Life Changes
Chapter Four
But He Didn't
The first two classes flew by and were the easiest thing for Edward to manage. His second block was a different class than he'd ever had: Geography. How the hell was he going to know the geographic layout of a country- neigh - world that he's only been in for a few weeks? He didn't know how but he was definitely going to bullshit this. He walked into a classroom where the back wall was covered in picture of one person with various teenagers and multi-colored fuzz balls that resembled necklaces. What the actual hell? Ed searched the room for an adult he assumed would be the teacher and found her. This particular teacher was bigger than most and loved to wear dresses that scraped the floor. Her room or class was never dull and was well liked by most students and new many of them on a personal level.
"Uh, excuse me? I'm a new student and I'm trying to figure this place out. Are you Ms. Roess?" he asked with his notebook hanging loosely in on arm and a sheet of paper flailing in the other.
"You're Edward. Right, let me get you a book and take an empty seat once everyone is settled." he stood there, waiting while the rest took their time in talking with friends or finishing assignments from others, he waited the rest of the five minute passing period standing in the same spot and rocking back and forth on his heels. He waited.
It took long enough for everyone to sit in respective seats and he moved more towards the back of a dest clump near the open window letting in the harsh Chicagoland air. He almost immediately regretted it. He sat there in class as the rest filled out a map of borders, rivers, mountains, and lakes across the continent known as Europe, he sat there not knowing what to do or what the hell any of this map meant. He peaked over at someone's book so he could get a page number, now he kinda knew but he couldn't put all the pieces together. So, he bullshitted it.
Class ended after another grueling one and a half hours and chased through the halls to reach his locker and make it to his next class, but what was theology? He moved into the room and saw a group of three or four misfits standing by the windows. By 'misfits' he means that they look like they would never interact with each other. But they were there. A few more people came in who he had never noticed, even if it was his first day. Then he saw Alek, she was holding her books in arms and a bag of markers dangled from her hand, the one gripping the books and the other was full of… pretzels? She sat her books down and paid no heed to him, probably upset about this morning still. She talked to a blonde girl and a short haired brunette girl, they seemed pretty tight knit.
An old woman waltzed into the room and up to the podium and started to talk about prayer. God what prayer?! I'm not religious, do I have to pray? Shit, I don't need someone to tell me about god! I've met that prick how many times? Like I wanna hear people boast about Truth!
"We have a new student joining us today, Edward." Everyone turned to look at the blond 'German'. He spaced out after a while because well, it was a pointless class to him. At one point he came back to reality when the teacher talked about how 'god' sacrificed himself for us and so we could go to Heaven and Ed just let had to let out a little chuckle. Truth sacrificing himself for humans? That's rich. He never did anything remotely helpful to us. If you call taking my leg, arm, and brother away then yeah, helpful. Not like he almost killed me and Al. But no whatever she's talking about is so wrong and untruthful, this is a joke. Even Rose had a better idea of god and she thought her dead boyfriend could come back with the power of prayer.
"Okay I'll let you break up into your groups and discuss, we'll regroup at 11:55." and she moved to her computer to check facebook. Ed moved to join Alek's group. He sat next to her and she didn't bat an eye but just continued her description of 'Evan Peters'?
"Oh, hey, you're Edward right?" the blonde from earlier asked
"Yeah, Edward Heinrich."
"That's awful close to Edward Elric, you kinda look like him too."
"You really think Claudia?" Alek said "I mean I guess but it's not like he is. That's impossible."
"Well yeah but, this is uncanny!"
"You know 'uncanny' but not 'ball and chain'?"
"Okay but who even uses 'ball and chain' anymore?" the short haired brunette chimed in.
"Oh you know you like when I say outdated things, you rapscallion."
"Yeah, I do."
"I just think it's funny how he looks like Ed and is last name in 'Heinrich' which kinda sounds like 'Elric'."
"Are you shook?"
"She shook."
"I'm so shook right now."
"What?" Ed said
"It's hard to explain Ed. You wouldn't get our lingo."
"I understand every science and math you can throw at me, I think I can decipher some 'lingo', Al."
"I thought we agreed on that Eddy?"
"Alright that's fair."
"Oh go complain about Daddy."
"Below the belt Alek, below the belt."
"So you do understand slang?"
"You sound too surprised at that."
"You were too surprised this morning."
"Do you guys know each other or something?" Claudia asked
"You seem to know each other pretty well to bicker." the brunette said, Kayla.
"He's my second cousin. And I've seen a lot of him so it's really just some banter."
"Uh, yeah." Nothing else happened that class besides napping and they were woken up by the bell and sent to lunch they were. They dashed up stairs to grab lunches and Ed was left again, in an empty hall. He went back down the stairs and followed stray freshman to the cafetorium, he stared at the tables of people who already had their friends and seats filled with a sea of students lining the middle of the floor in a lunch line. He tried to find somewhere he was welcome when a hand clapped on his back, he jumped. When he turned to face the culprit he was greeted with a slight smile.
"Eddy my boy, lunch is always the hardest part. Everyone already has their cliques and no one is really willing to let the new kid just become part of their group. Follow me Eddy." Max walked forward leaving Ed, then he turned back to him "Well come on kid, I won't wait forever."
"Yeah, right." he followed the taller boy to the back of the lunch room, over by some sort of machine, to a table of girls.
"Al, good to see you again." Max said placing his head on her shoulder.
"'Bout damn time Maxxy, where's my snack?" Alek asked
"In the vending machine, sorry but I had to pick up a stray dog." he gestured to Ed.
"You guys made up?"
"Yeah, he said he was just overprotective of you, I like the way this kid thinks but I might get a little jealous of your new bodyguard." what a teasing tone
"Shut up and go get my chips."
"Right back dear." he left through another pair of doors and to the right, he came back a minute later tossing up and down a bag of chips, he gave them to Alek and sat next to her.
"Are you gonna stand the whole time? Sit your ass down already Ed." he didn't realize he was still standing and abruptly sat and he fell. Alek couldn't help but laugh.
"Really?"
"You'd do the same, dickwad."
"What?"
"I knew he wouldn't get my lingo."
"No one does, Al." Lunch ended with laughs and an embarrassed Edward. The table cleared and Ed tried to leave the room altogether.
"Ed, your next class is in here!"
"What? Why in here?"
"We don't have real classrooms for this class so we just the cafe."
"Why not make more rooms?"
"That costs money, idiot." They went quiet, she knew Ed was thinking about applying Alchemy to make the school bigger and she just had to refrain from hitting him with a priest right there. It took all her strength not to.
"Alllllllllllllek!"
"Phiiiiiiiiiil!"
"How are you?"
"I'm good Phil, a bit tired and still hungry, but good. How about you?"
"Who is that guy?" Ed asked so quietly.
"That's the teacher Ed you half wit. What about you Phil?"
"I'm okay I guess." he took notice of Edward "Who are you?" he asked setting up the piano
"This is Ed, he's a transfer, this is his first day." Alek explained
"Oh, well, good. I'm Phil."
"Ed,... so what do we do in this class?"
"We sing."
"I don't sing."
"You signed up for this class."
"No but I can't sing. Like I can't."
"You can't stay on key or hit the notes?"
"I know how to fight,"
"So no? Okay then you'll just get some extra attention."
"Alek."
"Yes Edward?"
"Why'd you pick chorus? Of all the classes I couldn't've taken, I don't know, ANYTHING ELSE?!"
"No yelling Edward, or should I go get a wrench?" he went pale.
"How did you-?"
"Winry would do the same, wouldn't she? Well she is a Rockbell."
"You need to stop that."
"Stop what?" she played innocent
"Stop that. Stop seeing into me and Al all the time. It's creepy." More people flooded into the cafe and all asked the same thing: "Who's he? A shadow?" And it would always be "He's a junior who just started today." They all pulled out their one inch thick obsidian binders and gray metal folding chairs. They made a half circle around a wall with the piano in the middle. Ed didn't know what to do so he sat with Alek and the other sopranos and she told him that he was either a tenor or bass so he should sit near the other guys. After that he was forced to sing in front of the assembly of students to figure out exactly that: tenor or bass? He was a tenor. A horribly off key could not match in anything wretched tenor, but he was a tenor.
They sang the songs out of packets and binders and Ed knew none of them. He struggled with every word and how the notes worked. Like how did you know when to move up or down or if you were reading the right line? How long did you hold them for? What were those gestures and why did everyone follow them? He was thrown into another new world, the world of music. They took a break about halfway through class and everyone went to get water. Alek practically bounced out of the room and Ed dashed after her.
"Hey Alek!" he said and she turned to him.
"Yes Ed?"
"I have a question and I need you to answer it."
"I'll try."
"In that god praising class,"
"Theology, yeah not my favorite."
"The blonde girl-"
"Claudia."
"Right. She said I took like 'Edward Elric'. I exist in this world too?"
"That's a little hard to explain. You do and you don't."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means you aren't mentally prepared for it so I won't tell you for the sake of sanity."
"You are so cryptic I hate it! God, you and puzzles. You just like messing with me."
"True,"
"You also said it was impossible for me to be me. I guess you won't explain that either."
"Yeah, sorry 'Eddy' let's get back to singing now."
"You just think I wouldn't understand."
"I know you couldn't comprehend any of that. I'm not trying to be mean, I'm trying to be safe."
"Trying to protect yourself? That's always the way to do it."
"Not myself, Edward. Alphonse, Mustang, Hawkeye too. And you. If I told you before you were ready to hear it your world would fall. You would be in too much shock and anger, rage filled and you all would be so irrational about it. I only mean to help and I'm doing that by keeping you in the dark."
"I won't just let someone carry something like this alone if it's so big. Let me help you help us!"
"Can't you take the answer I gave you!? I would but I can't! I don't know how certain elements would change or react! It would destroy the four of you and backfire on me! I'm sorry I can't tell you yet. But you're going to have to deal with it Edward. For better or for worse I'm doing this for you four, not me."
"Damn it Winry!" he noticed it as soon as he said it.
"You only want to 'help' me because I remind you of Winry? Or because I just seem vulnerable? The Hero to the People is more or less pitying me." she gave a slight laugh "What was that story about the man with wings made of wax? He flew to close to the sun and came crashing back down right? Well Edward, you're really trying to get close to the sun, if you don't stop now you'll burn your wings and come crashing back down… again." She stomped back to her chair and for a third time that day she left Edward looking around to find himself alone and unsure of what to do in an unknown world. For that rest of the day and for a while after Alek made sure to have limited contact with Edward. She would only talk to him when it was necessary and in quick sentences with minimal wording, it made him feel bad. He didn't know exactly what he did but he could've avoided it so very easily.
But he didn't.