Y/n pulled her skin-colored tights up under her pleated skirt, completing her outfit. She had enough of wearing dresses and wanted to try the skirt her parents gifted her.

It fell shorter than expected, laying slightly above the knee. She wasn't sure if she'd get in trouble, but Y/n didn't care.

She'd wear what she liked, no matter what others would say.

Y/n slowly attempted to put on her heels, but her feet resisted. She managed to get them on with sheer force which hurt, but at least they would match her outfit.

She looked at herself in the mirror, straightening her skirt and applying a light lip tint before heading out.

It was a twenty-minute walk since she lived closer to the outside of town. The walk was surrounded by nature and allowed for time to think.

As Y/n became lost in thought, Simone snuck up behind her, slamming her hands onto Y/n's shoulders to scare her.

In an immediate response, she elbowed Simone in the face.

"Simone! I'm so sorry!" Y/n quickly apologized, checking all over her face to make sure she didn't bruise her.

Simone began to laugh as she apologized and waved her hands. She grabbed Y/n's wrists, halting her movements.

"It's fine, I just wanted to see how you'd react! You didn't hit too hard!" She chuckled as she let go of her wrists.

The two proceeded to catch up since they hadn't talked for a day or so. Simone began to confide in her about Jean-Pierre once she knew that Michèle wasn't nearby.

"He kissed me when he walked me home! I thought I was imagining the stares, but he felt the same. I wanted to tell Michèle, but he refused." The words tumbled out as she panicked internally.

Y/n rested her hand on her shoulder, reassuring her that everything would be fine. Jean-Pierre was a well-mannered guy, and not to mention, handsome!

"I'm sure he'll come around eventually! As long as he treats you right, everything will work out." She spoke confidently like she could see their future together.

"How have things been going for you? It feels like you've barely talked about yourself!" Simone poked at her, expecting a dramatic answer.

Y/n hesitated, wondering if she should talk about Joseph. He had done unforgivable things, and she couldn't imagine Simone or Michèle reacting well to her being friendly with him.

She decided not revealing his identity would be better than keeping everything secret.

"Someone from our school talked to me yesterday, and I feel like we connected. I had this view of him before, but it changed as soon as he revealed more about himself. Is that odd to say?" She mumbled, praying that Simone wouldn't ask for his name.

"That's so romantic! Who is he? Is he in our class?" She gushed as she begged for the name, clearly excited her best friend found a guy to like.

Luckily, the pair had finally stopped outside the gates of the school. Y/n used this as her chance to get away from the situation.

"Look at the time! Class is about to start, we can't be late!" She blurted, hoping Simone would allow her to leave.

"I have to meet with Michèle before class, are you coming?" The last thing she wanted was for the two to question her, so she quickly nodded her head no.

The second Simone stepped away, Y/n let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in.

There was no possible way of ever telling them, it'd be too much to risk.

She entered the school, walking towards the grand staircase. It was built directly in the middle of the school, splitting into two separate walkways.

Students flooded the school, talking with friends and heading towards the courtyard. She wanted to go to homeroom a bit earlier to finish her homework.

Joseph began walking down the staircase when he saw her. He almost paused but quickly realized that others would be annoyed if he stopped randomly.

When she looked over, he grinned happily and waved slightly. She quickly scanned the crowd and decided to give him a half-smile.

The butterflies in his stomach fluttered as his mood instantly improved. After their conversation, she wasn't as stuck up as he had once imagined.

A smile stuck on his face as he went out to the courtyard to meet his friends. He found them at a bench near the entrance and proceeded to sit with them.

Dupin and Vergoux had been there, his childhood best friend and a boy who had transferred a year ago. The boy's full name was Charles Vergoux, and he had noticeable dark curly hair and light green eyes.

"I'm shocked, Joseph! You're smiling!" Vergoux quipped as Joseph rolled his eyes in annoyance.

Vergoux always knew how to get on his nerves, but he was friendly enough to keep around.

"Just mind your business. I don't ask about your 'girlfriend.'" Joseph used his fingers as quotation marks as Jean snickered.

"She's real! She goes to an all-girls academy!" He spoke defensively as the two continued to laugh about his 'girlfriend.'

The trio conversed until the last few minutes before the bell rang, with the three splitting up to go to their classrooms.

Joseph and Dupin had luckily made it on time, while Mrs. Giraud gave them disappointed looks. They sat down quickly, not leaving a chance for a possible lecture.

While the teacher droned off, Joseph kept taking glances at Y/n. His eyes scanned over her face, staring at her lips. He couldn't believe that he ever thought she was 'average.' She was gorgeous on a whole different level.

She looked back at him, and he shot his head back. He didn't want her to assume anything and decided to keep his eyes on his textbook.

"Miss, could I go to the bathroom?" Y/n raised her hand until Mrs. Giraud allowed her to go.

"You may." Y/n stood up and almost walked out until she was stopped by Mrs. Giraud.

"Young lady, what are you wearing? You need to change immediately!" She pointed at her skirt with anger.

Y/n didn't understand her anger towards her clothes. The skirt was a perfectly appropriate length and no other administrator had questioned her about it.

Her teacher was frustrated and took it out on her.

"The skirt isn't inappropriate, miss. I don't have anything to change into either." She already allowed Michèle to borrow her spare clothes, and she didn't have the time to replace them.

"Go to Mr. Bellanger's office, since you want to disrespect this school!" She barked her order at Y/n, but she stood firm.

The class watched the scene in shock, as they all went silent. No one had stepped up to Mrs. Giraud, even though she constantly reported students for dress code without any reason.

She was an authority figure who continuously abused her power.

Joseph's throat became unusually dry when he attempted to open his mouth. He had never been this hesitant to speak up, so why was he stopping himself?

He flashed his eyes towards Michèle and Simone, who hadn't said anything yet. He guessed that the two were taken aback from their wide eyes and open mouths.

Even Jean, who apparently had a 'crush' on her stayed embarrassingly silent. No one wanted to speak up, even if they knew it was wrong.

Joseph didn't want her to get berated in front of the entire class, so he finally stood up and spoke.

"Miss Giraud, she's fully covered up. You're being completely overdramatic." He took in a quick breath in panic as he realized the second part actually came out of his mouth.

He felt like the devil incarnate had appeared right in front of him. Mrs. Giraud turned red with anger and he was afraid for his life.

"I knew mixing genders in school was a bad idea! It is completely inappropriate for you to even associate with these girls! Go to your administrator's office before I drag you there myself!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, startling the students.

Y/n grasped Joseph's hand, pulling him out of the classroom with her before the teacher could get in another word.

She walked hurriedly to get out of eyeview of Mrs. Giraud's classroom while Joseph followed behind her.

"I knew she didn't like me, but I didn't think she hated me!" She gasped, still feeling the aftermath of Mrs. Giraud's anger.

The teacher had never acknowledged her existence past her test scores.

"If it makes you feel better, I think she hates everyone." He chuckled as he started to walk beside her.

The two laughed simultaneously, before pausing and continuing to laugh.

"Why'd you stand up for me? I've never seen you do that." She questioned him, being as oblivious as usual.

"It just wasn't... right. You don't deserve to be yelled at." He spoke quietly, hoping the earth could swallow him whole.

The pair had stopped outside of Mr. Bellanger's office, and Y/n stared blankly at the administrator's name plaque.

She turned her head to face Joseph before she went in.

"I appreciate it a lot. Really sweet for someone who only started liking me a day or so ago." She spoke candidly.

His smile became lopsided as the right side of his mouth lifted up bashfully. Y/n came a few steps closer and lifted her head to his cheek.

She gave him a kiss on the cheek, making him turn a blush pink color.

"Just for good luck." She grinned cheerfully at him before disappearing behind Mr. Bellanger's door.

Joseph's hand hovered over where she kissed, still feeling flustered. She had kissed him on the area below his eyepatch which meant even more.

There was no fear over his eyepatch, and she didn't believe it made a difference.

He had never felt anything this overwhelmingly and he had kissed girls before.

It was different this time, but he didn't understand why.