The morning bell rang throughout the corridor and everyone in Room 28 all began to take their seats, all carefully organised in their friendship groups. Pip Pirrup sat alone at an empty table at the back of the classroom. Everyone else avoided having to sit at the same table as him, let alone beside him. When all the other spaces had ran out, those without a seat still managed to fit in with an extra chair or two per table and their friends spread out a bit so it wouldn't be too noticeable to their form tutor.

Pip exhaled silently. It would be like this in every single class this year, just as it was the year before. However, he wasn't worried about that. It's not that he hated his classmates, even after all they had put him through, but he was uninterested in them. They seemed dull to him, but he shrugged off the thought and rested his chin on his hand, gazing out a nearby window.

Suddenly, the irritating chatter of the classroom abruptly came to a stop. There were heavy footsteps trudging closer and closer, getting louder. Pip showed no interest, unlike the rest of the class, who had all turned their heads towards the door, watching and waiting. It wasn't until a tall dark figure entered the room that Pip turned his attention towards the source of disruption. There at the door, grinning at the display of fear before him stood the Son of the Devil.

'Damien?'

Pip's turquoise eyes were latched onto the cheeky red ones that scanned the room before finding Pip, still staring at Damien in awe. He strode over proudly, going straight for the lonely table in the corner, right where Pip sat. Everyone watched; half afraid, half relieved.

Damien pulled back the chair beside Pip and asked with a less arrogant grin, "Is this seat taken?"

Pip was surprised he even asked, as Damien was the type to take what he wanted without even asking. But at least he wasn't saying it in a mocking tone and so Pip assumed he wasn't being smart.

He hesitated briefly before answering him, "I dare say it is." He smiled up shyly at the handsome Dark Prince.

Damien managed a smile too, "Well it is now."

He dropped his bag down to the ground carelessly and plonked himself down on the seat. He stared at the petite blonde boy for a while as though he were studying him. Pip glanced up at him only to make eye contact and gingerly return to staring at his planner with a pink blush across his cheeks.

Damien didn't break his gaze and instead grew interested by Pip's reaction. He sat up in his chair and leaned in slightly, "Hey…" his low voice cooed.

Pip turned to him, only for their new form tutor to come scuffling in, her so-last-year pointed heels clattering against the floor.

"S-sorry I'm late class. I was held up in the office. Ok now let's get started, boys, girls…"

her old brown eyes met Damien and she seemed taken aback, "things…"

Her eyes trailed off of him and onto her desk, in which she searched frantically for her role-call.

Damien rested his arm on the head of his chair and leaned back, turning his head to Pip again, "Geeze… what an old bat."

Pip turned his head to see Damien a bit better, "Mrs Matthews? She can be a little bit…"

Damien cut him off, "Of a frustrated old hag?"

Pip paused and looked up at the clock above the white board at the very front of the room, "Yeah…" he continued without a care, "something like that."

The bell rang signalling the start of lessons. Mrs Matthews nearly jumped in her ugly pink cardigan, "Oh! Registration is over… but I still haven't-"

Everyone had already got up and started stampeding towards the door.

"We're all in, miss!" Stan Marsh shouted as he ran past.

The door burst open and everyone poured out, running left, right and centre down the halls. Pip however took his time and after throwing his small bag over his shoulder he found Damien was still standing there.

"Come on," he stated as he walked towards the door.

Pip followed, slightly bewildered.

"Where are you now?"

Pip took his neatly folded time-table out from his pocket, trying to concentrate and ignore the crimson eyes that were set on him.

"Umm…" he found his place on the sheet of paper, "English."

"Good," Damien merely answered, "So am I then. Come on, you can show me where it is."

Pip sorted through his locker carefully. It was the end of the day and it had been… interesting, to say the least. Damien had sat beside him in every lesson. Pip supposed it had been because there was no way Damien would have wanted to sit beside any of those other morons. Pip knew he was different and he hoped Damien knew that too.

There were still a few kids lingering around in the corridor. The droned chatter was to no interest of Pip's until he heard a name that latched him onto the conversation.

"What do you mean, dude?"

"Well I mean, why would he be here? Why would he have needed to come back?"

"I dunno… it's not all that important though, is it?"

"It's just kinda weird, is all. Plus the guy freaks me out."

Pip thought for a moment. Why was Damien here? Why come to attend their school now? Why in the middle of their GCSEs? Did he even complete 4th year in some sort of Hell school? The thought hadn't crossed Pip's mind until now. But whatever the reason, he was sure it was something simple. Just as simple as anyone's reason to attend school, or start in a new school, or whatever. It was none of his business anyway and so he shrugged it off.

He looked around himself once more. There were fewer children in the corridor. Pip recognised just about all of the ones left and from years of experience, he decided it would be best for him to leave immediately before he got "held up." It wouldn't be a pleasant end to the first day back. He closed his puke green locker, locked it and took his leave, trying to avoid being noticed.