It was Sky’s seventh period health class when he had occasion to lay eyes on the new boy again. His breath caught once more as his eyes easily noted that lavender mane as Kole stepped into class. Taking note of his new classmates, Kole easily spotted Sky as well and gave him a rather mischievous smile before making those four inch heels on the platform boots he wore that day carry him across the room.

Kole took a seat next to Sky, his eyes moving over him once more, “so, is this the class where they teach us all about the birds and bees, while forgetting all about the birds and birds and bees and bees, and all the other colorful combinations in between?” Kole smirked.

Sky couldn’t help a small smile of his own then, “I take it you’ve had this class before?”

“Can’t wait to find out which is the right combination; I’ve been so confused my whole life” Kole offered with another smirk.

Sky shook his head with another smile, then suddenly a less pleasant thought occurred to him as he looked back at Kole, “if you have health this period, it’s Monday, Wednesday, Friday right? With gym during seventh on Tuesdays and Thursdays?”

“I see you know my schedule better than me already” Kole returned.

“No, everybody that has health this period has gym that period” Sky returned. He then took a wary breath, “just, this may sound weird but...”

“I like weird” Kole smiled again.

Making himself finish his thought, Sky continued, “but don’t ever stay late after gym. Trust me on this one.”

Kole narrowed his eyes a bit at that, then his smirk returned, “but aren’t you in that gym class that period too then? Staying late could be fun” he told him with even more blatant flirtation then.

Forcing his mind to remain on the warning he was trying to give this other beautiful, and patently feminine, boy, Sky added warily, “I’m not in that gym class anymore.”

“And why is that?” Kole asked curiously.

Sky took a deep breath, trying to figure out how to navigate that answer, “because, the teacher, who will hate you on sight, by the way” he sighed again, “he doesn’t want me in there. It seems I confuse some of the more primitive males in this school, and they do shit like this” he offered as he pulled Star’s ripped glove away from the still throbbing burn with a bit of a wince.

“Fuck” Kole stated as he saw the burn, “which neanderthal did that? I might wanna be able to know it when I meet him.”

“I’m sure you will” Sky scoffed as he winced again when he slid the glove back into place, “Curt’s real good at introducing himself to any of us freaks; and in lots of creative and unpleasant ways, at that” Sky answered bitterly.

“Curt?” Kole raised a brow.

“Yeah, Curt Spencer. The bane of anyone in this school who has an affinity for black clothes and eyeliner” Sky informed in the same bitter tone.

“Yeah, I’ve heard of him” Kole responded, ice suddenly in his tone.

“Judging by that tone, I’m guessing you have” Sky returned, as he was now the one with the more curious look on his face.

Kole looked down as though needing a moment himself then, “yeah my girlfriend... former girlfriend” he corrected as he swallowed a lump in his throat, “she went to school here a couple years ago. She mentioned him, once or twice” Kole answered, his tone now as bitter as Sky’s.

“A couple years ago?" Sky asked, “I probably knew her. What was her name?”

“Sammi” Kole answered as he looked down at his books, a darkness surrounding his previously jovial nature in an almost tangible way then.

“Sammi...” Sky then swallowed, “the girl who...” but he didn’t finish that sentence as Kole flinched slightly, not looking up then. “I’m sorry” Sky decided on sadly then, “I remember her. I kinda liked her.”

“Yeah, me too.” was Kole’s only response, the pain of that memory still more than obvious.

When school ended that day, Sky was waiting outside the door for Star as he did most days. Thankfully, the football team practiced after school, so they were mostly distracted out on the field. On that note, he was relatively sure that this visit to the parking lot would be less painful than the last. Sky was checking his phone as he leaned against the wall at the top of the school steps.

Once again, the beautiful lavender-haired boy made his appearance. Though, he at least seemed to have forced his flirtatious smile back into place in the last couple of hours. “We gotta stop meeting like this” Kole greeted Sky with another smirk.

“Well, I did need a new extracurricular activity this year” Sky smiled back at him, “figured stalking could work” he teased as Kole moved to lean back against the wall next to him.

“Well, consider me honored” Kole teased back. He then reached into Sky’s front pocket and claimed his pack of clove cigarettes, “mind?” he asked with another smile.

“Gotta go better than last time someone borrowed one of my cigarettes” Sky mumbled, holding up his arm again, but trying to force himself to keep his attention on the phone instead of his companion.

Kole just shook his head as though to chase away another bit of darkness at the mention of Curt once more. He then lit the cigarette, took a long drag, and finally leaned over to slide the pack back into Sky’s pocket with deliberate slowness as Sky tried to hide the smirk, and failed.

Kole then took a deep breath, and seemed to be debating about his next sentence. He finally gave in and spoke it, “so, how long has Curt been doin shit like that?” he asked, nodding to Sky’s arm again.

Sky tensed a bit at the memory of other markedly worse things Curt had done, in multiple lives, but made himself answer, “well as long as I’ve known him.” He then looked back at Kole, “so, what did Sammi tell you about him?” he dared.

“Nothing good” Kole stated, that ice there in his tone again then.

“He’s been harassing me and my friends for ages. There’s something so fucking wrong with him” Sky added in more of a mumble.

“Won’t argue there” Kole replied in a near whisper.

Sky then had to fight the urge to ask Kole exactly what he did know about Curt, but before he could, Star finally arrived outside, Crista in tow. Both girls took pause as they noted Sky’s new friend, each blushing slightly and giving each other a small smile before moving toward Sky and Kole.

“Hey, it’s your lunchtime friends” Kole stated as the girls approached, both of them not able to hide the way their eyes moved over him appreciatively. Of course, Kole’s eyes did the same to each of them as well, as he took another drag and blew the smoke out through lips that were smiling once again.

Sky just shook his head as both Crista and Star now seemed to be imagining what was underneath all of Kole’s tight black clothing, not that he hadn’t been doing that most of the day himself. He then remembered to make the introductions, “Kole, with a K, this is our friend Crista, with a C, and my... uh...” he shook his head as Star looked at him expectantly, “adopted sister, Star.”

“Smooth” Star stated as she just shook her head at Sky before moving to reach for Kole’s hand. Of course, her own concentration took a hit when he moved to kiss her hand rather than just shaking it, and then did the same to Crista who tried not to audibly sigh right then, and failed.

“So, adopted sister?” Kole narrowed his eyes as he looked between them, “interesting family that kisses each other like that. No wonder you mentioned the adopted part” he chuckled.

“We have strange lives” Star told him, which was more than an understatement.

Kole just allowed another chuckle, “so, are there couples here, I mean, here” he gestured just between the four of them standing there.

“I’m single” Crista offered a bit quickly.

Kole just chuckled again, “me too.” Ignoring Crista’s wider smile at that piece of information, he looked back between Sky and Star, “so if she’s not your sister...” he left that question hanging.

Sky and Star looked back at each other, as though trying to process the question. It never occurred to them to try to put any label on what they were to each other; at least no label that others would ever understand.

Star seemed to ponder the question for a moment longer before offering some answer, “would saying ‘it’s complicated’ be just too cliché?”

Kole chuckled again, “so you’re into each other, but have the same parents, so; weird?” he offered his own rather adept appraisal.

“You’re good” Star responded as she gave him another head to toe glance.

“I try” Kole replied with another flirtatious smile.

After another moment as the boys each took a few minutes to finish a cigarette, Crista finally had to speak just to remind herself to breathe as she looked between her three companions then, “so, what year are you, Kole?”

“Senior” he offered, “great time to start a new school, I know.”

“Dammit why is every hot guy in the senior class?” Crista complained, then blushed, “and hot girl” she added as she looked at Star. She then blushed again as they all looked back at her. “I’m not helping myself, am I?”

They all just chuckled then, but her awkwardness seemed adorable to all of them, “freshman I take it?” Kole replied.

“Is it that obvious?” Crista asked with another blush.

“No” he smiled back, “I did think you were a bit older, but I always aim lower when it comes to guessing girl’s ages. Safer that way; considering I’ll be eighteen in like, six weeks” he added with a shake of his head.

“Six weeks? Shit” Crista complained. She then looked between the three older teens again, “back to not helping myself again, right?” she added with another blush.

Then Kole just had to help quell her embarrassment by adding, “trust me, I’m suddenly not very happy about that looming birthday either” he smirked, while Crista’s breath caught again as she moved her eyes over him once more.

That was when Sky just had to laugh at the interaction, “don’t despair, Crista; you still have til April before me and Star turn eighteen” he assured her, which then just caused her to let out another short breath.

At that obvious flirtation on Sky’s part, Kole spoke again, “complicated indeed.”

Then Sky looked back over at him, “it’s a small town; we gotta entertain ourselves somehow, right?” he smirked.

“Can’t wait to find out for myself” Kole responded as he finished his cigarette, offered them all a somewhat flirtatious smile, and bid them farewell as he headed to his own car, all of their eyes glued to him as he left all three of them wanting to help him find out for himself as well.