All Around Reject

(You bet I used that for the title!)

Boreas sat on his bed. He read over the article once. Twice. Three times. He took a glance around and read it a forth time. He didn't care how Rumor knew so much about him. He hadn't been lying to Liz when he'd told her his life was no secret. But even so. Reading the words on paper like this, written by an outsider to his life...Boreas had told himself he wouldn't be bothered by whatever Rumor wrote, and to an extent, he wasn't. Everything on this paper was true. If his parents had known then what they knew now, they probably would have aborted him. Everything here was factual, and yet...it did sting a little. Reading it in figurative black and white like this. Boreas took in a breath and held it for four seconds before letting it out slowly. Even if it did get to him, he wasn't going to show it. He pulled out his phone and posted a quick message on Rollr. Better to not stay silent about this. It might give Rumor ideas. Boreas went to the end of his bed and knelt down next to his still unpacked suitcase, pulling out a hair tie and pulling his hair back and up into a ponytail. He had to...do...something. He wasn't sure what. He loosened the necktie from his school uniform and threw it on top of his suitcase before standing up. Picking up the article, Boreas read it a fifth time. And then a sixth, for good measure, before crumpling up the paper and throwing it towards the trashcan. He didn't care that it missed the trash. The brown haired male picked up his writing journal and pencil case and headed out of the room. The library was a good place to go. Always quiet. Mostly. He could...write something there. He avoided the gaze of others purposefully, but he just couldn't get it out of his head.

He. Was. Such. Trash.

DK was hanging out on the stairs reading What the Walls Heard, the school paper. He had been reading the comics, which he found hilarious because one of the writers was also an artist who had a section called Ninja Legend where they portrayed all of the teachers as ninja or some form of awesomeness. The newest edition was how the Mythology Teacher, Syndryl was a blind dragon who was accompanying some blond heroine around the world in search of treasures. The little boy was engulfed in the comic until he heard someone whispering about Boreas. The snickers alerted him that his wasn't something good. He flipped through the pages until he found Rumor's section, Rumor Has It. He read it once, twice, three times and then just gawked. "This is horrible!" He stood up quickly and started for his room. The last time he'd seen Boreas was in their room. He found his friend headed out of the room and down the opposite hall. DK quickly hurried over to him, his eyes wide as he gently tugged on the other's shirt. "Hey Boreas, are you okay?" Dumb question. "I saw what Rumor wrote…."

Boreas stopped walking when he felt someone tug at his shirt and knew immediately who it was. No fourteen year old or older would walk up and tug on his shirt unless they were trying to make fun of him. The light brown haired male turned when he heard DK's voice, blinking twice at the kid. He was worried? If the kid had seen what Rumor wrote, why was he still bothering with someone like him? The kid may have been book smart, but he obviously had poor judgement. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said casually, giving a shrug. "If you saw the article, then you should know better than to keep trying to be friends with me. You're obviously a smart kid. Go make friends with that Fara girl. She's about your age, isn't she?" Boreas paused. What would it take to get rid of this kid? "Thanks for the concern. But it's really not that bad." Honestly, he'd been expecting Liz to have come found him, not the kid. Though he was sure Liz would end up finding him sooner rather than later. She wasn't likely to let this slide without checking on him.

DK frowned a bit when Boreas claimed himself to be fine. "You're lying and my mom says that people shouldn't lie because it ends up becoming one big mess at the end of the day." He let go of Boreas' shirt, not wanting to ruin it by wrinkling it. "Just because someone puts something in the paper doesn't mean it's true. Rumor writes a lot of personal and mean things, which is why I don't read it. It would honestly be better if everyone stops reading it." He shook his head. "I only read it today because someone brought your name up. I prefer the comics." He shrugged lightly. "Fara and I will be friends, we're doing the Robotics Club together. She's really cool and sweet and funny." Was he blushing? "Friends come in all different shapes and sizes and ages though, so we can be friends too, right?" He'd been trying not to pester Boreas, but he still thought they were on the path to friendship. DK crossed his arms the way he'd seen his dad do on multiple occasions. "It is a concern! You need to report Rumor!"

Boreas raised an eyebrow. "I'm not lying. It doesn't bother me. What Rumor wrote is all true. Except the hug thing, because they couldn't possibly know how many hugs I may or may not have had in the past four years. That was just poor inference on their part," he told the kid, shaking his head a bit. "I'm inclined to agree with you. But high school loves drama, and Rumor provides them with all the drama they could ever want." Why was he talking to the kid about something so complex? Maybe DK would understand, but it wasn't right to talk to a kid that young about stuff this serious. Boreas grinned lightly when DK started talking about Fara. He leaned down towards DK, hands on his knees and an amused look on his face. "It almost sounds as if you liiiike her," he teased. He stood up before the kid had a chance to swat at him though, since he'd been at the appropriate height to get smacked in the face. Not that he thought the kid would turn to violence. His grin faded though when DK insisted that they could be friends. He sighed and pushed some loose hair behind his ear. "Sure they do. And if I were anyone else, I'd say it's fine for us to be friends. But I'm not anyone else. I'm like seven years older than you and I'm in the same grade as you. You don't want to be hanging out with me. Trust me on this kid. It's bad for you to be friends with someone like me. And I'm sure your parents wouldn't appreciate it either." It was true and the more he spoke on it the more he felt his chest tightening with hurt. He didn't feel the need to cry, but he felt the stress this whole situation was causing. He just wanted to be alone. He didn't need to drag anyone else down with him. As soon as he turned eighteen he was leaving Roulette anyways. "Look, even if I did report them I doubt it would do anyone. Nobody knows who they are, and I'm sure it's been tried before. It's pointless." Boreas took a breath and let it out slowly. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to the library..." He turned and started away from the younger boy. He felt bad, but DK would make friends who were better for him in the long run.

DK couldn't believe his ears. It was all true? Okay, so maybe he had figured that Boreas had failed because he was older than the other freshmen. Not everyone could be a genius and he didn't fault the orange eyed boy for that. But the other stuff seemed wrong on his parents part. Did they really not like him? No parent should ever treat their kids like that! "I'll tutor you," DK stated firmly. "In whatever you need help in. I don't mind." DK was taking a few AP courses, but he could manage that and helping Boreas. He wanted his friend to succeed. DK frowned as Boreas spoke on how everyone loved the drama. "Rumor could be dramatic without all of the personal stuff. They could hype rumors likes who's dating who and things like that, not home issues...." He didn't sound amused at all. When Boreas leaned got down to his level and started teasing him he waved his hands in front of his face. "No, no, no, no! You have it all wrong. She's just a friend!" Oh man was he embarrassed now. He turned his head, face flushed. "You forget that I skipped a few grades," DK added. "Everyone is older than me," he beamed. "My parents think I should have a round about education and interact with people from many backgrounds, yourself included. I've written to them about you and they think you'll make an excellent friend for me." He grinned. When Boreas turned away and started towards the library he frowned. "Can I tag along?"

He could see it on the kid's face. DK hadn't expected it to be true. Well what a surprise for the little sprout. Orange eyes blinked in surprise when DK said he'd tutor him. "You've got to be joking. Do you have any idea how that would look? No. Absolutely not." He hadn't meant to say it so harshly, but there was no way he was getting tutored by a ten year old. No. He was already a laughing stock, he was not going to make it worse by doing something like that. "Besides, if you tutored me in whatever I needed help in, you'd never have any free time. I'm not just bad in one or two subjects," he said, rolling his eyes. "It's typical media, kid. No one wants to hear about who's dating who or who's sleeping with who." He paused. "Okay, well maybe that last part they do, but you don't have to concern yourself with that. It seems like Rumor is better at trying to wreck people's lives than be kind anyways." Did he sound a bit bitter? Maybe a little. "Yeah sure she is. For now," he chuckled lightly. "Okay, so you skipped a few grades. Why not hang out with the thirteen and fourteen year olds then? I'm not-" Boreas stopped himself and took a calming breath. He'd almost snapped at the kid. That wouldn't help anyone. Boreas couldn't believe his ears. The kid had written home to his parents about him? "And did you tell them that I've failed two grades? There's some things Rumor left out of that article. Like that in my old school i was a frequent visitor to detention. You should tell them that before they decide I'd be a good friend for you." He inwardly groaned when DK asked to tag along. "I'd rather you didn't, but I can't stop you if you want to." What a friggin pain.

"You said it yourself that your reputation is tarnished, so what should you care if people see you studying." DK's little voice that was still very much squeaky compared to his freshmen peers was innocent and honest. He'd meant no harm, he only wanted to coax Boreas into letting him help. "Rumor made it sound like you're the worst, why not prove them wrong. Make them swallow their words." He nodded lightly. "That's what I would do." He rolled his eyes as Boreas continued with the excuses. "I study a lot, so we can study together, in the library since that's where you always go." He grinned. "Free time can come on the weekends." DK's eyes widened when Boreas spoke of people sleeping together. "Gross. I don't want to hear that!" He covered his ears. "We're too young!" He then shook his head even more fierce at the Fara topic. "Weird! It's all so weird!" He dropped his hands when Boreas spoke on hanging out with normal freshmen. "But I have a friend who's a junior that asked me to do the Academic Decathlon and a Senior friend who is my partner is Zoology." He grinned. "So they're older, we're friends, and me and you can be friends too." He rolled his eyes and tried not to groan himself. "That was your old school, this is a new school. Start over. Rumor is going to run your life at this point...."

Honestly he was more worried about his own self worth deteriorating by having this kid tutor him. He already hated himself enough, adding this on would just be unbearable. But...it was hard to ignore his father's yelling in his head right now. Complaining about how much of a screw up he was. But imagine his dad finding out that he was getting tutored by a ten year old. As if he wasn't an embarrassment enough. The freshman' s jaw clenched at the thought. "I'll think about it, alright? Jeez, stop pestering me about it," he grumbled. He needed Jasper's advice right now. His grades could potentially get better, but their father would hate him for the method that he'd taken to get there. Their mother wouldn't be pleased either. "You're right. Sorry, I shouldn't be talking about thst kind of stuff in front of you." For once Boreas was being completely sincere. He knew better, DK was just a kid after all. "Of course you have a senior friend...tch...you're so stubborn." Boreas's expression hardened. He wanted to tell the kid to buzz off right now. Like, in the meanest way possible. But he didn't want to be mean. The kid was just trying to help, but he was only making him feel more like shit. Didn't he get it? There was no starting over for him! He was a seventeen year old freshman, who the hell was going to take him seriously?!

Sweet relief. The kid was leaving him alone. Thank the non-existent gods above. "...sounds interesting. See ya kid." Jeez. At least now he could go write in peace. At least until Liz showed up to check on his mental wellbeing. Boreas slipped into the library, finding his way to the most secluded corner he could. Actually. Once he got to the table he realized this wouldn't do. So instead he found his way over to the "historical autobiography" section of the library and took a seat in one of the aisles. No one ever looked for books in this section, and if Liz came looking for him, it would at least buy him a few extra minutes of solitude. Opening his book on his lap, Boreas pulled out one of the pens he'd spent his allowance on. He paused on a blank page for a second before settling on writing a letter to Jasper. The letter would never get to his brother, but he wanted to get the thoughts out.

Eko Chesire had only been at Roulette for a year. He'd transferred from one of the local public schools. It had nothing to do with pay, and everything to do with a much needed change of environment. Roulette had been the answer to his prayers. The staff here was more organized. Stability was one of the things that the bleach blond male with silver eyes cherished. Right now he was in the library looking for something of interest to read while he ran today's detentions. A lot of the teachers complained about it, but not him. It meant he could focus on grading yesterday's tests and then relax and read for an hour. Whenever he was in charge of detention he usually just made the students sign in and work on their homework, unlike his counterparts that made the students clean or something of the sort. He preferred a more educational route. He stopped as he spotted a student in the "historical autobiography" section. Eko didn't listen to all the gossip around the school, but this particular student was the hot topic for whatever reason. Eko wasn't a counselor and he didn't pry, but he had kids and he'd have wanted an adult figure to check on his kids if they were being viewed in a negative light. "Mr. Juuichi," Eko spoke to get the other's attention.

Boreas's pen stopped moving when he heard his name called. For once it didn't sound annoyed or disgusted. 'Mr Juuichi' was normally something teachers only called him when they wanted to scold him for something. And whoever was calling him sounded like a teacher. What student called another student Mr or Ms anything? Boreas turned his head to look up. Mr. Cheshire? He was the math teacher, the hell was he doing in this section of the library? Boreas blinked a couple times. "Am...I in your way?" he asked with a small frown. If he was, he would move. It wasn't a problem, really, he'd just been hiding out here. He could think of no other reason why a teacher would want to talk to him. Unless it was about the article. He hoped it wasn't about the article. He really hoped it wasn't about the article. Adults were the last people he wanted to talk to about something like that.

Lucky for Boreas, Eko had not read the article, so he didn't know all the damage. Silver eyes blinked slowly as the boy asked if he was in the way. "No." Eko very rarely smiled. Most days he just seemed to go with the flow of things. He was here to teach, not make friends. Not saying he couldn't be a bit fun every now and again. "You've been mentioned in several conversations on my way here. I figured I'd check in on you to ensure things were okay." He wasn't going to pry the kid for information. He could pick up a paper in that case. What he was offering was Boreas to talk to an adult if he necessarily needed to but didn't feel like he could approach one. Eko didn't mind. If Boreas went with the normal, 'I'm fine,' routine then he would move on with his initial task.

Was it wrong to say that this guy was kind of intimidating? Normally teachers didn't bother him, but...oh well. He was probably just being weird. Boreas tilted his head when the teacher said he wasn't in the way. Oh please don't let it be about the article, for fuck's sake... The brown haired male sat quietly until Mr. Cheshire explained what he wanted. Had he not read the article, or was he just playing dumb to allow for better conversation? Either way...Boreas continued to sit quietly for a few seconds more, glancing down at his notebook. "...yeah...yeah, things are okay. It's nothing I'm not used to. Thanks." All of this he said without looking back at the teacher. Maybe it was a bit rude, but he didn't feel up to properly socializing. He'd come here to avoid people. Maybe there was a better place for that. He could go to a cafe, but cafes were noisy, and he didn't have headphones or anything like that to drown out the noise. Well, he knew what he was spending his next allowance on.

Eko always found it a bit redundant for students to lie to his face when it was clear he knew something was up. He never argued though. There were other ways to assist that didn't include interrogating a teenager for information that they didn't want to disclose. "You're not fine," he stated with his same nonchalant tone and the expression to match. "But I'm not a counselor, just a math teacher." He tucked his hands into his jacket pockets. "I'm running detention tonight, so I won't be using my classroom. The door is unlocked if you want a quieter place to hide out." He then walked off. Good luck seemed like a cruel thing to say to students in High School, luck was never on their side. They needed all the luck they could get, but high school was a busy time where people were busy trying to fit in and find themselves on top of school work and extracurricular activities.

Boreas shrunk in on himself when the teacher persisted, saying he wasn't fine. No, he wasn't, but he didn't want to talk about it either. He appreciated the concern, but he didn't need it. It was wasted on him. Wait, had this guy just offered an empty classroom to him? Boreas turned to look at the teacher as he walked away. He stared after him for a few more moments. That...that had actually been really nice of him. Did this school actually have decent teachers after all? Boreas took a breath and looked down to his notebook. He shook his head. Whatever. He'd use the classroom later today. Right now he had his little hole in the library, and a letter to finish writing. At least the classroom would be private. So if he wanted to lay his head down, it was less likely that people would see him. That was...that was a plus, at least.

Liz had been very unhappy with the article that had been published. Rumor had gone way too far and needed to be reprimanded, and all other members needed to be reminded that boundaries were important. The meeting had lasted well over an hour, with a few arguments breaking out, Rumor refusing to apologize, Haven sitting in a corner looking small, and several suggestions on how to minimize the damage. Liz had never been so pissed off. It didn't help that the one who'd been attacked had been her best friend! When the meeting was over, she'd made all of the writers pick positive topics to cover, whether it be sports, a personal highlight, or an upcoming event, as long as it was nice. Then she went and had a nice little private conversation with Rumor that took another hour. They had exchanged some rather heated words, but she'd won after threatening to deactivate their News Paper account access, kicking them out of the club, and reporting them to the principal among other things. Rumor had shut up with the first threat, but Liz had wanted to make herself crystal clear. Now she was on her way to find Boreas because she needed to make sure he was okay because had it been her, she definitely wouldn't have been okay.

Boreas tore a piece of paper from his notebook and crumpled it up, throwing it on the floor with the other two crumpled up pieces of paper. He couldn't concentrate. Every time he found a flow, some invasive thought about Rumor's article made its way into his head and he lost everything he was writing about. He was such a fuck up. What if his parents really did wish they'd aborted him? Did they think things like that? Did they hate him that much? Boreas laid his pen in the crease of his notebook and leaned his head back against the bookshelf. "Why do you have to be so stupid..." he was only whispering to himself, and he doubted anyone would actually hear him, so it didn't matter. It had been hours and Liz hadn't come to find him. Maybe she'd realized after that article that he wasn't the type of guy she should be hanging out with. That alone made him want to give up. Boreas took a shaky breath to calm himself before picking up his pen again. He ran a hand through his hair, an action he'd done several dozen times already. His hair was probably a mess. Instead of writing, Boreas put his pen down again and took his hair down, brushing it out before putting it back up again in a neat ponytail. He didn't care what people thought of him because he took care of his hair so well. Taking care of one's hair shouldn't have been a boy/girl thing anyways. The brown haired male picked up his pen again and looked down at his notebook. Same as always; no one was going to be there for him so he had to pick himself up.

"Get up, we need to talk," Liz said as she took a gentle, but firm hold on Boreas' elbow. She looked around before she started to pull him into a more secluded part of the library. "I am so sorry for what Rumor wrote. I would never have allowed it to be published," she spoke quickly, yet quietly. "That was way too far and personal." She didn't even know how Rumor got that information! She'd never talked about Boreas before, so it hadn't come from her. What she was realizing was that Rumor was dangerous. Usually, they didn't target people like that, and Liz had definitely pointed it out. Rumor didn't seem to regret their actions though, not until they were faced with being defamed permanently. "I know you're not okay, so I'm not even going to bother to ask," she said. "Instead, I'm asking how are you holding up? If you want to report this I will not stop you. In fact, I will go with you." The thing with Kim had been personal and uncaused for, but this had been on a whole new level. Who wrote about someone's parents aborting them! She hugged her friend tightly. "I'm so sorry." Words couldn't express the horror and grief she felt for Boreas right now.

Boreas blinked when he suddenly felt himself being pulled to his feet, his notebook and pen slipping off his lap. "Wh- Liz!" He tried to keep his voice down because they were in the library, but he couldn't hide the shock in his voice. When did she get the stealth skills to sneak up on him like that? Borderline orange eyes blinked when Liz started apologizing to him for Rumor. That was to be expected. He kept quiet while Liz spoke, shaking his head. "I'm not going to report it." Once again Liz managed to surprise him with a hug, but this time he at least had the wherewithal to hug her back. "Seems like you need this more than I do," he chuckled. "I'm fine. It's fine Liz. It's nothing I haven't heard before." He pulled back and looked at her with a soft smile. "I'm fine," he insisted. Regardless, he pulled her into another hug. He'd pretend it was for her, to calm her down, but...he really needed this. He needed a hug, and a friend, and he was selfishly happy that Liz hadn't abandoned him. After a few more moments Boreas pulled away. It was probably obvious on his face that he was trying to hide his actual emotions. It felt nice to have someone actually give a damn about him. "Hey...you wanna go grab some coffee with me?" He just needed to get out of this school.

Liz could hardly care about the tone of her voice. She was trying to be modest, but at the same time, she was just so worried about her friend. Rumor just didn't get that things like this were serious. You never really knew how people were affected by what was being said. They could look all happy and smiling and pretend like they didn't care, but at the end of the day they could be contemplating suicide. Her heart dropped and she hugged Boreas tighter. She didn't want to lose her friend. God, she'd do anything to protect him. She frowned a bit when he said he wouldn't report Rumor and again she felt like a terrible human being. Why didn't she report it!? She smiled, but her eyes grew misty with tears. "I hate it when you lie to me, but even worse when you lie to yourself." She gave a small sniffle as he insisted that he was fine, even though he wasn't. She knew he wasn't. Guys were just stupid that way, always trying to play macho, their egos too big for their tiny brains. She was a bit shocked when he pulled her into another hug, but didn't resist. He was warm and felt safe. Silly her, she'd come here to comfort him and it turned out to be the other way around. She hugged him tightly, not willing to let go until he did. When he pulled away she stepped back, brown eyes looking up at him. "You're such a basic bitch," she said with a smile when he asked about coffee. "Yes I want coffee."

Why was she holding onto him like he would fade into obscurity the moment she let go? Did she really think the article had affected him that badly? "I'm okay," he assured her again. "I'll live." He would keep living, just like he'd been doing. Even if he didn't want to. He had things he wanted to share with the world. Stories he wanted to tell. He wanted to make people laugh and cry and feel. He couldn't do that if he was dead. Boreas couldn't help but laugh when Liz called him a basic bitch. "I know, I know. The most basic." He took a step back from her. "I need to grab my notebook though. You kinda knocked it off my lap," he told her, a small smile on his face. Despite the fact that he had to go pick up his things, he didn't move for a moment, his gaze off to the side. "I missed you. I think you might be the only person who actually gives a damn about me," he told her, a half smile on his face. He cleared his throat lightly. "Thanks for coming to find me."

She couldn't get used to his lies, but she knew she couldn't change his mind either. There was no way she'd get Boreas to admit that he was feeling a certain type of way about the article. If she could have strangled Rumor and gotten away with it.... "Yeah, we're all going to live, but with scars, and they're permanent." She frowned again. Liz didn't want to think about what those words could have meant. 'I'll live.' Her mind was twisting them into the worst case scenario. She clasped her hands together to keep from nervously wringing her hands over and over again. It was a bad habit that she had whenever she was worried. His laugh startled her and she jumped a bit, but managed a smile. At least they could share a laugh and smile here and there. "Oh...I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention," she stated with another frown. "Were you writing a new story," she asked, voice low in case there was someone nearby. The brown haired girl blinked twice when he admitted to missing her, and how she was the only person that cared. "You're just trying to make me blush," she said, playing it off. She hated hearing him say things like that. Surely someone else cared for him. She ruffled his hair despite the neat little ponytail he'd put it in. "I'm always going to be here to keep an eye on you. You're my best friend."

Boreas's gaze softened a bit. "You're sounding more philosophical than usual," he joked. He liked it when she said things that sounded like unintentional poetry. It suited her. Orange eyes landed briefly on his friend's hands, and how she held them clasped together in front of her. Was he just further upsetting her? Probably. He always had been good at that. He shook his head. "Don't apologize, ya goof. You were worried, I get it." He couldn't hide that slight warmth in his voice. He would never be mad at her for worrying about him. It might get old after a while, because he didn't deserve it, but he'd never be mad at her for it. She had only good intentions. "I was...trying. I kept getting distracted," he admitted. "No, I'm serious. I really did miss you." That wasn't what she'd meant and they both knew it. The brown haired male only half pulled away when Liz tried to ruffle his hair, playfully swatting her hand away. "C'mon Liz, I just fixed that," he complained, despite the small smile on his face. He'd needed this. He'd needed her. He felt a bit bad when she said she'd always be around to keep an eye on him and wanted to pull her into another hug. "Even after all these years, I'm...still your best friend?" He'd have thought she would have found someone else by now. Someone more her speed, someone she could graduate with and go to college with. "Thanks, Liz. Just..." Boreas paused, the words buzzing on his lips. It would be bad to say this. He knew it would be bad. She wasn't going to like it and he knew it. He knew it wasn't like her to do it, but what if she finally wised up and left him alone? "Don't hold yourself back for me, you know? You're really smart," he told her with a smile, ruffling her hair simply as revenge for messing up his own. Without waiting for much of a response, he waved her along with a small "well, c'mon," and headed towards where she'd dragged him away from.