Performance

Act 1; Scene 3

Warning: Slight cursing, depressive descriptions, self depreciation(?)

Virgil Storm is a loner. He doesn't have friends, and he likes it that way. He gets to just sit around and listen to music, no one bothers him. Plus, he has anxiety, so making friends is kinda difficult.

That was....until today-

Virgil was sitting alone in the courtyard of the school, where the landscape and gardening club has a variety of plants growing. He was sitting against a wall under the shade of a tree. His headphones were on, Evanescence playing in his ears as he popped grapes into his mouth.

"Hello!" Came a bubbly voice, his shadow blended with the tree's.

Virgil jumped and looked up as he struggled to pause his music and take his headphones off, "What- ?"

The bubbly boy smiled, "Hi, I'm Patton! I'm new!"

Virgil gazed at him with icy eyes, "And...?"

Patton faltered, "Well- wanna be friends?"

Virgil stared at him. Then shrugged, and Patton smiled and sat next to him.

"So! I saw someone walk into a wall today!" Virgil held back a snicker, Patton continued, "All, but two, of his friends laughed. It was kinda sad, because he laughed along, but it felt kinda....fake..."

Virgil doesn't know what this has to do with anything, "Okay...?"

Patton smiled, sheepishly. He had an idea, but he wasn't sure if the obvious loner would like it. Patton just couldn't help it- he loves helping people!

"Could we...make friends with him...?"

Virgil sighed. See, Patton is obviously a precious cookie. You can't say no to him, no matter how long, or not long, you've known him! Virgil, much to Patton's delight, nodded.

"Good! Because I kinda convinced his two friends to bring him here, already!"

Virgil rolled his eyes, "Fine- by the way, I'm- "

"Virgil- ?" A cool and apathetic drawl finished for him.

Virgil's eyes shot up to meet brown and yellow ones. Virgil hissed at who he saw. The one wearing glasses looked at Virgil weirdly, asking hesitantly, "Did you just...hiss...?"

Virgil glared daggers, "I do that when I see stuck up jerks."

The serpent like boy just stared judgingly, the intellectual one pursed his lips and turned icy. The one leaning against the tree, scrolling through his phone, glanced over with a cold and bored look. Virgil resisted the urge to hiss three times.

Patton interjected, "I take it you all know each other?" He couldn't bear the tension much longer.

Roman glanced up. He envies Virgil. He's cool, and honest, free, and he attracted a friend like Patton. Roman knows about Patton. His family opened the new cafe a few weeks ago, and Roman's seen plenty of him, since. From what he's gathered, Patton is helpful, kind, generous, sensitive, innocent, earnest. He's obviously the type that loves to nurture, so it's no surprise that he was attracted to the emo loner with anxiety. Virgil got such a good friend...

Roman is afraid of Virgil. He's the type that Janus would eventually grow attached to, and he's an overthinker. All the great conversations he could have with Logan and Janus...? While all Roman can talk about is business, sports, and Disney...

Roman mentally shakes himself. He trusts his friends. So, he responds to Patton in a bored voice, "We all know of each other. My friends and I are popular, Virgilant is infamous."

Virgil rolls his glaring eyes.

The serpent eyed boy spoke up, "To get this out of the way- My name is Deceit. No, that is not my real name, but I prefer it over my actual name, which you will only learn if you earn my trust." It's true, no one knows his real name. Apart from Roman and Logan, of course. His parents gave his alias to the school, instead of his actual name. His family believes that names are powerful, and therefore must be distributed with care.

"Pfft- like I wanna earn the trust of someone who goes by Deceit ..." Virgil grumbled.

"I," started the formal one, "Am Logan Logos."

Patton smiled a little gasping, "I like that!"

Roman walked forward, his air of arrogance is almost suffocating, to Virgil, "And I~" he exclaimed dramatical, then bowed as he said, "Am Roman Prince, and your service~." He stood straight, again, "Would anyone like to explain why my friends brought me here?"

Patton smiled, "I wanna be friends with you all!"

Roman faltered as the three preps looked at each other. They all wore this look of hesitance and uncertainty, despite trying to look emotionless. It made Patton's heart ache as he yearned to help them. Something's wrong, and he'll fix it.

The one called Deceit spoke first, "I am afraid that that is not an option."

Patton pouted, "Why not?"

Logan took a second to figure out how to word it, "You're not wealthy nor do you have an abnormal amount of popularity- if we were seen conversing with you in a friend-like manner- controversy would arise."

Virgil bristled, "You can't hang out with us because it would make you look bad?"

All three turned back to having cold, bored expressions. None of them liked looking like shallow jerks, but their parents said that the people you hang out with makes all the difference. The rich and the common just...don't mix. None of them want to think about what would happen to them if they tried to go against that.

Roman stared at them with condescendence, "Look, that's just how things work. Rich hang with the rich, the common hangout with the common. Sorry if you don't like it, but that's how it goes."

Virgil scoffed, "The a**holes hand with a**holes, you mean..."

"If that is the phrasing that works best for you, then yes," Responded Logan.

Roman felt a painful pang of loss as he walked away with his friends. Buy hey, that's not new. He looked back at Janus and Logan. Roman could tell that they felt it, too.