A/N: I...have no excuse.

20 motherfucking minutes til class gets it's start on... Gamzee wandered around the large concrete courtyard aimlessly, hoping to see someone he recognized. He did see a few teachers from last semester, but the thought of talking to one of them made his stomach churn. Teachers were always preaching about "potential" and "applying yourself." Gamzee plopped himself down on an empty bench and decided to people-watch instead. Couples were reuniting after the winter break, freshmen were searching for their group of friends, and a few seniors showed up wearing their pajamas. Gamzee looked up quickly when he noticed his brother walk by, sans Strider. Before Gamzee could get up to ask where the foster kids had gone, Kurloz lit up with a giant smile and ran off somewhere. Fucker's probably runnin off to see Mew-sis or somethin...

"Hey, clown-ass."

Gamzee jumped in surprise and dropped his nearly burnt-out cigarette, almost setting himself on fire in the process. He looked up to see a boy with an oversized hoodie and messy red hair glaring at him. If looks could kill, this kid would have been charged with murder years ago. His crossed arms and torn jeans contrasted with his childish face and voice.

"Ayyyyye, how ya hangin, Karbro?" Gamzee drawled out. He offered his friend a cigarette (which was answered with "The hell? No!") and stood up.

"Gamzee, you shouldn't be smoking at all, let alone at school," Karkat mumbled. Gamzee just shrugged and picked up his friend in a tight hug, lifting him off the ground. "Put me down. Put me DOWN or so help me I will shave your head and poison your sugary ass soda!" Despite the protests, Karkat was swung around a few times before being released from Gamzee's bear hug. As soon as he was put down, Karkat grabbed the cigarette from Gamzee's hand and stomped on it with the heel of his red, oversized sneakers.

"Bro, what the fuck?" Gamzee whined.

"You shouldn't even have this, Gamzee," Karkat said with a quick eye roll. "Let me see your stupid schedule. Maybe we'll have another class together."

Gamzee fished around in his bag for his class schedule, throwing around crumpled papers and candy wrappers as he searched. Occasionally he would pull out a folder and dump the papers out, letting them fly around his bag, smiling the entire time. Eventually, he managed to hand Karkat a crinkled green paper with faded typing on it. Karkat looked over it as Gamzee shoved papers back into his bag.

"Math…Art…hey, we have the same lunch this time. Spanish- Gamzee, why the fuck are you taking Spanish? Don't you already know it?"

Gamzee shrugged and smiled. Sure his dad knew it, and so did his brother, but Gamzee never bothered to learn it. He knew a few words here and there, but he never felt like mentioning that to his family. I don't think Kurbro would like my motherfucking vocab all that much anyway.

"Well," Karkat continued. "We at least have two classes together. History and Physics. Remember that we're on block schedule now, okay? It's fucking stupid that they changed it but whatever, let them fuck up everything. So you have these four classes today, and the other four tomorrow. Do you think you can keep that small amount of information somewhere in your brain long enough to get to History?"

Gamzee just smiled and nodded, pretending to listen to the rest of whatever it was his friend was babbling about. Karkat was cut off mid-sentence of his rant about how "the schoolboard couldn't even organize a picnic for two imaginary friends without screwing it up" by the loud, monotone ring of their school bell.

"Don't be late to class, idiot!" Karkat called as he started walking in the direction of his first class.

Gamzee looked down at the stomped cigarette and frowned before shuffling his way towards his first class.