"Arthur, dear, are you ready to go? You're going to be late for your flight if you don't hurry!" My mother called up to my room.
"I know, Mum, I'll be right down!" I yell. I take a quick glance around my room, making sure for the last time that I have everything I might need. This is the last time I will see this room for quite a while.
I'm taking a plane to America, where I'll be going to college. I was accepted immediately to the school and they offered to pay for everything. There was no way I could refuse. All of the other colleges around where I live in England don't offer what I want to go into or they're too expensive or far away.
As I look at the room I've spent my childhood in, I smile. This is going to be different, but it'll be worth it. Father would be proud of me, I know he would. He had always wanted at least one of his children to grow up and be successful. I can't let him down.
"Arthur! Hurry up!" My mother's yelling snaps me out of my thoughts and I hurry downstairs. "It took you long enough, boy. Are you done saying good bye to the house?"
"Oh, there's no need to make fun at me, Mum. Now let's go before I'm stuck here any longer." We hurry out the door, yelling out one last goodbye to my brothers. I don't bother to give them a proper goodbye. Why should I? After all, all they've ever done is push me around and beat me up.
Rain pours down on us as we dash to the car. My suitcase and other bags are already loaded into the trunk of the car. The car is quickly started and my mother pulls out of our driveway. The windshield wipers struggle to keep up with the constant downpour. I look out the window and watch the familiar landscape rush by me. This had always been my home and it's honestly hard to leave it all behind.
"Arthur, love, are you alright? You know you don't have to go through with this…" My mother says quietly. I know she's opposed to the fact that I'm moving to America for school. She had claimed the other day that any college in England would be closer than one in America. I had merely shrugged it off. For me, there's no backing out now.
"I'm fine, Mum. You always ask that and I will always be fine." I say, not even bothering to look at her. I'm too preoccupied with my own thoughts to pay attention to her worrying. That might be a bit of an issue though. She raised me better than to ignore her. She raised me to be a gentleman, and going to America should not change any of that. "I'm terribly sorry, Mum, I've just got a lot on my mind."
"I know, dear, I know. It's quite alright. I just want to make sure that you positively want to move to America."
"There's no going back now. You know that." I look at her for a moment, seeing the worry in her eyes. "I'll be fine, I swear."
"I believe you… It's just frightening for both of us, I suppose."
"That it is…" I agree quietly. Not much else is said for the next thirty minutes. Neither of us know what to expect from America, so I'm going in practically blind. I don't even know what kind of people are going to be attending or what most of the professors are like. Bloody hell, I don't even know what the weather will be like. I don't know if I'm ready for this…
No. I am ready for this. As I said, there is absolutely no backing out. I must go through with this. There is no way around it.
My mother soon pulls into the large parking lot of the airport. We hurry and grab my luggage from the trunk and run to the cover of the terminal. As I drag my bags behind me, I glance over to my mother. I can almost see tears in her eyes. I've known that she's been crying for the past few nights; I could hear her. I don't want to see her upset… But I have to do this. And the only way to do it is if I leave England and my family.
We soon reach the security line. I stop and turn to my mother. She looks at me with sad green eyes. "I'll miss you, love. More than you know."
"I know, Mum… I'll miss you too. Please make sure my brothers don't get into too much trouble. They won't have me to push around anymore, I wouldn't want them to find someone else to bully." I give her a small smile.
"Oh, I know. I'll be keeping an eye on them…" There's a short pause. "You should probably get going, security is a bloody terrible thing."
"Alright… Goodbye, then." I say. She pulls me into a tight hug.
"Make sure you come back for Christmas. I won't forgive you if you don't. Now get a move on. I love you. Goodbye for now, dear."
"I love you too, Mum." I say as she lets me go. With a tight hold on my bag, I enter the security line. I watch as my mother waves to me one last time before walking away. I gaze after her until she turns the corner, out of sight.
Security takes about ten minutes to get through. As soon as I'm through, I rush to the gate my flight is taking off from. I check my ticket and head in the right direction. It doesn't take long for me to reach the gate, though I am one of the last ones to board. I can't believe I'm late… I scold myself. Being late is not something I enjoy.
I walk onto the plane and look around in the cramped space. I spot an empty seat near the middle and I quickly make my way towards it. After stuffing my carry-on bag into the compartment above my seat, I sit down next to a young woman with earbuds in. It seems already that this will be a peaceful flight.
It doesn't take long for the plane to take off. I glance over the woman, watching my home country fall out beneath me. I watch the rainy and gloomy land that I've lived in all of my life until the plane passes through the dark clouds. I sigh and sit back in my seat.
I pull off my jacket and set it underneath my seat, pulling out a small book before I do so. I have a feeling I might just finish this book before my flight is over. It is a ten hour flight after all. I open the book to where I left off. Not that I would ever tell this to my brothers or mother, but I absolutely love romance books. My suitcase has several of my favorites safely packed away. I've read the one I hold in my hands about five times now, but it never gets old.
I flip through the old pages with ease. I lose track of the time as I get lost in the story. Soon enough, my eyelids begin to feel heavy and I start to drift off into sleep. I rest my head against the headrest, closing my eyes.
When I wake up again, there is only an hour and a half left to go on the flight. I look around and grab my book from where it fell on the floor. I dust a few crumbs off of the cover and open it back up. I read for some time before my stomach rumbles at me. It's been almost nine hours since I last had anything to eat… I shake my head and attempt to ignore the discomfort. It's only another hour, probably less now. I'll survive without food for that long.
After another hour of reading and trying to wake up my left foot, which fell asleep, the plane lands on the runway of the airport. When we're allowed to get up, I wait for other people to get off first. When there is a gap in the line of people, I step out into the aisle, reaching up and grabbing my bag. I look at the young woman who had been next to me. "Go ahead, miss." I say with a polite smile.
"Oh, thank you." She smiles back, stepping into the aisle and grabs her own bag. I make my way out of the plane and into the airport terminal. I look around at the number of signs. There is a rather large one hanging from the ceiling saying: Welcome to North Dakota. A little farther down, I spot a sign reading Baggage Claim. I hurry over to that area, not wanting to miss the bus to the school.
As I wait for my bags to appear, I look around, observing the different people. It's not as crowded as the terminal in London was, but it's certainly busy. Most of the people here are American, but there are a few other nationalities here and there. It's not a surprise considering North Dakota isn't much of a tourist spot.
I grab my bag and suitcase quickly as they pass by. I glance around once again, finding the sign that says Transportation. Wheeling my suitcase behind me, I walk over there, avoiding people as they pass by. Americans can be so ignorant sometimes; they don't even watch where they're walking.
I walk through the doors under the Transportation sign. There is a small group of people standing quietly around a sign that says the name of my new school. I make my way over there, not making eye contact with any of the other students, assuming that's who they are. I look around at the different people. There are people of all different nationalities, no one is from the same place, except there are two Italians. I look back at the ground. It seems there's no chance of meeting another British person.
"Why, hello there!" I hear a voice say from in front of me. That accent… I can't place it. I look up at the person who had spoken. "I assume you are going to this fine school as well?" It's a man with long blond hair and small bit of stubble along his chin and jaw. His blue eyes gaze at me and a seductive, if that's what he thinks it is, smile is across his lips.
"Yes, I am." I state simply.
"Oh, I look forward to going to school with such a handsome man. And an English one at that, I suppose." He grins. French, I realize with despair. The heavy accent is French.
"And I get to spend it with a Frenchman, I suppose." I reply dryly.
"Oh, you recognized my accent, mon ami, I feel so loved." He drapes an arm around my shoulder.
"Well, don't, Frog." I say, pushing him away.
"So harsh." He pouts. "No matter! I shall not give up." At that moment, the bus pulls towards the curb. I silently thank it for arriving at that moment. I don't think I would have been able to handle much more of him. I take a seat on the bus, dragging my bags with me. I store two of them in the compartment above where I choose to sit, which is far away from that bloody Frog, and the smaller bag sits on my lap.
The bus is rather silent; it seems that there isn't a single person that knows another. The only talking is between that Frog and a cheery looking Spaniard. There's a little one sided chatter from a small energetic Italian to an uptight looking German. Other than that, it's fairly peaceful.
Nobody sits near me. The closest person to me is a small Japanese man who doesn't seem like he would be one to talk much. I sigh in relief and rest my head against the window as we begin to drive off. Other than that annoying Frenchman, I don't think this will be too bad. No more brothers, no more constant rain, no more overprotective mother. I do miss England already, but I don't think I will suffer here.
It doesn't take long to get to the school campus. As we drive closer, everyone cranes their necks to get a better look of where we'll be staying. It's not a terribly small campus, but it isn't big at all. There are several large buildings clustered together and off to the side I can see what looks like the dorms. The grass is well taken care of and the buildings aren't run down and old. It seems like a nice place.
The bus driver stops in front of one of the buildings. Before any of us can get off, a short lady boards the bus and stands in front of us all. "Hello everyone! Welcome to your new college! My name is Emilia Miles. The main office and other various offices are located here in this building. I'd like all of you to check in at the main office and someone will show you to your dorm. There are translators if needed." She gives us all a warm smile. "If there are any questions, any of the staff would be happy to help." With that, she exits the bus. Everyone seems to get up at once. I quickly try to get off the bus after I grab my bags to avoid the Frog. I eventually make it off, no sign of the Frenchman. We all walk towards the main office in a herd, following signs set up on the walls.
When we eventually find it, we're separated into three lines by last name. To my relief, the Frenchman is in a different line. The lines move quickly and soon I'm at the desk.
"Name?" The lady asks.
"Arthur Kirkland."
She looks up at me. "You're British?" At my nod, she smiles. "Finally, someone who can speak fluent English…" She reaches below the desk and grabs a key and a couple papers. "You'll just have to fill these out and turn them into your dorm supervisor. Your dorm room is B273. There's a group of House B people over there." She points to a group standing by the door. "Someone will show you to your dorm shortly."
"Thank you." I say as I take the key and papers. I make my way over to the other people of House B. The Japanese person from before is here too. The Spaniard, two Italians, the German, and several others I don't recognize. Just as I feel relieved that the Frog isn't here, I feel an arm around my waist.
"It seems we meet again, mon ami." He whispers in my ear.
"Gah! Keep your bloody hands to your damned self!" I say shoving him away.
"Such a foul mouth for such a gentleman." He leans closer to me. "I might just have to punish you for that." I glare at him and I can hear the Spaniard laughing quietly. "Oh, dear me, I can't believe I forgot! I'm being rude." He holds a hand out to me. "My name is Francis Bonnefoy. It's a pleasure to meet you."
I just look at his hand. "Well, Francis, I'd appreciate it if you'd honor my personal space."
"You have my deepest apologies, mon ami."
"And stop calling me that, I'm not your friend. My name is Arthur."
"Arthur, what a… bland name. I suppose it fits someone as bland as you though." He smiles.
"Leave me alone, Frog." I cross my arms and glare. He opens his mouth to say something else but someone from the staff of the school walks over to our group.
"House B, follow me." He says. We all grab our bags and follow the guide. We exit the building and he leads us to the dorms. We go to the second building in and he stops us in the lobby. "This is dorm House B. I am the dorm supervisor, Garret. There is a copy of the dorm rules in each of the rooms. Make sure you read them over. You are now free to find your room. Please be nice to one another and try to get along." With that, he leaves us. We all look around at each other before slowly making our way to find our rooms. I swear, if I get stuck anywhere near that bloody Frog, I will kill him in his sleep.
I walk down one of the hallways, scanning the numbers as I go by. I think I'm in the right hallways considering they all say B200 or higher. I feel a light tug at my sleeve. "Excuse me." I turn and see the Japanese person from before.
"Hello." I say, a small smile on my face.
"I was wondering if your room was anywhere near mine. I can't seem to find it. My room number is B279." His accent is thick but I can still understand him.
"Oh, yes, that is by my room. Mine is B273. Let's walk together then." He gives me a small smile and we walk down the hallway together.
"So, what is your name?" He asks.
"I'm Arthur Kirkland. And yours?"
"I am Kiku Honda. It's nice to meet you."
"Likewise, Kiku. Where are you from?" I ask, not wanting to be rude by assuming that he's Japanese.
"I'm from Japan. Where are you from?"
"That's interesting. I'm from England. So, is this your first time in America?"
"No, I've been in this country twice before. What about you?"
"It's my first time. I've never had the money to travel much."
"Ah, it is the same for me as well. We only came for some business my father had to attend to."
"What does your father do?"
"Manufacturing." We continue to talk about random things like that until I finally find my room.
"It seems this is where we part." I say. "Maybe I'll see you around."
"Yes, that would be nice. Have a good day, Arthur."
"Same to you, Kiku." We smile and he leaves to find his own room. That was pleasant. I think I'm going to like being in school with him. I turn and open the door of my room, finding it already unlocked. This must mean my roommate is already here.
And he is. Laying on one of the beds is a tall muscular American. A few strands of his sandy blond hair stick up in the front and glasses rest on the bridge of his nose. He looks at me with bright blue eyes. "Hey! You must be my roommate!" He quickly stands up and walks over to me. "My name's Alfred. Alfred Jones." He smiles widely and sticks out his hand.
Not wanting to be rude, I take it and shake it. "My name is Arthur Kirkland."
"Whoa, dude, you have such a cool accent!" He exclaims. "You're from England?"
"Yes, I am. I take it you're from around here?" I nod and set my bags on the empty bed.
"Yeah, I am! All out American!" He laughs. I look around the room. There are the two beds on opposite walls and two matching desks at the end of each of them, along with a dresser. It's slightly small but it will have to do. "So what are you looking to major in here? I mean, you came all the way from England, it's gotta be good."
"I'm looking to be an author. What about yourself?"
"An author? Lame!" He says dramatically. "I'm majoring in physics!"
I shoot him an annoyed look at the insult to my dream. "Writing is not lame. I happen to like it a lot." I snort. "Physics, however, seems quite lame."
"I'm going into Aero Physics actually. Like, how they get planes to fly and whatever!" He continues, ignoring what I said. "I wanna be able to fly a plane! One of the little ones though, not a commercial airplane."
"As interesting as that is, I'm quite tired and would appreciate some quiet." I say, unzipping my suitcase.
"You act kinda like an old man, ya know. How old are you anyways?" He says, completely ignoring my request.
"I'm nineteen. I am most definitely not an old man." I glare at him.
"Really? Well, you're older than me, I'm eighteen." He flops back down on his bed. "Why did you come to America anyways? Aren't there boring schools in England for the whole writing thingy you wanna do?"
"I came because I got a full ride scholarship and none of the colleges in England we close enough or cheap enough." I say without emotion. I'm starting to dislike this obnoxious American.
"Cheap enough? Are you poor or something?"
"That is none of your damned business." I say, starting to get a bit frustrated. I carefully put my clothes into the dresser. I separate my clothing. Trousers in one drawer, shirts and jumpers in another, everything else in the top drawer.
"Whoa, I didn't mean to offend ya or nothing." That stupid grin is still on his face. How can somebody like him possibly go into Aero Physics? I just shake my head and continue on unpacking. I jump as an obnoxious noise sound behind me. "Sorry, it's my phone." Alfred says, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket. I ignore him while he talks on the phone and finish unpacking. I set my small collection of books on my desk.
"I'm leaving! My brother said he wants to meet me for lunch. See ya later, Artie!" Alfred waves at me before running out the door.
"My name is Arthur, you bloody git!" I yell after him. I shudder at the thought that there is another person like Alfred.
Sighing, I lay down on the bed. I've changed my mind. This will not be tolerable. Between that Frog and the American and being away from England in general, I have a feeling I'm going to be miserable here.
Oh, why did I have to get stuck with him…? I think to myself, dozing off to sleep.
Ok, so this is probably gonna be a long one. As always, feedback and reviews are greatly appreciated! I've never written a fanfic quite like this one so try to bear with me. I hope you like it and stick with it!
