this love, walker

007. rubix cube

"Stella, oh, my God! Tell us everything." A girl walks up to the two siblings.

"You poor thing. I can't believe you're back in school already." Another girl says.

"I can't believe you two have no manners." Taylor remarks as the three siblings walk up. Cody gives the two girls a sardonic smile.

"Augie, how are you?" Ruby walks over.

"August!" A blonde steps in front of Ruby. "You're so brave. Do you need anything?" Ruby walks away.

"You know my name?" August asks.

"Of course I do." The blonde smiles making Randy roll his eyes. The bell rings. "Maybe I'll find you after class." The three girls leave.

"Suddenly I'm brave." August says. Stella gives him a look. "Oh, come on, it's better than, "Oh, his mom died." Or "It's that quiet A/V guy we keep on referring to as "Arlo" for whatever reason.""

"Hey, not everybody calls you Arlo." Stella says.

"Well..." Randy mutters, wincing.

"Look, our life has screwed us up so many times, all right? Why not take advantage of just one tragic thing?" August questions, going into school, Randy and Cody following.

"Come on." Taylor wraps her arm around Stella's shoulders. "Boys will be stupid." Stella lets out a small laugh.

+++

Stella got her food and is making her way to the table that she sees Bel at, but is stopped by a group of girls.

"Is it true that your brother did surgery with a gun to his head?" One of the girls ask.

"What?" Stella frowns.

"That's what everyone's saying." Another girl says, a smile on her face.

"Well..." Stella scoffs. "If that's what they're saying..." One girl tilts her head to signal for more.

"Come on, don't be lame." The second girl says.  "I want your cool war stories."

"Cool?" Stella frowns.

"I want you guys to learn how to read the room." Taylor quips, walking up, giving them an annoyed smile. "Bye bye." She shoos them off. Stella awkwardly smiles, passing the girls, Taylor right behind her.

"Have you guys ever heard that parents say that they get this supernatural force when they need to save their kids?" August asks the group he's sitting with.  "Well, for the first time, I actually understood that. Felt something weird. I was like, ah, I'm just gonna shake it off..."

The two girls sit at the table with Bel.

"I seriously can't handle how he's talking about what happened." Stella says. "I don't get it. It's the last thing that I ever would want to talk about." She says. She glances between the two. "Doesn't mean I don't want to talk at all." Bel doesn't say anything. Taylor attempts to start a random conversation, but Stella speaks first. "Is everything okay?"

"Do you want to talk, or do you not want to talk?" Bel questions. 

"Not... I guess." Stella says.

"Okay." Bel says. "I've got to study, anyway." She gets her stuff and leaves.

"What was that?" Stella asks.

"Uh..." Taylor acts clueless, postponing any reality check she might have to give. "No idea." She shrugs. "Maybe she's just having an off day too."

"Right." Stella mumbles.

"You wanna rewatch Dawson's Creek later?" Taylor asks.

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