Freddy woke up very slowly, first hearing the steady loud beeping of his alarm clock, then the yelling of his insistent brother.
"FRED! YO! GET UP!" Gold's voice drifted up to meet his unwilling ears. "YOU'RE GONNA BE LATE!"
Freddy groaned and rolled over, falling out of bed. THUMP.
"Ughhh…" Freddy hauled himself to his feet. "COMING!" he yelled in the door's general direction. He then staggered over to his closet and pulled out a random t-shirt and a pair of well-worn jeans, pulling them on as he checked his hair in the mirror. He wasn't too worried about its messiness; it always flattened down eventually.
Then he meandered, bearlike, to the bathroom and halfheartedly brushed his teeth. He was not excited for his first day of high school. He would much rather skip school altogether. But if he ever wanted a job he would have to at least get a high school degree… at least he had his friends at school with him. Freddy smiled at the memory of their pool party earlier on the 4th of July. Bonnie, Foxy, and Mangle were starting freshman year with him, but his girlfriend Chica was already a sophomore, so she could give them advice and stuff like that. Poor BB was only in 8th grade and very miffed at how they weren't in the same school anymore.
Downstairs, the living room was a warzone, as usual. Gold never picked up any of his crap, and Freddy told him he wasn't his maid and he wouldn't clean up after him. So there the garbage was, and there it stayed.
Freddy cleared off a spot on the counter, picked up a box of stale cereal and poured it into a bowl. He crunched away as Gold glowered at him.
"What?" mumbled Freddy through a mouthful.
"Nothing," Gold growled, stalking upstairs and slamming the door to his bedroom.
Rolling his eyes, Freddy washed his dish, fished a twenty dollar bill from Gold's wallet (he knew Gold was going to be PISSED but he needed money for lunch), grabbed his backpack, and left the house, hoping he'd make it in time to the bus stop.
The weather was sunny with a slight nip in the air as Freddy walked briskly down the street. He reached the bus stop, a small structure with a thin roof and a bench, with minutes to spare. He spotted telltale blonde hair as soon as he saw the stop, and smiled.
"Hey, Chica!" Freddy called as he approached. "What's new?"
Chica, as always, was texting somebody, but she looked up and smiled as she saw him coming. "Freddy! It's soooo great to see you!" She gave him a big hug while continuing her typing behind his back.
"Who're you talking to?" He slowly pulled away and looked at her screen.
"Mangle," she replied. "She says she's on her way and to stop the bus if she's late."
Freddy heard the frantic footsteps and heavy breathing at the same time as Chica. They both looked up to see Foxy, sprinting as always, red hair wild from running.
"Chill out, Foxy," said Chica, amused. "Unless there are zombies or fangirls behind you, you really don't need to rush."
"Aye… just didn't… want… to be late," he puffed, leaning one hand against a telephone pole and trying to catch his breath. He often interjected phrases like "aye" and "matey" and called people "laddie" and "lassie" because he thought pirates were the coolest thing since sliced bread and had decided to try and talk like one at age four. And it had been that way ever since. Now, it just seemed like a natural thing to him and his friends, though it sure did confuse a lot of eavesdropping bystanders.
"You're not going to be late," Freddy reassured him. He slung his arm over Chica's shoulders and grinned.
A swish of blue-purple hair was the only indication of their next friends' arrival.
"Hey, Bonnie," said Freddy quietly, so as not to startle her. She had a history of being extremely jumpy (there was a long and involved story including a birthday, a pie, and lots of whipped cream to clean up).
Foxy turned to see Bonnie, clad in her normal soft purple sweater and jeans. "Hey there, lassie! I didn't see you there."
Bonnie shrugged good-naturedly, blushing slightly. It was no secret that Bonnie had a crush on Foxy… except to Foxy, that is.
A loud wheezing/groaning noise signaled that the bus was about to round the corner.
"Mangle is late." Chica looked exasperated.
"And you're surprised?" Freddy snorted.
Suddenly, Mangle was just there. She had a habit of doing that.
"Hey guys, what's hangin'?" She grinned.
Bonnie jumped, dropping her bookbag onto the sidewalk. Mangle giggled and flipped a strand of blonde hair over her shoulder. "Sorry Bonbon."
"Don't call me Bonbon," Bonnie reminded her.
"Sorry." Mangle threw her arm over her shoulder and laughed good-naturedly. Bonnie smiled and bowed her head slightly, accepting her apology while being embarrassed.