STARTING OVER

"You ready?" Alfred asked Arthur. The latter nodded absently, simply staring off into space. He was ready as he'll ever be. That is, not at all. He didn't even know why his new brother was asking him that question. His schoolmates would remember him as he was before he "disappeared".

It's been a month since the incident. Arthur Kirkland, the small punk kid with dyed red hair and red contacts that every one in the school made fun of, disappeared. Of course, it wasn't a case of kidnapping or some other mystery shit. It was simply because he couldn't appear in public, and nobody really cared enough to ask about him.

He was in the hospital for the past three weeks. He got beaten up badly by his father, receiving a broken nose, a concussion, some bruised ribs, and more bruises littering his body. His neighbor had found him, and even though the old man next door often openly admits that he didn't like Arthur's rebellious act, he was fuming at what the man did to his son.

Arthur's father got arrested and with no one to care for him, Arthur was supposed to be sent to the orphanage after he was released from the hospital. Fortunately for him though, a family of three took care of adoption papers before he was even released, so when he was, they met him at the hospital lobby.

The Joneses lived in luxury: a big mansion, lavish furniture, gourmet food. Arthur wasn't used to such comforts, living with his abusive dad all his life, but it didn't really matter to him. He didn't care if the family that adopted him were rich or poor. He wanted what his father didn't give him for the whole 15 years of his life.

The Joneses knew. They really loved him, really cared for him. Arthur knew even though he had lived with them only for a week as of yet. But he was sure. He was happy.

He wasn't so sure about school though.

Alfred frowned at him. "It's not going to be the same," he said.

Arthur turned to him, his green eyes distant. "I don't need their pity."

"Why would they pity you? You have a better life now. There's no use pitying you now," Alfred pressed.

"Impressions don't just change over time," Arthur replied. "They'll remember who I was. They'll remember the wimp they alway made fun of, the coward hiding behind a facade, because really, I'm still the same. I may have a different life now, but I'm still the same."

Alfred rolled his eyes. "Now you're just being pessimistic."

Arthur nodded. "I'm being me."

"That's not what I'm saying." Alfred gave his new brother an exasperated look. "I'm saying you're not being realistic." Arthur gave him a quizzical glance.

"Look at you. Your hair is different, your eyes are different, your clothes are different. And the way you carried yourself before was only because something was holding you back," Alfred explained. "Now, you're free. You have a new life. So start over."

Arthur nodded, but doubts still flooded his mind. "I'm still Arthur Kirkland though, no matter what," he muttered.

~.;*;.~

Standing in front of the school gates, Arthur felt like bolting. Only Alfred's hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Relax," Alfred said, chuckling.

"How can I relax?" Arthur hissed. "Everyone's staring at us."

"That's because we came in a limo," Alfred deadpanned. "I got the same looks before." He grinned. "Plus, we're new faces."

"You mean you are," Arthur said. "I'm not."

"You're not a new kid, but they know 'Arthur Kirkland' as someone with red hair and red eyes. You look nowhere near what you did before, except for your eyebrows," Alfred stated.

"Don't make fun of my eyebrows," Arthur huffed.

"I'm not," Alfred said, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "Just saying. I mean, it is true."

"Shut it." Arthur heaved a small sigh and the brothers made their way to their classroom.

~.;*;.~

Arthur wasn't new to the class. He knew everybody inside, at least by face and name, and everybody knew him too. The teacher would too, as Arthur was someone he felt the need to always pick on. So Arthur was utterly surprised when the teacher called out to him when he tried to get to his seat.

"New students will be introduced first, so please stay in front," the teacher said.

"B-but," Arthur stammered, still recovering from his shock. "I'm not a new student."

"Nonsense. I know all my students, and you're definitely not one of them," the teacher confirmed then glared at the seat Arthur was going to. "Kirkland's still absent, I see."

"S-sir..." Arthur started, but Alfred stopped him with a shake of his head. Quite reluctantly, as he didn't want any attention on him, Arthur made his way to the front of the room.

"I received word that we'll be having an exchange student," the teacher announced. "Though I was told I'd only get one."

"I tried to tell you sir, but I-" Arthur tried again, but was put out before he can even finish his statement.

"Does anybody already know this gentleman?" the teacher asked the class, gesturing to Arthur. Silence. "As I thought." Arthur grumbled.

"Therefore I only know the other gentleman. Class, this is Alfred Jones," the teacher said.

"And this is my brother, Arthur Jones," Alfred exclaimed.

"What are you doing?" Arthur hissed at him.

"What? I told you to start over, didn't I?" Alfred whispered. "And nobody recognizes you already."

"But I wasn't enrolled with that name, idiot," Arthur hissed.

"Fine," Alfred grumbled then turned back to class. "But you all know him as Arthur Kirkland."

The teacher and class had shocked looks on their faces. Alfred gave his brother a smug grin and elbowed him to the side.

"Yes, well," Arthur began, straightening. He turned to the teacher, "We'll explain about my 'disappearance' later, sir."

They sat through class quietly, and for once, Arthur didn't have any crumpled balls of paper thrown at him. Nobody picked on him on his way to the next classes either. Maybe it's because he was with Alfred, or maybe because they still couldn't believe that he was the Arthur Kirkland they once knew.

Arthur Kirkland was the small punk kid with dyed red hair and red contacts that always skips classes and arrives at school with bruises presumably from roughhousing with whoever he meets in a dark alley. Meanwhile, Arthur 'Jones' was the small kid with blonde hair and green eyes that always gets top scores and confessions from girls because he was kind and charming.

Alfred was right. He did start over. No one reminded him of his past, and he made steps forward. He was happy with his new life, and he wasn't going to look back.

/ Tada.! I think the ending's a little awkward, so sorry about that. Teehee~ And the injuries I said he received were injuries that can heal in a month, so it's not entirely unrealistic. Though some site says that concussions can take a while to heal because of backlash, but he'll be fine enough to go to school at this point. I hope you enjoyed this. Please review.! :) /