Falling in Reverse

CHAPTER 1

Note: Strong/coarse languages ahead. Read at your own risk.

*

It all started on a Friday afternoon.

"There he goes!" A girl squealed quietly to girl next to her.

"He looks so attractive today, too!" The friend replied back, in an equally high-pitched voice.

Female voices and even some male voices from every corner of the school, gush about a particular person who was strutting— yep, he is strutting— down the hallway. He had gleaming blonde hair, sparkling green eyes, and a dashing crooked smile that made girls' hearts melt. His voice was an oxymoron in itself, as it was roughly smooth, gently husky. He was from a wealthy family and had various talents, the most outstanding variable being a genius piano player. He a senior at the Polytechnic Academy, and also the single most popular guy in the whole school.

He went by the name Wyatt Griffin.

When he walked by, all eyes were directed to him. Girls literally ripped each other's hair out to get his old textbooks or broken lead pencils. He had the popularity close to that of a movie star.

"He's not that great." A certain girl stated, taking a bite of her sandwich. Before she could continue, however, her friend quickly shut her up by blocking her mouth with her hands.

"Shhh!" The teenager warned her friend. "Stacey, you do not want his fans to overhear you, you'll get killed."

"But it's true, Sumire!" The girl protested to her friend, putting her sandwich down. "I really don't see what the big deal about him is."

Someone started to pick up on their gossiping, or it might have just been their "Wyatt" radar, but a few girls started to give Stacey an icy cold glare.

"Haha, yeah, I don't see the big deal out of Vincent either." Sumire replied back nervously, loud enough for the girls that were glaring their way to hear. They rose their eyebrows, but eventually went on with their business. Sumire sighed in relief when she realized no one was listening to them anymore.

"Why are you guys talking about me?" An annoyed voice asked from behind. Stacey turned around to see her other friend behind her, carrying his lunch in a tray.

"Hey!" Stacey said rather shocked. "It didn't take as long as it usually does to get your lunch today! How did you get here so fast? Decided to stop your symmetry crap?"

"Stacey Devine!" The boy harshly said, before pushing her so he would fit in the table where the three of them crammed in. "First of all, symmetry is not crap; it's a work of art. Secondly, I got this lunch fast because it's a sandwich, it already has perfect symmetry...as opposed to the spaghetti dish. I still have nightmares about that one." He stopped and shuddered at the thought, proving his point. "Thirdly, why were you talking about me?"

"We weren't, I was just saving Stacey from dying an untimely and gruesome death," Sumire told Vinz, chewing on her french fries.

"I was just telling Sumire here," Stacey started, before realizing that she might really get killed from various eyes that she could feel were on her. She lowered her voice many octaves down. "I was just telling Sumire that I think Wyatt Griffin is way too overrated. He's not even that great, yet girls are willing to kill themselves over him."

Vinz showed his disapproval of Wyatt by making a funky face at the thought.

"He really is not that great," Vinz agreed, carefully unwrapping his turkey sandwich. "He seems like a pompous bastard."

"Right?" Stacey wholeheartedly agreed happily. Vinz looked up at her with his brilliant eyes and smiled.

It was always the three of them— Stacey, Vincent, and Sumire. Actually, Sumire was a rather recent attachment. During the Freshman year of high school, Stacey and Vinz were best friends. Vinz automatically befriended her because she was the epitome of "perfect symmetry" in a human. She befriended him because...well, he was her only option really. She was quiet, shy, and had terrible socializing skills. If people gave her a chance and got to know her, they would find out she was actually quite loud, had a short temper, and shockingly cursed a lot. A whole lot. But no one bothered to deal with her, and her existence was only acknowledged because of her high grades.

Vincent or rather Vinz, who a lot of girls were interested in at first because of his good looks, lost his popularity due to his compulsive disorder for symmetry. They were both the outcasts of the school, not welcome to single clique, so they became close friends.

Sumire came during Junior year, and while she was a year older than them, she was put in the same grade as them. She had moved from Japan, and although she spoke perfect English, the school decided that she needed to get left back a year. It was quite foolish because Sumire was an extremely bright student, but Sumire didn't mind it too much. Although Sumire did not have any friends at first because she came so late, and everyone already had close friends, she eventually befriended Stacey and Vinz. She liked them a lot, and they liked her a lot in return. It was thanks to being left back that she was able to meet them, so she was ultimately thankful for it.

"Stacey, you only hate him this much because he gets higher grades than you in Music class." Sumire argued warily.

"Not true!" She quickly retorted back, annoyed that she had been found out so easily. While Stacey was so brilliant at science and math that no one was able to pose as threat to her number one student position, he always got higher grades than her in music. She studied and studied music, but he just had a natural talent. That was actually what irked her the most— the fact that she had to study so hard to understand the concept of music while it just naturally flowed to him. It was completely unfair, which eventually lead to her dislike of Wyatt Griffin to gradually increase more and more.

"It is true, you complain about it all the time. What other reason do you have to hate Wyatt? You never even spoke a single word to him in the past year I have been here," Sumire reminded her. "Not that he speaks to anyone, really."

And that was yet another reason Stacey hated Wyatt Griffin so much. Not only did he steal her crown in being the top student in every class, he acted like a total jerk. He never spoke to anyone, and always ignored those who tried to be his friend. Couldn't he be a bit more friendly? Would it hurt to try to break down the terribly cheesy high school cliques their school had?

"His existence just bothers me; I don't have a specific reason. He just bothers me." Stacey cut the rather dislikable conversation she was clearly losing. The minute Stacey finished her sentence, the bell rang, signaling them that it was the end of the period.

"Well, have fun! You have class with him now, don't you?" Sumire grinned, causing Stacey to be exasperated beyond belief.

Yes, Stacey had just thought of yet another reason she disliked Wyatt Griffin so much— he was everywhere. Literally, everywhere. She had all the same classes as him, and while he sat far away from her most of the time, they were only one seat away from each other in English class.

Which was what she had now.

She groaned at the thought of being within a 10 feet radius of the blonde boy, as she picked up her book bag and slung it across her thin shoulders.

"Good luck." Vinz sympathized with Stacey, as he gave her an uncertain half-smile. He patted the top of her shoulders before he walked away.

For some odd reason, Stacey had a presentiment, a tingling feeling at the pit of her stomach that she should avoid English class that day. But she chose to ignore the feelings, and quickly left the cafeteria. The meat in the sandwich was just weird, she convinced herself.

*

"Hello class!" Miss Venide chirped brightly to her dead class. Almost no one replied back, and the few people who did muttered incomprehensible words. The teacher, however, didn't let the response lower her mood down in the least. In fact, she was used to the half-dead class. She learned from the beginning of the school year that they were a bunch of unenthusiastic teenagers who behaved liked this on a daily basis.

"I know you guys are all bored." The teacher continued on. "But today I have a really exciting project for you all!"

There were moans and groans escaping from practically every corner of the room.

"No, no! Really, it's fun!" The teacher tried to reassure her students to calm down. "Let me just finish!"

The class simmered down, although their faces were filled with disgust.

"It's called the Flour Sack Baby Project!" The overly excited teacher exclaimed. The students actually started to look a little more intrigued. "I will assign you with a partner, and you two will have to take care of a flour sack for a week! You must treat it like it is your own baby, and keep it safe. If you rip it or lose it before a week ends, there will be consequences." Her eyes dimmed in such particular way when she said "consequences," that a few students were intimidated. Wyatt could have almost sworn she was looking directly at him when she said it, but then she quickly gave the same look so he decided not to worry too much.

"Now, I have the names of all the boys in this class inside this hat," the teacher informed them. "There are shockingly an equal number of girls and boys in this class, so it will work out smoothly. The girls come up to draw a name in the hat, and whoever they pick out will be their partners. No trading partners, no matter what," the teacher firmly ordered.

Although most of the class were eager to actually have a remotely fun project, Stacey felt absolutely miserable. This meant that she would have to communicate and socialize with another student in the English class. She hated making new acquaintances, and when the teacher told the girls to get on line to pick a name, she was the last one on the line.

"I hope I get Wyatt!" A girl next to Stacey gushed. Stacey's heart stopped at what she just heard. What if she got Wyatt? How would she have to deal with hanging around him for a whole week?

"We're at the back of the line, someone would probably get him before us," another girl replied back with a sad sigh. Stacey sighed along with the girl, but a relieved sigh. She was right— they were at the end of the line. Someone would have probably drawn out his name by the time it came for Stacey to pick. Well, actually, Stacey did not have the option of picking since she was last in line, but she didn't mind it at all. It increased the chances of her not getting Wyatt as her partner greatly.

The line moved on rapidly, and not a word about getting Wyatt was sprouted. All the girls looked disappointed in their 'baby's fathers,' but all of that flew by Stacey's eyes. She was getting more nervous by the passing girls. Wyatt Griffin was not picked yet, and the chances of Stacey having him as partner were increasing. When the girl right in front of Stacey went, they both closed their eyes and prayed— one praying to receive the Wyatt Griffin card, the other one praying she didn't.

The girl reached into the black hat, and after what seemed like forever, she fished out a label. With trembling hands, she unfolded the paper.

"...Robert." The girl in front of her revealed her partner quietly, with tears at the tip of her eyes. Stacey could feel tears forming in her eyes too.

"So, it's settled! Robert and Emma, Wyatt and Stacey. All the partners have been recorded down in my book, so don't even try to change your partner if you don't want a zero for this major assignment."

"But Miss Venide, I really think Stacey doesn't want Wyatt to be her partner!" One girl shouted.

"Yeah! Look at Stacey, she looks almost pained!"

"I would take Wyatt! Please, let me take Wyatt! I'll treat him right!" Another invoked.

The worn-out woman gave her class an icy glare before she loudly closed her class recording book.

"NO. CHANGING. PARTNERS," the teacher strictly answered. Her eyes looked at her students with pure hate, and the students immediately shut up. When she saw that her students finally quieted down, her eyes softened and she smiled as she told them, "Go get your flour babies now! From today to next week Friday, you will keep this safe, yes? Now go to your partner and discuss how you will be taking care of your babies."

Stacey, avoiding a certain pest called her partner, slowly walked up to her teacher. The teacher glanced at Stacey slightly and smiled.

"What is it, Stacey?"

"It's just..." Stacey hesitated. "I don't see what this project has anything to do with English."

"It doesn't." the teacher replied immediately, her smile never fading. "It has to do with building better relationships."

"What do you mean?" Stacey asked out of curiosity.

"I mean I'm trying to make it so that all students can get closer with others by the end of senior year." the teacher stated, winking at her. It was a terrifying yet calming wink, almost as if she was gently mocking Stacey. "Kissing might be involved..."

"What?" Stacey asked, her eyes widening. Did her teacher just say...?

"Nothing, now you have work to do. Go talk to your partner," Miss Venide told her. The elder woman gently pushed Stacey towards Wyatt, who sat on his desk with his head down.

Stacey grunted, as she walked closer towards the sleeping menace. She shook him in disgust, causing a few girls who were nearby to gasp. Stacey bluntly ignored them, as she was already annoyed as hell. If one more of his cronies gave her a hard time, she would punch their faces in.

"Wha...?" He looked up at her lazily, as his deep green eyes met her harsh brown ones.

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty." She growled; her hands crossed at her chest. "So, what do you want to do about the project?"

"Do whatever," he replied, lowering his head again to fall back asleep. She huffed in absolute annoyance.

"Just as I thought, from afar and from near— you're an annoying piece of fuck." She said it to herself, but just loud enough so that he, and only he could hear. His head shot up at the comment, surprised that such an innocent face had just cursed, and was ready to question her but she had already walked away from him to receive a flour baby. He saw her reach for a bag in the closet, but the teacher stopped her and handed her a different bag instead. Stacey raised her eyebrows at the teacher's sudden change in bags, but took it anyways. Instead of returning back to Wyatt, however, she sat back down in her own seat.

Wyatt, indignant that some loser girl had just dissed him, walked to her desk. It only took two steps, as he was one seat away from her.

"I don't think I heard you clearly," the blonde-haired boy told the blonde in front of him. "What did you say? Repeat it?"

Girls in the classroom stopped to stare at Wyatt. It was the first time they ever saw him talk to a girl, and with this many dialogue! They were in shock.

"Leave me alone. Go away," she ordered him, not even bothering to look up at him. She stared at the flour baby in front of her. Although the packaging was the same, the bag she picked out was considerably heavier than the one Miss Venide gave her.

"We kind of have to do a project together," he reminded her. His voice got rougher.

"You were the one who told me to do whatever," she retorted back, her eyes not once leaving the flour bag. He was ready to protest, when the bell rang and she sprinted out of the room, holding the flour packet in her hands.

"Dammit!" He muttered to himself, shoving his hands into his jean pockets. He would find her, and make her pay for saying such things to him.

*

"You what?" Sumire exclaimed, her eyes widening.

"Yeah, I was so aggravated before, and I ended up just saying whatever was on my mind. But after seeing all these death glares I've been getting ever since; I regret being so rash." Stacey bashfully told her two friends, closing her locker door.

"Well, I think that you did a good thing," Vinz encouraged her. "He needs to step down his pedestal at one point and come back to earth. He needs to realize that he's not a prince or that great; if at all."

"You think so?" Stacey asked, feeling a little more relieved. Stacey had miserably spent rest of her day avoiding a certain senior with blonde hair.

"I know so." Vinz reassured her. "Anyways, what are you going to name that thing?" He pointed to her sack of flour.

School had just finished, and the three of them stopped by their lockers to get ready to go home. They all lived relatively close to each other, so they walked home together too.

"Huh. I don't know...I guess since I'm a single mo—" Stacey stopped dead on her tracks. Sumire's already wide eyes magnified, and Vinz looked absolutely revolted.

Around the corner, waiting for them— rather, a single certain blonde, was the infamous Wyatt Griffin. His arms were crossed against his chest, and he was leaning on the wall. He saw Stacey, who looked horrified, and his facial expression changed to that of a tiger spotting his prey.

"I need to talk to your friend," he simply stated. Before any of them could protest, he tightly grabbed her wrist and pulled her away.

*

"Ow, let go of me!" Stacey cried, finally pulling her wrist free from his clutches. He had dragged her to a completely empty lot near the school yard.

"What you said to me has been bothering me all day." He spoke in a voice that he tried to maintain monotone, but she could easily detect the anger blended in. "I'm an annoying what?"

"I don't know, I forgot what I said." Stacey told him off, lying through her teeth. She looked down at her shoes.

"Fine, then let's pretend you forgot," he continued. "Then what about our project? I thought it was some partnership s**t, why are you leaving me out of it?"

"You were the one who told me to do whatever!" She repeated, looking up at his eyes now in fury. Why did she have to hide her head in shame? He was an annoying piece of f**k, and he was the one who acted like a complete jerk when she was trying to be civil.

"You called me Sleeping Beauty, of course I would tell you off," he acerbically reminded her. His face turned sour at the memory.

Oh yeah. She had completely forgotten about that...

"W-Well." She stuttered. "You kept sleeping, not even paying attention to what was happening."

"Like a care about that shitty class anyways," he scoffed. He yawned. "Now, give me the flour baby, pigtails."

"Pigtails?" Stacey scorned at his lack of remembering other people's names. "The name's Stacey."

"I know what your name is, I would just rather call you pigtails, pigtails."

"Fine, Jerk."

"Jerk?" he asked her, not exactly sure where she got that name. He shook off his confusion. "Forget it, I will never get weirdos like you anyways. Just give me the flour."

"What? Why?"

"I'm going to just rip it," he calmly told her. She looked at him with anger in her eyes.

"What?" She challenged him to dare repeat his gibberish again.

"You heard me, I'm going to just rip it," he repeated. "That way, we won't have to hang out with each other anymore. I can't stand the thought of being with a nerd like you for a whole week, and I highly doubt you would want to spend time with annoying piece of f**k like me. So, let's just tear it now, so there is no pressure. It's too bad about the failing grade but..."

Stacey looked at him with her wide, fierce brown eyes. How was it possible to hate someone to this extent? She was paralyzed from her shock, and she didn't notice him eying the flour baby she had set on the floor before talking to him until he grabbed it. When she saw him holding it, the blood rushed back to her head again, and she grabbed it back. Well, tried to.

His hands were gripped firmly on the flour, and he was not willing to let go.

"Let...go...!" Stacey cried, pulling the flour as hard as she can. He replied by continuing to tightly keep his hands gripped on the flour.

As one should know, a flour packaging, especially one that is paper packaged, is not firm at all and if two huge forces are pulling at it from opposite sides, it is bound to rip.

And that's exactly what happened. The flour bag ripped into two, Stacey and Wyatt both tripping from the impact of a sudden release of pressure. However, instead of the expected powdery white ingredient coming out, sparkling gold powder spread everywhere. Stacey and Wyatt both looked at the foreign substance in complete confusion, before their eyes grew itchier, and they started to sneeze.

"Ahchoo!" Stacey sneezed, her eyes watering from the gold glitter. What was that? Stacey felt her cheeks burning red hot, and for a split moment, the world went black. When she regained her vision, she noticed the substance was gone and the fog left behind by the mysterious powder was starting to clear.

Stacey was needless to say, furious. Actually, furious would be a total understatement. She was livid— absolutely, completely, utterly, and totally livid.

She had enough of him, and wondered how it was possible that a person could be this hateful. She execrated him to the point of even thinking of starting a goddamn vendetta with him. She was sick of him. She was sick of this project. She was sick of that stupid English teacher.

Through her sedulous efforts of breaking night to study for tests, she was able to remain being at the top of her class. She hated how she had worked so hard to keep up her grades, to be number one, and he was ruining them one by one. The fog cleared down, and Stacey was about to tongue s***h him like he never heard cursing before, when her mouth dropped open to the figure in front of her.

"M...M...Me? Huh?" She heard the words escape from her mouth, but in a voice much deeper than hers. She quickly put her hands, which felt rougher and bigger, over her hands in shock. There was a groan that escaped and Stacey quickly looked up. She gasped.

The person in front of her was...herself? She moved closer to the girl in front of her, who had a completely dazed look on her face and looked exactly like her. If she didn't know any better, she would say it was herself. But Stacey knew that it was impossible— it was impossible that was herself because here...

Wait. What?

Stacey looked down at herself, despite being in a torpor. She wasn't wearing any of her old clothes, but they looked oddly familiar. They were... that asshole Wyatt's clothes. Wait, wait...Stacey felt her head grow heavy and the world sinning. What the hell was happening? How was she there when she was here? Where did Wyatt go?

After five minutes, everything clicked in Stacey's head, which ultimately led her to scream her lungs— or rather, Wyatt's lungs out. The shriek was enough to bring the dazed Wyatt, who was still having side effects from whatever the gold powder was, back to attention.

The murky brown eyes he had cleared, and his face crumpled up as he gazed at Stacey. The face in front of him was...himself? Wyatt was bewildered, and was about to say something when he realized that hair was reaching the side of his face. And it was black. His brown eyes widened, as he slowly looked down at himself. When he finally got grasp of the situation, and he was reassured he was not high on the powder he just sniffed, three words escaped his lips.

"What the f**k?"