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[sub][color=lightgray][@LovelyComplex] & [@NeoAJ][/color][/sub]
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[indent][color=lightgray]Without Callie, the hustle and bustle of this new school was getting to Caspian much faster than it would have with her around. Seven minutes ago Alina had asked him how he was, with such low-spirits, and in that time span he met a boy in a tuxedo and a mask, he took in the sight of the boy that served him coffee weekly, and he was thrown off by an energetic boy with a dog’s name. This school had a strong sense of identity and it washed over newcomers like a tsunami. 

Keeping silent, he directed his ex-girlfriend and best friend to follow him. Those next minutes he didn’t answer her. He looked ahead to find a private place where they could talk. In his peripheral vision, he caught sight of a vacant bench in an empty hallway. From the looks of it, it seemed like the art hall and the lack of funding was blaringly painful. The art on display wasn't in proper exhibit cases and frames.  Instead, some were taped on the wall and the sculptures were on a cheap, fold-up table. 

[i]How unfortunate.[/i]

Taking a seat on the bench, he patted it for Alina to sit. Then, and only then, he would speak, [color=a57e67]“Alive and well, Al.”[/color] She knew him well enough to know how [i]particular[/i] he was. He wouldn’t go any deeper until she sat. Caspian Grey was a private boy and if you wanted to get him to say anything of importance, you had to absolutely make sure no one else was in ear shot distance. Even now they weren’t for certain if people were near, but it was private enough for a casual conversation. Casual was good for him. School wasn’t a place to show vulnerability, especially a school where half of the student body were complete strangers. 

The quick tour of the place that Alina got while following Cas’ whims did not inspire confidence in the place to be one that had what anyone from Liberty really needed. Or wanted. It was… sad. Callie wasn’t even here to take potshots with her. But, her spirit definitely needed Alina to be here for this poor boy.

Knowing that Cas was never one to share too much if he thought there was a chance others could hear, Alina took the seat next to him on the bench and sat as close as she dared without making herself uncomfortable. There were a whole lot of things to unpack and she wasn’t sure if they were going to be done here or need some more time. [color=73c2fb]“I think you’re doing better than me then, if that’s the case. Are you… all right with all this? This is a far cry from Liberty.”[/color]

[color=a57e67]“You’re not wrong. This place does need some tending to,”[/color] Caspian’s gaze followed the peeling paint of the wall in front of him. Shaking his head, he looked at his friend’s deadpan expression with optimistic hope in his eyes. Something Callie was more known for than him. [color=a57e67]“My sister would call this a beautiful mess.[/color] As he took a brief pause, his dark eyes surveyed how tired looking Alina appeared. He could only imagine how much she must be thinking about when it came to him and Niki. How worried sick she was. He worried her, and that was entirely his fault. [color=a57e67]“I can see her thrive. All she would have to do is laugh and this would be a changed place.”[/color] 

Sighing to himself, he crossed his arms and leaned back in the bench, contemplating all the work he had ahead, [color=a57e67]“What other choice do we have than to be alright?”[/color] Wasting his time and energy being upset at a sudden change in his situation was not in his planned schedule. He only had time to make the most of his situation and to clean up the school as efficiently and effectively as possible so that his sister could return back home where she belonged. 

[color=73c2fb]“Your sis would have been all over this place from the start, that’s for sure. Hell, I’m still not sure whether or not it was her that snuck in and did up all the decorations in the main lobby,”[/color] Alina offers, forcing a chuckle as she did. [color=73c2fb]“I…”[/color] 

She was still struggling. There were thoughts of wanting to confront him and just yell at him for the way he handled Niki in the summer. How he let himself stay buried in his own shit and let Niki hang to dry. Left Alina to try and deal with the repercussions of everything that happened even before Callie was forced to leave. There was a soft anger there, but it was tough to tell who it was pointed at. Caspian, or herself.

And those tears that fell in her arms made it very hard to fully blame Cas. It just made everything very confusing. And there was no one Alina could ask for clarity.

So she kept stalling for now. [color=73c2fb]“I don’t really know how I’m going to handle it. Niki is pretty adamant about me joining a club or something, but I don’t know. I doubt this place can even afford paint.”[/color] She stares at the wall in front of the two. [color=73c2fb]“Actually, now I know they can’t.”[/color]

[color=a57e67]“I was thinking…”[/color] Caspian hesitated, taking in the woes of his friend. He [i]knew[/i] she wanted to say more, but he also knew he didn’t give her a setting that would allow her to ‘talk’. They weren’t necessarily the most sociable individuals. So, add a public bench, some rowdy students not too far away, and it becomes an unlikely scenario for them to talk about their summers. When the time was right, they would talk. He would make sure of it. 

Since she brought up possibly joining a club, he too will put his curiosities on the table. [color=a57e67]“... I was considering running for school president.”[/color] The thought of him in such a limelight position made him anxious, but he believed if he wanted to make changes for the school, fast, he needed to be part of the team that could make that happen. [color=a57e67]“Or any position on the council, really. I—”[/color] he subconsciously tapped his foot in thought,  [color=a57e67]“— I [b]need[/b] to help this school, Alina.”[/color] 

Clarity definitely wasn’t coming here. Not with this sudden announcement. In all the time that she had known Cas, one thing Alina was certain of was that he wasn’t one to put himself in such a prominent position. Even adjacent to such. But that [b]need[/b] he emphasized, in regards to the previous point of conversation, it had to be Callie. It had to be for Callie, anyway. She would have been that kind of person, instantly inserting herself into the situation to try and improve things. 

[color=73c2fb][i]That used to be me...Could I? …No…[/i][/color]

[color=73c2fb]“If that’s something you really, [i]REALLY[/i] feel you need to do Cas, then you know I’ll help you as best as I can,”[/color] she assured him. [color=73c2fb]“I don’t know how. I don’t know who I would even talk to, but I can try to help you. But…”[/color]

[color=73c2fb][i]Help with what? You can’t even get him to talk about what happened! What is wrong with you? You’re going to let him make a fool of himself. Who in this school is going to vote for him? Probably some stuck-up queen bee bitch already buzzing around that position. This is going to be a mistake. He needs to know. He needs to know so many things! Freaking just-[/i][/color]

Something derailed Alina’s self-destructive train of thought.

Caspian turned his attention from one Zabrecky to the other. [i]Niki[/i]. They were exiting the building down the hall. The sound of the door abruptly opening in a relatively quiet area caught both him and Alina off guard. His foot tapped faster. If he didn’t seize this chance to get to the bottom of why Niki was ignoring him, he may never have another opportunity. He could hear his sister cheering him on and tell him he let this go on for far too long already. Turning back to his best friend, he whispered more to himself than her, [color=a57e67]“I want to try, at least,”[/color] before clearing his throat,  [color=a57e67]“I need to go.”[/color] With his eyes, he gestured back to the exit, signaling his friend that he’d like to talk to her sibling. Privately. 

Nothing about this damn school was helping Alina. At all. She didn’t even get the tour yet and now in addition to Cas dumping more things to worry about on top of her brain, her sibling comes tearing through into the room. That just raises further confusion. It seemed like Cas wanted to take the initiative and have the talk with Niki on his own.

[color=73c2fb]“I…”[/color] she starts, then sighs and stops. [color=73c2fb]”Go. It’s fine.”[/color] She pulls out her cell phone. [color=73c2fb]“I need to check my messages anyway.”[/color] It was subconsciously a message to both Cas and Niki that the second something was up, she was the lifeline. A text away. It would give her something to do. Besides look for DeShawn, anyway.

Briefly, Caspian watched her. Although his expression lacked emotion, his eyes said enough. He worried for her, just as much as she did for him. Not wanting to let his lingering gaze make her uncomfortable, more so than she probably already felt by their intimate proximity, he shook his head and stood up, [color=a57e67]“Thank you.”[/color] Not wasting another moment, he paced himself down the hall and to the exit. Before pushing it open, he closed his eyes. Inhale. Exhale. 

Once more, the noise of the door opening and closing resounded in the hallway.

Alina was alone.

[color=73c2fb][i]Maybe this is what I deserve. This is what I’m good for now. Just being left here by myself. I can’t help Niki. I can’t fucking talk to Cas. Christian and Billie are god knows where. Callie is gone. This is just it, isn’t it? This is my life. Destined to be abandoned and left as this useless husk…

...I gotta get out of here.[/i][/color]

Not wanting to spend another minute in the depressing corridor, Alina grabbed her stuff and bolted through the doors that Niki entered through. Whatever was on that side couldn’t be worse than what was left for her here. Maybe there was someone else she could yell at.

[color=73c2fb][i]Hah.[/i][/color]

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