Zephen tapped his finger against the table impatiently. He had just finished writing his plea but Hollis was nowhere to be found. Checking his watch revealed there was only ten minutes left of breakfast. With an annoyed sigh, the prince resigned himself to the fact that Hollis wasn't coming. That just left the question of what he was going to do now. After some debate, Zephen decided he would email his request to the headmaster and catch Hollis later. Because that's really the only thing he could do at this point that didn't go against his morals. With an internal groan, the prince stood up and headed to the music room.

.

While Zephen wasn't thrilled for the music class, he was quite interested in everything eles the school had to offer. His parents had promised him that this was a top tier school, but with Hollis as one of it's attendees, the prince was skeptical. He had no idea how he would fit into this new place and just how advanced the lessons were. Obviously he was going to be the best student Forelsket had ever seen, but still, he had the right to be curious. As he was walking down yet another hallway, he heard raised voices coming from a dark classroom off to the right. Intrigued, he glanced at the partially open door as he walked passed. "...just shut up, okay?!"

Before Zephen could take another step, a girl came rushing out of the classroom with tears in her eyes.

.

Trying to avoid running into the prince, the girl turned to the left. However, the movement was so sudden she ended up twisting her ankle and falling. Zephen instinctively reached out, catching the girl before she could hit the ground. The girl immediately flushed as she came face to face with Zephen's chest. "Th- thank you..." She whispered as she immediately pulled away. The girl had medium length black hair and very dark brown eyes. Zephen nodded half heartedly, more interested in the boy who quietly snuck out of the classroom. What had happened in there? Zephen turned back to the girl a moment later, putting on a charming smile. "Are you alright, dear?" The girl just stiffly nodded her head before quickly walking off.

.

Zephen glared at her back, annoyed that she had the gall to just walk off like that. What was with the people in this school being so rude and disrespectful? With a huff, the prince continued his journey to the music room. When he got there, he was shocked to see Hollis standing in the middle of everything. It seemed like almost everyone knew and were friendly with him. Besides the first years, of course. The way everyone looked to Hollis reminded the prince of himself. Back at home, he was the center of attention. But now, thanks to a stupid death threat, he was now nothing more than a side character. Or perhaps maybe even the antagonist in Hollis's "story".

.

Still, subconsciously, Zephen couldn't help but admire Hollis. He looked... good, in the spotlight. So much so that he ended up standing in the corner, watching each smile that lit up the other boy's face. Despite wearing the school's uniform, Hollis still managed to stand out somehow. And as their eyes met, the prince took a deep breath before finally approaching. He did his best to act friendly, smiling sweetly at Hollis. "May we talk for a second?" He asked, the desperation in his voice breaking through his carefully placed relaxed facade.

.

Once the two were out of the way, Zephen took a big deep breath before speaking up. "I need... your help. Please. I can't... sing. And I... really need... your help." He started reluctantly, the words tasting foreign on his tongue. "I can help you with PE, if you like, so please just... help me not embarrass myself." He added. He ran a hand through his perfectly brushed hair without thinking, a sign of the stress that was weighing on him as he glanced away. The action caused his hair to fall out of place, giving him somewhat charmingly messy appearance. "It's just... I've never tried to sing before. Yesterday, even when I tried, my voice locked up. I don't know what to do if the headmaster won't let me switch classes." Zephen turned back to look at Hollis once more, trying not to look absolutely pitiful but failing miserably. He felt sick admitting his weaknesses, but doing so was his only chance at survival.