~<•>~
Garroth's POV:

I bit down on my bottom lip to the point that I drew blood from my lips, which were chapped (and faded) from the bitter cold. The courtyard was barren and dull, not a single leaf on the arms of the naked trees. Heaps of brown, decaying leaves laid scattered around the fenced area, mixed in with some piles of snow, which were freezing solid from the cold.

The courtyard was lifeless; the opposite of what it is during the springtime when it is covered in lush green vegetation, trees with beautiful pink and white flowers, wildflowers, and small critters running about the landscape. All of the color was sucked out of the scenery now, and the only thing that passed through the courtyard was the wind.

I shoved my dry hands into the pockets of my coat, and let out a sigh into the nothingness, a white puff of air escaping my mouth. I felt like I was walking into battle, and with every step I took, my hands quivered in my pockets, and my mind ran with anxious thoughts.

I saw the silhouette of someone sitting on the wooden fence surrounding the area. I could instantly tell who it was. His brown fringe rocked gently in the wind, his gray blue eyes looking as lifeless as the scene around him. His headphones were in, and his phone rest in the pocket of his jacket.

It took all my courage to walk up to him. At first, he didn't notice me, but once I was just a few steps away from him, I caught his eye. Then, the unexpected happened. His lips curved into a smile, and he pat the fence next to him, gesturing me to come sit.

I flinched a bit in shock before reluctantly sitting on the fence.

Laurence pulled his green earbuds out of his ears and dropped them into a pocket of his backpack, which laid next to his feet. We weren't really sitting on the fence. We both half-sat on the fence. Both of my feet rested on the ground, while one of his was resting on one of the wooden planks.

Laurence was still completely silent. He just stared out in the distance, licking his lips, looking as if he were contemplating something. I just sat there, giving him some sort of look, as if to question him why he had invited me here.

He studied my face, seeing my look of confusion. That's when he decided to start talking.

"Let's get this over with," he said breathlessly. He pushed himself off of the fence with his foot and stepped in front of me.

"O-Okay," I muttered with wide eyes. We were really doing this. We were going to fight. Was he serious? "Why are we doing this though? You know, don't you?" I asked. Of course, I was the most hated kid in school, but what had I done to hurt him?

"What do you mean Garroth?" Laurence asked. "I've invited you here to talk."

"W-What? S-So, you don't want to fight me?" I asked nervously.

"No, of course not. Why would I do that? I have nothing against you, really," Laurence whispered.

I gulped. "So, you don't hate me? You aren't scared of me?"

"No, for both of your questions." Laurence paused. "Anyways, Garroth, I need your help."

"W-with what?" I asked. I still couldn't believe that Laurence Zvahl was talking to me. Was he not scared about him being caught with me?

"Do you know Zenix?"

"Zenix... as in my ex-best friend Zenix?"

"Yeah, him. Well, he... he's done things really unforgiving to me. He's also been hurting my girlfriend, Aphmau. Anyways, that doesn't matter. I want to team up with you, to get revenge on him," Laurence said.

Ah, he has a girlfriend.

"Why do you want me to help you?" I asked.

"You know what he's done to you. That's not the only thing I need help with though. I'm also failing Algrebra II. You're the smartest kid in school, so I thought you would be the best tutor."

"What's in it for me?"

"I'll help you with any one big thing you want."

"Wait, really?"

"Really. I also know that you're hiding things. I can be your safe of secrets."

"-and why would I trust you?" I asked, my eyebrow raised.

Laurence was silent as he thought. He rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet. "-because I will tell you my secrets too. If I spill your secrets, you spill mine. It's as simple as that."

Garroth sat there, pondering his options. "Laurence, I'm not quite sure that you want to know my secrets. A lot of them will be hard to keep," I said silently. I pushed up my glasses, looking down at the ground.

"I can handle it. It's the price I'll pay if you help me."

"-and you're not worried about your reputation?"

"Not at all. I care more about my morals more than my reputation," he stated.

"When would we start?" I asked.

"Tomorrow. We would meet here after school every day."

"Well, then it's a deal." I held out my hand for him to shake.

Laurence smiled warmly, taking my slightly larger hand in his and shaking it. "It's a deal."

~<•>~
I have to study for this really hard history test I have tomorrow, and I'm kinda sick, so I'm sorry that I'm making all of this so short. This will probably be the last part I post in a few days. I hope you guys enjoyed! I'll also be editing for the next few days, but don't worry, I won't be adding anything to plot, so you won't have to reread. I'm just adding details, better words, and grammar editing!

Love ya! Bai, Unicorns! <3