A/N: Well, herro there! I hoped y'all enjoyed chapter one, and are looking forward to this chapter. After all, I aim to please my darlin' readers!
I would like to give credit to my partner in crime, Fleeting Rebelion! She has supported my writing, although she despises the pairing. She has stuck with all of my inquires and musings and has given some insightful advice, so everyone should thank her!
If I make any mistakes, feel free to flame me to hell. I will not be angry with you for telling me, but I will be very angry with myself for not having an awesome story for you lovely readers out there. Also, I am a sucker for feedback and critiques, so don't be stingy! Suggestions are welcome as well, but I may or may not use them.
Disclaimer: I, albeit regrettably, do not own FMA….If I did, you would know.
Warning: I may write characters very OOC, so please consider that I need to manipulate these characters for the sake of the story. Don't kill me with blunt objects! Also, I have a present for Royai fans out there. Another warning; I do not know much about classes in Junior year, seeing as I am a lowly freshman, so feel free to correct me.
There were some questions as to what relation Pride has to Envy. Pride is his father, so I hope that cleared everything up. I apologize for any confusion. Also, Wrath and Gluttony will make their appearance. Now, on to the chapter!
Prove Me Wrong
Chapter Two:
The Names to the Faces
-Envy's POV-
Why was I awakened to the sounds of frantic yells and munching sounds? Oh, right; my younger brother Wrath was tormenting Greed, my dear uncle, and my elder brother Gluttony was chewing loudly on his breakfast fit for ten grown men. I was the only sane one in this household it seems, besides my mom, Lust, and her demure sister, Sloth. Even my darling Daddy, Pride, was somewhat of a nutter, if you ask me. He sometimes goes off on tangents about how we, the future of the world, make him extremely proud, and that he would brag to the faculty of Central High, the school I would now be attending, about Gluttony, Wrath, and I.
I used to go to East High, where my only companion was this kid named Alphonse Elric in the grade below me, but Pride wanted me to attend the school he was the principal of so that he could 'keep an eye' on me. This is somewhat laughable because he literally has one eye. He told me he had a terrible infection in it and had to get it removed, but I think that he only did it so that he could wear an eye patch, which he always did. Now that I think about it, I have never seen him without it.
I suddenly heard an almighty crash as I was getting dressed. "Wrath, you little bastard! Get back here!" I heard Greed yell. Wrath must have broken his sunglasses again, for the umpteenth time. Every time he broke them, all hell would break loose, complete with flying lamps, a lot of swearing, and intervening parental figures. To Pride and Lust, Greed was basically a ten-year-old. Although he was twenty-six, he still managed to seem like a whiny little brat.
More crashes and obscene arguments ensued as I quickly slipped on my favorite shirt, which had Falling In Reverse on it, and a pair of skinny jeans. I grabbed my old converse (we had been through a lot together), and I combed my long, unruly hair out as much as I could without breaking the brush. Oh, did I mention that my hair was green? No? Well, now you know. It was just as odd as my deep amethyst eyes that seemed to differ from a sparkling indigo to an almost plum purple, depending on the light. All in all, I was an oddity, but I would not have it any other way.
I ran down the dangerously steep staircase that was right across from my bedroom door and into the kitchen, where my backpack, in all its beat up glory, lay. Our house was a two-story, nothing special, but I liked it. It was comforting after a long day at school.
It was the first day of the new school year, so I was relatively happy about that. I mean, I didn't have to just pop in a classroom, all awkward and nervous in the middle of the school year, so I was satisfied.
Lust walked into the kitchen as I grabbed a bite of toast and some orange juice. "Good morning, Envy. Are you ready for school?" she asked brightly.
"Fuck no," I muttered.
"Well, that's too bad, because you are going anyway," she replied, unfazed by my animosity.
I sighed and told her, Greed (who was getting his ass handed to him by Wrath), Gluttony, Wrath (who was beating the shit out of Greed), and Sloth farewell as I sauntered out the door. Wrath and Gluttony both still went to East High for whatever reason. Wrath is the sole reason I even know that kid Al. He only comes over every other damn day. Wrath never goes to Alphonse's house, but when he does, he never wants to leave. I have never had to pick up the little cretin, but Sloth has, and let me tell you; she did not enjoy having to pry him off of a sofa as he screamed several obscene words at her.
I walked to my old Ford truck (a beautiful black 55' Ford pickup truck) and hopped in the driver's seat. I brushed my hands lovingly over the steering wheel before starting her up and driving off to my new school. It was not very far from the house; only about a five-minute drive. I could already see the school building looming in the near distance.
I had promised myself that I would actually make friends here and not be as much of a bitch as I have been in the past. I am stronger now. I can cope, and I will forget what happened in middle school and be happy this time. Ever since the Incident, I couldn't handle a lot of contact with people.
I pulled into the school parking lot and parked in the back so I could avoid the mad rush of teens as they rushed to escape prison – ehem, I mean school. I grabbed my bag and headed for the Main Office, where I would meet up with other newbies, get a tour of the school from dear old Dad, and then be shipped off to my classes. Sounds like fun.
The school was nice, I admit, but I didn't pay too much attention to my surroundings as I made my way to the office. I focused on staring at the ground and not attracting attention to myself. Screw being friends with everyone right now, I'll make friends in my own time. I got to the office and saw two other new students; an olive-skinned girl with chocolate brown hair with pink bangs, and a runty boy with black hair and thick glasses. I was not especially attracted to either of them because for one, I was about as straight as a bendy straw, so that rules out the pink-banged girl, and two, I was not into the runty nerdish type of boys.
"Hi there, I'm Rose Lior, nice to meet you," said the smiling pink-banged girl, holding out her hand. I took her hand and returned the smile. "My name is Envy Alighieri, and likewise." I turned to the scrawny boy. "What is your name?" I asked pleasantly.
"Kain Fuery," he replied shyly. He pushed his glasses farther up the bridge of his nose.
"Good to meet you," I said. "So, are you two both juniors this year too?" I queried. They both nodded their assent.
Just as they nodded, Pride swept into the room with his usual stealth and grace. I fail to see how I came out of the same gene pool, seeing as I have all the grace of a bull with only three legs in a china shop.
Pride smiled good-naturedly at us and introduced himself. After he learned our names – well not mine, since he already knew it – he walked us outside the office and around the school grounds. He spoke as we walked.
"This fine school was established in 1967 by …" That was all I heard before I zoned out. He continued talking until we had made a round trip around the campus. We ended up back at the front entrance to the main building, awaiting dismissal from the tour. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a faint gleam of gold in the sunlight. I turned my head slightly to see what had caught my attention. It was a short golden-haired boy that happened to be passing by me. He did not make eye contact at all, but I suspect that he had been looking at either me, Rose, or Kain, because he was clearly blushing and attempting to hide it from someone in my general direction. As he passed, I got a good view of the squirt.
He had his just-past-shoulder-length golden hair in a neat braid and had almost liquid gold eyes to match. He had lightly tanned skin, which suggested that he was outside for a good portion of the day. The boy also had on tight black leather pants (that I absolutely loved…on him), a fitted black shirt, and a bright red jacket that went a little past his knees. It looked really good on him, although, I do not see how he is wearing that jacket in this heat! It may be September, but it still hot as hell in Louisiana. He also sported black platform boots and white gloves that added to the overall strange yet appealing look.
I knew I was staring, but hey, he had not noticed, and I was enjoying the view. I liked this kid already. Maybe I can be his friend, I thought hopefully. I was extremely choosy about my friends, which is why I had none, so me being attracted to him this quickly was strange, but hell, I like him, so I now christen him as my new friend, even though we haven't exactly met yet.
He and the blonde girl walking beside him entered the main building for class. I inadvertently glared at his female companion because I was, in all honesty, a little envious that she was walking so close to him and was speaking so intimately with him. True to my name, I was envious of that. I wanted a friend. I did not want to be alone.
My eyes widened slightly. I've never thought…. My vision grew blurry as my eyes glazed over with unshed tears. I quickly forced them back, but not before Rose saw and flashed me a meaningful look that said, 'We will discuss this later, you and I.' I was grateful that she cared. Quite frankly, we did not know each other from Adam, so I was confused as to why she would take interest in me, but then it hit me; this is how you make friends.
I felt exulted now that I had someone I knew – well, er, kind of – that I could sit with at lunch or hang around with in class. I felt happy. I cannot express this in simpler words.
Pride finally dismissed us from his little 'tour of the school' and allowed us to go o our homerooms early so we could have enough time to find it and meet the teachers.
We each had different homerooms, so we dispersed and headed our respective directions. I looked at my schedule:
Homeroom: Izumi Curtis – AP Biology, Room 101
Period 1: Roy Mustang – AP Chemistry, Room 210
Period 2: Barry Chopper – World History, Room 104
Break – Cafeteria
Period 3: Olivier Armstrong – AP English, Room 207
Period 4: Alex Armstrong – Fine Arts, Portable Building 1
Lunch – Cafeteria
Period 5: Riza Mustang – Physical Education, Gymnasium
Period 6: Jean Havoc – French III, Portable Building 3
Period 7: Scar Ishval – Calculus III, Room 119
Huh, not bad. My schedule had an interesting diversity of courses, so I was satisfied with the line up. I found AP English to be my favorite subject, for I prefer literature to mathematics or science any day (I am an incurable bookworm). I did enjoy some science though. I really liked the experimentation aspect of it.
I attempted to memorize my classes on my way to my homeroom, but seeing as I had already arrived at my destination, I would have to do that later. I opened the door quickly and quietly, hoping to avoid detection, but as I glimpsed the interior, I saw a lone person sitting silently in the back row, leafing through a textbook with little interest. A smirk found its way to my lips as I stood in the doorway. The golden-haired pipsqueak turned toward me and when he saw me, his eyes widened considerably and he just stared. He suddenly jerked his head, like he had been disturbed from a reverie. In conclusion, the look on his face: priceless.
I walked toward him with as much grace as I could muster, which is not saying much, but at least I didn't trip and fall on my face. I sat in the seat right beside him and gave him my best 'sexy smirk'.
"'Sup Shrimpy," I said. His face immediately turned beat-red in rage and he began yelling at me.
"I AM NOT SHORT YOU PALMTREE!" he shouted at me. He calmed down somewhat when he noticed that I had not said anything yet. I just busted out laughing at this. I had never heard the nickname 'Palm tree' before. I liked it.
"I have never heard that one before! That was a good one. So, what's your name, Shrimp? I'm Envy Alighieri, nice to meet you," I told him, while I was still chuckling.
He gritted his teeth a little and replied, "My name is Edward Elric, but just call me Ed."
Isn't that the same last name that Alphonse had? I thought. I decided that it was after I thought about it some, but I did not pursue it. Al had never mentioned an older brother when he came over, so maybe it was a coincidence.
I had been pondering this for a few minutes when Ed began to speak. "So what kind of a name is 'Envy'?"
I blinked in surprise and mulled this question over. I sort of half-smiled when I responded. "Well, my mom, Lust, got it from her mother Dante, who named my uncle and aunt Greed and Sloth. My dearest Daddy, Pride, is the principal, in case you haven't put two and two together. They wanted to carry on the 'tradition' so that's how I came to be Envy. Kind of ironic, huh?"
Edward was staring at him again, nodding. He snapped himself out of it and flushed a brilliant shade of crimson. Ed muttered something along the lines of 'interesting', and he then turned back around to face the front, probably because students were streaming into the room now. The teacher, who I remembered as Izumi Curtis, also entered the room. As soon as she stepped foot in the classroom, an icy chill settled in the air, subduing most of the loud chattering and boisterous laughing resonating through out the room.
"I'm Izumi Curtis, your homeroom teacher. I will be teaching AP Biology this year. Any questions?" she said somewhat threateningly. Everyone shook their heads and refused to make eye contact with her. "Good, now be quiet for announcements!" she roared. We all sat at attention for the announcements and after they were over, the bell rang, dismissing us for Period 1. We all but sprinted to the door to escape the impending wrath of Mrs. Curtis. Once the crown thinned out, I jogged over to Edward, who was at his locker not far from the classroom.
"Hey," I greeted. "What is your schedule?" I asked innocently. He hesitated and then began scrounging around in his backpack for the elusive paper that was his schedule. "I uh, have it right here, Envy," he replied as he handed me the paper. I looked it over.
Homeroom: Izumi Curtis – AP Biology, Room 101
Period 1: Roy Mustang – AP Chemistry, Room 210
Period 2: Maes Hughes – Civics, Room 125
Break – Cafeteria
Period 3: Olivier Armstrong – AP English, Room 207
Period 4: Ling Yao – Health, Room 230
Lunch – Cafeteria
Period 5: Riza Mustang – Physical Education, Gymnasium
Period 6: Martel Hebi– Spanish III, Portable Building 2
Period 7: Scar Ishval – Calculus III, Room 119
We had four periods together, including the break and lunch! I was overjoyed to find that I could torture and tease the blonde all day long. He was an acquaintance now, by most people's standards, but I already thought of him as a friend.
"Hey, we have first, third, fifth, and seventh together," I pointed out, a little redundantly.
"Cool," he replied. "You wanna walk to AP Chem. with me?"
I nodded my ascent and let him lead me up the flight of stairs to the AP Chem. classroom. I stayed close behind Ed as I stepped into the room, so as not to draw too much attention. I saw a severe looking man that I took to be our teacher, Mr. Mustang. I remembered the schedule suddenly. Didn't someone else have that last name? Oh yeah, Mrs. Riza Mustang. I again assumed that they were either married or they were brother and sister, and she had not given away her last name. I wondered about this as I took my seat next to Edward. He did not seem to mind me sitting next to him again.
Mustang's jet-black hair fell into his rich, piercing dark brown eyes. His pale visage held a stern air that commanded attention from his subordinates, or in other words, we the students.
The rest of the students filed into the room, now rather solemn thanks to Mrs. Curtis's shouting and frightening Glares of Death.
"As you know, I am Mr. Roy Mustang, AP Chemistry teacher, yadda, yadda, yadda…" he looked around the room staring into each of our souls in turn. "Now, here is the syllabus for this year's class. Have this signed by your parental figure or legal guardian. You must have these to me by Friday, do I make myself perfectly clear?" he said in a deep, yet clipped voice.
"Yes, Mr. Mustang," resounded from the students.
"Good, now on with the lesson," Mustang said. He put up the notes for the first chapter and waited for everyone to finish jotting it down before switching the slide. After about five slides of very sparse notes, he put on a video about the atomic theory. "I hate notes just as much as you do, if not more (he muttered this under his breath), so here's an educational video. Take at least three full pages of notes to turn in when the bell rings."
Everyone groaned audibly at this and began taking out paper and pens. I heard an especially loud protest from beside me.
"That lazy bastard just wants to get a nap," said Ed in a vehement whisper. I took it that Edward knew him. Ed elaborated on his earlier statement. "He even made coming to check up on Al and I an excuse for missing a seminar up at the school. I'm still surprised Riza didn't stop him in his tracks."
He said this with a hint of affection. I just had to ask now. "Okay, what the hell are you talking about, Blondie?" I asked. He smiled over at me, which made my chest tighten slightly. He had the cutest lopsided grin I had ever laid eyes on.
"Well, since the Bearded Bastard, otherwise known as my father, is not home, he and Riza, who are were recently married, or Izumi come to check on me and my brother Al," he said simply. He was on a first name basis with the teachers? Geez, he must be really close with 'em I guess. I neglected to mention that I knew his brother, but oh well, I'll tell him later. I filed this bit of information for a later date, for now, I was curious about his parents.
The following statement is one I will regret for all eternity:
"What about your mother? Isn't she there to care for you?" as soon as I had said it, I knew I had stepped on a landmine.
His eyes veiled over with the recollection of sorrowful memory that Envy could only speculate about. Ed's eyes seem to grow slightly back to normal after a few painful moments. "Hey, we had better be taking notes, Envy. Let's pay attention so we don't fail our first lesson, okay?" He said this almost pleadingly, so I promptly let it drop...for now. I turned back to the front and began copying facts.
Ed….What happened to you?
Chapter Two is complete! Woohoo! And sorry about leaving off there...well, no, I am not sorry. ehehehe, anyway, tell my what you think. The next chapter deviates from my original plans, but I hope you like the idea. This is Bomb-With-an-Accent, signing out!
