Modern Era
"Eren! Time to wake up, lazy boy! It's your first day of high school and I am not letting you make a bad impression on your teachers!"
"But mom! Can't I sleep for just a few more minutes?"
"No 'buts', mister! Get down here!"
Fifteen year old Eren Jaeger lazily got up from his bed, yawning and scratching his head. For him, today was not a typical day. It was the day. He was to start ninth grade as a freshman at the Sina Academy. A prestigious and notable high school, Sina Academy hosted a wide, diverse student body of various different groups of people. Eren found himself as one of them.
Still half-sleep, Eren walked into the bathroom down the hall and took a long look at himself in the mirror. In the reflection appeared a teenage boy of average height, with deep brown hair and piercing teal-green eyes that defined Eren's appearance. But what also defined Eren's appearance were his constant moments of anger and frustration.
Eren, after having brushed his teeth and put on a smile, slipped on his clothing and made his way downstairs. There, he found his mother and father in the kitchen, the latter sitting at a table reading a newspaper and the former cooking up some breakfast.
"There you are, you little rascal. I told you to sleep early last night, but since you didn't, you're almost late for school!" exclaimed Carla, Eren's mother.
"Mom, I did sleep early last night! I only slept at 12:30 AM this time. And I'm not even that late yet."
Eren sat down at the table, across from his father, Grisha Jaeger. Shortly afterwards, Carla placed in front of Eren a plate of eggs, toast, and a grapefruit.
"Really, Mom? I wanted cereal, not this grown-up stuff."
"Eren. You are fifteen years old. You need nutrition so you can stay healthy when you're at an essential growing age like this. Eat and stop complaining!"
"Fine, fine, whatever."
Eren grumbled and chewed his food. Grisha turned a newspaper page, then set the paper down entirely. He looked at Eren, smiling.
"I'm proud of you, son," said Grisha, "It makes me happy that my boy is growing up so fast. It feels like it was yesterday when you first went to elementary school. Look at you, a young, handsome teenage boy. Ready to find some girls, hm?" Grisha chuckled.
"Huh? What's that mean? I see girls everyday."
"Grisha! Don't talk like that around Eren. You'll only give him wrong ideas!" interrupted Carla.
"Carla, Carla, Carla. Our son has to learn about the world some time," said Grisha, looking at his watch, "But anyways, I have to go to work. Farewell, Carla, and good luck, Eren."
Grisha got up and kissed Carla on the cheek, and then gave Eren a warm hug. He put on his hat and went out the door. As Eren and Carla waved him goodbye, the mother started tapping her feet.
"Speaking of going to work, Eren Jaeger. You still have to go to school!"
"Sheesh, no need to shout, Mom. I'll be going."
Eren grabbed his backpack next to the living room couch and walked to the already-open door, putting on his sneakers. He turned around, waving to his mother a silent goodbye. His mother simply nodded in return. She was somewhat annoyed, but at the same time, a proud mother. Shutting the door behind him, Eren took a step into the outside world.
Sina Academy, here I come!
Upon taking the second step outside, he tripped and fell over. Eren forgot to tie his shoes again.
Eren strolled along the busy sidewalks of his hometown, Shiganshina. All around him, commuters began their drive to work, store owners opened their businesses, and lawn sprinklers sprayed water on the yards of people's homes. It was a busy Monday for adults as well as children.
As he turned a corner, he met a familiar face walking to the same destination.
"Hey, Armin!"
The boy turned around to the familiar voice and grinned upon noticing who it was. Eren ran up to Armin's side, and the two rejoiced. Armin Arlert was Eren's best friend ever since they were small children, and possibly his only friend, the feeling going both ways. Unlike his best friend, Armin was... not as outspoken about his beliefs. He was small and slim for a boy his age, and his blonde coconut-shaped hairstyle as well as his soft blue eyes made Armin seem younger than he actually was.
At a glance, Armin seemed almost the complete opposite of Eren. Also at a glance, Armin could be mistaken for a girl.
"Eren! It's so good to see you! I was getting lonely walking by myself."
"Good to see you, too, Armin. Funny, you usually get picked on by bullies when you go out alone."
"I know! This has been a great first day of high school so far! It's not so bad when you actually face things yourself, Eren. And now that you're here, we can go conquer Sina Academy together!"
"Oi, Armin, let me see your schedule first. I hope we get classes together. Or at least the same lunch period."
The two exchanged their respective school schedules, and they both celebrated in glee.
"This is awesome! We get the same homeroom, same second period, and same eighth period. And the same lunchtime, too!" exclaimed Eren.
The boys high-fived each other and laughed. Sina Academy operated an eight-period daily school schedule, and there were four different lunch periods each in-between different classes. Occasionally, the schedule would change due to early dismissals, late school startings, or other events that would interrupt the classes.
The architects who designed Sina Academy also constructed a large, circular red brick wall that comprised perimeter of the school campus. The circular wall seemed to stretch endlessly, giving way to a large campus area within. Being a famous school, it stood to make its appearance notable by also building its entrance with brick, along with a carving of the coat-of-arms of the Sina Family.
Before Eren and Armin knew it, they finally reached the tall gates of Sina Academy.
The hallways of Sina Academy tended to be vast and maze-like. The buildings themselves were also quite large, situated in the center of the circle formed by the wall. They were arranged in a way so that the main building (also the tallest) was in the absolute center, facing the gate. It would be the first thing that students see walking in, as well as the statue of Lady Sina in the central courtyard.
Armin and Eren arrived at their homeroom class right on time. By the time they arrived there, most of the other students had already been seated.
"Wow, Eren! This is it! I hope we get to sit next to each other."
"Me, too, Armin. Let's go inside."
The two walked in, and an adult standing in front of a desk with a clipboard turned to look towards them. The teacher did not hesitate to go straight to business.
"What's your name, son?" asked the instructor to Eren.
"Eren Jaeger."
Upon hearing this name, some of the students in the class raised their heads.
"All right, Eren Jaeger. You're seated over... there," said the teacher, pointing to a pair of two empty desks in the middle of the classroom, one of which belonged to Eren. He promptly sat down, leaned back, and relaxed. This ain't so bad, Eren thought, I get to sit next to Armin, too. This is sweet.
"What's your name, miss?"
"M-my name is Armin Arlert, sir. I'm a boy."
"My apologies, Armin. You get to sit over there, waaaay in the back."
Instead of sitting next to Eren, Armin was assigned to the rear of the classroom. Armin gulped and walked down the aisle. His concerned eyes met Eren's horrified eyes as he moved past him. Their luck just ran out. As Armin sat down, a tall, muscular boy sitting in the neighboring desk spoke to him.
"So... you're Armeen, right?"
"Y-yes, that's me. But it's pronounced-"
"'Sup. My name's Reiner. I was thinking. Are you single by any chance?"
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
Meanwhile, Eren sat at his desk, already bored due to a lack of Armin by his side. He fiddled with a pencil, and let it fall on the ground. He sighed. As the students around him chatted away, he stayed silent, like in a world of isolation. That world was about to crumble.
"Psst. You're Eren Jaeger, right?"
Eren looked in the corner of the eyes without shifting his head. A boy sitting behind him leaned forward and looked closely at Eren.
"Yeah. Why?"
The boy and his friend next to him suddenly burst into a fit of laughter.
"Oh, dude. You're that guy from last year! Oh, man, that was hilarious!" the other boy spoke up.
"What are you people on about?"
"What, you don't remember that time when Hoss pulled that sick wedgie on you?"
"Or when Mr. Sukiyaki caught you sleeping and banged on your desk and woke you up so hard you jumped out of your chair?"
The boys laughed once more, reminiscing about their fun memories. Well, fun for them.
"Eren, you were a trainwreck in middle school. Can't wait to see you this year and what kind of comedy gold you're putting out this time!"
"Shut up!"
They then kept to themselves, still whispering and murmuring among themselves. This is gonna be a long year.
"Hey. That's not very nice of you." This came from a different voice, and even Eren turned to see who it was. A somewhat tall boy with brown undercut hair, a suit vest, and a horseface stood next to the duo.
"Yeah? What's your problem, man? We're just having fun."
"What's your problem? Give this guy a break. Or maybe you can go have fun in the principal's office on the first day of school!"
The two rowdy kids shut themselves up. The horse's threats seemed to work. Satisfied, he looked at Eren and nodded.
"No need to thank me for that. I just don't like it when other people are being douchebags. My name's Jean, by the way."
"Nice to meet you, then, Jean. I'm Eren. I'm sure you've already heard my name and what goes with it."
"I don't really care what you did in the past, Jaeger boy. Treat me fine, I'll treat you fine. Got it?"
"Sounds like my kind of thinking!"
Jean and Eren shook hands. Finally, Eren gained an opportunity to make new friends in Sina Academy. He even met someone whose character traits seemed quite honest and straightforward. Sina Academy always was a place with many different types of people, and Eren hoped to build a lasting and strong friendship with this horsefaced Jean person.
For Eren, the first day did not seem bad after all.