Hey guys, new story here. This is based on a prompt I received on tumblr, which you can find under the tag "prompts" on my blog (gideongraystairs). This is horrifyingly short, but it's mainly just an introduction to the story. I'm actually really excited about this one, though I say that about everything I write :P Anyways, this will get very angsty later on so brace yourselves. I can't say when I'll be updating BTDT or AWF, but writing's been a lot easier for me now that I've taken a tiny break from them so hopefully soon :) Also, the summary will be reworked in the future into something less horrifying.

Let me know what you think by following, favouriting or reviewing!

.Begin Now

When Will's school closes to make room for the new community center being constructed in their area, he groans and gripes about it to his mother for a good four hours before she bops him over the head and smothers him in his blankets, telling him he really doesn't have a say in it so it'd be best if he just accepted it now and saved himself a whole load of pain. Will stubbornly refuses, thinking that maybe, just maybe, if he hates the idea enough it won't be true. Though, admittedly, he knows that's never going to happen.

He's angry, of course he is, and frustrated with the world because he's going to have to start all over at a new school now, isn't he? His friends won't be going to the same school as him, all heading off over the river to 's. He hates that he lives in a different area than them, hates that he knows he'll never talk to them again now, and most of all he really just hates that this is happening to begin with.

His mother tsks at him, shushing him with a finger to his lips and a kiss to his forehead before she swoops out of his room, flicking the light off as she goes. Glaring after her in annoyed silence, Will decides there can't be anything worse than this.

When he's older, looking back on his eleven year old self and laughing silently through tears that burn like acid on his cheeks, he'll wonder what he was thinking. Because really, it can get so much worse.

The girl who parks herself in front of him in the middle of lunch on Will's first day at the dreaded new school is fairly pretty for someone her age, with long tousles of brown hair and stormy grey eyes that remind him of the rainclouds hanging overhead, promising the worst weather they've had all year. Her smile is warm and kind, almost secretive as she glances back behind her to the boy she'd left sitting at her own table to come to Will's. Admittedly, the silver-haired guy is much prettier than her, with bright eyes that shine like the moon on the pond in Will's backyard and skin as fair as the ivory wolf sitting on his mother's dresser. He doesn't ponder over it for long though, turning his attention back to the girl in front of him instead.

"Did you want something?" he asks, fully aware that he's most likely coming off as rude. He's still bitter about having had to leave his old school and come to this wretched place, he's pretty sure he has every right to be rude. No matter if his mother's told him otherwise a thousand times before.

"I'm Tessa," says the girl before gesturing behind her to where the silver boy is smiling politely over at them. "That's Jem."

"Will," he offers reluctantly, folding his arms on the table he's hunched over and glaring down at them in childish anger.

"We thought you might want to come eat with us." Tessa frowns, eyes raking over his posture more than once before she continues. "You looked lonely."

"I'm fine," Will grumbles, looking away to avoid her gentle gaze. She seems nice, the kind of person he knows would make a great friend, but he's still bitter and angry and frustrated and refusing to accept that he's really here to stay. It doesn't matter if his older sister's already scolded him twice for being such a brat; his mother always says he's too stubborn for his own good.

"Are you sure?" Tessa asks, giving him a meaningful look. He shrugs, picking at the plastic table he's sitting at. She heaves a sigh and then turns to give the boy across the cafeteria a hand gesture that Will takes to mean 'well, I tried'. And then, she's gone, back across the room to the table she'd come from, leaving Will to wallow in his misery alone. He feels even more bitter at that thought.

He frowns down at his lunch for a long minute, playing back his mother's words of attempted comfort in his mind a thousand times. She'd told him it wouldn't be that different, that there was really no harm done, that she was sure he'd make new friends soon and everything would be great. Like it's really just that easy.

Will gives the girl's table a meaningful look before he shoves himself to his feet and heads over, tossing his lunch down and sinking into the chair across from Jem, Tessa to his right. There's another girl there too now, seated across from Tessa, with bouncy curls of blond hair and sharp brown eyes. She gives him a cold glare as he takes his seat, huffing as she stands up abruptly and leaves, not even saying a word. Will frowns after her in confusion.

"Sorry," says the silver-haired boy across from him with an apologetic smile. "Jessie's just like that."

"Is she your friend?" Will asks, wondering just what kind of people these two associate with. After all, if he's going to be their friend then he'll inevitably be integrated into whatever their little group is. He'd like to have an idea of what he's getting himself into.

"Foster sister," Jem supplies, reaching across the table to swipe an apple slice out of Tessa's lunch. Will tries not to be too shocked or curious, but it's hard being that he's never really met anyone in a familial situation that's been all that different from his. He glances over at Tessa who's nodding acknowledgingly, breaking another apple slice in half before plopping it into her mouth.

"Oh," he replies lamely, fiddling with the zipper on his lunch bag.

The other boy smiles at him, reaching across the table again to offer him his hand. Something about him eases Will, swipes away at the bitterness he's been feeling with a gentle touch, leaving him oddly calm and… warm."I'm Jem, by the way."

"I know, Tessa told me," he says in response, shaking the proffered hand. "I'm Will."

Jem's grin stretches just a tiny bit wider, looking almost cheeky as he replies, "I know, Tessa told me," imitating Will's previous statement. He laughs, suddenly feeling less awkward amongst these new people. Beside him, Tessa shakes her head with a smile, as if she can't quite understand them but has learned by now to just go with the flow. Jem laughs at her, a bright, airy sound, and Will grins at the both of them with a sudden overwhelming feeling of excitement.

Maybe this won't be so bad after all.

And there it is, the first chapter. What'd you think?