Work Text:
Michael stares into the open doors of the school, watching the stream of other kids channeling inside. He can’t help but be reminded of a big monster, just waiting as it’s victims crawl inside, ready to snap it’s jaws shut and trap them inside…
He doesn’t hate school. Not really. School meant he had the whole day not to worry about Liz and Evan, and it meant he had absolutely no chance of seeing his father for at least a few hours. In his mind, that’s a win. But even if school has always made a pretty decent escape in the past, this was different. This was middle school. He knows kids are meaner in middle school, it’s puberty or something, right? Despite this, Michael hopes maybe it’ll be okay. He might even be able to make a friend or two if he plays it right… maybe they’d be able to hang out if he can find the time...
He’s broken out of his daydream by a shove from behind. He turns to see a girl close to his height, with dark skin and a mop of curly hair tied back. Her face is split by a wide smile. Her name is Emily, and while the two of them aren’t close, she’s probably the closest thing he does have to a friend. They were both ‘weird kids’ in elementary school who didn’t sit with anyone at lunch or get picked for any sports teams, so they ended up stuck together pretty often. “What’s up Queen Elizabeth, too scared to go in?” Michael cringes at the nickname, and rolls his eyes. She’d called him that since kindergarten when she heard his accent for the first time. It had been the funniest joke in the world to a room full of five year olds, and for some reason she’d kept it up ever since.
That was another goal he had for middle school, though. Get rid of the stupid accent. “ No . I got distracted, that's all.” He tries to make his voice sound American, but it mostly just sounds stupid. “What do you want?” He starts walking towards the door while he talks, and she walks with him.
“Well, I figured since neither of us has any real friends we might as well pretend to be, right?” …She has a point.
“...Yeah, sure.” he says, and she grins. As they make their way into the school, she talks easily into his ear, not seeming to care that he wasn’t really listening or responding. They have different homeroom teachers, though, and she heads off to her classroom, leaving him on his own. He sighs, and looks at the room written on his schedule, finding it in the hallway. He walks in, looking around to try and find a seat that’s next to someone who either doesn’t like him or who he doesn’t like.
There’s a kid that Michael doesn’t recognize, and he’s got a free seat next to him. That will do. Michael hurries over, eyes on the ground, and flops into the chair. He glances at the boy next to him, planning to give him just a once-over, but instead he sees that the boy is already looking at him , and they make direct eye contact. Michael looks away immediately, shifting uncomfortably. The boy lets out a soft laugh, and Michael flushes, embarrassed. Great. He huffs out a sigh and drops his head on the desk.
“Hey, the first day is lame, I get it! Don’t worry though, you’ll be totally chill in no time!” The boy’s voice comes from next to him. Michael furrows his brow, and turns his head to look at the guy. What was he talking about, it was his first day, too.
“How do you know?” It comes out harsher than it’s meant to. Oops. Michael does take the chance to actually look at the boy sitting next to him. He looks… kind of goofy, if Michael is being honest. He has dark hair that looks like curtains on his forehead, but the back is shaggy like he’s overdue for a haircut. His outfit looks like it’s straight out of some beach movie. He has an ugly colorful floral shirt unbuttoned over a faded graphic shirt, along with a pair of shorts that also has way too much color. He also has a handful of woven and beaded bracelets on his wrists, as well as a necklace made out of… shells? Weird.
“Oh, I flunked last year.” The boy admits to Michael. “So, here I am again! Just gotta pay more attention.” He laughs again. Michael is envious of how easy it sounds.
“I probably shouldn’t listen to your advice then, huh?” Michael deadpans. The boy’s smile drops, not seeming to catch the sarcasm. “...It’s a joke. I’m just teasing.” He explains, and the boy just lights right back up, and he laughs.
“Oh! Okay, rad. I’m Jeremy by the way!” He holds out a fist. Michael stares at it for a moment before reaching out to bump it, managing a small smile.
“I’m Michael.” he responds. Jeremy seems really cool, and sort of weird in his own way, which means that Michael is less likely to scare him off. Hopefully, at least. They don’t get time to talk anymore, as the bell rings and the teacher starts talking to them. Michael does his best to pay attention, but he tunes out pretty soon anyway. He’ll figure it out on his own…
When lunch finally rolls around, Michael is… overwhelmed. He decides that he’s not a fan of middle school. It’s too loud, he has to move around too much, and everyone seems so judgy. Luckily, he had either that Jeremy kid or Emily in his classes so far, so there was at least one person he got along with ok… Hopefully, at least. It seemed like Jeremy was friendly with everyone, not just Michael, so who knows if he actually wants to be friends. Now is Lunch, though, which he suspects will be a nightmare. Not only does he need to find somewhere to sit, he needs to deal with all the noise, and hope the food isn’t too gross…
He collects his lunch. It looks edible enough, which is reassuring, but now he has to scan the cafeteria for an empty table. He doesn’t see one, but he does see Emily waving to him, and sighs in relief, hurrying to sit across from her. “Hi Michael!” She grins at him, and he gives her an awkward smile back.
“Hi.” he responds. Emily starts talking about how the day has gone for her so far, but Michael’s not really paying attention, he’s just half-listening and nodding when he thinks he should. Instead, he’s scanning the room, trying to get a handle on everything. He spots Jeremy across the room talking to another boy from their math class that he doesn’t know, and perks up before immediately forcing himself to look normal. That was weird and embarrassing.
He must not be subtle enough, though, because Emily looks at Jeremy, too. “Oh, you’ve met Carlton?” She asks. Huh? Carlton? That must be the other guy with Jeremy. Michael shakes his head.
“No, not really. But the other guy, Jeremy, is in my homeroom and some of my classes. He seems ok I guess.”
“I’m gonna invite them over here.” Before Michael can protest, Emily stands and starts waving. “Hey, Carlton and Jeremy!” she yells, and the two boys look over, along with half of the cafeteria. Michael feels his face heat up, and he doesn’t think he can be any more embarrassed. Jeremy looks confused for a second, before he spots Michael. The two of them lock eyes, and he sees Jeremy grin before he quickly looks down at the table.
In a moment, he hears Jeremy’s voice, and looks up. “Michael, hi! And, uh…?” He trails off, looking at Emily.
“Emily! I’m Michael’s friend. You two wanna sit with us?” she asks.
“Absolutely.” Jeremy plops down next to Michael. Over lunch, the four of them get to know each other a little bit. It’s… really nice, Michael has to admit. He’s not used to talking in groups or making friends, but it seems… not so bad, and maybe even easy, to talk to these guys. He learns that Jeremy used to live in California, and that he was raised on the beach. He learns that Carlton just moved to town because his dad got a job on the police force. Emily tells Carlton and Jeremy about growing up in Hurricane, and Michael is left not sure what to share about himself.
“What about you, Mike? You sound like you’re probably not from here either, right?” Carlton asks. Michael shakes his head.
“No, I was born here… My father is from England and I just got stuck with it, I guess.” he explains. Emily butts in.
“Oh, yeah, Michael’s dad is so creepy. He’s in charge of Fredbear’s Family Diner, the place downtown with the animatronics.” Michael sinks down in his seat a bit. He does not want to talk about his father.
“...My Uncle Henry is the one who’s really in charge. And he’s not creepy at all.” he says quietly.
“...I’d rather learn about you than your dad and his restaurant.” Jeremy says. Michael glances up at him, seeing a slightly concerned smile looking down at him. Can he tell Michael is uncomfortable..? Either way, Michael is grateful for the change of subject.
“Yeah okay. I mean, I grew up here like Emily. I like to draw sometimes? Mostly animals and stuff… I like… music…? Mostly I just watch my siblings.” Michael shrugs.
“That’s super cool though!” Carlton says. “I wish I had siblings.” The conversation is quickly back on track, and now they talk about their hobbies and families. Jeremy is an only child like Carlton, and he likes to skateboard, go to the arcade, and listen to music like Michael does. Carlton plays soccer, but only because his dad makes him. He also likes movies and acting. Michael already knows what Emily likes, but she tells the other two about going on hikes and collecting rocks. Apparently she likes cooking too, which Michael didn’t know.
Too soon, the lunch bell rings, and it’s time to go back to class. “We should sit together tomorrow, too.” Emily suggests. Michael likes that idea, but doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t want to seem too desperate for friends.
“Maybe every day?” Jeremy adds, and that seems like an even better idea.
“That sounds awesome!” Carlton agrees, and Emily nods, grinning. Michael smiles. For the first time in forever, he feels like he has people he can relax around. Finally, he speaks up
“...Yeah, that would be really cool.”