Lunch. The bell finally rings, and I stuff my notebook and pencils into my backpack. Better go and scout out places to eat or not eat lunch alone. FF was pretty nice, but she still seemed like the type that would never sit with me at lunch. Plus I just don't want to have to listen to Eridan's 'wweird,' accented come ons.
I start to get up from my desk, hefting my bag up over my shoulder. All goes well until I trip and my face makes a lovely introduction to the cold, hard floor. Face, meet floor. Pleasure to meet you, I'm just going to possibly smash all of your little face bones. Pardon me.
And now my nose is bleeding.
I shuffle my body to get my feet under me, and realize that some asshole tied my shoes together. What is this, fucking second grade?
There are some giggles to my left. I turn my head to glare at the culprits and am a little taken aback once I get a good look at them.
The first kid is incredibly tall and lanky, and I would know. He's got a crazy mop of dark hair and really baggy, polka dotted pants. I'm not even sure they're actual pants, they look more like pajama bottoms to me. His face...oh my gog, he's wearing clown face paint. Under the face paint, he's grinning lazily, and I'm almost positive he's as high as a kite. He's got one long arm draped over the second kid, who's in a wheelchair. He's got a fluffy brown mohawk, but other than that, he looks pretty meek with black shorts and button up shirt. Missing his legs from the knees down, poor guy.
They're both snickering a little, but the one in the wheelchair immediately stops when I look up, and quickly wheels himself over.
"O-oh my gog, I'm, uh, so sorry! We did not mean to, um, give you a bloody nose." He seems sincere but also squeamish at the sight of blood.
"Yeah, motherfucker, didn't think you'd get all up and hurt like that," drawls the tall kid, leaning down to look at me.
Self-conscious, I gingerly reach two fingers up to my nose. They come away very red, and it feels gross on my upper lip. Better get to the bathroom before I turn into a complete mess.
"You know what, it'th fine, jutht let me get cleaned up."
"Aw, let us help you with that."
Ooookay. "Thankth, guyth, really, but I jutht want to-"
"N-no, I feel bad. I would like to, uh, help, if you don't mind, that is..." the mohawk kid stutters out. "Oh, my name is Tavros, and this is, uh, Gamzee."
"Nice to meet you, motherfucker." Gamzee sticks out a hand, then suddenly realizes that your free hand is bloody and retracts it, instead moving to help you up. "We'll get you all fixed up and then it'll just be bitchtits wicked."
I almost laughed at that. What is with the people around here and their weird language? Not that I mind, it's just funny. "Thankth."
They hauled me off to the bathroom, which I was relieved it wasn't far, because Gamzee made me ride on Tavros's lap the whole way there and I think the poor guy was more awkward about it than me.
As the two of them helped me stop the bleeding and wash off the blood, I can't help asking a few questions about my fellow classmates.
"Do you guyth know Feferi and Eridan?"
The stoner chuckles and nearly pokes my eye out with his paper towel. "Fuck yeah, they're like school royalty."
Tavros nods. "I guess you could say they are, uh, popular, but Feferi is very nice."
I understandly caught his implication that Eridan was much less so and grinned, cracking a bit of dried blood on my upper lip.
"Okay, tho what'th up with that angry kid?"
"Y'mean Karkat?"
I shrugged. "Thure, I don't know hith name."
Tavros went to throw away a bloodied paper towel and washed his hands. "I think you are, um, talking about Karkat Vantas."
"Yeah, that little motherfucker's always pissed 'bout something. But he's one of my best bros," says Gamzee, getting distracted by the miracle of soap dispensers.
I never would have thought that, but okay. "He theemth like a real jerk."
Gamzee presses the soap button thing one more time and marvels at the bubbles in his hand. "Nah, man, he's just kinda protective. Gotta lot of shit goin' on."
I'm not sure what that means, but now I'm curious. Not to sound cliche, but it sounds like there's more to this kid than meets the eye.
Tossing the rest of the paper towels away, I stare at my face in the mirror. Same angular face, thin nose, and pointy chin. Blood-free now, though. I sigh and turn away, thanking my two new...friends? for their help. "Thankth again."
"Not a problem, Solbro." Gamzee waves as he wheels Tavros to the cafeteria. "You coming to lunch?"
"I think I'll jutht go thtraight outthide. I'm not really hungry." It's true, I just want to finish the school day and get back to my computer, but I still have two more periods to get through. Will the torture that is my first day of school never end?
"Oh, uh, okay, Sollux, we'll see you around then." Tavros waves shyly as Gamzee turns to go inside.
I wave back and started for the nearest tree to sit write down some codes I'd thought up in the last few periods. Shortcuts are the best. Might as well make some use of this time.
Settling my bag and my back against the tree, I make myself comfortable and pull out my other notebook. It's chock full of random bits of code and sometimes doodles I make when I'm bored. If I had more friends I might write notes in it, but sadly, nothing has gotten to that point.
I've been working for about ten minutes when I hear a rustling and notice a shadow nearing my position.
"What the fuck are you doing here?"
I look up and see at that angry ki- oops, Karkat. Why do I keep running into him? "Thup. What do you want?"
"For you to move out of my spot. I always sit at this tree, and some new douchemuffin coming to school isn't going to take it from me. Move." He makes a shooing motion with one hand.
Gog, he's irritating and is probably going to end up giving me a headache to take home as a souvenir. "No."
He just stares at me, eyes smoldering. "What." It's not even a question.
"I'm not moving. Go find a new thpot."
He shifts his weight and crosses his arms, staring daggers. "Move your ass before I move it for you with my foot."
"I thaid I'm not moving! Leave me the fuck alone!" I throw back at him, ready to get up and just shove him away. I could, too. I'm a good head taller than him.
He looks like he's about to kick me in the face, but instead flops down next to me, throwing his backpack to the side.
I just look blankly at him. "What are you doing?"
"Not letting my spot be taken, what the fuck's it look like?"
"Whatever. Jutht don't talk to me." I roll my eyes and turn back to my notebook. What was that one code again? Forward slash, zero, one, one...Now I can't remember! Fuck! The interruption chased my coding thoughts away, and it doesn't help that Karkat is watching over my shoulder and I can just feel it. I stiffen and turn to look at him.
"Do you want thomething or are you jutht being creepy?"
He glares at me again. Does he ever stop glaring? "Shut up."
"All you've done thince I've met you is inthult me and just be a general pain in the ath. Buthth off."
"Was that a fucking bee pun?"
"Yeth."
"Wow. You are even more sad than I thought, and that shouldn't be possible."
"Why do you feel the need to hathle me tho much? Don't you have anything better to do, or are you jutht that pathetic that you thtart jumping the new kid?"
He viciously tears into his sandwich and glares at me over it, and he suddenly reminds me of one of those angry little terrier dogs that are just dying to bite your head off. Pretty accurate description.
Finishing his bite, he resumes his slandering. "I'm hassling you because you irritate me, I keep running into you, and I have nothing better to do. Also your codes suck." He jerks a toward my notebook.
Oh, no he didn't. "No, they don't. And like you could do any better. You'd blow up a computer."
"You fucking nerd. You might be able to type faster than me, but I can still code better than you."
"Doubt it, idiot."
"Moron with his head up his ass."
"Wow, PMThing much."
"Fucktard."
"Athhat."
We just stare at each other for a second, seething, and then the corner his mouth twitches. I can't help it. I start chuckling, and then full on laughing. He joins in after a second, and it isn't long until we're rolling in the grass and laughing our heads off. What's so funny, I don't even know, but we're still laughing. Maybe we're just idiots.
"First time anyone's given that back to me," he pants, rubbing at his eyes and smiling...well, not completely scowling.
"About time," I snort, holding my aching sides.
He props himself up on his elbows and grabs the rest of his sandwich. "You're not half bad, Tholluckth."
"Thame for you, KK." I grin at him.
"Did you just give me a nickname?"
"Oh, come on. How many people have two K'th in their name?"
"Fine." He finishes his sandwich in silence, and I go back to my notebook, but somehow I made a friend in this lunch period. And I made it by fighting with him. Go figure.
