when a straight guy had noticed him in a club. He was already in the club illegally, but he didn’t care, Darwyn always loved to party. The guy swore up and down that he’d never do anything with a guy, and before the night was over, he and Darwyn were making out in the back room. If memory served, Darwyn got lucky that night. Leo would probably be the only exception, but Darwyn was full of tricks, he’d just have to play it out and see what happened.

Lynn couldn’t help the smile that stayed upon her face until Noél left. It might have seemed silly, but she really was grateful to him for trying to take her mind off her whole situation. The necklace and bracelet were truly stunning, whether or not she was disguising herself as a guy, Lynn would be sure to wear them from time to time. After all, it wasn’t completely unusual for a guy to wear jewellery like the set. She still felt like it was too much to be given for a simple birthday present.

“Seems to me your roomie is a bit shy. Though I’m not even in my room to welcome my roomie,” she heard Noél chuckle. She laughed a bit herself; it was somewhat funny to think about. Both of them had been living in their own dorm rooms alone for the last few years, and now they were being stuck with roommates. . . . Lynn was there to greet her roommate, but he had yet to show his face, and Noél wasn’t there to say hi to his own who might have shown up. Even if things might turn to Hell for her this year, having a roommate with her secret and all, part of Lynn felt like everything was going to be okay in some manner. She at least had Noél to confide in, even if she did her own share of worrying about him given his recent partying habits. . . .

Lynn took life very easy, she didn’t do much and avoided the limelight when possible, however . . . given the fact that rumors spread about her like wildfire among the younger girls in the school, that was challenge. For some reason she seemed a popular target for freshmen girls’ affections and crushes, her mail slot and locker often having an anonymous love letter or poem addressed to her somehow mixed in with her normal things. She really wasn’t sure what was so appealing about herself to younger girls, all Lynn could figure was that it had to do with her small size, perhaps it made her seem more approachable and less intimidating than the guys around her.

She sat herself down on one of her bar stools as Noél grabbed his keys, getting ready to leave he gave Lynn two air kisses before heading out, though he turned back to her and said, “Don’t forget my dear, we have plans later on. Tell your roommate he is welcome to come along.” he left with a smile, Lynn having one of those, ‘Oh, right.’ expressions on her face.

How could she have forgotten about the ‘Back-to-School’ party that Noél had a hand in planning? Of course she was going, though, she just hoped that things stayed . . . calm enough at the party for her to actually enjoy it. Lynn uttered but a small sigh as she thought about it, the truth was that she would have been just as happy staying in her own dorm, watching television with a bunch of junk food, crashing out after going through a sugar-induced state of insanity. Turning back to the counter, Lynn took the necklace and tennis bracelet that Noél had given her out of the envelope and held it up to the light, admiring it. It really is beautiful. . . . she thought, Noél and his gifts. . . .

Sighing, she placed both of the baubles back into the envelope, got off her stool and went to deposit them on her dresser for the time being. It was still mid-morning, and she needed to actually get dressed, and get out of her pyjamas, though it wasn’t like any of her other clothing would fit her any better. All of her things were baggy to hide her petite figure from prying eyes; after all, men didn’t have curves! More than just a little bit of her was dreading the day to come, school was starting back up soon, that meant classes, homework, teachers, having to lie every three weeks in gym class about why she couldn’t do anything. . . . And worst of all, the person she would be living with for the next year, having to hide herself at almost all times.

What excuses was she going to have to come up with on the spot in the next months? ‘Oh! My chest is just swollen!’ ‘Uh, uh, they’re great for nose bleeds!’ ‘Baggy clothing just fit better; so much more comfortable.’ ‘I’m just a very private person!’

Lynn groaned and shook her head as she thought through a few of the ridiculous things she might have to say soon. “Oh goodness, I’d better come up with more plausible and hopefully believable things to say. . . .” she sighed, smacking her forehead with the palm of her hand. “Whatever, I’d better get dressed before my roommate shows up and sees something I don’t want him to, and that he shouldn’t be seeing. . . .”

With that, she pulled out rather baggy jeans, a white shirt that had sleeves that went passed her hands, and a red and black checked button-up shirt to wear over the too-large white shirt. She made haste in changing, discarding her pyjamas in the hamper in the bathroom before she stuck the back part of her hair into a short ponytail. Lynn just didn’t feel like having it down at the moment. . . . She grabbed her rather worn out black Converse and laced them onto her feet before going back out into the living room.

“Guess all that’s left to do now, is to play the waiting game. . . .” she said to herself, sliding onto her couch with a grunt. Lynn flipped her television on, and proceeded to channel flip. The reverse trap wasn’t sure when it happened, but she had managed to doze off while she had been watching some movie, ‘What’s Love Got to Do With It’ she thought it was called. She’d heard Noél talk about it, but never had a chance to see it herself so she left it on and went ahead and watched, but at some point she’d conked out during it, sleeping for the remainder of the day while her roomie had yet to make himself known.

It was the rather timid thumps on the door that made her stir from her slumber. The blonde moaned as she rubbed her eyes with a yawn, she had no idea what was going on, or what time it was. “Mmm, guess I dozed off. . . .”

The front door opened a bit with a squeak and with that Lynn snapped right back to reality and out of her half-conscious state. “Hello?” she heard someone call into the darkening room.

Oh God, oh God he’s here. . . . Lynn thought, her heart suddenly fluttering to life in her chest with a bloody, burning passion. Damn thing was beating so fast she was afraid it would burst from her chest.

She gulped as her new roommate opened the door further, and his silhouette was shown clearly against the light from the hall, “Anyone in there?” he asked.

Lynn swallowed hard and tried to gain some composure, yes, this was not a moment she wanted to face, but it was something she was going to have to put up with. “U-Uh, yeah.” She answered, “I’m here. Come on in and get yourself settled.” The little teenager popped off the couch at that, and went to go welcome her roomie by helping him with his bags, she happened to freeze though when his face came into clear view. Of all the. . . . Lynn knew very well who her roommate was; how could she not? Even the most anti-social of students in Bloodworth Prep knew him.

“Clark Valentine? You’re my roommate this term?” Lynn squeaked out, pointing to him, then to herself as she felt her face go just a bit red.

Clark blinked in shock when the occupant of the room approached the door. No way...
Well, at least he had the good fortune of a roommate he already knew. He cracked a grin and raised a hand, waving at Lynn.
"Hey," he chuckled. "Guess I am. Can I come in there with you?"

He didn't wait to be given permission - this was his dorm, after all. He stepped carefully past Lynn, staring around curiously.
"Nice," he laughed, glancing back again at Lynn. "You certainly keep it neat in here."
He tipped his head slightly, examining the boy. It wasn't like he spent any time with Lynn, or even really watched him from a distance. But Clark knew he was well-known to all the students in the school, and unlike most of the popular people he had heard of, he did his best to know at least the face and the name of everything else in the school. So he knew Lynn's face...

But he didn't know anything else about him. He was going to have to change that.
"You look as scared as I am," Clark observed brightly, grinning at Lynn. "Don't worry. I don't bite."

Del glanced up, at first she was slightly annoyed to have been interrupted in her drawing, but then she figured she might as well get to know someone. Otherwise people might think she was an unhappy and friendless person sitting at a table all by her self.

Del put down her sketch pad and stuck her hand out across the table, "My name's Dellen. But you can, and should, cal me Del. So what's up?" Del stared at the girl who'd approached her intensely. She didn't say a word after that, making it seem as if the question "What's up?" was going to determine their entire relationship. After all, Siking people out is pretty fun. Del was hard pressed not to erupt into a grin and a fit of giggles, but she managed. So instead of laughing Del's stare intensified. She considered an evil laugh, but quickly decided that an evil laugh would be best suited for another situation at another time.

Lynn remained rather wide-eyed as the realization of just who in the Hell her roommate was really sunk in. He grinned in a somewhat sheepish manner, raising his hand and waving at her as she remained rather still. ”Hey," he laughed, “Guess I am.”

The only thing Lynn could think was; Damn it all; maybe I should have just let Noél go above the principal and keep me from getting a roommate. . . Of all the guys in the school she was made to room with; why did it have to be him? Now, Lynn didn’t have anything personal out against Clark! No, no, no, it wasn’t anything like that. The two had never crossed paths, and there was no ill-blood between them. It was just the simple fact that Lynn had to wind up with one of the most popular guys in the entire school as her roommate—this meant that she was just going probably wind with more attention she didn’t want . . . or need.

As if the rumors that went around about her among the freshmen weren’t bad enough, who knew what was going to come up now. . . . It was true that Lynn and Clark had never so much as spoken a word to each other before, but she knew some basic things about him, how could she not? Considering her own best friend, she was bound to know things about the more active students in Bloodworth Prep.

He was a nice guy who everyone liked; he was the star of the school’s soccer team, his girlfriend was the ever popular Blossom Suda, and his best friend was the nearly leech-like Leo Knighsbridge. . . . Honestly, if Lynn weren’t best friends with Noél, she never would have known anything about Clark.

Clark said something else to Lynn that sort of just flew by her head, and he wandered into the dorm, right by her small form. Geez . . . This year is going to be Hell isn’t it. . . ? she asked herself with a sigh, feeling her heart going nuts inside her chest as she shut the door behind Clark, leaning up against it. Lynn shook it off, no matter how bad things seemed, she couldn’t let things get her down. No, no . . . not when Noél went through all the trouble of trying to cheer me up. She would just have to muddle through all of this and be happy, if not for her own sake, for Noél’s.

"You certainly keep it neat in here." The reverse trap’s gaze snapped to Clark when he said that. Well, of course she kept the dorm clean, she didn’t feel like living like a pig just because she had been on her own for the last two years. Lynn had always been something of a neat freak. . . . She hoped that Clark would clean up after himself; she really didn’t feel like playing maid for her roommate.

"You look as scared as I am," Clark said in a rather cheerful manner, going ahead and giving her another smile. "Don't worry. I don't bite." Lynn looked away from the man when he said that; even if she had steeled herself against being embarrassed around guys, even she could not deny that Clark had a very attractive smile. When Noél found out who her roomie was; he was going to want her to dish on the details of living with Clark, she just knew it.

Quietly, the little blonde cleared her throat and did her best to push her embarrassment down as she spoke, “I’m not so much scared as I am shocked.” She said, heading for the kitchen. “And if you did bite, you’d find I did the same.” Lynn joked with a little laugh, trying to brush her own embarrassment off, as well as her anxiety. Jokes often helped alleviate tension didn’t they?

She stopped walking right at the mouth of the hallway, flipped a light switch and turned the overhead light in the living room on. “Well, I think the set up of dorm is self-explanatory,” she murmured looking around, “Your bed and side of the room is clean, all the dresser drawers are empty and ready for whenever you want to put your stuff away. Feel free to raid the kitchen if you want to; help yourself to whatever you want to-except the orange juice in the fridge.” Lynn added on that last bit as a last second thought, finding herself laughing a bit. “It’s not mine; my best friend just bought it so he’d have something to drink whenever he comes over.”

Yeah . . . thinking about the fact that Noél had almost choked when she had brought that up this morning definitely took Lynn’s mind off the paranoia and panic she was feeling regarding having a roommate now. It made her giggle a bit. Shaking her head back and forth, she walked into the kitchen to get something to eat when she remembered what Noél had told her to do; let her roommate know about the Back to School party. . . . Lynn didn’t know if Clark was into parties or whatever, but she would be going and Noél had said to make sure she invited whoever she wound up living with.

“Oh yeah, you interested in going to a party tonight?” she piped up, “I was told to invite you to the Back to School thing when you showed up.”

Even if Lynn was dreading the party tonight, she was still going to keep an eye out on Noél; you never knew when things could spiral out of control at a party. . . .

“I’m not so much scared as I am shocked.” She said, heading for the kitchen. “And if you did bite, you’d find I did the same.” Lynn joked with a little laugh, trying to brush her own embarrassment off, as well as her anxiety. Jokes often helped alleviate tension didn’t they?

Clark couldn’t help a loud laugh at that. This was great! His room-mate actually had a sense of humor. He wasn’t sure what he would have done of Lynn was the sort who didn’t smile or laugh. He watched the boy moving about the room, but he stayed standing in the middle of it. There was no need to move, he could hear Lynn perfectly well from here. He didn’t want to make it look like he was the sort to follow Lynn around like some sort of lost puppy. Sure, people sometimes called him puppy – almost as often as they called him Valentine. That didn’t mean that he was a lost one.

“Well, I think the set up of dorm is self-explanatory,” she murmured looking around, “Your bed and side of the room is clean, all the dresser drawers are empty and ready for whenever you want to put your stuff away. Feel free to raid the kitchen if you want to; help yourself to whatever you want to-except the orange juice in the fridge.” Lynn added on that last bit as a last second thought, finding herself laughing a bit. “It’s not mine; my best friend just bought it so he’d have something to drink whenever he comes over.”

“Oh?” Clark asked with interest, finally moving, striding over to the wall near Lynn. He leaned against it, watching his roommate through open, curious eyes. “Who’s your friend? Bet I know them.”

“Oh yeah, you interested in going to a party tonight?” she piped up, “I was told to invite you to the Back to School thing when you showed up.”

Clark cracked yet another easy grin at that. He had a lot of those easy grins stored up. They were his best tool, and of course his favourite. They made other people smile, eased all sorts of tension, made it easier for everyone to get along. Besides, they made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The best cure for any sort of unpleasant emotion was a bright, true smile.

“I’d love to come,” he told Lynn easily. “Sounds like this year’s going to be fun. I look forwards to sharing the dorm with you.”

Lynn was going ahead and munching on some plain tortilla after telling Clark about the Back to School party Noél was intent on having her invite him to. Clark had asked who her friend was, seeming sure that he knew who he was. Well, like Clark, pretty much everyone in Bloodworth Prep knew who Noél was. He was the President of the Drama club and the Vice of the Student Council after all.

Though, the information regarding his and Lynn’s friendship was something that was less than well-known to most of the students at Bloodworth. He and Lynn were like brother and sister in many regards, but they really didn’t ever hang out unless it was after school, or when Noél’s schedule wasn’t completely packed . . . and they weren’t going to another party. Noél’s partying habits had really picked up since the middle part of the previous school year, Lynn didn’t know quite why he suddenly got a wild streak in him, but it really did leave her worried at times. . . .

In regards to Clark’s question, Lynn took a swallow of a soda she’d gotten out of the fridge and proceeded to answer, “My friend is Darwyn Johnson.” she looked over at him, “You probably do know him, pretty much everyone on campus does.” Lynn sighed a bit.

Her mind was back to thinking about what it was she was going to have to deal with in a few hours, the Back to School party Noél had helped get together. Lynn had come along a few times to see just what it was he and others who were involved in putting the whole shebang together were planning on having there. To her the whole thing sounded like it was going to be more of a rave than a party; parties were more controlled and you sort of knew what to expect out of those. Raves, well, bad things happened at raves. People collapsed, got sick, did illegal things and sometimes; people died. School didn’t actually start until Monday, students were just required to show up the preceding Friday to settle into their dorms and such.

Moreover, from what Lynn had heard at those meetings regarding the whole matter, it wasn’t a simple one-night event. No, they planned to have the capabilities to keep it going the whole weekend and into Sunday night. I’m not looking forward to this.

“I’d love to come,” Clark agreed to come; Noél would be glad about that. He would want a chance to meet her roommate, although she somewhat dreaded the guy she had to live with for the next year getting tangled up with the Noél that only emerged at night. He was so different; and that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. . . .

”Sounds like this year’s going to be fun. I look forward to sharing the dorm with you.”

That makes one of us. Lynn thought, keeping that to herself. She could manage to live under these circumstances, having to keep her secret guarded at all times, but that didn’t mean she wanted to. “Yeah, it should be pretty fun sharing a dorm.” Lynn said with a forced smile; luckily, she was rather practiced at giving them, it was nearly impossible to tell when she was faking one. Even Noél was none the wiser to when she happened to not really be happy. . . . If she didn’t have to go and keep on pretending to be a boy, Lynn would probably join the Drama club herself. She seemed to be a decent enough actor.

Lynn hopped up onto the counter while she continued to eat her chips, “The party starts at eight tonight, and it goes on more or less until whenever.” She informed him, “Just to let you know ahead of time, I don’t have any idea what’ll go down when we get there.”

Leo sighed. He'd have to go to this party, wouldn't he? He guessed that Clark would be going, but parties weren't really his thing. Girls usually came up to him at the start, telling him he's so cute, but by the end, the same girls (who'd had way too many units) would be coming back up to him and telling him that kids shouldn't be at these sort of things. Who did they think he was? Some five year old? Yeah. Cause they can get on campus.

"So that's Darwyn Johnson..." he wondered out loud, plonking himself on the sofa couch thing. He wasn't too sure on the difference between a sofa and couch. Was there even one? He frowned a tiny bit, thinking of the rumours he'd already heard last year about this guy. It's not like he can keep his distance or anything. So he'd get to know the guy without getting too... close.

The guy was really flirty anyways, so he's have to be careful. Leo buried his head in one of the pillows. "Why is school so boring?" he groaned, grabbing the remote and flicking through the TV channels. After about five minutes of finding absolutely nothing to do, he rang up his twin sister.

"Hey, Lacie." he grinned a bit. He could hear Lucy laughing hysterically at whatever it was she was watching. It couldn't be that funny; he'd already passed through all the channels.
"Hi Leo! Lucy's laughing, can you hear her?"
"Yup, loud and clear."
"So how are you?"

The conversation went on for about ten minutes before his sisters had to go out to buy supplies. He left the TV on, watching it a bit before falling asleep, hugging the pillow and curled up in a tiny ball.

Darwyn Johnson

The fresh air outside of the dorm room allowed him to clear his mind and think about what he had just done. He had just flirted with a guy he just met. Where his lifestyle choices getting dangerous? He couldn’t change who he was, for it was impossible. Changing who he was was like asking a bumblebee to stop pollinating, or like asking a knife to stop cutting, it just wouldn’t happen. He smiled, thinking about what his roommate probably thought of him. Flirtatious and promiscuous. It was true, Darwyn had a hard time settling down and dating just one person. Though he was very kind, his dating life was a different story. Cheating was an understatement, and yet it wasn’t always his fault. Sighing, he continued walking towards the auditorium. It would be where the party would be held. He had to check in to make sure everything was going as planned. As he walked up to the door leading into the gigantic building, he was stopped by a soft hand on his shoulder.

“Darwyn Johnson, long times no see,” a male voice rang into Darwyn’s ear.

Darwyn turned around slowly and smiled when he saw who it was. Immediately his arms wrapped around the poor guy’s neck and squeezed, nearly choking the poor man.

“Good to know I was missed,” the man stated as he returned the affectionate hug.

Darwyn released the man after a few more seconds and couldn’t help but smile.

“What are you doing here Noah? I haven’t seen you in five years,” Darwyn stated as he interlocked his arm with Noah as if they were escorting each other to the prom.

Darwyn and Noah talked the entire way. Darwyn told Noah about Lynn, but did not divulge the secret they shared. He used identification terms such as “he” and “him” instead of “she” and “her”. He went on to talk about his roommate and how everything in his life was going very well. Noah returned the talk about his life with his family, traveling to exotic places, and now settling back in his hometown to attend Bloodworth Prep. At first Darwyn didn’t know what to say. He had always had a crush on Noah, but the two never hooked up, and never became more than best friends. It saddened Darwyn to see Noah with different guys and girls, but he had to realize that he was a friend and nothing more. After checking in with the design team, and the music department concerning the party, Darwyn cordially invited Noah to the party. Of course Noah agreed that he would come.

“Awesome, I’ll have to introduce you to Lynn, he’s an awesome friend, and I’m sure the two of you will get along great,” Darwyn stated with a broad smile.

Noah shook his head and just smiled. Eventually the two headed towards the Café, after a long walk around campus. They caught up and shared many stories, but nothing could have prepared either for what would soon develop between them.

Blossom Suda

Walking off the lunch line with her food, Blossom sighed. She put down her tray on the nearest table she thought she'd be alone at. 'Today's the day... The day my father killed my mother...' Blossom thought sadly. It wasn't the fondest memory she had, yet her grandmother would be taking care of the grave today, so Blossom wouldn't need to worry much.

Looking around, Blossom didn't see her boyfriend Clark or Leo. She quickly whipped out her phone, putting in Leo's number from last year. Putting it to her ear, hearing the ringing noise in one ear and the crowd of people eating lunch in her other. She yawned, too tired to leave the room and she waited for Leo to answer his phone.

~ Ceridwen Nox ~

An evil little giggle escaped from her smiling lips as she tip-toed down the hallway. What a way this would be to announce her arrival back at Bloodworth Prep . . . at least to Leo. It’d been an entire month since she’d last seen him, and he would be the first person who would know of her return. Though, he was the only person who actually cared here, wasn’t he?

Details, details~ It didn’t matter to her whom cared and who did not, all she cared about was making sure her entrance was enough to leave an impression for the year to come. That was what matter most to Ceridwen after all. The previous year, when she had first come to Bloodworth Prep, it had been hard adjusting to her life at the school, she was so used to being able to see her father every day, she was lonely and missed him rather much. She was barely fourteen years old and left to wander around her mother’s high school with little guidance-the teachers scared her and the upperclassmen were not the most welcoming of people she felt . . . especially to a girl like her.

Small and shy, tiny and timid, diminutive and dilly-dallying~

That’s how she had been when she had first moved into a dorm alllll on her own. Ceridwen were quite the opposite now though, nothing like the girl she had been before! Everyone who saw her knew it too, little Ceridwen Nox was a sophomore this year, and a hyper fifteen year old. Among the sophomore class this particular year, she was known for more than just her rather overactive state and long strawberry blonde pigtails. Everyone knew she had claimed the boy known as Lynn Bellamy for herself, titling herself his number one devoted fan, and his future lover too.

She was a crazy fangirl, she squealed loudly at the very sight of Lynn, screaming at him to look at her, to acknowledge her existence . . . and even though the way she acted scared the daylights out of him it seemed, Lynn’s reactions did little to defer Ceridwen’s affections. Often times she just went, “Oooooh! He’s so bashful, that’s just adorable!” And gave chase.

This year would be different though, she vowed, Ceridwen was fifteen now, officially a woman! She would make Lynn see this in her; he WOULD fall in love with her this year! She swore so.

“But first . . . heheh, to tell Leo I’m back~” she whispered in a rather sing-song manner, the smile never leaving her lips as she arrived at his newly assigned dorm room. Yes, Ceridwen already knew where Leo now resided. How? Well, she was just that good at guessing. . . ! Not! No, Ceridwen wasn’t regarded as being something of a modern-day ninja for nothing. It had taken her an hour, and some very careful planning, but she had managed to sneak into the school’s record office and pull out Leo’s file and find out just what dorm he was living in this school year. Really, such a feat wasn’t that hard when you knew what you were doing.

Her youthful face cracked a far wider grin, this one rather mischievous and telling of her intentions. She covered the Cheshire grin with a hand and found herself unable to contain yet another giggle as she set her hand on the doorknob. “Ohh~ Leo’s in for a S-U-R-P-R-I-S-E!” she sang.

Very carefully, and quietly, she turned the door’s handle and opened it on up, noting the fact it seemed to be rather dark; sans the dim light coming from a television which seemed to have been left on. “Hello~?” she called out softly into the dark room, poking her head in there. Now, while Ceridwen had checked on where it was Leo was living this year, the little hyper-pigtail-wearing-ninja had neglected to check and see if he had a roommate, and if so, who he was. When she received no reply from her soft greeting, Ceridwen let her amber eyes roam the room; check for any signs of visible, intelligent human life . . . or at least for Leo.

The wide grin returned to her face when she just so happened to spot a rather small form on the couch, snuggled up to a pillow. The form wore an extremely bright yellow hoodie; and there was only one guy that small in the school who wore a lemon yellow hoodie! Looks like I found ya’ Leo! she thought, snickering a bit. This was so perfect! She could enact her plan without having to worry about him catching her before the big moment, because he was zonked out on the couch! Ceridwen opened the door a little wider, slowly as to make sure the hinges didn’t squeak, and slid her lithe body through the gap.

The teenager took soft, ginger steps toward her sleeping friend after she very quietly shut the door behind her, making as little noise as possible. When she found herself standing over top of him, she giggled to herself and couldn’t help the snide remark that she knew Leo would get after her for if he were awake, “Awwww, he’s just sooo cute, he looks like a little kid.”

Cute or not, it was too early for Leo to be sleeping! Especially on a Friday night like this. Ceridwen took as many steps back as she possibly could, her back hitting the wall she smiled, assumed the position for dashing and charged right at Leo. She sprang up into the air and shouted, “BONZAI!” as loudly as she could. The girl then landed on Leo, her full weight making impact, she laughed and practically sang, “Wakey wakey Leo! Time to say hi to Ceri~” While sitting on top of him with a silly grin plastered onto her face.