At one point, a bad grade seemed like the end of the world, until two teens found themselves in a world that might actually be the end of them. This wild, exciting, and action-packed story, which shouldn't go unseen, will have you lost in a strange...
Time is never time at all. You can never ever leave without leaving a piece of youth, and our lives are forever changed. We will never be the same.
-The Smashing Pumpkins
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-ˋˏ ༻ʚ𓆣ɞ༺ ˎˊ-
"I'm going to die. I'm going to kill myself, so my parents don't do it first..."
Evie's voice chokes up with tears. Her hands grip tightly around her algebra test. The big letter 'C-' is marked at the top in red. She falls to her knees in despair at the result written on her paper. Though Evie is falling into pieces on the hallway floor, students continue to walk around her as they go to their next class.
"It wasn't supposed to end like this!" She cries while her head slowly shakes in disbelief. Her stare never leaves her paper until a hand squeezes her shoulder. Evie's tear-stained eyes rise to her friend's impatient and embarrassed face. Theo shifts his weight from side to side while he waits for Evie to finish her dramatic episode. His eyes dart between each student who passes them.
Theo gives one final squeeze on Evie's shoulder, indicating to wrap it up. "C'mon, Evie, we'll be late for our next class. You can continue sobbing over your bad grade later," He urgently huffs. Theo's hand on Evie's shoulder quickly hooks under her arm to pull her upwards. She reluctantly gets off the dusty school hallway floor and follows Theo to their next class.
The bell rings. Theo's strides quicken, while Evie is in no hurry to take another test.
"I'm going to leave you." Theo turns around while pacing backward down the hallway. He faces Evie's slumped posture as she mopes down the hall. Her miserable expression points to the floor. A lazy foot reaches out to kick a piece of trash that didn't make it into the trashcan next to it. Evie lets out a final sigh before crumbling her test paper into a ball. She shoves it into her cargo pants pocket before picking up her pace for Theo.
-ˋˏ ༻ʚ𓆣ɞ༺ ˎˊ-
"The fresh air was a good idea, wasn't it?" Theo's head tilts to look at Evie, who is sitting next to him. The cool, park breeze flows through Theo's dark curls. Evie hums while adjusting a jacket she's sitting on to avoid the wet grass. A tiny ladybug emerges from the weeds. Instead of answering Theo's question, she picks up the ladybug. Theo watches as it crawls down her wrist to her elbow.
"I do feel much better," Evie finally answers. "Though, I think I need to leave for dinner soon."
Theo nods before pulling out his phone from his book bag. The time lights up on the screen before the button clicks to turn it back off. "It's only 4:00. Your house isn't far from this park. I think you can stay longer." Evie hands Theo the ladybug while considering his words. She is finally at peace after her terrible day at school, so she decides to stay a little longer.
"Alright, but only because I don't want my parents to know about my bad grade." Evie adjusts her jacket one more time. Her long, blonde hair spreads into the grass as she lowers herself to look up into the cloudy sky. Theo releases their ladybug back into its home before laying next to her. His head tilts to look at Evie, and the glasses on his nose slide downwards in the process.
