Chapter 1: Loving & Hating
High School, a time for living, for fun, for growing, and finding meaning in this world. But what happens when something or someone dares challenge you on the twisty and bumpy road to adulthood. What if someone pushes you backwards rather than forwards and blocks any further movement? Do you fight the person? Do you reason with the person? What if YOU are the perpetrator? What if YOU stop yourself by giving up or failing to accept what is there? Well that is where this tale begins…..It was ordinary really…. no one really paid much heed to that particularly loud table at the rear end of the lunchroom. The obnoxious cackling from a certain albino, the annoying flirtatious remarks from the all too popular french boy with the incredibly silky blonde hair, and the never ending bright smiles from the very attractive Spaniard. It was not uncommon for the table to suddenly erupt into "hon hon hon's" and "kesesese's" and "fusosososo's." For the students of Heta High School, it was just another day. But really what would you expect from a high school called "Heta High School" ?
"So Gilbert? Where's cher Madeline? I don't believe I've seen her all week, or rather all month for that matter?" came from the frisky french-boy as his eyes lurked for his next victim.
"Sí, where's little Maddie?" came from the Spaniard with the enthralling emerald eyes.
"You mean birdie? She's in the library, as usual. She says she has an unawesome test next period and I as her awesome boyfriend will not disturb!" That was what he said, but what Gilbert really meant was that he did not want to get yelled at again. He still remembered the last time he tried to grace her with his "awesome" presence while she was reading or studying, it was terrifying to say the least. For a girl that was normally very calm and quiet, his precious Madeline could be just and aggressive and quiet as he was, maybe even more.
Though the Francis, the lurking french boy, doubted, no, knew that Gilbert could never be that docile, he played along with his little lie. He would spare his friend's pride this time.
"Wow! I didn't think I'd live to see the day that Gilbert Beilschmidt would follow directions, I guess cher Madeline has calmed notre ami down, isn't that right Antonio?" referring to the eye-catching Spaniard who very obviously had not caught on to Gilbert's lie.
"Sí, es muy raro, very strange, Gil has NEVER followed orders from anyone. Not from his mom, not from his dad, not from the teachers, not from the principal, not from the police. I don't even think Gil follows his own orders. Hehehe I still remember the time when….."
"Okay I get it Tonio, but never fear awesome me will never stop being awesome!"
"So how are things going between you and Madeline?" Francis asked, not wanting his friend's ego to inflate anymore than it already was.
"Everything is great! No, everything is….."
"Don't say it…" Francis warned.
Well he didn't say it, Gilbert jumped out of his seat and practically shouted out to heavens so that even people in China could hear him: "AWESOME!" Everyone in the lunchroom looked to see who had yelled, but immediately turned back when they saw it was just Gilbert. Francis scowled looking at Gil as he sat back with a gigantic smirk on his face.
"No but really everything is AMAZING Birdie is great, we just went on a date this Sunday. I took her to the amusement park. Kesesesese…. she screamed like crazy~!"
"So does this mean that you are finally over cher Elizaveta?"
At the mere mention of the name, pale cheeks quickly turned a light shade of pink as the albino remembered his dear old best friend. Elizaveta, his childhood best friend who left for Hungary five years ago and never returned. Anyone and everyone could see that the German boy had feelings for the violent tomboy. Everyone except for of course Elizaveta and Gilbert himself. the two would constantly bicker and fight, yet when the time came they were always there for each other. Antonio and Francis could still remember how heartbroken Gilbert was when he saw the plane slowly disappear into the sky, carrying the girl off to a far away place, never to see her messy brown locks and gleaming, olive eyes again.
"E-Elizaveta? W-what about her? She was annoying, why did you bring her up?" he foolishly stuttered out.
"Oh… never mind mon ami" Francis said as he tried to conceal a smile, slightly amused at his friend's childishness. He knew Gilbert still occasionally thought of the Hungarian, but that his heart was strangely devoted the amiable and shy Madeline Jones-Williams. Honestly he never expected that the quiet sophomore would come to like the arrogant and rowdy Gilbert. Nonetheless he was happy for them, they made a wonderful pair.
"Well I think I've waited long enough! I'm gonna' see Maddie!" and with that, Gilbert dashed off.
"No! Wait Gilbert! Espera!" Antonio yelled out, holding his arm out in hopes of reaching him, but it was no use, Gilbert had ran out, eager to meet his girlfriend at the library. Francis sighed, "I guess some things never change…" he whispered out with an admiring smile. He then turned his attention to the pouting Antonio, who had been abnormally quiet the whole lunch period, normally you couldn't stop the boy from talking.
"What did you want Antoine?" he asked with intriguing curiosity.
Antonio responded with a sad sigh as he looked down to his lunch: "I wanted to ask about the girl his brother has been hanging out with lately…" He muttered out with another pout.
"Oh? She peak your interest?" Hallelujah! Francis thought, it was weird for Antonio to like someone. He was starting to fear that Antonio didn't know what love was, which then raised questions about whether Antonio was antisocial and their friendship had been nothing more than manipulation…. but maybe that was just Francis being paranoid. Antonio had never directed his eyes to anyone, and if he did it was likely that he was just looking at a tomato or anything tomato-related behind the person. So to hear that Antonio was interested in a girl was surprising.
"Yeah…. she is so cute~! I think she's a freshman, I've seen her hanging out with Ludwig so I wanted to ask Gilbert but…."
"Ah, our dear Antoine finally has someone he likes~ Now I think I've seen everything. My friends are growing up~!" He jokingly said as he pretended to cry into a napkin.
"Sí…. what about you Franny? Your eyes always searching but I can see that your eyes are only directed at one person…." his tone slowly declining from the usual carefree tone to a serious one.
Frustrated, Francis sighed and pulled at his golden locks as if expecting all of his life's answers could be found there. He knew exactly what Antonio meant. He would always hook up with a casual flings in attempt to forget….. But his heart, his god-forsaken heart would just not let go. It still looked for those warm mint eyes that complimented the terrifyingly thick eyebrows of his beloved's face. Francis had once held that small, frail body of his. Francis could still remember how it felt to hold the man he loved in his arms, how comfortable he was, the endearing breadths the other man would take every time Francis would sigh endearing words of love into his ear. Oh how Francis missed and longed for Arthur, the man he loved , to clutch onto him again and ask him to stay just awhile longer. But now those warm mint eyes that once held love, turned cold with hate…. and it was Francis's fault.
"Yes…" Francis whispered out in a somber tone, looking nothing but defeated, shoulders drooping so low that it physically weighed Francis down.
"So you heard that Arthur moved on huh?" Antonio asked sadly, he hated to see his friends sad. He wanted nothing more than to see his friends happy and radiating cheerfulness. His heart hurt when his friends were down.
"Quoi?!" Francis yelled out just as loud as Gilbert had. Silly Antonio did not know that Francis had not been aware that his "mon amour" had found another.
"Qué? You didn't know?" But it was too late, Francis had run out of the lunchroom in the same fashion Gilbert had, off to who knows where, probably to go find Arthur and interrogate him. And now only one sat at the table, well not for long as Antonio had followed Francis out, knowing that if he didn't, Francis would get himself in some sort of trouble. And now there were none.
With no one sitting at that particular table, the lunchroom had quieted down quite a bit. Indeed, they are an odd ball. The BTT, a.k.a the Bad Touch Trio, is what they call themselves, or rather what Gilbert calls themselves. Friends since kindergarten, they now face the beginning their junior year in high school together with nothing but high hopes. But things don't always go according to plan….
Well there's the first chapter! I don't know if I'll be able to update often because I a currently writing a 4,000 word essay and I am procrastinating as we speak xD Wish Me luck! Oh and if it wasn't clear:
Francis Bonnefey- France
Antonio Fernandez Carriedo- Spain
Gilbert Beilschmidt- Prussia
Arthur Kirkland- Britain
Elizaveta Hedervary- Hungary
Madeline "Maddie" Jones-Williams- Nyo Canada
Cher~ dear
Notre ami~Our friend
Mon ami~ My friend
Quoi?~What?
Qué?~What?
Mon amour~ My love