𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐅𝐈𝐒𝐇 | 𝐀. 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐑 [𝟏]

➛⠀𝟮𝟱 | 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡 𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗦𝗘

"Welcome to Atlas Academy's Annual Open House." Tezuka, the school principal, greeted everyone with a warm smile. "Our students and faculty have been preparing for this night for months..."

"This is your first open house here, huh?" Nico inquired, her gaze falling on you. Your arms crossed as you nodded silently. Nico sighed and turned around to see Alex staring at you and her from the other side. "Did you apologize?" Nico mouthed.

"I did." Alex mouthed back. "She didn't accept it."

"Try harder, idiot."

When you, Nico, and Tina heard footsteps behind you, the three of you turned around and saw Robert standing by the door. Tina rolled her eyes and placed her attention back at the speaker while you and Nico kept your attention on Robert. Robert spotted you and Nico, so he simply waved and gave a small smile.

"Do not even think of going to stand by him," Tina warned you and Nico. Nico sighed. "I won't. Just please don't make this awkward." Nico pleaded.

"He's the one making it awkward," Tina claimed.

You remained silent until you couldn't focus on what the principal was saying any longer. It was boring you, and since you couldn't use your cellphone, you entertained yourself by playing with the strings of your sweatshirt.

You sagged in your chair, pouting about nothing in particular. When you took your gaze away from your hoodie, you noticed Alex looking at you apologetically. When Alex spotted you looking back at him, he froze. Alex sighed as you averted your gaze and crossed your arms again.

Catherine became aware of her son's frustration and turned to gaze where he was staring, where she spotted you with an upset expression. Tina had noticed your attitude as well, so she turned her attention to the Wilders.

A hand shot up, interrupting Tezuka's speech and earning your attention. The hand belonged to Victor Stein, Chase's father. "No, Dad, this is a straight-up assembly," Chase whispered to Victor. "You're supposed to just listen."

"Mr. Stein," Tezuka called out. "You had a question?"

"Will there be an opportunity to interface with faculty this evening?" Victor asked. "I wanted to personally thank each and every one of my son's instructors. They've helped mold him into a fine young man."

You raised your eyebrows in surprise. "He sounds jolly." You muttered, letting Tina and Nico hear. Nico cracked a smile while Tina nodded along.

"We welcome input from all our parents," Tezuka answered, smiling at everyone. "Now, if you'll proceed to your first classrooms."

Everyone stood up, and the parents started exploring the school with their kids. You leaned towards Tina to ask permission. "I'm gonna go for a bit." You whispered before walking away, not waiting for Tina's approval. Tina blinked in surprise. "Is she alright?"

Nico sighed. "I'll follow her."

You passed by Alex, who was just about to grab your arm, but you avoided him. Alex scratched the back of his head. "Goddamn it." He whispered. Nico stood next to Alex and nudged him to the side aggressively. "That's your own damn fault, Wilder."

"I'm really trying, Nico." Alex winced. "But she won't even let me speak to her."

Robert patted Nico's shoulder and leaned closer to her. "Can I talk to you real quick?" Nico nodded and followed her father, glancing at Nico and moving her head to the side, signaling Alex to find you.

Alex nodded and searched the area for you. He finally found you near one of the club tents, sad eyes on pamphlets. Alex cursed himself in his head and made his way to you until he got a message from Chase.

Chase:
We have to meet up.

Alex looked back at you and saw you walking away from the booth. Alex tapped his foot before groaning and marching his way to you. "(Y/n)!" He called out and excused himself from the forming crowd. "(Y/n)!"

You came to a halt and turned around to look for the person who had called you. Alex didn't notice you had stopped and slammed into you. With a loud thud, you and Alex hit on the ground, and you winced in pain. Some people in the area were aware of the incident but chose to ignore it and go about their business. "Ow..." You murmured.

"Shit, sorry!" Alex quickly apologized, lifting himself up until he realized he was on top of you. You looked up at him with big eyes when you noticed how close he was to you. "Oh, hi..." Alex whispered.

"H-How long are we going to stay like this?" You asked, slightly stuttering and feeling your heart beating way too fast.

"Oh, right." Alex stood up and helped you up on your feet. You quickly fixed your hair and looked away awkwardly. "Look, (Y/n), I really am sorry for what I said earlier. I didn't think and just went—"

"Oh, there you are, you two!" Gert stepped towards you and Alex, interrupting Alex's sentence. Alex bit his inner cheek to keep his irritation in check and turned to face his friend. "H-Hey... what are you doing here?" He asked politely to the girl.

"Chase messaged us, didn't he?" Gert enveloped her arm around your shoulders. "Let's go." Gert pulled you along with her while Alex followed behind.

"I don't need to come there." You told Gert. "I told you guys earlier that I'll get out of your business—"

"You're part of the group, (Y/n)," Gert reassured. "Whether you're new or not. You and Molly are our friends."

Alex frowned as he put his hands into his pockets, still unable to deliver his whole apology to you. Chase, Karolina, and Nico were waiting for you, Gert, and Alex when you arrived. As they began discussing Alex's parents chatting with Gert's parents, you stood a foot away from the group.

"We know the Wilders know about Molly," Karolina noted.

"So, if they told the Yorkes..." Chase muttered.

"Then they're probably wondering if we're talking," Gert replied as she crossed her arms. "'Cause if Molly told me, then..."

"You could've told all of us." Nico completed Gert's sentence.

Alex took out his laptop from his bag and huffed in anger. "We just need this goddamn thing to decrypt."

"What happens when it does?" Chase asked Alex. "Have you thought about that?"

Alex shrugged. "Well, then it's out of our hands, which I'm okay with."

Gert nodded. "Yeah, me too." She agreed. "They did this."

"Exactly," Karolina spoke up, glancing up at Chase, who was standing beside her. "They need to be held accountable for their actions."

Chase looked down at Karolina with a soft scoff. "Yeah, at least you'll still have your dad."

"Super," Gert commented. "Frank Dean can raise us all."

You turned your back on everyone while they continued to discuss things. As you stood outside the school, you hugged yourself. You inhaled deeply and began to question what you would do if your adoptive parents were imprisoned. Even though you know you still have Nico, you can't help but think of being homeless once more. Homeless, no parents, no one.

Nico and the others would still be there, but you didn't know how long they'd stay. It's possible that the group will break up at some point, and you won't know what to do or where to go. You gripped yourself even tighter and stared at the ground intensely.

'Oh? We're back to overthinking?'

"Go away..." You whispered.

'And it wasn't my fault this time.'

"(Y/n)?" Chase asked worriedly when he noticed you were trembling. "Are you okay?"

Nico, Alex, Gert, and Karolina turned their heads to look at you. You took a deep breath and faced the others, forcing a smile. "Yeah. I'm great. I'm gonna head home early. I miss sleep."

Nico shook her head. "Actually, Alex and I were thinking about hanging out in the Timely Coffee for a while. With you."

"I..." You stared at Nico before glancing at Alex, whose eyes filled with hope for you to say yes. You softly gulped and slowly nodded. "Sure. Honestly, what is sleep?" You let out a weak chuckle.