'Till the Popular Girl Cries.

Blacksmith University

''I didn't know she'd get so huffy!'' Frankie retaliated when Piper had told her off, in her usual bossy way. ''Nobody ever knows with Candace- I'm actually really worried about her!''

Macy sighed, inspecting her cuticles like she wasn't bothered. Why should she be? Candy had everyone: a popular clique of friends, a hot boyfriend...what else could she possibly want? Unless she was extremely ill, she was not bothered at all.

Piper was still jumping down Frankie's throat, ignoring Macy's ominous silence. Jessie spotted Candace walking through the automatic doors but decided not to tell the others. Piper would be hyper and make things worst, Macy would be uncharacteristically non-understanding, and Frankie was still upset about how Candy got so angry at her.

Candace squeezed her eyes shut, to stop the tears. She tried to put herself back into her old body, the body which didn't get upset at anything. But...now she couldn't stop herself. Her friends were all she had. Her parents were convinced she was old enough and smart enough to look after herself- but now Candace considered that. Was she?

''Candy!'' a raunchy, Carribean accent called. The girl spun round, hands on hips, acting like the queen again. Here came her stepmother Angie.

Hugs, kisses and Angie was already inspecting Candace's face, watching the red eyes closely. Flicking her braided bob behind her, nearly whacking the eye out of the school geomatery nerd, she raised an eyebrow at her step daughter.

''What?'' Candy questioned, trying to make it look like she was talking to Lana Sheffields infront of the jocks, rather than her loud and brassy stepmother.

''You know what I mean,'' Angie said, but didn't go further. She held out a large, brown envelope, scattered with sequins from her headscarf. Candy snatched it out of her hand and stalked off, leaving the woman to make a swift exit.

She took a space on a brown bench, smiling nervously at the school bully Ronan Clarkes and his sidekick Jake Mader. With shaking hands, she blew on her cuticles to fill up the time- so she wouldn't have to open the envelope that held the key to her future. 

''Oi,''  Ronan boomed, reaching out one of his hands to the the envelope. ''You gonna open it or not?''

'Uh,'' was all that Candy could stutter. ''Yeah?'' 

Tearing it open, she prayed that her university was Manhattan Uni. But the words Blacksmith University took over her eye focus. She swallowed and looked again. And again, hoping the words would change to Manhattan University of Arts.

But it didn't.

''Ah there you are, baby girl!'' Dane's voice called. ''So, you got Manhattan Uni, I take it. Everyone has, apart from Joseph Ranger, he got American Community...''

Dane stopped talking and pushed his hands through his afro as he saw the name of the university. His chocolate eyes went dull and he stuck a hand round Candy's back, as comfort.

And that is when she burst into uncontrollable tears.

                                                                                        ***

The two skipped class- forensic Science, Dane's favourite. But he didn't tell Candy that.

Candy had Maths with Piper and Macy and all the others. After earlier, she wasn't in the mood for facing them, to be fair. She was perfectly content sitting on the bench outside wrapped in Dane's Everest jacket.

"Come on, babe," Dane murmered. "Just 'cos Blacksmith has a reputation, doesn't mean it's all that bad-"

"Oh for God's sake, Dane, you are just so STUPID! Just leave me alone."

"You know what, Candy? You just treat me like I'm a piece of crap. I don't have to put up with it. It's over." 

With one last pitying look, Dane slouched off towards the Science block with his bag slung over his shoulder. And for good measure, he ripped off the Everest jacket from Candy and shoved it under his arm. She was single. And not loving it.