Chapter Text
October. It was October and it was already snowing in Uranium, 2009.
Now, it wasn’t really a bad thing; Y/N had always enjoyed watching the town’s fields get covered in thin layers of white through the classroom’s window; considering the small, uninteresting town Uranium was in general, the ice turned it into a pretty sight almost good enough for a Christmas movie setting… a kinda shitty one, but one after all.
School had started a month ago, but Y/N still hadn’t memorized her schedule. It was thanks to her friends Ricky and Constance that she knew which class she’d have next every time.
Just like every day, the three walked through the hallway while Constance talked and talked about the newly updated fanfic she was reading, something about a pink haired girl with a blue haired one…? Anyway-
Y/N finally got to her class, which she thankfully shared with her friends. Besides, it wasn’t something so boring; it was choir.
Looking around, she saw that Penny, her best friend, was there already, as well as Noel and Ocean which were arguing about something.
Her gaze fell over someone she didn’t really know, a boy who seemed a bit moody; he was slouched over the desk, with his headphones in even though it wasn’t permitted in class. His expression was settled into a deep frown and he kept his gaze fixed out the window beside him.
It was a bit weird that he had arrived to class a month late, but…
…
That was Y/N’s seat he had taken, by the way.
She felt a bit intimidated by him to go and tell him that was her seat, but she was no pussy either, so she approached nonetheless and, politely, told the boy that he had sat in her spot.
The boy lifted his gaze to her, but his frown didn’t soften. If anything, it actually deepened. He glanced at her up and down shamelessly, as if she were some burden, before taking off his earbuds with no rush.
“Go find another.”
Okay. First of all- what the fuck was this guy’s problem? Second, wasn’t he listening to music? How had he heard her? Was this guy such an asshole he’d put on earphones without music for the single purpose of making people not go bother him?
…Actually, that wasn’t so hard to believe.
She scoffed, a small frown appearing on her face now.
“What? That’s my seat, dude, move”
The guy not only didn’t move, but he didn’t even bother replying either. He put on his earbuds again, and turned back to the window.
Y/N stood there dumbfounded, her jaw clenched in irritation. That guy was a complete prick. She wished she could grab him by his stupid curls and drag him out the building.
But, of course, she did not. She inhaled and exhaled a long breath to relax, and walked to another seat that would be near his friends.
Throughout the choir practice, she didn’t pay much more attention to that guy. She only learned his mame was ‘Mischa’, that he was foreign, from Ukraine, but she still didn’t know what his fucking deal was.
Ricky did become his friend though; that boy was so sweet and fun, even through those little notes he’d pass around, that the new guy ended up being kinda nicer to him.
It wasn’t long until Ricky became the only friend Mischa had, and therefore, they’d sometimes hang out with the group too. Mischa was still pretty closed off to everyone else, and still a prick towards Y/N the few times they’d have to interact. But they didn’t talk; she’d purposely avoid hanging out near him when the whole group went out somewhere.
But one day, while she walked to Ricky’s bathroom at a sleepover, she bumped into Mischa; he was sitting on the toilet lid, his eyes hidden by his curls which fell over his face as he ducked his head down. His shoulders and hands were a bit shaky.
For a moment, Y/N thought he was crying. But as she approached, she realized he wasn’t. Well, at least he didn’t have any tears in his eyes.
He was clearly struggling, his breathing ragged and his body trembling… it was as if his body didn’t produce tears or some weird thing like that.
“..are you alright..?” She asked carefully. The guy might be an asshole, but she wasn’t; and therefore, she checked on him anyway. He was part of the friend group after all.
Mischa’s jaw clenched, and he slowly looked up at her.
It was so weird; even when he was clearly in some sort of breakdown, his eyes were still cold.
“What’s it to you?” He spoke through clenched teeth. Y/N wasn’t sure if he was doing it because of his usual anger towards her, or because his jaw was trembling too.
She scoffed, softly, but still annoyed.
“Dude, i’m just trying to be nice. What’s your deal?—“
“Well, I don’t need your stupid concern. Now stop bothering me and leave”
She felt anger start bubbling up in her, but she tried to maintain calm.
“Bothering? Im fucking checking on you! I don’t get why you’re such an asshole, I’ve never even done anything to you”
“God, you’re insufferable.” The boy rubbed his face. “Why should I be nice to you anyway? I don’t owe you anything.”
The girl wasn’t able to stand this asshole any longer; in the friend group or not, he was rude and a goddamn prick.
“Fuck off” she grumbled through clenched teeth, and simply walked away. She hadn’t even gotten to pee after all.
That sleepover, Penny and her spent half the night talking, although their subjects of conversation were pretty different; Y/N was fuming, telling her best friend all about the rude behavior of their new ‘friend’. Meanwhile, Penny would talk about her crush on Ricky, and how they’d been talking through sign language the whole afternoon.
She was able to calm her friend; Penny was so sweet, and her excitement was so cute, that Y/N ended up forgetting her irritation.
That is, until Penny dragged her to a hangout with her crush, and of course Mischa had to be there, being Ricky’s best friend.
While the two lovebirds walked around stores in the mall, the other two walked behind them. They didn’t even chat; she was looking away from Mischa, pretending to be super interested in whatever stores they would walk by, and the boy did the very same.
The group decided to eat some Taco Bell, and Y/N took that opportunity to go bother Noel, who worked there.
“Girl, don’t play with me or else my boss will break my balls all the damn week. What the hell do you want?”
She snickered, while the group was behind, ordering through the screens instead.
“A steakhouse burrito. What’s up, dude?”
The boy scoffed a sassy laugh of his own
“Shitty” he replied, while tapping the order on his screen. “Baja blast with it?”
“Yes.” She leaned on the counter “god, I doubt you’re doing much worse than me. Ricky brought Mischa with him, and now im stuck third wheeling with the dickest dick of the dicks.
Noel snorted, taking the money and giving her the change.
“Well… I don’t know. I’ve heard he’s got his reasons for being such a dick, as you put it.”
Y/N rolled her eyes.
“Come on; there’s no sob story that can excuse being an asshole to people for no reason. You’re just too used to romanticizing shitty lives”
Noel simply smirked, and walked away to make her food.
Y/N sighed, going back to the group after getting her order.
She focused on her burrito the whole time, barely even looking up from it. The only thing she knew was that Penny and Ricky were signing to each other, and Mischa was on his phone while eating fries.
That had been the worst hangout ever, probably. No matter how sweet Penny was, she’d never third wheel her and Ricky EVER AGAIN.
As they were leaving the Taco Bell, Penny and Ricky finally decided to talk with their other friends.
While Penny talked and talked about every ‘super cute’ gesture Ricky had made to her, hoping he liked her -even though it was damn obvious he did-, Y/N heard Mischa complaining to Ricky about her.
“Oh no he did not—“
She hadn’t even heard what exactly he was complaining about in regards to her, but she began fuming once again nonetheless. How was that prick complaining about HER?? HE was the asshole!
Penny started panic-chuckling while trying to calm her friend down as she began rambling and insulting Mischa, his rude ass behavior, his stupid dirty hair, his fucking phone addiction, his dirty shoes, and the ugly moles that scattered around his whole body.
By the time they left the mall, she was still grumbling under her breath, all cranky, while Penny went off with Ricky again. The sky was darker now, and small droplets of rain fell from the sky, but they were very few for anybody to care much.
To Y/N’s relief, Mischa said that he’d leave the group first since he had to go run some errands or something.
He waited for the rest to take the bus before leaving, and for some odd reason, when Y/N headed to walk inside the vehicle, Mischa helped her do so, holding her hand momentarily.
His touch was brief, his hands softer than they looked even with his calloused palms, his skin cold in comparison to her warmer hands.
She turned to him with a confused frown, and Mischa only looked at her with his usual cold, unreadable eyes before turning and leaving quietly.
As he walked away, he clenched his hand into a fist, as if her touch had caused some sort of shock through his skin.
Y/N walked into the bus and sat behind Penny and Ricky.
“..he’s so weird..”
Ricky and Penny turned to her, the first signed.
‘He is not. He is just a bit awkward.’
Meanwhile, the girl scoffed.
“No he isn’t. He’s a prick… and odd.”
Ricky smiled in amusement, as if it was her who wasn’t getting something.
Y/N simply wondered what was Mischa’s deal. She seemed unable to get anything of his character, besides the fact he acted like a proud asshole.