Quicksand

  Jules was a having bad day.He had stayed up all night binge-watching the last thirteen episodes of Attack on Titans. So he was asleep for the majority of his Math test. He submitted his sheet, already assured of his big fat F, and if that wasn't bad enough— he lost his phone. He hadn't noticed when the bulge in his pocket disappeared until just before lunch when he attempted to pull it out and check the time. Safe to say, his heart accelerated before flatlining.That was his second phone this month. His dad was going to kill him. Yeah, right. He scoffed internally.All he wanted was to eat his tuna in peace and go home. It turned out he couldn't even do that. Why? It was because someone was sitting on his table. The cafeteria was, thankfully, still empty, so he took five strides to reach his table. He immediately realized it was a girl. Her back was turned to him, but he could see her sle

 Jules hated Saturdays. It used to be his favourite day of the week. No school, no teachers, he got to watch anime, play games without his mom giving him the stink eye, heck he loved being home with his family. Saturdays were the best.Then his family broke.Then he broke.Saturdays were the worst. The house was so quiet he could hear everything...and that included the noises coming from downstairs.Was it a thief? Had Jared the mailman, finally made good on his threat of coming to rob him if he didn't start locking his door?Jules mulled it over in his head as he stared at the darkness. He didn't want to leave his room, leave his bed.He listened harder. How far would they go? What would they take? Even as he thought it over he didn't care as long as they didn't come to his room he didn't care. They could rob him clean if they liked. He'll just send the bill to

 Jules was tired.He woke up tired and went through all his classes tired. He had called his dad five times last night and then on the fi fth time his dad didn't even bother letting it go to voicemail instead declined the call on the second ring. He was tired to his bones then he looked at Venus. She was sitting opposite him in the cafeteria eating a bag of potato chips with chopsticks while reading some maths textbook.The sight made him feel light because Venus was the type of girl that ate potato chips with chopsticks and read math textbooks in her leisure time. She caught him staring and gave him a funny look. "You want some chips?" She asked waving the bag at him. When he reached over however she snatched the bag away before he could indulge."I-I didn't think you were actually going to accept my offer." She mumbled.Jules raised his eyebrows. "So you offered expecting me to say, no?"She nodded sheepishly and Jul

 Jules didn't know what to think.It had been a week and a few days since Jules and Venus happened—that's exactly what people were calling it— and while Jules expected for a major change in his life as he knew it.The last thing he expected was the masses to be just as aware of the change in his life as he was."What's Venus thinking? Jules, really? I wonder what that freak must have done to get her attached to his hip."Jules the freak, had just exited his English class and was heading for Calculus when the voices stopped his descent down the stairs. Two girls were in front of the water fountain which just happened to be next to the stairs."I know right, I mean it's bad enough that that weirdo Venus is the shiny new thing that everyone's obsessed with. Now she's hanging with Jules?! Did you know she blew me off for him."Girl number one replied. "She blew you o

 Venus traced Jules's lips with her fingers and although they were cold it left a trail of fire against his skin. He thought of nothing, then everything as he held her. He thought of how clouds of gas and dust collapse into itself to form galaxies, he thought of how she was a star that had a person's name. Vee-nuhs. He thought of Venus. When he closed his eyes he could still see her engraved on the back of his eyelids asking the same question she asked the day they met. Are you alive or just existing? He opened his eyes finally ready to answer. "I'm alive."She smiled like she knew what he was talking about but she probably didn't—since it all happened in his goddamn head, after all—or maybe she did, maybe she was lying when she said she couldn't read his mind. He looked at her. Can you hear me, Venus? If you can I just wann