Chapter Text
So this is it, almost the start of a new school year in possibly the world's worst high school. The wonderful summer with warm evenings, mediocre festivals and strawberries is over and Zanka just needs to accept it.
If he's being honest, he hasn't done anything in particular this summer break anyway. Meeting friends and going to the amusement park in the capital city probably counts as doing something, but the majority of the time, Zanka spent his summer at home either playing computer games or taking extra lessons online, very productive for an ex-first year now almost second year student in high school — oh my god he does not want to keep thinking about it.
It is what it is, he thinks. If you count out the long ass line to the canteen and a few annoying teachers, high school isn't all that bad. He can't really complain so much when it's a pretty good school he enrolled in, it was his first choice for a reason.
If you also count out the beginning of first year, that is something Zanka wants to forget voluntarily.
Anyhow, he's sure that the second year will be better than the first; he survived a year, he can survive another. How hard can it be?
Zanka's phone suddenly rings, a message from his best (or rather worst) friend Riyo pops up on his phone screen.
'Of course.' He thinks, who else will send him messages at 12.30 night.
He picks up his phone from his nightstand and looks at what she sent to him. First a snap of the side of her face to contribute to their streak and a normal message, relatively normal.
Riyo:
Im scared of the first day of school 💔
Is it as bad as you said?
High school
Zanka:
Yh, you're gonna get murdered the second you step inside the entrance
Riyo:
DON'T SAY THAT
R u /j or /srs 🥹
Zanka:
Tf do you think
Obv not
He smiles a little for himself. What can you say? Meeting and befriending the redheaded girl was one of the best things that he has done in his life, even if they're both in different grades.
Riyo:
Oh well, Im still a bit nervous to start hs
I miss 9th grade already 😔
Zanka:
You're gonna be fine
Plus you go VET, you're not gonna have 500 exams about maths or sum shit
Riyo:
And I am so happy 4 that ❤️🩹
But Im very excited to FINALLY get to ragebait u again
I was so lonely :((
Zanka:
Didn't you have Rudo?
Riyo:
Ur funnier to mess with 😽
No, actually he wishes he never talked to her.
Zanka:
Shut up
Gonna sleep bye
He puts his phone down on the nightstand, screen down, already knowing he's going to wake up with several angry spam messages from the girl. Oh well, at least he gets better sleep, because if he keeps up with talking to her he's not going to get any.
But the problem is he hasn't gone to bed at all for a reason. The more he lays down on his back staring up at the blank ceiling, the more the memories from first year start to flow in, memories he would rather suppress in the back of his mind.
Neon lights, bad music, drinks that tasted too sweet. Eyes.
Zanka slaps his face — that's enough, no way he's going to keep thinking about the past. He is going to get enough sleep even if it's almost 1 AM whether he likes it or not. Even if he has to force his eyelids to close.
The first day of school is nothing big for Zanka, it's honestly just a free day of nothing. For him it's just going through the entrance and finding the classroom his mentors chose to meet up with everybody in his class. On his way there, he sees several new first years grouped together, probably trying to find their way to what building them and their teachers will meet up at.
"Uhh, I guess I am supposed to go there then, it said so in the e-mail." Riyo looks down at her phone and lifts her head up again, double-checking if she is correct or not.
"Cool, have fun. Don't die on the way in."
"Haha. Sooo funny."
She grins at the "nonchalant" guy, elbows him on his shoulder and goes away to the other side of the building.
They used to go to school together, since they live pretty close to each other. But sadly their wonderful walks through hot and cold towards a shared hell had to go on a hiatus due to Zanka leveling up and leaving poor Riyo in a forest fire all alone. Well actually not all alone, she has other friends. Unlike a certain someone. But despite the pause, he's happy that they both have another hell to look forward to together.
He pushes open the heavy entrance door and enters the familiar building, long hallways and stairs show up again and engraves themselves into his brain once more.
'I forgot how much I've missed this place. I want my summer break again.'
But maybe the boring familiarity is better than the awkward atmosphere at home? Who knows.
All his classmates are either gathered outside or sitting inside the classroom, he opted to go in and take a seat to the far left of the classroom near the wall. A scraping noise from the stool and he sits down, placing his laptop case on the table. He lays his arms forward, an arm propped up against his cheek.
There's still a few minutes until classes actually start, but he doesn't want to pick up his phone. It's simply unnecessary. He decides to look in front of him and stare at the whiteboard beside the door he just walked through.
'Wow, so interesting.'
And interesting indeed. Just as Zanka was about to move his gaze from the door back to the whiteboard to further stare at it, a familiar student enters. A student he's sure he will never fully forget no matter how hard he tries, in a way that makes knots of thorns appear in his stomach.
The student is wearing a black t-shirt, baggy jeans and regular jogging shoes, a very casual outfit. With his backpack hanging off of one shoulder, the student walks into the now half full classroom.
Jabber Wonger, science program specialization natural sciences with a music profile, graduated 9th grade with all A's 340 merit, falls asleep during lessons, especially during choir practice as stated by himself. Zanka's head starts to hurt the more he thinks about the useless trivia he learned about the other.
Jabber seems to also notice him, but he just gives a quick glance and then looks back ahead, walking past Zanka and sits a row back against the right wall.
'Who the fuck d'you think you are?' Zanka gives a weak but displeased grimace.
But the better question is: Why does he care so much? God, so embarrassing.
It seems like Zanka's memory of the other guy's habit of sleeping during class still applies, for just a few seconds later, Jabber's head starts to tilt, eventually giving up and laying his forehead on crossed arms.
Luckily Zanka doesn't get more chances to recall memories.
"Good morning everyone, I hope you all had a great summer." Mentor nr 1, nicknamed Enjin by everyone, year two math teacher, announces in class and attracts everyone's attention.
"Like all of you guys know, you are in year two now. Probably one of the worst years you'll experience, no sugar coating. But we don't need that much pressure on the first three days of the beginning of school, we can all agree on that."
Mentor nr 2, Gris Rubion, year one physics teacher, follows up from what the other said.
"So for the first week, we're thinking of giving your schedules, attending classes at a calmer pace and hanging out with each other again. But since you already went a year together, there's no need for introductions."
The rest of the mentor-student class goes by pretty fast, as there is nothing special to bring up anyway. Soon the 50 minute class is over, as students begin to pack up, the two teachers handed everyone their schedules. Zanka grabs his things as he listens to different conversations between different students.
"Even if it's the first week of school, we would appreciate it if you all could come to class on time. We don't want you to miss any important information. If there is any."
Zanka grabs his piece of paper and heads off to find the new locker he's been assigned to for the year. Despite him walking as fast as he could out of the too hot classroom to finally take out the not-heavy-but-very-annoying lock in his pocket, he couldn't shake the dreading feeling of someone staring at him the whole way.
He comes to the right number and finally opens his locker. There's nothing special he brought anyway, he can put his books in it and take it home by hand, but it's nice knowing that he has a locker anyway.
Just as he takes a small magnet and sticks his paper schedule onto the locker door and closes it, he gets shoved lightly by a person who clearly didn't have any manners.
"What the- use your eyes next ti-"
Guess who the person with no manners is.
Zanka's eyes lingers a second too long, he quickly turns his head away. Who would have thought the person is still Jabber. To make things even better (rather worse), the guy conveniently also have is locker not far away from Zanka's
"Whoops." Jabber says, completely unfazed.
'This guy exists just to piss me off.'
Zanka quickly pulls up the lock from his pocket, quickly attaches it to the simple turn-lock and hurries on with quick steps to... what lesson does he have next? Right, math. He tries his best to ignore the other guy, whose gaze is not on him — thank goodness for that — but on his own locker, probably to put his backpack in for the time being.
'It's probably for the best to ignore him, it ain't that hard.
After the short 5 minute break, it's finally time for a probably very boring math class. Not that Zanka doesn't understand anything, but he often feels like he gets little to nothing done at the start of school after a long break. He personally likes to plan ahead to set a date for when things should be completed, a little like planning.
But it should be fine, at the very least he can take some notes to see what he will learn in future lessons. Better to be prepared than not. Maybe.
He and his classmates for math walks into the classroom. The projector screen in front of the whiteboard is pulled down and shows where all the students will be sitting. Some are smiling to each other due to them sitting together, others just glance at the screen and sit at their assigned seats. For Zanka, if he's being honest, doesn't really care about who he's sitting with. As long as they don't disturb him from doing his work and let him have his mental breakdown by himself.
As long as they aren't a special someone with an annoying silhouette that he never really avoids catching in the corner of his eye and with an even more annoying personality that reminds him of his past mistakes.
But of course, the universe proves themselves once again that life is unfair.
'You've got to be kidding me.'
For this term, or rather at least 100 years for Zanka it feels, his benchmate is none other than-
'Jabber??'
As if by command, the guy that was just in Zanka's mind enters the math classroom in a slightly-late-but-not-late-enough-to-get-an-absence-note fashion. Jabber seems to also see what the screen shows, which definitely doesn't help their (more like Zanka's) situation.
"Okay everyone, I'm sure you guys are all probably very excited to sit with your new benchbuddies, although I would like you to at least sit down in your seats and then talk to each other during class instead of huddling near the front and blocking the board." Enjin calls out, as if it makes Zanka feel better.
Jabber suddenly stares into Zanka's soul. Reddish brown eyes meet blue ones, across each other, as if the colors in their irises will merge together and create a new one. A shiver ran through Zanka just by the thought of it.
The other guy started to smile, not an awkward one that silently begs for forgiveness, the opposite, cause that wouldn't be Jabber. It gets bigger, almost mockingly. Zanka immediately knows what thoughts are popping up in the others head, and none of them are good. A retaliation of what had happened; a revenge.
'God hates me.'