TORPEDO ✓

rave and roses and riots

"DORIAN, CHILLAX OKAY? HEISENBERG'S UNCERTAINTY principle states that-states that-states--"

Then there's something suddenly interesting about the janitor's forever-21 bandana, as he carts his equipment across the hallway and Dorian stares till he almost loses himself.

"Argh. Okay." He slaps his forehead and turns to his locker's lock, ruminating on the flashcards he swallowed early this morning. "Heisenberg propounded that the-the umm, Henderson said that--Dory, for fuck sake, focus please!"

Some passers-by stare at him weirdly as he scolds himself. The test is just few hours away but all he's crammed are leaking out of his ears. Why is his mind so far from his body this Monday of all Mondays?

He turns the combination, the clicking louder than it should be, the footsteps and chatter of students around him sound more like they're jeering him, the malevolent voices susurrating in his skull about being an incompetent dummy. His head is caving in on himself. His heart beats rapidly and he clutches on it as if to rip it out of his chest. His palms are clammering, trembling.

Slumping against the locker and gasping for oxygen, he wonders how in just few seconds, atychiphobia and anxiety devours his self like a blackhole and now he feels weightless, yet heavy as lead inside his mental, low gravity bubble.

Are people looking at him right now? Mocking him for being pathetic swine who can't handle his responsibilities, his self-bestowed destiny? Cold sweat dawns on his mind and suddenly feels like drinking water. Like buckets upon buckets.

"Hey, Dorian. Are you okay?"

His crisis vanish.

"Scarlett," Dorian drawls, with a glowing, growing smile. "What a surprise."

"Is it?" She smirks.

"Well, it's weird seeing you anywhere else that isn't the library. No offence." He awkwardly shrugs and faces his combination the second time.

"You think I'm a nerd." She blushes and looks away.

Dorian's eyes aren't deceiving him: she deflates like a balloon kissed by a needle.

"I also think it's sexy. Bold of you to assume I don't have a fetish for focused, determined and independent women of colour."

Scarlett blushes even harder. "Stop it." She slaps his arm and he just winks in reply.

His locker opens for a piece of paper to fall to his feet. "Huh?" He crouches, thinking it's litter, and picks it up just to realize it's a...party card?

Dorian tilts his head to the side and assesses the cherry-scented card. It is a invitation. Apparently, one is happening in Khalid's house this Friday. There's a signature below by none other than Khalid himself and this one has Dorian's name as a RSVP.

Wait, what?

"What is that?" Scarlett asks from behind, also eyeing the card curiously. Dorian likes to think she's his overprotective girlfriend suspecting the pink, scenting card.

"Nothing important." Dorian scrunches his face. "They're assholes and whatever they're planning, I'm not ready to be a Jerry for those ninny-brained Toms."

He's about to dump it when the top left corner catches his attention. Handwritten in black ink;

i admit im an asshole but im definitely not planning anything...please :) ♥ (no homo tho).

Dorian scoffs. How dumb do they think he is? He dumps it anyway.

"I got one too."

Dorian whips his head to her direction. "You did?"