Hey guys! I jumped onto another fandom bandwagon, hope you all don't mind! I blame one of my friends. Like I said in the summary, this story is based of Heather's the Musical. If you haven't seen it, I recommend you watch it before reading this chapter. This will contain dark themes, but I'll put warnings for all of them at the beginning of each chapter. Let me know what you think, and have a great morning/day/night!
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Thunderbirds Are Go, nor do I own Heather's the Musical. This is purely a piece of fanfiction meant for the entertainment of others.
WARNING! This chapter contains references to eating disorders, if this makes you uncomfortable, I suggest you do NOT read on.
September 1st, 2052. Ivy River High School, Kansas.
"I still believe I'm a good person, you know? I still think that there's good in everyone. But I remember looking around on that day and thinking 'what happened?"
Gordon picked at the tasteless slop in his lunch tray as he looked around the cafeteria. Resting his chin in his palm he watched absentmindedly as groups of students sat huddled together on benches, their murmured conversations filling the room echo with a dull drone. He watched the doors swing open as one particular student caught his attention for a few moments. One of the goth kids, clad in army boots, ripped jeans and piercings, shuffled past on her way to one of the far off benches. She seemed to grab the attention of every group she moved past. Gordon could pick up small snippets of conversations as the goth-girl ghosted past.
"What a freak," One of the nerds muttered to their friend. "Why does she dress like that?"
"Whore." Gordon heard another girl say. "I bet she looks like that for attention."
He sighed. Since when did everyone become so judgmental and cliquey? What happened to the days when it wasn't about how you dressed or who your friends were?
Gordon stood, picking up his barely-touched meal and headed to the trashcan. He could feel the eyes of various tables studying him, sneering at his clothes. 'The discount surfer' they'd titter behind his back, poking fun at his colourful shirts and cargo shorts.
Lost in his thoughts, Gordon didn't notice one of the girls on a passing table kick her leg out, catching his own. Gordon shouted as he fell, lunch tray skidding along the floor and scattering the mushy contents under the tables. Sitting up onto his knees, Gordon heard a laugh.
"Oops!"
Kayo Kyrano. Lean, mean, and captain of the girls hockey team. Kayo was never seen without her Letterman jacket and lackey-come-best-friend Ridley. The toughest, smartest girl on the hockey team. Kayo was the girl that yelled 'jump' and the rest of the sports teams said 'how high?'.
'Kind of like being the tallest dwarf.' Gordon mused, getting back onto his feet.
"Thanks for tripping me up." He muttered, walking away. Kayo raised an eyebrow, looking over to her teammates as they cackled, egging her on. She grinned, and stood, grabbing Gordon's shoulder and forcing him to face her.
"Say that again Squidless? I didn't quite hear you."
Gordon scowled, but bit his tongue.
"Nothing." He ground out. Kayo laughed.
"'s what I thought. Dweeb." Her iron grip on his shoulder released, and Kayo shoved him away, returning to her seat victoriously. Gordon grabbed his abandoned lunch tray, setting it aside with the others to be washed.
'I can't wait to get out of here.' He thought. 'Compared to this, college must be a freaking paradise.' Gordon glanced over to Kayo and her peers. They were busy shouting over an arm wrestling match between Kayo and one of the other girls. 'If I'm not dead by the end of this semester.'
"Hey Gordon!"
Gordon yelped,flinching in surprise as a set of arms materialized over his shoulders in a hug. He heard laughter, and turned to see his youngest brother chuckling.
"Alan! Geez, you scared the crap outta me!" Gordon clutched one hand over his chest, laughing along with his brother.
"I couldn't help it! You looked like you totally spaced out!" Alan handed Gordon a oversized backpack decorated with various pins and patches of sea creatures. It bulged with various textbooks and comics. "You left your bag over there again. I managed to grab it before the jocks could trash it."
"Thanks bro." Gordon grinned, slinging the bag over his shoulder like it weighed nothing. "We still on for movie night? 's your turn to pick the movie."
"Hell yeah!" Alan dug around in his own backpack for a minute, similarly adorned with patches and pins of various planets and sci-fi references. He pulled out a DVD case, slightly battered from age. "I rented The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."
"Again?" Gordon chuckled. "Don't you have it memorized by now?"
"I can't help it! I'm a sucker for a good ending." Alan admitted, burying the DVD back into the depths of his backpack.
"Watch out! It's the space invader!" Ridley barged between the two of them, snatching Alan's backpack and dangling it over his head, laughing.
Ridley O'Bannon. Kayo's best friend and fellow midfielder on the hockey team. She seemed to relish in any opportunity to make someone's life hell, namely Alan's. Gordon snarled. Picking on him was one thing, but picking on Alan was a whole new ballgame.
"The hell do you think you're doing Ridley? Give Alan's bag back!"
"Oh I'm sorry!" Ridley turned to Gordon. "You talkin' to me Squidless?"
Like a shark picking up the scent of fresh blood, Kayo returned.
"Yeah, speak up Squidless! It's rude to mumble." She chuckled, slinging an arm over Ridley's shoulders..
"Oh I'm rude?" He started, ripping Alan's bag from Ridley's claws.. "Talk about yourself! What gives you the right to pick on my little brother? Just because you're popular? Because you can? You're a high school has-been waiting to happen!"
There was a beat of stunned silence as Gordon recovered from his outburst. Kayo scowled, and Ridley leaned close to him, glaring. Gordon held his ground in a fleeting moment of bravery.
"You have a zit, right there." Ridley suddenly smirked, flicking Gordon right between his eyes as she and Kayo laughed and walked away. Alan took his bag back from Gordon, thanking him quietly and disappearing out of the cafeteria.
'Why do they hate us so much? Just because we don't like the same things or we look different. Why does that make us targets?'
A hush washed over the cafeteria as the doors swung open. The dull drone of conversations falling onto awed whispers from nerds and populars alike.
"Is it them? Ohmygosh it is, isn't it?"
"It's the Thunderbirds!"
"Woah…"
The Thunderbirds. The three most popular, most powerful boys in all of Ivy River High. Always dressed to impress in tailored suits that seemed to echo the school's motto. 'Superbia. Integritas. Virtus. Veritas'. Pride. Integrity. Virtue. Truth. They walked with an air of perfection. Annoyingly, they also happened to be Gordon's three older brothers.
Virgil, head of the Art Honours Society, as well as the football team. Built like a brick wall, but more of a follower to his brothers plans than a leader. He almost embodied the golden-yellow essence of virtue.
John, head of the yearbook committee. He had eyes and ears everywhere. If you needed to know the dirt on someone, guaranteed John knew all about them. He was the evergreen essence of integrity.
Finally, there was Scott. The eldest of all the Tracy brothers. Always wearing the blood red of the school's pride. Head of the student council and the so-called 'Almighty'.
The only thing Gordon thought was 'almighty' about him was that he was an almighty bastard. Together, the three of them made up the Thunderbirds. The untouchables. Never bothered. Never harassed. The envy of everyone, especially Gordon. Despite him and Alan being the youngest two brothers, Scott had somehow twisted his older brothers mentalities into one of 'eat, or be eaten', and abandoned the two of them to fend off the bullies by themselves. If they were nicer, they probably would have greeted Gordon as they strode past. Only Virgil looked over and gave Gordon a small smile as they passed. Gordon sighed, turning and leaving the cafeteria, ducking into the boy's bathroom. Slowly, the whispered conversations grew into a new hum of noise until the bell rang, signalling the end of lunch break.
Gordon hid in the far stall, leaning against the door and listening to his brothers conversation. He'd been skiving off from his Home Economics class. Not because he didn't like it, but because the teacher was notorious for her… questionable recipes she made her students cook. Gordon had heard his three brothers enter and, knowing there were no teachers around to save him if his brothers decided to get rough, chose to wait out the storm.
"Come on Virg, really?" Scott huffed, staring intently into the bathroom mirror, fixing his hair. Virgil was hunched over in one of the stalls, bringing up what he ate during lunch break. "Grow up a little, geez."
"Scott's right Virg," John added, idly scrolling through his phone. "Maybe you should go to the doctors or something."
"Yeah," Virgil groaned, resting his chin on the side of the toilet.. "I do that and I lose this six-pack I've been working on."
"You keep losing weight and Coach'll kick you off the team." Scott replied. Virgil grumbled something under his breath.
"Mister Tracy and Mister Tracy." Principal Parker announced as he entered the boy's bathroom. He folded his arms and raised an eyebrow. Gordon held his breath. If the Principal was here, then they were all bound to leave with a detention. Part of him was satisfied that his older brothers would get in trouble, but another part of him, the side that envied their status, saw it as an opportunity. It was at that moment Virgil decided to hurl again.
"...And Mister Tracy." Parker sighed. "In case none of you boys heard the bell, you're late for class."
"Virg wasn't feeling well," Scott explained, his icy look and harsh tone making it sound like a challenge. "We're helping him."
"Not without a hall pass." The Principal answered smugly. "I suppose you'll be serving detention for whomever's class you're meant to be in."
"Actually Principal! We're-uh, all out on a hall pass." Gordon interrupted, almost falling out of the stall he was hiding in. He handed the Principal a note. Parker studied the note for a few moments. "Yearbook committee." He explained.
"I see you're all here…" Parker said suspiciously. He gave the note back to Gordon. "Get to wherever you're going boys, and make sure your brother sees the nurse."
"We will!" John replied sweetly as the Principal left. He leant on Gordon's shoulder while Scott snatched the note. Opening the note, Scott raised an eyebrow.
"You didn't tell me you were into forgery."
"You didn't ask."
"Yearbook committee," John scoffed. "What do you want Gords?"
"I need a favour. Let me and Alan sit with you at lunch tomorrow. If people think you're looking out for us, they'll leave us alone. " Gordon stated. "Before you say 'no', I also forge report cards, permission slips and absence notes."
"What about prescriptions?" Virgil asked from the stall, Scott barked at him to shut up, and turned back to Gordon. Gordon could feel Scott picking him apart, judging his clothes, his hair, even his stance.
"You know," Scott started, one hand squeezing Gordon's cheeks and forcing him to look at John. "He's actually grown up to look less ugly than I thought he would."
"Colour me impressed." John answered sarcastically, glancing up from his phone. "He needs a haircut though."
Scott hummed in agreement. With a heavy 'clunk' the stall door unlocked and Virgil stepped out. Scott forced Gordon to look at his brother, making a questioning noise. Virgil studied him curiously for a few seconds.
"Definitely needs a haircut." He agreed. "Decent looking though, symmetrical face." Virgil grabbed Gordon's shirt and raised it. "Too skinny though, needs to gain some muscle."
"You say that about everyone."
"H-Hey! Get off!" Gordon yelled, squirming in Scott's grip. Scott released him, folding his arms and giving Gordon a stern look.
"You can sit with us." Scott announced. Gordon's face lit up. "But you have to look the part. Deal?" Scott offered his hand to Gordon.
"Deal!" Gordon answered quickly, grabbing his brother's hand and shaking in agreement. Scott grinned.
"Then let's go. I'm not gonna let you sit with us in-" He gestured to Gordon. "That. John, we're gonna need to look through your wardrobe." John nodded, shoving his phone in his blazer pocket. "Virg, while we do that, you can find out little brother something decent to carry his crap in. Thunderbirds are go!"
"The hell is he..?" Alan murmured, leaning against his locker as he watched the river of students flow past him. It was the end of the day, and since it was movie night, Gordon would always meet Alan at his locker. They'd both walk home together then and spend the rest of the night eating popcorn and binging old movies. But Alan hadn't seen Gordon since lunch break, when they'd both been harassed by Kayo and Ridley.
Alan sighed, slightly sliding down the locker he was leaning on. Kayo was so mean to him now, but it was just an act, right? He smiled as he reminisced, thinking back to the days when they were in kindergarten. They were as thick as thieves, and almost always played games together in the playground.
'What happened to us?' He thought, bitterness tinging the pleasant memories. 'Did I do something wrong? Maybe she's just pretending so that people don't pick on her too. Maybe that's why she's always so mean to me...'
Alan shook his head, dispelling the thoughts and snapping back to the present. Where was Gordon? Had he got detention and not told him? Alan scanned the crowd for signs of his brother. His ears pricked up as a gaggle of girls drifted past him.
"Did you see the new guy hanging out with the Thunderbirds earlier? I mean, am I the only that would?"
"Ohmygosh, I know! I would, holy crap yeah."
"Who is he though? I swear I've never seen him before."
"Probably a hot transfer student or something."
Alan cringed. Why were all girls so… predatory when talking about guys? And who was this guy anyway? Nobody can even get close to the Thunderbirds without someone knowing who they are, and yet this guy has somehow become one of them without anyone knowing who he is. Gordon can wait, Alan decided. He had to know more.
Joining the swathe of students, Alan headed to the parking lot. The Thunderbirds- his oldest brothers- always came to school together, in Virgil's green mustang. So if this new guy was one of them, then they'd drive him home, right? Apparently he wasn't the only one with this idea, as a number of other students had headed to catch a glimpse of this new Thunderbird. Alan saw his brothers almost as soon as he turned the corner. Red, yellow and green surrounded by the school's cheerleading team. It was the blue that caught his attention.
So the rumours were right. There was a new Thunderbird in Ivy River High. Only, it wasn't a transfer student. Alan gasped. Standing with his brothers, looking a little uncomfortable with all the attention, was Gordon.
Alan could understand why people thought it was someone new. Gordon always wore gaudy shirts with colourful landscapes or patterns, to see him without them was… weird. Gordon was wearing a royal blue blazer and a white shirt, edged on the collar with black. He was wearing grey slacks, with the bottoms turned up, revealing a lighter blue turnover and dress shoes. Even his blazer had the initials 'I.R' embroidered under the yellow pocket square for the school's name. He looked like someone else. He didn't look like Gordon anymore.
Gordon looked away from the group of cheerleaders vying for his attention, feeling someone else watching him. He locked eyes with Alan, and moved to walk over to him. Scott grabbed his shoulder, stopping him from leaving. Scott leaned over, murmuring something in his ear.
"Eat or be eaten, little brother." He reminded him. "We said you can sit with us. That was the deal." Gordon glanced back over to Alan, giving him a crestfallen look, before returning his attention to the crowd around him.
Alan watched them for a little longer, mouth open in shock. 'Why?' He thought. 'Why would he do this? Wasn't taking Virg away enough?' Alan glared at his brothers, betrayal and anger burning hot in his gut as he stormed off.
'Guess I'll be binging movies on my own tonight.'