"Hey, Alfred!"

Alfred turned around, smiling at his buddy, Matthew, "Mathew! Dude, you won't believe what happened to me-"

"Did you hear?" Matthew asked, interrupting me.

"Hear? Hear what?" Alfred asked, staring at him.

Matthew glanced around like it was top secret and not some gossip floating around. He whispered, "There's a transfer student."

"So?" Alfred asked.

"He's from England!" Matthew said, as if that would make everything clear.

"Uh okay. You're from Canada, what's so special from him coming from England?" Alfred asked.

"He's really smart, but I heard he's kind of a creep too," Matthew said and they started to head to their first class; World History.

"So, like Ivan?" Alfred said.

Matthew glanced around alarmed and sighed, "Don't mention him so loudly! He pops up out of nowhere and you know that!"

Alfred laughed, "It's always a coincidence."

"Coincidence or not it's still creepy," Matthew shuddered. "Never mind that! So this guy. His name is Arthur Kirkland and I heard he was picked on a lot, but he got like a sponsor or whatever and he came here to live with some relatives."

"Matt, that's going a little too overboard with rumors," Alfred said.

Before Matthew could continue a few of the buffer guys pushed passed him.

"Hey Alfred," they greeted casually, completely oblivious of Matthew.

"Hey guys," Alfred smiled and when they left, he reached down to help Matthew up.

"Uh, so yeah. They're not rumors!" Matthew said.

"Yeah, well we'll see," Alfred sighed.

He opened the door to the classroom to complete silence. Alfred slipped in awkwardly, Matthew behind him. They made their way to the back, Alfred sitting on the third seat in the first column and Matthew sitting next to him.

"Welcome class, to World History!" Mr. Karupsi said.

"Where's our other teacher?" Gilbert asked, raising his hand.

"That's a good question," the teacher said as he wrote his name on the board. "My name is Heracles Karupsi. I'll be your new teacher as your old teacher retired for the rest of the year due to her having a child."

"A new teacher and a new student," Matthew whispered to Alfred.

Alfred smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Speaking of new, I bet you guys have been hearing an awful lot of a new transfer student!" Mr. Karupsi said, grinning. He looked to the door, "Come in, Arthur."

A blond boy came in. His eyes were a strange green, glowing almost. He came shuffling in, looking at the ground. He stood next to Mr. Karupsi for a bit.

"Why don't you smile and introduce yourself?" Mr. Karupsi.

The boy looked up, "I'm Arthur Kirkland and I just transferred here from England."

"Anything else you want to tell us?" Mr. Karupsi asked.

"No."

Gilbert raised his hand, Alfred let out an inner groan. When he first arrived he thought he was bad, but then Gilbert came and now Alfred seemed like an angel.

"Yes?" Mr. Karupsi said.

"Why did you transfer?" Gilbert asked.

Arthur tensed up.

"If he doesn't want to talk about it then you shouldn't mention it. It's rude," Alfred grumbled. He looked up and realized everyone was staring at him. He turned slightly pink, he had accidentally said that louder than he had meant to.

After the silence Mr. Karupsi cleared his throat, "Um, Arthur please sit behind um…behind Alfred. Alfred raise your hand."

Alfred raised his hand, still slightly embarrassed.

Arthur made his way to the back and pulled the chair out to sit down. Mr. Karupsi started to talk about the history of America.

A piece of paper torn from a notebook found it's way onto Alfred's desk. Alfred looked at it and smiled.

Thank you,

Arthur


"So, Arthur's in most of your classes?" Lovino asked during lunch. He slipped in, in between Matthew and Alfred.

"Yeah…how did you know?" Alfred asked.

"Oh, rumors have been going around that you stood up to him and people were aware that he's in most of your classes," Lovino said, shrugging and taking a large bite from his pizza.

"He passed you a note in first period, didn't he?" Matthew asked.

"Yeah," Alfred nodded, skirting a packet of ketchup into his burger.

"What did it say?" Lovino asked, him and Matthew leaning in.

"It didn't say anything," Alfred said.

"Seriously?" Matthew sighed, leaning back.

"That's your response?" Lovino mumbled, turning back to his food.

"Guys, come on, stop acting like Arthur is a girl and that I have a shot at him or something…because he's not," Alfred said.

Lovino rolled his eyes, "Come on, Alfred. It's fine if you're on that side of the fence. Feliciano gets hit on all the time, that airhead."

"Yeah, but Feliciano doesn't want to get hit on," Alfred said.

"Hey, guys look," Matthew nudged Alfred and pointed.

Alfred and Lovino followed his finger to an empty table. Or it would have been empty, but Arthur had sat down.

"He looks lonely," Lovino grunted. He smirked at Alfred, "Hey, why don't you go and talk to the guy?"

"What? Why me?" Alfred asked.

"Because he passed you a note," Matthew said, catching onto Lovino's plan.

Alfred stood up and was pushed towards the empty table, with his tray. He slid down next to Arthur and smiled.

"Hey Arthur," Alfred said, smiling.

Arthur looked at him, a stunned look across his face, "Um…I think you're at the wrong table."

Alfred laughed, "What are you talking about? I wanted to talk to you."

"You…why?" Arthur asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"I want to be friends with you?" Alfred said.

Arthur stared at Alfred for a moment longer, then he looked down at his food and started to fiddle around with it, "Why would you talk to me? I'm just a new student and-"

"You seem nice," Alfred interrupted.

"But you seem so popular," Arthur said, looking up at Alfred with large teary looking eyes.

"I'm not popular," Alfred laughed.

"You seem popular," Arthur said.

"Trust me, I'm average," Alfred smiled. "How about this, why don't we hang out after school, huh? Then you can see how normal I am."

"I can't, really," Arthur mumbled.

He stood up, without Alfred notice he had somehow finished his lunch. Alfred went back with the tray to his old table.

"Fail?" Matthew asked.

"Fail," Alfred confirmed.

"It's fine. You should try again later," Lovino smirked.

Alfred glared at Lovino, "Dude, stop talking like that. It creeps me out."

"Oh come on," Lovino laughed.

"Arthur is not a girl. Even if you treat this like a game, I think Arthur was hurt badly at his last school so stop," Alfred said, glaring at Lovino and Matthew.

"Yes, sir," they both said in unison, chuckling a bit at the thought.