Midnight whisper

Horrified

“Friends?” Blair repeats to actually confirm.

“Too soon?” Clairo raises her eyebrows. “I mean, we’ll eventually be friends sooner or later. So why wait?"

Blair beams.

Maybe, just maybe. She might like it here.

“And by the way,” Clairo adds. “I know everyone in Freevilely, and there is no old lady named Rita or anyone called Rita at all. We do have Lita, but she’s pregnant and definitely not old. So either this old lady lied about her name to you or...

Blair pauses. “Or what?”

“Or you saw a ghost?” Clairo grins slyly.

“What?” Blair almost lets out a scream, feeling the hair on her body stand.

Clairo burst out laughing. “I’m just joking. I’m joking, okay? I just love how your cheek flares up when you get edgy.

Two seconds of being friends, and Clairo could already see that?

Has she always been easy to read?

"Okay, that definitely wasn’t funny,” Blair says, but she’s trying not to smile.

“I’m sorry, but—” Clairo pulls Blair closer, standing at a height of 5 feet, 6 inches.Blair thought she was tall, but Clairo could eat her up.

“I can’t wait for you to meet my friends; you’re going to love them for sure. Expect Mason; he’s just this handsome airhead that needs something to help his brains out. But don’t tell him I said anything.” Clairo continues with a laugh.

Blair can feel herself smiling.

What’s going on? Is she liking it here already?

What happened to her hating this place, acting out, and making her parents move again?

"Oh, and by the way, Blair,” Clairo stops walking.

“What?” Blair is not liking the random pause.

“We’re like f**cking late! So start running...

Clairo yells and grabs Blair’s arm, and the two of them start to run like the wind.

Blair turns around, and instead of seeing Nolan, she hears his voice.

She turns to see a guy sitting comfortably behind a desk, his face buried in between a lengthy-looking novel.

“H-HI?” She stutters, taking a step forward.

It definitely sounded like Nolan.

The Nolan she has been dreaming about non-stop since her third night in Freevilely

“You can turn the lights on. You’re here for detention, right?” His voice clearly doesn’t sound like Nolan, as he adds.

Maybe she was mistaken.

Maybe her mind had played with her for a bit.

Nolan’s voice sounds calm, like a cool breeze ruffling against wet leaves, and maybe just a tiny bit, this boy’s voice did sound a bit like it.

Blair’s befuddled eyes search for a light switch, and the moment she catches it, the light goes on, brightening the room and revealing her detention partner.

He’s sitting, but anyone can tell he’s quite tall. From afar, he seems unattractive. But up close, he looks soft. With his calm chestnut eyes and outlined lips.

His jet black hair is a sprouting, clean buzz cut that centers his sculptured face perfectly.

The boy, who seems a bit disturbed, lets out a sigh and closes his book.

“You’re new?” He asks Blair, who looks like she’s constipating.

She doesn’t do well with talking to people for the first time.

"Yes.” Blair nods.

“Well, grab one of the good seats before the rest of anyone in detention gets here.”

Blair nods and scurries through the lab, looking for a stool that isn’t looking shaky or that has a broken part.

Finding a firm stool, Blair stretches to grab the stool from its nook when her rubber top collides with a screw nail popping out of the lab’s island as she grabs the stool and pulls her body back. The nail horribly does a number on her shirt, tearing the top into a two-piece and leaving her sports bra exposed.

Horrified, Blair’s eyes widen in shock, and the stool drops from her hand.

She starts to panic, breathing like she’s about to throw up.

Not on her first day.

Anything but getting her shirt shredded.

Looking around the lab and trying not to burst out crying. The boy who’s been watching Blair in distress suddenly walks up to her.

Blair instantly covers her chest by crossing her arms over, and she purses her lips together, internally cursing herself for being so careless.

The boy scoffs as his eyes wander around her hands over her chest before moving his gaze to her face.

He gently takes off his black hoodie, revealing the white shirt he’s wearing underneath, and passes the hoodie to her.

Stunned but still grateful, Blair grabs his hoodie.

He turns away and urges her to put it on with his hand.

What a gentleman!

Blair slowly felt her heart beating at its own pace.

I am still internally thanking him. She put his hoodie over her head and shredded shirt before clearing her throat.

He turns around and nods at his hoodie, now almost swallowing her.

Blair lets out a sigh of relief.

"Thanks"

“It’s nothing” He shrugs it off, walking away to his desk and picking up his book again.

Blair carefully swallows an invisible lump at the back of her throat before grabbing the stool and taking a seat behind one of the lab’s islands.

The room is quiet and extremely bright. Though the quietness is peace itself, Blair finds herself still feeling awkward and pulls out her phone to pretend she’s texting someone really important, not to seem like a loner to a hoodie boy still reading his novel intensively.

The door to the lab opens, and multiple voices take up the space immediately.

"Okay…You have no say in what I do, bird brain. Shut the hell up.

“The hell are you calling a bird brain?"

"Guys, please shut up and try not to argue for once.”

Blair catches a familiar voice, and her head snaps to the door.

There, she sees Clairo and Mason with a girl who doesn’t look very familiar.

"Oh, Blair, you’re here already." Clairo rushes up to her, a smile on her face.

“Yeah?” Clairo glances at Mason, who is grinning at her behind Clairo.

“I’m so sorry I got you into this mess." Clairo sighs, taking a seat on the lab’s island.

“It’s okay-

Blair nods.

“First day of school, and I’m stuck in detention again with you guys. You guys are horrible! I seriously need to change my circle of friends.

Blair's eyes turn to the girl yapping herself away.

She is dressed in a pink sweater and white pants. She is pretty, with brown flowing hair, and her sharp facial features look pretty intimidating on her pale skin.

“Who is she?” The girl suddenly asks, pointing to Blair, who immediately looks away.

“She’s new,” Mason replies, taking a seat beside Blair.

“And I guess she already got detention thanks to you guys,” the girl scoffs.

“You mean thanks to Clairo?” Mason scoffs at getting a punch from Clairo.

“And why the hell are you all over Blair? Move man!” Clairo sneers, pushing Mason, who doesn’t budge.

“Don’t tell me you’re in love with her already."

"Okay, shut the hell up, Elsie!” Mason barks, making Elsie roll her eyes.

Blair finds herself squirming in her seat. No, she did not expect to find herself already in a clique. And with a loud one at that.

She’s never had a clique. Just a friend. One friend, Annabelle, swept off the boy she once liked despite finding out Blair liked him.

She’s never tried to make friends after Annabelle.

She didn’t have to; she had Kimberly, who was just a year older than her and hung out with her when necessary.

The door to the lab opens, and a tall man walks in, a heavy look of disappointment on his face.

"Hey, Mr. Owen,” Clairo waves.

“First day of detention, and I’m stuck with the four of you again? "Oh you’re five now,” Owen sighs, glancing at Blair before scratching his black hair, getting some grays already.

“I promise Mr. Harold, just hate us; we did nothing wrong,” Mason shakes his head.

“Clairo, he hates Clairo,” Elsie corrects.

Clairo rolls her eyes.

“I don’t have time for this; let’s respectfully get by the three hours assigned to you all and leave. It’s the first day of school, and I’m already worn out,” Owen sighs again.

Elsie gets on her feet the moment she takes a seat.

"Or, Mr. Owen— I saw Mr. Harold leaving the school premises earlier. I know the school’s janitor is a tattle-taker. So why don’t you just leave too, and we’ll stay in detention ourselves when anyone asks? You were here the entire time."

Everyone pauses.

“That’s bad. I’m a teacher, and I was assigned—

“You really want to spend three excruciating hours with us instead of going home and enjoying the first day of school relief?” Elsie interrupts.

“That isn’t a bad idea, if you ask me." Owen says, “I really hate it here.”

Mr. Owen picks up his bag.

"Well, make sure to stay here until your detention is over and stay out of sight with the damn janitor, and well, if anyone asks, I was here the entire time. Are we clear?”

The five impatient students let out a relief answer, nod, and watch Mr. Owen leave the lab with his bag.

"Elsie, you’re a freaking genius!” Mason gets on his feet, slowly slipping his hand around her shoulders.

“Get off me!” Elsie shoves him, taking a seat in front of Blair.

“Welcome to Marine,” she beams.

Blair nods in return, a bit intimidated to say a word.

“Rude!” Elsie mumbles under her breath, getting on her feet and walking away.

“The heck do you mean rude? Blair is the nicest person you’ll ever meet,"Clairo snarls.

Blair sighs, hating the misunderstanding Elsie has received, but she also doesn’t have the guts to clear any misunderstandings.

Elsie can hate her for all she cares; she just wants to get over detention and go home.

Elsie walks up to the quiet boy, still reading his book.

“Hey Tim," she beams.

“Get lost,” Timothee sighs, briefly glancing at Blair in his hoodie, who is clearly staring at him too.

“I hate you,” Elsie stomps her feet before walking away.

“But guys, this is it! Our first detention without a teacher.”

“Mason This is nothing to be proud of. We’re still stuck in school,” Clairo chimes in.

“We can leave earlier if we avoid the janitor; no one has to know we’ll be sneaking out early; just one hour spent here, and we’ll do ourselves the best favor by leaving. The first and last days of school are when teachers are supposed to cut us some slack." Mason starts to twirl one of his curls, which Blair does find a bit attractive.

“You kind of have a point. I don’t want to spend half of my day in here. One hour and we’re out of here,” Clairo nods.

“I’m in,” Mason and Elsie say in unison.

They all turn to Blair, waiting for a reply, and she slowly nods in return, saying.

“Sure”

“Great ! Tim?” Clairo turns to the bookworm at the end of the class.

"Whatever,” Timothee adds.

“Good. So we’re all in this together. No one’s going to rat out on us."Elsie breathes a sigh of relief