Chapter Text
It was just like any other day for Jack. He got to school early, beat up backpack dropping on the floor beside his desk when he plopped down in his chair, his best friend Charlie---AKA Crutchie as he and their friends called him because of, well...his crutch---already sitting at his desk beside Jack's, the rest of their friends trickling in and already causing a ruckus before their teacher had walked in to begin class.
Jack sat down with a tired huff. Being a senior having to repeat his math class wasn't exactly anyone's ideal situation, but he figured it worked out in a way because he got an extra hour with Crutchie aside from their lunch period and study halls. On the topic of Crutchie, Jack's been acting sort of *weird* around him lately. Everything he did or said or wore made him feel...stupid. Not a bad stupid, though, he just got in his head a lot, is all. He was always on Jacks mind as of recent and he didn't know how to approach the situation or how to just straight up tell his best friend of forever he makes him feel like he wants to throw up.
"Hey, Jack! How was your weekend?" Crutchie asked, sweet as ever, which just made Jack's stomach turn even more. He turned his head to his friend and just smirked confidently, remaining his nonchalance like he usually did no matter the situation. "Eh, same shit different day. Work, home, rinse and repeat. What about you, hm?" He replied casually, spinning his chair so he was sitting backwards in it and facing away from Race, Albert, Spot, and the rest of their friends who were roughhousing and throwing papers around already at the ripe time of 7:10 am to instead face Crutchie better. Crutchie smiled warmly which made Jack feel weird yet again, but at this point Crutchie could just breathe a certain way and Jack would be absolutely whipped. While Jack faced him, he admired his outfit slightly: it was just a brown zip up hoodie above a white tank top it seemed, plus jean shorts and comfortable sneakers, not to mention his knee brace he always had on. Also, his hair, brown and slightly curly and wavy and in his face a bit, and his slightly crooked teeth...
"It was alright, my leg's been kind of acting up though. My mama took me to the doctor, and they said nuthin' was wrong, so I guess s' nothing to worry about." Crutchie explained, shrugging slightly while he looked over at Jack, noticing how his blank stare was aimed at his torso rather than his face. "..Jack, you listenin'?"
Jack jumped when Crutchie said his name, his ears turning pink with embarrassment while he nodded and waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, yeah, yeah..just tired is all." He replied ungracefully, getting an eyebrow raise and a little smile from Crutchie paired with a soft chuckle which just made Jack feel even more awkward and nervous. He sighed softly but his little moment with his best friend ended when a crumpled-up ball of paper hit the back of his head. "Hey, what's your damage, Race?" He asked while turning, tossing the paper ball back and noticing all the other boys were rushing to their assigned seats.
"Joe is making his way to our classroom! Whatdya' do this time?!" He whisper-shouted, raising his eyebrows at Jack urgently while he pulled his seat into his desk properly. Jack looked surprised and shrugged. "I didn't do nuthin'!" He replied, throwing his arms up in defense before their principal walked through the door. Everyone's heads snapped forward to where he stood adjusting his brown suit jacket he seemed to always wear. Principal Pulitzer and his vice principal Snyder weren't exactly known for being the kindest and understanding leaders in the world, better recognized for handing out infractions and detentions over anything and everything left and right, and one of their repeat offenders happened to be Jack.
"Jack Kelly," Pulitzer started, "fix your seat." He called back to him, an embarrassed flush crossing Jacks face while he fixed his seat straight and proper and pulled himself closer to his desk.
"Ahem, now that everyone is prepared, we have an announcement." He began, standing tall beside Snyder who simply loomed behind him with the resting bitch face he typically defaulted to. "You all will have a new student joining you: my daughter. I expect you all to treat her with respect and if I get even a *hint* of one of you delinquents being inappropriate---I'm looking at you, Kelly---you can be sure there's a seat saved for you in weekend detention. Now, come in, dear." He spoke firmly before calling out the open door, a girl looking to be a senior walked through the door. She was wearing a long navy-blue skirt and a white peplum top, a small gold necklace around her neck and her wavy brown hair pulled into a low bun with some fringe free to frame her face. She smiled wide, too wide for being Pulitzer's daughter.
"Hello! I'm Katherine, I like reading and I'm an aspiring journalist and am happy to meet you guys." She said enthusiastically, almost unaware of how she turned the heads of all the boys in the class, including Jack for just a moment.
She slowly walked through the isles of desks, all the boys on edge to see who she'd sit next to until she put her things down at the other desk beside Jack. His heart jumped while Crutchie's sank and both of their minds raced so fast it was hard for either of them to think straight.