Disclaimer: I do not own Riot characters. There is another disclaimer on my profile page.
Valoran High. A normal high school from the outside, but inside it was a plethora of things. A cage, a playing ground, a training center, a brawling ring. The students there were just as diverse. The school's Jr. Sheriff, the untouchable playboy, the unlikely couple, the frenemy co-captains; the freaks and geeks of all social statuses seemed to understand the place of their classmates, but that didn't restrict them. Not with the system that Valoran High had placed long ago.
Any self respecting school prided itself on no fighting, only very few ever managed to hold any sort of claim to that. Valoran had no fights; they had matches.
These little sparring matches were a way to physically resolve a problem under the guidance of a teacher who will intervene if things become too much for one of the participants. Matches consist of two equal parties containing one to five members. From there, the match would be overseen by a coach until one party was deemed defeated. The victors would have their picture taken after the battle to be hung in the Hall of Champions. This led to the mingling of the different student social classes, and soon the kids just stopped caring. The labels were still there, but they held no harsh meanings.
Darius wasn't one to skip classes. He liked being co-captain of the basketball team, though he would have preferred if Crownguard stepped down. The kid was good, but he treated everyone on the team as a friend. He couldn't tell any of them if they did a bad job and had to pull up the slack, it just wasn't in the golden boy. Darius didn't think the team needed that kind of guy in charge; they wouldn't get better if there was someone there to continue to hold their hands. The thought made him sneer, making his bad mood even more palpable.
He walked to the Hall of Champions. It was something unique to Valoran High. It also helped your credit around here.
Those who weren't on the wall were usually no-names. Even that Jr. Sheriff girl was on the wall a few times. But the more pictures you had over your "rivals", the more respect there was around the campus for you. And Darius had a heavy contribution to the portraits. The young man was known for a quote he made to the school newspaper: "Actions are louder than words."
His actions today were not ordinary, but more than justified in his mind. Darius had slugged his co-captain out of nowhere because of a comment that Crownguard made about his brother. Siblings were a tough subject between the two of them, even more so for Darius today. So, he felt like pretty-boy needed a sharp punch. Then he walked off because school only had this period left and he didn't want to deal with anyone in the gym. He really didn't want to deal with anyone at all.
"You just need to sign this last thing and your kids are all set up," the secretary said as she slid the papers towards Marcus. She sounded like she wanted to be here just as much as the teenagers did. Well, at least the older two. Talon and Katarina were more than okay with hopping on the next flight back to France. Marseille was home. This new land was not. There was no beauty in the architecture and no sea for miles. It made Katarina scowl. Talon almost always wore no expression.
Cassiopeia was very different. She was excited to be here, her tight curls bouncing along with her. Always the adventurer, even with her severe eczema. She expressed many times that she couldn't wait to start up her new school. Her father nodded mindlessly as he finished the forms. So much paperwork to do, but he couldn't leave the three of them alone for the year. He would lose at least one child, surely. That would be another nightmare to deal with. Once Marcus was finished, he handed back the papers. The secretary was appeased. "That's it then. See you all bright and early on Monday."
The clean swish of the net and the hard smack of a basketball on asphalt. It was the biggest indicator that Garen and Jarvan were home. But it was more for the two of them. They were brothers, even without shared blood. They were always together, and usually playing basketball. It heightened their connection. Even though they needn't be playing to tell when something was wrong, it definitely helped as a dead giveaway. Jarvan grabbed the ball off the rebound and refused to pass.
"Hey man," Garen clapped, wanting the ball, "what's the hold up?"
"You are," was his best friend's response.
Garen sighed. There wasn't much he could hide from Jarvan. "It's nothing."
"Bullshit."
"Nothing important, then."
"Tell me anyway."
Another sigh. He'd rather not; it would save his pride. But this was Jarvan we're talking about! His best friend since forever! He couldn't hide this from him. "To be honest, I'm kind of jealous of you." Jarvan stayed silent, waiting for Garen to continue. "Of you and Shyvana. You've been in love with her since the sixth grade. You two have been dating since freshman year. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for you both. But, I want that. We're fucking seniors, shouldn't we be cutting it up with the team, and spending the weekends on dates with a beautiful girl? I don't want to be like the other guys, who use a girl for her body and then just dump her. I want the love that you have with Vana."
Jarvan took a moment to let that soak in before nodding. "It'll come to you, brother. Just, let it come to you. Love happens, sometimes in ways we'd rather not deal with. You'll find that girl." And with that, Jarvan passed back Garen's ball before going to his house. The basketball captain looked at the sphere in his hands. All his desire to play went out of him the moment Jarvan made him open up about his feelings.
The teenager pulled the hoop off the street, resting in its place between the Light's and Crownguard's residences. Ball under arm, Garen returned to his home feeling just a bit better.