CHAPTER ONE
( DRAMA )

LUCAS TAKES A seat in front of the girl, turning his deck to face her. Brayden watches as he does so, letting out a deep breath as she shoots Cory Mathews a slight glare. In response, he grins, before sitting back at his desk.

"I'm Lucas F-"

"Friar, I know," Brayden rolls her eyes as he pauses. "You and your friends are the favorites of this class. I've been here long enough to at least know your last names."

The girl had no trouble with settling quickly, her attitude showing slightly. But she was known for being blunt- it was her signature, and way of welcoming. No matter who it was, Brayden always found herself telling the person what was on her mind, even if it wasn't acceptable.

"Sorry," Lucas mumbles, taking a seat in his new chair with slight hesitation. "So, are you new here or something? I've never saw you before."

"I choose to be distant," Brayden states. "I've been living in this town my whole life, so no, I'm not new. I just like to sit in the back of the class to stay away from all the drama."

"Why?"

"It's too much," Brayden shakes her head, flipping her notebook open. "I prefer to get through school as quick as possible, and it doesn't help when drama is holding you back. You should try it out sometime, Blondie."

A small smile appears on the boy's lips, flickering as he realizes the stares that were rested on Brayden as she had her back turned. A few girls to their right were whispering under their breaths, their glares heavily set on her.

"Why are they talking about you?" Lucas asks as Brayden pulls a history book from her bag.

"No idea, to be honest," she shrugs. "Maybe I was too blunt the last time I talked to them. I don't know."

"How blunt?"

"I told the brunette that she resembles a blob fish," Brayden answers seriously, taking the time to give the girls a bittersweet smile. "How's it going, Amy?"

Amy narrows her eyes, slamming her book shut, only to storm from the classroom with her friends following suitly. Of course, it hadn't come without a reason; Amy always enjoyed spreading and rumor she could.

"See?" Brayden raises an eyebrow. "I didn't do anything."

Lucas hums in response, a small laugh escaping his lips. She smiles, taking a look over at Riley. The girl still resides with Alyssa Coleman, but her eyes are on someone else; Brayden herself. Riley's frown sets Brayden back, her mood suddenly changing. Riley watches as Lucas smiles at the brunette, continuing their chat about school. But Brayden wasn't focused on that at all.

"Why haven't we ever talked bef-"

"I think we should get started on the project," Brayden interjects, clearing her throat as she looks away from Riley. "I'd like to get it finished early so I don't have to get to know you."

"But we have two weeks," Lucas furrows his eyebrows.

"I like working by myself," the girl insists. "I think it's mutual when I say I don't think we should be friends. This is temporary, and I don't cherish friendship nearly as much as you do."

"Why?"

"We shouldn't be friends." Brayden repeats, closing her books and shoving them back into her bag. "You have your friends, and I have my books. We'll finish the speech as quick as we can, present, and then stop talking. Okay?"

"I don't understand-"

"You wouldn't." She states. "No one would."

And with that, Brayden puts her bag on her shoulder, making her way out of the classroom. Lucas stares at her retreating figure, nearly as confused as Riley- who watched the whole thing.

---

Brayden couldn't recall the last time she hadn't sat alone at lunch. She had preferred to be by herself- away from whatever everyone else was gossiping about. And it wasn't in her morals to accept anything less than that.

Every now and then, she'd have to shoo away someone that decided to take a place at her table, but it wasn't that big of a deal. Everyone around her understood how she felt about the school, and the students in it. She just didn't like them. It wasn't hard to believe- you could tell from the look on her face every time someone would step up to her in the hallway.

The girl would stiffen when anyone came near her- it was a defense mechanism. If she didn't move, maybe the person wouldn't notice her. And if they didn't notice her, they wouldn't want to be her friend. And with that, came no pain and drama. In the end, that was all she ever wanted.

Brayden places her bag by her ankles in the cafeteria, settling into her normal chair. She places a tray of food to her right, laying a book down in front of her. Yanking the bookmarks from her current page, the girl then proceeds to read- already forgetting about the world around her.

The teenagers of the lunchroom didn't seem to notice her presence- or if they did, they just didn't care. That was definitely something Brayden didn't mind.

Unconsciously, the girl finds herself running her free fingers over the bare table, the pads of her fingertips rubbing over the scratches someone had carved into it. This table had to be old, you could simply tell by the way it was darker and more vandalized than all the others. And in her days, Brayden couldn't deny that she herself had created some of the pencil carvings.

The seat across from Brayden is pulled away from the table, the bottom of it's legs scraping against the floor to grab her attention. With furrowed eyebrows, Brayden lays her book facedown on the table, staring over at the person who had made the wrong decision to sit with her.

"This is my . . . " the girl trails off, her eyes meeting those of Lucas Friar. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Riley?"

"She can wait," the boy shrugs, sitting his backpack down next to him. "I just thought I should apologize for earlier."

"There's not exactly a need for an apology," Brayden rolls her eyes, hiding her face with her hands as someone passes by the table. "So can you just go? Please?"

"Not until I apologize and you accept my ap-"

"You're forgiven," Brayden says quickly. "Now, get back to your friends. I'm sure they're looking for you."

"Why are you so desperate to hide from everyone?" Lucas questions, ignoring her latest comment. "I'm sure you'd like some of the students here if you gave them a shot, and stop ignoring them like they all have the plague."

"They do have the plague, and it's something called drama," she insists, focusing on her book again. "I don't associate myself with people who cause drama, hear about drama, start drama, or have anything to do with it. In case you didn't notice, that leaves me with no one. So please continue with your daily schedule, and get back to your seat, Mr. Friar."

"But what about me?" He pushes. "I don't associate myself with drama, either. And neither do my friends. Why don't you come hang out with us?"

"You are the textbook cover of relationship drama," Brayden rolls her eyes. "You can't honestly believe that you completely avoid everyone else. That's the only way you'd be different, and the only way I'd think you weren't the same as everyone else in this school."

"Don't say that. You don't-"

"Understand?" Brayden raises an eyebrow. "That looks can deceive, and that I shouldn't judge before I know you? That your group is special?"

Brayden places her hands on the table, standing up to lean over the table, her face inches away from the boy's.

"You're the same as everyone in this cafeteria," she spits, narrowing her eyes at the blonde. "And nothing- nothing you do will ever change my mind."

And with that, Brayden is gone.

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