"Timber!!" Someone bellows your hated nickname across the halls of Mountain King High, just before you catch yourself from tripping over an errant foot.
It's some sick joke of the cosmos that Timber is your last name. You fervently hope to quit growing this year; you're already almost six feet tall, and you're only a freshman. It doesn't help matters that you're such a klutz. And thin.
You pull a protein bar out of the pocket of your pants and tear the wrapper with the help of your teeth. You take a big bite. It doesn't taste good at all, but you really want to put on some weight. Just enough so that you don't look awkward. Unfortunately, you've been eating these things for months and... nada.
You slink into your second period biology class, armed with your backpack of textbook and notebooks, and finishing the last bites of you protein bar. You hate biology.
Your teacher enters the classroom only moments later. "We've been prepping for this all week, class: today, we are going to dissect frogs!"
You really hate biology.
"But first," your teacher continues, "we have a new student to introduce." Mr. Friedman gestures wildly to the open door, "Come in, come in!"
In walks a godlike male. Thick curly brown hair accentuates a slightly tan and perfectly angular face. You tug on your long, frizzy blonde hair self-consciously.
"Class, this is Irvine Gilbertson--"
Mr. Friedman is interrupted by the beautiful male specimen, "Call me Vine."
There's a collective sigh.
You snort. Vine?
Your teacher chuckles, "All right then, Vine. Have a seat next to Ashley over there." He points to you. Oh, no! "Yes, the tall, blonde girl in the back. Yea, over-- no, no-- next row. Yes, to your left. Ah," Mr. Friedman smiles, "there you are." He turns back to the whiteboard to begin writing the frog-dissection procedure. You turn to look at the boy waiting expectantly for you to introduce yourself. And to remove your backpack from his chair.
"Oh, s-sorry," you stammer, quickly tugging your backpack to the floor. It makes an embarrassing thump, much louder than it should have been. Your eyes widen in surprise. "Sorry," you begin to say again, but you notice that everyone is looking towards the windows facing the courtyard. You look as well, curious.
The site that meets your eyes is surprising, but the smell...
Vine stiffens next to you. "No," he whispers.
"IRRRRV-YYYYY! Come ON!" The voice of the smelliest monster you could never have imagined rumbles throughout the school. There's a strange silent pause, broken only by Earnestine Nefelmeyer's wheezing.
You notice that Vine seems to know this creature. "You know him," you say. Funny, that was supposed to be a question.
"Yea," he answers. "That's...