A/N: First of all, I appreciate the views, favorites, follows, and reviews greatly! Also, I apologize for my lack of updates. I have been extremely busy and frazzled!
Ah, another refreshing review from dear, sweet AllTheLovelyBrains! Oh, how I am grateful of your liking of my digression to the trolls' history. Also, bitchy Vriskas are entertaining to write! I hate myself a little more for betraying Karkat, but the story must progress plot-wise. ALL her quadrants you say? All of them? O_o' Good luck.
Midori (as a Guest)! I am so happy that you liked my update! Thank you for your lavish praise and your extravagant compliments. Rose will grace our presence later, but for now, the other trolls must be introduced. ;]
I am hunkered down in the dark recesses of my pillow fort playing 52-pickup as we speak (or as I type). Of course, kaoruhikaruluver, I most definitely will reveal Sollux's little secret, but not in this update! :D Oh my! More spoiling? I am wallowing in an excess of your glorious compliments already! Methinks I will continue my rigorous updating to sate my voracious readers. ;3
Dear Zexionienzo, I feel that I must say unto you something of the utmost importance. AHHHHHHHH, SUCH AN AWESOME REVIEWER. FUCK.
My eyes are tearing up from all of the love radiating from Marilynjayfreak's review! :'D Your favorite fanfiction for Homestuck?! I am so very flattered by your sincere approval of my writing. My dear reader, you are too good to me, a mediocre author.
Randomstrike, a sober Gamzee would destroy me, wiping me from existence for writing this 'blasphemous' shit. Although the risk is high, I may actually put my life on the line and allow a sober Gamzee to make an appearance. I also appreciate your various other reviews pertaining to past chapters and the more recent ones also! :)
You caught that, did you, MapleSunflower? H3H3H3, oh Sollux and his bees…
RAndOmanimefreak123, I too am glad that I do not have a lisp. It seems you got that stupid little pun I made as well! Thank you for the approval of those annoying cliffhangers I am so fond of leaving. :3
Disclaimer: Altogether now: 'I do not own Homestuck!'
John's point of view! :B
Before we get this going, please pray for my friend who is having surgery on his hip. If you are not religious, then keep him in your thoughts, please. I would greatly welcome this act of kindness. On with the story, dearies.
Veins
Chapter Thirteen:
Requiem of a Summer Gone By
I feel the thick layer of blissful slumber being peeled from my supine body as a faint, muffled buzzing reaches my ears. I open my eyes a bit, squinting against a pinprick of dim light on my desk. It's my phone. The alarm is going off. That means-
Oh damn it all.
"Karkat! School starts today!" I yell, half panicked, half excited. I still have to organize all of my stupid supplies. By 'organize', I mean 'throw all my school shit into a huge pile and not touch it for the rest of the year'. I leap out of bed and glance around quickly, trying to locate everything I will need today. I quickly turn off the alarm, and then I strip out of my pajama pants and my nightshirt, tossing them onto my unmade bed. Donning nothing more than my blue boxers, I stumble across the room to retrieve my glasses. I am, like, legally blind without them.
Once I jam them onto my face hurriedly, I grab the nearest pillow and fling it mercilessly at Karkat, who is currently assuming the form of a curled up ball of sassy troll and blankets. He is so peaceful and quiet when he's sleeping…too bad I have to wake him up and suffer through a shitstorm of obscene gestures, furious yelling, and exaggerated flailing of the limbs.
"What the hell? Dammit, John, I am trying to sleep! I do not need a face full of fucking pillow right the fuck now! I swear to God, I will barf a fucking rage snake of regurgitated slime in your face to suffocate you if you do not leave me alone!" Karkat shouts once he was fully aware of what I had just done.
"School is TODAY! Get the hell up, Karkat, or we'll miss class," I say, rummaging through the closet for a decent shirt and a pair of jeans. Damn, it is cramped in here, and it smells like a dumpster.
Wait, Karkat said-
"Wait, you actually called me by my first name," I state, shock written on my face as I turn to face him.
"I-I did. Well, I guess you just scaled up your fucking Echeladder to Shitface-Skytard. Congratulations, idiot. Anyway, I suppose it just slipped out. Don't get your human undergarments in a twist; I'll be back to calling you offending names in no time."
"No, no, I like it when you call me by my first name. I feel as if I'm not a piece of shit lying out on the sidewalk in the noonday sun that you happened to step on. Just call me John, okay?" I say, hoping he indulges my request. I prefer Karkat to call me something more personal than just Egbert or Egderp, but I guess the nickname Egderp seems to be endearing in a twisted, warped sort of way.
"Bluh, bluh. Fine. Whatever. Anyway, must we attend these Godforsaken human classes? I already know pretty much every damn thing in the universe, so there would be no fucking point," comes the annoyed reply with an arrogant undertone.
"Yes, we have to, stupid. Get up, and get ready so we can meet the others before the bell," I say, selecting a short-sleeved blue shirt with a white swirly dealie thing on it and a pair of black jeans with an unfortunate rip in one leg. I then slip on the clothes, and go to gather my books for class that were littering my desk.
"The bell? Oh, yes, that maddening little device that signals the end of these 'classes'. I loath their very existence, kind of like yours. Well, I might as well follow your lead, Mister Moronic Douchenozzle McBatshit."
The troll reluctantly wriggles out of his cocoon of blankets, and he gets out of bed. Karkat walks over to the closet and yanks a long-sleeved black shirt identical to the one I saw him wear the day I met him, and pair of slate-grey jeans from the hangers. He throws the articles of clothing onto his bed, and he then gingerly removes his shirt, aware that I am still in the room, watching. Why the hell was I watching anyway? Karkat glances at me, as if making sure that I was not disgusted by what I see. I don't know why, I mean he actually looked go- oh my God, what are those?
Small, barely noticeable horizontal black slits run down Karkat's sides. There are three on each side. Why the hell didn't I notice those before?
"What the hell are you staring at, John?" asks Karkat. He actually obliged my wish of calling me by my first name. Huh.
"I-I just noticed those…scars on your sides, Karkat. What are those anyway?" I say, gawking at them curiously, school forgotten for the moment.
Karkat rolls his eyes and snorts. "Those are from when I was a wiggler. Wigglers have six legs when they are young, but as we mature into adolescent trolls, we loose them, and we develop the limbs we have now. These slits remain with us for the rest of our putrid lives. Are you following this?"
"…Yes, I am, but that is fucking weird," I say, sauntering up to him and attempting to poke them playfully. Karkat swats my hand away in annoyance and growls, teeth bared.
"Do not fucking touch those, asshole!" he yells, moving to put on his shirt and change into his jeans. I pout and turn around, head drooping to show my disappointment.
"Okay, I guess I'll get my stuff for school," I murmur dejectedly.
"God, Egb- John, don't be such a sensitive wiggler. Go awkwardly poke Gamzee in the side or something. I am sure he'd be happy to oblige your creepy curiosity."
"I am sure he would."
"Go get your stuff, idiot."
"Okay, Karkat."
I grin as I gather my notebooks, textbooks, pencils, and pens. I shove the aforementioned school supplies into my backpack. I set my now cumbersome backpack near the bedroom door. With everything squared away, I go into the bathroom to briefly fuss with my hair, which was messy and mused.
"You ready yet, John?" calls Karkat, who is standing in the hall, his backpack slung over his shoulder and he is tapping his foot.
"Yeah, I just have to get my shoes," I say, grabbing my backpack and heading to the entrance of the dorm room, which is where I keep my shoes. Once I put on my black sneakers, we exit the dorm room, and head out of the building.
We walk along an old dirt path that winds through the woods to get to the school facility, which is in the center of the whole campus. We walk in a comfortable silence for most of the way. Karkat keeps in stride with me, and he keeps his head down. It takes a long time for him to figure out that I was staring at him, and when he does, he scoffs and looks away quickly.
It is a crisp, early October morning. The dawn's rays pierce the thin fog suspended over the land, making the air itself glisten with sunlight. The trees are festooned with fat drops of dew, crystalline pearls adhering to the few dead leaves still clinging for life to the tall, proud branches. The sky only hints at a subtle blue as the sun rises in all its glorious warmth. This is a perfect morning to begin the school year. Man, do I wish it were summer again, though! I miss that freedom of staying up late with friends and of spending time watching awesome action flicks. Since our school starts so late, we get out at the very end of June, so some of the actual 'summer' part of summer vacation is spent in the classroom, but that is besides the point. The point is, summer is gone. Summer is gone, and I want it back.
~O~
Other students are milling about the front entrance to the school building when we arrive. I do not see anyone I knew or particularly want to talk to, so I lead Karkat into the building to guide him to his classroom.
"What class do you have first?" I ask, hoping he was in mine. It never hurts to have someone you know and like in class with you, even if they are prone to making derogatory comments about you practically every second of the day and night.
"I have Speech II with Roxy Lalonde in 5B," he says, withdrawing his schedule from a side pocket in his backpack.
"Same! Come on, let's go," I say as I grab his wrist and tow him to Roxy's room. Since I know her personally, it's more natural to call her Roxy. Besides, everyone, including students call her Roxy. Everyone does except Rose, who calls her Mother, although in a sarcastic way meant to antagonize her. They have some sort of mother-daughter feud that I will not elaborate on due to time constraints and the confusing fuckery and jackassery involved.
"So, is she that Rose Human's lusus?" asks Karkat, putting two and two together.
"Yep, they are mother and daughter! You'll see the resemblance when you meet her."
"Ugh, humans and their weird-ass families."
"Ugh, trolls and their weird-ass terminology for parents."
"Shut up, smartass."
"Hehe."
Karkat grumbles something about 'Goddamnit, the wrist holding. It keeps happening!' as we reach Roxy's room. I open the door and drop Karkat's wrist to humor him.
"Well heeeeello, boys. Yer sure early today. And you must be the new troll in town, am I right?" comes the slurred voice of one Roxy Lalonde. A martini is held in the hand of a tall, elegant woman that could only be Roxy. Anyone could see that she is Rose's mother by her platinum blonde hair and her luminous pink eyes. A long silk scarf that is the same pink of her eyes is wound around her neck loosely. She dons a white dress reaching to her knees and black tights underneath it. Her white high-heels clack on the tiled floor loudly as she approaches us. She looks Karkat up and down, sizing him up.
"It's nice havin' fresh faces around 'ere," she remarks, ruffling his hair and smirking. Karkat glares crimson daggers of pure hate. If looks could kill, Roxy would be a dead woman.
"It's good to see ya again, Johnny Boy!" she says, enfolding me in her arms. She is like an older sister to me; a punch-drunk sister who happens to be one of your best friend's mother.
Once she releases me from her bone-crushing hug, I grin and chuckle. "It's nice to see you too, Roxy. How was your trip?"
"Oh, it was booooring as usual. Drivin' with a completely unresponsive daughter from Rainbow Falls, New York is not a damn pansy picnic," she responds, dramatically gesturing with her free hand, and moving to take a sip of her martini with the other. Of course the principle was okay with her drinking habits, seeing as he allows weapons on campus, and even encourags it.
"Yeah, Rose can be a bit quiet and moody, but that's just how she is! I wouldn't have it any other way, either. So, you're teaching our speech class this year, Roxy? I thought you wanted to teach astronomy?"
"Well, I wanted to teach my darlin' daughter's class this year, so I asked Grandpa Harley, and he said, 'Yep! Go right on ahead, Miss Lalonde!'" she said, giggling drunkenly and meandering back to her desk. She sat on the desk and crossed her legs in a very lady-like manner. "Feel free to jus' hang aroun' in here 'til the bell rings."
"Okay, Roxy, will do," I say, gesturing for Karkat to follow me. There are no desks, but instead, there are rectangular tables that seat two. I walk him over to one near the center of the room and I sat down, throwing down my backpack on the floor next to me in the process. He too throws down his backpack, and he sits down in the chair beside mine.
"What exactly do we do in these classes of yours, hm?" asks Karkat cynically, a single eyebrow arching.
"Well, we learn about stuff. That is the best summary I have, really," I say half-assedly. Just as he is about to make a scathing retort, I hear the distinct sound of a wall being viciously drubbed with a cane. I can only guess who that could be.
"Hey, Karkles! Hello there, John! Looks like you're in my first class! Are you ready to get schoolfed?" says the smirking troll, strolling into the classroom. She makes her way to our desk and sits down in the neighboring desk. I notice that a black bandage conceals her wound from the day before.
"If by schoolfed, you mean, learn, then, yep!" I say in a chipper voice. She is a pretty cool troll, with her blind kickass fighting moves and her troll lingo. She needs to meet Dave.
"And how about you, Karkles?" She inquires, turning to the aforementioned Cancer.
"Whatever, I guess I can endure this horseshit. The question is, how are you going to see the board? They won't let you lick it or some shit like that," says Karkat, his upper lip curling into a semi-smirk and revealing his cerated teeth. I was about to ask about what he meant by her not seeing it when it hit me.
"Oh yeah! You're blind! I had completely forgotten about that. How the hell do you get around so efficiently? How did you beat the shit out of Vriska?" I blurt out in a fit of idiocy.
Terezi takes on a look of feigned hurt. "John, you wound me! How could you make fun of a blind girl like that, you sick fuck? You have no shame, do you? I will cut your throat, and I will hear you bleed while I smell you die."
"Uh…well, I'm sorry, I guess? Uh, please don't kill me," I say, remembering how Vriska got her spider ass handed to her by the psychotic blind girl.
"Well, I guess I must accept this half-assed apology. I suppose it will do," she says grinning toothily and drubbing my knee with her cane.
"Can we stop this shitfest of flirtatious tomfoolery? I swear, you imbeciles are all shithive maggots," Karkat says, preemptively inhibiting a conversation that could potentially go on for hours.
I turn to look at the irked troll. He seems… irritated at something. Is he jealous of me for 'flirting' with her? Whatever the case, he looks pissed, and no one wants a pissy Karkat. Well, actually, he is fucking hilarious when he's angry, so I guess I don't mind. Even if he gets pissed at me, I'm pretty much okay with it, since he is almost always pissed anyway. I know, deep down in his shouty little heart, he just loves me to bits.
"Calm the hell down Karkles, you'll explode into little pieces of grumpy Karkat! Don't get jealous of me for snatching this tasty smelling human away from you. You're so selfish, keeping him all to yourself! I want to taste him," Terezi purrs. She cackles and traces her finger down my arm absently. I shy away, embarrassed by her touchy-feely-smelly-tasty nature. It is disconcerting and all around pretty damn weird.
"Shut the fuck up, Terezi, John can have sloppy makeouts with you or whatever the hell you want. I don't give two shits. In fact, the two shits want nothing to do with this. I am not fucking jealous of you two fucknubs," Karkat grumbles, eyeing the teal blood darkly. I think it is high time that I intervene. I am not having sloppy makeouts, or whatever the hell those are, with Terezi. That would be….oh, God.
"You guys are so weird! I'm not gonna make out with anyone. Well, at least right now, anyway. Well, I mean I- can we change the subject?" I say pleadingly. This was getting awkward and uncomfortable at a very fast rate.
Terezi looks at me in mock pity. "But of course, John, we live to comfort you weak little humans," she says, cackling in utter abandon at my expense.
The bell rings then, releasing the floodgates for the awaiting students. The conversation is dropped as we see Kanaya, Rose, Dave, and Feferi filing into the classroom among the other students. The more people I know and like, the merrier, I say! I think this year's classes are going to be very 'interesting'.
"Well, I'm going to sit by that cool looking kid with the snazzy shades. Smell you guys later," Terezi says mischievously. She sniggers under her breath as she gets up to go pester Dave.
"What a psychotic weirdo," says Karkat, shaking his head and sighing dramatically.
Roxy rises from her seated position on her desk once everyone is settled in a seat. It seems that Terezi managed to nab the seat next to Dave. Feferi is sitting with some shy girl I don't really know, and Rose is seated next to Kanaya, who looks a bit uncomfortable in her desk. This is quite the setup we have here, no?
"Well, class, here's yer syllabus. Read over it an' sign it, then return it to me whenever you get the chance. Now, get out yer notebooks, we're gonna write a speech. Don't ask me 'bout the topic, 'cause I don't know what it is. I want it five paragraphs, with an introduction, a body, an' a conclusion. It can be on whatever the hell you want to write 'bout. Okay, get started. It's due next week," said Roxy, passing out the aforementioned syllabi while spouting off vague instructions.
This was going to be a sinch.
"Lousy Goddamned stupid human classes are useless and boring," mumbles Karkat in my ear.
"Cheer up, Karkat, this is going to be fun!" I whisper back.
"Whatever you say, John, Whatever you say..."
Wow, that was such an uneventful, terribly fluffy chapter of nothingness. Just...wow. I like reviews and comments, so feel free to drop by! :3