What is left of me

[François Laffont]

What was going on? That was probably the one million dollar question. The one everyone at school must be asking themselves. Well, it sure was the one François was asking himself as he wandered throughout the south wing. After watching Felix go to the auditorium for the briefing, Franck went to his room. Well, he didn’t really considered it as his per se. He never had one before but since the whole place was in lockdown, they gave one to every student not staying there usually. He didn’t particularly like it. Reminded him of his bedroom when they first arrived here in Kalispell and his dad bought a house and everything. Not personal enough which only made the poor boy remember his old bedroom. Now of course, his home was here in Montana and the room changed a lot in the almost five years he’d been here. This one however, Franck had no intention on putting his personal colors on with posters and decoration and everything. It only contained the things he would need, clothes, books, his laptop, that sort of things.

No need to say that he didn’t intend to stay very long in it. He knew they were gone now. And the mere thought of it ensnared his heart in a cold grip. What was going on? He didn't want to think of it, but Franck did fear he might have seen his friend for the last time, or Erika, or Frank. He never saw death up close and he sure didn’t want them to be the first he’d see. It annoyed him to be in that kind of mood. Then again, he had been in that mood nearly since they heard of SPECTRE. He could blame others at first, since then he was trying to cheer them up and go beyond the fear. Then students got kidnapped, including two of his closest friends and he couldn’t control his own feelings anymore, making it even harder to deal with those of others. And now...

Hands in his pants pockets, eyes looking down, he was walking with no clear destination in mind. He needed to occupy himself before he’d go crazy, it was as simple as that. But everyone was in the same state as he was, apprehending the next strike. His room did offer him the chance for his power not to perceive anyone but being alone with his own feelings was no better so he left. He sighed heavily again as he stopped in his track. He let his back rest against the wall and slowly dropped on the floor, sitting there with his elbows against his knees. He closed his eyes and grabbed his head with his hands, his fingers going through his hair. The more he tried not to think about it, the louder the one question he feared the most rang to his ears. How many will die? Franck found himself suddenly praying for their safety. Praying, something he had not done since he came to America. He felt it was all he could do.

[Madeline Carter]

   Did Mads care about the students getting kidnapped? Not really. She didn't know any of them personally, and she sort of figured that if they were stupid enough to get caught in the first place, then well... Good riddance. Of course, this wasn't something she said out loud, because even with a quick tongue as hers, she too did understand that there was in fact people who cared for the missing students, and if she had been in their position she wouldn't exactly love the idea of people telling her it didn't matter. At least she had that much of a heart which sort of struck her as god damn amazing, because for a while, she had almost thought there was nothing she cared about. Imagine her surprise when she realized she actually cared about a bunch of strangers enough not to run her mouth.

   Skating down the hallways, Mads kept her eyes open for any nearby staffers. With the school on lockdown and everyone in chaos mode, she had figured this would be the perfect time for her to break a few rules. Surely, skateboarding down the hall wasn't the worst of rules she could break, but she was bored and she doubted tagging the school walls was a good idea. So, skating it was.

   She didn't stop until she saw someone standing leaned against the wall, looking all gloom and doomy. Seriously, either the guy was awfully constipated, or he was depressed. Well, heck. At least that gave her something to do, no?

   Stopping in front of the boy, Mads kicked her skateboard in the air before grabbing it and leaning it against her side, ''Yo,'' she nodded towards the boy. ''Why ya lookin' so gloom?'' Of course she knew why, but it was polite to ask, no? ''I'm sure they're gonna be fine, yeah?'' Offering the boy somewhat of a sheepish grin, the brunette raised her thumb up as her grin grew wider. ''Wanna see somethin' cool?'' she added quickly before snapping her finger, and as she did, the small hallway was lit up with sparks similar to that of fireworks.

One the sparks had died -- or in this case, disappeared, Mads waved the smoke away with her hand and coughed. Well, she still had a few things or two to learn, and clearly, doing this shit indoors wasn't the best idea. ''Cool, right?''

[François Laffont]

It was not like Franck was doing anything wrong here. He was simply sitting there. If a staff member was to come around and ask him what he was doing, he'd tell the truth. And ask them not to send him straight back to his room just yet. It was just depressing. He knew he should shake himself up, find something to do. He had other friends he could visit to change his mind. They might even be in as bad a state as he was, he couldn’t let that be the case. But he knew he was not exactly in the best state of mind to hear people’s worries or troubles. He had enough of his own for now.

He slowly looked up as he heard a voice. Clearly no staffer would talk like this so he wanted to know just which student here addressed to him. Not that it would matter much. Of course, as she asked why he was looking like that, he tried not to lash out at her. It was not in his persona to do so, but it was made quite clear lately that he was not exactly his usual self. She looked at her and only seemed to notice the skateboard then. Shouldn’t he have heard it before? Franck could not believe he had been in such a state that he didn’t feel her coming closer, or even just heard her. He normally would have. Unless he was in a crowd, he could normally feel someone coming closer to him, as their feelings will always reach him beforehand. It was a mental slap in the face. He really had to get a grip.

“Two of my best friends were captured and tortured by some insane military unit and the other one went out to save them. I don’t care they come here looking like shit as long as they do,” he pointed out. The girl probably knew very little the ones who left to look so careless about it. Or maybe she was like Frank. Frank... will she be able to remain her bubbly self after that? And Erika. The drama in her love life must seem so insignificant now.

The girl before him then tried to lift up his mood by showing him, as she said it, somethin’ cool. He looked up at the lights she created. Little sparks could be seen and he had to admit, it was pretty neat. Even when one vanished in smoke and made her cough. “That’s nice. Thank you, you know, for trying to cheer me up,” he told her. He was so used of this being his role that it was almost strange to him coming from another person. “I think I’ve seen you before haven’t I? I’m François but everyone calls me Franck,” he added. He could almost anticipate her asking if he was French, as it generally was the first question coming up after they heard him talk, even more when he mentioned his name. At least he was not Swiss or Belgian and had to explain France was not the only place where people spoke French, they got it right with their first guess.

[Madeline Carter]

   Frowning, Mads pursed her lips as the boy spoke. Sheesh, didn't anyone have it easy around here? No wonder the guy was depressed; She'd be burning shit down if her friends had gotten caught and tortured. ''Wow, ya sure don't keep anythin' secret, do ya?'' she said, grimacing, ''But hey, considerin' the fact that we're mut- have powers, some of us should be able to heal, yeah? I'm sure they'll be just fine,'' she said, nodding. Mads wasn't one who enjoyed referring to herself as a mutant, or anyone else for that matter. It didn't sit right with her. It felt wrong, and sort of racist too.

   Mads wasn't the kind of person who was adept in cheering others up. It wasn't in her personality, and even when she did try, she either messed it up or felt extremely awkward trying. She was far too selfish to be of any good use in this kind of situation, really. Mads looked out for number one; Herself. That was her greatest priority, or it had been ever since she left home.

   ''M'pleasure,'' she beamed with another sheepish grin, which Mads apparently were prone to doing. There was rarely any meek smiles; Mostly teeth-showing grins and the like. ''That I don't know,'' Mads mused at his next question, ''I mean, I've been around and all, but I'm hardly famous.'' Another sheepish grin. ''Franck,'' she repeated, ''I'm Mads. 'Tis a pleasure.'' Reaching out her left hand to shake the boy's, Mads pursed her lips, ''I'd use my right hand, but wouldn't want me to hit my fingers against anything stell and go...'' she mouthed the word 'boom' as she lifted her right hand, spreading her fingers as she lifted it higher. After all, all it took was moving her finger over a ring made of metal, and bam. Shit got crazy.

[François Laffont]

He raised an eyebrow. Keeping things secret? Why would he hide his friendship with Erika and Frank? Well, he knew some people were very guarded to say the least. It was not his case. He had things he’d keep to himself, especially to someone he just encountered, but not who his friends were. Besides, he was talking of Erika and Frank, the Bellefonte princess and the goofball that seemed to befriend everyone including inanimate objects. And Felix... Damn he didn’t want to think about it again! Powers allowing them to heal? Wouldn’t that be awesome! He didn’t do anything as she didn’t refer to them as mutants. He didn’t like that word either. Made it think they were some sort of anomaly, which wouldn’t be coherent with God making them that way. And despite what Franck went through, he was still a catholic boy who believed in God. And he refused to think this ability of his was given by a darker force.

He gave her a sheepish smile as she assured him they would be fine. None of them could be certain, of course. Well, unless there was some sort of oracle around the school. That too would be awesome. His smile was softer as she said she was not really famous. Did people assume they had to be famous for others to notice them? Again, Franck couldn’t help but see how he was generally going against the tide, since he knew many shy students at the school. Shy and guarded ones, those who didn’t like talking of their feelings. Sure some didn’t like how he could read them all but usually they liked the fact they didn't have to express them for him to know.

He watched her hand for a second as she extended it to him. He shook it even though he knew it would make her feelings come stronger at him. In his state, he actually preferred it. Because, to his surprise, she was not all that worried. And he could really sue that kind of emotion right now. “Mads, unusual. It’s for Madeline, right?” he asked. Her name wasn’t too different from French to English but he did wonder if his accent would make it sound weird for the girl. Then again, she had a distinctive way of talking herself. He stared at her as she talked of her power, or well he assumed it was what she was referring to. “That sounds like quite a handful,” he said. He felt a little awkward sitting on the floor when she was looking up at him. So he stood up, dusting off his pants as he did so. He also seemed to notice the skateboard at last. Well, he did before but didn’t mention it then. “Everyone’s locking themselves somewhere, scared out of their wits and you skate?” he said, pointing at it. He was not lecturing her or anything. She was free to do what she wanted. In fact, he liked to have someone who wasn’t too scared or worried for a change.

[Madeline Carter]

   ''Madeline, yeah,'' Mads nodded. She didn't enjoy the usage of her name, at all. It felt way too girly for her personality, though apparently people had a tendency of asking what the shortened version stood for; She didn't understand why, but as long as people stuck to calling her Mads, she didn't really care. ''I don't like it much though. It sounds far too girly,'' she added quickly with a shrug. Mads was more than good enough, she was sure.

   Nodding again, Mads smirked. ''Handful, ey? Yeah, I guess ya could say that,'' she chuckled. She had been in a few situations where her ability had been sparked and someone's clothes had caught on fire. It wasn't exactly the best kind of way of making new friends, so Mads sort of preferred keeping her hand to herself. Luckily, her ability only worked with her right hand, so there was that. Gave her left hand a lot more practice, so it wasn't like she had much to complain about. Franck's next line of words had the girl giving a wide, teeth-showing green. ''Hell yeah, I skate,'' she cooed, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. ''I mean, we can't stop livin' just because the world's goin' to shit, right? It's important to keep on goin' and do things we enjoy.'' And the fact that she was far too arrogant and prideful to care much also played an important factor.

   Stepping back a little, Mads turned her attention back towards the skateboard, giving it a quick nod. ''Runnin' away from y'all's problems and fear ain't gonna change nothin'. There's still gonna be bad things happenin', and the fear's still gonna be there, so I think that finding a balance is a good way to go. Can't let the fear control ya, ya know?''

[François Laffont]

He nodded when she explained why she preferred to go by Mads as opposed to Madeline. “It’s fine. I usually go by Franck because people tend not to say it right, since it’s French. I let them choose between Francis and Franck, they made their choice. A good thing I’m not trying to make them say my middle name,” he told her, even chuckling a bit as he thought of one of them trying to say Guillaume. Well, there was an English version for that name too. It was William. Francis William... Franck Bill Laffont. Yeah, not weird at all. Well, if she didn’t butcher his name, he supposed he won’t call her by hers. It was kind of hypocrite, thinking that when his accent made a mess sometimes of English words. He couldn’t help it though, hearing them trying to speak French when they really couldn’t made him cringe.

Franck was slowly feeling better and it was mostly thanks to Madeline. Not for what she said but what she projected to him. It was not the ideal, to push aside his feelings to focus on someone else’s, but he wanted a break and she gave him one. He was not telling her however, not yet. He didn't want her to take it badly and go away. Now, he was feeling better, of course, but there was a limit just how much. He was not grinning r even smiling like he normally was and certainly wouldn’t join her in a race down the hallway. But he was feeling better enough not to be moping on the floor again.

Franck paused a moment at what she said. He actually would have said something similar, though obviously with more tact, had he been the one witnessing someone in the state he had been. But Franck was not always very good at doing what he preached. And the tone she used actually annoyed him a bit. Sure, he shouldn’t stop living, but there were people, some of their own, who were currently risking their lives to save others they weren’t even sure to be still alive. He wanted to point it out but she added more and this time, it calmed him a bit. Yes, he couldn’t let fear control him. He sighed, seeing she had a point and no longer wanting to point at her lack of tact. “I guess I don’t deal with fear and stress very well,” he said with a sheepish smile. He knew he could argue he was an empath. But it was no excuse. At some point, he will have to live outside of Bellefonte and he cannot expect living normally if he cannot find a balance. “It’s just a bit more work for me. I’m empath you see, I’m also affected by everyone’s feelings. But I let it get over my head, I know that,” he admitted. He was not searching for her pity here. He should be stronger already.

[Madeline Carter]

   Chuckling, Mads nodded in agreement. She wouldn't have been able to pronounce his name even if she tried. ''Oh yeah, I see what ya mean,'' she said, ''I don't know about ya, but I think shortenin' of names are much cooler.'' But of course, that was an entirely biased opinion based upon herself hating her own name to the point when people used it, she wanted to punch them in the face. Seriously, who called their child 'Madeline'? It was so girly it was disgusting. ''Franck it is,'' she added with yet another nod. She didn't mind. It was easier to remember too.

   Mads rarely ever said anything simply to be disrespectful. Her mouth was far too quick for her head to keep up, and she more often then not tended to say the wrong thing, or say something that pissed people off. She was so stuck to her own opinions that getting her to change her mind, or have her view something from someone else's point of view could be both annoying and hard. This was no different. She really didn't care about the people that had gotten kidnapped, or the ones that had to rescue them. They weren't her friends. She didn't know them. Alas, she didn't understand why she should be wasting her time, energy and sit around moping over something like that.

   ''Not many do,'' she shrugged. ''I probably wouldn't have either if I was in your position,'' she admitted. After all, she might have been both ignorant and arrogant, but she wasn't stupid. She understood what it felt like to worry about one's friends. After all, she did have some of her own, surprisingly enough. Luckily for Mads, it didn't seem like her words had agitated the boy, so there was that to be happy about. ''An empath, ey?'' she mused. She could only imagine how horrible that must be in times such as these. Mads would most likely have gone crazy had she been in the boy's position. ''Must be rough.'' She was glad her ability wasn't connected to anyone else in that way. ''I don't think I coulda handled being an empath. I'm not exactly the most carin' person out there,'' she shrugged. Hey, at least she was honest about it.

[François Laffont]

Franck chuckled as well as she talked of shortened names. To him, it was just a way to make it easier for everyone. If he was still living in France, he wouldn’t need that. But he lived in an English environment and he would much rather be called Franck than hear them trying to say his name. Well, if he said it first, the phonetic would be easier. Because if all they did was read his name, they often pronounced the S, turning his name, if you were French, in the female version of it. He knew he was gay but he was still a guy. “I guess it depends on the name,” he replied. Some shorter versions, Franck did not understand. But it was not the only thing he did not understand at times about English so he never really bothered himself about it.

He gave her a tiny smile. He didn’t need her to sugar coat things for him. Many others had to go through the same situation he was in, you didn’t see them around here. Honestly, Franck disliked how much of a drama boy he could be during such times but he could not help it. He kept it inside, so he would not sound too much like wanting other people’s pity and it gnawed a way out of him and it made him be like, well what Mads found him. It was the same whenever he talked of his power as of late. People who knew were sorry for him, guessing it must be quite hard on him. Sure he liked the comfort he got, but he felt like a hypocrite to ask for it when his friends dealt with far worse right now. It was the problem with liking drama. You wished you did not, but you could not help yourself.

Franck opened his mouth to object as she said she was not exactly the most caring one around here. But he shut it. He didn’t know her but he could tell that much. He gave her a sheepish smile instead. “Would you mind if I stick around a little? It’s just... well you see, I end up sharing a bit of people’s feelings. And you’re one of the very few people I know who isn’t scared out of her wits right now,” he asked her. Franck didn’t like admitting he could feel so much out of someone, he felt like prying. But it was not exactly what he was doing right now, right? It was not like he was digging through what she experienced, he was content with what he got on the surface, what affected him. Of course, she could say no. She knew of him as much as he knew of her. He was not losing anything asking her though.

[Madeline Carter]

If the boy thought Mads cared even a little about who read what and what he felt off of her, he was mistaken. Really, the brunette had already gotten used to the idea of people being able to read her mind, feelings and whatever else these people could possibly do. Besides, it wasn't like they could control it fully, so who was she to judge? Not that she had anything to hide as it was, so there was that too. Needless to say, Mads didn't mind, nor did she care of the boy had pried down into her darkest, deepest emotion and written a damn novel about it. It was whatever. Again, she had nothing to hide.

''Ye, sure,'' she shrugged, ''Always happy to help - or whatever,'' she added quickly with a sheepish grin. Not really. But he seemed nice, and he hadn't done something for her to dislike him, and thus, hadn't given her a reason for not to let him stick around. ''As long as ya don't freak out on me, we won't have a problem. I'm not exactly the nurturin' kind of gal, and the best I could do would be pattin' yer shoulder with a broom.'' Truth. She had never, nor would she ever be the kind of girl that was good, even remotely so, at comforting other people. She didn't have it in her to care enough, and it always left her feeling awkward and out of place.

''So, what do ya feel like doin'?'' she asked. Better to ask; Hey, even she could be a little bit polite. It was rare, but it happened. ''Ya don't strike me as the kin' of guy that's into skateboardin' or pranks.''

[François Laffont]

Franck could barely believe this girl. It wasn’t just that she had no problem with him tagging along only to feed off her emotions, it was how laidback she was about the whole thing. Franck had people who disliked him because of his ability. They had no idea the kind of person he was and it mattered very little to them. He could tell how they felt, deep inside, and it was enough for them not to like him. Of course, those in that situation were usually the bullies and whoever in that state who liked to control others. They feared the control he would have on them. Because the shyer ones actually liked his power, how they didn’t have to phrase how they felt for him to be there and give them just what they needed. Mads however, he still was unsure about her. He had yet been able to put her in a category yet.

He returned her smile when she asked him not to freak out on her. “Well, we’re safe here aren’t we? So you shouldn’t have to worry about me,” he said. What could possibly happen here, right? The danger was out there, near that SPECTRE base or whatever. Not here. Besides, they had teachers and staff to take care of things should it take a turn for the ugly. And if he was tagging along with Mads, it precisely was so he wouldn’t have to deal with the stress. “I just don’t want to talk about what is going on. So as long as we do that, we’re fine,” he said. And she seemed not very inclined on talking about they should indeed be fine.

He chuckled as she talked of pranks and skateboarding. “Well, I’m friend with Frank Cox, so I guess I know a thing or two about pranks. But I have to admit, I never did any skateboarding,” he told her. He didn’t want to force himself on her so he didn’t think about what they should do. Now he realized he might have given it some thought.

[Madeline Carter]

''Okie, dokie,'' she mused with a nod. That sounded just fine to her; She wasn't one who dealt with nor talked about emotional drama, so the fact that he didn't feel up for discussing it... Well, perfect. ''And yeah, I think it's safe to say we won't run into much trouble,'' she added with a shrug. She wasn't by far a carefree person who slid through life without a single care in the world, oh no, that wasn't how it worked. Instead, she simply chose to worry about what mattered, and the things she could actually do something with. SPECTRE on the other hands was something Mads had absolutely no control over, so she didn't see the need to waste her time being worried.

Granted, she didn't exactly have her best friends kidnapped by the mofo's, so she wasn't exactly in a position to relate. If anything, Mads was a lone wolf with little to no friends, and that had suited her just fine up until now. It didn't help much that she was extremely picky when it came to the people she chose to hang around.

''I don't know any Frank Coxes, but I can tell already that ya wouldn't be interested in my kin' of pranks,'' Mads said with a sheepish smile. No, the boy seemed to be far too nice and gentle to have the interest in soaking people with paint, or scaring the shit outta them by throwing up firecrackers. ''But I can teach ya how to skate if that's somethin' that would interest ya.'' Gesturing towards her board, the brunette chuckled, ''I have more of these back at my room, so just say the word. If not, then tell me something ya enjoy doin'. Believe it or not, I do like to test out new things.''

It wasn't a lie; She really did enjoy trying new things, unless they sounded stupid, of course. She was very stubborn, and even a little bit ignorant. Once she had put her mind on something, or decided something wasn't worth her time... Well, it was hard to change her mind.

[François Laffont]

Franck didn’t want to burden Mads with his problems. He wouldn’t even burden his friends with them so why would he bother a stranger? He knew it was not the best thing to do, he so often tried to have his friends talk about it or at least show them he was here for support if need be. But that was just Franck. He kept things inside and would have his friends tell him their entire story while barely sharing his. He didn’t think he was guarded or had trust issues, in fact he’d say he might actually be a little naive. If he had to psychoanalyze himself, he’d say his people pleaser side wanted to do as much as he could for others without having them to deal with his problems. That said, he didn't feel used or anything. It was how friendship worked with him.

He smiled when she said she didn’t know Frank. “Oh she’s a prankster here, in the trying to make everyone smile kind of way. She loves glitter bombs, mostly. She kidnapped the radio host once and ordered a marching band to play while she proposed to a complete stranger. I don’t think she managed to turn the pool into a giant coffee yet,” he said, letting his mind trail off as he thought of that crazy idea that, he was a bit ashamed to admit, he gave to her. But it was either that or plugging a student to a machine to go back in time, so he supposed the coffee pool was better. A good thing he didn’t know her kind of prank. Because he was more the ideal victim than a good partner in crime.

“No, skateboarding is good. But you might have to bear with me,” he said with a light chuckle in his voice. Like he said, he had never tried it before. And it was a long time since he ever went on a bike or anything else that could even remotely resemble a skateboard. He went on his bike once without telling his mother, to go to a friend at the end of the street. She had been so freaked out that she confiscated his bike. Even after he got it back, he barely used it anymore. “I’m sorry for asking, it’s not my favourite question and I get it all the time myself, but your accent, where are you from?” he asked. He thought it American for sure, but the best Franck could tell about accent was either you had a strong one or not. “It’s French mine, by the way, though you probably guessed. Really from France, not Canada or Switzerland or Belgium,” he told her, just in case she might choose to ask since he did first.

[Madeline Carter]

''Impressive,'' Mads said dryly. Okay, that meant Mads had some serious competition she needed to get checked out. She needed to find, befriend and study this 'Frank Cox', and then be better. Yes, Mads had a thing with her ego; She needed to be better than anyone at whatever she did, as long as it was a talent she possessed, mind you. If someone like this chick Franck was talking about could get away with such extremes... Well, needless to say, Mads had a lot of fun to look forward to, that much was certain. Falling silent, Madeline made a mental note that someday, somehow, she was going to find this girl, whoever she was and they would have a legendary prank-off. Aw yiss.

Madeline didn't really mind teaching him. If anything, it would be nice if he ended up liking it, and that provided her with someone to actually skate with, instead of going at it alone. It was one of the things she missed the most from her hometown. Well, that and her old crew, of course. ''Not a problem, sunshine,'' she mused. Placing the skateboard onto the ground, Mads put her left foot on it and rolled it back and forth absentmindedly as she turned to look at the boy again, ''Ely, Minnesota,'' she replied with a shrug. ''I don't mind ya askin'. It's not like I got anythin' to hide or nothin', 'cause I'm proud of bein' from my home, ya know?'' Not that it was a big deal either way, and she wasn't stupid enough to think that just because she didn't mind, neither should he, or anyone else for that matter. ''France woulda been my first guess, yeah,'' she threw back with a chuckle.

Removing her foot from the board, Mads waved the boy over, ''Okay, so...'' she started and trailed off. ''Let's begin' with ya checking yer balance, yeah?'' If his balance was no good, this would offer to be a lot harder. If he could stand on it without falling, then they'd might be onto something. ''Place the foot ya are the most steady with on top of the board, and then use the other to push yerself forward.''

[François Laffont]

Franck did pick the hint of... was it jealousy? Not exactly but he could tell a part of her wanted now to know her and measure herself to Frank. He’d say poor Frank... but he knew her too well. The girl would probably love to have a fellow prankster to play with, not understanding the girl’s competitive side wanting to be better than she was. François always thought of his friend as you would a child you could say. Not exactly very good with limits and filter. He would even say naive, especially when it came to how people loved her pranks. But unlike you would with a child, Franck was not holding her hand all the time, merely watching at a reasonable distance from her glitter bomb, ready to come in if necessary. He was her good conscience in a way, like the cricket with the wooden marionette.

He smiled as she had no problem telling him where she came from. He couldn’t tell why it annoyed him. Probably because it was always coming with a comment on how funny his accent was and all. He knew he still had an accent and probably would have one all of his life. He didn’t need them to define him by it however. He nodded at how she spoke of her hometown. He liked the way she said it. Proud. “I love France too. I guess I just don’t like how my accent is defining me around here,” he replied. Well, that and being gay. He generally kept it personal. A few people knew, those he was comfortable with, but he was not screaming it around. Of course, Tim made it public in his blog. He was not surprised the boy found it, like said before, he never hid it. But if only a third of the school watched his blog, then probably all of it knew now.

He chased it off his mind however when Mads gave him a quick skateboarding lesson. “Alright,” he said as he placed his right foot on the board, like she told him. He then hit the floor with his other foot. He was a bit wobbly but had relatively good balance. “Uh, how am I supposed to stop?” he asked. He jumped off of the board before hitting the wall, running to catch it before coming back to her, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish smile on his face. “Sorry about that.”