Title: Survival of the Fittest
Rating – G
Characters – Mallrats plus a few others TT characters.
Summary – An alternate reailty fic in which our characters are a group of friends at school when the virus starts breaking out accross the world.
One more year, thats all he had to deal with, one more year and he'd be out of this place. These were Lex's only thoughts as he stepped out of the school bus and into the throng of fellow students, many of whom shared similar thoughts as he did. He shirked his rucksack over one shoulder and headed off in the general direction of the school doors, as he approached them he sought out familiar faces in the crowd. He spied Ryan standing by the doors along with a few others and headed over towards them.
"Hey, Lex," Ryan gave him a smile and a friendly punch on the arm. "Surprised you made it on the first day."
"Yeah we didn't expect to see you until at least the end of the week," added in Ebony who was standing with the group, a smile on her lips as soon as Lex had appeared.
"Well I figured I show up the first day, I'd earn me'self some brownie points, maybe I'll take the end of the week off." Lex grinned back to his friends, as they all turned to climb the schools steps.
Inside the school halls they were greeted by more familiar faces, and they shouted greeting to one another as each filed towards their lockers. Lex and Ryan met Bray by their lockers as they dropped their bags inside.
"Hey guys, have a good summer?" Bray asked them as he hung his jacket inside his locker before locking it up
"Yeah it was great, you know it would have been better if someone hadn't been playing happy families and trooping around Europe with mommy and daddy," Lex replied sarcastically.
Bray merely shot him a grin as they headed towards their class to sort out their schedule of classes for the year.
"I know, my social life has dropped a few notches seeing as I missed out on all the parties," Bray replied. "But then, I've got several new stamps on passport from all those countries."
"Probably a pocket full of addresses and photographs of all the female hearts he's broken too," Ryan added in.
"Yeah, got any to spare mate?" Lex smiled as they reached a room buzzing with activity inside.
They took up seats at the back of class where they usually sat and spoke to a few of the others around them. Bray noticed two new faces in addition to old school friends he'd known for years. A red head sat down by Bray and set her books on the table with a sigh as if attending class was already a bore to her. She noticed Bray looking over at her and gave him a raised brow as if silently asking him what he was looking at.
"Can I help you?" she asked him. Bray smiled politely and turned his attention to Pride who was sitting to his right.
"Hey Alice," said Lex as he walked past her to get to his seat.
"Lex, I see you recovered from the party at the weekend," Alice replied with a grin.
"No thanks to that moonshine you gave me," he muttered sliding into his seat and tapping Bray on the shoulder. "Hey, you met Alice yet?"
Bray swivelled around in his chair to face Lex and glanced over at Alice as Lex waved his hand in her general direction.
"She and her sister just moved into the area. They're friends of Trudy's." Lex whispered over to him, "Alice, this is Bray, Bray, this is Alice."
"Hi," Bray smiled again and offered his hand, "Nice to meet you. Sorry about staring before, I was just taking in the new faces"
"No problem." Alice replied taking his hand and giving it a sturdy shake. "Nice to meet you too."
It wasn't until lunch that Bray had a chance to catch up with the whole gang. He'd travelled with his parents over the summer and hadn't seen any of them for nigh on two months. They were all sitting in the usual place, a small patch of grass with a few trees dotted around which offered shelter from the mid-day sun.
"Ah look, the prodigal son returns." Trudy smiled over at him as he sat down on the grass nearby. Trudy and a few of the others were in the year below at school but they'd all become friends nevertheless and did practically everything together. They were in their own little social group of their own neither popular nor unpopular, just all good friends.
"Enjoy your summer Bray?" asked May as she sat down on the grass with a tray laden with food, which everyone seemed to dive onto for something or other.
"Yeah, it was great May thanks, you?"
"Ah you know, same old thing, travel to see the grandparents, visit the sister and all the while deal with the little brother." sighed May as she looked forlornly at her tray of food which had seriously depleted in less than a minute. As she spoke of her brother he arrived beside the group.
"Hey KC, before you sit down, go get me a soda?" May half asked, half ordered him.
"Get your own."
"I've just sat down, go get me one you little toad."
"What's it worth to you?"
"I don't know, maybe you could earn yourself a black eye if you don't go."
The others merely smiled as the little argument went on. They were used to having KC around, he usually got up to some trouble or other but was also brilliant at getting people out of awkward situations.
"Oh please sis, I could take you with one arm behind my back."
"Not if I help her," Ebony said in a soft voice as she came to stand behind KC and placed a hand softly on his shoulder.
KC took a small gulp and gave a swift glance behind him to the older girl before he held out his tray to May for her to take it.
"You owe me," he muttered to her as he stalked off towards the school once more.
"Thanks Ebs, I think its you I owe, wouldn't do for me to break a nail my first day."
Ebony smiled and sat down as Alice wandered over to the group.
"Mind if I join you?" she asked.
"Sure Al," Trudy smiled over to her. "How's your first day going so far?"
"Ah well school's school no matter where you go right." Alice shrugged, "One day down...just a million more to go."
"Got that right," Lex agreed with a sigh. "If I'd known first days were like this I would have stayed at home."
Alice gave him a slightly confused look but the rest of the group merely smiled. Trudy tried to explain.
"Lex isn't known to appear on the first day. Actually what you experiencing is a first for all of us, we're usually used to seeing him appear at the end of the week after all the confusion of sorting schedules and stuff has been sorted out."
"Gives me a headache," Lex offered as a reason.
"So does moonshine, doesn't stop you from trying it though," Alice interjected as KC arrived back with a few soda cans.
"Oh KC, I forgot to ask you get mine as well," Ebony grinned. KC merely scowled and sat down by May handing her a soda and turning his back to Ebony. Ebony turned her attention to Bray.
"Hey Bray, did Martin have a good time during the summer?"
"Yeah I guess, why?" Bray asked in reply.
"No reason, it's just he seemed a little quiet this morning during classes. Ok I know, Martin isn't the easiest of guys to drag out a conversation with, but you know, first day back, all everyone talks about was how much we wish summer was still going on. He just seemed quieter than usual."
"Martin's Martin I guess," Bray shrugged and turned his attention to his food.
A few of those close to him and knowing his nature were slightly concerned by the reply and the refusal to be drawn out on the subject but stayed quiet, but they also made mental notes to try and find out if there was something on his mind.
Lunch hour passed too quickly for their liking, but nevertheless they eventually said their goodbyes and went off to their separate classes.
"So what's next?" asked Lex as Bray perused the class schedule.
"English," Bray replied as they walked down the hall.
"Guess that means I'm off to visit Miss Johnson then," Lex grinned.
"Never going to happen Lex." Bray chuckled reading his friends mind, Liz Johnson was possibly the hottest teacher on campus and Lex attended her classes twice a week for help in English because of his dyslexia. For the past two years English had been his favourite subject outside of phys ed.
"A guy can dream Bray, a guy can dream."
Bray and Ryan both shook their heads before heading upstairs to their English class, Pride joined them on the way up.
"Lex looks happy," he smiled.
"I think Lex is pleased that English is a subject on his first day, may soften the shock for him." Ryan replied, "Meanwhile we have to put up with Mr Potter."
"Oh the joys of Potter," sighed Bray as they entered class. "Some of us have all the fun."