The bus rolled away from the curb and spurted smoke as it drove away from the school bus drop off sight. The crowd of students milled around as Merlin looked around, his glasses slipping of his narrow, pale face, as he fingered his strap of his pack. He hated starting new schools, hated not being known by people and having to make new friends, but that was his life since he lived with his uncle and mother, and he was not going to complain to them and make them feel worse than they already were for having to move again this year. Seeing that some students were starting to look at him for just standing there doing nothing, Merlin's face blushed red and he began to walk towards the door the other students were walking into. He saw one of the girls in the group, one with brown hair that hung to her waist and a slim curve; look him up and down before snorting and elbowing one of the guys by her in the side. Merlin snapped his eyes forward and slipped through the door, he was used to those remarks and gestures by now. It wasn't his fault that he might not be the richest person in the world.
The interior of the school was like any other school he had ever been to. The floors were decorated with colored tiles, the red locker lined the walls like something you would see in an eighties movie, the ceiling had sky lights for natural light and also windows gave a view of the outside campus and lunch yard and the gym. Merlin was just about to walk up the stairs that led to the office when someone bumped into him and made him stumble and land against the wall.
He blinked and looked up to see a girl standing on the first step of the stairs and was looking down at him with a cocked gaze and full lips and childlike face. She wore a pink crop baby doll top and lacy ruffled shorts, her hair pulled back with a bow. She blinked and her hands came up to her face so fast Merlin blinked. " oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you or I did see you but not in time. I'm really clumsy, ask any one I can be walking and fall flat on my face for no reason. I didn't hurt you did I? I'm late meeting my friends in the lunch room, but I guess that's no excuses huh?"
Merlin shook his head and stood straight, he let himself smile at the girl's cute babble and awkwardness, " No, I'm okay, thanks. It's fine really. I should have been paying more attention to where I was going instead of walking so slow." He smiled at the girl who walked down to meet him and he held out his hand, " My name's Merlin, by the way, I'm new here, but you probably already knew that."
She smiled and shook his hand, "Names Freya, you know like the lady in the lake? Huh? Funny that seeing as how your names Merlin, and my friends names are from the Arthurian legend to, and my brothers' name are to, Gwaine and Arthur. That's weird!" she then looked Merlin up and down and gasped, "you probably need your class schedule Merlin, and look at me talking your ear off!"
Merlin chuckled at wondered if she always talked this much and what her friends must be like. But he had to admit it was nice that he wasn't being treated weirdly for moving in to a big town and new school when school had only a month or so left, and it was nice that he wasn't being taunted for having a name like he did. He let Freya grab his wrist and pull him to the office as she talked about getting his class list, and then meeting the rest of her friends and being showed around school, and how she was excited she ran into him and how they were going to be friends. Freya the stopped, " we can be friends right….cause I'll leave you alone if you like. I can be a bit much and really talkative. Just ask Arthur or Gwaine, oh…you won't be able to meet them until later they are not here today sadly, but maybe if you come home with me or something, but you don't have to I-"
Merlin put a hand over her mouth and chuckled, "Freya hush! Calm down girl, I'd be happy to be your friend, I move around a lot so any friend is good to have. I'd be happy to go home with you after school, you can show me around. And talking is good for you, so come on. I got to get my class list."
Freya smiled and nodded and led the way to the office, Merlin left her while she pulled out her phone and texted someone and then looked up at Merlin who was looking at his list. He had basically the same classes he had at the other schools just some extra classes like art and computer class thrown in there. Freya looked at his list and smiled at him, "Hey we have first hour English and PE and math together, you have science with Morgana and Gwen, my other best friends, and the rest of your classes with some of the guys and Arthur and gwaine, my brothers and his and my friends."
He heard a sharp ring of a bell go off and the kids in the hallway scrambled to get to class. Freya called to one of the ladies at the desk, a Mrs. Sophia, and told her that she was going to show Merlin around the school before class and if she send an email to Mr. Dragoon. The sectary nodded and wrote them a pass, and Merlin followed her out into the hall. Freya smiled and they walked down the hall and Merlin saw a tall girl with white skin and black hair leaning against the locker in a black skirt and blue jean jacket laughing at another girl with brown skin and a white blouse and jeans. Classy and rebel, Merlin thought, and friends, he summarized as the rebel swung an arm around the girl's shoulders and waved to Freya.
They walked up to the pair and Merlin was introduced to Morgana Pendragon, Freya's cousin and Gwen, their best friend since forever. Merlin waved hello and Morgana clamped him in the arm and laughed and Gwen bobbed her head and smiled shyly. They walked down the hall and begun to give Merlin a tour and Merlin laughed and talked with them as if he knew them forever, he wasn't as shy as he had been in the other schools for some reason. He had a feeling these last couple of weeks he had until summer at this school was going to be interesting, he didn't know why though, or at least not until he met Freya's brothers Arthur and Gwaine. That's when the trouble started but then again trouble had always been Arthur's, Gwaine's and Merlin's middle names.
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