A/N: Hey there- you, yes you! Thank you so much for clicking my story and actually wanting to read it. I was really nervous about publishing this, but people on tumblr told me I should, so I listened. Just real quickly before I let you read!
Important before starting the fic: so this isn't the typical fan fiction. it's basically what kingdom keepers would be like if it were adopted by a major television network, so like the vampire diaries or pretty little liars, etc. it takes the plot and characters, makes things a bit more mature, uses cliches, character growth, minor (sometimes major changes)etc., so please don't be like this didn't happen in the book! I know that, i'm changing it up like a television network would! so I hope you all enjoy it! Now you may read :)
There it was: that familiar ache, the one that typically started from the toes, slowly but surely working its way up. Without fail, that dull reminder of how agonizingly far away two thirty was on Friday afternoons, appeared and pounded, only continuing to grow in momentum as the second hand whirled around a clock set two hours behind and will probably never be fixed, all thanks to the laziness that is the custodial staff at Middleton High. As time drew closer and closer to the ultimate goal, Finn sat in class, thoughts anywhere but Chemistry as he chewed the top of his pen. He was too good a daydreamer, almost alarmingly so, it actually appeared that he was studying the chalkboard, considering everything Mr. Harrison presented about balancing chemical equations, though if you asked Finn later, he'd recall they were talking about H2O, or CO2 or something like that- he thinks.
Suddenly, he's aware of himself, aware of his surroundings. Dark eyes travel around the room, taking in the bored expressions of his classmates, aside from the two or three kids that find it impossible to actually not care about useless school work. Continuing their trip around the room, his eyes land two rows diagonal of him, which happens to be the desk of his best friend, Dillard. Dillard was a goof, that much was certain, his lopsided grin and shaggy blond hair made him appear like a lost puppy dog, though it remained a mystery to Dillard and Finn why the girls wouldn't go for the puppy type. Weren't girls supposed to be into puppies and the works? His friend grins, holding up the thumbs up sign as his grey eyes wander to the clock, signalling that there were only seconds remaining before the bell rang. This immediately raised Finn's spirits, the young man already shutting his binder and throwing his school supplies into his backpack. It was like clockwork, Dillard beginning the 10 second countdown like he did every week, Mr. Harrison scolding him, though giving up once the rest of the class's chants drowned out his feeble attempts at order. Finn grinned, pale freckled hand flattening his short brunette locks. He was no girl- but he liked to claim his obsession with touching his hair was Florida's fault for being so damn humid.
And there it was, the glorious yet irritatingly high pitched sound of the bell. School was dismissed, and though there would only be two short days before Finn would be returning to the wretched halls of Middleton High, he was prepared to make the most of it, though his weekend would be spent in meetings. Oh yeah, just how he liked it- not. However, he was in no particular situation to complain about these meetings, for they contained something special, exciting, life changing, even. Though he'd have to wait until later to attend, and he couldn't believe he was saying it, but he couldn't wait for these meetings.
Being the good friend he was, he waited for Dillard outside of class, knowing Harrison would be grilling him for approximately 45 seconds, as he did every Friday. And just like he called it, 45 seconds later, Dillard was out the door, rolling his eyes and laughing as he began walking towards the exit of the school. "This dude's seriously delusional if he thinks that I'm a distraction to the class; I tell you man, unbelieveable." Finn laughs, mostly due to his uncertainty of whether or not Dillard is being sarcastic. It's hard to tell, the boy frequents in it so much, it may as well be his native tongue. "Yeah, wonder why he thinks that." Dillard pauses in his step, almost half smirking, "Don't mock me, Finny Boy, wouldn't want to ruin that pretty face of yours, especially for your meeting."
He's obviously joking, though Finn tenses up; the meeting, oh it was only an hour or two away. Though it was nothing but great news, he was still relatively nervous, though that's normal, especially when approaching a project with such uncertainty - he gulped, though tried to conceal it with a sarcastic remark. "Oh har har, Dill. I'll be fine." The two boys fall into even pace, walking home. Thankfully home was only a block away from school, so they wouldn't be getting too much exercise, God knows how awful that is for video gaming.
"So tell me more about this meeting, you've barely mentioned it at all apart from the fact that it takes away from our Friday night Call of Duty and Papa Johns tradition and our Saturday Grand Theft Auto and Taco Bell run, as well as our let's cram everything else fun into Sunday until 8pm when we actually start our countless hours of homework." Dillard teased, nudging Finn's arm with his elbow. The other boy released a sigh, hands digging into his jean pockets. His mother warned not to say too much, but who would Dillard tell? His Great Aunt Jean?
"Well, like I mentioned, it's a job opportunity for Disney." Finn replied, though was that too vague? Perhaps it was, but perhaps Dillard could settle for vague, he wasn't exactly the deepest person Finn knew. "Alright, what for Disney?" - alright, maybe he was less vague than expected. Finn continued, cautiously choosing his words, "It's just like this thing, where I have to do this thing with a few other kids our age from the surrounding high schools. It'll be a thing and yeah, seems pretty cool." Smooth- sorta. But Dillard rolled with it, nodding as he listened, "Alright, so you're doing a thing with other kids from the other high schools. Gotcha, seems cool." That's all it took, it was magic. Finn concealed a sigh of relief, only focusing on the broken up sidewalk he stepped on below.
"The other highschools though? So like Eisenhower, Wilmington, Spring Meadows, and Darwin?" Dillard asked, continuing on the topic Finn wished to avoid, though his question was harmless, so Finn nodded in response. The area they lived in was rather large, the city so big it's split up into five high schools. Eisenhower, Wilmington, Spring Meadows, Darwin, and Middleton, where Finn and Dillard attend. Eisenhower and Darwin were honors schools, taking in the students with the highest grade point averages, Middleton and Spring Meadows taking in the other students, Middleton taking in the students who lived on the West side of town, and Spring Meadows the east. However, the most unique of them all was Wilmington. It was the newest and smallest school, located in the southern part of town, conveniently where the higher income crowd tended to live. You know, the type with mansions and several cars. That school claimed to not be restricted to only the wealthy, but it's no secret their convenient location is an easy way of allowing the creme de la creme access easier. Pretty soon, Finn would be integrated into a crowd of all of them. "Can't be too bad, Finn. Wilmington's got hot girls, Eisenhower and Darwin smart girls, and the rest is just the rest, average shmaverage, y'know?" Finn rolled his eyes at Dillard, glad to have finally reached his house. "Yeah, alright. I'll catch you later, Dillard." The two boys exchanged their goodbyes, Finn running into his house to at least attempt to prepare for this meeting.
"Finn Whitman, you're late." The lovely greeting a child always wants to hear as he enters the door to their home. "By like a minute, mom, it's fine." Though to bandage his obvious bruised relations with his mother, he plants a quick kiss to her cheek, walking past her to grab the dinosaur chicken nuggets she's got prepared on the counter. However, his mother responds by slapping his hand away, "Oh stop that, those are for your sister. She's ought to eat while we're out." With that, his younger sister, Holly, who is all of ten - he thinks? smirks, rising from her seat at the table and grabbing her food. "Yeah Finn, I've got to eat." He's got half a mind to tell her to shut up, though it's best not to get grounded before heading out, so he bites his tongue. And with his tongue holding back and mother preparing for the meeting, it takes another fifteen minutes before they're out the door, heading towards the meeting that'll craft his lifetime.