When Star found Sky before the dreaded second period study hall they had to practically start each day with, he was standing outside the classroom, making an obvious attempt to force enough composure to go inside and have to face his attacker for the third time now since the attack had happened.

“It’s study hall, Sky” she told him sadly, “like I said, we can definitely skip this one. Hell, the teacher skips it most of the time” she added softly.

“Then he wins” was Sky’s only answer as he finally made his feet carry him through the door.

As Curt’s first period class was right across the hall, he beat the two of them there most days, which at least cut down on having to see him in the hall on the way there, if nothing else. Once again, Curt was in his seat already when Sky and Star arrived, forcing them to have to make their way past his desk before getting to their own.

Apparently two school days was the limit on holding his tongue for Curt, as he spoke up as Sky moved past, “Hey, Sky. Missed catching you after gym yesterday. Was hoping we could have another chat, over the sink.”

Sky’s whole body tensed as he froze then, that look of hatred immediately springing to his face. With clenched teeth, he forced himself to look back at Curt. Breathing the words more than speaking them, Sky responded, “one day, Curt, you are going to say or do the wrong thing, to the wrong person, and no power in the fucking universe will stop you from having to pay for being the kind of piece of shit that you are!” and with that coldly delivered promise, Sky moved off to his seat, Star hurrying after him, having forgotten to breathe the second Sky opened his mouth at all.

When the two of them did sit down, Star looked at Sky with a combination of worry and sadness. She then whispered, “is the power that makes him pay going to be us?”

“Trying not to let it be” Sky mumbled as he took out one of his books, “but so help me, if he ever tries to touch you again, then there really will be nothing that’ll save him.”

That day at lunch, their tiny little group of friends went out to the parking lot with Sky to retrieve a school project that the two had left in the car that morning for one of their afternoon classes. Luckily, the parking lot was on the opposite side of the school than the football field where the less desirable members of the student body spent lunch. But nonetheless, Star insisted on going with Sky for matters of safety, and Crista insisted on tagging along for other, less noble reasons that had something to do with Sky’s tight vinyl pants and Star’s short skirt; and Alana went along as well, as she had no desire to be left alone either.

As the day was rather nice, Sky and the three pretty girls, who altogether, looked like four pretty girls to those who didn’t know them, decided to remain outside for lunch. There were enough other students with the same idea that they hoped that they would be safe enough, especially in a group of four. Sky was leaning against his car with a cigarette in hand as the teachers rarely enforced the no smoking rule in the senior lot even during lunch. They were usually too busy having their own lunches or cigarettes in the faculty lounges. The car behind him, Star to his right, Alana in front of him, and Crista to his left; the four chatted while at least two of the girls spent a lot of the conversation staring at Sky with obvious admiration and attraction. One of which was his lover, so her stare was her natural state. The other of course was Crista who had done nothing but stare at him since meeting him at all. And Alana most likely found him attractive as well, considering her own tastes, but she was too shy to even look directly at him most days, or anyone else for that matter.

Though, when Curt reappeared from around the side of the school to go back to his own car for something, he centered an angry glare on the group. There was something about seeing Sky as apparently the center of attention for three beautiful girls, as well as Sky’s words from this morning still grating on him; those factors then combined to the point that Curt didn’t seem to care much about the other students in the lot, and those with Sky himself that day.

He then approached, glare still in place. When the four noted him heading their way, there was obvious tension in all of them as he roughly pushed Alana out of the way to step in closer to Sky. He then spoke in that self assured growl, “it’s not nice to threaten people, Sky. After all, the teachers already think you freaks are all about to snap and take out half the school, don’t they?”

“Threaten people?” Sky scoffed, trying to hold his composure in the face of his abuser once more, “but I guess it’s ok to do what you did to me? Right Curt?” he stated bitterly as he took a drag from his cigarette to try and calm his nerves further.

That was when Curt reached up to snatch the cigarette from Sky’s darkly colored lips and spin him around to bend him over the hood of the car, causing all of his companions to let out a squeal at the action. Sky used every bit of his will to force back any tears as he immediately thought he was about to be violated by this boy once more. Instead of violating him though, Curt instead moved to grind the lit cigarette into Sky’s arm as he yelped in pain.

“That shit never happened, you little faggot. Maybe this’ll help you remember that” he bit out as he drove the cigarette deeper into his pale flesh.

Her heart nearly beating out of her chest with rage then, Star centered a cold, angry glare on the boy who was once again inflicting any sort of pain on her other half. In the next moment, Curt dropped the cigarette and released Sky from his grasp as he stumbled back from the group. His hands immediately went to cover his ears as he flinched in some kind of pain as an ear piercing screech filled his head, which apparently no one else could hear at all.

“What the fuck?” he bit out, looking around, still holding his ears to try and block out the deafening noise that only he seemed to hear as Star continued to glare over at him, breathing heavily as she held him in a gaze filled with hatred. “What the fuck?” he asked again as he looked around at the confused faces of Alana and Crista and any other nearby students. “Fuck” he muttered, still painfully holding his ears against the noise no one else heard as he stumbled backwards away from them, heading back toward the school in some effort to escape the pain in his head at the sound.

When Curt finally retreated back inside the school, Star let her gaze drop back to the ground at last as she let out a few heavy breaths before turning her attention back to Sky. Meanwhile, Crista and Alana both just looked beyond shaken by the entire encounter. “Are you ok?” Star whispered to Sky, out of breath as she quickly moved to inspect the ash-filled burn on his arm.

“Could’ve went worse, I suppose” Sky answered, his own breath short, tears in his eyes from not only the pain but also from his own knowledge of what Star had just made happen to his attacker.

Thankfully though, Curt hearing things was something that would be less likely to make onlookers suspect anything other than Curt possibly losing his mind; which wasn’t all that much of a stretch for a boy with his obvious issues already. So they held onto the hope that maybe they would still be safe. Well, as safe as anyone could be in a world where Curt was still breathing.

Star tore a long strip of black from her already ripped gloves and wrapped it around Sky’s burnt arm, her breath still struggling to return to normal after the attack, just as Sky’s was. That was when Crista and Alana exchanged another worried look before the younger spoke, “what he did to you?” she asked Sky with more than a bit of her own sadness at the thought that Curt had hurt the boy she was so enamored with on multiple occasions now.

Sky and Star looked to each other before Sky managed an answer. “more of the same shit. It’s just who he is” Sky added in a bitter mumble as Star finished wrapping his arm.

“You should probably have the nurse do this right” Star told him sadly.

“Just having a little trouble trusting the faculty to do anything right these days” Sky returned in the same mumble, eyes cast down.

That was finally when the warning bell for the end of lunch rang and caused all their sad eyes to turn back toward the school. Alana let out a small breath, offered them a look of sympathy, and even moved closer to give Sky a gentle hug before heading off toward the school doors. Then Crista offered him the same sort of smile and moved to give him a much tighter hug, taking a few seconds too long to press her breasts to his chest and her hips tightly against his own before offering him a slightly more mischievous smile and heading inside as well.

Star just smirked as Crista moved away, then looked back up at Sky, “you know, you might have to eventually give in to deflowering her in this world too. That girl’s got it bad for you” she tried to tease to lighten the mood, if possible.

“Is that so you’ll have the green light to do naughty things to her too?” Sky asked, almost managing a smile.

“Me? I’m sweet and innocent” Star told him with that feigned innocence she spoke of.

“I think your lipstick is still smudged from last night, miss innocent” he told her with another smirk.

“Shut up, you” she chuckled as she moved to give him her own warm embrace, as well as a long, tender kiss upon the lips before squeezing his hand and grabbing her bag to head back into the school after their friends, and their enemy of course.

Sky let out a bit of a sigh as he finally turned to claim the school project that had started this whole encounter in the first place. That was when he heard someone clearing their throat nearby before another male’s voice, unsure though it was, greeted him, “I just started today, and... I guess you’re the person I should really make friends with around here. Considering how friendly you and those three...uh... seem.”

As the other teen spoke, Sky turned back to the sound of his voice, and his words. Though Sky’s breath then caught as he took in the appearance of this new boy who seemed so interested in being friends with him of all people. Sky’s eyes moved over the long lavender hair, cat-green eyes, thick eyeliner and pale pink lipstick, before then moving over the other boy’s rather clinging black clothing as Sky bit his lip, trying to regain that composure again; though this time having lost it for a much more pleasant reason than the last.

“Hi” Sky made himself breathe the response.

“So, you’re not just interested in only being friends with all those pretty girls then?” the boy teased slightly at Sky’s obvious reaction to their more than similar style.

“I’m kinda equal opportunity when it comes to... friends” Sky stated, dropping his tone deliberately on the final word.

“Then we should get along great” the lavender-haired boy smirked as he held out his well-manicured hand, “I’m Kole, with a K” he added with another smile.

“I would’ve guessed hot with an H” Sky stated under his breath, then quickly added, “Sky. My name, that is” he added with his own smile.

“So nice to meet you, Sky” Kole returned as he let his eyes move over Sky then as well, content that his gaze would be welcomed, among other attentions he was sure.

Taking another moment to gain any more of that composure, Sky made himself remember that he did have the rest of his school day to get to. With a breath, he lifted the rather large school project into his arms, still flinching a bit at the burn, just in case he had forgotten his pain momentarily.

Sky then looked back at Kole, “word of warning, me and those girls may be friendly, but there are many more unfriendlies waiting inside for people like us.”

“I’m sure there are. I left several of them at my old school too. I didn’t just accidentally wake up looking like this today, after all” Kole added with a slight smirk as he began following Sky toward the door, happy to trail a few steps behind him as his eyes moved over Sky from that angle as well then.

“That would be some accident” Sky returned with his own small smirk then as Kole moved to open the door for him, as his hands were a bit full.

Once they were inside, Kole took a breath as he looked around at the group of his new school mates making their way to their lockers before sixth period. He then looked back at Sky, “office?” he asked.

“That way” he smiled as he nodded in the proper direction. Kole just smiled, gave him a slight bow and headed off in the indicated direction as Sky then got a chance to view the other boy from that angle as well.

That was when Star noted Sky’s return as she had still been speaking to Alana quietly in the hall. As Alana bid her farewell and headed for her next class, Star’s gaze followed Sky’s to where the new boy was heading down the hall away from them.

“And, who is that?” she asked Sky a little breathlessly.

“That is the new boy; Kole, with a K” Sky breathed as they both moved their eyes over his retreating form.

Star swallowed a bit, “so now we’ve got Crista, and Kole, with a K? And we thought our orgy-filled nights were over.”

Then Sky smirked back down at her, “yeah, you’re so innocent” he teased as he finally began heading to class; though that smile remained, despite having been lost for so long.