I think I may have just found a reason to like this new high school; the reason being an amusingly short and exceedingly cute student who is a grade ahead of me. Of course, I only know this tiny piece of information because he just walked out of a junior classroom but that is beside the point. I've actually only been aware of his existence for just short of maybe five or six seconds but it's more than long enough to make me notice him in his entirety. As if making a checklist in my head, I burn the images of his unruly black hair that sticks out in every direction, his shadowy yet somehow sparkling brown eyes, and his alternative style of dress into my heterochromic retinas. I don't realize how long I'm simply staring at him and wishing he'd say something to me until he opens his mouth to speak.

"What the fuck are you staring at?" he asks in a shockingly irritated tone; I am completely taken aback by this gesture of hostility. I freeze up and can't seem to answer him, so instead he continues to interrogate me. "Hello? Are you alive in there? Also, what the hell is with those glasses? The world is already 3-D, dumbass."

He's referring to the blue and red glasses that are almost always stapled to my face; I've gotten quite a few stares because of them in the short week I've been attending this school but he's the first to actually say something about them. I shyly respond, "U-Um... well... they're not exthactly three-dimenthional glathes..."

"You have a lisp too? Jesus fuck, how many issues can one kid have? I feel really fucking sorry for you. Who the hell are you, anyway?" he finally asks something that can change the course of the conversation; even though I can put up with his childish insults because, in all honesty, he's just too cute for me to even care that he's a total asshole. I breathe a sigh of wholehearted relief.

"Thollux Captor. I-It'th nice to m-meet you." I say with all the courage I can muster within my body. He's extremely intimidating and my shy tendencies are beginning to take over at the worst possible moment. Although, the phenomenon of me being incredibly awkward isn't exactly anything new to me.

"Eh, whatever. Take off those stupid glasses before I punch you square in the face for looking so fucking ridiculous." he retorts and I pause for a few seconds before my shaking hands reach up towards my face. I take the glasses off and blink once or twice as I take in his growing look of shock.

He's the first person at this school to see what my eyes really look like. An immense wave of self-consciousness washes over me and I begin to feel slightly panicked by his seemingly frightened reaction. The countenance of surprise on his face subsides soon after and I'm struck with awe when he starts laughing so hard that tears are welling up in the corners of his eyes. I don't understand this at all... what the hell is going through his head right now? I am scared... no, I'm mortified...

"Are you into cosplay or some shit? I mean, seriously... colored contact lenses? Well, you're Asian or whatever so I guess it makes fucking sense but still... who the fuck wears them to school like that?" he somehow manages to say through his obscenely loud amusement; his slender hands reach up to either eye and wipe the clear liquid away from them. I suddenly feel like crying but for a very different and admittedly pathetic reason entirely.

"They're not contacth. They're a genetic mutation..." I mumble under my breath as I try my hardest to keep myself from bursting into tears right in front of him. My eyes are something I am extremely sensitive about and to have someone who I only want to impress and think highly of me make fun of one of my flaws like that really hurts.

"You fucking serious? No way in hell do I believe a single word of what you just said. I've heard of people having two different colored eyes but one of your eyes is red of all colors. That's not even fucking possible."

"Yeth... I am theriouth. Thith ith the natural color of my eyeth."

He pauses and takes a very long look at me before saying, "Well, if you're not just fucking with me, then I really dofeel sorry for you. You have more problems than you can probably even deal with. Anyway, I have shit to do that is wholly more important than wasting my time talking to you, so do me a favor and never speak to me again. I don't like you. You're one of the freakiest people I've ever met in my entire seventeen years of existence."

I can't help but feel somewhat heartbroken over his last utterance; however, there is still just enough self-assurance left inside of me to ask him one more question. He turns to walk away from me but despite myself, I reach out and grip onto the loose black fabric of his t-shirt to get his attention for a few more seconds. The look in his eyes is terrifying but it doesn't deter me at all. I am determined to learn at least this much.

"W-What ith your name? I promithe I won't athk you anything elthe..." I nervously ask him as I put my glasses back on my face. The least I can do is spare him from having to look at something that clearly makes him disgusted.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a tremendously tall and lanky student with dyed purple hair that dangles down to his shoulders and wearing what looks like pajama pants comes running down the hallway towards us before my conversational partner can answer my question. When he finally reaches the spot where we're just awkwardly standing, he throws a hand on the left shoulder belonging to the boy who I've inexplicably begun crushing on and shoots me an inquisitive look.

He tilts his head to the side and curiously asks, "Who's this dude, Vantas?"

"Nobody even remotely important, that's who. Let's just get fucking going."

"Whatever you say, brother Karkat. We don't wanna be motherfucking late anyway since Tavros and Terezi all be waiting for us at the bus loop. Man, early dismissal is a motherfucking miracle!"

Before they take off to leave school for the day or whatever it is they're actually doing, the person I now know as Karkat turns to me and says with an annoyed tone of voice, "Well, there's your answer. Now kindly fuck off to wherever the hell you came from, you freak. I wasn't kidding when I said that I don't want anything to do with you."

Karkat Vantas...

I lose myself in thought for a few minutes and look up to realize that they're long gone. As much of a stab to my dignity as that encounter was, a smile emerges on my face with the knowledge that at the very least, I can see that disturbingly angry yet completely adorable face around school. My feet carry me to my next and favorite class, math, with a surprising spring of confidence in their step.