CONSTANT HEADACHE ; EZRA MILLER

three: a friend

it was monday morning in a particularly eventful english class that chelsea made a friend for the first time in a very long time.

she had just begun getting her books out when her teacher announced there was a new student, and that everyone was to be nothing but nice to her. upon hearing this, chatter broke out (what would she be like? do you think she's pretty?).

when Chelsea finally lifted her gaze to the front of the room, she saw the new student; stood beside the teacher with a nervous, but nothing less than sweet smile plastered on her face, she looked simply out of place. she had a dark complexion, long black hair and Chelsea also took note of her perfect figure—long legs, everything. she was flawless; this school was not, in fact, flawless.

she has to be a model, chelsea thought to herself, bewildered by the fact that someone like that would step foot in a place like, well, this.

by the time the girl at the front was dismissed to sit down wherever she liked, Chelsea had already begun to resume working. she knew someone like this girl would never sit near her unless she wanted to copy her work. she liked to think she had been going to high school long enough to know what most teenagers were like.

but the unusual presence beside chelsea had proved her wrong.

"is anyone sitting here?" the girl spoke, her hand fidgeting with her necklace that hung low, gold and glimmering. chelsea absentmindedly felt the place on her neck that was devoid of any necklace.

"no one's sitting there, you can take the chair if you wish." Chelsea expected the girl to take the chair and walk away, but, instead, the girl just tilted her head back, laughing, before sitting down beside Chelsea.

her laugh was so delicate and angel-like, yet you could tell she wasn't faking it just to be nice.

"so, what's it like at this school? is this place any good?" the girl asked Chelsea, who wasn't quite sure how to answer the question without scaring the poor girl.

"do you want the honest truth?" she questioned the girl, who rose a perfectly plucked eyebrow in a curious manner.

"be completely honest," she answered, and chelsea decided she'd do exactly that.

"oh, it's complete shit—unless you're pretty enough to be popular or whatever, but i'm sure you won't have a problem—" Chelsea pointedly glanced at the table in the far back of the classroom, who weren't bothering to pay attention to their work at all, "—becoming friends with those guys. they're the popular ones, and they do just about whatever they please, i guess."

"oh, it's complete shit here. our principal tries telling us it's one of the best schools in the state, but you see that kid over there?" chelsea pointed to a particularly shady looking boy who sat alone, scribbling notes down in his book. "they found a gun in his best friend's locker, you know? the dude ended up expelled, of course, but most kids think he's gonna shoot up the school now, instead."

"and do you think that, though?" asked alex, eyeing the boy skeptically.

"nah, i think he's just gonna kill himself."

it was unexpected, but the two girls laughed. chelsea wondered if this was the kind of greeting to a school most would receive, but quickly dismissed the thought when alex patted her on the shoulder and said, "i think we'll get along quite fine."

and that's how chelsea met alex.

-

hello!! this chapter was short and had nothing to do with Ezra, but i promise you that Alex takes a big-ish place in this story! i hope you're having a great day :^)