Teboo felt as much humiliation as he did pain that radiated through his body. His face was smashed and his eyes swollen to the point he could barely see out of them. Every muscle in his body ached and cried out pleading for him to just collapse right there on the sidewalk. His friends followed him, their heads low to both mask their bruises and their pride.
As they walked down the street nearly every stared at them. Teboo didn't just know but he could feel some blood from an open room continue to flow down his cheek from above his brow. His right eye was so badly swollen he could barely see out of it, while dry blood continued to propel from his nose with each breathe he took. His and his comrade's ghastly appearance were probably the main reason why everybody continued to watch them.
Though he felt physical pain he still couldn't shake the nervous tension he was feeling at the pit of his stomach about having to return to his own school. He would probably be sent home early for sustaining so many bruises and would probably lose his privileges to go out and eat off school grounds. He would most likely be suspended if they found out that he had gotten into a fight. He was hoping to make up a story to excuse his severe wounds, but then realized that the others were in just as bad shape as he was.
It was only just lunch at the local high school, and under certain circumstances upper classmen were allowed to leave the school to dine at some nearby eateries. He and his friends had finally become upper classmen that year and decided to wonder over near the Academy hoping to stumble across some academy students that didn't know that they weren't suppose to leave school grounds yet. To his surprise and relief they did manage to discover two students, but to his utter shock and awe those two managed to beat them. And they didn't just beat them up, they completely pummeled them.
After walking all the way across the boardwalk and a few more blocks they finally returned to their own school. Unlike the Academy this school was divided into several building all encircled around a concrete center. Within that center were dozens of tables where other students were still eating their lunch, or just hanging out. The building themselves were more modern furnished, concrete painted over white with rows of windows lining the sides.
The group made their way from the parking lot to the main building. They tried to hide their faces from the stares of their own classmates, but murmurs and whispers could be heard emulating from their classmates. The five of them just made their way inside without so much as a glance at any of the others. The four other boys just followed Teboo as he made his way inside.
Teboo made his way up stairs and came to one of several classrooms, the four other boys just behind him. Once he entered the room a group of high school students sitting around a large table turned their attention to them. At the head of the table was an older looking student who held obvious seniority. Around him were other students of a similar nature, all of whom stared at the boys who had just entered the room with an expression of horror.
"Can I help you Teboo?" the boy at the head of the table asked in his soothing and witted voice. He had hazelnut colored eyes hidden and hair as dark as the midnight sky, that he gelled back in spikes. He wore a red unbuttoned flannel shirt over a white tank top. He was lanky, but not too scrawny.
"Sorry Damian," Teboo apologized as he entered the room. "I just wanted to talk to you real fast, while there was still some time in lunch."
"Would this have anything to do with you looking like the living dead?" Damian asked peering them over. He cocked his eyebrow as he leaned back in his chair. His eyes demanded an answer as he looked annoyed yet intrigued.
"Yeah it would," Teboo answered. The other boys remained perfectly quite letting Teboo do all the talking.
"What the hell happened to you guys?" one to the girl students asked in disbelief.
"Yeah you guys look awful," another student said.
"Well Teboo we are conducting a student council meeting right now, but if you really need to tell me what happened than I suggest I dismiss myself to discuss this matter with you privately," Damian said standing up. "Excuse me for a second guys I'll be right back." With that Damian took his leave.
Once outside he turned his attention to the other boys, his expression fierce and annoyed. He didn't want to be dealing with this kind of hassle on the first day of class.
"So tell me what happened," Damian demanded.
"Well we were just going out to eat when we ran into some kids from the Academy," Teboo began unable to look Damian in the eye.
"And you got into a fight right?" Damian said nonchalantly.
"Yeah."
"You got the living hell beaten out of you guys," Damian said eyeing each of them over. None of them were able to look him in the eye.
"Well you can imagine what the other guys look like," Teboo tried to chuckle it off.
"I imagine someone with bruised and bloody knuckles," Damian said sarcastically. Teboo's face flushed in embarrassment as he only felt that much more humiliated by the whole turn of events. "You guys look like utter crap," Damian said leaning back the wall, rubbing his temples in frustration. "What the hell happened? Did you try to fight the whole damn school or what?"
"There was only two of them," one of the other boys muttered.
"Two?" Damian gasped shaking his head. "You went out and picked a fight with two students and came back looking like utter shit?"
"They were strong man," one of the other boys whimpered. "They knew how to fight and they caught us by surprise!"
"So tell me what happened," Damian asked quizzically.
"Well we walked up," Teboo began.
"And Teboo started taunting one of them," one of the other boys interrupted.
"Then this pink haired kid slammed his head against the table," another boy interjected. Damian's eyes followed too and fro from each of the boys, his brow cocked in confusion.
"We got caught off guard," Teboo growled. "They jumped us, and before we knew it they got the upper hand."
"You're telling me that two guys got the jump on you?" Damian said skeptically.
"Yeah well this one guy knocked us over and then he smacked me in the head with a metal chair," one of the boys said pointing to his face. Damian peered over at him. Half the boy's face was badly damaged from where the point of impact had taken place.
"Well now what do you want me to do about it?" Damian asked them.
"We were hoping you could talk to the principal," Tebboo mumbled. "You know so we don't get into too much trouble?"
"Alright," Damian said, shrugging imperturbably. "I'll talk to the principal to keep you guys from getting into too much trouble."
"Thanks man."
"Hey guys," Gray said as he sat down at one of the lunch tables where most of his friends were dining on their meals. His friends all glanced at him with suspicious glares as they noticed a strange cerulean blue hair girl standing right behind him.
"Hey Gray," Erza greeted with the same skeptical expression as everyone else. "Who's your friend?"
"This is Juvia," Gray said poiting to her over his shoulder. He didn't seem all that interested in having to introduce her.
"H-h-hello," Juvia stuttered as she greeted the group. She had a light flush cross her face as she sat down next to Gray.
"Nice to meet you Juvia," Mira greeted with a sweet smile on her face, "I'm Mira and this is my brother Elfman and my sister Lissanna." Mira motioned to her two siblings.
"Hi I'm Lucy," Lucy said extending her hand to the new girl. Juvia hesitated but shook Lucy's hand in return. "And this is my boyfriend Sean," Lucy said turning to smile at her sweetheart.
"Nice to meet you," Sean said smiling, only he was smiling Lucy and not at the new girl.
Though she received a heart felt welcome from the rest of the group at the table, Juvia still felt uneasy. She was more than uneasy she was straight up jittery and couldn't even make eye contact with any of the others. She bit her lip wanting to say something anything, but she was just too shy.
"What's wrong Juvia?" Mira asked concerned.
"I think she's just a little shy," Gray said taking a bit from his sandwich. He didn't seem at all interested about Juvia or anything that was going on outside of his own lunch.
"You don't need to be so shy around us Juvia," Mira said reassuring her. "We're happy to meet you and we're glad to have you join us."
"Uh thank you," Juvia answered with a smile. Her nerves slowly started to fade away.
"Hey Lucy!" a voice called out. The group turned to see who it was. Lucy's eyes lit up when she saw a small purple haired girl running towards their table.
"Levy!" Lucy shouted as she stood up to hug her friend. The two shared a deep embrace for a couple of seconds. When they pulled away Lucy noticed two more boys slowly approaching from behind her friend. One of them had short, smooth cut chestnut hair and dark eyes. He was a lanky fellow and had a light smirk on his face. The other boy was also lanky around the same height as his counterpart. He had black hair with similar eyes, only he had a long sliver of hair that he gelled upwards jut above his brow.
"Hey Jet, hey Droy," Lucy greeted the two of them
"How's it going guys?" Jet, the brown haired boy said.
"It's good to see you guys again," Droy said. The two of them made their way to the end of the table and took a seat on either side. They were incredibly happy to see their friends again and were greeted happily by the rest of the table.
"It's been awhile hasn't it?" Levy said smiling to her blonde friend.
"Yes it has," Lucy said smiling back. "I thought you were suppose to be in study abroad this semester?"
"I was until I decided to stay here," Levy answered. "I mean I had to be here to help my favorite freshman with her first year of high school out right?"
The two girls giggled for a while, Erza sat watching them rolling her eyes in disbelief. She was never one to be considered "girly" but even she couldn't stand the annoying banter the other two were making. Mira on the other hand was far too delighted to see the reunion between the two friends.
"By the way Gray who's the new girl?" Jet asked pointing at Juvia. Her face immediately flushed as she turned away.
"She you're new girlfriend?" Droy asked jokingly. Juvia's face flushed even redder, and was a deep scarlet red as she pondered the thought. Gray on the other hand wasn't too concerned by it and seemed more annoyed by the question.
"J-J-Juvia G-G-Gray's girlfriend?" Juvia whimpered under her breathe embarrassed.
"Yeah you guys make a pretty cute couple," Droy continued his little joke. If Juvia's face wasn't already scarlet before she was so flushed her face was now a deep crimson like a ripe cherry.
"I agree," Mira said smiling her sweet smile. "You two actually make a cute couple."
Gray cocked an eyebrow he really didn't appear all that interested by the whole conversation. He was completely ignorant to the flustered girl next to him, and he probably wouldn't have cared anyways.
"Are you okay Juvia?" Lissanna asked concerned that Juvia was about to faint.
"J-J-Juvia and Gray as a couple?" Juvia muttered to herself.
Lissanna pouted as she thought their new blue haired friend but shook her head. "Hey Jet and Droy did you two hear that Natsu has come back to Magnolia?"
"What?" Jet and Droy both said in unison their eyes shot up wide. "No way really?"
"Yeah and he's rooming with Gray! Isn't that right Gray?" Lissanna turned to the other boy who was more focused on eating his lunch than anything. Juvia on the other hand was still lost in her own dream world, her face still scarlet red.
"Huh?" Gray said with a blank expression. "Oh yeah Natsu's my roommate."
"Dude that's awesome!" Jet laughed. He was practically ecstatic. "By the way where is Natsu?" For a second the group went silent, they hadn't even noticed Natsu's absence.
"Yeah Lucy you must be excited!" Levy giggled. "You and Natsu were practically inseparable when you two were kids." Lucy didn't respond, her face cringed at the information and she began sulking. Levy stared at her friend with some worry as she could see Lucy felt upset by the whole scenario.
"Natsu couldn't join us," Sean said shrugging. "I ran into him earlier and he said he had his own things to do."
"Huh that doesn't sound like Natsu," Droy said rubbing his chin. "The Natsu I remember. Usually he was the most social of any of us."
"Yeah well maybe people change since you've last seen them," Sean said.
"Don't worry Lucy you'll see Natsu a lot more now," Levy said reassuringly.
"Yeah I hope so," Lucy said giving her friend a light grin. "I certainly hope so."
