Chapter 8- Highschool Sweethearts

Finn packed up his things hurriedly once the bell had rung, but just as he started heading for the door, a hand grabbed his collar. He went stiff like a kitten held by its scruff.

"I need you to do something for me." Iris's voice came from behind him like a demon from hell. 

"...What?" His voice was small, barely hearable.

"I need you to distract Lily from me during lunch from now on." Finn searched his mind for a girl named Lily and came up blank. The school the main leads went to was very large and Lily and Finn hadn't met until much later in the main story. 

While he was thinking, Iris released his collar and sat on the nearest desk. When Finn was released from Iris's grasp, he couldn't help but feel a little bit of bravery well up.

"Why? Why do you need me to do things for you? I'm not your servant-" Before he could finish his inspiring speech, his head slammed on the desk, Iris grabbed his hair as she pressed his cheek into the surface.

"What was that?" She whispered into his ear, the cold look in her eyes was now twisted and cruel.

"N-Nothing, I'll do it! Please let go, I'll do it!" He whimpered and as soon as Iris released him he scampered away. 

-

As Iris sat down in a seat with her lunch in hand, a familiar face entered her peripheral vision. Lily's pigtails swung as she sat down beside Iris.

"How are you doing today, Syra?" Her bright voice instantly put a frown on Iris's impassive face. She stayed silent.

"You tutor too, right? Well, let me tell you about this one person I tutor…" Iris tried to block Lily's voice, letting it trail away. But Lily's high-pitched voice was penetrating and Iris was prepared to leave the lunch room again before she heard Finn's voice.

"Hey Lily, right? One of the counselors wanted to talk to you." He walked over, trying to avoid looking at Iris.

"During lunch?" Lily looked confused but she still got up and headed out. As soon as he saw his mission was completed, Finn immediately fled the scene, not wanting to spend any time near Iris. 

Iris felt a spike of satisfaction, seeing Lily's back with her friend not far from her. Lily didn't seem to be an intrinsically bad person, but she was getting in the way. She had been continuously approaching Iris and had almost ruined some of her plans. Lunch was a good time for her to prepare tutoring material and gather information about the main leads, but Lily was obnoxiously disruptive. 

Unfortunately, Iris's peace was once again temporary. Leon sat down next to Iris, leaning over to look at the textbooks that had splayed out in front of her. They were not for her academic level, but his.

"How long do you spend on this?" He peered at her from the side, observing every detail of her face while talking idly.

She barely spared a glance at Leon, focusing on her task. 

"I spend as much time as needed. It's important to make quality worksheets and study plans." 

Her stiff answer didn't disappoint Leon.

"I'm so lucky to have such a dedicated tutor. You're single-handedly ensuring my future, or at least that's what my mother would say." He joked. 

"You're lucky to have such attentive parents. They care about you." Iris's movement paused, distracted.

"Don't you?" He asked light-heartedly and jokingly, but his eyes never strayed from Iris's facial expressions.

Iris thought about Syra's parents and their pervasive worry. Her brows furrowed as she seemed a bit troubled.

"They do. They are very nice people." Iris stared blankly at the page in front of her.

Leon had caught the small changes in Iris's expression and became even more curious.

"Oh? Seems complex. Would you like to share more?" He cheekily asked.

Iris instantly snapped out of her bewilderment and looked at Leon with a frown. She had probably said too much, judging from the inquisitiveness dripping out of Leon's eyes. 

"No. I'd like to focus on this." She gestured to the tutor's plans.

"Oh my bad, I don't want to bother you. These tutor plans are for me after all, I don't want to interfere. Good luck and good work!" He said cheerfully and quickly grabbed his stuff and returned to eating with his friends.

Iris watched as he walked away, a bit taken aback. She hadn't expected him to give up that easily.

-

Iris was walking out of the school when she was stopped by Lily's friend, Annaleigh. She stood in front of her, one hand on her hip and an angry expression on her face. She was obviously here for a confrontation, but Iris didn't think she had offended her in any way. She may always be by Lily's side, but Iris had made a point to not be outwardly aggressive towards them. Regardless of Iris's impatience for Lily, she did not want the trouble that came with public arguments.

"Yes?" Iris's gaze bore into Annaleigh and she felt her courage lessen.

"What did you do to Lily?!" Annaleigh's voice seems sudden and jarring in the bustling entryway.

"What?" Iris was just confused, she didn't look guilty like Annaleigh expected.

"You know what you did! Ever since you appeared Lily won't think of anything else!" Annaleigh yelled, as if Iris was a mistress interfering in their marriage. But Annaleigh didn't seem aware of this absurdity and continued,

"She asks everyone questions about you and has gone to the counselor to ask about your schedule multiple times! She's so engrossed she's trying to change her schedule to match yours!" Rather than exposing Iris, Annaleigh was unintentionally embarrassing Lily. It's not rare for protagonists to have pig teammates, but Iris didn't expect it from Annaleigh. She just kept yelling, unaware of the passersby's entertained gazes. 

"What did you do to her? Why does she hate you so much?" Annaleigh's momentum was beginning to diminish and Iris finally stepped forward when she saw she had calmed a bit. She had thought about it and found it a bit suspicious. It was indeed true that Lily paid too much attention to her. She went to extreme lengths, even despite Iris's obvious disdain for her. Iris may stand out a bit, but not enough to excuse Lily's behavior. The more she thought about it, the more it seemed strange.

"Why don't we talk about this in private?" Annaleigh and Iris were similar heights but as Iris got closer to her, she couldn't help but feel small. Iris seemed to tower over Annaleigh as if she was an ant. Annaleigh's feet acted as if they were someone else's as they followed Iris into a nearby alleyway.