UPRISE

007

            When they reconvene, Corbin brings a set of straws and scissors.

He cuts them into four different lengths. The smallest length gets three straws, because there are nine of them in total.

At the red barbed wire fence, Corbin holds the straws in his hand.

"Why don't we just pick who we want to be with?" Reagan asks, trying his best to look anywhere but at Wren. Every time Reagan meets a cute guy, he's like this. He falls quickly and hard. He bellyflops into concrete.

"It's all about taking a chance," Percy giggles. As she does so, she playfully slaps Reagan in the shoulder with a limp wrist.

When she reaches and grabs a straw, winking at Corbin, the boy scrunches his nose. It's as though yesterday didn't even happen in her sparkling eyes. It's still all too real for Corbin. "Actually, it's just so nobody bickers over partners."

"Efficient," Wren rolls his eyes. Still, he takes a straw and pockets it.

Everyone else reaches to grab their straw without much fuss. Once they are settled and done, they are off.

~~~

The tallest straws belong to Corbin and Jasmine. When she sees his straw, she tries her best to hide her smile. While he only scowls back, she doesn't mind. This is like every crappy teen romance book she has ever read.

Pretty rich girl and bad boy. Perhaps she lacks the innocence necessary, but that makes it all the better. Jasmine is always ready to surprise.

Corbin does most of the talking at their doors. He is much more thorough than she would be, asking whichever roommates are present for the names of their absence friends, and asks to describe them. With a blue bracelet and broad shoulders, no reds question him or go up against him.

"What was your first tattoo?" Jasmine asks him between rooms.

Corbin turns around to stare at her. He snorts a laugh, before biting his lip. It's always fun when someone assumes anything about him. "What do you mean?"

"I bet it was something that had like, a secret hidden meaning," she continues on. She leans up and touches a spot on his upper arm. He lets her hands feel him, almost embracing the touch. "Like, your little sister's favourite flower, or some other part of a tragic backstory."

Corbin looks up at the ceiling, a quick laugh blowing past his lips. "I hate tattoos."

"You look like the kind of guy who should have a sleeve," Jasmine teases. She pulls his arm to draw his eyes back to hers.

He snaps back too quickly, and Jasmine steps back. Her back hits the cold cement walls of the hallway. With Corbin towering over top of her, she almost feels like the walls are closing in. Could she take him? Only if she had enough room to throw a punch. Hopefully, his scowl will go away.

Corbin watches her sudden skittishness. He too takes a step away from her. "Shit, sorry. I just..." there isn't any easy way to tell someone that you hate being flirted with, so he doesn't. If he is going to make friends rather than enemies, (which is probably in his best interest since he has already made two rivals in Edison and Harper) than Corbin has got to try to repair burnt bridges. "Fuck. Listen, if I had to get a tattoo, like I was being held at gunpoint or whatever, it would be a piano. Tragic backstory and all that."

She tries to play it cool. Jasmine brushes the loose strands of hair out of her face and pulls herself off the wall. She tilts her head up and down, not enough to be a full not but enough for them to be the intention to nod. "I get it. You don't need to tell me anything."