Hate This Place
Disclaimer: I seriously don't own Gundam Wing. But I *do* own Rayne and Shira Cetauri, as well as Max Kine and the Riverdown/Icewing Gundam. But that's it!
Setting: This is an AU (alternate universe) story starting right at the end of Silent Storm. Rayne never self-destructed the Icewing.
Notes: I have too many stories goin' on at the same time…
Okay, since this is from my imagination they're going to a public school with no uniforms. The school is not real and it's called Arbor High School. (Of course, the school isn't nearly as good as my school, R. J. Reynolds HS, but is modeled after it) Since they're all 15 or 16 I'm assuming they're in high school. Also, they're all freshman except for Trowa, who's a sophomore. Anyways, I switch POVs every once in a while, but it'll have the narrator's name at the beginning.
With that said, read and review!!
Chapter 1: Registration
Rayne
It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, still hot in mid-August, and the sound of crickets greeted my ears as I awoke to face the day —and school— but I should have known better than to have a positive attitude about the new school year. It was one of those days that started off perfectly but then came back with vengeance to bite you on the ass. But I should really start at the beginning, and this is most definitely not it.
~*~
I first heard the news from my best friend (but he was so much more than that), Max Kine. He called and told me that he had enrolled in an American high school. I was in the colonies at the time, struggling to get a decent job to pay for my own school's tuition. But after he called, I figured it would be worthwhile in some way —if my education didn't benefit, I would leave with some wonderful memories, I supposed— to go to a public school. Max had also explained to me that the Gundam pilots would be there too.
I arrived on the Earth the next day and Max greeted me at the spaceport with a kiss. I hadn't known before then how much I had missed everything about him. And suddenly, I couldn't wait for school start.
Funny, I hadn't even registered my classes and I was already excited about the school.
But something was nagging me in the back of my mind, a tiny voice that kept telling me, "Everything's gonna change, and you can't do a damned thing about it, Rayne Cetauri." I did my best to shake the feeling away, but it refused to leave.
Max and I took a bus to the school, and he showed me around the campus. It really was a beautiful school. In the front of the school was a neatly trimmed green lawn shaded by oak trees and a knee-high sign in the front of the building with Arbor High School written in raised gold letters. Almost on the street was an old sign with a little history about the school. I read it to myself.
"Founded in A. D. 2084, Arbor High is one of the oldest still-standing schools on the Earth and by far one of the most beautiful." A. D. 2084…it was so long ago. I heard footsteps as Max joined me.
"So, have you figured out what classes you're taking?" he asked.
"What? Oh…I haven't thought about classes at all, actually."
"I would, 'cause they're kind of important," he told me, grinning. I smiled back.
"Yeah, I could've guessed that. I just don't know what I'd take."
"Take Spanish 1 at least…we may end up in the same class," he said.
"Yeah, that'd be great. And it sounds like…um, fun, I guess." I shrugged. Max turned and walked towards the main building. I followed him. "Where are we going?" I asked.
"Don't you need to register your classes? To do that, you've gotta go to the main office," he explained.
"Ohhh, I should've known that!"
"I wonder why you didn't."
"Hey!! Are you implying that I'm dumb?!" I demanded.
"…" He hesitated, like he was thinking about what he would say. "Um…nope," he finally answered.
"Gee, it took you a while to decide," I snapped playfully. He grinned and shrugged, opening the door for me as we made our way to the main office.
~*~
I had decided to take Drama 1 and Dance 1 (as tempting as it sounded to be in a class with a horde of sweaty guys, I couldn't stand having to run a mile as a warm-up.), as well as geometry, English 1, Environmental Science, and Economic Systems Honors. I turned in the registration form and left the office. Max was waiting right outside.
"Well?" he asked.
"'Well' what?"
"What electives are you taking?"
"Spanish, drama, and dance," I told him.
"Rayne, I didn't know you were a thespian!" He grinned. I hit him playfully on the head.
"I'm not, you moron! If I was, do you think I'd be going out with you?!" I snapped. He looked confused for a minute, but then he burst into laughter.
"No, not a…I said thespian, an actress," he explained.
"…Oh," I said after a few seconds.
"Just to make sure, you're not…"
"NO!!" I hit him again.
"Fine, fine! Jeez! Just stop with the hitting!"
~*~
My schedule arrived in the mail a week later, and Max called me almost immediately.
"Hey Max!" I said, greeting him with a wave on the vid-phone.
"What's your schedule look like?" he asked. I put it up against the screen for him. "Hey, we do have Spanish together! But that's it. Oh, and we both have second lunch."
"How do you know that?" I wondered.
"Lunch is in order of fifth period. The two gyms and the trailers have second lunch."
"Oh, I get it. Anyways, I know you're taking Spanish and I hope you're taking Phys. Ed…so what's your other elective?"
"Fundamentals of technology."
"Gee, how fun," I said sarcastically. "I bet you can't wait to take that. Besides, aren't you already pretty good with technology?"
"Yeah. That's one reason I'm taking the class. I'll be ahead of everyone else," he said. I grinned and muttered,
"Slacker."
"Yep. So, you got a place to stay yet?"
"Oh, damn, I never even thought about that!" I cursed. Max grinned.
"Didn't think so. You were never one to look very far ahead."
"Max, please…where are you staying?"
"Well, the Gundam pilots invited me to stay with them," he answered. I nodded, waiting for him to go on. "Duo told me that Quatre paid for a huge house…he said something about the 'rewards of having rich friends'. So I'm staying with them and their friends, Hilde and Dorothy. Duo said to ask you if you'd like to stay too."
"Tell him that I'd love to stay with them," I replied. "God, I haven't seen the pilots since...since Libra," I thought.
"Got it. Talk to you later!"
"'Kay, bye." His face disappeared and I turned off the vid-phone. School was going to be very interesting.
To be continued…
What'll happen when school starts?? What kinds of things will happen when the Gundam pilots, Hilde, Dorothy *gag, choke*, and Max are all living in the same house? How good or bad will their grades be? Stay tuned and find out in Hate This Place 02: Homeroom!