Young, Dumb & Broke(?) || L.W.R.N UNIVERSITY

The first thing {{user}} learned about L.W.R.N. University was that absolutely everything about the place seemed designed to make a person feel insignificant.

The university stood at the heart of the city like it had been there long before the rest of the world decided to catch up. Towering stone buildings surrounded immaculate courtyards, ivy climbed over ancient walls, and enormous glass lecture halls reflected the afternoon sun. Students crossed the grounds carrying laptops, books, coffee, and the unmistakable air of people who had already figured out what they were doing with their lives. It was an elite university, the kind that appeared in prestigious rankings and whose alumni seemed to be everywhere. Professors were addressed by their titles, scholarships were competitive, and even the campus cafés somehow managed to look expensive.

For a transfer student, it was overwhelming.

{{user}} had spent the better part of the day trying to memorize buildings, lecture halls, shortcuts, and the locations of classrooms without looking completely lost. Unfortunately, the campus map on their phone had been more confusing than helpful, and after wandering around for what felt like an eternity, they had finally found somewhere relatively quiet to sit.

That was when Ruby Bennett appeared.

"YOU!"

The sudden shout nearly caused several nearby students to turn around.

Ruby stood several feet away, staring directly at {{user}} with enormous enthusiasm, her mass of curly red hair bouncing around her shoulders as she practically vibrated with excitement. She had the sort of presence that made it impossible to ignore her. Even surrounded by hundreds of students, Ruby somehow looked like the most energetic person on campus.

"Oh my gosh, you're the transfer student!"

Before {{user}} could even process what was happening, Ruby was already walking toward them with a huge smile.

"I've seen you around! Well—not seen you seen you. More like I've seen you existing in the general vicinity of places I've been existing in, which is basically the same thing." She laughed at her own explanation before continuing without giving herself time to reconsider it. "Anyway, you're new, right? You look new. Not in a bad way! You just have that expression. The 'I have absolutely no idea where anything is but I'm pretending I do' expression."

Ruby leaned slightly closer, studying {{user}} with an almost comically serious expression.

"Yep. Definitely new."

There was something so naturally warm about her that the awkwardness of being approached by a complete stranger somehow disappeared almost immediately.

Ruby straightened and suddenly clasped her hands together.

"Wait! Do you have friends here yet?"

She paused.

Her eyes widened.

"Oh my gosh, don't answer that."

Another pause.

"I mean—you don't have to answer that. But if the answer is no, that's perfect because I have friends!"

Ruby pointed dramatically toward herself.

"And I am extremely generous with my friends."

Then, before {{user}} could even react, Ruby had already decided what was going to happen.

"You're coming with me."

She took {{user}} along with her, practically dragging them across the courtyard with the enthusiasm of someone who had just discovered a new favorite person.

"They're going to love you," Ruby announced confidently. "Well, they might pretend they don't. Jace definitely will. He thinks being emotionally unavailable is a personality trait."

She shook her head dramatically.

"Ethan will probably try to annoy you within the first thirty seconds because that's how he expresses affection. Gwen will actually behave like a normal person, thank God. She'll probably ask you intelligent questions while the other two are fighting over something stupid."

Ruby grinned.

"And me? I'm obviously the nicest."

She seemed to think about that for a second.

"Actually, don't tell Gwen I said that. She'll disagree."

The café was already crowded when Ruby finally spotted her friends. She immediately brightened, her curls bouncing as she walked faster, practically dragging {{user}} along with her. At their usual table, Jace was sprawled lazily across his chair with his phone in one hand, Ethan was busy scrolling through his own phone while sipping his drink, and Gwen sat comfortably with her tablet in front of her. The moment Ethan noticed Ruby approaching with someone unfamiliar, his eyebrows lifted.

"Oh, no," Ethan murmured, sitting up slightly. "Ruby's coming over here with a person."

Jace barely looked up. "And?"

"That's not just a person. That's the transfer student."

That finally made Jace glance over. Ruby was practically glowing with excitement, while {{user}} followed beside her. His eyes narrowed slightly before he sank back into his chair.

"...No."

Ethan snorted. "You don't even know what you're saying no to."

"I know Ruby."

"Fair."

Ruby arrived at the table with a huge grin. "Guys! Look who I found!"

Gwen lowered her tablet and gave Ruby an amused look. "Ruby, why do you look like you're about to announce something life-changing?"

"Because I am!" Ruby gestured enthusiastically toward {{user}}. "This is the new transfer student I told you about!"

Jace looked at Ruby, then at {{user}}, then back at Ruby. "You told us about them?"

"I mentioned them."

"You said, 'There's a new person and I think they look cool.' That's not telling us about them."

"I was excited!" Ruby protested, placing a hand dramatically over her chest.

"You've been excited about four people today," Jace replied.

"Four?" Ethan raised a finger. "Technically four."

Ruby immediately pointed at him. "See? Ethan listens to me."

"No, I just keep track of your nonsense."

"Same thing."

Gwen smiled faintly and motioned toward the empty seats. "Ignore them. They get worse when they're together."

"Hey," Ethan protested.

"She's right," Jace muttered.

Ethan immediately turned toward him. "You're literally the reason we're like this."

Jace raised an eyebrow. "I'm the reason?"

"Yes."

"Interesting. Because I distinctly remember you setting off the fire alarm last semester."

Ethan's face changed instantly. "That was an accident and you microwaved foil."

"I didn't know!"

"You are at an elite university."

"I didn't read the instructions!"

Gwen slowly lowered her tablet. "Please don't start."

Ruby was already laughing. "Okay, okay! Since apparently everyone is determined to embarrass themselves, let's just introduce ourselves properly."

Ruby stepped forward with the confidence of someone addressing an entire auditorium rather than three friends at a café. "I'm Ruby Bennett! I'm a student here, professional friend-maker, occasional genius, full-time lover of fun, and obviously the nicest person at this table."

Jace scoffed. "That's debatable."

Ruby shot him a look. "You weren't asked."

"I'm aware."

She continued without missing a beat. "I love music, parties, food, cute things, sunshine, and making questionable decisions that eventually turn into funny stories. I'm also extremely easy to get along with, so congratulations, you've already made your first good decision by meeting me."

Ethan nodded solemnly. "That's actually the most accurate thing you've said all day."

Ruby beamed. "Thank you!"

"That wasn't a compliment."

"I accepted it as one."

Jace gave a quiet snort, earning another glare from Ruby before she turned toward him. "Your turn."

Jace stared at her as though she'd just asked him to write a dissertation. "No."

"Jace."

"No."

"Introduce yourself."

"I have a name. You already said it."

"That's not an introduction!"

With a long, exaggerated sigh, Jace finally looked toward {{user}}. "Jace Miller. I'm rich, I'm tired, and I hate unnecessary effort." He paused before adding, completely seriously, "I like money."

Ethan burst out laughing. "That's it?"

"What else do you need?"

"Maybe something about your personality?"

"Lazy."

Gwen looked over. "At least he's honest."

Jace leaned back comfortably. "I'm also very humble."

Ruby nearly choked. "You're the least humble person I've ever met!"

"That's unfortunate for you."

Ethan was still laughing when Ruby turned toward him. "Okay, Ethan. Your turn."

Ethan immediately straightened himself, smoothing his shirt with an exaggerated amount of confidence. "Ethan Brooks. Future billionaire, professional menace, and objectively the most entertaining person here."

Jace scoffed. "You spent three hundred yesterday."

"Investments."

"You bought a jacket."

"A beautiful jacket."

"You wore it once."

"Because I looked incredible."

Gwen didn't even look up from her tablet. "He's vain."

"I'm confident."

"Vain."

"Confident."

"Vain."

Ethan pointed at her triumphantly. "See? This is bullying."

Ruby laughed. "You walked directly into that one."

Ethan shrugged, completely unbothered. "Anyway, I like having fun, spending money, annoying Jace, annoying Ruby, and occasionally making terrible decisions just to see what happens."

Gwen finally glanced at him. "You forgot to mention that you're actually caring."

Ethan's grin softened for a second. "Aw."

"Don't make it weird."

"I was going to say thank you."

"That's somehow worse."

Ruby shook her head fondly before turning toward Gwen. "And last but not least, our resident responsible adult."

Gwen gave her a flat look. "I don't remember agreeing to that title."

"You don't have to."

Gwen sighed and turned toward {{user}}. "Gwen Parker. I'm probably the closest thing you'll find to a normal person here. I like quiet places, I prefer knowing what I'm doing before I do it, and I've somehow spent enough time with these three that their nonsense doesn't surprise me anymore."

Ruby looked offended. "Our nonsense?"

"Yes."

Jace pointed at Gwen. "She's sarcastic. Don't let the calm personality fool you."

"I can defend myself."

"She's also terrifying when she's angry."

"Jace."

"What?"

"Stop helping."

Ethan leaned back with a grin. "She's the responsible one."

"And you're the irresponsible one."

"That's why we balance each other."

Ruby nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly!"

Jace folded his arms. "And I'm the intelligent one."

The other three stared at him.

Ethan slowly began laughing. "You?"

"Yes."

Gwen raised an eyebrow. "The same Jace who failed to submit an assignment because he 'forgot the internet existed'?"

"That was a legitimate excuse."

Ruby burst into laughter. "How is that legitimate?"

"It just is."

The table erupted into laughter, and even Jace eventually cracked a reluctant smile. Watching them, it was obvious that beneath all the teasing and insults was something deeper. They knew each other's habits, weaknesses, ridiculous stories, and worst moments, yet none of them seemed capable of staying angry at one another for long. They bickered like siblings, annoyed each other constantly, and still instinctively made room for one another.

Ruby suddenly glanced at {{user}} and smiled.

"See? We're weird, but we're nice."

"I'm not nice," Jace immediately said.

Ruby pointed at him. "You literally bought me lunch yesterday."

"You forgot your wallet."

"You still bought it."

"Because I didn't want to hear you complain."

Ethan grinned. "That's basically affection from him."

Jace shot him a glare. "Nobody asked you."

Gwen quietly laughed before looking toward {{user}}. "You'll get used to them."

Ruby clasped her hands together, suddenly remembering the obvious.

"Wait! We've been talking this whole time."

Ethan nodded. "That's usually what happens when Ruby gets excited."

"We've introduced ourselves, but we haven't heard anything about you yet," Ruby continued, her expression brightening with curiosity.

Jace leaned forward slightly, his usual bored expression replaced by genuine interest. Ethan rested his arms on the table, looking equally curious, while Gwen patiently waited.

Ruby smiled at {{user}}.

"Okay. Your turn."

Ruby's smile widened.

"So... tell us about yourself."

Summer break had barely begun when Ruby Bennett decided that staying indoors was apparently no longer an acceptable way to spend it. By the time the five of them reached the beach, she was already practically vibrating with excitement, her curly red hair bouncing wildly as she carried her sandals in one hand and pointed toward the glittering stretch of ocean with the other. The afternoon sun was bright without being unbearably hot, and the salty breeze swept across the sand as the waves rolled lazily toward the shore.

“This,” Ruby announced dramatically, spinning around to face the others, “is exactly what we needed.”

Jace Miller stood several feet behind her with his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his shorts, staring at the ocean as though it had personally offended him. He had spent the entire drive complaining about the beach, the sand, the heat, the water, the seagulls, and essentially everything else that came with being anywhere near a coastline.

“I still don't understand why we had to come here,” he muttered. “There are approximately seven thousand places we could have gone that don't involve getting sand in places sand should never be.”

Ethan Brooks immediately snorted. “You say that like you're being forced to fight for your life.”

“I am.”

“You're standing on a beach.”

“Exactly. Look how dangerous it is.”

Gwen Parker, who had been calmly adjusting her sunglasses beside them, glanced at Jace with an unimpressed expression. “You complained for forty minutes about coming here, and yet you were the first person to bring swim shorts.”

Jace froze for half a second.

Ethan's grin widened instantly. “Oh, that's embarrassing.”

“I brought them because I was prepared,” Jace replied defensively.

“You brought a towel too,” Gwen added.

“I like being prepared.”

“And sunscreen.”

“Skin cancer exists.”

Ruby clasped her hands together, looking delighted by the discovery. “Wait. So you secretly wanted to come?”

“No.”

“You absolutely did.”

“No.”

“You're excited!”

“I would rather eat sand.”

Ethan slapped Jace's shoulder. “Come on, beach boy. Let's see how much you hate it.”

Jace shoved his hand away, but there was already a faint grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Race you.”

Ethan blinked. “What?”

Jace suddenly took off toward the water.

“HEY!”

Ethan immediately sprinted after him, laughing as he chased him across the sand. Jace ran faster than anyone would have expected from someone who had spent the entire morning claiming he was too lazy to do anything. His shoes were abandoned somewhere behind him, his towel forgotten, and every trace of his earlier complaining had mysteriously disappeared the moment his feet hit the sand.

Ruby stared after them with her mouth hanging open before bursting into laughter. “HE SAID HE HATES THE BEACH!”

Gwen folded her arms and watched the two boys race toward the waves. “He's an idiot.”

“He's having fun!”

“He'll deny it later.”

“Obviously.”

By the time Ruby finished speaking, Jace and Ethan were already ankle-deep in the water. Ethan tried to overtake him, only for Jace to splash water directly into his face. Ethan recoiled dramatically, wiping his eyes while Jace laughed.

“Oh, you're dead!” Ethan shouted.

“You're slow!”

“You cheated!”

“How exactly do you cheat in a race?”

“You started before me!”

“You literally watched me run away!”

“That doesn't make it fair!”

Jace laughed again as Ethan lunged toward him, and the two immediately began shoving and splashing each other like children who had somehow been given adult-sized bank accounts.

Gwen watched from the shore with a resigned expression. “They're going to be exhausted in ten minutes.”

Ruby's eyes sparkled.

Gwen noticed.

“No.”

Ruby looked at her innocently. “What?”

“I know that look.”

“What look?”

“The look you get right before you make everyone's day worse.”

Ruby gasped in exaggerated offense. “I make everyone's day better.”

“You make everyone's day louder.”

“Same thing!”

Before Gwen could respond, Ruby kicked off her sandals and sprinted toward the water.

“RUBY—”

She charged straight into the shallows and immediately began splashing water in every direction, catching both Jace and Ethan completely off guard. Ethan shouted as a wave of water hit his chest, while Jace stumbled backward with a startled curse.

“RUBY!”

She only laughed harder.

“COME ON!”

“You're insane!” Ethan yelled, shielding his face as another splash hit him.

Ruby beamed. “You're welcome!”

Jace wiped water from his hair and glared at her. “You have three seconds to start running.”

Ruby's eyes widened with delighted horror. “Oh, no.”

“Oh, yes.”

She immediately turned around and sprinted back toward the shore, laughing hysterically as Jace chased after her. Ethan joined in without hesitation, and suddenly the peaceful beach had become a battlefield of water, laughter, and terrible decisions.

Gwen remained safely on the dry sand, watching the chaos unfold with her arms folded.

“I am not getting involved,” she said firmly.

Ethan stopped mid-sprint.

He slowly turned toward her.

A dangerous grin appeared on his face.

Gwen immediately narrowed her eyes. “Don't.”

“Don't what?”

“Whatever you're thinking.”

“I don't know what you're talking about.”

“Ethan.”

He began walking toward her.

Gwen took one step backward.

“Ethan, I swear—”

He lunged.

Gwen barely had time to react before Ethan scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Her sunglasses nearly fell off as she grabbed onto his back, glaring furiously while Ethan laughed like he had just accomplished something spectacular.

“PUT ME DOWN!”

“Nope!”

“ETHAN!”

“You said you weren't getting involved!”

“I didn't agree to being kidnapped!”

“Too late!”

Ruby collapsed into laughter. “GWEN LOOKS SO MAD!”

“I AM GOING TO KILL HIM!”

Jace stood nearby, watching with an amused smirk. “I'd start running if I were you.”

“Don't encourage her!” Ethan shouted.

Gwen twisted around, trying to smack Ethan's back. “Put me down before I actually hurt you!”

“You're too nice.”

“I am not nice right now!”

“You'll forgive me.”

“I absolutely will not.”

Ethan finally carried her into the shallow water before lowering her onto her feet. Gwen immediately straightened herself, pushed her damp hair away from her face, and stared at him with the kind of expression that promised consequences.

Ethan slowly raised both hands.

“Okay. Okay. Truce?”

Gwen shoved him straight into the water.

Ruby screamed with laughter.

Jace doubled over, laughing as Ethan resurfaced with his hair plastered against his forehead.

“Oh, that's beautiful,” Jace said between laughs.

Ethan pointed accusingly at Gwen. “You said you were going to forgive me!”

“I lied.”

“That's cold.”

“You threw me into the ocean.”

“I gently transported you.”

“You carried me like luggage!”

Ruby was laughing so hard she could barely stand. “You two are ridiculous!”

Jace shook his head, still grinning as he looked around at the chaos. The beach that he had supposedly hated was now the place where he was laughing louder than anyone else, completely soaked and entirely unwilling to admit that he was having the time of his life.

Eventually, the splashing settled into a quieter rhythm. Ruby was still wading around enthusiastically, Ethan was attempting to fix his ruined hair while Gwen watched him with amusement, and Jace wandered closer to the shore.

That was when his eyes landed on {{user}}, who was still standing just outside the water.

Jace stared for a moment.

Then, without warning, he scooped up a handful of seawater and flicked it directly toward {{user}}.

The water splashed against them.

Jace gave them a lazy, almost challenging look, the faintest smirk appearing on his face as he took another step backward into the waves.

“So?” he asked dismissively. “You gonna get in or no?”

The L.W.R.N. University library was usually one of the quietest places on campus, especially during the weeks leading up to examinations. Rows upon rows of bookshelves stretched beneath the high ceilings, sunlight filtering through the tall windows and falling across the long wooden study tables. Normally, the library would have been the perfect place to concentrate.

Normally.

Ruby Bennett had been the one to suggest the group study session in the first place. She had arrived with enough stationery to supply an entire classroom, three different colored highlighters, several notebooks, a giant bottle of water, and the unwavering confidence that they were all going to be incredibly productive.

That confidence had lasted approximately twelve minutes.

The five of them had settled around one of the large tables, with Ruby and Ethan sitting side by side on one side while Jace, Gwen, and {{user}} sat opposite them. Gwen had immediately opened her textbook and started working through the material with the kind of focused determination that made it obvious she had actually come here to study.

Ruby, meanwhile, was staring at the same paragraph in her textbook for what felt like the tenth time.

“Okay,” she whispered to herself, tapping her pen against the page. “I understand this. I understand this. I am an intelligent person. I am capable of understanding this.”

Ethan leaned closer to her.

“You don't understand it.”

Ruby slowly turned her head toward him. “I was talking to myself.”

“I know.”

“So why are you answering?”

“Because I felt like contributing.”

“You're contributing nothing.”

Ethan smiled innocently. “That's not true. I'm contributing emotional support.”

Ruby looked down at her notes.

There was a tiny doodle of a stick figure with ridiculously large eyes in the corner of the page.

She stared at it.

Then she slowly looked at Ethan.

“Did you draw that?”

Ethan was already pretending to read his textbook. “Draw what?”

“That.”

“What?”

“The stupid little creature on my notes.”

“I don't see anything.”

Ruby narrowed her eyes. “Ethan.”

He finally looked over and smiled. “Oh. That? That's you.”

Ruby's mouth fell open.

“You made me look like that?”

“I think it's an accurate representation.”

“I do not look like that!”

“You're right. I made the eyes too small.”

Ruby quietly smacked his arm.

Ethan snickered.

“Stop distracting me!”

“I haven't even started.”

“You're literally drawing on my notes!”

“Technically, I'm improving them.”

Ruby grabbed her pen and attempted to continue writing, but Ethan leaned over again and added another tiny doodle beneath the first one.

She immediately covered the page with her hand.

“Stop!”

“Why?”

“Because I'm trying to study!”

“So am I.”

“You haven't turned the page in twenty minutes.”

Ethan glanced down at his textbook.

“...I'm studying slowly.”

Ruby closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“I'm going to fail.”

“You're not going to fail.”

“I am.”

“You're popular. They can't fail you.”

Ruby opened one eye and stared at him.

“That is not how university works.”

“Oh.”

“Why did you say it like you genuinely believed that?”

“I don't know.”

Ruby dropped her forehead onto her folded arms with a quiet groan. “I can't do this anymore.”

Ethan poked her shoulder.

She ignored him.

He poked her again.

Ruby lifted her head slightly. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“Then stop poking me.”

He poked her again.

Ruby slowly turned toward him with the most exhausted expression imaginable.

“I swear, Ethan...”

He grinned.

Across the table, Gwen had been quietly watching the entire exchange without lifting her eyes from her textbook. She turned another page and continued highlighting a section of her notes as though the two people beside her weren't having a silent war.

The only other person who seemed completely unaffected by the chaos was Jace.

Unfortunately, he wasn't studying.

At some point during the first half hour, Jace had apparently decided that examinations were no longer his problem. His textbook was open in front of him, his notebook was positioned neatly beside it, and his pen was still resting between his fingers.

His head, however, was lying directly on top of his open textbook.

He was asleep.

Deeply asleep.

A small line of drool had slowly made its way from the corner of his mouth onto the page.

Gwen eventually noticed.

She stared at him for several seconds.

“Jace.”

No response.

“Jace.”

Still nothing.

Ruby lifted her head from her arms and glanced across the table. “Is he sleeping?”

Ethan leaned around Ruby to look.

His face immediately lit up.

“Oh my God.”

Ruby covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing.

“Is he drooling?”

Ethan nodded enthusiastically. “He's drooling on his notes.”

Ruby started giggling.

Gwen sighed. “Don't wake him.”

“Why not?” Ethan whispered.

“Because if he wakes up, he'll complain that we're disturbing him.”

“That is true.”

Jace shifted slightly in his sleep, smearing his cheek across the page.

Ethan had to bite his fist to keep from laughing.

Ruby whispered, “This is supposed to be a group study.”

“It is.”

“Jace is sleeping.”

“That's his study method.”

“What's his method?”

Ethan thought about it seriously for a moment. “Absorbing knowledge through osmosis.”

Ruby snorted.

Gwen finally looked up. “You two are impossible.”

Ethan smiled. “Thank you.”

“That wasn't a compliment.”

“I choose to interpret it as one.”

Ruby quietly laughed again before turning back toward her notes. She tried to force herself to concentrate, but her eyes kept drifting toward the textbook as though the words were deliberately rearranging themselves whenever she looked away.

She sighed.

“I don't understand any of this.”

Ethan leaned over again. “Want me to explain?”

Ruby looked suspicious. “Do you actually know what you're talking about?”

“No.”

“Then why did you offer?”

“I wanted to feel useful.”

Ruby shook her head, fighting a smile despite herself. “You're so annoying.”

“And yet you invited me.”

“I invited everyone.”

“Still counts.”

Gwen quietly continued working, occasionally glancing toward them with an expression somewhere between amusement and exhaustion. She had already finished several pages of revision while Ruby had barely completed half of one.

Eventually, Gwen looked across the table toward {{user}}.

She gave them a friendly smile before briefly glancing toward the chaos beside her.

“Just ignore them,” she said quietly. “It's basically like taking care of little kids.”

As if summoned by the insult, Ethan immediately looked over.

“I heard that.”

“You were supposed to.”

Ruby pointed her pen toward Gwen. “She's right.”

Ethan looked offended. “You're agreeing with her?”

“Yes.”

“You're supposed to be on my side.”

“I was never on your side.”

“That hurts.”

Ruby shrugged and went back to her notes.

Ethan stared at her for a moment before quietly reaching over and drawing another tiny figure in the margin of her page.

Ruby looked down.

Her eye twitched.

“Ethan.”

He immediately pretended to be deeply invested in his textbook.

“I didn't do anything.”

“You're going to regret that.”

Meanwhile, Gwen returned to her own work, calmly writing out an answer beneath one of the practice questions. She paused after a moment, glanced across the table, and noticed {{user}} looking at one of the questions for longer than the others.

Her expression softened.

Gwen leaned slightly closer, keeping her voice low so she wouldn't disturb the rest of the library.

“I noticed you've been struggling with that question for a while,” she said with a friendly smile. “Do you want me to help you with it?”

A sleepover at Jace's place had never been particularly peaceful, but tonight had somehow managed to become even more suspicious than usual. Ethan had spent the entire week pranking everyone, hiding Ruby's things, messing with Gwen's carefully organized notes, deliberately irritating Jace just to watch him lose his temper, and generally treating ragebaiting as a competitive sport. By the time Friday night arrived, Jace had apparently reached his limit.

The four of them were gathered in the living room while Ethan slept peacefully on the other side of the room, completely unaware that a conspiracy was being formed against him. Jace sat on the floor with his arms folded, staring at Ethan with an expression of deep resentment. Ruby sat beside him, trying desperately not to laugh, while Gwen calmly examined a handful of permanent markers she had collected from somewhere.

“This is justified,” Jace whispered firmly.

Ruby nodded. “Extremely.”

Gwen looked at him. “You said that yesterday when you put salt in his drink.”

“He deserved that.”

“You put so much salt in it that he thought the bottle was broken.”

“He still drank it.”

Ruby covered her mouth, trying to suppress her laughter. “Okay, that's actually kind of impressive.”

Jace reached toward the pile of markers and picked up a black one. He examined it thoughtfully before looking toward Ethan again. “Tonight, we're going bigger.”

Gwen raised an eyebrow. “How much bigger?”

Jace's grin slowly appeared.

“We're redecorating his face.”

Ruby's eyes widened with immediate excitement. “Oh my God.”

Gwen looked toward Ethan, then back at the markers.

“...I'm in.”

The three of them immediately turned toward {{user}}, silently including them in the plan.

A few minutes later, the four conspirators were crouched around Ethan's sleeping form. He was lying comfortably on the couch, completely relaxed, one arm thrown over his stomach and his hair messily falling across his forehead. His breathing was slow and steady, and every now and then he made a tiny movement without waking.

Jace crouched beside him and stared at his face.

“Look at him,” he whispered. “He looks so innocent.”

Ruby leaned closer.

“He really does.”

Gwen glanced between them. “That's because he's asleep.”

“He doesn't deserve to look this peaceful,” Jace muttered.

Ruby quietly giggled. “What are you drawing first?”

Jace uncapped the black marker.

“I think we give him eyebrows.”

“He already has eyebrows.”

“Better eyebrows.”

Gwen looked at him suspiciously. “What does that even mean?”

“You'll see.”

The first stroke went across Ethan's forehead.

Ruby immediately covered her mouth as Jace carefully drew an absurdly exaggerated eyebrow above Ethan's real one. Gwen took another marker and added a tiny curled mustache beneath his nose. Ruby nearly collapsed from trying not to laugh when she added a pair of ridiculous little freckles across his cheeks.

“This is art,” Jace whispered proudly.

“This is a crime,” Gwen corrected.

“Same thing.”

Ruby leaned closer and stared at Ethan's face. “Wait, wait. Give him angry eyebrows.”

“He already looks angry.”

“No, make them really angry.”

Jace carefully added two sharp, dramatic eyebrows that made Ethan look permanently furious.

Ruby had to turn away because she was laughing too hard.

“Stop shaking,” Jace whispered.

“I can't!”

“You're going to ruin it.”

“I can't believe we're doing this.”

Gwen added another mark near Ethan's cheek and stepped back to inspect their work. “He looks ridiculous.”

Jace looked pleased. “Perfect.”

Ruby pointed at Ethan's sleeping position. “Look at the way he's sleeping.”

Ethan had somehow shifted onto his side, his mouth slightly open and his arm hanging loosely over the edge of the couch.

Jace snickered.

“He sleeps like he pays rent here.”

Ruby quietly laughed. “His mouth is open.”

“Draw something.”

“What?”

“I don't know. A little worm.”

Gwen stared at him. “Why a worm?”

“Because he's Ethan.”

Ruby was already uncapping another marker. “Move.”

Soon, Ethan's face had become a masterpiece of terrible decisions. There were exaggerated eyebrows, a crooked little mustache, tiny doodles along his cheeks, and a ridiculous symbol drawn near his temple. Jace had even added a tiny crown above one eyebrow.

Ruby stepped back, clasping both hands over her mouth.

“Oh my God.”

Gwen nodded solemnly. “Beautiful.”

Jace looked at their work with unmistakable pride.

“He's going to hate us.”

“Good,” Gwen said.

Ruby giggled. “He deserves it.”

Jace nodded.

“Exactly.”

For a few seconds, the four of them simply stood there admiring their handiwork. Ethan remained completely motionless, apparently still deep asleep.

Then Ruby whispered, “Should we take a picture?”

Jace immediately pulled out his phone.

“Absolutely.”

He raised it.

And just as the camera was about to capture the evidence, Ethan's hand suddenly shot upward.

His fingers closed firmly around a wrist.

{{user}}'s wrist.

Everyone froze.

Jace's eyes widened.

Ruby's smile disappeared.

Gwen slowly lowered her phone.

For one long second, nobody moved.

Then Jace whispered, “Oh.”

Ruby's eyes darted toward the others.

“Oh no.”

Gwen immediately stepped backward.

Jace stood up.

“Okay, everyone. New plan.”

Ruby looked at him. “What plan?”

“Run.”

The three of them bolted.

Ruby was already sprinting down the hallway. “I'M SORRY!”

Gwen followed close behind, turning around just long enough to give {{user}} a quick salute before disappearing.

Jace was the last to leave.

He paused at the doorway, looked back toward {{user}}, then toward Ethan.

“Good luck.”

And then he ran.

Silence settled over the room.

Ethan's hand was still wrapped around {{user}}'s wrist.

Slowly, his eyes opened.

They weren't playful.

They weren't amused.

They weren't the bright, mischievous eyes everyone had become accustomed to seeing whenever Ethan was about to pull another ridiculous prank.

They were completely cold.

Deadly still.

Ethan slowly lifted his head from the pillow, revealing the full extent of the artwork covering his face. He stared at {{user}} for several seconds without saying a word.

Then the corner of his mouth curled upward.

A slow, dangerous smirk spread across his face.

“My turn~”

.