Welcome Back

Natasha got up from the bed with a big smile on her face. The events of the previous night, she could say, was one of her happiest moments.

After getting dressed for school, Natasha stepped out of her room and went straight out of the house.

*****

Entering the school gates, Natasha noticed students gathered around in groups.

"What's wrong Natasha, this is just an everyday normal stuff." she said to herself.

Why worry anyway? Students gathered in groups, laughing and giggling was completely a normal sight to behold when stepping into a school.

OK

This definitely was not normal. Natasha noticed the students who were once speaking carefreely, started to speak in hushed tones once she was nearing them, then when she was close enough to hear them, they kept quiet till she was no longer within hearing distance. And the stares she got from them made her feel uneasy, she really was not liking this.

She did her best at ignoring them all, but she really was losing her cool. Unable to bear it anymore, she ran all the way to her class. Banging open the door, all heads turned to face her.

She looked at her classmates' faces to see if they also would look at her with that curious look the other students she met on the way to class gave her. But no, it was different. It seemed as though they looked angry and happy at the same time. While looking around, she noticed four figures at her desk.

*****

Riley caused quite the stir as soon as he stepped into the school. No one, literally no one expected him to return. It had been over two weeks since he last stepped into the school, and now, here he was again, to continue schooling in a place where almost everyone, if not everyone, had seen what he looked like underneath those clothes.

He didn't dare look any of them in the face. Stepping into his classroom, he nearly went deaf from the silence that enveloped the class. He proceeded to his seat, sat and placed his head on the table, making sure to face the wall.

*****

The trio stepped into the school grounds, chatting about the game they played all night.

"Don't you guys think there's something weird?"

Max asked as he playfully jumped on them both.

The two looked around and at themselves, but could not find anything weird.

"About what?" Tharn asked, while Julian just had a confused look on his face.

Exactly what was weird? Students gathered in groups? Probably letting themselves in on the latest gist in school about the Handsome Maniacs. Students staring at them? Probably admiring their good looks or their guts. Students walking by? Definitely heading somewhere. So just what was weird about that?

Max shook his head as he looked at the two of them, one with a questioning look, and the other with a confused face.

"Don't you think they all are looking a bit too lively?"

"Chatty, you mean." Julian corrected. Afterall, that was all he could see.

"However you put it man. So, don't you find anything weird about it?"

Julian squinted his face, as though he was thinking hard for an answer, then suddenly faced Max.

"Oh, I know. What I find weird is we standing in the middle of the pathway, looking around, trying to figure out what's weird about an everyday occurrence."

"Uh!"

Julian moved Max aside and gave Tharn a pat on his back.

"We should get going Tharn, Max has been acting weird this days, I can't have you also contacting that, the headache you would give me would be ten times his own."

Tharn laughed it off, and dragged Max back to the middle, crossed his right arm across Max's shoulders, then smiled at him.

"Don't mind him buddy. He's been acting weird this days since he still can't bring himself to confess to the lady he loves."

Hearing this and seeing them laugh, Julian waited till they walked ahead of him, there was no way he was going to let go of an opportunity to kick that jerk's ass.

Tharn on the other hand, knew what Julian was planning, it wasn't something new anyway.

As soon as Julian moved his leg, Tharn ran and pulled Max along, screaming

"Stop that pal, it's getting old."

Julian chuckled as he watched them run off. He took a deep sigh.

"It's been a while I walked to class alone. 'chuckles' I had better appreciate this moment. Who knows when next I will get such an chance."

*****

Julian stepped through the door, a bit surprised that the class was not as noisy as he had expected it to be. Looking at his seat in front, Max, who happened to be his deskmate was not on seat, and neither was Tharn at his own seat, just where did they go?

He got to his seat and placed his bag down, and just before he sat down, he did his daily routine, which was to look at his crush.

But he was in for a surprise. Instead of his crush, he saw his friends buzzing all over his crush's best friend.

His mouth fell agape. He really was shocked to see Riley in class. Just why did he return to the school? Why didn't he just go on ahead and go abroad? The fact that he had dealt with those maniacs did not mean that was the end. Not when a lot of the seniors already had their eyes on him, and had promised to do him dirty if they were to ever get their hands on him. Just why did he return?

Julian soon left his seat and went to join them. He now had a plan in mind. And that was to protect his crush's friend and have a higher chance of being noticed by his crush.

A wide grin spread on his face as he approached them.