Ok so me and Al started our new school today. It's the middle of the summer term, so everyone knows each other really well. It's my least favourite time to switch schools, but as always we had no choice.
We're in year 8 now and we have been to so many different schools they no longer bother buying us the proper school uniform. We just have the standard grey trousers and white shirts. If we are lucky we get given a school jumper out of the second hand section of the shop. If we are unlucky we get something out of the lost property box.
This time around we don't even get that, because it is warm outside we are just told to we can make do without a jumper. So not only are there impenetrable groups of kids to deal with, we stick out like a sore thumb in our non-regulation clothes.
Now my brother Al can make and break friends with a snap of his fingers. I can't. I am still friends with this one kid from the first school we ever went to. We were there for three days when we were 4-years-old. I don't even like him all that much, but he was nice to me and I'm grateful for that.
So on a brief side note, I have finally got Al reading. It's a kid's book which is all a load of rhyming nonsense. But he's reading, so that's something. Only problem is he is one for taking things to the next level. And then beyond.
How does that relate to starting a new school? Well. He thinks that to help people notice me, and to think I am cool. And by cool he means that he will be cool and by being his twin I will automatically be cool too. I don't think he will ever realise that that isn't how it works.
Anyway there are these two characters in the book called "Thing 1" and "Thing 2". His bright idea was to convince people that he was Twin 1 and that I was Twin 2. We had a bit of an argument about how I didn't want him to do that, and that because I was older I should be Twin 1.
We arrive at the school on Tuesday morning, because god forbid they have us start on a Monday. Al storms into the classroom raring to go; I'm not far behind, just double checking I have my lucky polar bear plushie and that he is well hidden from potential bullies. I am just hoping and praying to every deity we have ever been taught about, that Al doesn't get to put his plan into action before the register. If I can distracted him long enough for the register to be taken then everyone will know our names and that will be that.
But I should know not to underestimate my brother. Nothing so simple like a register will discourage him. At break time he joined the other boys in a game of soccer and went around assigning nicknames to everyone.
I had hidden in the library so as not to be dragged into playing such a pathetic sport. But sure enough in French Al was being referred to as T1. But that's where his plan stopped being successful, as the boy they were referring to as T2 was not me, but a small blonde haired boy sitting next to me. I can only assume that this poor boy had been ignored completely by the class to the point that they thought he had only just started.
That night Al was overflowing with pride. Well more than usual. I hadn't the heart to tell him it hadn't worked, not because I didn't want to prove him wrong, but because that kid they had made T2 looked so happy. He came out of his shell so much; I couldn't take that away from him.
I met our social worker after school today, and she told me we'd only be at this school for another week at most. They had found a boarding school for us, I had won a scholarship and they were willing to take on me and Al. I have only got to make this work for a week. Stick with this T2 kid, so he can still be as happy when we leave. A gift from one invisible to another. Then I just have to find a way to not let Al ruin the next school.
Author's Note: I don't own Hetalia
