Chapter 1:

There were a lot of things that confused 17-year-old Matthew Williams. The first thing, which will always take the cake no matter what new crazy shit happens in the world, is his older brother Alfred. Nothing on this sweet planet Earth (which is inhabited by many expert doctors and psychologists) could explain how that boy is a constant ray of fucking sunshine. It couldn't possibly be healthy! Like…. even during breakups. Alfred would take a few moments, grab a big tub of ice cream, force Matthew to sit down with him for a horror movie marathon, and by the end of the nine hours would be perfectly understanding of the dumper's decision and back to his good ol' joker self. "No matter what happens," he would explain to Matthew, "we had an important connection. Which is like… so totally hard to get now! You can't waste your time being mad about something so great." Matthew wished he had that mindset. But after every not-really breakup with his not-really boyfriend he would lock himself in his room, blast Celine Dion (this was the most concerning part to Alfred), and probably write one or two shitty poems. Matthew just didn't understand Alfred's chronic happiness no matter how hard he tried. Maybe it was drugs… he should definitely interrogate him later.

The second thing that confused Matthew was calculus. While he was able to pull off a consistent B average, he still had no clue what the fuck was happening in that class like… ever.

The third thing was something he proudly called The Bubble Theory, which was something he has been working on since he was about 11 years old. Matthew lived in a small town called Hickory. Population: 13,476. No one ever left Hickory. This meant that everyone he went to school with he has been going to school with since preschool. That also meant that their parents went to the same school as their children, and so did their parents… and so on and so forth. People never moved to Hickory very often either. Usually when they did, they would be family members of the folks who already lived there. Now obviously, this was The Bubble Theory because it was like there was this protective invisible layer around the town that if obstructed or disturbed would inevitably "pop". Matthew hypothesized that if it "popped", the entire township would definitely go up in flames. It would be pure madness. Everyone just had to know everyone, and everyone had to know each other's business.

Now with this small-town came a small-town mindset. While Matthew's family was lucky to live in a pretty liberal state, Hickory didn't totally adopt those views. These lovely citizens still referred to gay people as "those gays" and looked down on divorced women. Their favorite phrases included "I just think these subjects are too inappropriate for children," and, "A child needs both a mother and a father figure," and Matthew's personal favorite, "I don't have a problem with it, I just don't agree with it." Don't agree with what? Matthew always thought. Maybe I don't agree with those shoes you're wearing today Karen.

One can only imagine the field days Hickory has had with the Jones/Williams family. First when their mother got divorced from Alfred's shitty father, she was the talk of the local church. She stopped going every Sunday morning when she began noticing her former gossip gang scooting away from her, turning their heads, and whispering into each other's ears. Whatever. She didn't need them. She had her much less religious friends from her book club she joined through Alfred's pre-school which took place in the world's smallest recreation center. But she lost those friends after her second divorce from Matthew's somehow shittier father not even a full year later. Since they didn't have context they thought "Two divorces in two years? She must be the problem. She definitely cheated on him." She would never. She just had terrible luck with men. Why couldn't anyone understand? After she lost all her local friends, she had just one left. He was her gay best friend from college, and he was a source of major comfort when Alfred came out. When Alfred finally told her, she called up her good friend Juan who rushed over and took Alfred out for ice cream and told him he had nothing to be ashamed of no matter what his classmate's parents would say. The same thing happened to Matthew an hour later after Alfred accidentally outed his brother on the car ride home. That was annoying because Matthew wasn't ready, but he got ice cream out of it, so he forgave Alfred by the end of the day.

But oh boy did the town talk.

And the town had something new to talk about when a new family moved in. A family that had no relation to anyone else who was currently inhabiting Hickory. The Beilschmidts.

The Beilschmidt family consisted of three people. The father, who was a tall muscular German man with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Then there was his youngest son, Ludwig, who was the spitting image of him. Lastly there was his eldest son, Gilbert, who was born with a little genetic mutation called albinism. He was so pale… like skin glowing in the sunlight pale… and had shaggy white hair and striking red eyes. Their mother was out of the picture, which fascinated the Chatty Kathys of Hickory. "Fathers never get custody… she was probably a total nutjob. Those poor kids…" Now the first part was definitely correct. Gilbert and Ludwig's mother was definitely a complete nutcase who would disappear for days on end. Sometimes she would come home and act like she was completely normal and happy to have a family. Other times she would come home rampaging and screaming bloody murder about how her husband was suffocating her and how her two sons were holding her back. And then other other times she would bring home bed bugs from sleazy motels. So really, in the end Gilbert and Ludwig were only "those poor kids" when she was in the picture. They were much happier and healthier without her.

The Beilschmidts moving in completely destroyed and debunked Matthew's entire Bubble Theory. These completely new people moved in and the town hall was still in one piece? It's back to the drawing board for Matthew.

There was more chatter than usual. It was mainly targeted at Gilbert. It wasn't only his shocking presence that got people gossiping, but somehow someone had gotten a hold of his disciplinary record from his previous high school which wasn't exactly squeaky clean. He had excessive absences, was prone to tardiness, had gotten into many physical fights with other students, cursed out a teacher, had given a pot brownie to said teacher as an "apology", and the cherry on top of it all and what he would consider his proudest moment was the flock of birds he let loose in the teacher's lounge as an "early" senior prank. He was a junior at the time. And how he managed to get an entire flock of birds into the school in the first place is a secret he would take to the grave.

As soon as the PTA mothers got a hold of his record, they immediately took to Facebook and began warning their neighbors on the Town of Hickory page about a potential "criminal" that had just recently moved there and to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity. They encouraged one another to install those front door security camera systems, the ones used to get FedEx deliverers in trouble for not kissing the package before lovingly tucking it in between their screen and front door.

Gilbert knew everything they were saying. He began cyberstalking some kids that he would be going to school with and was easily able to find their parents and other family members through their profiles. Plus, they really weren't being discreet. That's okay though, Gilbert loved the attention. It meant he was leaving an impression on these people. And why wouldn't he? He was awesome.

He was lounging in bed with his laptop when he saw the first post about him.

MaryAnn Summers posted

"A new family moved in today across the street! It's about time! We needed some fresh faces! :D"

Gilbert recognized the name and picture. MaryAnn was a 50-something-year-old woman who had delivered a fresh cherry pie to their front door. Gil swore she almost shit her pants when he had answered the door. She clearly was not expecting someone with his… uh… traits.

Feliks Lukasiewicz replied

"I heard the oldest brother is albino! That's sooo weird :/"

Antonio Carriedoreplied

"wuts that mean"

Felciano Vargas replied

"Umm… I think it means he has an iron deficiency? :D"

Elizaveta Hedervaryreplied

"No Feliciano… That's anemia. Good try though."

Gilbert scoffed to himself. Iron deficiency. That's new. Maybe he should start telling people that's the reason for his crazy looks. Despite what most people said, Gilbert admired the way he looked. He thought it made him unique. He was special in the real way. Not in the fake way where parents lie to their normal looking children to encourage them.

The move wasn't very hard on Gilbert at all. He needed a change in scenery anyways. The only annoying part was that he was starting an entirely new school two months before graduation. He wondered if making friends at this point was even worth it. He at least needed a local dealer. He had one full week of school before spring break, a month from then would be Easter, a few weeks after that would be prom, and then graduation a week after that. Senior ditch day was probably somewhere in there too. He wished he could have just been exempt from school because what's even the point? He knew he had to do it though. Mainly for his father who cared about earning a diploma. Plus, he wanted to pursue engineering. He needed the full math credit.

The move, however, was very difficult on Ludwig. He was a year younger than Gilbert and cared very much about the way he and his family were perceived. He also had to break up with his boyfriend from back home because long distance when you're 17 is just not the right approach. It's what was best.

Gilbert wasn't the relationship type. He was the hit-it-and-quit-it type and didn't care too much about romantic attachment. He didn't like to limit himself to just one person. He identified as bisexual because of his dislike of limitations and why would he want to prohibit anyone of any gender from enjoying his awesome self. That would just be way too cruel.

While Gilbert continued to scroll through people's online profiles, he got a direct message notification. He raised an eyebrow as he opened the chat, wondering who the hell could possibly be trying to bother him.

Alfred Jones

"Hey dude! I heard u just moved here! :D"

Wow, someone almost as good at cyberstalking as me Gilbert thought. "Yeah," he replied, "I figured it's time to bless other towns with my presence."

Alfred Jones

"LOL! Dude u seem awesome! We should totally hang out! I can meet u at school on Monday? What's ur locker number?"

Gilbert chuckled softly. Making friends might be a lot easier than he thought. His first official night here and people are already just begging to meet him. "216 lol," he sent. Then he started typing out another message. Now was his chance to get some probably very shitty weed. "Hey dude, do you know of any local plugs you could point me in the direction of?"

Alfred Jones

"Oh… idk… I don't do drugs. I'll ask my brother though tomorrow though. He's like totally asleep already."

Dammit. At least he would ask for him. But didn't Alfred know that the government was tracking everything they said through Facebook DMs?! He just had to drop a buzzword. Whatever… he didn't seem too bright anyways. "Ok thx." He closed his laptop and laid back in bed. Monday morning should be very interesting.

And damn… Monday was very very interesting. Gilbert showed up to school ten minutes after the first bell. He had overslept. He can't help it! He's still a teenager! It's very unrealistic to expect a growing boy to be up before noon. He waltzed up to the building and tugged on the front doors which of course, were already locked. Gilbert huffed and looked around for the front office buzzer, which summoned the voice of a very annoyed Russian woman.

"What?" she asked.

"I'm Gilbert Beilschmidt. New student. And late."

A heavy sigh emitted from the speaker, "Come to the front office." The latch of the door clicked, signaling that Gilbert could now enter the building. He found the front office and greeted the woman who he presumed was the angry Russian. She had long platinum blonde hair and was slouched over her desk, looking chronically aggravated.

"Beilschmidt, Gilbert?" she asked in her thick accent.

"That's me!" Gilbert grinned.

She rolled her eyes at his enthusiasm. "Here." She held out a piece of paper with his schedule on it. "And Mr. Braginski would like to see you in his office." She pointed to the left.

"Yeah thanks." Gilbert followed the direction of her finger and entered the office of the school principal. He was another Russian man and he appeared to be in his late 30s.

"Ah… Mr. Beilschmidt." He spoke in a very thick accent. "Making an excellent first impression, are we?"

"I apologize Mr. Braginski. I got lost on the way here. It's very difficult to get used to a brand new town." Gilbert tried to play up clueless new kid façade, hoping he wouldn't be gifted with a detention slip on his very first day.

"I'll pretend I believe you Gilbert," he smiled in a way that was oddly comforting, "I was just like you when I was your age. Take a seat, please." He motioned towards a chair that was in front of his desk.

Gilbert inhaled through his teeth, "You know, I'd love to sit and chat but I should probably get to first period! I don't want to miss… uh…" he glanced down at his schedule. "…Home Economics."

"Sit down Gilbert," Mr. Braginski stated again, much firmer than before.

Gilbert sighed and sat down in front of the principal and crossed his arms. It wasn't out of disrespect. This was just his default pose when talking to people of authority.

"Don't worry about Home Economics. I'll write you an excused tardy slip," Mr. Braginski retreated back to his warmer smile. "So I'm going to remember that you showed up late on your first day, Gilbert. Would you like to know why?"

"Why?" Gilbert knew why. He just knew this was the type of discussion you entertain.

"Because I have full access to your previous school's records regarding your attendance streak… or lack thereof." Mr. Braginski clicked a few times on his computer mouse, pulling up these famous records. "They say that so far during your senior year you have missed 30 full school days and have 45 tardies. That has to be some sort of record." He laughed.

Gilbert didn't mean to roll his eyes, but he did. He had heard the spiel a million times from his previous principal, counselors, and teachers.

Mr. Braginski seemed to take note of the eyeroll and emitted a sympathetic sigh. "Look Gilbert, this can't continue. If you miss any more school or show up late we legally cannot allow you to graduate. Don't you have any plans for your future?"

Gilbert hated when school officials always assumed you didn't care about your future because you weren't showing up. After all, he still managed to get pretty good grades despite missing so much. To him that just proved that going to school for eight hours a day/five days a week just wasn't necessary. He was more interested in doing hands on projects at his own pace on his own time. "I do." He responded, annoyed.

Mr. Braginski nodded. "Okay, I believe you. Will you be able to prove it to me these next two months? If you do the work and meet me halfway, I will do everything in my power to help you graduate. I don't want you to bring in any of the foolish behavior that I see on this paperwork. Understood?"

"Understood. Can I go to class now?" Gilbert asked.

"Go on. I take promises very seriously Gilbert. I'm going to hold you to it!" He held out a small slip of paper which would excuse his tardy to the teacher.

Gilbert nodded and stood up, neatly pushed in the chair, and walked out of the room. What a great head start he made. Gilbert pulled out his schedule again and noted which classroom his first class was in. There was still twenty minutes left of class, so he had time to wander the halls for a bit and give himself a tour. Mr. Braginski didn't put a timestamp on the note. Rookie mistake.

The school was small. Like embarrassingly small. It was two stories with four main hallways on each floor which followed the perimeter of the building. Each hallway had about six classrooms with the exception of a hallway that housed the cafeteria and the band room. There was one branch on the first floor that stuck outside the perimeter, which hosted the library and a few other classrooms. Gilbert went up to the second floor so he could find his locker and put his supplies in there. God, these schoolbooks made his backpack weigh a ton! If he ends up with a back injury from carrying so much could he sue the school? He wondered. When he made his way to locker 216 he noticed a post-it note on the metal door.

Hey dude! I was waiting here all morning to meet you! It's time to get to class though. How about I meet you here during free period! Can't wait :D

From your new bestest friend

Alfred Jones

Oh yeah… Gilbert almost forgot about the dude who messaged him online. Whoops. Gilbert struggled with the new padlock code a few times before finally getting it open and he took his time placing each book and notebook that he wouldn't need until after his lunch period. He really didn't want to go to first period until the last possible minute. So, he stayed for a few minutes reading each textbook cover while he organized them by height. Gilbert was usually very messy, because he usually didn't care too much. But when it could benefit him by keeping him out of class for a few more minutes he was practically Marie Kondo up in this bitch.

He soon decided it was time to head to his first period class, so he made his way back down to the first floor. When he entered the classroom, he handed the teacher the slip from the principal. She just nodded and went to her computer at the front of the room to edit her attendance sheet to say that Gilbert was not absent.

Walking in late was always a great way to gain attention. And when someone looks like Gilbert, they get plenty more of it. Every single student in the class had turned from their introductory projects to gawk at the funny looking new kid. Gilbert just smirked and like clockwork, the bell rang.

Everyone rushed to their desks, grabbed their bags and rushed out the doors to head to their second period class. Gilbert simply gave his teacher a goodbye wave and turned back around to re-enter the hallway. His second period class was… he glanced at the sheet… ugh, calculus.

Gilbert spent the entire math class paying no attention to the teacher. Most of it was stuff he already knew. Man, this school was really behind. Whatever, at least it would be an easy A for him. Science and math came naturally to him. Most people would guess based off his records that he was a failing student who didn't give a fuck which was only half true. Since he already had heard enough about differential equations, he spent his time looking around the room at his classmates. He tried to guess what kind of people they were. He was sitting in the back, so he got an excellent view. There were two students up at the very front who really caught his eye. A girl with very long brown hair who was addressed by the teacher as Liz. And a guy who sat next to her with a long mop of stubborn looking honey blonde hair. Matthew. They seemed to be very close. Every once in a while, Liz would lean over and whisper to Matthew and his shoulders would begin shaking with quiet laughter. Then he would lean over, presumably to piggyback off her joke and Liz would cover her mouth to stop herself from giggling too loudly. They both seemed like fun. Gilbert tried to imagine what they could be joking around about. Probably the teacher's terrible combover.

Finally, after forty long minutes, the bell rang. Third period was the entire school's free period. They had assigned classrooms to go to, but the there was virtually no attendance. The only catch was that they were only allowed in 3 locations around the school. The assigned classroom, the lunchroom, or the library. If they were found anywhere else past passing period, they would be written up.

It was time for Gilbert to finally meet Alfred, who was adamant on becoming his new best friend. Gilbert walked upstairs and made his way to his locker and to no one's surprise Alfred was already standing there, leaning up against the row of metallic lockers. Alfred was around the same height as Gilbert with a very similar build. Tall and lean. He had blonde hair that was styled neatly despite one stubborn curl sticking straight up at his front part.

"Dude! It's so great to meet you!" Alfred parted his arms and gave Gil a very masculine side hug. "You look so much cooler in person! I left second period early to make sure I wouldn't miss you this time!"

Gilbert laughed, "Thanks man. What's up?"

"Dude… literally nothing! It's so boring today you would not believe the boring ass presentations I had to sit through in consumer education. Someone was talking about the car buying process! It took half an hour! B-o-r-i-n-g!"

Wow… this dude got comfortable really quick. Gilbert liked that. He always hated the first awkward conversation when you start getting to know someone. It wasn't like that with Alfred. He was super outgoing.

Alfred continued, "Like… it's just a car dude. How hard can it be. Hey! Mattie!" Alfred waved at someone from halfway down the hall.

"Hey Al," a soft approaching voice came from behind Gilbert and he felt a shoulder graze against his own.

Gilbert glanced in the direction of whoever bumped into him to see a familiar blonde. The one he had been studying during Calculus.

"Gilbert!" Alfred exclaimed, "This is my brother! Mattie!"

"Yeah," Gilbert started, "Hey you're in my class…"

Matthew only slowed his walking pace to greet Alfred. And when he bumped into Gilbert he glanced up at him for a split second only to avert his eyes back down to his feet. He started walking faster, not seeming to care that Gilbert had addressed him.

Gilbert's face scrunched up in confusion. Damn, not even a 'Hey?' "What's his problem?" Gilbert asked Alfred.

"Hm? Oh… nothing. He's just shy. Don't take it to heart."

Shy huh?

Hi there! It's been a very long time since I've written anything. I used to write on this website under a different account but I forgot all the information for it lol

I've had writer's block for the past like 6 years now but this quarantine has gotten the gears moving! I hope you like this! This is something I would like to update regularly!

Please review and be gentle. :)