Crimson always had plan to go out with a bang her senior year at Rosafeld. Whether it was just by skipping, being an academic success, getting a full ride, or anything that would forever leave a mark on the school.

Those ambitions are what led Crimson and Savannah to talking in the school bathroom, not listening to the warning bell that rang overhead.

"Are you sure about your sources? It's been a day, and there still isn't a new kid roaming the halls. We would know," Crimson said, making Savannah roll her eyes.

"Of course I'm sure. Have I ever been wrong? He's probably gonna come today, if not tomorrow. I gotta get to class, Crim, I'll see you later," Savannah said, exiting the bathroom.

Crimson walked over to the mirrors that hung above the sink, pulling out her red lipstick. She carefully smeared it on, making sure not to get it on her skin. In a split second decision that she may come to regret later, she wrote "BEAUTY ON THE OUTSIDE" in red lipstick, ending it with a kiss of red lipstick.

Yes, she was going to leave a mark on this school.

|||||

The only downside to skipping part of class was being called out for skipping class. Mr. Delgano gave her a pointed look when she walked into class ten minutes late, Savannah muffling her laughter with a hand.

"Miss Abreo, glad you could join us," Mr. Delgano said, annoyance in his voice. "I'll let you off with just a warning since I'm sure that you don't want a detention so close to winter break."

"Thank you, Mr. Delgano," Crimson smiled sweetly, dropping it off her face as soon as her back faced the teacher. It wasn't that she hated the man, it's just that she despised him. He definitely was not an easy person to get along with, even though her parents begged to differ.

Crimson had the unfortunate pleasure of being neighbors with Mr. Delgano, which also meant that her parents knew the man. Her mother, being a pleasant woman, found absolutely nothing wrong with him. That meant that Crimson had to suffer through a lot of dinners with him, her mother taking pity on the single man.

The only upside was that Mr. Delgano hated to even threaten to give detentions to the daughter of his crush. She wasn't stupid, she knew that he'd give anything to get married to her mother.

It was absolutely revolting to Crimson, and everyone else. Her mother, however, stayed blissfully unaware as did her father.

"Now, as I was saying, the French Revolution was during a time of-" Mr. Delgano continued, and Crimson slouched in her seat. She already learned about the French Revolution, being a history nerd. The thought of things happening in the past and how much they resembled what was happening in the present fascinated her.

But Mr. Delgano put her to sleep, so Crimson fell into the practiced art of sleeping with her eyes open.

And by that action, she missed the new kid entering the classroom fifteen minutes after she had fallen into her deep sleep.

|||||

"I can't believe you fell asleep," Savannah complained as they went through the lunch line. "Again!"

"I can't believe that I missed the new kid coming in to our class," Crimson said, picking up an apple. Ironically, it was ruby red.

"Honestly, he was kind of hot. Not in a cute schoolboy way, but like sex god hot," Savannah said. They paid for their lunches, carrying their trays to the table they'd sat at for the last four years.

"You have a boyfriend," Crimson reminded, picking up the slice of pizza she had put on her tray. She gave Savannah a pointed look, reminding her that she did have someone she was supposed to remain faithful to.

Savannah rolled her eyes, taking a bite of the quesadilla she had purchased. Just as she opened her mouth to retort, Sage Bacher sat down at the same table as them. She picked up her pizza ready to bite into it when the two girls started to question her.

"Sage?" Crimson questioned. Confused was an understatement.

"Yes?" Sage questioned, quirking an eyebrow at Crimson.

"What're you doing here? You were gone for a whole year off on your exchange trip, what're you doing back now?" Savannah questioned.

Sage dropped her apple back on her tray, rolling her eyes. "Did you guys not get my text that I coming back today?"j

Both girls looked at each other than reached into their pockets to grab their phones. Sage's parents had declared an international phone to expensive, leaving them to wait until Sage could communicate with them by other means.

They both looked at their phones, now reading Sage's text about how she'd be home starting last week and she'd be back at school today.

"Well now we did," Crimson said, shoving her phone back in her pocket. Savannah followed suit, pocketing her own phone.

"How was your year in Europe? You went to Germany, right?" Savannah said. 

Sage nodded, "Yeah, I spent my year in Berlin, actually. The city was so beautiful and old. It was kinda like a modern village, I guess. Everything was so cultured, and there was so much history everywhere. You would've loved it, Crim."

"It sounds lovely," Crimson said. "Who did you live with the entire year?"

"This really nice family. They had a daughter that was my age and a son a few years younger. Every one of them really helped me with my German skills, and I helped them with their English skills. Well, Winola at least. She plans on studying abroad in America for a year, so I helped her be prepared for that. Slang and all is really different here."

"That's so cool," Savannah gushed. "Is she going to take a year to study at the same school you're going to?"

Sage bit her lip, not wanting to go into this topic just yet. She hadn't even told her parents yet.

"What were you guys talking about before?" Sage asked, quickly changing the  topic.

"The new kid," Savannah said, surprising Sage.

"There's seriously a new kid? Here? Of all places you could go, why the hell would anyone choose Rosafeld?"

"Beats us," Crimson shrugged. "Evidently he's in our history class. At least, that's what everyone's telling me."

"Wouldn't you know if you were in that class?" Sage asked.

"Not if you can sleep with your eyes open," Savannah grumbled. Savannah had always wanted to be able to have the ability to do such things, but she never could. When Crimson had learned how to last year, Savannah had been upset for nearly a week.

"That's... actually kind of impressive. Honestly, if I could sleep with my eyes open I would so sleep through Mr. Delgano's class too," Sage admitted. Savannah agreed, taking a bite of her quesadilla.

They spent the rest of their lunch catching up with each other, each one of them excited to see each other. None of their other friends either ate lunch at school or had the same lunch period, making them be the only three that would sit at lunch with each other.

Crimson was so into the conversation that they were having that she almost didn't notice the new kid watching her from a distance.

Almost.