1 Chapter 1: Opening

He wiped his hands on his jeans, sighing loudly while the laughter of the children took over his senses. He felt like dying, rolling his eyes at the delinquents who just wouldn't shut up. He tried everything, but the children won't listen to him.

Why even bother?

The teacher gave up on trying to settle his class, shaking his head that was a dirty brown mess, he took off the square glasses that lined his face. The class continued to holler, some playing fighting and pushing one another on their desks.

It was a horrible, yet usual mess that always happens in this class. The teacher has learned to just give up on it. None of the students ever listen to him anyways, he hates these kids. But he has to deal with them, it is his job.

The commotion continued, even when the door of the classroom opened. The teacher rolled his tired, baggy eyes. "Great, late once again Cameron."

Cameron Jones, a short and scrawny 15 year old, he had floppy fluffy brown hair that was a light bronze. His skin was paisley white, his eyes were a baggy dark brown. He had a permanent scowl on his face, always unhappy. He wore a rust blue baggy sweater to cover up his uniform, black jeans that clung to his thin legs.

He was always late, the young boy looked almost as bad as the teacher, like he hasn't slept in days. Still, the teacher couldn't do anything, Cameron walked past him, his backpack hanging over his shoulder while he walked through the desks.

Some of his classmates got in his way, causing the tired boy to groan in annoyance. One of the boys who had his friend pinned to the table that blocked his path looked at him, giving a mocking apologetic look. "Oh, I'm sorry Cam cam, did we block your path~?"

"Move it Damian," Cameron rolled his eyes at him.

"Don't be like that," Damian stood, walking over to Cameron before grabbing him by the hair. Cameron yelped, his face smashing into the desk that Damian's friend once was on. The boy leaned over, pressing himself up from behind Cameron. "Come on, have a little fun, fight back!"

"Fuck off!" Cameron yelled back, his hair being yanked harshly from behind.

"That's it!" Damian laughed out loud, earning the other students to laugh along with him. The teacher did nothing, gazing slightly over to where the small boy was pushed and bent over the desk.

He shook his head, looking back down to the work on his lap.

"That's enough Damian," a boy grabbed the bullies hand, pulling before pushing him away. Damian landed into his friend looking back up to the boy who pushed him away.

"We're just playing around," he dusted himself off, crossing his arms at the boy.

The boy, Kim Seo, grabbed Cameron and pulled him up from the desk. Cameron growled at him, shoving him away. Kim Seo held him by the neck, pulling him closer, a smirk on his lips. "Keep on fighting me and I'll throw you to the wolves." He looked over to Damian, before eyeing Cameron until the short boy got the hint.

Kim Seo had olive skin, jet black hair that was pulled out of his face and below his hair was shaved. He had tattoos over his skin, his uniform off and around his hips, only wearing the white undershirt underneath. His ears were pierced, his straight jaw and small eyes gave his Korean features away, his eyes were a natural gray.

He was friends with almost everyone in the Delinquent Cord, the classroom he was in was filled with most of his friends. He was respected, liked, and feared by his reason for being in the classroom that was built like a prison. The respect from others came from his weird nature, how he is never afraid of anything. Nothing seems to scare the 17 year old. He was the one feared instead.

"Get off!"

Except for this one. Cameron pushed the taller boy aside, moving around both of them and heading to the seat in the far back. Kim Seo shook his head, laughing at Cameron who ignored him.

Damian and his buddies came over, handing the tall boy a cigarette. "That little cunt has balls!"

"Small balls," Damian corrected one of his buddies.

"How would you know?"

Damian just laughed, handing Kim Seo a lighter for him to smoke. He did so, ignoring the banter of his friends and sitting back down. A girl with straight black, purplish hair that hung over her shoulder lay next to him near the window. She was snoozing on the table, head dug into her arms.

"Vinh, do you have the copy?" Kim Seo asked, looking over and puffing smoke from his lips.

The girl, Vinh Bui, looked up from her arms. Her eyes a dark violet, her bangs stuck to her forehead that was damp with sweat. The straight hair went to her waist, a bit messy up in the front, but it was straight all the way down. The uniform she wore was messy with food stains, sweat, and being unbutton, she rubbed off the drool from her chapped lips.

She looked over to where the boy sat, nodding her head, she looked through her small backpack under her feet. Kim Seo laughed, "you look like shit. Ever think about making yourself at least look pretty?"

"I'm not pretty." The girl said, her voice coated with dry annoyance. She handed the paper over to the boy, laying back down to sleep.

Kim Seo shook his head, looking down to the list she made. The girl was Vietnamese, her features half American, she was one of the smartest kids in the Cord full of idiots at age 16. The boy and her made friends over their shared love for silence. She never speaks, keeps to herself and just observes. Kim Seo likes her, she doesn't fear him, but respects him and does work like this with him.

Not for him.

The delinquent enjoyed the company of a close friend like this.

"Stop touching me!" Cameron said from the back of the class.

"It's so fluffy," the girl that sat beside him ignored the boy's annoying tone. She rubbed his fluffy hair that fizzed up the small boy's head. Cameron pushed her away, hearing a pout, "if you didn't want it to be touched, why have it so fluffy?"

"Not my fault I was born with it." Cameron shot back to her, pulling away from the grabbing girl. She only laughed at him, finally giving up in messing with it, but she did try to sneak a few more pets.

Loire Lilith, a short and spunky 14 year old with a French tongue. She had short chopped hair, her face clear from its dyed blue locks and brushed to the side. The pixie cut gave her face and piercings away. Her ears were filled with them, her nose and eyebrow also having silver chains. Her face had dusted freckles, light pale skin with dull blue eyes. She always wore a smile, her uniform dyed and ripped to a shaggy rough aesthetic.

She was one of Cameron's "friends". He didn't see her as it, didn't see anyone in the Depliquent Cord as his friend. But the girl made up her mind to befriend him, in her hyper eyes, they were friends. Even if she was friends with almost everyone in the Cord, even those who tease Cameron, she considered them friends.

Cameron looked away from her, pulling out his phone to look busy. He tried to ignore her but she kept pestering him with her talkative mouth. She never knew how to shut up, always throwing jokes at inappropriate moments. Cameron disliked the girl, but he had to deal with it. The only thing he enjoyed was the girl's company that was always going to be there.

Even if he didn't want it.

"No smoking Kim."

The boy looked up to the voice, crashing eyes with the teacher. He growled under his lips, taking the cigarette from his mouth and letting out smoke. "Why? Don't like the smell?" The boy laughed, leaning onto his desk while making eye contact with the teacher. "Should be used to it by now huh?"

The teacher gulped, sweat falling from his face while eyeing the teenager. He looked away, unable to keep contact anymore. Kim Seo chuckled, leaning his head back while his friends made jokes, directing it at the pitiful treacher.

The teacher clutched his pants tightly, his teeth grinding together with anger. He was interrupted by the door opening again. An assistant walked in, ignoring the environment from the students and walked over to the teacher.

"Mr. Tul, we have a scheduled assembly. Bring all the students to the lunchroom."

The teacher, Mr. Tul looked up to her, confused, lifting his brows. "Why? What's it about?"

"I'm not allowed to tell." The woman said with annoyance, turning her head to the door. "Just bring them there, don't ask any questions."

Mr. Tul nodded, looking away from the fleeing assistant. He turned to the class, not even bothering to stand up or even make an effort to the students. "All of you head to the lunchroom, you have an assembly."

It took no time for the students to jump up and shove one another to get to the door. They laughed with joy, running through the open doors with the other delinquents from the neighboring classes in that hall. The delinquents rushed away from their classes, ignoring the warnings from some of the guards that patrolled the halls.

Mr. Tul ignored them as well, waiting until the last of the students left his class before tilting his head back. He sighed, pain in his voice combined with a rising pit of anger.

He pulled out a box from his brown jeans and lit a cigarette.