Invincible

Hazel

Chapter:  13

Tori slumped over her stack of textbooks, squinting at her notes in the dim, humming library light. She was supposed to be studying for her history project, but all her brain cells seemed to have abandoned her—except the few that screamed nap at the top of their lungs.

"You look like death," a voice piped up. She looked over to see a boy around her age, decked out in a mix of bracelets and rings that sparkled even in the library's awful lighting. His hair was styled a bit too well, and his grin was mischievous. "Did history bore you to death already?"

This had to be Damian, the guy her teacher had paired her with. His voice was somehow both quiet and loud—shy but with a twist. Tori shot him a half-smile. "Pretty much. Between this project and trying not to sleep through my life? I'd say I'm holding on by a thread."

"Same, babe. Same," he said, taking a seat across from her and letting out a dramatic sigh as he opened his own book. "But let's face it. You and I? We're the only cool people here. It's all downhill for everyone else."

Just then, another voice chimed in, low and sharp. "Damian, did you finish the notes, or did you just stare into a mirror and admire yourself?" The speaker was a girl with glasses so large they were practically goggles, eyes darting over them with a focus that made Tori sit up a bit straighter. Lucia.

"I multitask," Damian said, deadpan, flipping his hair in a ridiculous little flourish. Tori laughed, and Lucia rolled her eyes, muttering, "Of course you do."

The three of them got down to work, though "work" was a generous term. Damian turned out to be a constant source of sarcastic commentary, which Tori found oddly refreshing. When Lucia reminded him to take notes seriously, he sighed dramatically. "I'd rather gouge my eyes out, but for you two, I'll consider it."

"Wow, such dedication," Tori smirked, shaking her head. "What a hero."

As they continued their so-called study session, Damian would occasionally let out snorts of laughter at his own comments. He was so animated that it drew Tori in, pulling her out of her own gloomy thoughts. "And then there's the part where our teacher totally pretends to care about our opinions. Like, dude, we're just here for the grades!"

Lucia shot him a look. "Maybe if you focused more on your notes and less on your jokes, we wouldn't have to put up with you trying to lighten the mood all the damn time."

"Hey, it's called balancing the emotional scale! Besides, no one can get through history without a little humor. Otherwise, we'll end up like those old guys in documentaries, droning on about the same boring battles!"

Tori chuckled, nodding. "True. It's either laugh or cry. I'll take the laughs any day."

"Oh, trust me, the crying is inevitable once you see our grades," Lucia deadpanned, adjusting her glasses. "We're doomed."

After a chaotic study session filled with more laughter than learning, they left the library together, the three of them walking down the corridor. Tori felt lighter, buoyed by their ridiculous banter. Just as they rounded the corner, Tori stopped short. Meur stood a few feet away, his eyes locking onto hers immediately. He had that brooding, untouchable aura that made her heart beat faster—and apparently, her brain cells scatter.

Damian gave Tori a sly look and whispered, "Do I sense some high school melodrama brewing?"

"Shut up," Tori hissed, though she couldn't keep the smile off her face.

As they walked past Meur, he reached out, grabbing her arm, pulling her back toward him with just enough force to make her stumble. "Hey, Tori," he said, his voice low and teasing. "Been thinking about you."