Pisces

"But... why?"

This was the hundredth time Taurus had asked me this. "Because that's how it works." Taurus frowned. "But why?" I groaned.

"Stop it! Stop!"

"But-"

I sighed, my head sinking slowly into my hands. This girl was going to be the death of me. Why had I even decided to take on tutoring her for extra credit? I really didn't give a damn about my grades. But, unfortunately, my parents did. And so they had agreed enthusiastically with my Maths teachers when she proposed this to them at a parent-teacher conference. 

And, well, I didn't want to upset them, so I just went with it. 

"Well, look at that, our time's up, see you-"

Taurus stopped me, reaching for the edge of my bag. 

"What?"

"Well, I feel like we don't get along very well, you know?"

"Okay?"

"If you're not busy, we could hang out..."

I looked back at Taurus. She had one of those adorable faces that you just couldn't say no to. Just like Cancer. 

"Sure, why not?"

Taurus smiled, picking up her books and following me out of the library. Well, this should be interesting, I thought. If nothing, it'll make for good entertainment. 

.....

"So, you wanna get something to eat?" Taurus asked, hurrying to keep up with me. This made me laugh. I was pretty tall, thanks to all the hours I put in swimming, and Taurus was pretty short. I wondered what she would look like next to Leo, who was basically a human mountain. The creepiest thing about that guy was that he was still growing. My guess was he'd be 6'5 by the time he stopped growing. 

"Let's head up to the food court?"

"Sure!"

We made our way up to the food court, talking about... well, nothing, really. But that talking entertained me. I was a natural talker, and I loved socialising. Even though Scorpio and Cancer were my closest friends, I enjoyed getting to know people and spending time with them. Which is why it only made me happier when we ran into Scorpio and Libra.

"Wait... no!" We saw the two walking out of the bowling alley. "Scorpio, it says I lost. To you." Scorpio chuckled. "Because you did, Leebs." Libra frowned, checking the white slip of paper in her hands again. "Impossible!" Scorpio chuckled. "I got more strikes than you, Scorpio!"

"Bowling is about consistency. You only scored strikes and gutter balls."

"Yeah, but 5. Whole. Strikes."

Scorpio smirked before noticing us. "Oh, hey, it's Pisces and Taurus!" Libra turned to face us, waving. I noticed how Scorpio's arm naturally wrapped around Libra's shoulders. How Libra leant into him slightly. How naturally perfect they looked together. I knew for a fact that both Libra and Scorpio had dark, manipulative traits. They were both largely flawed people. People to be careful around. People who, when provoked, could unleash hell on you.

But it seemed like they completed each other. All those gaps in their life where the darkness lived were filled in with love. Care. Happiness. It was kind of beautiful to watch, honest. It made me happy to see Scorpio like this. 

"Hey, Pisces, Taurus." Libra smiled her 'trophy smile', as I liked to call it, and I had to admit, it made me feel really self-conscious. How could a smile do that to me? I suppose if that smile belonged to a girl like Libra, who, despite participating in just two extracurriculars-student council and cheerleading-was the 'Queen of Varsity High', it could very well make you feel very self-conscious. It was scary, knowing there would always be a presence like that in my high school years. A presence who never failed to make my heart skip a beat when she smiled. 

But then again, Libra could make people faint with just a smile. So scarier for them, I suppose. I really couldn't see a girl like Libra as anything more than an image. It was just too hard to imagine that a girl as perfect as her was a person. It was like seeing one of those models on a Vogue cover-you knew they were just beautiful, perfect images. But you never really saw them as people. God, I didn't see a living, breathing classmate of mine as a person. What did that say about me? 

"You good?" Libra asked, never relinquishing her smile. "Oh, yeah, just thinking." Libra nodded, quickly changing the subject to her bowling game with Scorpio. I paused to think about Libra's reaction to what I'd just said. She'd immediately dismissed it, hadn't pushed it further. I suppose it was relieving in a way. But why would she do that? Was it because she was taking care to show that she wasn't too intrusive? Or did she just not care?

"Well, how about we get food together?" Taurus offered. Libra nodded. "Sounds good." It was then that I noticed the tension between Libra and Taurus. Taurus was holding some sort of grudge against Libra, but Libra seemed indifferent. Why was Taurus upset with Libra? Was it a jealousy issue? I honestly didn't know. Which was weird, because I could usually tell what someone felt by just looking at them. I knew Taurus was upset. And, for some inexplicable reason, that made me upset. 

What was wrong with me?

"Pisces? Pisces?" Scorpio asked. "What do you want?" I looked up with a start. "Oh, just a cheeseburger for me, thanks." Scorpio shot me a thumbs-up, relaying my order to the cashier. "Hey, let's go get a table, yeah?" Libra offered. "Sure." Taurus and I left with Libra, searching for a table in the already crowded food court.

"Here, found one!" Libra exclaimed. She pulled out her phone suddenly, her smile fading away. She looked down at her phone with an expression devoid of any emotion, almost as if something was pushing her limits. Or someone. "What's wrong?" Taurus asked, her voice sounding unusually toxic. "Oh, nothing..." I watched, dumbfounded, as Taurus snaked her way over to Libra's side, looking over her shoulder to see the messages. 

A scowl suddenly broke out on her face, one that seemed so bitter, so cold. One that could only represent heartbreak. 

"What is this?" Her tone was colder than her scowl. Libra rolled her eyes nonchalantly, turning to face Taurus. "Look, I'm just making my priorities clear to him." Taurus' scowl deepened, if that was even possible. "Doesn't seem like it." Libra sighed. "What part of the conversation-" Taurus snatched Libra's phone from her, causing the latter to shout an (extremely loud) "Hey!" Taurus ignored Libra entirely, fully aware that the entire food court was watching her. 

"Okay. So Leo tells you he meant what he said."

Libra took a step in front of Taurus, glaring down at her. "Give me my phone and get the hell out of my business." Taurus ignored her once again, continuing to read through the messages. "And you had the nerve to say: Leo, I like someone else. I'm sorry if that hurts you, but it's the truth. Wow. Rich, huh?" Taurus sniggered. Libra took another step forward. "Taurus, give it back or you'll be sorry." The way Libra growled, the way her unrelenting glare never shifted from Taurus, it made me feel really uncomfortable. 

"He replies, saying he can't stop thinking about you. All he wants... is to be with you." Taurus sighed. "He'll... settle for seconds." Taurus looked down at her feet. Did she like Leo? 

"Oh, and your reply: Please, stop this, Leo. It's not worth it." She laughed, her voice emotionless. "You're really getting on my nerves, Taurus." Libra definitely wasn't laughing. "He doesn't reply, and you tell him to go find someone who wants him. How cold. Oh, then you add that he deserves better. Pathetic." Libra looked like she was going to beat the crap out of Taurus at this point. Which she could-I knew she was a black belt. "This is the last time I'm asking you, Taurus. Give my phone back, or things will get messy."

Taurus took a step back, a disgusted look on her face. "God, get off me, you heartless psycho." Taurus pocketed Libra's phone. "I'm not giving you your phone." I suppose something in Libra finally snapped, because what happened next... it was really scary. 

"Taurus, get over yourself. You're acting real sick, and it's not looking good. I only started talking to you again because I really thought you changed. I really thought you weren't the same stuck-up brat I knew in the sixth grade." Libra paused, seething with anger. "Well, I've never been more wrong in my life. I mean, what is wrong with you? Why would you take someone's phone and humiliate them like that? Sure, I've got problems. But honestly, go see a therapist, because your problems are so much bigger than mine."

Libra seemed to have no regrets about what she'd just said. God, I wish I could speak my mind like that. But, then again, she's probably hurt Taurus so much. Does she realise how powerful her words are? Taurus said nothing. Instead, she reached up, balling her hand into a fist. "Oh, you're gonna punch me? Give it your best shot, you-" Taurus aimed for Libra's jaw. But Libra was just too fast. She stepped away, an amused look on her face. "God, Taurus." But Taurus wasn't done. She brought her hand, swiftly slapping Libra across the cheek. 

"What the hell are you doing?"

Scorpio rushed forward. "Don't you dare touch her!" He began to chase after Taurus like a madman. Libra began to run after him, wide-eyed and still in shock. "Scorpio, please don't hurt her-" Much to my surprise, Taurus turned to face Libra, tears in her eyes. "You got what you wanted again, Libra." She sighed. "Scorpio can break all my bones, for all I care, but I'll be numb to it. You know why? You just broke my heart."

With that, the small brunette fled the mall, sobbing as she left. "Oh, my god," Libra whispered to herself. Within moments, people crowded her, asking her if she was okay, if she needed any help, if her cheek hurt. 

And even though Libra insisted she was okay, I could see the pain in her eyes. Something was hurting her on the inside. Something she really didn't want to face. Something was killing this girl, eating at her sanity, and she was clearly too proud to get help. It was like seeing a baby bird with a broken wing-so determined to make it out of the nest, and yet in so much pain. She was in so much pain on the inside, and it made her a self-absorbed, cold, heartless, sociopath. I couldn't think of any other words for her. 

This high school was breaking people. Pulling them apart. Bringing out the absolute worst in them. Honestly, Satan would have to up his game, because at the moment, Varsity High was very close to replacing Hell.