A/N: This is another Criminal Minds teen-themed AU. This one occurs in a boarding school and might be more mature than "A Fresh Start" in certain aspects (If I can write it). This is Moreid, of course! If you like boarding school theme, check out "The Misfits". It's not finished (nor is it Moreid) which makes me really sad, but it's good! There may be some similarities between that one and mine (rooming arrangements, characters having secrets).
Excuse my google-translated Russian!
Should I continue? And if so, if there is something you want to see happen in this story, tell me!
The age gap/grade skips are pretty much the same as AFS, but that'll be explained in-story.
Please Review!
Disclaimer because I forget about these...I don't own anything you recognize.
/
Chapter 1: Goodbyes And Hellos
Spencer Reid gazed out of the car window unhappily, watching the unfamiliar terrain pass his father's car.
"Chin up, Spencer. You're the one who wanted to go here." William commented after having enough of the bitter silence.
Only to get away from you..the only thing you've done for me is drive me here. He thought to himself before harshly replying, "I know that."
Spencer had secretly started looking into boarding schools months ago, despite his anxiety at the thought of living with strangers, because he wanted to finish school quickly.
The school he went to was a feeding pool of bullies, teachers who didn't care, and principals who turned a blind eye to the torment he'd gone through for the past two years.
Technically, he was a sophomore, but he wrote to the school discussing his grades and goals, they agreed to have him test to see which grade he belonged in.
He tested well above the 'grade placement', but the school decided he should be put into his senior year, if only to make the process easier.
The school had been a dream that quickly turned into reality, he knew when he started applying to the school that he could never afford it, his father's job was a decent pay but most of his salary went to the sanitarium his mother had been placed in. But, miraculously, they'd offered him a scholarship to pay for boarding, education, and food.
He did fear how the teens would react to a 'poor' kid (at least compared to them), he didn't have the nicest clothes and figured that in itself would be a reason for them to turn against him.
He'd told his father after they informed him of the full ride, the school hadn't even known that his parents hadn't known, they were too excited to have a 'genius' attending.
To say that William was furious would be an understatement, he'd given him an hour-long lecture on discussing things before taking action, how skipping grades would be damaging to his social growth...but ultimately, he agreed. He knew his son would get a good education here, and not having to pay for yet another person would be a good thing. Hell, maybe he'd even get involved at the new school.
Spencer felt guilty at snapping at his father, he knew he was trying to be a good father...even if he didn't want to be one. And after what his mother did...William was all Spencer had. "I'm sorry. I'm just nervous."
Mr. Reid nodded, "I know, but this is a great opportunity for you. And it's fully paid for, you need to take advantage of this."
.
.
The lanky teen stared up to the towering brick buildings that made the campus, gulping. Three floors in each dormitory building, three separate dorms. A large gymnasium, fields, an art building, the offices, and the main education campus.
"Jesus, it looks like a miniature university." William commented, he too staring at the vast area.
"It practically is.." Spencer replied, then noticing a pale blonde woman walking towards their car. "I think that's Dean Strauss."
She strode towards them effortlessly, a stern look on her face, her voice prim and proper.
"Hello, I am Ms. Strauss, and presuming you are the Reid's, I've spoken to you both on the phone." She informed them the moment she stopped walking. "Well?"
Spencer nodded fearfully, Okay, she's even more terrifying in person.
William smiled charmingly at the woman, putting his hand out. "We are, it's nice to meet you. I'm positive Spencer will be in good hands with you."
She returned the shake, nodding briefly. "We find it's easier for the parents to leave quickly, to allow the student to acclimate to the school on their own." Straight and to the point.
He nodded, "Of course! Let me get his bags."
He hurriedly gave his son his suitcase and duffel bag, who promptly placed it on the ground, suddenly more unsure than ever about this school.
William clapped him on the shoulder, "Good luck, son." He nodded to Strauss before retreating to the car and driving away.
Spencer stared at the vehicle, practically speeding away with joy, and back to the dean.
She sized him up, seeming almost disappointed in the 'genius' that showed up at her school, "Yes, well, let's get your things inside before I tell you your room assignment."
He nodded, following her like a lost puppy. He lagged behind her, afraid to get too close.
"Hurry it up!" She barked, "We need to get you settled in."
He snapped to, catching up with her footsteps, attempting not to run her over.
.
.
He walked into the office building, consisting of the nurse, teacher's lounge, dean's office, and the disciplinary room ("Don't end up there...you won't appreciate it very much.")
"You will be rooming with two other seniors, Aaron Hotchner and Derek Morgan." The woman told him with a hint of disdain towards the mentioned kids.
He nodded, hoping beyond hope that his roommates would be nice. Like that will happen.
She reached into her desk drawer, pulling out a key and handing it to Spencer. "Don't lose this."
"Yes ma'am." He replied, tentatively taking the key and placing it into the pocket of his jeans.
"Alright, it's the weekend, so you don't have classes. I'll stop by your room tonight before curfew to give you your schedule." She told him, giving him a smile to show that she wasn't always a tyrant, "Welcome to Bureau Boarding School."
.
.
.
Spencer was now following an office worker (who was, in fact, a teen as well) to his dorm room, located in the second building.
"So, where are you from?" The girl, Alex, asked him.
He took his gaze away from the repetitive blue doors of the first floor to the elevator where she was now standing, clicking the button to open it. "Las Vegas, Nevada."
She looked impressed as she stepped through the doors, holding it open for him. "I've been there a few times, on the strip."
He smiled to her in acknowledgment, he'd never actually been on the strip. "It's an interesting place."
She noted the awkward silence and clicked the third floor button, stepping back and watching the floors change.
"It's okay to be nervous, I cried the day my parents left me here." She told him after a minute, stepping off of the elevator and grabbing his suitcase for him.
He smiled weakly to the girl, not speaking. She stopped at room F133, placing the bag on the ground.
"This is your new home, and from what I've heard about the kids that live here, you'll be alright." She knocked on the door.
"Dean Strauss didn't seem to like them very much." Spencer commented.
The teen laughed, "Strauss doesn't like anyone that much, just don't get on her bad side and you'll be alright."
The door opened then, a dark haired teen staring at the girl. "Hey, Alex." He switched his eagle eyes to Spencer, nodding. "Are you our new roommate?"
Another figure appeared behind the stoic teen, looking far less happy. His thick eyebrows pulled together, a scowl on his face. "What? No! Strauss said we wouldn't get anymore roommates!"
Spencer stared at him, Damn, he's hot. Another beat, They didn't even know I was coming? This isn't going to be good.
Alex shrugged, "I just take people places, talk to Strauss." She turned to Reid, "This is Aaron Hotchner and Derek Morgan, respectively."
Spencer nodded, smiling small at the two. "Hi..I'm Spencer Reid."
Derek pouted, rolling his eyes and stepping back into the room. Aaron sighed, thanking the office worker and switching his attention to the scared looking teen. "Nice to meet you, here, let me help."
Grabbing Spencer's bags, he allowed the young teen inside and closed the door behind them.
"Excuse Derek's lack of manners, he was under the impression that Ms. Strauss would actually keep her word." He placed the bags on an empty bed and dresser in one corner of the room, "This will be your spot."
Derek watched them from the other side, "I have manners, Hotch. I'm just not a polite little robot like you."
Aaron rolled his eyes then, but didn't face his friend. He talked in a low voice to Spencer, "I'm sorry, he's not always like this."
Reid nodded, doubting that claim. "Thank you."
Aaron smiled and stepped back, "Go ahead and unpack, we won't bother you."
Derek shook his head from his bed, "Ever the host, Hotch."
Aaron sat on his own spot, leaning back against the pillows. "Just shut up already." He said, feigning true annoyance. Derek cracked a smile.
Spencer watched them a moment more, feeling as though he was watching a show- not really there, before unzipping his suitcase.
He pulled out twenty books, a very small, unfortunate amount, in Spencer's opinion.
"Well that explains why your suitcase was so heavy." Aaron laughed.
Spencer looked back, both of the other teens had been watching him. So much for not bothering me, huh?
"Damn kid, did you even bring any clothes?" Morgan asked him with humor, seeming to come out of his tantrum.
His lips pursed as he stared at his new roommate quizzically. "Of course I did."
Aaron glanced at Derek in amusement, in a get this sort of way. Morgan shook his head, "Never mind, man."
.
.
A few minutes later, Spencer finished putting up his things just as a knock sounded at the door, he stared at his roommates, unsure if he was supposed to open it.
Derek caught the reservation in his eyes, standing up. "I'll get it."
Aaron sat up from his former resting position, waiting to see who would show up this time.
Morgan swung the door open, two girls were standing on the other side. He automatically stepped aside, smiling at them.
"Hey Sugar Bear!" The blonde said sweetly to the tall, dark, teen. Neither of the girls noticed Spencer.
Derek laughed, "Hey momma, hey Em."
She nodded to him and Aaron, catching the new kid in her peripheral vision.
"Oh, Penelope!" She sang, grabbing the other's attention. Emily smiled at the boy, "Hi, I'm Emily. Who are you?"
Reid stared at her kind face, "I, I'm Spencer."
She smiled again, but the other girl smiled wider. "I didn't see you! Hi, I'm Penelope Garcia, and you are adorable!"
He blushed at her compliment, staring towards the ground.
"I thought only seniors stayed in our building." Emily asked Aaron.
"I am a senior." Spencer told her quietly, dreading having to explain his size.
She raised her eyebrows but nodded, Derek stared at him. "Really? I was beginning to think that Strauss made a mistake in your rooming assignment."
He frowned, slightly hurt by the comment. "Yes, I'm a senior. I'm just younger than you." He replied hotly, scooting closer against the wall.
The girls had sat by now as well, Penelope on Derek's bed and Emily on a beanbag.
"How old are you?" Hotch asked him, hands folded behind his head.
Spencer twitched his lips, playing with a loose string on his new pillow. "I'm sixteen."
"So you must be really smart, then." Garcia commented with excitement in her eyes.
Derek smiled, "Well, he had a suitcase full of books he brought with him. Many, of which, were in other languages."
Emily perked up, "I speak a couple different languages, Russian mainly."
"Вы говорите по-русски?" He asked, eyes twinkling with delight.
"да" She replied simply, happy to have another person who was fluent in the language.
"I think Emily might be in love." Derek joked as he watched their exchange, making Spencer blush once more.
Emily flipped him off, "Excuse me for appreciating intelligence, you don't exactly bring that to the table."
Hotch laughed, earning a glare from Derek.
"Where are you from?" Penelope questioned, cutting off Morgan's retort, "I'm from Maine."
"I'm from Nevada, Las Vegas specifically."
Derek grinned, "You and sin city?" Spencer threw him a look, and he put his hands in the air. "I'm from Chicago."
Aaron spoke as well, "I'm from Texas, if you can't tell." Spencer smiled, I knew I recognized that accent.
"What about you?" Spencer asked Emily, feeling fairly comfortable speaking up.
She shrugged, "Everywhere, and no where." At his narrowed eyes she spoke again, "I moved around a lot, my mom is a Diplomat."
He nodded in understanding, looking up as another person knocked on the door.
He made a face, one which everyone noticed. Aaron looked at him, "Our room is kind of the hangout spot in our group."
The knocker did not wait to be let in, opening the door as though it was his own room.
A very tan teen walked into the room, raising a brow towards Reid. "New kid?"
Derek nodded, looking at Spencer. "Pretty Boy, that's David Rossi. Rossi, that's-"
"Pretty Boy?" His friends questioned, all staring back and forth between a red Reid and a carefree Morgan.
"What?" Derek asked, "He's pretty, and he's a boy. Pretty..boy, Pretty Boy. It's not that hard of a concept."
Spencer thought he was making fun of him, "I know I'm not pretty." He said with narrowed eyes, then looked towards David. "My name is Spencer."
Penelope looked offended that he'd even think that about himself, but decided not to comment.
"David is from New Jersey, by the way." Aaron informed Spencer.
"His accent is as strong as yours, I'm sure Reid would have figured it out." Emily stated.
"Actually, the New Jersey accent is fairly similar to a Boston one..except they actually pronunciate their 'R's', one could confuse it if they didn't know any better." Spencer replied, drawing strange looks from a few in the group.
"Thank you for knowing more about my accent than I do." David replied blandly, "Seriously though, people do mix up our accents."
Reid nodded slightly, glancing at the clock on the wall. 7:34 PM
"Dean Strauss said she would bring me my class schedule before curfew tonight.." Spencer worried aloud, he didn't want to not know his schedule (though it was Saturday) and be late to classes on Monday.
"The weekend curfew is different from the school week." Derek told him, "Eight during the week, ten after..it might be a while."
"She should have just given it to you before they brought you up here, the schedule is generally based off of which floor you live on...me and Rossi live on this one as well, by the way." Prentiss added.
Penelope pouted before smiling, "I would have been in an entirely different set of classes than them if I wasn't an amazing genius."
Spencer's eyes widened, "You're a genius too?" I might actually survive this school if I'm not the only one.
"Too?" David asked curiously, "You're a genius?"
Spencer hesitated, "Um, technically..with my IQ, and the other things...I'm classified as that, that's what they told my parents anyway."
"What's your IQ? And what other stuff?" Garcia asked, "And I meant that I'm a tech-genius, not a real one." She smiled.
Oh, so I might be the only one. He sighed inwardly, "Um, it's 187. They did a lot of tests and such, I read 20,000 words per minute, and have both an eidetic and photographic memory...which is probably the only reason I can qualify."
"Yeah, I'm definitely not that smart." Penelope replied with a smile, "It's no wonder you skipped grades."
David hummed, "I thought you looked young."
.
.
"Strauss might come soon, I ain't getting in trouble because of y'all." Aaron told the non-occupants of the room, who looked back at him in annoyance.
They'd already opened the door, Aaron facing them and trying to get them to leave.
"Man, I'm not scared of her." David told him. Aaron, Derek, and Spencer's eyes widened, but he thought nothing of it. "She isn't going to do anything to me."
"Is that so, Mr. Rossi?" Dean Strauss asked from the doorway, startling those facing the opposite direction. "I recall placing you in Disciplinary the last time I caught you breaking curfew."
David turned slowly, along with Prentiss and Garcia.
"Ma'am! Didn't see you there, fine night we're having, isn't it?" He asked with a charming smile.
"Indeed." She commented, raising one eyebrow menacingly, "I suggest you three go to your rooms."
They nodded, not stopping to say goodbye.
The dean smiled with slight disapproval, "I see you've made friends, Spencer."
He paused before nodding, I guess I have?
"Sorry for the late hour, but I have your class schedule, along with the rule book." She handed him a decently sized pamphlet and a separate paper. "Goodnight boys."
She walked away, leaving Aaron to close the door. "I really dislike her." He grabbed a towel and clothes from his drawer, heading to the bathroom. "I'm going to take a shower."
"Does she normally come into student's rooms?" Spencer asked with uneasiness as the door closed, "I was hoping I wouldn't see her often."
Derek shook his head, "No, she usually stays in her office." He headed over to his bed, "You're just stuck with us."
Spencer smiled at him, climbing into his own bed. Maybe that's not such a bad thing.