AN: This one was suggested by the lovely gorgeousangel. High school AU.

"I hate Mondays!" Arthur complained as he flung himself onto his stool next to Merlin and Gwen and slumped his head onto his arms. His two best friends ignored this comment, Arthur was not a morning person and on Mondays he was almost unbearable to be around. However there was a good reason why they loathed Mondays aside from the fact they were Mondays.

"Double maths first class! Just shoot me now and put me out of my misery." Gwen complained as she pretended to shoot herself in the head. Merlin nodded and looked around the class. It was the same as every other Monday. Everyone was sitting in their group of friends, discussing what they did at the weekend, trying to get a few precious minutes of sleep or else finishing homework. Everything was the same as every other morning at Excalibur High School.

"Do you ever wish something would happen? Something interesting I mean." Merlin asked. Gwen nodded and Arthur looked up at them.

"Like what? Nothing exciting ever happens here." Gwen said. Excalibur was a good school but there was something dull about attending a good school. Nothing really exciting ever happened. Nobody famous had attended or visited the school; there were never any really shocking scandals or major rule-breaking or disorderly behaviour. It was just an average school. Just like the hundreds of thousands of schools in England. Ordinary. Average. Dull.

"I don't just mean exciting, even just something different. Something new." Merlin commented.

Just as he said that, there was a knock at the door and a student that none of them recognised came into the room and approached their form teacher's desk and began speaking to Mr Wilson. A few moments later, the girl turned and looked at the class nervously as Mr Wilson called for silence and everyone looked up and studied the new girl. The girl was petite with pale skin, brown eyes and dark brown shoulder length hair. Judging by the nervous way she was twisting her fingers together and the way she was wearing the uniform perfectly without even having the top button of her blouse unbutton or her tie a tiny bit loose, indicated her as a new student.

"Settle down everyone. I want to introduce you to Freya Jones, our new student. I trust all of you will make Freya feel welcome." Mr Wilson said and as Freya offered the class a nervous smile, Merlin was struck by how pretty she was. There were several pretty girls at his school but they all seemed to pale in comparison to the girl standing at the front of the classroom.

Beside Merlin, Arthur glanced from Freya to Merlin before grinning knowingly at Gwen who shot Merlin a look before nodding in agreement to Arthur's knowing grin. Before anyone could say or do anything, Arthur raised his hand to gain Mr Wilson's attention and the old science teacher looked at him with his usual arched eyebrow.

"Arthur, is there something you would like to say?" Mr Wilson asked and Arthur grinned as Merlin realised what he was going to say just before he said it.

"Merlin fancies the new girl!" Arthur insisted. Everyone burst out laughing as a scarlet-faced Merlin looked away from Freya and punched Arthur on the arm as Gwen rolled her eyes at the ceiling and shook her head whilst fighting a smile. Freya ducked her head to try and hide the blush spreading over her cheeks as Gwaine gave a loud wolf whistle. Mr Wilson cleared his throat and gave Arthur a stern glance but he too looked amused at the situation.

"Thank you for that insightful information Arthur." Mr Wilson said as the bell rang and the students began reaching for their bags and getting ready to go to class. Merlin snatched his bag and hurried from the room, some of his classmates offering some jokes which he ignored. Arthur shook his head and hung back to walk with Gwen.

"Honestly, some people can't take a joke." Arthur commented.

"You did just embarrass both of them and it's Freya's first day too." Gwen replied with a shrug of her shoulders as they reached the door.

"Gwen, a word please." Mr Wilson said and Gwen turned to Arthur.

"See you in maths." Gwen said and she shut the door and turned to her form teacher and Freya who was still slightly pink-cheeked. Gwen walked up to Mr Wilson, wondering what her form teacher wanted and hoped she wouldn't get told off for what Arthur did. She may be one of his best friends but she wasn't his mother.

"Gwen, I would want you to show Freya around the school and help her settle in." Mr Wilson said and Gwen nodded.

"Yeah no problem." Gwen replied as she and Freya walked out of the room and down the corridor. "Sorry about Arthur, he was just trying to be funny."

"It's all right," Freya replied shyly as Gwen led the way from the science department to the maths department through the crowded corridors. By the time they reached the classroom, everyone else was in their seats and Gwen sat beside Merlin and Freya spoke to their teacher before taking the only free seat which was beside Sophia.

By lunchtime, Merlin still was refusing to speak to Arthur. For once he had seen a cute girl who for all he knew, could have had a chance with and Arthur put his massive foot into it. Arthur was one of his best friends but he didn't half drive Merlin made sometimes. Arthur was aware that Merlin was annoyed and after attempting to laugh it off was now attempting to apologise.

"I am sorry but if it was me, you would have done it too." Arthur commented and after a moment, Merlin shrugged his shoulders. If their roles had been reversed and it was a new girl who Arthur plainly fancied, he most likely would have done the same thing.

"Suppose so," Merlin commented as he bit into his sandwich. He still couldn't shake off the feeling that whatever chances he had had with Freya were most likely blown after that.

"Hey boys," Gwen said as she and Freya joined them and sat down. "Freya you know Merlin and Arthur."

"Hi," Freya said with a small smile, remembering how the blond boy had claimed his dark-haired friend had fancied her that morning. Even though she barely knew them, she had to admit that she hoped Arthur hadn't been lying when he had said that.

"Hi Freya, how are you finding Excalibur so far?" Arthur asked Freya.

"It's all right, Gwen's been really nice but I do miss my old school." Freya replied.

"Where were you from?" Merlin asked curiously.

"I lived just outside Exeter but we moved here after my dad got a new job." Freya explained. It had been hard leaving everything behind but her dad's new job would mean more money and a better life for their family. They couldn't turn an opportunity like that down.

"You'll settle in here soon enough, everyone's pretty decent in our class." Arthur reassured. That was one of the good things about Excalibur, almost everyone you met was a pretty decent person. There were no major rivalries between classes or groups of people like you seen in those clichéd American movies or people who tried to start fights or cause trouble for no reason.

"Yeah everyone's decent. Except for this big mouth as you know already." Merlin retorted and both Gwen and Freya laughed as Arthur shrugged his shoulders and turned to Freya.

"Sorry about this morning, I was only messing around." Arthur apologised sincerely. It had only been a joke. Some banter between friends, nothing serious or malicious.

"It's OK," Freya replied shyly.

As they continued eating their lunch and chatting, it soon became obvious to Arthur and Gwen that there was a clear attraction between Merlin and Freya. Indeed as they left the canteen and took Freya on a tour around the school, it was more Merlin who was informing Freya of the various departments, where the matron's room was and which of her teachers were either strict or decent. As they reached the library, Merlin showed Freya the computers and Gwen and Arthur hung back.

"I feel like a third wheel." Arthur commented.

"So do I," Gwen replied. "It's sweet though, seeing Merlin with a little crush."

"Our little Merlin's all grown up." Arthur joked as he wiped away a mock tear. "Tenner says they'll get together."

"It's not a case of 'if' they get together but 'when'." Gwen said as she and Arthur walked over to Merlin and Freya who were sitting at one of the tables talking away as though they had known each other for years.

As they walked over to Merlin and Freya, Gwen made a show of pulling out her phone and checking the time. "Oh no, I forgot. Freya I'm sorry but I've a singing lesson now. I have to go."

"Oh, all right." Freya replied as Merlin gave Gwen a confused look. Gwen did have singing lessons in school but on Wednesdays, not Mondays.

"Yeah and I need to speak to my Art teacher about some coursework." Arthur added. "I'm sure Merlin will walk with you to English."

Before Merlin or Freya could say anything, Gwen and Arthur walked out of the library. As soon as they were at the doorway, the two looked back to see Merlin and Freya engrossed in conversation once more. As they walked away from the library and towards the Arts department were the music, drama and Art classrooms were, Arthur looked at Gwen knowingly.

"Ten quid says they're together by Friday." Arthur claimed.

"Deal," Gwen replied as they shook hands. "I think she'll be good for him." Gwen said, Freya was a really nice girl and once she was comfortable with them, she wasn't as shy as she had been that morning when she arrived in their classroom. As his best friends, both Arthur and Gwen knew that Merlin deserved a girl who was sweet and friendly like Freya and that he would be someone who would be loving and kind to any girl he was in a relationship with. As long as Merlin was happy, then they would be happy for him.

"Yeah. Merlin and Freya sitting in a tree." Arthur chanted and Gwen playfully elbowed him as they wandered around the school, waiting for the bell to ring and continued talking about Merlin and Freya. All they wanted was for Merlin to be happy and if Freya made him happy, then nothing else mattered.

Next Monday morning, Merlin and Freya joined Arthur and Gwen at their usual desk in the science lab and it took Arthur and Gwen all of two seconds to realise that Merlin and Freya were holding hands. As he recalled their bet, Arthur turned to Merlin and Freya.

"When did this happen?" Arthur asked in a low voice, having learnt his lesson from last Monday.

"Saturday, we spent the day in town and at the end of the evening when he walked me home, Merlin asked me to be his girlfriend." Freya admitted shyly, carefully omitting the part about them being caught by her dad kissing on the front step and her dad chasing Merlin down the street. Merlin caught her eye and smiled at her, if Arthur knew how their Saturday night ended, he'd never let Merlin forget it.

"That's great, I'm so happy for you both." Gwen grinned at them before turning to Arthur and clicking her fingers. "Pay up!"

"You made a bet?" Merlin asked, the grin falling off his face.

"No, Arthur made a bet and he lost." Gwen replied as she slipped the ten pound note into her blazer pocket as Mr Wilson began taking the register and Merlin and Freya simply smiled at each other.

"I like your friends." Freya commented and Merlin smiled at Gwen and Arthur, the latter of whom was frowning as Gwen tauntingly wafted the ten pound note in his face.

"Yeah, they're the best." Merlin replied.