Okay, so I want to first state, I've had this in the works for a while. This is loosely based off of Romeo and Juliet. Please Send me your thoughts on it I can't guarantee when I'll update next, but I plan on it. Thank you!
Alfred sat in his room alone that very first night. It wasn't the night that was the start to a new life in town, or in a new house, hell his family had lived in this house for at least a century. No, tonight was the last night of his childhood. Alfred was starting high school. He figured that since he was 14, and becoming a freshman in the morning, his childhood had ended. Good bye, trick or treating. Good bye, birthday parties. Good bye Christmas from Santa.
"Okay, no," Alfred whispered to himself. "Just because I'm fourteen doesn't mean Santa is gonna stop bringing me things for Christmas. That's bullshit if he's gonna stop."
From across the room, a pillow was thrown at him. He gasped and bolted up in bed when he was hit, grabbing the pillow. He'd forgotten he shared a room with his brother, Matthew.
"Please just go to sleep, Al... I'm tired," Matthew spoke up, sleepily. "and you've been talking to yourself for hours now."
How could Alfred forget Matthew was in the room? He'd been sharing a room with him since... They were in their mothers womb! Alfred sighed before answering.
"Sorry, Mattie," he mumbled, knowing he'd be dead if he woke their mother or father up at this time of night. "Get some sleep, little bro. I won't keep you up."
In response, he got a sleepy "I'm older." Alfred didn't care, people thought he was the eldest and he was fine with that. He rolled onto his side and finally drifted to sleep.
In the morning, Alfred's mother, Francine, came in to wake them.
"Good morning, Alfred," she whispered as she gently shook him. "Time to wake."
Francine had came here to study abroad from France. His father, Arthur, had been here for his whole life, except for the ten years he spent with his grandparents in England while his father fought, and won, to prove his innocence in an intense child abuse case of some kind. Alfred thought it was of injecting things that forced his dad to see "Friends" sometimes, he had heard his father muttering to his mother about "Those damn Russians" after his episodes, so he sometimes guessed that wasn't the case.
Alfred groaned and rolled over. "Moooom... Do I have to get up?" Francine let out a soft, feminine chuckle.
"Yes," she whispered, setting a bundle on his bed. "Your father is downstairs with breakfast, so don't make him wait."
Alfred moved his head so he can see the bundle. Just a set of clothes for the day. He then looked to the other bed, knowing that if he was woken, Matthew would be, too. Matthew had seemed to have fallen back asleep in the time that it took to walk to Alfred's side of the room and wake him. He was always like that, Alfred loved to wake up early. He'd eat, stretch, run a mile. Had to be in shape for the football team. Alfred went to tryouts two weeks before school started and got quarterback on the Varsity team.
Alfred grabbed the bundle of clothes and sat up, rubbing his eyes before walking to the bathroom to wake up, leaving Matthew to be smothered by their mom. Alfred shut the bathroom door behind him, got dressed, and fancied himself up for school. His mom knew much better than his dad, picking out a casual t-shirt and blue jeans, where his father would have probably put him in a suit and tie.
Alfred came out of the bathroom a few moments later, smelling of his favorite cologne, dressed, and hair combed down... Except the cowlick he had that wouldn't ever go down. He walked downstairs to where he found both of his parents, and brother sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast. Alfred walked to the pantry and looked in, leaning against the old brick fireplace while examining what was inside. His father had brands and brands of the flavorless cereal that he claimed was healthier, but Alfred knew... In the back...
He reached back and grabbed a whole box of Krave cereal. He grinned widely and made himself a big bowl.
"Francine, I can't believe you bought that sugar-filled, disgusting cereal, again!" Arthur complained, setting the morning paper on the table. Francine giggled and kissed the Englishman's cheek as she refilled his cup with coffee.
"It is fine to let me spoil the children, sometimes, dear," she replied. "As long as they remember their manners."
Arthur sighed and sipped his coffee, grumbling a "yes, love" as he tried to ignore Alfred's large bowl of cereal.
Alfred sat at the table after he poured the milk and grabbed a spoon and began eating. He had a large appetite compared to the rest of his family. Matthew was nibbling on toast with jam, his father just had coffee, and his mother seemed to be making herself a homemade croissant. He finished the bowl in a matter of minutes and hurried to get his shoes on. The bus honked the horn outside.
"Hurry!" His father yelled. "I'm not driving you to school!"
Matthew was already out the door and Francine was chasing Alfred out.
"Have a good day, little ones! I'll see you after school!" She called out while waving.
Alfred ran to get on the bus and smiled when he got on.
"Yes, I made it!" He exclaimed before a bigger body behind him pushed him down.
"Then do not be in the way," the voice said. It had a certain Russian accent to it... Alfred turn around to see his neighbor, Ivan, standing behind him. They both had been told by either family that the other was to be avoided.
"If you have to, Alfred, break his bloody nose," he remembered Arthur telling him once. He had tried to play and be friends with the Russian once, but it ended with Alfred getting a broken arm. He didn't know what started the family rivalry, but seeing him boiled his blood now.
"Or maybe you could just not be a dick," he muttered as he stood. He walked to an empty seat and sat down, putting his backpack next to him. He watched as Ivan walked through the isle, the other kids cringed and shrank away from him, but he eventually found a seat next to Matthew. Matthew looked to Alfred for help and Alfred turned away, looking to the front as the bus drove them to school.
Alfred walked into his fourth hour gym class and looked around. He saw some kids from one or two of his other classes but no one he really knew. Someone pushed him from out of the doorway and that familiar Russian accent stroke again.
"You like to be in the way, don't you, comrade?" Ivan grinned as he walked past. Alfred glared at him, he was the last thing he needed.
"Bitch, I am the way," he grumbled as he followed the Russian to the locker room.
Alfred found his locker, he was lucky that their assigned lockers weren't next to each other. Alfred got changed and walked to the gym floor.
The first day, the teacher said they were going to play dodge ball. The teacher divided the class into two teams of seven. Alfred declared himself captain and glared at the Russian across the room as the game began.
Dodgeball's flew everywhere and the weak, confused, kids were all plucked off first. It came down to Alfred, an Asian looking boy named Kiku, a German named Ludwig, and his brother, Gilbert, on his team. Ivan had only himself and a really angry Italian who just moved to the states this year. Alfred couldn't catch his name because of how much he was cursing, but he kept glaring at one of the Germans and screaming out about something.
Ivan picked up one of the Dodgeball's and glared at the American. The look in his eye didn't look really good... The Russian grew a playful smile on his face as he threw the ball across the room. Alfred stood in shock as he watched the ball pummel toward him. It was like the ball had been launched out of a cannon. It hit Alfred with such a force that he ended up falling on his butt with a yell and rolling onto his side. He had his mouth open, gasping for air like a fish out of water. Ivan grinned and looked at the coach.
"I think we win," he told the teacher. The teacher had his mouth open in shock at what happened.
"Don't just stand there, help the poor kid!" Gilbert yelled. Alfred was now hanging onto his side, crying from the intense pain from the force of the ball. The teacher nodded and ran over. He took two fingers and felt the ribs along the area Alfred was hit in before looking to Kiku.
"Go get the school nurse, I think a rib was cracked."