Social Suicide (BxB) / On Hold

Chapter 1

He heard the warning bell ring even before stepping inside the building.

Alex sighed, shrugging his heavy bag from his already sore shoulders as he trudged mournfully into the all-too-familiar school grounds. The familiar scent of cleaning agents hit his nose, and excited screams from students pierced his ears. Alex resisted the growing urge to roll his eyes.

Shifting his weight uneasily on his feet, Alex tugged at his shirt conspicuously. A thin line of sweat ran down his broad back from the sudden heat, likely caused by the closely-packed body of students around him, and Alex regretted wearing a sweater. Slipping his slightly broken and worn-out earphones in his ears in an attempt to appear anonymous, Alex ran his hand through his unruly blonde hair quickly. Being the first day of school and all, he noticed that the majority of students had put more effort into their outfits, and although his grey sweater and black pants blended in well enough, he couldn't help but feel slightly self-conscious as he shuffled with the crowd towards the entrance.

An indistinguishable blur of colors and faces obstructed Alex's vision as he hesitated at the door. Annoyed students protested from behind, but it was too early in the morning for Alex to care. This was it. The first day of his second-last year. Honestly, the more he thought about it, the harder it was to come to grips with his situation. His life within school was almost over. Well, almost was quite the stretch, as he still had two years left, but it made him feel optimistic none the less.

Alex scanned the halls upon entering, trying in vain to spot a familiar face. Unfortunately, his list of friends and acquaintances were painfully small, and he found himself waiting awkwardly alone at his locker trying to kill time. He kicked himself for not arranging to meet one of his friends before school time; at least it would kill the boredom of waiting for class to begin.

It was in the middle of this sorrowful contemplation that Alex saw him. Ashton Spears. The school's most admired and universally adored jock. Everything about the man drew people to him. From his appearance and interests to his mysterious personality, Ashton seemed to ooze masculinity. All people, including Alex, were intrigued by the enigma that was Ashton Spears. And for that reason, Alex resented him. He scowled to himself as he watched Ashton navigate easily through the crowd, walking with a distinctive stride that screamed superiority.

But there was something about Ashton that made Alex uneasy when he looked at him too long. His piercing stare was dark and cold - his self assured grin, his arrogant manner of walking, the way he talked; it all showed clearly that he was no man to be messed with. That there was something under the surface, something dark and powerful. Something to be afraid of.

At that moment, Ashton's blue eyes locked aggressively on Alex's brown ones. A shiver ran down his spine. Ashton's normally vacant, steely eyes were filled with hostility, annoyance - and most surprisingly - curiosity. Despite his obvious fear, Alex couldn't help but notice their color.
He had never been close enough to get a good look at them before, but Ashton's eyes were seriously blue. Almost sickeningly blue - full-on Prince Charming, perfect, cloudless sky blue. Someone should name a crayon after the guy.

Alex flinched slightly when Ashton raised an eyebrow at him, gesturing to the space between the two before saying something quickly. Alex kicked himself the second time that morning; he somehow missed what the guy had said. He did notice, however, the annoyance in both his tone and expression after.

"Um... what?" Alex questioned cautiously, wondering whether Ashton could possibly be talking to him. A quick look over his shoulder, however, confirmed that he must be, and Ashton cleared his throat.

"I said, can you move?" His baritone voice easily broke through the crowd this time, accompanied by a full-on glare which caused Alex's blood to run cold. Ashton was obviously trying to tame his annoyance.

"Oh!" Alex jumped backward, bumbling like a fool when he realized that he was, in fact, blocking the hallway. "Yeah, sorry. I didn't notic-"

Ashton scowled, rolling his eyes and continuing down the hallway before Alex had a chance to finish his pitiful sentence. Well, that was humiliating. Only two minutes into the day, and he'd already managed to make an idiot of himself in front of the most popular guy in the school.

"Woah, did you kill his firstborn son or something?" A feminine voice sounded loudly in his ear. Smelling a familiar perfume, Alex realized who it was before he turned.

"Hey Thalia." Alex chuckled, turning around to get a better look at his friend. "You seem happy to be back," he teased after noting her scowl. He smiled, sending an appraising look in her direction. Thalia, as always, looked amazing. She had hair every girl dreamed of; thick, blonde, and just the right hint of a wave. Yet, like Alex and the rest of their friends, she had been labeled a school reject for no apparent reason.

Thalia shrugged, flipping her straight, blonde hair behind her hair as she spoke, "Probably as happy as you are, honestly. Which is not at all. I still haven't started that holiday revision I was given."

"Well, that's what you get for joining Mrs. Hammer's class," Alex said, picturing the old, crotchety teacher that was infamous for her love of homework. "You know she's a tyrant when it comes to extra school-work." Alex laughed, earning a half-hearted glare from his friend.

He smiled as he saw his two best friends turn the corner. Christopher and Anthony had just come in and seemed to be too caught up in their animated conversation to notice him. Behind them were Thalia's own friends, all laughing with each other, obviously excited to be back together after a long break. They saw Thalia and Alex at once and sent them both taunting grins. For as long as Alex could remember, people had been insistent that the two of them were secretly dating. Alex swallowed his irritation and turned back to his locker.

"Well, I'd better catch up with the girls before class," Thalia grinned, gesturing to her pack of friends in the distance. "See you at lunch, yeah?"

Alex nodded, turning to follow his friends too. The last thing he wanted was to walk to home-group alone.

*   *   *

"Alright class, I want you all to take your seats!" The teacher, whose name Alex had already forgotten, barked. "I know this is the first day back, and I'm sure you're all excited, but I am not tolerating any nonsense today!"

Alex shifted lower in his seat, already bored senseless. He glanced around the class, scanning the room for any new faces. Being senior Chemistry, the class was combined with both year 11 and 12 students, so half the faces were unfamiliar.

Something, or more specifically someone, caught Alex's eyes as he studied the class. Ashton Spears was sitting in the back corner, looking vacantly out the window next to him. The hairs on Alex's arms raised as he looked at the intimidating figure. Something about him just didn't sit right with Alex. It was Ashton's reservedness, he decided after a moment's contemplation, that Alex found uneasy. Ashton always preferred to be alone, never friendly, only have a few friends and he would ignore every girl who would try to flirt with him. Yet he wasn't stand-offish, his remained friendly faced and welcoming in body posture - and, despite this, he was undeniably popular. Maybe it was his mysterious personality that drew people to Ashton. Alex hesitated, wondering if he'd been staring for too long. He frowned as the teacher said something that caught Alex's attention, forcing him to shift his attention back to focus at the front of the room.

"Alright class, I have noticed that many of you are at different stages in this class. Many of you are falling behind." She threw a pointed look at the student behind Alex, who protested feebly. "With that in mind, I have decided to assign a few of you tutors. So, if I say your name, please stay behind after class."

The teacher began reciting names and Alex held his breath. He hoped to God that the teacher wouldn't call his name.

"...and finally, I want Ashton Spears and Alex Winters."

This couldn't be good.

A/N:

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