Thanks to KillerStrike, GreenIsBeautiful, Yaoi-Is-Life-and-Love, ann25099, Carina Sicily and an anon for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 38

"Y-you don't have to take me!" Lovino protested. "I can go with the bus. You shouldn't…"

"I'll need to complete some paperwork anyway," Romulus said. "It's not going to be a bother. And you are not going with the bus. Marcello told me a fair deal about what happened on the bus."

Lovino grimaced. Of course, Marcello would say something about what happened the times when he sat down beside him on the bus, and how Lovino had been hassled during those trips. But Lovino didn't like the idea of his father driving him. It was only a matter of time before he complained about the inconvenience that it caused.

"Isn't there perhaps a public bus driving by?" Marcello suggested. "If Lovino could avoid the school bus…"

"That might be a better idea," Romulus said. "It might cost a bit more, but if we can prevent him from being hurt again…"

Lovino winced when he heard that it might cost more, but he was soon distracted by a whine at his feet. Chiara had learned the art of begging, it would seem. And while Lovino knew that it was a bad idea to be feeding her scraps off the table, the sound of the puppy whining wasn't a sound that Lovino felt comfortable with.

So discreetly, he gave her a small piece of bacon, which she gobbled up.

"Well, I know that this is going to be a hard day for everyone," Romulus said, glancing under the table. "Chiara's going to be outside all day."

"Couldn't you take her with you today?" Lovino asked, not comfortable with leaving the puppy by herself.

Romulus solemnly shook his head.

"Sorry, but she's going to have to get used to being taken outside," he said. "But just imagine how happy she's going to be when you come home. Just remember to leave her enough food and water, okay?"

Lovino sighed, but nodded his head. He didn't feel comfortable with leaving the puppy outside by herself, but it needed to be done.

He just wished that he could stay at home with her.

…

Marcello smiled when Camille joined him on the bus. She gave him a small smile in return.

"So, this is Lovino's first day at his new school, non?" she asked.

"Si," Marcello responded. "He's nervous. But at least he knows a few people there. I could only imagine how scared he would be if he didn't know anyone."

Camille nodded her head, before glancing towards the direction where her brother was sitting.

"Once again, I'm really sorry about what my idiot of a brother did to yours," she said.

Marcello sighed, but nodded his head.

"Does he at least feel guilty?" he asked.

"He's in denial," she said. "He's trying to pretend that he did nothing wrong, and that everything is exaggerated. My parents don't know anything about this yet, and I'm not sure if I should tell them or not."

Marcello clenched his fists. Of course, one of the people responsible for making his brother's life hell wouldn't acknowledge that he was in the wrong. He wouldn't accept responsibility for Lovino almost dying.

And he had no idea about the other two. Antonio was an only child, so he didn't have any siblings who Marcello could ask, and Gilbert…

Marcello glanced towards the German's younger brother. Ludwig was in Marcello's class, and generally kept to himself. Marcello found him to be unapproachable, but surely, he must have heard about the accusations against his brother by now. The entire school had been talking about Feliciano accusing those three of almost murdering Lovino. And even though Lovino hadn't been popular, the idea of murder made most people uncomfortable.

So, he supposed that the students at their school weren't completely rotten.

But from what he could see, Gilbert didn't look very apologetic. Antonio, at the very least, appeared to be a bit more subdued.

But oh, he wished he was a fly on the wall when they had played dodgeball. Feliciano said that he'd never seen anyone be targeted as much as those three had been. Not even their teammates were eager to spare them. And Mr Adnan had allowed it.

He supposed the teacher felt guilty as well. That was another thing he noticed. A lot of the teachers seemed to feel guilty of the way they treated Lovino.

…

Lovino tensed when they arrived at the school. He could see a number of students streaming into the gates, and he couldn't help but worry that they would hate him, just like the students at his former school.

"Come on," Romulus said. "Don't be shy."

Lovino took a deep breath to calm his nerves, before he followed his father out of the car. He felt uncomfortable as they walked to the office, and he could almost imagine that people were staring at him. Could they tell that he was broken?

The secretary smiled when she saw them.

"Mr Vargas, I presume?" she asked. "They're just busy with a staff meeting, so if you would wait for a while..."

Romulus nodded his head, and he and Lovino made their way to the chairs provided for anyone that needed to wait. Lovino took the time to examine the office, seeing that there was a sort of photo with everyone of the faculty. Each picture had been taken individually, before being added to the same page. And the name of each teacher was underneath their picture.

It was unfortunate that the names of the subjects weren't there as well. Lovino could have spent the time identifying which teachers would be teaching him. So he would need to focus on the faces. The names came easy, but he always had a hard time putting names and faces together.

He blinked when he saw someone that looked like Dr Williams. There were a few differences, with the biggest difference being the surnames. This teacher was named Alfred Jones. So, they couldn't be siblings, but perhaps they were cousins.

He didn't have long to linger on it. The door to what he assumed was the staff room opened, and he focused his attention on the teachers streaming out. He spotted the Dr Williams-lookalike soon enough, and he could immediately tell that they were completely different people. It was just something in the eyes.

At that moment, something else distracted him. Entering the office from the same door in which Lovino and his father had entered before was…

"Feliks?" Lovino questioned.

Feliks smiled brightly when he saw him, and rushed over towards him.

"Like, surprise!" Feliks exclaimed. "So, like, what do you think?"

Lovino knew that he was staring, but he couldn't help it. Even his father looked surprised. Felicja followed after Feliks, smiling warmly at Lovino.

"Hello, Lovino," she said. "Are you excited about the new school?"

"I-I guess," he stammered. "But… What are you doing here?"

"We didn't think that it would be a good idea to let Feliks lose the first real friend he'd had in a long time. We realise that it would be difficult for you to spend time together if you're in different schools in different towns. Plus, we don't feel comfortable with allowing Feliks to remain in a school that completely ignores bullying."

Lovino felt his face heat up. Feliks transferred to the new school… because of him? Not only to spend time with him, but also because of the things that the previous school ignored?

"Ah, I see you're all here," Ms Hassan said, walking with two other teachers. "Since we're all here, and since you have similar circumstances, why don't we all come to my office together?"

Lovino and Romulus both nodded, standing from their seats. They followed the principal into her office, and when the door closed behind them, Romulus insisted that Lovino take one of the seats, even though it would have been more polite for the teen to stand.

"You still have a sprained ankle," Romulus scolded. "You're not spending any more time on it than necessary."

So Lovino had little choice but to take a seat, while Feliks was given the other one.

"Now, we thought it best to enrol you both in the same homeroom," Ms Hassan said. "Mr Kirkland here will be your homeroom teacher. He's also your Literature teacher."

Lovino looked towards the green-eyed male, who politely bowed in greeting.

"I've heard you enjoy reading," Mr Kirkland said. "I also happen to be the faculty adviser for the book club, so I hope to see you there."

"O-oh," Lovino said. "S-sure."

"I also heard that both of you are seeing a therapist," Ms Hassan said. "The same one, if I understand correctly. But we think that you might also benefit from seeing the school counsellor. That would be Mr Bondevik here."

The blue-eyed man nodded his head as a way of greeting.

"Like, I'm alright with Dr Williams," Feliks said. "Vino needs help more than I do."

Lovino flinched a bit. Mr Bondevik cleared his throat.

"Even if you feel confident that you don't need me for therapy, it's still customary for new students to see me for the sake of allowing them to adjust," Mr Bondevik explained. "It will only be a week or two." He turned his attention to Lovino. "However, from the notes I received from your therapist, as well as the conversation I had with him, you would need to see me at least once a week, until we feel that it's no longer needed, however long that might take."

Lovino winced. He had a feeling that it would take a while before everyone decided that he was ready to move on.

"Now, all of the members of the faculty are familiar with both of your pasts," Ms Hassan continued. "So, if you ever feel as though you need help in any way, please speak with any of the teachers. If you need a moment to yourselves during class, you're welcome to ask for it, though that privilege will be taken away if we feel that you're abusing it. Alright?"

The two nodded their heads, but Lovino couldn't help but think about what she had just said. A moment to themselves… If he recalled correctly, Feliks needed that very thing when he found him in the bathroom. If it wasn't for something like that… then Lovino wouldn't have been sitting there at the moment.

Feliks seemed to realise it as well, for he threw an odd look in Lovino's direction.

"Now, we tried to keep your schedules as identical as possible," Ms Hassan continued. "But there's still the matter of Feliks having Chemistry while Lovino has Consumer Studies."

Lovino turned to Feliks in surprise. The other chose to have Chemistry? Willingly?

"You're already familiar with Gupta and his friends," Ms Hassan continued. "There would be at least one of them in each of your classes. They'll help you both settle in."

"They're good kids," Mr Kirkland added. "If they're taking care of you, then you have nothing to worry about."

"That's a relief," Romulus sighed. "The last thing we need is a repeat of his previous school."

"I noticed that their previous school didn't have Life Skills," Ms Hassan continued. "That in itself is enough to warrant concern, since the subject is mandatory."

"So, like, we need to catch up on that too?" Feliks asked in despair.

"It's Life Skills," Mr Bondevik said. "Trust me, you'll catch on soon enough."

Feliks actually looked relieved to hear that.

"Now, do you have any afterschool activities in mind?" Ms Hassan asked. "Unfortunately, I'm going to have to ask you to take part in something."

"And just so you know, the book club counts," Mr Kirkland said.

"Book club!" Lovino hastily replied. "I'll join the book club."

Mr Kirkland seemed to be pleased and amused by his words.

"Like, I'll join too," Feliks said.

"You enjoy reading as well?" Mr Kirkland asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm… trying," Feliks admitted. "I just don't want to get left behind."

Lovino was startled. Feliks was afraid of being left behind?

"You shouldn't force yourself to do something you don't want to do for the sake of others," Mr Kirkland said.

"Well… Like, the Stephen King book I started to read was okay," Feliks said.

"That verbal tic of yours…"

"It's from when he started learning English," Felicja sighed. "It was suggested that he used a few simple words to help his brain adjust to the new language, and that was one he was fond of using, which became stuck."

Mr Kirkland nodded, as though in understanding.

"If you insist…" Mr Kirkland said. "Tell me, do you find it easier to read English or your native language?"

"Like, Polish is a bit easier for me," Feliks said.

"Alright. If you like, we have a few Polish copies of some of our books, particularly the Witcher series. Do you think that you would prefer those?"

Feliks smiled, nodding his head.

"Now, if there are no questions, then I believe you may follow Mr Kirkland to his classroom," Ms Hassan said.

"I just have a question," Romulus said. "Is there a public bus passing by? I don't feel comfortable with allowing Lovino to ride a school bus."

"There is one that passes by near here," Ms Hassan said. "Just check with Ms Alberts, the secretary. She'll be able to give you more details, and if it's what you want, you're able to buy a bus pass from her."

"That would be great," Felicja said. "I used to go to pick Feliks up, but it's going to be a bit more costly now. And if the two of them are on the same bus, then I suppose there shouldn't be a problem."

Feliks actually looked happy about that, and it baffled Lovino. Could Feliks be happy about an opportunity to spend more time together?

…

Eshe waited until everyone was out of her office before she picked up the phone. It was clear that there was something wrong with Lovino's previous school, and it was her responsibility to report her suspicions to the superintendent. At the very least, they needed to issue an enquiry as to what was wrong with the school.

…

Lovino and Feliks followed after Mr Kirkland. Their pace was slow, due to Lovino's injured ankle. Every now and again, the teacher would look over his shoulder to ensure that the Italian was still alright.

They finally arrived at a classroom where all the students were standing or sitting outside. Since the teacher hadn't been there to open the door, they had no choice but to wait for him. Those who were sitting immediately stood when they saw him, and those that had been standing quickly moved to stand in their place.

"I see the corridor is still standing," Mr Kirkland remarked wryly. "Well then, come along."

He unlocked the door, allowing the other students to file in. Most of them shot the two new arrivals curious looks, especially Lovino. The Italian was reminded of the state of his face, and he felt self-conscious, which was strange, because he hadn't felt self-conscious about his appearance in… Did he ever?

Feliks brushed against his arm, probably as an attempt to try to comfort him. Lovino took a deep breath, and he saw something that made some of his tension melt away. Vlad was also walking inside the classroom, smiling and waving at Lovino and Feliks. Just the reminder that there was at least one friendly face helped put Lovino at ease.

Once everyone else was in, Mr Kirkland gestured for the two of them to come inside. Lovino swallowed nervously, before he and Feliks followed inside.

"Alright, settle down," Mr Kirkland said. "As you can see, we have two new students. Lovino Vargas and Feliks… I'm sorry, how do you pronounce your surname?"

"Łukasiewicz," Feliks said, a mixture of amusement and exasperation on his face.

"R-right. Anyway, why don't you…"

He was interrupted by a hand rising in the air, and he indicated that the girl had permission to speak.

"If you don't mind me asking," the girl said, looking at Lovino, "what happened to you? Were you in an accident or something?"

Lovino flinched, lowering his gaze.

"Clara, that wasn't very appropriate to…" Mr Kirkland started his reprimand.

"I-it's alright," Lovino said. "At… At my old school, there… there were these three guys w-who didn't like me v-very much. And they… Um…"

"They sent him to the hospital," Feliks finished. "Broken bones and everything, but they also caused a lot of internal bleeding. My dad was his doctor, and he said that they hurt him enough that he would have died."

Lovino's blood ran cold. This was the first he heard of the subject. They could have…

"You poor thing!" one of the girls exclaimed.

Lovino looked around, seeing expressions of horror and sympathy throughout the room.

"Now, do you understand why we're so disapproving of bullying?" Mr Kirkland asked. "He was incredibly lucky. He could have died, simply because someone didn't like him. And those bullies would have been arrested for manslaughter. I hope you all realise how brave he is just for admitting that. I also ask that you be patient with him. He's been hurt very badly – emotionally too – and it's going to take some time for him to adjust." He turned to Lovino and Feliks. "Why don't you two sit down behind Gupta and Vlad?"

Lovino nodded, and they went to the back. Vlad shot him a thumbs-up, and Gupta smiled in encouragement.

A few minutes later the bell rang, and after verifying that their next class was with Vlad, they followed after the Romanian.

"Miguel's also in the next class," Vlad explained. "You're finally going to meet him."

Lovino nodded, though he wasn't too optimistic. He kept getting flashbacks of Antonio.

The moment they stepped inside the classroom, Lovino froze. Sitting near the middle of the room was someone that looked almost identical to Antonio. And when he saw them and smiled, Lovino felt his body temperature drop.

Sorry, a huge chunk of this chapter was written during and directly after a migraine, which is also why it's so late when I'm updating.

I don't know about other countries, but in South Africa, we have a subject called Life Skills (or Life Orientation, depending on the year). It is probably the most tedious subject ever, and is despised even more than Math. It's a huge blow to your ego if you somehow manage to fail the subject. And it's mandatory. OK, I can see why it's an important subject, but it would be better if the work wasn't the same every year, with the occasional new addition. And it's from grade 1 to grade 12. It consists of three parts, which become their own subjects (usually) in grade 7: Creative Arts (which can be fun, provided it's a topic which interests you), Physical Education (my sister didn't even bother with this one) and Personal Skills Development. The last one is particularly the one everyone hates, covering topics like abuse, substance abuse, puberty (it was not fun editing this topic), bullying, respect, religions (this one in particular needs work; when I worked at a school, the Life Skills teacher complained about the Christian kids having no respect at all, and that she had to start the lesson with a reprimand to not tease anyone for having a different belief, and I also had a teacher who said to the classroom full of Christians that the only atheist among them is 'just going through a phase, and will get better' – that is really irresponsible of a Life Skills teacher, by the way – and atheism isn't even covered in the syllabus) and STDs (AIDS was a popular one, at least to whoever wrote the textbooks – the students loathed the topic). It reached the point where my last few years of high school had the teacher deciding that these classes should be devoted to self-study – a lot of my homework was completed in these classes. There was an occasional homework assignment or test, but otherwise, the teacher's only role in that class was to make sure we didn't get too rowdy.

Another subject I didn't particularly enjoy was Science. It didn't help that one of the teachers I had actually hated me – if the rest of the class agrees that a teacher is picking on you, you know it's bad. The final year before I dropped the subject, I actually had a pretty good teacher. He scared me a bit when he was handing out our exam papers and asked me what I did. That moment of fear when I thought that I failed the test, only to find 100%... That was one of the times I could say my jaw dropped. Turns out that out of nearly 200 students, only six managed to get higher than 80%. He would have retired at the end of the year, but a few days before the school year officially ended, he passed away.

The Witcher series is the only thing I can think of when Polish literature comes to mind, and I once saw the author compared to big names like Tolkien and CS Lewis. It's also fresh in my mind, since I had to buy a copy of the first book for my sister yesterday – and she owes me! She actually owes me a new copy of Stephanie Meyer's The Host as well. Years ago, when The Host was still new, she bought me a copy for Christmas, but it was at that point when she wasn't interested in reading herself. I paid her R2 for each chapter she read, and from that point on, she was hooked, so it's actually a special book to her, which she completely annexed from me. Now she feels guilty, and says she owes me a new copy. And on that note, I'm also a bit more patient with Twilight, because if it wasn't for that series, a girl in my class wouldn't have become interested in reading, and I wouldn't have had anyone to discuss books with.

When I did French, the lecturer said that we were allowed to curse when doing oral exams. She explained that it just serves as a trigger to help the brain get into the language mode. What Felicja describes is a more child-friendly version of that principle.