Jaune didn't have the most graceful awakening the following morning, having rolled off the couch and onto the hard, dirty cement floor. He lazily pulled himself up off the floor, checking the time on his scroll, which had fallen out of his pocket and was neatly sitting on the couch cushions he was sleeping on.
'Oum its bright.' he thought as he brought his other hand up to his face, shielding his eyes from the bright scroll screen. '12:35...Certainly later than I'd like to have woken up.'
Jaune picked his backpack up off the floor, quickly scanning through it to make sure he had everything he would need before leaving.
'Clothes are in my bag, wallet is in my front right pocket, scroll is in my left pocket, notebook is...shit.'
Jaune searched through his bag rapidly, trying to find his little black book.
'...I must've left it in my locker.' Jaune realized. 'I was hoping to never have to go back to that place.'
Jaune accepted the fact that he would have to return to his school one last time, he didn't like the fact he had to, but he felt he couldn't leave without his little black book. Jaune quickly left his little paradise on the very long journey back to his personal hell. And so, he began his long walk through the tall grass, over the dirt, over the broken glass, and on the broken pavement. As he walked, he looked at his town, at all the houses, little stores, the bigger mall and the bridges and overpasses. He'd come to know the whole town so well, he'd grown up here, seen people come and go, some of them being just random faces, living their lives, and others being relatives. He thought about how he was going to become one of those people, one of the people that just came and went, he was in the background except for the times when he was yanked into the spotlight, but even then he just faded away again. He wondered if anyone would miss him, or notice that he was gone.
Jaune paused as he looked at his school, looking at the steps up to the front door into the corridors and halls.
'Here you go Jaune, one last time, in and out, real quick.'
Jaune quickly went up the steps and into the school. As he entered through the door, he noticed that much like the day before, it seemed empty, and barren of students. Jaune pulled his scroll out to check the time
'1:30, the last two periods have just started, so no one should be in my way as I go to my locker' Jaune thought to himself. He felt relieved, he wouldn't need to interact with anyone, and he'd be able to leave.
Jaune quickly went to his locker, and after a quick search, found his little black notebook on the bottom of his locker, under some useless textbooks he was never going to need again. Just as he had shut his locker he heard the sound of shoes clicking on the ground, and voices filled the hallway. Jaune turned to look where they were coming from, just soon enough to watch, Blake, Ruby, Weiss, and most worryingly, Yang, walk around the corner. The group stopped and looked at the blonde boy that was in front of them.
"Well hey there Jaune-y Boy" Came the call from Yang, a grin present on her face as she approach Jaune, the others behind her. "Glad to see you showed up today, rumour had it you had offed yourself last night, you know had bad rumours can be, right Jaune?" Yang asked condescendingly
"You mean like the one you started about me following the Malachites home and watching them shower?" Jaune responded through gritted teeth
Yang faked a gasp, the girls behind her laughing.
"Me? Never!" she faked offense "Anyway loser, whatcha got there?" She asked, reaching out to try to take the book from his hands.
"None of your business Yang" Jaune responded, holding the book away from her.
Yang took this opportunity to smack his scroll, which he had forgotten to put back in his pocket, out of his other hand. Everyone watched as it fell out of his grasp and shattered on the floor, the screen becoming a million unusable pieces. The group of girls began to laugh hysterically, at least Yang and Ruby were, Blake just had a grin and Weiss just shook her head at their actions. Jaune remained staring at the shattered glass that was now his scroll.
"Wow, you're a piece of shit, aren't you?" Jaune asked, as he looked up from the mess, to Yang laughing hysterically. Yang stopped laughing, her smile falling from her face, an 'ooo' coming from Ruby.
"Oooo, grew some balls did we Arc?" Ruby chimed in
"Shut up Ruby" Jaune fired back, breaking his eye contact with Yang momentarily to look at Ruby, before going back to staring down Yang.
Yang pushed her face to it was mere inches from Jaune's. She may have been 5 inches shorter than him, but she was still threatening as all hell. Jaune somehow managed to keep a straight face while being so close to something that was about to beat the absolute shit out of him.
"Jaune, I'm about to beat the absolute shit out of yo-"
"What are you students doing out of class!?" Came the voice of someone from behind the teens
Jaune had never been so happy to hear Professor Goodwitch's voice in his life. If there was one thing that was sure in life, it was that Goodwitch would send the group of teens back to class. She hated students out of class. Jaune celebrated in his head momentarily before realizing that in the eyes of Goodwitch and the school, he was still a student.
"Oh shit." Jaune and Yang both mumbled at the same time
Yang quickly backed away from Jaune, and like the other three girls behind her, stood up straight and looked at Glynda. Jaune slowly turned to face the Blonde professor. Weiss, being one to think on her feet, began saying her alibi for herself and her friends.
"Sorry miss, my friends and I were sent by Professor Peach to find Jaune." Weiss lied
"I see, well, what were you doing out of class, Mister Arc?" Glynda asked, turning to face Jaune
Jaune panicked for a second, before looking at the book in his hand.
"Just came to get my book for class, forgot I left it in my locker, silly old me." Jaune explained, a fake smile on his face as he scratched the back of his head. 'Still gotta put this fucking act on.' Jaune berated himself in his head.
Glynda wasn't an idiot, she knew that the group of girls weren't let out of class, most likely sneaking out or not even showing up to begin with, and she also knew that Jaune had not been present all day, as he had been marked absent on all the rolls for that day. Glynda decided that wouldn't give the students in front of her a detention, which to many would have seemed like a miracle, but in truth, she knew the situation Jaune was in, both at home and at school, and a detention would just add to that list of things to stress over. Glynda had never approached Jaune to help, nor intervened when an incident with other students, mainly the four across from him, happened. She hadn't at school as other teachers had said that Jaune had to stand up on his own, ad that doing so would teach him independence, and she had never approached Jaune about what happened outside of school as she felt it would be inappropriate of someone as herself so high ranking in the school to approach a student about their personal life.
'I do worry though.' Glynda thought to herself 'Next time it happens I will step in'
"Very well then, to make sure you five actually return to class I will escort you back to class" Glynda told them, beginning to walk down the hall, leading them to the music room they had come from.
The walk back to the music room was long and awkward, with the girls quietly talking to one another with a few laughs here and there, only to be glared at by Goodwitch which shut them up. Soon enough though they were lead to the correct room. As the girls entered the room, Glynda stopped Jaune at the door, making the two blondes the only people in the hallway.
"Jaune" she began "Remember that if needed, I'll be here for you."
Jaune stared at his professor, no emotion on his face as he looked at the older blonde's eyes. He then began to slowly shake his head, only breaking eye contact momentarily to look at the ground, before raising his eyes back to hers.
"Don't fucking lie to Me." he said coldly before walking into the classroom he'd been lead to.
Nothing too special happened during the last two periods of class, just people staring at Jaune, who was at the back of the class, Jaune staring back and writing more things in his notebook. Soon enough the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. Jaune was one of the first out of the class, and since he already had his bag, one of the first out of the school. As Jaune began to take steps out of the school, he felt pain all up through his feet. It dawned on him that he had been walking a lot, for extended periods of time all day. Jaune turned to the main road by the school and stuck his thumb out, trying to hitch a ride. Many cars passed Jaune, and he felt he spent his whole day on the side of the road with his thumb out, but eventually a car stopped on the side of the road. Jaune approached the tinted window, very slowly the window was wound down to reveal the driver. He had silver hair, a collared shirt that was slightly unbuttoned and an off center cross necklace.
"Where you going?" the man asked. He had a low, gruff voice
Jaune knew where he wanted to go, but he doubted this guy would take him there, so Jaune said a nearby location.
"The convenience store on the corner of Stuart Street and 12th Avenue" Jaune said
The man paused for a moment, seeming to look out the window, staring forever
"Sure, get in" he said eventually
As Jaune walked away from the driver's side window, he caught a glimpse of someone in the passenger's seat, a very familiar someone, a someone with long, blonde hair.
'No.' Jaune thought to himself during the few steps from the driver's door to the door to the back seat. 'There is no way this is Yang and Ruby's car' as Jaune entered the back of the car, his fears were confirmed as a short red head sat on the other side of the back seat. All Jaune could do was grin a huge, snarky grin 'of fucking course it is, why wouldn't it be, why on earth would fate cut me a break and have it not be!'
"What are you doing here Arc?" Ruby asked, a look of disgust and horrified confusion on her face as she did so.
Jaune responded, a grin still plastered on his face.
"Hitching a ride."
Jaune thought the walk from his locker to the classroom was awkward, the car trip blew the walk out of the water. Jaune was just thankful that, somehow, Yang hadn't noticed Jaune was in the car, as she had her headphones on with the music up loud. Jaune silently thanked Oum when the car pulled up in the convenience store parking lot. Jaune left the car and walked into the convenience store, casually smacking the phone out of the hands of a man that stood next to the door. Once inside, Jaune immediately walked to the slushy machine, filled a large cup, purposely poured some on the floor, then walked out of the store, ignoring the cashier asking him if he was going to pay for the drink. Jaune walked across the large parking lot and into the liquor shop on the other side, grabbing some bottles of beer, and walking out again before any store worker could ask any questions.
Jaune scanned the large, empty parking lot, and spotted a blonde boy and a boy with dark crimson hair looking down. Jaune approached the two, and as he got closer he realized the duo were both Faunus, the blonde having a monkey tail and the red head having what looked like bull horns. As Jaune approached, the blonde looked over at him, seeming to stand up defensively. Jaune raised his hands slightly.
"Easy, easy, I'm not gonna yell at you or nothing"
That seemed to ease the pair.
"Sorry man, you can never be too safe, you know?" The blonde said
"Yeah man, I totally understand" Jaune replied "So what's up with you guys? You're looking pretty down"
"We feel there's nothing left for us here" the crimson haired one said, not taking his eyes from his shoes
"I feel the same." Jaune said, looking down at the sitting boy "I'm getting out of here." he continued
"Hey, this may sound weird, but do you think we could tag along?" the blonde standing across from Jaune asked.
Jaune turned his head and looked at the boy, then reached his hand out.
"I don't see why not, I'm Jaune by the why"
The blondes shook hands.
"Thank you so much man! I'm Sun! And my red headed friend here is Adam!"
Jaune handed Sun one of the beers, and placed one next to Adam on the curb. Adam looked up at Jaune, confused, before taking the beer and opening it alongside Sun.
"Sun, Adam" Jaune began, turning to face each boy when he said their names "This calls for a toast" Jaune raised he beer into the air, knocking it against his new found friends' beers "Here to getting the fuck out of Signal Town!"
Hello,
I know I said that hopefully I'd update during my long holidays, and that is technically correct, today may be the last possible day for it to apply, but it still counts! I would have had this out sooner, but the USB I keep all my stories on became corrupted, so I had to restart. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, I actually added Qrow this time, as last time he hadn't been revealed, and I honestly think, now knowing his character, it is going to help this story heaps, so that's a plus. This is the last of the prologue chapters, so next chapter will be in the future, and have a song (Just like last time). Thank you so much for reading, reviewing, following or favouriting.
Love,
ASaintNamedJimmy