Red Roses (oc x Marcus Lopez Arguello)

10~ Mellow Yellow

Halls of Kings Dominion, November 6, 7 am

"Now, Rats, your people, they're the first of their family to attend King's, so they're like serfs during feudalism." Shabnam walks Marcus through the halls, giving him another rundown of the social hierarchy of Kings.

"Killer. I've enrolled in the dark ages." Marcus replies, as he looks over and sees a kid fiddling with some weapon that mirrors one of the ancient times.

"Some Rats get extra jobs. Uh, toilet scrubbing, infirmary watch. Shithead Lex does mail. Mopey Petra's on kitchen patrol." Shabnam lists a few.

"So, if this place is built on classism, why are you talking to me?" Marcus questions his roommate, who's ranked above him on the caste system.

"I'm friends with everybody." As if on cue, another student chimes in, hitting Shabnam in the back of the head.

"Sup, dildo!" He states to Shabnam, as a recollection of the past weekend's events.

"Yeah, ha-ha, Boyd!" Shabnam laughs it off. He looks at Marcus before attempting to explain. "We're just messing with each other. We used to-"

Marcus tells Shabnam straight up. "You shouldn't let people treat you like that."

Shabnam explains. "That's part of my specialty. I let people think I'm weak and they never suspect the ole Shab-attack!" He chuckles, fake punching Marcus.

"Has that ever worked?" Marcus asks.

"Did for me." Scarlett walks up right beside the pair, now on the left side of Marcus. "What Shabnam is saying isn't necessarily wrong." They keep walking through the halls. "Just depends on if you have the skills to back it up."

"What she's saying is, she thinks that I could do damage if I really tried." Shabnam smiles and nods at Marcus.

"Not at all what I'm saying." She shakes her head as they all make it to the table at the end of the hall.

The two cheerleaders sat, look up at Shabnam, handing him a ticket to the legacy dance. "See you ladies on the dance floor."

The two cheerleaders look at the boy disgusted, "Gag me."

The two cheerleaders then look at Scarlett, refusing to make eye contact as they hand a ticket towards her. She just examines the ticket as Shabnam informs Marcus. "No Rats at the Legacy dance."

"Oh, bummer. I just had my asshole freshly douched."

"Joke all you want but be careful. Week of the dance, Legacy hazing is a time-honored tradition."

He just rolls his eyes, dismissing Shabnams warnings. He looks at Scarlett, who's reading over the ticket like some foreign manuscript. "You're going?"

"I'm not sure."

"Why not? Didn't like it last time?"

"I've never been." She can feel his confused gaze, and she looks up. "Was never allowed to."

"What do you mean? You were never a part of nothing, not even the hazing?"

"No, I was a part of the hazing." Scarlett responds and Marcus begins to get angry at the thought that Scarlett participated in the bullying.

"Oh so, you were allowed to haze but not go." His tone is harsh, almost condescending.

"Argüello, I was the one the legacies hazed." She makes eye contact, and his eyebrows unfurrow.

At the same time, a shriek echoes down the halls. The scream came from Billy, and he turned his body so it's no longer facing his locker, but in the middle of the halls. With his hand up, showcasing a rat trap, with his fingers caught in it. Jaden just laughs from across the hall, high fiving his friends. "Caught one!"