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Trey stood almost wide-mouthed as Louis just walked off, but he managed to recompose himself as soon as he realized his initial reaction. He should have foreseen this as well, and now that it had happened, all he could do was shrug it off. If he put himself in Louis's shoes, anyways, a grade A student, he probably wouldn't have wanted to blemish his stellar average either. Come to think of it, he wondered why Jace even bothered. Perhaps she just wanted to annoy her family, who he had learned only recently was not truly her own, her maybe she actually liked accompanying him to the principal's office. After all, it was the comfiest room in the school - padded chairs, large wooden desk, plushy couch and all. Just as he turned to leave, Louis muttered something about lunch. "Sounds sweet!" He said. "We'll find you after class," he said swiftly, before turning on his heel and heading in a direction where you usually only went if you had detention. "Come on, Jace! The teachers are bound to be on the lookout soon enough."

Jace nodded, moving to follow Trey. Hesitating for a brief moment, she turned around and glanced back at Louis, offering him a small smile before walking off, following her troublemaking friend. Moving a bit faster to make up for the lost distance, Jace easily caught up to Trey. "So, you do the hacking, and I'll do lookout," she confirmed. While she understood the basics of computers, and was a pro at surfing the web and stuff, hacking was beyond her. Trey, however, seemed to be excellent at it.

PAGE TWO! WEWT!


Giving them both a polite nod and grin, Louis headed to class. "Maybe it won't be so bad." He reassured himself. "Make a friend or two. You could certainly use them. And maybe Jack will get off your back about having a social life." He exhaled with relief at making sense to himself. "Yeah. Everything will be fine. Friends are good. ...right?"

Forgetting about that for the time being, he stopped by the nurse's office on the way to get an excuse for being late. Having visited her often for earaches, she was understanding and practically had a slip waiting for him. Quickly in and out, he slipped into the science lab and handed his teacher the note quietly before taking a seat in the back of the room. The class didn't pay him any mind as they weren't even paying attention to what they were to be learning to be disturbed by the interruption. Scanning the board quick, Louis understood what they were learning about that day. "Coronary circulation. Excellent." Listening to the droning voice of the teacher and the dull roar of the students, Louis started jotting down notes and diagrams while counting down the minutes to lunch.

Trey grinned as Jace laid out the plan, and he ducked through the principal's office door. Just as he had suspected, the principal was gone, as was his assistant. He had been at this school long enough to know that just before the students' lunch, the higher staff preferred to have their own, so as they were not intertwined with the chaos that usually ensued once the bell rung. He peered through the murky glass door that led to the staff room, which was just adjacent to this one. He made sure that no other staff members were lurking, and once he had doubled checked, he set to sitting in the comfortable spinning chair that was standing just in front of a large desktop computer.

"Never could figure out why he kept this prehistoric junk... it's firewall is virtually in pieces by now," he muttered to himself, as he set to work. His fingers moving as fast as lightning, Trey was literally on the verge of cracking into the grading system. Once he had demolished the fire wall (which for him was as easy as walking with this old excuse for a computer), he quickly scrolled through the gigantic list of students who attended their school. He found the first name of one of the seniors and quickly changed the D- to a C. The others all maintained similar grades, and for the one who gave him two ten dollar bills, he smirked as he upped it from an F to a C+ rather than just a C.

He closed the window with a few more quick keystrokes, but just as he was about to click the off button for the computer, it went haywire. Sparks flew from the corner of the keyboard where his finger had just left it, and he flew back in surprise. He had suspected that this computer was old, but he never believed it to be capable of spewing electricity like lightning. His eyes widened as the windows on the screen popped up in madness, and the wires that connected the desktop began to fizz dangerously. "Jace?" He called out. "Jace, we have a problem!" He tried desperately to fix it, practically slapping each key he hit, but nothing seemed to be working. As a matter of fact, it made it a bit worse. This wasn't right, this never happened... he'd worked with worse computers than this before, and he was always able to fix it. What was wrong this time?

Jace turned away from the small window she had been watching out of, alarm clear on her face. "What? What is it?" she asked urgently, hearing the desperation in Trey's face. She glanced at the computer, and noticed the sparks it was spewing, the tiny arcs of lightning that raced between the keys of the keyboard. "What did you - " she began, but was cut off as her head suddenly throbbed.

Clutching her skull, Jace took a step back, leaning against the wall as she took deep breaths. No, no, no. she pleaded silently, Not right now. Of course, those mental words did nothing to help, as a sharp stabbing pain ripped through her head. She let out a small whimper, sinking to the floor as the pain increased to a point where it felt like metal spikes were being driven through her skull.

Jace clutched her head tightly, trying to block out the pain but failing. She knew Trey would most likely freak out soon, but she couldn't do anything about that right now. She could barely keep herself from crying out, and had to bite her lip hard to stop herself from doing so. After what felt like an eternity, but could've only been ten or so seconds, the pain faded to a bearable level.

She stood shakily, staring at Trey with wide eyes. Her face was pale, and her lip was bleeding where she had bitten it. All in all, she looked like a mess. "Don't tell," Jace pleaded. "It's not a big deal, I promise," she added. "Just a headache."

Trey was lunging at the computer keys, tugging at the wire, trying everything in his power to get it to stop making so much noise and to work properly. When Jace came into the room on account of his nervous shout, however, he expected her to walk straight up to him and demand what happened, but when he heard her voice, it got cut off midway. Suddenly shocked by the unusualness of it, Trey turned around only to see his best friend sprawled against the wall, clinging to her head as if someone has just stabbed it. When she asked if he wouldn't tell, he managed a half smile, as was his habit when trying to make someone feel better, and said, "You know I wouldn't. 'Sides, I'd have no one to tell." With a backward glance at the computer, he winced and then turned back towards her. "Look, those aren't normal headaches. Anything that knocks you off your feet like that can't just be."

As an enormous flash sparked from the computer, Trey's eyes widened even further. He turned back to face it just as one of the small wires exploded, electrocuting the hand he had placed on the keyboard absentmindedly. He cursed under his breath, managing to stagger over to where Jace was and leaned against the wall for support. He had covered his hand for the last few seconds, but as he winced, bringing it out to see the damage, he noticed that he was bleeding a small bit from his fingers. Nothing worse than that, though. He sighed with relief, grabbing a tissue from the box on the desk, and wiped them clean, putting the blood stained paper into his pocket. "Better not to be caught," he said quietly, and just as he went to join Jace again, feeling a bit better now that he was done being electrocuted, the computer stopped making its harsh noises. As a matter of fact, after a few seconds, the only evidence it had ever gone haywire in the first place was the exploded wire.

Trey stared incredulously at the blank screen which showed the desktop picture of the principal's choice, and wondered for a split second whether he had actually gone to class and just had a weird daydream. Reality told him otherwise, though, and he turned towards Jace with a stunned expression. "What just happened?" he asked in a tone that suggested he thought the whole situation bizarre. He looked around for a few moments, grabbed Jace's arm, and led her out of the office. "Let's not stay and get detention..." he whispered as they entered the halls. When they reached the front of the lunch room, Trey took a deep breath.

"Look, that was just... strange. You're getting more massive headaches than you let on," he said firmly, though added quickly after, "I haven't been entirely honest either, though. I uh... well, I've been getting shocked by static everywhere. I assume it's just a normal thing that happens to hackers or something... never bothered to look it up or anything." He shrugged. "Anyways, let's try and not remember that little incident. I think it's toying with my mind," he said, and shook his head as if to get the freakiness out of it. "Class is almost over. It'd be best to wait here for Louis. Unless of course you wanted to catch the last few minutes."

Jace let out a small, relieved sigh when Trey said he would tell. Still a bit shaky, she remained silent until they had safely made it back into the hallway. "Look, that was just... strange. You're getting more massive headaches than you let on," Trey began. "I haven't been entirely honest either, though. I uh... well, I've been getting shocked by static everywhere. I assume it's just a normal thing that happens to hackers or something... never bothered to look it up or anything. Anyways, let's try and not remember that little incident. I think it's toying with my mind," he finished.

"I agree," Jace said with a small nod. She felt a bit sick to her stomach now, probably from the massive headache, but the stabbing pains were fading quickly. She breathed a silent sigh of relief at that too. "Class is almost over. It'd be best to wait here for Louis. Unless of course you wanted to catch the last few minutes," Trey added.

"Definitely not," Jace said with a small smile. "I'll just wait here."

Had Louis known what was going on with his new acquaintances, he might've thought it almost comical when the teacher had to leave to take care of a student that had put some tacks on his chair. He also couldn't help but smirk at the thought that the rebellious act sounded like something Trey would do. The teacher was gone for quite a while, the period was almost over and lunch nearly upon him. He was finishing up with the notes on the board along with a few of his own tidbits, when one of the football players that Louis never bothered to get to know the name of addressed him in a rather annoying manner. "Hey, nerd. What would it take for you to finish these worksheets for me?" He sneered while throwing something from a jar that he picked up on a nearby shelf at Louis.

Taken by surprise at having a small leg in his face, Louis flung it off and shook his head. "That was unpleasant." He muttered inside his head while thinking of what to reply. "I think the more fitting question is, what would it take for YOU to do your OWN worksheets?"

About as big as he was dimwitted, the jock laughed and threw another limb at his face. Louis moved his head just in time, and only stared back unimpressed while he stuffed his papers and book back into his bag.

"How about if I NOT make your life a living nightmare for the rest of the year?" The jock stood and raised the jar of foul smelling ooze over Louis's head.

At a loss for words, Louis started to kick his bag under the table and out of harm's way while he prepared for the worst. But he was about literally saved by the bell. The teacher came back just then as well as the alarm to signal the freedom to lunch rang. Everyone, even his 'attacker', moved out the door as one stampede, and normally Louis was behind them (at his own leisurely pace, but behind them), but today he decided to wait back a little bit. He asked the teacher for a few recommendations for books on anatomy for that evenings assignment, then cautiously, walked out the door and towards the large cafeteria double doors. And outside them waiting, Trey and Jace were standing patiently.

Trey had been breathing as slowly as his lungs would allow to give his body time to recuperate from the electrocution. As they waited for the lunch crowds to come bursting through the different classroom doors, he wondered vaguely why it hadn't killed him. Didn't he remember reading somewhere that there was a 1 in 10 chance of living when you were electrocuted? Or was that 1 in 5... he never was good with statistics... Or math for that matter, unless it counted numbers he remembered were vital in order to access a complicated firewall. Whatever the case, even though he had told himself and Jace it'd be best to forget what just happened, he continued to ponder it unwillingly.

The bell rang just then and sure enough, students came rushing out of class as if some wild animal was chasing after them. Trey stepped out of the way as quick as his legs could react and scanned the crowd for Louis. He spotted him once the end of the crowd began to disappear through the double doors, and by the time he reached them, the students' herd had entirely thinned. "Hey smart guy, how's it going?" He asked enthusiastically. He had the old tissue in his right hand, which was blotted with blood due to his open wounded finger tips. He tried his best to hide it, not feeling it was a major concern for the moment and too busy anyways. "Let's get lunch before they run out of food, shall we?" He said, and opened the door. He held it open for both Jace and Louis to pass through.

Jace quickly followed Trey, though her eyes were focused on Louis, the same friendly smile on her face. Considering he was teased so often, he probably deserved the friendliness. "Hey, Louis," she greeted lightly before walking through the door Trey had so thoughtfully held open. The smells of cafeteria food, normally inviting and mouthwatering, didn't do anything but make Jace nauseous though. Still a bit shaken from the headache - though she certainly didn't show it - she wasn't all that hungry.

"Smart guy?" Louis wondered but brushed it off and acknowledged Trey's second statement instead, "Yea, that'd be a good idea." Knowing full well it was pizza day and that was like throwing a ham in a tank of piranhas. Following Jace in, he returned her greeting with a 'Hey.' and started to scan the room for a table as he made his way towards the line. Slim pickings as usual. The clicks had all the tables just about filled up and the place was super loud from all the chatter about every subject imaginable. Louis just took a moment to be thankful that his hearing was back to normal. Lunch always sucked when it wasn't.

Smelling the aroma of melted cheese, tomato sauce, and pepperoni, Louis suddenly caught scent of something that wasn't supposed to be there. It was close, and smelled coppery. It was blood, and it only took moments to realize it was coming from Trey. "You alright?"

Trey was just about ready to grab a plate and hand the others two more when Louis asked if he was alright. He grinned sheepishly, sneaking a quick glance and his left hand, which were a scathing red in color. The blood seemed to be drying slowly, and yet it still stung when he tried to cover it up and lessen the bleeding altogether. "I, uh- yeah. Just a mishap with a few computer wires," he said casually, and handed him and Jace their plates. "Oh, look. They just brought out a new batch!" he said thankfully, and escorted his two classmates to the back of the line.

"Wait...that made you bleed?!" Jace repeated in a concerned voice, though the words were spoken softly due to the people now around them. Apparently, she had been bit preoccupied with her ominous headaches to focus on Trey. Now that she knew though, the bloodstained tissue wrapped around his fingers seemed painfull obvious. She shook her head in disgust as she grabbed the plate from her friend.

Louis took his plate and was aware of the fresh pizzas, but didn't think about them. "Is it still bleeding? What on earth were you two doing that you ended up shedding blood?" He tucked his plate under his arm and forced Trey's hand away and open to examine the wound. To smell so strong, he was sure it had to still be bleeding, and it was. "That's a nasty cut. We should get something on it." Though not the most social of butterflies, Louis was always a bit of a mother hen. His concern for others (even if he didn't particularly know or like them) always shone through when there was bloodshed. Jack claimed it was his instinct to be a doctor someday. That that was what he was born to do. Louis always laughed at that. It sounded like fate, and fate was never something he really believed in. "We should really go see the nurse, Trey."

Trey managed a laugh at Jace's concerned question and said with a joking smirk, "And where were you, Jace?" He was almost three people away from the pizza before Louis pulled his arm and examined it. "It's nothing really-" he tried to say, but Louis didn't desist. Well, what could he hope for? Most people went crazy at the sight of blood. He was very grateful Louis wasn't one of those people who fainted or gagged because of it. "Yeah, it stings too. It's not a big deal," he said as if it really weren't. At the thought of the nurse, he hesitated. "...Sure," he said finally. After some mental reassurance, he nodded to confirm himself. "But after lunch, cause I'm starved!" He was next in line for pizza, and immediately felt the urge to scarf the whole plate before the others had even gotten their slice. "'Sides, I'll need to come up with some excuse other than breaking into the prince's office," He said, taking his first bite with vigor.