Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Today, the mall was packed. The summer slipped by, and the new school year was fast approaching, kids and their parents doing back-to-school shopping, with generic pop music playing in the background. Kids trying on clothes, school supplies, etc.

Clay huffed as he slid his heel into a shoe that better fit him, silver-looking and narrow sports shoes. "There we go," he muttered. His mom hummed, "How do they feel?" Clay moved his feet around, "They feel great," He concluded, lifting his feet. "And they look great too. Thanks, Mom," he added, looking at the mirror. She grinned, "Of course. You excited to go back?" She asked. Clay chuckled to himself, "I'm more excited to finally leave," he put forth, posing in front of the mirror. "Senior year, better fly by," He continued

Floyd hummed as he looked in the mirror. His Dad sighed, huddling in the corner of the fitting room. With a small pile of clothes, "Something wrong?" he asked, trying not to sound frustrated. "I don't know, just thought this shirt would be bigger," he confessed.  

"Fall is coming; shouldn't you be getting sweaters?" he advised. "But there's a massive sale on summer clothes, I don't have a lot of shirts," He added. Floyd went on and on about clothes. He yawned, "So, you excited for junior year?" he asked, wanting to change the subject. Floyd took the shirt off, putting on the next,  but he winced as soon as the collar caught his earing, caught by a loose thread. But was able to get it through "Normal, I guess. Been meaning to bring my grades up," he began. "Oh yeah?" 

Floyd nodded, "I did fool around a lot last semester," he admitted, 

"Bet Branch is excited," His mom started. Clay groaned, "Tell me about, he's been watching every cheesy high school movie." She chuckled, "He has?" 

Floyd nodded, "Mean Girls, High School Musical. You name it," 

"Where is Branch, by the way?" His Mom asked. 

Branch was by the mall's fountain, holding an ice cream, laughing with his one and only friend. Creek. Creek and Branch have been practically joined at the hip since Middle school. Creek leaned on Branch, and Branch was trying not to fall into the water. As people walked by, their laughter died down. Creek sighed, "But shouldn't you be back to school shopping?" he asked. Branch hummed, "I have enough clothes, but I already got my school supplies." 

"Oh yeah?" Creek asked, taking a lick of his ice cream. Branch nodded, "I got these cool-looking pens and a new backpack," he began. Creek nodded along, "What kind of pens are they?" Branch shrugged, "They're pretty normal, but there's a cool-looking graphic on it," he added. Creek chuckled, "Only you can be excited about pens," Creek playfully sneered. "I also got something else," he confessed. Standing up, "Could you hold this?" Branch asked, giving Creek his cone. 

He dug in his pockets and pulled out two keychains, presenting them to Creek. Two LEGO Batman keychains, one in his original costume, the other, him in a blue easter bunny get-up. Creek gasped, handing Branch back his ice cream and grabbing the blue Batman. "I got them on vacation," he confessed, "Thank you, Branch. Now I feel bad, I don't do anything for you." Branch shrugged. "You don't worry, I just figured we could match next semester," he appealed, rubbing his shoulders. 

Creek grinned, "I'm gonna put it on my bag as soon as I get home." Creek concluded. Branch chuckled, "O-ok, are you excited for high school?" 

"Oh yeah, I know it's gonna be better than middle school," Creek said with excitement. Branch nodded in agreement, "Same, I honestly can't wait to start at Westview." 

He sighed, "It will be a fresh start, from last semester," he continued. "Mhm, all the drama." 

"No more being the butt of the joke," Branch muttered as he sighed. licking his ice cream. Creek nudged him. "Hey, I promise this time will be different," he advised. He grabbed Branch's hand. "And we'll have each other at the end of the day." Branch's eyes dilated as he chuckled as his friend's reassuring words, with a slight tingle in his stomach, "Yeah, we're gonna be the kings of Westview" he justified, with thier hands still intertwined.

And with that, Creek's phone rang, there hands came apart. He groaned, "Sorry, I-" "No, go ahead." Creek grinned, but it faltered as he picked up the phone, "Yeah, Mom?" 

"Creek, where are you?"  Branch heard over the phone. "I'm at the fountain with Creek," he answered. They continued talking, but he couldn't make out the rest of the words. Creek groaned, "But Mom, we promised 10 minutes," he whined. There was a back and forth. But Creek came to a collective sigh. "Ok, I'm coming," He huffed as he dropped the call, putting his phone back in his pocket. He turned to Branch, "I gotta get to my mom, she's going insane," he confessed. Branch nodded, "Oh yeah, ok. We can talk later," he assured. "I'll see you in the first week," He said, walking off, disappearing into the sea of people.

Branch finished his ice cream and went back to the store. He found Clay and his mom by the queue, "These shoes better last you, still you get to university." She asserted, tapping her card on the machine. "Yeah, they will," he assured. Branch joined them, "Are you guys done?" he spoke. They both noticed, "Branch. Back already?" His mom spoke, putting her card back in her purse. Branch nodded. "Where's Creek?" 

"He had to go," He admitted. 

Floyd and his Dad then came out of the fitting rooms. Floyd had a couple of clothes in his arm, and went to queue. "Your with Floyd next time," the Dad muttered to the Mom, in which she chuckled. As the worker handed Clay his shoes in a paper bag. The Dad noticed Branch, "Branch, welcome back," he patted, his back. "And Branch next time you off to your friends, maybe tell us next time," she adressed. Branch flattered, "Sorry, Mom" he apologized

After paying, they all felt the store. Clay's stomach grumbled, he groaned, "Can we get food?" He asked. Branch hummed in enthusiam, "Can we get burgers?" he suggested. The mom nodded, "All that shopping did make me hungry," she admitted. "Could you guys order for me? I need to go to Sephora for this one cologne," he blurted. The Dad sighed, if you left Floyd alone, he'd probably buy the entire store. "I'll come with you."

Chapter Text

"Thinkin' bout me, every night Ohh!" 

"Isn't that sweet? I guess so," 

BANG 

BANG

BANG 

"Floyd, hurry up!" Clay banged the bathroom door. Branch groaned awake at the sound of music playing in the bathroom, as well as Floyd singing—and Clay's yelling. Branch got up and left his room. Clay barged into the bathroom and paused the music. Floyd opened the shower curtain, his head peeping through. "Put. it. back. On," he demanded. "Make me," Clay seethed. Floyd then splashed him with water, Clay guffawed and threw him with a toothbrush, "What the hell!" Floyd exclaimed. 

"It's 5 in the morning. Can you not?" 

"It was fine, until you walked in."

Branch walked in mid-fight, grabbed his toothbrush, applied toothpaste, and started brushing. "Can you just play it softer?" he pondered. "Fine." Floyd lowered the volume, continuing with his shower. Clay sighed. He turned his attention to the sink. "You excited for your first day?" he asked. Branch hummed, still brushing, "I bet Creek's excited to?" Branch spat out the paste. "Mhm, I just hope it's not like Lakewood," he sighed. The shower shut off. "It won't be so bad, you'll have Creek." Floyd guaranteed as he grabbed the towel from the rack, along with a robe.

Then he flung the shower curtain, donned his robe, and stepped out, going to the sink. And pulled out a can of moisturizer from the drawer. "I wouldn't count on that," Clay muttered as he opened the water. "Why's that?" Branch asked. "It's high school, people are bound to change," he pressed. "It's not long after he'd do the same," he blurted. Branch dwindled. "Don't listen to him. His just mad things didn't work out with Trevor," Floyd advised.

"Whatever," he said, getting in the shower. Branch shook off the feeling, "Yeah, yeah, just mad," 

"We'll have each other at the end of the day."

They were in the car, and sure enough, they pulled up to the school. The school fence read, 'Westview High School.' Westview was a fairly big school; it had a whole sports field. Along the side, there was a banner that read. 'Welcome Freshmen (Assembly held in the auditorium). Branch sighed, seeing everyone flood into the school, 'This is it, huh?' He thought he felt like his stomach was going to explode. "Bye, Dad," Both Clay and Floyd said in unison. "Bye, boys," He said. Branch stepped out of the car and looked at the building. His future awaits him.

He tugged his backpack, he turned to his Dad, "Bye Dad," He waved. He grinned, "See ya, champ. Have a good first day," He advised, before driving away. Branch took a deep breath and walked to the fence. "See ya, after school, Branch," Floyd said. Clay ruffled his hair, "Try and survive, B," He sneered, walking off into the building. Branch fixed his hair, pulled out his phone, and went into his messages. 

"Creek!!!!!!!!!!!1 Where are you?!"

"I just got to school,"

PING

"I'm at the gate : )"

Branch turned and saw Creek walk up behind him. Branch took a sigh of relief and walked up to him. "I almost thought you weren't gonna come," He began. Creek chuckled, "I'd never. Are you ready for today?" Branch grinned, "I am now." He said, before they walked into the school.

"Well, I heard they hooked up over the summer." 

"God, there are so many freshmen this semester."

"This semester better not suck," 

"All that said. I hope this will be a productive semester. Good luck, Westview," The Principal concluded the assembly. Everyone left the auditorium and dispersed into their classes. Branch pulled out his schedule. "I got math, you?" 

"Math too," he concluded. Creek groaned, "Math, on the first day?"  "Let's get going. I don't wanna be late," he added. "Morning, Class. Welcome, freshmen," The teacher began. "My name is Mr Peppy. I'll be your home room teacher," He started, "I teach Math, and I also teach English." he added, Mr Peppy had a stout figure for someone his age. He wore a long-sleeve shirt with a red striped tie and black trousers, along with dress shoes. He straightened his tie. "Before we start, why don't we introduce ourselves?" he gestured to the students before him. "Why don't you introduce yourself, and say an interesting thing about yourself, and we'll continue," he instructed. 

The student stood up, "Um, hi. My name is Hype and...

It continued down a line. Branch and Creek were seated at the back of the class, side by side. Branch was trying to memorize all the students' names. 

"My name is Branch and I like Spiderman,"

"My name is Branch and I like Spiderman,"

"My name is Branch and I like Spiderman,"

He rehearsed in his head, just in case, he wouldn't mess up. "My name is Branch and I like Spider- huh?" His thought process was then interrupted by a crumpled piece of paper on his desk. He looked beside him. Creek urged him to read it. Branch hummed and uncrumpled the paper; it read. 'Mr Peppy's old enough to my dad,' along with a dopey-looking doodle of Mr Peppy and Creek's dad. Branch stifled a laugh and giggled a little. 

"Your turn, young man." Mr Peppy interrupted. Branch tensed, he crumpled up the paper, and stood up. "My name is Spiderman and I like Branch," he introduced. Mr Peppy hummed, "That's funny, I didn't see a Spiderman on the register," he playfully joked. The class giggled. Branch's face flushed, "Branch. My name is Branch and I like Spiderman," he corrected. "Well, nice to meet you, Branch," Branch groaned as he sat back down, putting his hands on his face. 

"My name is Creek and..."

"So you mixed your words up? Big deal. You did well," Creek assured. The two were walking in the hallway to their next class, "Spiderman, Spiderman. Does whatever a Spider can," A student sneered, walking by, he scoffed, "Nerd," 

"Takes one to know one," Creek detested. He sighed, "It's whatever, I'm over it." He pulled his schedule from his pocket. "What's your next class?" he asked. Creek hummed, trying to remember his schedule from the top of his head, "Science, you?" he admitted. Branch groaned, "Social Studies," he replied, looking closer at the paper, "Where's class D4?" Creek shrugged. "Beats me. But I'll meet you at lunch," he said, lifting his fist and gesturing a fist pump. 

Branch returned the gesture, "Yeah, I'll just ask for directions," Branch assured. Creek nodded as he walked away. A senior student walked past him. Branch walked up to him. "Sorry," The senior looked back, "Can I help you?" he started as he raised his brow. Branch faltered, "Do you know where class D4 is?" he asked, handing him his schedule. He took the paper. "Oh, you have social studies?" Branch nodded, "You gonna wanna take the stairs, and it's the door at the end of the hall," he instructed. Branch nodded along, and the senior handed him back his schedule. 

"Alright, thank you," The senior hummed, "Anytime. You're gonna wanna hurry, the other classes get out around this time. The halls get pretty crowded," he advised. "Oh, thanks again," Branch said. The senior hummed before walking off. 

Branch tugged his backpack and followed his directions to the stairway. The bell rang, seniors, juniors, and sophomores alike got out of their respective classes and flooded the hallway. Branch tensed and started to maneuver his way through the crowd. 

"And then he was like- Hey! Watch it!" 

"Sorry," 

"I can't wait for tryouts, I've- Ow, watch it, pal," 

"Pardon me," 

"The door at the end of the hall," Branch remembered, as he cut through some students. The class was so close that Branch tripped on his own leg, and he fell on another student. "Gah," She winced. Branch stood up and dusted himself off. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't see you," he apologized, getting up. The student got up, she rubbed her head, "It's fine, it's fine. The hallway is pretty packed." Branch gestured with his hand, "Hear, let me help you up," and she replied, "Thanks," reaching out for his hand. The girl had chestnut skin with ebony hair, with a couple of strands of blonde hair. 

The door abruptly opened. "Branch and Poppy. You two are late," the teacher scorned, holding a clipboard, most likely the register. "And on the first day," she added, pinching the bridge of her nose, "Sorry, Miss." They both said in union. "Just get in class before I write you two up," she instructed as Branch and Poppy hurried their way inside. 

The cafeteria was full of life. Students are enjoying their lunch, and the teacher and other faculty, eyeing the vicinity for any first-day hijinks. Branch and Creek were seated far in the cafeteria, seated at opposite sides of the table.

"Science was fine. Ms Bloom just has a" Creek was trying to find the words, "She has like a boring-sounding voice," he continued. Branch chuckled, "Boring sounding?" Creek nodded, "Yeah, like," he cleared his throat. "Today will be learning about cells," he said in a monotone voice. "But anyway," Branch changed the subject. "I don't get the school's mascot," he added. "What is the school's mascot?" "It's a walrus," he replied, "The Westview Walruses?" Creek asked, Branch hummed. Creek shrugged, "Well, it makes sense. We are in coastal America." 

"But out of all the animals, like. Whales, wolves," Branch started to list. Creek chuckled, "I'll be back. I'm gonna throw my lunch tray," Branch nodded, drinking his juice box. Creek stood up and went to the trash bin. He did what he needed to do till he got bumped by a taller senior, and Creek fell into the bin, his legs flailing in distress. Branch saw this and went over to help him. He got a grip of him and brought him back up, with a banana peel on Creek's head. 

"Watch it, freshmen," The same that bumped into Creek sneered. "Or should I say stinkman?" he replied, attempting to be funny, with a couple of students laughing. 

Students flooded out of the school, leaving with their respective modes of transport. Branch and Creek shared a bag of chips as they sat underneath a tree. "And she acted as if history was the most important thing in the world," Branch sneered. Creek chuckled, "Science wasn't bad, we mostly talked the whole class," he admitted. Branch sucked his teeth, "Lucky," He sighed. "I'm just glad today's over." 

"Bye, Spiderman," the student from earlier walked out the gate.

"So glad," he muttered. "I'm sure tomorrow will be better," Creek assured. "I hope so," he replied. A car pulled up into the driveway and honked. Creek stood up, "That's me. I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?" Branch nodded, "Of course," Creek grinned, taking his bag. "Bye, Branch," he said as he walked away. "Bye," he replied. Creek's ride drove away, and Branch finished his chips and threw the bag away in a nearby trash can. "I've been in there so long. I've considered using depression as an excuse to get out of pre-cal," 

Branch sighed, "I need to bring something to do," He told himself. "Are you talking to yourself?" Floyd asked, joining Branch. "Floyd, finally." Branch went over to him, and he looked around. "Where's Clay?" Floyd shrugged, "Beats me." They heard running, "I'm here." he tried to catch his breath, "What took you so long?" Floyd asked, 

The brothers were prepping the dinner table. Their dad is in the kitchen, adding rice to a pot of boiling water. "So how was school today, boys?" he asked, as they put dishes and cutlery alike on the table. Floyd scoffed, "First day back, and they handed us our test schedules," he admitted. "They're starting to plan prom," Clay said. Their Dad hummed, "Is there a theme?" 

"Everyone's between 'Under the Sea' or 'Arabian Nights'" "Ooo, you guys should Under the Sea." Clay rolled his lights. "But they did that last year,"

"But it's a classic," "It's overdone. " 

"What about you, Branch?" Their dad said, wanting to end Floyd and Creek's argument. Branch shrugged, "It was fine," he said. "What did you do today?" he asked. Branch hummed, "We had homeroom, and I went to class, and that's it," he shrugged. "Who's your homeroom teacher?" Floyd asked, "Mr Peppy, I think."

"Oh, you got Mr Peppy? I had him back in Freshman year," Clay started. "You did?" Branch asked. Clay hummed, "His is a chill guy. Does he do that thing where he makes newbies introduce each other and say an interesting fact?" he pondered. Branch nodded. "What did you say?" Branch's face flushed as he averted his eyes. "Can't be that bad." Floyd joined in, "Ok. I meant to say 'I'm Branch and I like Spiderman,' but I mixed my words," he confessed.

Floyd skewed his head, "So, you said..." 

"I'm Spiderman and I like Branch," Clay stifled a laugh, and Floyd giggled, "Oh. I tip my hat to our friendly neighbourhood Spiderman." Their dad joined in. This caused Clay and Floyd to erupt with laughter, "Ok, ok. It's funny," Branch mediated. The laughter died down, Floyd sniffed. "Sorry," he cackled. Clay cleared his throat, "But it is pretty funny. How'd that happen?" Branch swallowed, "I kept rehearsing what I was gonna say," 

But Clay and Floyd still giggled, and Branch sighed, "Can we just eat dinner?" 

"Ok, I'm ready to go," Creek announced, going down the stairs. Creek's mom lifted her from the bottom cabinets, tugging her hair behind her ear. "You're wearing that?" she pointed to his graphic T-shirt. Creek tensed, he hummed, "Yes?" She shook her head, "It's the second day. Why don't you wear something more...presentable?" she urged. Creek moaned, "But mom, it's just a shirt." he looked across the room, the TV on with his Dad reading the newspaper, "Dad, say something." He just cleared his throat, flipping the page, "Listen to your mother, Creek. Don't want us to be late," he said, his voice flat. 

"Wear those polos I got you," she encouraged. Creek sighed, "Fine," He concluded. Walking back up to his room. 

School today was less hectic than the first day. Branch was in Math class, minding his own business. Still a crumpled piece of paper, Branch looked around the class to see the source of the paper, but nothing. He opened it to see a picture of him, in a Spiderman suit, in a dynamic superhero pose. His hand pointed out, captioned with "THWAP," "Oh, wow," he muttered to himself, and nodded in approval. He heard chuckling and turned around. 'He must've drawn this,' 

It was the kid from before. They made eye contact, and Branch gave a thumbs-up along with a smile and mouthed, 'Thank you.' The kid faltered and groaned and went back to work, and Branch put the drawing in his bag. 

The toilet flushed as Creek walked out of the stall and went over to the sink to wash his hands. A stall opened, and Creek felt a sudden burst of something. It caught the attention of his nose, and he sniffed. It smelled musky. He turned to the person, and his face contorted. "Did you just spray me?" He asked. The person gave a blank smile and nodded, "Figured you'd need it after falling in the trash yesterday," they hummed, before walking off, leaving Creek alone. "What the..." 

"And he just sprayed me," Creek reported. Branch winced, "That's crazy," He said, walking out of the lunch line. "But look what someone gave me," Branch pulled the paper from before from his bag. He gave it to Creek, and he analyzed it. He winced, "Branch, I hate to break it to you," he began. "I think this person was trying to make fun of you," he reported. "What fun of me? How?" 

"You literally have stink lines," He detested, showing him. "I thought it was Spidey sense," he said, grabbing the paper. He shrugged, "I'm still keeping it though," and He shook it off. Putting the drawing back in his bag. 

"So where should we sit?" Branch asked, holding his lunch tray. Creek shrugged, "Let's just find a seat. Away from a trash can," Just as they were about to walk off. 

"Hey," someone called out. They stopped in their steps and looked at each other, puzzled, "You two," they called again. They turned in the direction of the voice. To see a boy similar to their age. But they never met. He had rich black skin similar to Branch. His hair is short and coily in a tapered style. He waved them down to his table, along with two other guys. Branch and Creek looked at each other. Branch raised a brow, 'Should we?' he asked, telepathically. 

Creek shrugged, 'Couldn't hurt.' Branch looked back at them and huffed as they went over to the table.

"How come I've never seen you two before?" The stranger began, resting his hand on his chin. Creek was a bit stunned; Branch took notice. "We're new," he confessed. "You two are freshmen?" They both nodded. He leaned back on his chair, folding his arms. "Well, we're sophomores." He pointed to the two other guys next to him. "This is Milton," He introduced. Milton had messy dark blonde hair, and he gave a small smile and raised his hand in a greeting. Branch and Creek returned the gesture. 

"And this is Guy," Branch raised a brow, "Guy?" giving a small chuckle, "It's more of a nickname," he shrugged. "My real name is George," he admitted, smiling, revealing braces. Guy had hair similar to the guy who called them over, but had a lighter shade in comparison. Then he pointed to himself, "And, I'm Archer," he concluded, "Branch," he replied, and he pointed to Creek, who was stammering, "And this is Creek," who gave a toothy grin.

Creek's eyes averted to take notice of Archer's watch, a rounded digital watch. Creek's mouth twitched, "Ireallylikeyourwatch," he blurted, all in one sentence. Archer chuckled, "Can you say that again, but slower?" Creek chuckled. He took a breath, "I really like your watch." Archer hummed, "Thanks. My dad gave it to me." Archer looked Creek up and down. "I like your shirt," he acknowledged. Creek's face flushed, thankful he listened to his mom for once.

"So what school are you guys from?" Milton asked. "We're from Lakewood-" "Lakewood Middle. We're from Lakewood Middle School," Creek erupted. Branch arched a brow at Creek's sudden outburst, but he shook it off. "How are you guys enjoying the school so far?" Archer asked. "Well, it's our second day, and it's better than our last," Branch admitted. Archer rested his elbows on the table, "What was the first day like?" he pondered. 

Branch rubbed his hand behind his neck, "Well, Creek fell in a trash can," he recalled. Creek's face flustered, "Y-yeah. Well, Branch said he was Spiderman, in English," he sneered. Branch turned to face him, "Don't mention that," he detested, "Don't mention about me falling in the trash!" he barked. Branch and Creek went back and forth, with Archer and his friends sending each other glances and stifled laughs, "Yeah, yeah. Whatever," Branch muttered, sliding off his backpack. That's when Archer noticed the little Batman dangling. Archer gasped and pointed a finger, "You play with LEGO's?" he asked. 

As he was about to set it down, he paused, "Oh, yeah. I have a couple of sets at home," he admitted. "That's really cool," he complimented. Milton whispered something in Archer's ear, and he nodded. "You guys are pretty cool," Guy began. Branch tensed, "Oh, thanks. You guys are cool too," he said. Creek agreed, nodding his head. "We want you guys to sit with us for the rest of the week," Archer added. Creek's eyes lit up. "Well, I guess we-" 

"WE'D LOVE TO!" Creek exclaimed, standing up from the table and slamming his hands on the table. The cafeteria fell quiet at his sudden outburst, but a quiet broke through the silence as Creek sat back down. He cleared his throat, "Sorry," 

"Great," Milton said, "So it's settled."

"Isn't Archer, Guy, and Milton the coolest?" Creek said, walking out of the building, practically skipping. Branch grinned, "Yeah. It's pretty cool," He responded, his tone flat. "And I promised you things would be different. Look, we have a whole friend group!" Creek added. Branch hummed, "Yeah, you did." Creek jumped in front of Branch. Causing him to be frightened, Creek put his shoulders on him. "This is it. We're gonna be the kings of Westview!" he blurted, shaking Branch. 

Branch started to get dizzy, feeling lightheaded. He chuckled and put his hands on Creek's. He stopped. "Ok, ok. Calm down." A car then pulled up and honked, Creek's ride. 

"That's my dad. Bye, Branch," Creek bid farewell, "See you tomorrow," Branch replied. 

Creek got in the car, "Hey, Creek. How was school?" he asked, readjusting his rearview mirror. Creek put on his seatbelt. "It was fine, Dad," he replied. His Dad hummed as the car drove off. As they drove out of the school parking lot and into the busy road, the sound of the radio filled the silence, "Hey, Dad?" Creek began, "Mhm?" He responded, eyes on the road. "Do you have any watches?"

Chapter Text

Creek was seated on a bench in the courtyard, waiting for Branch. As the other students came in, he hummed to himself, "Creek!" Branch entered the courtyard. Creek saw him and smiled. "Branch, you're late today," he added, taking note. Branch chuckled, "Yeah, sorry. I overslept." 

Branch looked at Creek's wrist. "You got a watch?" he took note. Creek hummed, "Oh yeah. My Dad has a box of old watches. Do you want one?" He offered. Branch shook his head, "No, thanks. Watches make my wrist sweaty," He confessed. "But it looks good on you," He complimented. Creek hummed, "Thanks, it makes me feel put together," he added, "Like I'm important," he brought his finger towards his bottom lip, mimicking a mustache. "Fetch me the copies from the break room," he said, deepening his voice. Branch chuckled, "And I'll check the analytics from this year's stocks," He joined in, pushing up his nose, as if he was mimicking glasses. 

As they made their way inside the building, "Creek, Branch. Wait up," Archer said upon entering the gate. His hands in his pockets

"So where are you two headin'?" he asked. "We're going to homeroom," Creek replied, "You guys have Mr Peppy, right?" he asked. They both nodded. Archer groaned, "He's the worst," he said, with an eye roll. "I think his pretty cool, right, Creek?" Branch said, Archer's gaze was now on Creek's, "Uh, yeah. His pretty funny too." 

Archer scoffed, "Oh please, he's old enough to be my Dad," he worded, "That's what I said," he answered. Branch hummed, "Well, I'm gonna use the bathroom," he said, pointing to the bathroom. "Ok, we'll be here," he assured. Branch went into the restroom, as Creek and Archer stood by a row of lockers. Archer sucked his teeth as he noticed, Creek's Batman was dressed as the Easter bunny on his bag.

"I didn't know you had a little, Batman, too," Archer confessed, flicking Creek's. Creek beamed, "Oh yeah, Branch got it for me," he specified, "Isn't it cool?" he asked. Archer hummed, "Yeah," he took in a breath as he leaned against the locker, "Are you and Branch, like, besties?" he asked, his voice like silk, raising a brow. Creek flustered, "Oh yeah, since elementary," he admitted, his head lowered, rubbing his hands together. Archer nodded, "Nice, the guys and I have been friends since I moved here," he specified. 

"Oh, that's cool. Where are you from, like originally?" he pondered. "I'm from Georgia," he confessed. Creek nodded, "Do you like it here?" he asked again. Archer hummed, "It's fine."

"Did you know, his from Georgia? Like the suburbs," Creek whispered, as they were in Science class, their first class for the day. Branch raised a brow, "Yeah, well, we live in the suburbs too," he shrugged, busy with his assignment. "What's the big deal?" He sighed, "I don't know. I just think Archer's cool," he confessed. Branch faced him, making a smug face. Creek chuckled, "What?" 

"Are you in love with Archer or something?" he proffered. Creek's face flushed, "W-what in love? No," he denied."I'm not," he muttered, "You sure? Don't you dream about him?" Branch added. Creek's shoulders tensed as he brought his hand towards his face to hide his blushing face. "Shut up," Branch poked him with his pencil, "Archer and Creek, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-"

"Branch and Creek, no talking please." Ms (Moon)Bloom asked, her hand behind her back as she was writing today's lesson on the board. Branch and Creek looked at each other and silently laughed at each other. 

September flew by; it was October now, autumn was in the air, and leaves were on the ground, and pumpkins all around (Hey! That rhymed). Being at Westview High School wasn't bad. Branch found the work easy to understand, well, besides Social studies, more specifically, history, and also math, but he was working on it. There was just so much to cram. But other than that, being friends with Archer, Guy, and Milton and their perks. They weren't popular, like POPULAR, popular, but they were well enough known. Milton was nice to talk to; he knew a great deal about animals.

Milton showed Branch a picture of him when he was 10 or 11, holding a snake, with a giddy expression on his face. "It's a Green Anaconda, they can reach over 25 feet," he informed. Branch snickered, "That must've felt weird, how'd you get your hand on a snake anyway?" he asked. "My uncle is a zoologist," he admitted. "I really want a pet snake of my own, though," he confessed. Branch got chills, "Remind me to never go to your house," he joked, and Milton chuckled, "You can see him from a distance, don't worry," he assured.  "Another pet? Are you opening a zoo or something?" Archer joined in, laughs erupting from the table. 

Milton gave a weak chuckle as he put his phone in his back pocket, "Yeah, good one, Archer," he dismissed, "Funny," he muttered, his head downcast. 

Guy-, I mean George, was loud but in a good way. He could hear teachers from the other classes reprimanding him. 

"George, I could hear you from the office."

"Can we not today, George?"

"Geoorge. Inside voices, please."

"And I can't help it. Everyone just needs to calm down," he said sternly. "Well, you don't seem so bad," he shrugged. Guy's eyes lit up, "That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me." he smiled, and Branch chuckled.

As for Archer, he couldn't put his finger on it. One day, he pretends to be your best friend, the next, his probably talking crap about you. Definitely two-faced, Branch rarely spoke when they were alone. Cause, to be honest, he was kinda scared of him. As for Creek. The two got closer, and Branch was happy for him to say the least, but...As the weeks went by. Branch noticed something different about Creek, 

"And his so short, I could fit him in my pocket," he joked, as laughs erupted from their table. Branch stifled a laugh

Archer's attitude definitely rubbed off on him. As well as appearance. Branch and Creek almost dressed the same, but he usually sported more graphic tees. He went from casual to preppy. And just Creek himself, he felt...he felt insufferable to be around.

It was a Friday afternoon, and the sun was setting. Branch was folding laundry in the living room, on a call with Creek, with the ambient noise of the TV in the background. 

"Isn't Archer the coolest?" Branch rolled his eyes while setting a stack of T-shirts aside. Creek was mentioned Archer for like the thousandth time; he could've sworn he must've been obsessed with him. He hummed, trying to think of something nice to say, "I like how soft his hair looks," he admitted, his voice flat. Creek sighed in content, "I know, I'd love to have hair like that. Wouldn't you?" Branch grinned, "I think I'm fine, thanks," he chuckled, they're call was quiet, the silence was deafening, he drew in a breath.

"Um, hey. I gotta go," he spoke as he raised the camera, so it faced him. Creek adjusted his screen as well, "Oh, are you're parents calling you?" Creek asked, Branch creased his brows trying to think of an excuse, "I need to take out the trash," he addressed. Creek dwindled, "Oh, yeah. Ok, we'll talk later, yeah?" he pondered. Branch put on a smile and nodded, "Definitely," he waved, "Bye," Creek grinned, "Bye," he said, dropping the call. 

With that, Branch let out a harsh breath, rubbing his shoulder. He felt bad for lying, but it wasn't a lie, lie. Branch finished folding the laundry and went to take out the trash. It wasn't exactly full, but he did away, cause when you live in a house like Branch's, the trash would be filled within a matter of seconds. 

Guy groaned, "Dude, why didn't you just finish Math last night?" Milton asked, "Cause practice, yet longer than I wanted it to be. And I don't need an earful today," he worderd, copying the answers from Milton's assignment, "Just don't make it obvious," he advised. The bell rang, and Guy wanted to scream; he groaned. "What if I just skip math? She won't care anyway," he pondered. Milton snickered, "I mean, you could try, but I don't recommend it." 

Creek stood up, "Well, let us know how that works out for you." Branch stood up as well. Creek nudged him, "What's on the agenda?" Branch huffed, "I have drama first." "Oh yeah, we have like drama once every week. Mr Chaz is really weird," 

"I like him, his really passionate about theatre," Milton admired, all three of them, just them. Milton cleared his throat, "Or something, heh." he shook off, grabbing his bag. "Well, I'll see you guys later," Branch said, walking off.

Branch walked into the audiotarium. Finding other kids in his year group seated on the floor, he sat. Drama class, Branch wasn't a huge fan of drama, but he didn't want any trouble. In this class, they had to prepare a monologue of some sort. He pulled out his script from his bag, preparing as long as others did the same. 

The drama teacher, Mr Chaz. looked at his register, and he cleared his throat. He stood before the class. "Alright, Freshman babies. Let's get started, shall we?" he put on his glasses. "I'll be calling a random, so be prepared," he assured, "Ok first up..." 

Three performers later, Mr Chaz nodded as he flipped the papers on his clipboard, writing something down. He flipped back to the register, "Alright, good performance, but make sure to project your voice next time," he advised. He sucked his teeth, reading the list of students, "Not here, sick note," he muttered, "Up next, we have," he squinted his eyes at the page. "Boom, Toronto," he called, "We're ready for your booming performance." He chuckled, aiming to be funny. The other students rolled their eyes. 

"Good one, Mr Chaz," Boom complimented, as he made his way up stage. "Thank you," he said, to which Boom returned with a smile. 

Branch raised his eyes from his script and looked at Boom. He looked tall, lanky-looking guy. He had a golden brown skin tone, along with freckles on his face, and had soft-looking hair, almost making Branch jealous, cause sometimes he'd forget to comb his.

Boom closed his eyes and took a breath, 

"AHHHHH!!" He screamed, the students and Mr Chaz took back, Boom shuddered, as he went on his knees. "You killed my father!" He exclaimed as he stretched a hand to the audience. "My only light, in this cruel world," he said in a steely voice, his head downcast, as he turned his hand into a fist. Branch got chills, Boom then abruptly stood up and stood where he had kneeled. "You're Father was a bad man; if anything, you should thank me," he put forth.

Which brought out a gasp from a student, Boom went back to his knelt position, "Thank you?" He said quietly, he raised his head, he stood up, "Thank you?!" he went back to his previous stance, he shrugged, "You're welcome," his voice now blunt, which brought forward a few laughs. He switched positions, "I couldn't care less if he was bad," he began, pointing behind him, must've been his presumably dead father. 

"He took me in when no one else would," he said, his voice shaky as if he was about to cry. "You don't do that. You don't break families apart," he added, a hand cleched on his heart. "You saw him as a bad man. But to me, he was my everything." His voice shrill

He scoffed, "Oh, please. As if you two were blood related," 

"Blood relation, this last thing on my mind. He was there through thick and thin; he loved me as if I were his own. And you took that away," 

"People like you. Can't be happy with what you see, so you just snuff it out as if it were a candle in the dark," 

Mr Chaz wiped a tear. Boom then went back to normal and took a bow, "Thank you," he smiled before walking off the stage. Branch was appalled by his performance. Mr Chaz clapped as well as the rest of the students. "Well done, Toronto," 

Boom walked past Branch, "How'd you do that?" Branch asked, Boom shrugged, "I just made it up," he whispered, giving a wink. 

"Alright, we have." Mr Chaz checked his watch, "Ten minutes left." He looked at the register, "Branch Harris." He called out, Branch tensed, and collected his barrings. He scuffled his way to the stage with his script. "Hold it," Mr Chaz stopped him, "The assignment specified you had to memorize your script, Harris." He opened his hand, "Hand it over," 

Branch gave him his script and went up on stage. He took in a breath and

"Alright. Pack it up, drama kids!" Came in, Coach. With the older kids coming in, Mr Chaz stood up from his chair, "Ahem, Coach. We're busy with a class," he asserted. "Mr Chaz, your time's up. You had about 30 minutes." 

Mr Chaz scoffed as he saw the time. He turned to his students and spun his finger. "Alright, students, off to your next class, we'll presume when we see each other again." He sighed, "Ablaze, please take my things to my class," he instructed. He did so. He turned to Branch, who was still on the stage, "Sorry, Branch, due to time. You'll have to present your monologue after school, unless you wanna do it, another class?" he suggested, "It's your call," he pressed. Branch nodded, "No, I can do it after school, sir." 

After Drama, Mr Chaz handed Branch back his script and walked off. The whistle blew. "Alright, pair up. We're playing dodgeball."

After school, Branch stood outside of Mr Chaz's class. The bell rang, and his door opened, and students fled out. "And don't forget about your essays due this Friday," he reminded. Mr Chaz noticed Branch and made way for him. "Come in, come in," he insisted, "The Juniors, this semester, are insufferable," he continued, closing his door and walking over to his desk. Branch set down his bag, "I can't stay long, sir. My brothers will be waiting," Branch made known, politely as possible. 

"Of course, I won't keep you long, let me just," He shuffled through his drawers, he hummed, and he pulled out his clipboards from earlier. "Ok, we're all set," he gave a thumbs up, for reassurance. Branch took in a breath. 

"You've changed," He began, his voice stern. 

"I thought you were someone I knew everything about." 

"You changed yourself in a matter of time. The way you talk, think," 

"As if you're attempting to outgrow me. Some whom I could confide in," 

Branch looked out of the class window; he got a good view of the courtyard. He saw Creek surrounded by Milton, Guy, and, of course, Archer. They were all laughing; someone must've said something funny. Branch saw Archer lay a hand on Creek's shoulder. 

"I guess I was wrong. I guess, we're just two different people at the end of the day." 

Mr Chaz wrote something down. "Ok, thank you, Branch. That was lovely, but just make it a bit longer, it was on the same wavelength as Boom," he stated, "Ok, sir," Branch assured, "With that being said, you're free to go," He gave a kind look to Branch, and he grinned as he grabbed his bag and walked out of the classroom. 

Floyd yawned as he walked into the living room, where Branch sat on the couch, watching TV, or at least was, as he was lightly snoring. He grabbed a throw pillow and threw it at him. Branch groaned awake, "What?" he muttered as he yawned, rubbing his eyes. Floyd chuckled, "Do you want anything?" he asked. Branch hummed, "Want what?" he replied as he yawned again. "I'm making a snack. You want me to make you anything?" 

"Oh, anything is fine," he responded. Floyd nodded as he walked through the dining room to the kitchen. Branch decided to join him in the kitchen. "It's been two months, how are you liking Westview?" he said, grabbing a jar of peanut butter and a bag of chips from their pantry. "Could you grab two plates?" he asked as he pointed to the upper cabinet. He did so, but he struggled a bit, cause he was still short. He put them on the counter, "Westview's nice, the school's nice," he replied. 

"What about you and Creek? Any friends?" he asked, taking out the bread from the fridge, opening two slices, and putting peanut butter. Branch nodded, "Like 3 new friends," Floyd hummed, as he cut the bread, moving on to the next, "Three? What are they like?" 

They sat in the dining room. "Milton really likes animals. George is loud and Archer is..." Branch shrugged, "I don't know," Floyd nodded as he drank some of his juice. "What Creek think of 'em?" Branch groaned at the mention of his name. "Something wrong?" Floyd asked, sensing discomfort.

"I don't know," Branch began, "It's like Creek's a whole new person." 

"He talks weird. He dresses differently," he listed, "and is too busy with his new best friend." 

"New best friend?" 

"ArChER," Branch mocked. Floyd chuckled at that, "He just about him so much, 'oh Archer this, Archer that," He groaned, "Sounds like someone's jealous," Floyd teased, "It's whatever," He shook off, "Wouldn't you get annoyed if someone kept talking about the same person over and over?" Branch asked, "Yeah, Floyd. Wouldn't you get annoyed?" Clay joined in, stealing a chip from his plate and going into the kitchen. Floyd rolled his eyes,

"If it bothers you so much, why don't you just talk to him?" he pondered. "Talk?" Floyd nodded, Branch squirmed, "Every time I talk about how I feel, people just take it the wrong way," he said, "Oh, c'mon. Creek's your best friend, he'd obviously listen to you." 

"Yeah?" Floyd nodded, "But exam week is coming up, so it might be harder to talk to him," he winced, "So, just try to talk to him then, ok?" he suggested. Branch nodded, "Ok, I'll try." 

It was November now, and everyone was stressing out over exam weeks, as the Christmas holidays were quickly approaching. 

Exam season started mid-November, and students were carrying stacks of books, running from class to class, bombarding them with questions, with what's gonna be on the exams. Weeks flew by, and the freshman students finished with their exams, "Alright, pens down," announced the teacher. 

Everyone left the audiotarium. "You think you did well?" Branch asked, Creek shrugged, "I'm just glad it's over," he answered. 

They sat outside they're usual spot. Waiting for their parents to pick them up. But only Creek, cause Branch had to wait for his brothers to finish up. 

"Creek?" Branch spoke, "Mhm?" He responded, rubbing his eyes. "Can we talk?" He asked, Creek arched a brow, "What about?" he replied, removing his hand from his eye. "About you?" 

Creek dwindled, "What about me?" he asked, sounding impatient. "Um, yell, you've been acting different, you act different, you even talk differently." He confessed. Creek looked down at himself. 

"So what? I'm not allowed to...try something new?" he accused. Branch's face snarled, "No, that's not what I'm saying, just hear me out." Creek folded his arms, "This should be good." Branch tensed, "Why are you so mad today?" he asked. Creek scoffed, "I don't know, maybe it's because we're fighting right before Christmas break," he started, "And my best friend thinks I'm a different person," he mentioned. 

"I-it's just that, you've been around Archer a lot," he added. "What does Archer have to do with this?" he asked, "It's like you're a total Archer clone." 

"Archer 2.0, you're the Robin to his Batman," he added,  "What's your point?" Creek seethed, "It's as if you're trying to forget about me," Branch admitted. 

"Well, not everything is about you," he said as Branch got chills. 

BEEP BEEP

Creek stood up as he grabbed his bag, "I'm allowed to change, and so should you," Creek stated. "Have a good Christmas," He added, before walking off.