The Paths That Tie (Clementine x Violet)

(5)

     The weekend had come and gone since the events of the project, and Clementine hadn't really talked to any boarding school students since. Which was fair because she only had Marlon's number and she couldn't imagine that she'd just run into any of them at the store. It was hard for Clementine to wrap her mind around the fact that it had only been a week since the boarding school kids had transferred to Ericson HS. They had made such an impact on the environment of the high school that it seemed impossible that they had only been there for a short amount of time.

     With all the excitement of the previous week, it had been hard for Clementine to give any focus to the people around her. It seemed as though her mind was constantly occupied with helping the boarding school teens with whatever they needed at the time. From Aasim's request to be introduced to the Journalism Coach to Marlon's need of Clementine's persuasion skills in order to temporarily join the baseball team, they sure took advantage of her offer for help at the end of their tour.

     These acts raised suspicions of more than one person in her circle of friends. After all, Clementine had been visually more distant the last few school days. Her normal routines had changed and her involvement in lunch time conversations seemed to drop drastically.

     "Clementine! Are you there? Hello?" A teen boy yelled, waving his hands across the lunch table towards Clementine. To which, she snapped out of her dazed state.

     "Huh? Oh. I'm sorry, Duck. What's up?"

     Duck, or more formally known as Kenny Jr., was a senior like Clementine. On Clementine's first day in Ericson, he was the first person to introduce himself to her. Which, led to the two getting along quite well. Clementine was a good balance to Duck's wild personality, and vise versa to Clementine's mature essence.

     "What's up? I think what we all want to know is what's up with you?" Another teenage boy said, who was sitting next to Clementine.

     Gabe, or Gabriel, was his name. He was seen as the most athletic in the group of friends, given that he was the self-proclaimed ace of the baseball team. Clementine had known him for a few years, and their relationship was...Back and forth. Clementine wasn't sure how she felt about Gabe, feeling like their current relationship suited them the best. However, she was painfully aware of his feelings for her. She would stay visually oblivious to it most of the time, but at certain points would expose her hidden undecisive nature.

     "Nothing is wrong with me. I think this whole dance situation is just stressing me out, along with trying to keep an eye out on the boarding transfers." Clementine said, picking at her food.

     "Come on, Clem...I know you better than that. You don't have to say what's really going on, but just know that we're all here for you, okay?" A female teen said, sitting on the other side of her.

     Her name was Mariana, and she was Gabe's little sister. She was only a Freshman, but had the maturity and mentality of an upperclassman. Which, led to her being well liked in the group. She was one of the few people who Clementine felt she could talk to about anything, given her kind nature.

     "Exactly! The library is always open, if you need a place to unwind for a bit..." Another female teen said, sitting next to Duck.

     The other female in the group was named Sarah, and she was one of the smartest people Clementine knew. If anyone ever needed to find Sarah, there was always a 90% chance that she was in the library reading. She was quite reserved, but also would come out of her shell every so often. Sarah was certainly a good friend to have if you ever needed help academically or emotionally.