John 8:32

25 - Proverbs 27:9

Perfume and incense make the heart glad, but the sweetness of a friend is a fragrant forest.

Going to school without Spencer was going to be weird. Like capital W weird. They had been in the same school district since... well, since forever. Spencer switched schools to Saint Augustine in seventh grade — one year after Damien started there. Right when his dad was hired at the church.

Damien had a pretty aggressive course load this year. That was almost putting it lightly. Most kids were relaxing their senior year, taking easy A's and free periods. It was college application season — Damien couldn't let up. He had scholarships to earn.

Sure, his parents could pay for any school he got into, but Damien wanted to do it himself. He wanted to earn it.

He was taking all AP courses this year, aside from Advanced Theology. That was his first period — the class he just skipped to say goodbye to Spencer. Chemistry was up next — Damien only walked in ten minutes late and he was already behind. Lab groups were in the back, and he was stuck looking for the teacher. Who wasn't there.

Damien had him for regular chemistry sophomore year — Mr. Hodgkin would just wander off sometimes.

He stood up at the front for a moment, scanning the room for anyone he knew even a little bit more than just had a class together level.

"Yates!"

A voice called from the back of the lab tables, and Damien turned to see Marissa waving him down.

"Hey, how's it going?" he dropped his stuff at the empty lab table — sitting down next to Emma. Leah was across the table by Marissa. Damien wasn't sure whether or not Leah was pissed at him or if that was just her face right now.

"It would be a lot better if Hodgkin weren't making us go through lab safety shit again," Emma grumbled, scribbling at her paper.

"He's had all of us before," Marissa laughed, "You'd think he has some faith in us."

"Marissa, I've seen you in the lab," Damien raised an eyebrow, "There is no faith to be had in you."

"I've only almost melted the table," Marissa scoffed, "I never actually set anything on fire."

"That's not reassuring," Emma laughed, and Damien had to agree. Marissa was... accident prone.

When Mr. Hodgkin appeared from... from God knows where, Damien was marked present, and the rest of the day went smoothly. For the most part.

He had AP Macroeconomics with Emma. He didn't know her super well but they got along, she was somebody to talk to so he didn't absolutely lose his mind.

AP Latin was next — Spencer told Damien he was insane for taking that class, but he was excited. It wasn't like he would use any other language offered in his daily life, so he figured he might as well be cool and learn a dead one.

He just had Marissa in that class. Shit.

Damien hadn't really spoken to her since he practically ghosted her after the dance. He felt too guilty about it to try and reach out. Every time he thought about it he just got this... pit in his stomach.

He took the empty seat next to her regardless.

"Hey," he dropped his stuff to the floor.

"Hey," she smiled at him, completely unbothered.

Maybe she hadn't even cared. Damien still felt bad.

"I'm sorry about last year, for kind of just... ghosting you," he blurted out, before she could even say anything else.