Chapter 1, Eren: Watch Your Back
Author's Note:
This story is written by us two sisters and we will take turns writing chapters. This story will also be available on Archive of Our Own and Wattpad, if you prefer to read on a different platform.
S- The story first begins at the start of the students sophomore year of high school. The story will follow Eren and the other main characters from Attack on Titan. Characters' POVs will switch throughout the story depending on the secret revealed and those involved with it. The narration of the story has some inspiration from Euphoria, while the plot takes some inspiration from Pretty Little Liars.
A- Some characters might seem a bit different from the actual anime/manga since this is how we interpreted the characters in a high school setting. We really enjoy aot and this story is just written for fun. Please leave your thoughts in the comments and tell us what you think. Thank you for choosing our story and enjoy.
Chapter 1, Eren: Watch Your Back
September first week of school - Friday
(Opening song: All The Stars - Kendrick Lamar)
...
He had a normal childhood. He never lived in a poor neighborhood. He was never physically abused. He never had to worry about money to pay for a broken arm. The boy did in fact have friends growing up, he lived in a nice house at the end of a subdivision, and his father was a well paid doctor. Dr. Yeager, the man who broke the odds of impossible. Miracles followed him, the people in his town would say. Eren, however, occasionally had this itch in his brain. You know when people say they see the color red, well Eren saw that color a lot. That tick in his brain caused little things to set him off. Sometimes it would be when his mom would nag him about the way he bathed, or when a kid stepped on the heel of his shoe. He mostly used an outburst of angry words, or he would handle it with the hard knuckles of his fist.
Whatever it was, Eren could feel the way it twisted like fire in the pits of his core, making his body go hot. Then, like the snap of your fingers–he would click in a state of mad rage.
One day of his third-grade-year, he was making his way down the halls of his elementary school when he saw a scrawny, blond-haired boy. The boy was pressed—actually he was more corned—to the back of a set of royal blue lockers. Terror reflected from the young boys bright, wide eyes as three 5th grade boys snickered at him. Eren remembered the way his fist tightened, the way that feeling itched his brain—itched his whole being. He was an idiot to think he could go against three taller and older boys, however Eren carried no moral thoughts as he rammed his fist into the side of one of their cheeks. After that, all the rest of his punches only hit air. A teacher came and broke up a fight that Eren had obviously been losing.
The timid boy soon walked up to Eren, book scrunched to his chest as he mumbled with gleeful disbelief, "T-thank you!"
Eren shrugged all tough despite his whole body feeling like a broken pencil. "What's your name?"
"My name is Armin," The young boy smiled shyly, adjusting the broken glasses to his face.
"You need to learn to defend yourself, Armin," He turned and said. "You just lose if you don't."
Armin shook his head, tears glistening in his eyes. "I don't run, that way I don't lose."
Eren never did understand what Armin meant, but maybe that was why everything happened between the two. They saw the world differently. After that, Armin and Eren did become best friends. Armin would show him books of sports and the seas. Eren would stand up to people when Armin couldn't, then Armin would help Eren with homework he had trouble with. They would carpool together, play games like tag together. At the time, they were like Yin and Yang. Inseparable.
That itch in his brain gave him a friendship, it also came in handy for a sport he would learn to love, Lacrosse. Eren remembered the day his dad came home with two hammy-down Lacrosse sticks, given to him by a coworker. As he played against his dad that one time, he could recall the first time it happened. The feeling of your hair blowing in the wind, the light of an open spot in the goal beaming at you. The euphoric sensation when the ball lands in the net after a well placed throw. His mom cheered from their deck after his first goal as Eren gave her a toothy smile. His usual stoic father, smiling as well.
He started to officially play Lacrosse in 7th grade. That is when he really kicked off. Not only being the star player on the team, he also got in a lot of fights that year, his mom always having to scrub blood off his shirt once he got home. However, the fights only made him more well known around the school. He grew well liked by the Lacrosse players and well respected by his peers. He was invited to the tables only 'cool' people were allowed at, the name Yeager passed around the school like he was a celebrity.
Once High School rolled around, he only got more popular. He got taken under an Upper Classmen's wing and he even got to date a popular girl in his grade. Most importantly though is that he made the Lacrosse team. He loved the way people knew his name, cheered him on at his games, high fived him in the halls. It was almost addicting.
He embraced his social status at Paradis High School, I mean who wouldn't? He felt important in his green Lacrosse jersey, with his number nineteen on it. He mattered here, he was at the top of the food chain. At some point in your life you have to choose what you want and who you want to be. And for Eren he had made his choice. As Eren passes Armin in the hallway, he thinks to himself that some people just don't have it and he couldn't help that.
Like Coach Shadis always says, "Either you're on the field or you're on the bench."
Eren was on the field and everyone below him was on the bench. They were just too different, Eren repeated as he kept walking. He didn't bat an eye or speak a word to the girl he would hang around during the summer, nor the boy he protected back in third grade. Too different.
"Yeager!" Thomas yelled as he slapped Eren's back as he ran up to his side. The impact of his palm snapping Eren from his thoughts. "You pumped up for the game?"
Eren gave him a grin. "Hell yeah!"
"First game of the season, let's give them hell," Thomas laughed as he then continued down the hall.
Eren loved game days since it was as if there was a spotlight over his head. He liked the cheers, pats on the back, people telling him that they were sure to win because of him. At his school, Lacrosse was the star sport, instead of catching a football the people at Paradise High School played with sticks. Living in Northern California allowed them to play the sport all year round, making it an even bigger deal.
Eren spotted the tall, built figure of Reiner and the equally as tall; but slimmer, Jean. They supported the Lacrosse look like Eren with their green jerseys and custom numbers. Reiner and Jean leaned against a set of lockers with a new member of their team and group–a Freshman named Floch. As Eren drew closer he could make out their conversation.
"Did she have a big ass?" Reiner asks, a cheap smirk plastered on his face. Reiner is a senior, two grades above Eren. When he was just a Freshman, Reiner took him under his wing. Reiner was a simple guy; ate and slept Lacrosse, liked girls, did decent in his classes. Reiner kept a strong persona in front of new people, a way to show he was the alpha male or some shit. Truthfully though, Reiner was just another dumbass.
"I wouldn't hit it if she didn't," Jean shrugs, running a hand through his gel filled hair. Jean was another dumbass. He acted like he was the holy grail to mankind, he always took the easy way out in everything he did. This is probably due to the fact that his privileged ass just used his daddy's money. I mean, he wouldn't shut the hell up about his dad's brand new Mercedes-Benz that he drove around with nothing more than just a learner's permit.
Reiner nodded. "You know, as much as I miss playing the field, I can't complain cause I got the baddest girl."
"I feel you, if I was hitting that I wouldn't quit either," Floch tried pitching in.
"Been there done that," Eren chirps nonchalantly, finally joining in. He tosses a Lacrosse ball in his hand, watching as the ball fell in his palm then flew back up to the air. "It was alright."
Jean groaned, rolled his eyes, then grabbed the ball from Eren when it was in midair. "That's because your virgin ass probably didn't know how to please a woman."
"Huh! What did you say?" Eren narrowed his eyes. "You shouldn't be talking since all the girls you have hooked up with have been one night stands," Eren grinned, ear high. "The experience was so bad that one was enough for them."
"You fuc-"
"Woah, Woah," Reiner held his hands up. "We shouldn't be fighting, guys. Jean just heightened his body count last night, we should be singing Kumbaya during times like this."
"How do we know Jean even got laid last night? I bet he's just making it up to try and catch up to Reiner." Friday night parties was the best time for you to have a brief sexual encounter with someone. A fling— Reiner would call it, a way to add another notch to your belt. Reiner had a whopping body count of seven while Jean had five. Eren's first was Historia, an awkward thing that they were more pushed into because they thought they were supposed to. After that Eren had one drunken hook-up, though he wasn't really into those things like Reiner and Jean were. Eren's focus was solely on Lacrosse.
"The girl I did it with would beg to differ."
Eren narrowed his eyes. "Well, what was her name?"
"Well it was…uh," Jean stammered, frozen. His cheek tinted the color of pink as he looked like he was trying to trace his mind for the forgotten girl's name.
Reiner patted Jean on the back. "It's ok Jean, if you forgot her name. It happens to the best of us"
"Jean-boy, that is pretty shitty of you."
"Shut the fuck up, Eren. You're a suicidal maniac," He paused, eyeing Eren's jeresy. "And you better not cost us the game tonight by doing some dumbass play or breaking another bone like last year."
Reiner wrapped an arm around Eren's shoulder. "Just listen to your Captain," Reiner pointed to himself. "If Eren pulls something like that I'm sure Coach Shadis will never let Eren hear the end of it. Plus, I will be making Eren run ten laps extra for the whole season. He will be treated like a freshie. You know, like ginger over here."
The ginger comment causes Floch to roll his eyes, Eren groans.
"If all goes well then the usual party at my house! Eren, you haven't hosted in a long time you gotta pick up the slack. Can't have me always looking like the cool one," Jean brags, finally tossing Eren's ball back to him.
"It's not like it's my fault, my mom is always up my ass and she hasn't been working the same night shifts at the hospital as my dad on weekends. Besides Jean you need to step up your parties this year. You hosted like a freshie last year."
"Wasn't he a Freshman last year?" Floch asks.
"Well yeah, but-"
"Eren, you don't need to worry about my party this year. They will be top notch. My father bought these new speakers and we installed these lights that change color to heighten that mood, you know," Jean went on, his voice full of cockiness.
"Hey Reiner. How were your parties last year?" Floch pipes in.
Reiner's mouth opens to answer, but instead shuts it again. He grabs the collar of his jersey, looking a bit taken back. "No, Reiner isn't allowed to since his mom is really strict," Jean answers instead, shrugging.
"And besides, my parties would be too lit to handle," Reiner says. "But look freshie," Reiner slapped Floch on the back. Floch's whole body coiled from the action, his face scrunched up like he had just ran into a wall. "I can help you find a chick at Jean's party. You into blondes? I am. Big asses. Me too!" Floch just stared at him blankly. "So it's settled, I will find ginger here, some nice blonde-haired girl with a nice looking bum."
Just as Reiner finished talking, Marlo strolled up to the group with Historia and Hitch following in suit. With all seven of them here the friend group was now complete. The popular kids. The players on the field.
"Hey, babe. You're an angel," Reiner says to Historia as he puts his arm around her pulling her into a quick kiss.
"Thanks, but you don't always have to flatter me every morning," Historia smiles tiredly as she removes his arm from around her.
"I hope you boys weren't talking about getting girls again," Hitch says, rolling her eyes. "You guys can be such pigs."
"Us? Never." Jean fans his hand out.
"We respect the females," Reiner adds.
"Yeah, because I would be sad that I missed all the fun," Marlo laughs, smoothing out the lacrosse jersey he is also sporting.
"You're so gross Marlo!" Hitch says shoving him. Just then the bell rings for their first hour.
"Oh shit, my class is across the school," Jean says, taking off in a sprint. Everyone else dispersed, going opposite ways. As Eren made his way through the hall, he was stopped by Erwin Smith, the well put together, hardheaded principal.
"Yeager good luck at the game, I trust you will make our school proud," He states, voice hard as stone.
Eren nods, gripping his back pack straps tighter when he sees Vice Principal Levi standing next to Principal Erwin giving him a cold stare. "I will sir."
Eren is about to rush out of there when a deep voice fills the hallway. "And Eren I better not see you or your brats in my office again this year."
"Y-yes, Vice Principal Levi."
"Keep the hallways cleaned as well," he adds, simply.
"Will do."
...
Biology, 1st period
Eren was half asleep as Hange questioned if they were assigned the homework yesterday.
"Uh, mis-" Hange bulges her eyes out at Marco as he quickly recorrects himself. "I mean, Hange. I'm sure we had an assignment, I wrote it in my planner."
"Hm, well maybe we did!" The class groans as some give dirty looks to Marco, Eren slams his head repeatedly against his desk. "Well I hope you all did it then."
Some kids had their mouths agape while some started to scramble to get it done. Eren even heard someone whisper, "I was sure she would forget about it." Another student replied. "She did forget about it."
After that mess they were soon assigned a group project in which Eren found himself paired with his former best friend. They weren't paired by luck nor faith. It was Eren who found himself walking up to Armin's desk, asking him to be his partner. It was Armin who then agreed. They sat across from each other, the assignment paper in between them. Armin got out his notebook, looking at the notes he took as Eren hid his phone under his desk to watch Lacrosse highlights. The clock ticked by as Armin would occasionally ask for Eren's opinion on something which Eren would shake his head quickly in approval.
"So how would you feel if we added all the stages of the cell cycle" Armin asked, looking up from the paper.
Eren took a quick glance. "Yeah. That sounds good."
A few minutes later Armin asked, "Also I was thinking it would be really beneficial if we combined the information on prokaryotes and eukaryotes in the same paragraph.
"Yeah whatever you want," Eren mumbled, not bothering to look up this time.
Armin was quiet for a moment just staring at him. When Eren noticed this he made eye contact with him, confused. "Hey, Eren. I, um, am starting to get this feeling that you aren't really listening or contributing to this project."
Eren's brows knitted with confusion. "Huh? Oh, sorry, Armin. I guess I'm just a bit distracted."
"Distracted?"
He shrugs. "I mean, my parents, they have been fighting a lot." A lie.
"Really?"
"Yeah, it was so bad last night." Another lie. "It kept me up all night. I didn't go to bed until like 2am." The truth was he stayed up till 2am because he was too busy studying Lacrosse's plays. Also, Jean had to be the annoying, horse-faced douchebag he is and challenge him to a game of Call of Duty.
"Oh. I'm sorry to hear about that, would you want to talk about it?" Eren shrugs. "Well you could always sit with me at lunch and talk about it if you wanted, Mikasa sits with me as well and I heard that you two were hanging out this summer."
Her name caused a startled bolt in his stomach. The girl with the jet black hair and dark, sharp eyes. The girl that wore lace collars and high top black boots. Mikasa was his neighbor and while everyone was away at Lacrosse camps during the summer to freshen their skills, he would spend his free time with her since their parents were close. However, like Armin, Mikasa was just another person that was too different. "We hung out a bit, I guess."
Armin nodded, smiling. "Okay. So would you like to sit with us then?"
Eren froze, tracing his mind for something. He let his mouth move on its own as another lie spilled from his lips, "Man, I really wish I could, but Reiner is really hard on us Sophomores, you know. He makes us go over plays at lunch since today is our first game of the school year."
Maybe lying was a bad thing, but like Reiner would say, "Sometimes you gotta lie man, like when your chick confronts you about cheating. You shake your head and deny—It prevents the broken hearts."
The way Eren thought of it, he was protecting Armin; being a good friend. He didn't want to break his heart, so this way he wouldn't. "But please….don't tell anyone about my parents." Can't have a lie like that running around.
"I won't. I promise," Armin mumbled with a hint of sadness.
Eren started to pack up his things. "But hey, Armin. We're friends right?" He asks condescendingly.
"Y-yeah I suppose we are friends," Armin confessed after a long minute of what seemed to be hesitation.
"Good. So then, can you help a friend out? Like maybe let me sit this one out today?" He paused, throwing his packing back over his shoulder. "I mean considering all the things going on at home." Maybe lies came with benefits too.
Armin stares at him blankly before smiling, "Sure, Eren."
"Thanks, man!"
...
Lacrosse Game, Later Friday Night
"Move your ass, Yeager!"
"Do it for the babes."
"Run, Eren."
"Don't mess this up, you moron."
The words of his teammates and coach fade as he sprints towards the goal. The lights overhead beaming onto his body and illuminating the goal ahead. The clock ticks down as Eren's eyes find the light of the open spot. In the corner of his eye, he makes out another player in a blue jersey running towards him. Get off my ass, he yells in his head. He starts to feel the boiling feeling, that itch scratching at his brain like a cat's claws. The steam rising in the depths of his core. The color red flashing behind his eyelids.
"Eren!"
"Eren!"
"Eren!"
The crowd cheers only heightens his awareness and this feeling inside him. He turns his head slightly to notice the hard glare of the guy growing closer to his side. Eren grits his teeth, seeing nothing but red. Dark, bloody red. "Get off my ass!" He yells as rams his body into the other player before throwing the ball. The ball leaves his stick at lightning speed, catching itself in the glowing shine of the open spot of the goal. He scored. They won. Eren blinks, roaring at his victory. The force of his teammates' hands soon slapped every part of his body. He lifts his stick in the air, soaking in the sweet feeling of being a star. "Hell yeah!"
As things started to settle down, Eren took off his helmet and gloves while grabbing his stuff. His father came down the bleachers with his mother not far behind. "Good job, son," His father placed his hand on his shoulder with an approving nod. Before Eren could say anything his mother's arms wrapped around him. "You did great, Eren," She pulled back, grabbing his ear playfully. "You need to be more careful though, ramming into that other player could have resulted in you getting seriously hurt!"
Eren groaned, "I was fine!" He swatted his mom's hand away while she gave him a hard look. His father shook his head, grabbing his keys from his pocket and handing them to Eren. "Zeke is waiting in the car. Since you won the game, Eren," his father gestured to the keys. "You can drive."
"Sweet!" Eren left no room for argument from his mother and bolted to the car with a childish grin on his face. When he got to the car his older brother sat in the backseat of the car, book in hand. His blond hair hung over his eyes as he skimmed the page. He pushes his glasses a bit higher on the bridge of his nose. Zeke and Eren were half brothers, only related by their father. Zeke's mom died in a car crash when he was little, he was ten when Eren was born. Eren always thought Zeke had a stick too far up his ass and the age difference was a bit drastic, so they naturally weren't very close growing up. In order to try and get closer to Eren, Zeke had transferred from Marley High to Paradis High School this year as the new History teacher. Eren wasn't too thrilled about it to say the least.
Once he looked up from his book and saw his little brother in the driver's seat he simply stated, "You play too risky, Eren."
Eren narrows his eyes "Risky? I won."
"When you unnecessarily rammed into that player, what would happen if say the impact caused the ball to fall out of your stick," Zeke paused, placing his book down. "Or he pushed back and you fell. Two situations that would cost the game. Your anger is your Kryptonite."
"Well, it didn't happen, did it?" Eren retorts, anger starting to boil inside him.
Zeke's expression remains stony as his father and Eren's mother enter the car. Eren waits for another lecture, but instead all he says is, "No, Eren. I guess it didn't."
After that Eren drove to a restaurant to celebrate. They ate and Eren was praised for winning. Zeke remained quiet the whole time looking a bit sad as their father talked of the good plays Eren accomplished during the game. Eren even got a sundae as a token of victory. Once he got home, he got cleaned up and headed to Jean's party. Eren made up the excuse to his mother that Jean was throwing a sleepover and all was well.
...
Jean's party
(Song during scene: New Level Remix - Future)
After a few drinks the music literally started to pound in his veins. Hues from the red lighting flashed over his body as he made his way to the bathroom. He passed Marlo in Jean's long hallway. "Nice shot back there, Eren."
"Thanks, it was a pretty simple shot, really."
Marlo laughs. "I'm sure it was. For you at least," he then nudges Eren's side. "Hey, by the way. Have you seen Hitch?"
"She was probably with Historia," Eren traced his drunken mind. "Never mind, Historia was with Reiner."
Marlo thanks him and takes off in the opposite direction. When Eren finally reaches the bathroom, he shuts the door and the music that once pounded in his brain, muffles. He leans over the sink, staring at his reflection.
There is one more thing you need to know about Eren…
He grabs the bottle from his pocket, cracking it open.
No matter who that person is, they aren't perfect.
He spills the content of the white pills of Oxycontin in his palm.
Not even the star Lacrosse player.
He brings his palm to his face and lets the pills fall into his mouth.
Everyone has secrets to keep.
He swallows and soon the feeling of relief and numbness takes over his body. His head pounds in his favorite way. His green eyes relax when he stares at them. It started a few months ago when his body was in so much pain from Lacrosse, that his father started to give him Oxycontin to help with the pain. However, just like his addiction for popularity, he soon became addicted to the small pill. He would sneak a bottle ever so often from his dad's office in the basement. No one is perfect.
While Eren continues to feel the effects from the pills, his phone vibrates. He lifts the screen to his face, his eyebrows knitting together as he reads the message. It was an airdrop text from an unknown number with a link to some website attached to it.
The message above the link reading:
'I know your secrets.'
Eren opens the door of the bathroom, holding onto his phone with a vice like grip. At first he thinks Jean is pulling some prank on him. That is when he finds the people outside in the hallways staring at their phones with a confused, scared expression. Eren grabs a girl's phone from her hand seeing the same airdrop message on her screen. He continues down the hall finding the same message on everyone's phone.
Eren warily checks the message once again on his phone, this time he clicks the website link. The website is formatted like a blog. On the top it has the given name of 'The Dirty Laundry of Paradis'. Eren scrolls down to see that the only thing written so far in it is four words.
Four words that send a cold chill down his arms. 'Watch your backs, assholes'.