All the Beautiful Things

I

(A/N: I had to republish for a mistake)

FROM THE MOMENT the bell rang its shrill cry at the early hour of eight in the morning, until it sighed its final screech at three-ten, Everest Tanner had slaved away in class. But alas, the day had narrowed to an end, and the narrow halls of Thomas Jefferson High School were flooded with students. They moved in the same general direction, towards the doors, but a few stragglers fought the currents and went the opposite way.

In Everest's eyes, they looked like salmon trying to swim upstream.

The bland boy liked to think of the tidal waves of students as the "black and white sea." He didn't find humor in his little joke, simply because he found humor in nothing, but he liked to use that as a referral anyway. You don't necessarily need a sense of humor to make a joke.

He was ready to go home, but he tended to wait until the crowds had thinned before exiting the building. He was not particularly popular among the students of Jefferson High, and it was a more intelligent decision to just wait a while and avoid those who enjoyed starting fights with him. He wasn't sure why this was, seeing as fights with Everest Tanner were boring endeavors, and they never lasted long. Many bullies found that picking on someone who replies without the slightest hint of anger, fear, or anything at all was not particularly enjoyable.

Bullying was not a major problem at the school anyway. See, the stress that weighed down every student's shoulders was too much to worry about, without resolving to hurting the other students. Most people just peacefully coexisted with one another, and in a school of small proportions, many knew each other quite well. Acceptance was never a problem, nobody cared if you wore name brand clothing or if you drove to school in a beat up minivan or a shiny new Jeep. It simply didn't matter. Everest was only feared for just how different he really was. No one could relate to the blonde's strange attributes. Everyone else could see colors, and everyone else felt emotions.

When the masses has finally cleared some, Everest descended the large marble staircase. For a small school in a cheap little town, the building designers wasted no time on cheap decorations. The school was a rather beautiful building, finely furnished every year with brand new furniture and paint touch-ups. The floors were made of expensive tiles and the lighting fixtures were creamy pearl in color. Of course, Everest saw this in only a light shade of gray. His eyes missed out on the beauty of it all.

Blinking, the tall boy inserted his clean, white earbuds in his ears and pressed "play" on his sound selection. Once it began playing, he walked in the direction of the main doorway, not looking where he was going. He didn't need to, he took the same path every single day, why would he need to pay attention? Well, apparently it was a requirement, because the boy collided head on with the white walls, and he slumped to the floor, his long legs giving out underneath him.

Anyone walking by would have laughed at the sight, as Everest was quite tall and lanky, so he fell into a heap of his own spindly limbs. But of course, he didn't find this funny. He simply sat on the floor for just the time needed to register what exactly had happened before he emotionlessly picked himself up once again. with that done, the blonde continued walking towards the exit, his eyes on the door this time. He did not notice, but when he fell, a shorter boy across the hall gasped. The collision looked painful, and walls were a lot stronger than thin teenage boys.

Now, the boy who had witnessed everything was not one to ignore things like this, so it was second nature for him to pause what he was doing and trot over to the taller boy. He tapped furiously on his shoulder, though he had to reach up to do so.

As soon as Everest felt another human touch him, he halted like a car slamming on its breaks. His converse skidded slightly on the floor, but he ignored the screechy sound. Slowly and carefully, he turned his head. Once his piercing blue eyes landed on the other boy, his brain began to scan his features.