Chapter Text
"Come on, Robert. It's your own fault you got kicked out of our school.", Andy tried to make his brother step out the car.
Robert didn't want to go to a public school.
He knew being kicked out of the school he and his sibling went to, was up to him and what he did,
but he didn't get why instead of putting him in a different private school he had to go to a public one with a bunch of psycho kids.
"Robert, do you really want to be late on your first day?", his stepmom Diane now also tried to get him out of the car.
Robert just rolled his eyes, grabbed his bag and opened the door.
"See ya.", he said leaving the car and closing the door. He walked towards his new school.
It didn't look as bad as public schools look in all those movies.
The building was still covered in snow and he saw some christmas decorations on the windows.
Christmas. Robert's christmas hasn't been a nice one.
The atmosphere was heated, hid siblings were scared that what he did would also affect them and his dad was madly disappointed.
They had constantly been on the search for a school Robert could go to directly after winter break.
And now he was here, with a bunch of new kids and new teachers.
But he decided that standing outside and pretending he wouldn't have to go inside, wasn't worth being late,
so he took a deep breath and started looking for signs that would take him to the principal's office.
Maybe this year wouldn't be as bad as he expected it to be.
-
"Do I need to introduce myself to the class?", Robert asked the teacher he got introduced with and then told to follow.
"Only if you want to." Robert shook his head, showing the teacher that there was no need to do that. "Okay, then just look for a spare seat."
Robert nodded and turned around to look at the class.
There were some groups that were talking and some students just silently sat on their chairs, staring at the clock, waiting for the lesson to start.
Robert recognized two free seats.
One was next to a blonde girl, who was checking her make up in a pocket mirror.
The other seat was in the back, next to a guy with brown hair. He seemed to be texting someone on his phone.
Robert decided to sit next to the guy, because he didn't want everyone to think he was someone who intentional sat next to a girl just to get on with her.
"Is this seat taken?", he asked the guy, who put his phone away and looked a bit confused at him.
"What?", he asked. "I asked if this seat was taken. I'm Robert. I'm the new kid and-", Robert wanted to introduce himself but the guy cut him off.
"No. This seat is taken, mate.", he said mockingly.
Robert wanted to protest, regarding that the bell had already rang and that if someone was actually sitting there, he should already be here,
but the blonde girl stepped in. "This seat is free. You can sit here."
Robert turned around to see her smiling at him, he didn't want to be rude so he thanked her and took place next to her.
"I'm Rebecca. Rebecca White.", the girl introduced herself.
"Robert.", he answered. "Nice to meet you, Robert.", she said, smiling again.
She had this kind of smile that made Robert believe she was someone to always be cheerful.
The teacher finally started the lesson.
"So I hate this as much as you do, but because of recent events the principal told us all to fill out these attendance lists."
Robert recognized some people turning around to look at the guy in the back, who rolled his eyes.
He probably was someone who got into trouble a lot.
"Adam Barton?", the teacher started to check the list and the guy Robert was still looking at answered. Adam, so that was his name.
'Finn Barton', was the next one on the list. A skinny guy with glasses raised his hand to confirm his attendance.
He had the same surname as Adam, but they didn't look alike.
"Aaron Dingle?", the teacher asked. "Aaron?".
With nobody answering the teacher lifted his head up and looked in Adam's direction.
"Adam. Does your mate intend to be gifting us with his attendance today?"
Adam just shrugged. "Must be home sick, I guess."
"Yeah, sure.", Rebecca whispered ironically. "What?", Robert asked her.
"Well, Aaron's always "sick" but then magical is in school without attending classes. It's a surprise Adam is even here.
You normally don't get to see them without the other one."
Robert nodded and then continued listening to the teacher calling out the student's names. Couldn't hurt to know a few of them.
-
As Robert and Rebecca were walking out of the classroom, he realized some guys laughing and clearly talking bad about Finn, who was walking in front of him.
Finn looked a bit scared and quickened his steps but the guys were following him.
Even though Robert couldn't make out what they were exactly saying, he recognized the word 'faggot'.
He wanted to help Finn, but Rebecca held him back. "You better don't."
Robert looked confused at her. "Why not?"
The door to the classroom next to Finn flew open and a few students walked out.
They seemed to be in the year above Robert.
When a girl with straigthened, brown hair came out, Rebecca waved at her.
"Chrissie!", she shouted.
The girl looked around to see where the shout came from and when she found Rebecca she smiled and walked over.
But she got almost pushed to the ground, by a guy coming out of the room behind her. He had dark hair and clearly wasn't someone to mess with. He ran to Finn and the other guys immediatly stopped harassing Finn. They looked scared and ran away.
"That's my sister, Chrissie.", Rebecca said and got Robert's attention back, "This is Robert, he's new here."
"Oh well, then welcome, I guess.", Chrissie said.
Robert smiled at her but then his eyes were stuck at the scene in the background again.
That guy who went to help Finn was looking very angry now, while Finn just looked like he wanted to be left alone.
"Excuse me if this sounds weird, but who is that guy?", he said pointing at Finn an the other guy.
"That's Finn's brother. Ross Barton.", Rebecca explained.
"Yeah you better stay away from him. He's trouble.", Chrissie said.
'Barton. Why is everyone called Barton?', Robert thought.
"So, Ross and Finn are brothers? Is Adam related to them, too?", Robert asked the sisters out of curiosity.
"He's their cousin. But you don't really see them talking. If you ask me, I think the Bartons are all weird.
Except for Pete. He's the oldest brother."
Rebecca seemed to know a lot about the people here, but it was good knowing someone Robert could turn to if he had questions.
Rebecca and Chrissie started discussing about something Robert didn't pay attention to.
He looked over at Finn again. Ross was gone now and Finn seemed calmer.
But then a buff guy, wearing a black hoodie and walking like he didn't want people to see him, passed by and Finn startled.
"Aaron!", he said, following the guy in the hoodie who now fastened his steps.
Realizing that, Finn stopped.
"Come on! You can't ignore me forever!", Finn shouted after him, but then he shook his head, turned around and walked away.
The guy in the hoodie stopped when he reached Adam.
There wasn't much distance to them so Robert tried to ignore Rebecca and Chrissie talking and listened to what Adam and the hoodie-guy were talking.
"Lunch break? Are you serious? I know I've covered for you saying you're sick, but still, what if someone saw you.
You know they'll suspect us.", Adam said but Robert couldn't hear more because he and hoodie-guy went somewhere else to finish their conversation.
Robert couldn't tell why but he strangely was really interested in what hoodie-guy and Adam were up to.
It was lunch break and Robert was exploring the schoolground by himself.
He stopped at the car park and looked around.
There were a few cars and in one corner a few teachers were gathering to smoke.
He didn't blame them for smoking, with everything he got to know about this school by now, he assumes that teaching here wasn't an easy thing to do.
He kept walking, trying to find the gym.
But being distracted by looking for it, he didn't look where he was going and bumped into a car.
With him hitting the car, the alarm went off.
"You idiot!", someone cursed him.
Robert looked around but didn't see anyone until hoodie-guy stepped out from behind the car.
He had a knife in his hand. The car's alarm was still ringing loudly.
Robert looled confused at hoodie-guy and then back to the car.
He only recognized now, that the car's tyres were flat through cuts.
When Robert looked back to hoodie-guy he was gone, but he heard someone yell behind him.
"I didn't do anything!", Robert turned around to see a teacher who was holding hoodie-guy by his hoodie.
"That's something the principal can decide.", the teacher said, "And you," he looked at Robert, "can accompany us."
Robert didn't even bother argue, so he just followed them.
On the way to the principal's office hoodie-guy was silent and came along withput arguing, he probably was used to going there.
But something about him told Robert that there was more to him then a guy in a hoodie that likes getting into trouble.
Robert and hoodie-guy had to wait outside the office while the teacher went in to describe the situation.
Subtly, Robert tried to observe the guy.
He was buff, had perfectly gelled hair and Robert would bet that he actually had curly hair.
He looked like someone who doesn't smile that often and was actually very emotional, just doesn't show it that often.
"What you looking at, mate?!", hoodie-guy asked furiously.
"Nothing.", Robert answered, trying to look away unsuspiciously.
The principal and the teacher came out of the office.
"So, Aaron, again? Really?" Hoodie-guy, who Robert now knew was the Aaron that was missing in class today, shrugged his shoulders provocative.
"What? You really want me to believe that this wasn't you?", the principal said.
Aaron, still wearing a smirk, just innocently raised his arms.
"It wasn't him.", Robert said.
He didn't know why exactly he had said it but he guessed he just thought making a few mates couldn't be wrong.
And Aaron seemed to be someone interesting to hang out with.
The teacher looked shocked at him, "Excuse me?"
"You know I was there. It wasn't him.
I mean I saw him there but I saw someone else run away after the car alarm went off.
And if it really was Aaron, why would he stay?"
Aaron seemed to just roll with it, his expression was still the same and he even kinda provocative grinned.
"Well then I guess the two of you can go.", the principal said then but Robert saw the angry face the teacher made so he did what he could do best.
"I know this place where you can get your car fixed.
It belongs to my father's friend, maybe I could get you a discount.
In compensation for not being able to identify who cut the tyres."
After Robert and Aaron then finally were free to go, Aaron was already about to walk away but Robert stopped him.
"Wait. Are you not gonna thank me?", he said, putting on is persuasive face.
"For what exactly?", Aaron said annoyed.
"Saving you from detention?"
"Probably gonna have to go there anyway so why bother?", Aaron turned around again to walk away but Robert wasn't quite done yet.
"Sorry. I'm new and thought making a few mates wasn't that bad of an idea."
"Well I'm not looking for any mates.
Why don't you just go buy some, bet you have enough money for that."
Robert looked confused at him, he wanted to protest but when Aaron recognized that he turned around and walked away for good this time.
Robert didn't want to make a fool of himself so he just left him be. For now.