Rhys' P.O.V

Oh great. Now I've put myself into a mess. Talon will probably tell his dad what I did, then there'll be a lawsuit...

I run my hands through my hair and grit my teeth in frustration.

Momo and Asher look weary, Crystal's mortified, and Damien... Well, he never reacts to things the way most people would.

"Daayuuum," he drawls.

Talon glares up at me and threatens," You won't get away with this! You'll be hearing from my lawer!"

But with all the blood he's blubbering on, and the fetal position he's in, he doesn't seem that menacing.

I laugh harshly. Then I walk away.

Crystal's P.O.V

The boys and I all watch as Rhys walks alone.

"Will someone please tell me what's going on?!" I demand.

"I- *hic* will t-tell you what's going on-" Talon stutters, choking on a mouthful of blood.

However, Asher smashes his face in before he can get another word out. If his nose wasn't broken after Rhys hit him, it sure is now.

"Maaaaaan," Damien comments.

"Was that really necessary?" I question.

"If anyone should tell you about what happened, it should be Rhys- not the devil himself," Asher says. Then he too, walks away.

"Are we still walking together?" I ask the remaining boys.

"I don't see why not," Momo puts in.

"Dudes-" Damien starts, but at my look, he coughs and promptly corrects: "Erm, guys, are we just gonna leave Talon here? It doesn't feel right. I mean, I know he's bad and all, but like, you know?" He gesticulates with his hands.

"Yeah... About that," I think for a moment. "Just leave him. I'm sure he'll be fine."

"Bananas! I didn't know you were so cold hearted!" Damien scoffs.

"I'm not being cold hearted," I proclaim. "I'm just executing justice."

Rhys' P.O.V

I punch as hard as I can on the punching bag. I don't need to use someone to be a target for my anger- only the one who caused the anger in the first place.

***

I wake to bruised and bloodied knuckles, and I grimace while clenching them. I try to clean my fists as much as possible, but bruises don't wash out. Though I try to hide them at the table, my mother still catches sight of them, and she frowns, about to ask what happened, when Arelina flounces in.

"Hey Rhys! What did the tea do when it was mad at the coffee? It chai-ded it!" (I, the author, am proud to have made this joke up by myself!)

Immediately, I burst out laughing, surreptitiously hiding my hands in oven mitts.

Arelina, too caught up, doesn't notice, and soon, she's on her way to school, while my mother frowns at me.

She knows the pain though, and doesn't want to discuss it any more than I do.

Crystal's P.O.V

"Ok, this electron goes here. That goes there... Connect... Aaaaand done!" Marcie announces.

I stare at the completed project, chewing my bottom lip.

"You ok?" Marcie asks, brow furrowing.

"Hmmmmm," I hum.

"Are you sure, 'cause-"

"I'm fine," I stand and start walking. "I'll go home now."

Marcie stares as I leave, then she calls, "Come sit with me at lunch tomorrow!"

I wave to show I've heard, then I keep on walking.

Rhys' P.O.V

I kick at the scuffed bench as I wait for Crystal.

I've decided to tell her about Talon, because, as my friend, she deserves to know.

As a pair of shiny sneakers appears in front of me, I stop kicking, and I attempt to smile at Crystal's drawn face.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" She asks, brushing a strand of hair away from her face.

Suddenly, my stomach drops, and I don't have the heart to tell her about Talon anymore. So I scoop around it.

"I'm sorry about the other day," I begin. "That guy is- bad. Well, that's an understatement but, yeah, that's the gist of it."

"Do you want to.. Talk about it..?" Crystal asks hesitantly.

I look at her full on, then reply honestly.

"No."

***

My hands are rough and bleeding beyond repair, scars forming and seamlessly sewn back together, a laughing Talon is fighting me, but he always wins, and Arelina is trapped in a cage behind him, and I can't get to her. Crystal tries to stop me, my friends push me back, but my anger flows and is unleashed in the roar of a lion, and I am a griffin. Aim. Attack. Kill.

This is my only nightmare.

Crystal's P.O.V

I am a dolphin, swimming out at sea. Rhys is there too, but he cannot follow me. I see mermaids with nothing to tell, while their cousins the sirens weave a spell, but I am not a mermaid, and a shark is chasing me, until I am no more.

This is my only nightmare.

***

I wish Rhys would just tell me what's going on. There is nothing worse than reading cliffhangers, and that's what I feel like right now, but it's real life.
I am currently not focused on my art at all right now.

"Wow! Your drawing looks amazing! "

I turn to see Cissy, a girl in my class, blinking shyly at me.

"Uh, thanks, " I say, then I turn to my work to see what I actually did that was so "amazing".

However, I AM impressed by my own work. Somehow, I've managed to draw Rhys' face, full of shadow and contour. I feel accomplished. I smile softly, happy with my work.

I survey the lunchroom, searching for Marcie. I hear a "hey! " and find Marcie pumping her fist at me. The girls around her snicker, but all in good nature.

As I walk over to the girls, I respond to my guy friends' confused expressions with an apologetic shrug.

Damien's expression is the most dramatic, and I can't help laughing at it a little.

Seeing his expression, the other guys all elbow him.

I just wave at them, and sit myself down at the girls' table. After all, if this works out, then I'll have real friends- and they won't be all guys, either!