Spectacular World

A Girl Named Hope

"Earlier today, Avalon Industries found itself turned into a battle zone when the terrorist group known as Zoo arrived. At the moment, the damage is still being estimated, but the worst was prevented when Victorian arrived on the scene, causing the members of Zoo to-"

Hope didn't get to hear whatever the newswoman would have said as the video on her phone was suddenly paused when someone yanked the cord to her headphones out.

"Hey! I was watching that!" She grumbled.

"Well, excuse me for trying to help." Her friend Armin stood to the side, his arm stopping her from walking any further. "You were about to miss the turn." Her shrug made him sigh and roll his eyes, giving her a half-grin. "What were you watching anyway, Hope?"

She pocketed her phone as they turned down the street and continued on their way to school. "The Victorian." That was all she needed to say.

"Another disaster." Armin groaned.

"Yeah. A bunch of bad guys tried to pull off a heist. Thankfully, she was there to stop it."

The boy snorted, nodding his head. "Well, I could have told you that. She always saves the day."

Hope had to agree with her friend, though she used that word loosely. Armin was more like a brother to her. He was a kid that her mother used to babysit for extra cash. The two of them had taken up banding together and walking to school; this day was no different.

He was a nice enough boy, if a little bit odd. Armin had that typical nerdy look. Curly brown hair and a face full of freckles. His bright eyes came off as childish due to the oversized round glasses he wore, and he was all skin and bones, but he still managed to have a bit of a chubby belly somehow.

Though she wasn't in a position to make fun of him, her own body wasn't much better. She was awkwardly tall and almost too skinny, not having any muscle, and her chest was flatter than a board. Her black hair was a tangled mess, falling just past her shoulders, and her blue eyes were so childlike behind broken and crooked glasses that nearly dropped off her face.

Hope looked almost nothing like her mother, something she was reminded of every time she looked into a mirror.

"So, you ever get that new Victorian game?" Armin's question halted her thoughts.

"Nah. You know money has been tight."

"That's a shame. I hear it's a good one." They finally arrived at school and began to push through the crowd of other kids. "So, my parents are heading out of town sometime this week, and I was thinking of throwing a party. You in?" Armin asked as they stopped at her locker.

She folded her arms and scoffed. "By party, you mean just me and you, right? 'Cause you know no one else is going to show up."

"Hey, you don't know that. I could turn up the charm and get a couple of cheerleaders or the football team. At the very least, a few of those theater kids." Armin tried to give her what he might have thought was a seductive look, but it only caused her to shudder.

"You and Charm don't go together." Armin gasped and grabbed at his chest as if faking a wound, making her chuckle.

"You wound me so. You in, though?" He asked, folding his arms and giving her one of his weird stares.

"Yeah, I can hang out this week. What movie are we going to be watching? I can't think of any new ones releasing off the top of my head."

Armin never got a chance to respond, as a loud yell cut through the crowd around them, causing everyone to suddenly stop what they were doing.