Clint and Bruce had two class's together, history and math. They never sat together. Mrs. Storm had assigned seats in math, but you could sit anywhere you wanted in history. Clint always sat up front, his chair pulled away from the rest of the class. He frequently slept in class, or at least he appeared to be asleep. He would put his head down on his desk and close his eyes, yet nothing was ever lost on him. He seemed to know more about what was going on better than anyone else in the class did. If he was ever called on, he would answer the question without lifting his head or opening his eyes. Once in history class, Mr. Maximoff became so frustrated by his "attitude" that he demanded Clint sit up and "pay attention". Clint sat up and began reciting Mr. Maximoff's lesson on Martin Luther King Jr., word for word from the beginning, providing an impressive demonstration that he'd been paying attention all along. He went on for a good ten minutes before Mr. Maximoff dismissed him with a wave of his hand and his blonde head slowly descended into the black sleeve of his sweater. It said all the Goths could do the same trick, but Bruce didn't believe it.
Clint and Bruce spoke before and after school, and almost never once classes began, but they were in constant contact. Clint would leave notes and postcards in Bruce's locker, or send them along with one of his friends. Bruce would open a text book and there'd be a note from Clint, folded neatly and placed at the days lesson. Bruce suspected that Clint knew a number of magic tricks could pick locks and get into his locker and leave things there without Bruce's knowledge. They weren't your usual notes. Clint would relate conversations he had overheard, interesting facts from class, stories from the newspaper, even other people's notes. "Found this near my locker this morning: 'I hate you. I never want to see you again. You said it wasn't true but I saw your car outside her house. You lie, and I can't take it anymore. I hate you. P.S. Call me later.'"
Bruce was unprepared for Clint's outpouring of energy and enthusiasm and attention, at first it overwhelmed Bruce. Bruce thought that he would never be able to keep up with Clint, that Clint would be bored with him. Instead things became easier. Clint's energy was contagious and Bruce wanted more of his attention. They talked on the phone, but Clint preferred to send text messages or, better yet, IM or e-mail, where he could reference websites and send Bruce along a trail of other information. Clint was constantly changing his name on Bruce's buddy list, using people's initials and making Bruce figure out who they were: C.A.B. (Clint Alexander Barton), E.A.P. (Edgar Allen Poe) , J.T.R. (Jack the Ripper), E.M.H. (Ernest Miller Hemingway), A.A.F. (Abigail Anne Folger), G.A.H. (Gary Allen Hinman), E.W.H. (?).
After maybe five or six weeks, Clint stopped putting postcards in Bruce's locker and started sending them to him through the mail, along with letters and large envelopes filled with things he had found interesting, magazine and newspaper articles, or even random objects like a key ("I found this near your house. What do you think it opens?"), photographs ("Who are these people?) And letters or notes he had found on the street or left behind in classrooms. It was a constant stream of stuff, and Bruce didn't know if he wanted him to send him things in return. Much of what he sent Bruce he puzzled over for a while and then discarded (the key, for instance, looked as if it went with luggage or a briefcase, and Bruce wasn't going to sneak into every house in the neighborhood to find out which). Bruce could identify with some of the people in the photos, and Clint seemed pleased with what Bruce could tell him. Clint didn't really seem to care whether Bruce had a response to what he sent or not – Clint's enjoyment appeared to come from sharing the item with Bruce and sparking some train of thought. Bruce never sent him anything; Bruce stuck to the phone or the computer, but even then there was no way to keep up with all the things Clint sent him. Everything seemed to interest Clint, and it made Bruce interested as well. Sometimes Clint's interests uncovered things that were secretive and personal. Clint sent Bruce a handwritten note he had found: "I need help with Tony," and in his handwriting asked, "What does this mean?"