First, before we start this, I have no clue why I did this either. When I woke up this morning and saw Jordan sleeping in front of me, I accidentally called her cute, then she woke up and started making fun of me. I... sorry. Just needed to write that down. I'm not deleting what I just wrote but I know I'm going to regret it later.

***

For some reason Naomi found me lamenting somewhere near the clubroom - There's a hallway, some classroom, and our clubroom is the first room in that hallway, and just across from that clubroom is a door leading to the outside with a small staircase someone could sit on, in front of that is a really pretty tree too, but that's irrelevant - I was out there sitting on the steps that I mentioned before, staring out to the bushes and trees that sat in front of me. My mind sort of went blank at some point and I snapped out of my state of delirium when she opened the door behind me. She peaked out from inside the hallway, an eyebrow raised, "What are you doing out here?"

"I... don't really know." I pressed my lips together, leaning on the steps and using them as a backrest but quickly reposition myself due to how uncomfortable that was. I heard Naomi nod as she positioned herself on the steps, sitting right beside me.

"Alright." She muttered, looking to the greenery in front of us, "How long have you stared at this?" Naomi pointed to the tree and bushes.

"Quite a while," I paused, "It was relaxing, to be honest, a lot of stress that had been building up kind of just... went away. Breathing the air around me, taking in the environment, it's always what I've been doing but on a smaller scale?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well... you know how there are a lot of dilapidated buildings and stuff?"

"Yeah."

"Well, every morning, I go and look for more or search through places I've already been to. It's super relaxing and really intriguing at the same time. I dunno, it's fun."

"That's what you do in your free time?"

"Well... yeah. I don't really read much, I haven't drawn in a couple of weeks."

"You draw?"

I chuckled, "Yeah, it was fun, I take the art courses by the way so that's kind of how I got started."

"Interesting, I took music-based courses."

"Oh? I figured you'd go more business than anything."

She shook her head, "I like music a lot more."

I nodded, "I like music a lot too, but, probably not as much as you since you actually take courses on it."

"I could say the same about art."

"How much do you like art?"

"I like looking at it... that's about it though."

"So, to a normal degree?" I chuckled mid-sentence.

She nodded, leaning forward, looking at the school wall beside us that curved at a certain distance, "What a weird school."

"How long have you lived here?"

"This is my first year here."

"That explains it, I'm kind of used to it but, yeah, I can see how people think of this place as odd. The architecture is excellent, so much better than other schools I've seen here in America, the Middle School was the same but was a bit more open and less of a massive ass building."

"You like architecture?"

"Well... I'd have to like architecture if my main pass time is just going through abandoned buildings."

"Have you drawn stuff like that before?"

"Well... yeah. I draw buildings a lot."

"Can I see some of your drawings?"

I stopped the flow of the conversation for a moment, staring Naomi in the eye, "I'd like to draw you."

Her cheeks grew red, "Ah, do you draw people often too?"

"No..." I stopped myself then and there, attempting to find another topic to move onto, "Well... yeah, I'll show you some drawings of mine." I cleared my throat, trying to hide my embarrassment.

She stifled a laugh, "Sorry."

"What?"

"No... it's just... when we first met, it didn't really go too well and here we are talking like nothing happened."

"Yeah... well. People who meet in different circumstances tend to like each other more depending. Some just outright fucking hate each other no matter which circumstances they appear to be in so I think we're in the 'we move on quickly' party."

"There's a third?"

"What?"

"I mean, you were saying it like there were only two scenarios."

"Of course not, life isn't that simple."

She nodded, "Yeah... no, you're right. It's better to move on quickly, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is, but..."

"It's still a struggle depending on what it is?"

"Reading my mind now?"

Naomi shrugged, "Maybe."

I just want to let you know but I am absconding many thoughts right now as to not embarrass myself further. "Hey, Naomi," I pointed to the two black gloves that covered her hands. "Why do you wear those all the time?"

"Hm... well..." She thought to herself for a moment, "Well, 1. My hands get cold really easily, 2. I'm a bit of a germaphobe."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, it's not like, crippling or anything, I just don't like touching dirty things like stone or desks."

"Is that it?"

"Yeah, that's about all I can't really stand which is also why I wear these tights," Naomi ran her hand across her thigh.

"Hm... so they weren't a style thing?"

"Hm? No." She chuckled.

"Oh, I thought it was a style thing because it looked really good on you, fitting with your dark violet-colored hair and your darker colored eyes and all, the whole look just went together perfectly." A thought I had at the time was if she wore a full-on black tight suit under her clothes, that'd also look really good and I won't retract that statement.

She nodded, a nervous expression on her face, "Yeah..."

I realized what I said, my face flushed with red, "Ah... sorry."

"No, it's fine, I'm glad." She didn't look like she understood why she was "glad" though.

"Hey..." I could tell that Naomi was about to change the topic so my mood sort of snapped into a more serious disposition, "I... sort of realized something."

"What?"

"You... I don't think you really know why people avoid you."

"What do you mean, isn't it...?"

"No, it was due to your response, umm... people... people are scared of you. That's why nobody really talked to you."

"People are scared of me?"

She nodded, "Yes, apparently you took out an entire cafeteria of kids and adults who were trying to stop you. I don't know many details but it was as if you were in a blind rage you couldn't control."

"Really!?"

"Yes."

"So it wasn't for a reason that didn't make sense!?"

"No, it was because people were scared."

I let out a long sigh, my entire body relaxing as stress seemed to melt away, "Oh my god... thank the fucking lord."

"Hm?"

"That's so much better than any of the theories I came up with."

"Well, there is one more reason."

"And, what is that?"

"Lake." I couldn't say anything, "I looked into it and he's 100% behind it."

It... it wasn't pain. But I felt something in my chest and... I couldn't help but appreciate what she did. I couldn't find anything out for forever yet she was able to take a weight off of my shoulders that had been building up for years. I held back the tears, felt a gap in my throat, "Thanks... I appreciate that." My voice was shaky, my expression stern, serious.

I could see the shock in her face as she watched me almost break down in front of her eyes but a kind smile came to greet me shortly after, "No problem, if something unjust is going on I can't help but interfere y'know?"

"No... you really don't understand how happy you've made me, though... I really shouldn't be happy about people being scared of me." I couldn't help but laugh.

"Do you know why you went ballistic that day?"

I shook my head, "No clue, I can't remember anything."

Naomi smiled, eyes closed, content with my answer, "That's fine, at least you have a lot of friends now."

"Friends...?"

She looked up at me, nodding, "Yeah, I consider you a friend now, Violet definitely does and you also have Jordan."

I let out a small sigh, looking up to the sky. "Now... I just have to deal with my family."

"Were those things on a checklist?"

"Kinda... especially after the stuff between me and Jordan happened, and the whole thing with Violet inviting me to a club. I kinda just wanted to improve myself and all... just wanted to be happy with myself for once."

"What is your family situation anyway?"

"Ah... yeah. Well... I think my sister hates me, my dad doesn't even seem to care about me, my mom has gone radio silent for everyone except my dad, my brother literally just has no emotions."

"Oh? And, your brother is...?"

"His name is Lennon, Lennon Murphy, he's somewhere with his girlfriend or something, I never bothered to ask."

"Really, would someone without emotion have someone like that?"

"Let me tell you this, all he's doing is using them as an experiment. He's broken up with so many girls and it's like an analysis sheet for emotions for him. He's intrigued by it - I guess that'd mean he has some emotions but he's clearly lacking something, here." I tap my head.

"Elaborate?"

"Well... he mostly takes down their negative emotions, so, there's the catch."

"Sadistic."

I nodded, "Yeah, I've had to watch countless girls crying and just be utterly miserable due to him... it got bad enough though that one girl tried convincing me to have sex with her to cope, of course, I rejected them but they insisted so I had to lock myself in my room."

"Holy shit, that's bad."

"I was in Middle School by the way."

"Oh, shit."

Something was bothering me but that won't become relevant until later so I'll put it on the back burner - I looked to Naomi, "But seriously, I really have to thank you for looking into all of that for me. I really couldn't find anything out because of how dense I can be. I really can't describe how much it means."

Her cheeks were red, "You're making me embarrassed."

I chuckled, "Well, I kind of want to continue since you look cute right now." She was covering her face with both of her hands, her face growing even redder than before.

"What's with you right now?"

I pulled back, face red as well, "Sorry... I got carried away. It's hard to keep my thoughts from slipping out sometimes. I've always been considered a blunt person so I've always kept it in check but for some reason... it's really hard right now.

"It's fine, I'm just not used to it."

"Y'know, I'm worse with compliments y'know. I can dish them out fine but whenever compliments me I start feeling like they're lying or something, or even, I'd just... kind of shut down?" I chuckled.

Naomi looked a bit mischievous, moving a bit closer to me, "Let's test that out since you embarrassed me not that long ago."

"W-well, that was on accident."

"When you saved me... when I saw you alive and well... I've never felt so relieved in my life," She paused, "And, when I got to know you more, I started to notice certain things about you, like your eye color, your sharp eyes, how big you were. It was a bit overwhelming, though it's only been such a short time."

"I'm sorry, you said my eyes were sharp?" I was a bit embarrassed but I couldn't help but laugh.

"Uh... hmm... I guess, I ended up... backfire..."

For some reason, I started teasing her, getting closer and closer, "Hm? You like my eye color, how big I am?"

"I never said that..."

"But you implied it."

"Well... sometimes... I don't know. When I look at you - you can be sort of intimidating but it's kind of alluring."

We were really close now, "What are you doing to me?"

"Wha..." Naomi stopped as my hand grazed across her face, both of us getting closer. I couldn't help myself, and she accepted me, kissing her then and there. Her lips were soft and she smelt great, my heart was racing and I felt like I was going to break at any moment, but I stopped myself. Pulling my hand back, looking away in embarrassment.

"Sorry... I did too much."

She shook her head, "No, it's fine... it just shocked me a bit but..." I looked back over to her, watching as she touched her lips with her index finger.

"I-I'll... uhh..."

"We should go." She nodded.

I couldn't really remember anything else from then, I was just overwhelmed with emotions. I have no clue what happened or why I did it, why she accepted, what she was even talking about... Jesus, fuck. Maybe what Jordan was saying had some merit. Fuck, I'm going crazy.