Chapter Text
Whizzer Brown only had one goal for his junior year. Get in, receive high marks, and get out. It should be simple enough right? Wrong. He had a large presence, and much to his dismay, he lit up every room he entered. When he was in freshman year, he’d attempted to branch out and make friends, but he ended up becoming well-liked, and he just couldn’t go back. For some, that’d make high school a cakewalk, but for someone as smart and ambitious as Whizzer Brown, it only complicated things.
“Whizzer!” He turned and saw his only real friend, Cordelia Thatcher, charging at him at full speed. He readied himself for Cordelia’s rough embrace, stepping back and opening his arms to catch her. “What lunch wave do you have?”
Whizzer caught Cordelia as she flung herself into his arms. “Oh, the order is 8, 2, 4, 6, right? I think I have third wave.”
“Boo, I have last. Now I’m gonna be alone,” Cordelia moped. “I might actually have to go socialize now.”
“Now you know how I feel,” Whizzer chuckled, but he was also panicking. He didn’t want people to sit with him. He figured that if he told people they couldn’t sit with him, they’d think he was a prick, which might be even worse than being loved. “You’ll make friends. Or maybe, you’ll get a girlfriend, Whizzer said, in a sing-songy voice, wiggling his eyebrows and smirking.
“Oh, shut up. I’m not that desperate. Maybe you’d find a boyfriend if you didn’t care so much about school.” Cordelia walked with Whizzer to the empty field, where they’d sit and talk. Whizzer always chose the spot, because it was quieter.
Whizzer set his viola down next to him, sitting on a slab of pavement by a neglected side of the school building. “I assume you want my math notes.”
“Of course.” Cordelia opened Whizzer’s backpack, rummaging through what was previously so well-organized, until she found a large binder titled AP Calculus AB and flung it open, stealing one of Whizzer’s sheets of graph paper and scribbling down everything that seemed important before the first bell.
“Why do you have a… violin?”
“Viola. I got a schedule change to be in orchestra 3.” Whizzer began to pry his notes away from Cordelia, struggling to fix his notes, which looked like they’d been hit by a tornado.
Cordelia slung her backpack over her shoulder and stood up, extending an arm to help up Whizzer. “Don’t you have to… I don’t know, take orchestra 1 and 2?”
“I took orchestra 1 in freshman year, and since orchestra 2 is when we have calculus, the teacher put me in orchestra 3, she figures I can probably keep up.” Whizzer lazily stuffed some binders into his backpack, figuring he could fix them later, picking up his viola by the case’s handle, and grabbed Cordelia’s hand, pulling himself up.
“Oh, that makes…” The remainder of Cordelia’s sentence was cut by the shrieking of the first bell. “Okay, I’m gonna go. See you in calc!” Cordelia rushed to the front door of the building they were sitting against, while Whizzer walked to his homeroom, which was in the main building.
Whizzer turned to face another man as he passed by him in the hallway. It was none other than Marvin Fischer, possibly the only person who could compete with him academically. His grades were a little lower than Whizzer’s, but he didn’t put in as much effort. He was a genius – he was just careless, whilst Whizzer had to work hard for his grades. Marvin was shy, so he didn’t have many friends. Whizzer was often cold towards Marvin, yet he still envied him in a way. But he couldn’t say that to Marvin, not after these years.
Whizzer rushed past him before he could look back, so he was oblivious to the fact that Marvin had turned back to look at Whizzer as he walked away.
Whizzer sat down at his homeroom desk, scrambling to reorganize his backpack in the twelve minutes of homeroom he had. “God, I need sleep,” he mumbled under his breath. He regretted staying up late to finish that physics project, but he decided he’d just try and sleep at lunch, if the conditions allowed.
Whizzer looked around the cafeteria, rushing to the last empty table before someone else took it. When he sat down, relief rushed over his body. It was loud, but he couldn’t care less. He was just exhausted.
“Mind if I sit?” Marvin practically winced as he asked the question, as if Whizzer was going to berate him.
Whizzer slowly lifted his head, his hair was messy and his eyes were slightly bloodshot. “Oh, I-uh… Go ahead.” Marvin apprehensively sat down with a packed lunch in his hand. He watched Whizzer fold his arms and lay his head in them, and he started slowly and quietly chewing on a sandwich. When he finished his sandwich, making a neat pile of his trash before pulling out his sketchbook and a mechanical pencil. He started to try and draw Whizzer, but he couldn’t get very far from memory, considering his face was covered. He would just leave the page half empty and finish it later.
As a lunch monitor came to collect the garbage, Marvin shoved his sketchbook into his cramped backpack before closing his lunchbox and looking over at Whizzer. He didn’t seem to be waking up any time soon, but he wasn’t really sure if he should wake up Whizzer. Nobody else seemed to be doing it, and it was better than leaving him here to be late.
“Whizzer?” He tapped his finger on Whizzer’s arm. It didn’t even occur to Marvin that it was the first time he’d called Whizzer by his first name.
Whizzer looked up, his eyes only half opened. “Huh?”
“You fell asleep. Lunch is over.” Marvin patted a hand on Whizzer’s shoulder, watching him look around the cafeteria hazily, as if he still hadn’t processed Marvin’s words.
“Oh god.” Whizzer stood up, his head still spinning from exhaustion. Turns out, thirty minutes in a school cafeteria isn’t comparable to a full, restful eight hours. “I feel sick.”
“Did you eat this morning?”
Shit. Whizzer had skipped breakfast, which he rarely ever did, and now he had skipped lunch. “I… I don’t think so,” Whizzer answered honestly.
“Okay, I’m taking you to the nurse.” Marvin struggled to help Whizzer stand up, slightly leaning him on Marvin’s shoulder.
“No, I have math. I can’t skip math.” Whizzer tried to stand himself up, but he was struggling. His exhaustion was furthered by his hunger.
Marvin wrapped his arm around Whizzer and began to walk him to the nurse, carrying his backpack and viola case with the other arm. “No, no, I’m taking you to the nurse. Once you’re there, they’ll probably give you some food as well. You can miss one class because you’re sick.”
Whizzer sighed, too tired to argue with Marvin. “Okay.”
Marvin struggled to take Whizzer from the cafeteria to the main office, which the nurse’s office was inside. He had to explain the situation to the office aides, who were very concerned that Whizzer Brown, of all people, was neglecting his needs.
Marvin gently laid Whizzer down on one of the clinic beds. “You’re gonna be okay, alright?”
“Mhm.” Whizzer laid flat as Marvin rushed to his class, which he was already late to. He figured he could just explain himself when he got there eventually.
“Can you say something for me?” A man with pink hair, freckles, and light blue scrubs waved his gloved hand over Whizzer’s face.
Whizzer tried to look straight ahead. “Yeah…”
“Alright, my name is Moxxie, I’m the school nurse. Your friend already told me what happened, do you feel nauseous?” The nurse reached over and grabbed an infrared thermometer.
“A little,” Whizzer managed to spit out. The nurse nodded while lifting Whizzer’s head to take his temperature.
The nurse waited for the beep before squinting to examine the number on the thermometer. “No fever,” She mumbled to herself. “It might just be fatigue. Do you have any food allergies?” Whizzer slowly shook his head.
“Okay, I’m gonna give you saltine crackers and a bottle of water, I want you to try and eat some crackers, alright?” He reached over for a drawer, grabbing a pack of crackers and a water bottle from the bottom drawer before rushing over to help some girl with an open wound.
“Okay.” Whizzer started to slowly eat the crackers, only now realizing just how long it had been since he ate. He ate dinner at around 9:00 p.m, and it was now 1:00 p.m, so it had been… sixteen hours since he last ate, in addition to only getting about two hours of sleep total. It was no wonder he was so drained, he worked so hard on school, he barely had time to live. He took a sip of water, and he no longer felt parched. When you’re so distracted that you forget to take care of yourself, you don’t realize how bad your situation is until it’s over. When he ate the last cracker, he felt a little less tired, and a lot less nauseous. He desperately wanted to go to class, to finish the lesson, and to see Cordelia, but he figured he should probably sleep.
“Hello?” The nurse lightly shook Whizzer, who slowly opened his eyes.
“Huh?”
“The bell just rang. You can either stay here and sleep, or if you’d like, you can go to your period six.” The nurse rolled away from Whizzer in a rolling chair.
“Period six… I have… orchestra.” Whizzer began to stand up and collect his things, which Marvin had set neatly next to his bed. He was still a little drowsy, but he could live with that. “I’ve gotta go, it’s my first day in that class.”
“Alright, you have a good day!” The nurse waved to Whizzer as he hurried out of the clinic with a viola case in his hand. The late bell had just rang when he entered the performing arts building, and he had to knock on the door of the orchestra classroom.
“Hi, I just got a schedule change.” Whizzer handed his schedule to the orchestra director, Mrs. Fellowes, and she looked it over before signing it.
“Nice to see you again, Whizzer!” The teacher surveyed the classroom, eyeing any empty seats. “You play the viola, correct?” Whizzer frantically nodded. “Okay, your stand partner will be Paige. Paige, raise your hand.” A short, blonde girl in the center of the classroom raised her hand, and Whizzer went to find his seat. “If you’re a little lost for the first few days, that’s alright. I trust that you’ll catch up.”
Whizzer’s demeanor dropped when he saw who was on his other side. It was Marvin Fischer, sitting with a cello leaning against his torso. He tried not to look at Marvin. He didn’t want to lose this “I’m better than you” façade he had worked so hard to keep up, but he wanted to speak to him so bad. He figured that if Marvin wanted to speak to him, he’d say something first. And they both said nothing.
Whizzer read through a few pages of sheet music, attempting to sight-read and failing miserably. He was good at reading alto clef because his instrument in band was the alto saxophone, but he couldn’t link notes with different fingerings easily just yet. He’d made a few copies of the sheet music to take home, so he could practice in his free time without having to share with his standmate, who was very helpful.
“Whizzer?”
He was beginning his walk home. Cordelia had gone to hang out with some other friend, so it was just him today. He had his backpack slung over one shoulder, and his viola case was in the hand opposite of his backpack.
“What do you want?” Whizzer turned to look at Marvin, who seemed apprehensive.
Marvin closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Would you be interested in joining the drama club?”
“Pardon?” He took a few steps to get closer to Marvin, who leaned back on one of his feet.
“I’m sorry if it’s a weird question, but the theatre director wanted me to find new people, and I don’t really know anybody to ask.” He inhaled heavily before continuing. “You don’t even have to act, we need more people on the tech crew as well.”
Whizzer sighed, clearly too tired to deal with this shit. “I’m sorry, I can’t. I have no free time.” He held the side of his face in his palm.
“That’s okay.” Marvin turned to walk away, presumably towards a different exit of the school.
“Wait.” Oh my god. Whizzer couldn’t believe what he was doing. He wasn’t supposed to be nice to Marvin, he should be better than him. He should be above this. But it was too late. Marvin spun around to look at Whizzer.
“Are you walking alone?” Marvin silently nodded, confusion coating his face.
“Would you walk home with me? My friend got a ride, so I’m all alone today.”
“Really?” Marvin tried not to seem too eager at the prospect, but he was happy to have someone to walk with for once.
“Yeah.” Whizzer tried to dodge Marvin’s gaze, but failed miserably. “I mean, if it’s okay with you.” He slid his backpack onto his other shoulder, since the unevenness had been bugging him for quite a while.
Marvin looked up at Whizzer with shiny, adoring eyes before smiling. “I’d really like that.”
Whizzer nodded quickly and pulled out a phone from his back pocket. “Where do you live?”
“Oh, it’s 4613 Meadow Street.” Marvin stood on his toes to get a better view of Whizzer. Whizzer tilted his phone to the side in order to keep it out of Marvin’s view before shutting it down.
“That’s funny, we live on the same street.” He slid his phone into his back pocket and adjusted his unzipped jacket.
“I know.”
Whizzer turned face Marvin fully, with eyes as wide as if he’d seen a ghost. “What?” He looked at Marvin in disbelief. “How come you knew, but I didn’t?”
“I see you walk to school every morning.” Marvin looked to the side, becoming flushed, but Whizzer could only look at him, and he himself was becoming red too. “Not in a stalker way or anything!” He waved his hands frantically. “My bedroom window overlooks the street and I see you walking when I’m getting ready.”
Whizzer tried to think of a response, but was left dumbfounded by the fact that he’d been neighbors with his rival all these years. For a few moments, he stood there with his mouth agape. “Y’know, we should probably start walking. I don’t want my mom to worry about me.”
Marvin nodded frantically. “Yeah, we probably should.” He awkwardly laughed. Whizzer choked out a laugh too, just to make him feel less alone.
Marvin and Whizzer silently started down the sidewalk, admiring the golden hour. Whizzer loved the way Marvin’s hair shone in the light. He felt like it was something he should write a poem about in the future.
“Has anyone ever told you how nice your hair is?” He stared at the grass, admiring the way his favorite stray cat walked by, and fighting the urge to say hi to it.
Marvin stopped walking and grabbed Whizzer’s arm as the orange tabby cat approached the pair. “Look at the cat!” He crouched to pet it, gently reaching out a hand. Whizzer froze in place at the feeling of Marvin’s touch, admiring the cat (and Marvin) while standing up. The cat walked around to Whizzer, nuzzling against his leg. “Aw, I think she likes you.”
“Yeah, she’s my favorite stray.” Whizzer slowly bent over, stroking the cat gently as she melted into his touch.
Marvin’s eyes lit up with admiration. “Does she have a name?” He lightly scratched the cat on his head.
“I don’t know if anyone else has a name for her, but I call her Tulip, and she usually responds.” Whizzer moved to his knees and held the cat to his chest.
“Tulip… That’s a nice name.” Marvin was entranced by the way Whizzer held the cat. He was so gentle, so sweet with him. It didn’t seem like the same Whizzer who he saw at school, the one who had so many friends, that everyone wanted to be seen by.
Whizzer sighed as the cat began to wiggle in his arms, gently setting it down. He stood up slowly and extended an arm to Marvin. “I think we should get going.”
Marvin nodded quickly, grabbing Whizzer’s hand and pulling himself up. “Yeah. The sun’s already setting.” He pointed at his house, which they were about fifty feet or so away from. “That’s my house.”
“Alright.” Whizzer smiled warmly, crossing the street with him as they approached his house. “My house is a little further down that way,” he said, gesturing in the direction they’d been walking. “I’ll see you around, okay?” He began to walk off quickly, before his mother became worried about him.
“Wait.” Marvin extended an arm to grab Whizzer’s shoulder, and Whizzer turned quickly to face him. “Thank you for walking with me.”
Whizzer couldn’t help but smile at Marvin. “I should be thanking you.” He walked to his house, which was only four doors down from Marvin’s. Maybe he should wait until later in the morning to come to school to catch him on the walk there.
Whatever. For now, Whizzer had to deal with bratty siblings and seemingly endless homework.
Before Whizzer could get one foot through the door, he felt a tiny hand pulling on his pants. “Whizzer, will you do my homework?”
Whizzer pushed the door wider and struggled to safely slide his viola through the doorway, using his free hand to shove his little sister off his thigh. “No. Now move.” He forced himself through the door, quickly shutting it behind him.
As he got into his room, he pulled out his phone and checked his phone for any low-res pictures of calculus notes from Cordelia. Nothing. So he was completely on his own for this one. He sighed, pulling out an unnecessarily heavy binder and struggling to solve the problems on his laptop screen. Of course, it was all on what they’d covered after lunch, so he had no clue what any of it was. Unable to do his homework, he pulled out his phone and texted Cordelia.
Whizzer: yo
Whizzer: marvin fischer
Cordelia: huh
Whizzer: what do u know about him
Cordelia: ik u hate him and he STINKS!!!
Whatever. Cordelia clearly wouldn’t be any help with his newfound admiration for the man. So he pulled out his laptop and wrote. He typed up various poems about his life. About Marvin. About his hair, his smile, his eyes, everything about him. He didn’t like, love him. He just thought Marvin was cool.
Fifteen minutes found him with his head in his hands, with plenty of ideas and no words to describe them. “Fuck this,” he muttered to himself, grabbing clothes to take a shower and sleep. He wasn’t that hungry, he could miss dinner