Chapter One: The New Student
Author's Note, briefly. This is the first fic I have planned out before writing, and also the first fic I have a set amount of chapters for. I have also, at the time of posting this, finished the other two chapters but will post each consecutive chapter a day after last so it makes sense to have author's notes. Enjoy!
Keith walked into the small office of the school. He'd only been there for a week, but he knew he needed to go to school. Especially when he considered he'd already been accepted before he got to the small town. So he'd gotten out of bed this morning, gotten dressed, and made his way slowly to the school.
"Hello, I'm Keith Kogane, I'm new here." He said, walking up to a man at the front desk. The man looked up, eyes shining.
"Hello, young man! I work here at the school, have since it was first built," he smiled widely, orange mustache following. "I'll get your papers for you and call up a couple of students in the Student Council to show you around. You've shown up at a rather odd time, though." He glanced up at Keith with sparkling eyes, pulling out a piece of paper.
"Here, your schedule, young man!" He said, holding out the paper. "And remember to show up at 8 instead of 11 tomorrow, okay?" Keith took the paper from the man, nodding briefly in response to his reminder. He watched, for a moment, as he picked up a phone to call one of the classes to get Student Council members. At least, that's what Keith figured he was doing. He couldn't really tell.
He stopped staring at the man and his phone, turning to look around him for a chair. When he found one he walked over to it and sat down, messing with the paper in his hands. He counted the flips, imagining it was the knife he couldn't keep with him because of school rules. 1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9 bam. The door opened loudly, startling him. As he looked up, two kids around his age came staggering in. The first, who also fell because the second leaned on him, was long-legged with brown hair. The second was shorter, with blonde hair and iconic Harry Potter glasses. They looked ridiculous, stumbling in as if they had just come running through the halls.
The long-legged one looked around and stopped when his gaze rested on Keith. Keith, in turn, froze up. He didn't know how to talk to people. He'd rehearsed what he would say to the man at the front office for hours, and if it hadn't worked he wouldn't have known what to do. The boy smiled though and waved at him.
"Hey! It's Keith, right?" He said, tilting his head. As he got a nod from Keith he smiled and continued. "Sorry if we startled you, Keith. We're a bit of a mess. Anyway, I'm Lance and this is my friend Pidge. We're gonna show you around the school."
The second, Pidge, shot a glare at Lance. "I can introduce myself just fine, but whatever I guess." She pushed her glasses up and then turned her head to glance him over.
"Uh...yeah. I'm Keith. Nice to meet you..?" He said, standing up slowly. "Thanks for showing me around, I guess."
Pidge laughed, "I like you, not mean like you look. No offense, of course," she put her hand out, asking for a handshake. "I'm Pidge, it's nice to meet you, Keith. You don't have to worry about us, we don't bite."
Keith nodded, ignoring her comment. She'd probably hate herself if she knew anyway. He shook her hand, deciding he'd probably be able to tolerate her.
"Anyway," Lance said, putting emphasis on the first syllable. "We should get going if we want to eat lunch today. C'mon." He opened up the door, more gracefully this time, and stepped out, holding the door for the two of them. Yep, he's a complete nerd. It was Keith's first thought about the boy, and it appeared to be holding true.
He allowed them to walk him through the halls, showing him his respective rooms. According to them, he'd like Ms. Mackenzie and Ms. Zufelt the best, but he wouldn't have them until tomorrow. In the end, in front of Ms. Britton's class, Lance asked if he had any questions.
"Uh, yeah. Did you say that for the last half of the second semester we get to choose our extra class? Instead of just having Phys Ed or Art or something else?" He asked, though he highly doubted he'd be staying that long. Better safe than sorry.
"Yep! You get to choose between a study hall, a music class, a STEM class, an art class, or PE. That'll be explained-"
"Lance, your hair is getting really long. I thought you didn't like it like that?" Pidge asked, cutting Lance off.
"What?"
"Your-"
"I know! I was talking, what was with the cutting me off thing?"
"Your hair was bugging me!"
"It's just my..." Lance started, then let out a frustrated sigh. "Nevermind." He turned back to Keith, eyebrow raised. "Anyway, did you understand what I was trying to say?"
"Yeah, I got it. Thanks."
"No problem, care to spend lunch with Pidge, Hunk, Matt, Shiro, and me?" He asked. "We're a nice bunch, I think you'd like Shiro."
Keith shrugged as Pidge sniggered and spoke to Lance. "Maybe if Shiro got himself a friend, he'd stop whining about how hot Adam is and just ask the boy out."
Lance groaned, "It's not that easy, Pidge. Not everyone's parents are accepting like yours are."
"I know, but both of their parents are accepting and them pining after each other is annoying," Pidge spoke to Lance as she started to walk, leaving the two boys to walk quickly after her.
"Speaking of watching someone pining after someone else," Lance muttered, abandoning the playful banter he'd been having with Pidge to eye a white-haired couple. "They're dating and she's still pining after him! It's ridiculous. He's obviously not doing her any good."
Pidge glanced over, "Leave them, Lance. We've already warned Allura that he's a manipulative jerk. If she hasn't listened to any of us, it's her own fault."
"But she'll blame it on us...she always has."
"Example?"
"When Matt got lost in the halls, even though she'd been the one touring him. When Shiro went to sit with Adam for a month because she was hanging off of him like she didn't know he was gay. When I ended up in the hospital because of Lotor bullying me last year. When we lost a science room because she didn't unplug a toaster, when-"
"Okay, I see your point," Pidge said loudly, sighing. "But still, we aren't responsible if Lotor hurts her. She's the one who asked him out despite what he's done."
"Whatever, he's still not good for her. That's the point I was trying to make." Lance sighed, sounding defeated, as he opened the cafeteria doors.
"What," Pidge said, a teasing tone to her voice, obviously trying to lighten the mood. "You think you or Matt would do her better?"
Lance snorted, cracking a smile. "Matt? For sure, he's awesome. Me? Nah, I literally suck." His response got an eye roll and a small smile from the smaller of the two.
Keith smiled, glancing between the two. It amazed him how two people could be good enough friends to go from such a heavy topic to making self-deprecating jokes. It just didn't make sense to him.
Lance suddenly realized what they were talking about and turned slightly toward him, "Oh! I'm so sorry! I don't want to put any bad thoughts in your head about anyone when you just got here. And I don't wanna exclude you...sorry." He mumbled something incoherently after before trailing off.
"Yo! Guys!" Pidge said loudly, allowing Keith to get away with not responding to Lance's hurried apology. He turned to see a group of people. The first he noticed was a friendly looking darker skinned person, who was already excitedly talking to Pidge. Next to him was another guy, smiling softly at lance. He looked like he'd bleached a tuft of his hair, but the rest of it was black. He had a prosthetic, mechanical arm and a scar across his nose.
"Oh, hey, guys." White tuft man said, waving to Lance. He looked at Keith, who nervously waved. "Oh yeah, I forgot that we were getting a new student! I'm Shiro, it's nice to meet ya!"
Lance pulled Keith over gently and sat down in front of Shiro, "Heya! This is Keith."
"Hi…" Keith said, shifting nervously. The other guy, Hunk if he'd heard Pidge and Lance correctly earlier, turned and waved.
"Hey, Keith! I'm Hunk," he said, already turning back to his conversation with Pidge.
"Hello?" Keith barely even mustered the words before the lunchroom door swung open.
"I'm here! I'm queer!" The boy locked eyes with Keith and giggled. "And you're my soulmate!" Keith tried to stand up and do a 100-yard dash but the Pidge-looking child sat him back into his seat.
Pushing Matt off of him, Pidge smirked. "The glare is strong with this one." Keith's hand hit his head so hard it echoed down the hall. This caught Lance's attention, who simply smiled in anticipation of what was to happen.
"Matt, seriously," Pidge started, glaring at him, "Stop declaring your love for people you've just met! You don't even know his name!"
"I do know his name! It's...Jack! No, wait, it's Kevin, right?" Just as he guessed the name wrong again, Lance jump scared Keith.
"Wow, Kevin you scream loud." Lance joked and Keith felt the urge to throw hands. "Just kidding. Jack." Pidge looked equally annoyed. Just as Keith was going to stand up, Lance whispered in his ear, causing Keith to blush.
Before Keith could even respond, Lance loudly said, "I see that you've met Keith, Matt. Now go sit down and eat, you were late anyway."
"Oh, right! Keith. Keith and I are soulmates. We're married now," he said, but Pidge shoved his shoulder. "You know I'm bad with names, Pidge!"
"I don't care, you're pissing off the new kid that I mildly like. Go eat." She frowned and moved to sit down with Hunk. Lance started laughing.
He turned to Keith, "Sorry, it's just that this happens all the time. It's a good judge of character. If you pass the test Matt doesn't know he's giving we'd let you sit with us for the rest of eternity!" Pidge nodded beside Lance, and Hunk in front of her. Keith looked over at Shiro, and Matt beside him, talking avidly. They seemed completely unaware of the conversation. Shiro wasn't, though. Keith could tell from the small smile on his face and the quick glance his way.
"Well, since you all seem to agree," Keith said slowly, resting his right hand on the table and allowing the other to gesture rather wildly. "Did I pass it, or not?"
Lance paused, seemingly considering, before finally saying, "Dude, is it possible for you to not? I mean, you didn't even say anything." Hunk nodded in agreement.
"As translation, yeah, you passed mullet emo," Pidge said jokingly, giving him a thumbs up that was just a bit too exaggerated. He nodded, a small smile on his face. He decided he liked this group, even if they were odd and one of them had just declared him their soulmate. They were friendly, not too popular, and responsible (even though he knew they would have no problems breaking the rules.) They were overall a good group.
"So, that means I get to hang around you guys like the parasite I am?" He asked, trying to hide the surprise he felt from the terrible joke they wouldn't even get. Really, Keith? Parasite? You suck blood. Where did that even come from? That was so bad, I hate myself. They don't even know how much I'm suffering right now.
"Yep, sure does. And I'm glad," Lance said, grinning from ear to ear. "You seem like a person that'll be fun to have around." Keith nodded, he was eternally grateful for how easy that was. He was exhausted and it was only noon.
"Anyway, we have to get going," Shiro said, saving Keith from more social interaction. "The monitors are dismissing and we don't want to be late." They all nodded and went to their separate classes.
In his next class, Ms Britton's class, he came to a terrible realization. Lotor was in his class. And he was a total dick. He'd been seated next to a girl with long pigtails, he was pretty sure her friends had called her Romelle. Next to Romelle, though, was Lotor. The guy with unrealistically gorgeous white hair, dark blue eyes, and grunge fashion taste. He was hot, and Keith hated him with a burning passion. Looks be damned, he would love to take his knife and stab him in the neck.
The first thing he'd done is flirt with every person except for him, which was fine. He didn't really want to talk to anyone anyway. But then, he decided that he just had to turn around and call him a useless good-for-nothing for spending lunch with Lance and the gang. And Keith, being the overprotective person he is, told him that the group was an amazing group. Lotor scoffed, glared at him, and turned away to flirt with a guy he didn't care to know.
Next, the guy sits down and starts bragging about his girlfriend. Of course, he'd already heard about Allura. Lance and Pidge had spoken fondly of her, at least more fondly than they spoke of anyone else beside Shiro. But he prattled on and on, making him feel bad for being single. Or trying to anyway, he wouldn't be here long so it didn't really matter to him.
Finally, lastly, he has the nerve to tell Keith that he's so quiet he might be a murderer. This struck a chord, because Keith was a vampire. He drank blood to stay alive. But he could confidently say he never had and never would kill anyone by taking their blood for his own use. He'd stabbed people, but even then they'd never died. Everyone he knew had always made fun of him for it, and here was a guy who had the nerve to tell him he was a murderer. Loudly. To the whole class.
Of course, he'd ignored all this. He didn't want to try to explain himself, or his friends, or anything at all. He wanted to be left in peace and he made that terribly clear. By not reacting at all. He left that class more frustrated than anything and immensely relieved he could get way from the white-haired bitch.
He was even more relieved when he found out that his next class would not harbor Lotor, but instead his girlfriend. Allura seemed particularly calm, quiet. He was seated next to her and she smiled and waved.
"Hi, I'm Allura. It's nice to meet you. We'll be in these seats awhile, so I hope you don't mind sitting next to me." She also had white hair and blue eyes, though a lighter shade this time. She seemed quite girly, but that didn't bug Keith. Besides, she looked like she was a good person.
He nodded, "Keith, and I don't really mind who I sit by." It wasn't extravagant or anything, but it would do what it needed to. She didn't seem to mind at all, smiling brightly and saying something about how he was the new kid, and that she was glad he had been sitting at lunch with Lance. She didn't mention anyone else. He'd smile and nod politely, but he didn't talk much.
She didn't seem to mind that either, and he was glad. That made it easy to like her. Question is, though: how did she end up with a guy like Lotor? He thought back to this morning, recalling Pidge saying something about her asking him out. What did she see in him that nobody else could? It seemed impossible to have such a nice girl with such a terrible guy. He spent the rest of the period pondering this instead of paying attention.
He went home immediately, dropping his stuff onto the ground in a heap. He was okay for now, didn't need any blood. It was probably just better to go to sleep. After all, he had a long day tomorrow. Three whole extra hours. So, with annoyance, he flopped down on his bed and attempted to sleep. He didn't set his alarm.
Hi, I know it's kind of anticlimactic. But it's honestly just to set up the story and establish how Keith already feels about everyone after Day 1. The next update will be tomorrow, and hopefully it'll have a little more...anything? I really hate reading and writing exposition, but I hope it wasn't too horrendous. Feel free to leave any criticism or feedback! Bye!