A/N: Their ages are as follows. Lance, Scott, Jean and Freddy are all thirteen, everyone else is ten except Pietro and Evan, who are almost twelve, and Todd, who is nine-going-on-ten.
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The road that connected Bayview and South in Bayville, New York was a busy corner at seven in the morning. It was September seventh; first day of school for children.
The older students, fresh from a hearty summer vacation and ready to get back to the classroom, friends, and the unique thing of school yard society, were grouped in circles while they waited for the big yellow vehicle that would take them away from their parents for the day. Awkward six year olds stood with parents, or older siblings; hoping they wouldn't miss mom and dad too much and just a bit excited about going off all on their own. Parents held hands, wondering if their little pumpkin would be okay; older kids tossed jokes back and forth.
A group of children gathered around a boy with brown hair and sunglasses; a boy named Scott who was thirteen and finally allowed to take the bus to visit his inner city friends by himself. He was the oldest boy (he was going into grade eight) at Xavier's school for gifted children; a school his social worker had paid 'lots of good, hard earned money on, little mister'. The oldest girl (and the one who most likely tattled on him, making him have to stay at the institute while everyone else got to go to the water park three weeks ago) was Jean. She was thirteen, just like Scott. Scott thought she was mean; she always told on him. A bunch of the other kids were just starting grade six this year; Kitty, Marie and Kurt; and Evan was starting grade seven. They were all dressed in their new school outfits; sporting brand new book bags and, to Scott's delight, new sneakers and shoes. His old shoes, some Nike trainers, had gotten pretty holey over the summer. His gaze wandered over the heads of Kitty and Marie, who were fighting over who got to sit with Jean on the bus, to the stop sign they would soon be lining up at.
And beside the stop sign, a group of kids, in threadbare clothes and sporting holey sneakers, mismatched socks and old backpacks, stood, ignoring the other children surrounding them. The oldest was a tall thirteen year old named Lance; who's book bag held little more then a comic book and his binder. Beside him stood thirteen year old Freddy; a bigger boy who's Spiderman book bag had seen better days. Freddy was attempting to stop a fight between twelve year old Pietro and nine year old Todd. Todd's Snoopy book bag sat on the ground, forgotten, while Pietro waved his arms in the air, the too-big bag on his back slipping down his shoulders.
"It's MY book Todd! You went into my room and took it!" Todd's arms crossed over his chest as Pietro threw the accusation at him, taking a step forward to push the over balancing preteen with his webbed-fingered hands.
"It's not just your room! Lance SAID I could go in!" the younger boy stated, as Pietro wind-milled his arms to catch his balance. It was the truth; Lance, who shared a room in the run down boarding house they lived in with Pietro, and he had given Todd permission to be in there.
"You took it without my permission though! It's my book, so you were suppose to ask ME to borrow it! I'm telling Mrs. Darkholme when we get home. If…she's home." Mrs. Darkholme was the woman who ran the boarding house; a woman who cared little for children and more then she should about money.
"D-don't tell her, Pietro! I promise I'll let you use anything of mine if you don't tell her." Todd's pout made Pietro sigh, and Lance grinned as Pietro waved his small hand at Todd.
"Oh, fine, take it. See if I care. But if you ever take anything of mine again…I'll tell everyone you still sleep with a blankie." Todd made a face, and picked up his book bag. Turning away from the older teen, he smirked at Lance.
"And then I'll tell everyone you play with dolls. 'Specially Daniels." Pietro flushed, eyes widening as his eyes fluttered to the dark skinned boy standing in the other group.
"You wouldn't. Todd. You…you really wouldn't, would you? Because he'd make so much fun of me. More then if I still slept with a blanket. Todd…" Todd grinned, turning to face Pietro, and tapped the slightly taller boys nose.
"Maybe I would, maybe I wouldn't. Who knows! C'mon, the bus is coming!" Pietro frowned, wrinkling his nose and tugging his backpack higher on his shoulders. As the bus pulled up, he and his companions made their way to the back, and Scott led his little group to sit in the middle.
"Hey Maximoff! Why's your shirt pink?" Evan's voice carried over the bus, and several fifth graders turned to look at Pietro. Pietro blushed, looking down at his faded t-shirt. Angrily, he glared at the other boy.
"Hey Daniels, why's your face UGLY?" Beside him, Lance snickered, and up the aisle Scott placed a hand on Evan's shoulder.
"Ignore him, Evan. The whole lot of 'em are stupid." He stated, ever wise in all of his thirteen years. Evan nodded, and Jean directed the attention back to her new book bag.
"I hate them." Pietro stated, watching Lance draw inappropriate things on the foggy windows. The older pre teen glanced up, looking first at Pietro, who slumped in the seat, to the group of kids ahead of them. He gently placed his arm around Pietro's shoulders, smiling at him.
"They're jerks, hey? Just ignore them." Pietro nodded, and Lance took the elastic band holding his lunch box together and hooked it under his index fingers nail, wrapping it around his thumb to hold the opposite end in place with his middle finger. He smirked to Pietro, who leaned to peer over the seat some as Lance took aim at Scott, and let it go. It hit Scott with a snap, causing the other preteen to spin around to glare at them. Lance smiled and waved, and Scott frowned, turning to face the front of the bus.
"I think this'll be a good school year, man." Pietro giggled, and Todd leaned over the seat behind them, grinning as he pointed at the disgruntled group at the front of the bus.
"At least," the nine year old stated, "It will be for us, yo."