Heyyyy! So, probaby not right on time like I said it would be, but I started this chapter on the day I said I would so, like... Progress? I didn't realize until I sat down to write this just how much I hate writing first days of school lol. I hope you guys like it anyway, I'd hate to dissapoint you all. I really don't have anything else to say, other than that the next chapter wil probably be out in August sometime. I work full time, and I've got my 19th birthday, Pride, and a trip home coming up in the next three weekends, so it's gonna be hella busy here at Chez Dizzee for a while. I'll try to squeeze something out, but it's unlikely. Anyway, enough blabbing from me. Enjoy the new chap!

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By some divine miracle, Honey managed to find his locker, put his shit inside, and hustle to homeroom (which just so happened to be on the complete opposite side of the school) with about 5 seconds to spare. The bell went off, and he had to stand awkwardly by the door during the national anthem, that then switched to a feed of two awkward teenagers giving the morning announcements. Once the teacher noticed him, she made a vague gesture which he translated to 'sit anywhere'. The desks were clustered together in pods of four, which irritated Honey slightly. He'd much rather sit by himself, avoid any awkward attempts at conversation so early in the morning.

Not wanting to keep standing in the doorway looking like a dumbass, Honey made his way to one of the few empty seats at a group at the back of the room. There were already three other kids there- A thin blonde girl wearing far too much make-up, the tall kid from the bus stop that morning, and, to Honey's absolute displeasure, that asshole from the grocery store. When he sat, the asshole's eyebrows pinched together.

"Aren't you that freak from the Ready-Mart?" He sneered, looking Honey over with a critical eye. The overly made-up girl beside him giggled, as if he'd just said something devastatingly clever. Honey just barely managed to suppress an eye roll. Jesus, couldn't he go a half hour without being confronted by some over-aggressive dipshit?

"The one and only," Honey answered with a bland little salute. Ordinarily he'd have snapped off some cutting retort, but he couldn't risk escalating this situation. There was too much on the line for his temper to get the best of him, especially this early in the game.

"What are you doing here, weirdo?" The other boy asked, and this time, Honey couldn't resist the derisive snort. What was he, a high school aged teenager, doing in a high school? He opened his mouth to bite out some vaguely hostile response, but the kid from the bus stop chose that moment to but in.

"Jesus, Conrad, would you lay off? It's too early in the morning to deal with your aggressive bullshit," They said, rolling their hazel eyes. Then, they turned toward Honey. "Ignore him, he was probably dropped on his head as a baby."

"Whatever, faggots," the boy (Conrad, apparently) muttered, him and his little groupie grabbing their chairs and dragging them over to sit with another group of kids just as the announcements came to an end.

"Thanks for that," Honey said, feeling a little awkward. He hadn't had someone come to his defense like that since- well. For a while. The lanky teen waved him off with a lazy smile, calling Honey's attention to the nick in their right eyebrow.

"Don't sweat it, I always enjoy an opportunity to take that mouth-breathing jack ass down a peg or two. I'm M.L, and you are...?"

"Honey," He answered, and then, to clarify any awkward misunderstanding (as had happened before), he added "My name is Honey."

M.L looked him over, but it didn't seem critical. If anything, the look seemed vaguely hopeful. "That's a really unique name. Did you pick it out yourself?"

Picking up what the other teen was putting down, Honey smiled conspiratorially. "Not really. It was a family nickname, and when I came out, I just started using it full time because nothing else felt right. You?"

"Yeah, I picked it out myself a few years ago. It's short for My Love," M.L answered, a twinkle of mischief dancing in their eyes. "Or whatever I decide it means on any given day."

Honey decided then and there- he liked this kid.

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Unfortunately, Honey and M.L didn't share first period chemistry, although they did have third period psychology and fifth period art together. Usually Honey wouldn't take the time to care about things like that, but it was different this time. This was his last chance, hopefully his last stop before he turned 18. There was no point in keeping himself separate this time around. Its not like he was going to meet some guy and fall wildly madly in love or anything, but making a friend or two wouldn't hurt.

His chemistry class was blessedly close to his homeroom, the science wing just one hallway down. He hoped his getting there so early would mean he'd have first choice of where to sit, put unfortunately, that wasn't the case. The teacher, a young-ish man with a handsome face and square glasses that gave him a vague Clark Kent vibe, called him over almost as soon as he walked in.

"Hey, I'm Mr. Guinness. You're our new student, Henry, right?" The teacher asks, giving him a charmingly boyish smile. Honey suppressed a wince. Fuck, he could already tell he was one of those well-meaning yet over enthusiastic teachers who probably made students introduce themselves.

"It's Honey, actually. Like what bees make," Honey corrected, giving an apologetic shrug. Mr. Guinness frowned briefly in confusion before seeming to get over it.

"Honey, then. Sorry about that. Anyway, why don't you stand up here with me while I figure out where to seat you?" Fuck, that was even worse than he imagined. Now everyone would get a chance to gawk at him while they filtered into class, and assigned seating was its own special brand of Hell.

Sure enough, the next three and a half minutes were full of students either giving him speculative onceovers or suspicious glares. Honey stood by Mr. Guinness' desk, fighting back his overwhelming desire to turn around and walk right out of class. He wasn't a particularly shy individual, but well, you'd be hard pressed to find someone who enjoyed being stared at like some exotic new zoo animal.

Finally, the bell went off, signaling the end of his torture- or so he thought. Instead of telling him his seat and letting him slip discreetly into it, Mr. Guinness stood up, clapping his hands together to draw the class' attention to him. "Okay, students, we've got a new student with us. I expect you all to welcome him into our school, and show him some good old fashioned Charlotte hospitality." Here, he turned to Honey with an expectant smile. "Why don't you introduce yourself, tell us where you're from, and three interesting things about yourself?"

God, Honey wished the floor would open up and swallow him. Why did teachers insist on pointless exercises like this? Most of the students in this room couldn't be paid to give a shit about him one way or another, there was no use in embarrassing himself by pretending otherwise. Still, it had to be done, so Honey pasted on a charming, sarcastic smile. No need to show his discomfort.

"Hey everyone, I'm Honey Hart," He started, ignoring the mean-spirited snickering that followed his announcement of his name. There were always a few in every bunch. "I transferred here from Kingston, and I like long walks on the beach, pina coladas, and getting caught in the rain."

The teacher at least seemed amused when he pointed out the table for Honey sit at. Honey picked his way toward his seat, avoiding bags and inconveniently positioned feet. His table was already occupied by another boy, albeit a handsome one. He was huge, impossibly large muscles showing clearly through his tight grey Henley, and very obviously tall, even while sitting. He looked like he could bench press Honey without breaking a sweat. He had short black hair with just a hint of endearing curls, and vibrant tawny gold eyes that danced with good humor. His bone structure was that of a modern Adonis, with square jaw, chiseled cheek bones, and a strong, straight nose. God, even his fucking eyebrows were perfect. Honey didn't know whether he was turned on or jealous. (Both, definitely both.)

"Very funny," He said, jolting Honey out of his brief stupor. As Honey took his seat, the other boy flashed him a cheeky grin and sweet love of God, were those dimples? That had to be at least a little illegal. Still, despite his internal freak out over the hotness of the absolute bear of a man beside him, Honey played it cool. The worst thing you could do in front of a hot guy was show them how hot you found them. It gave them all the power.

"Thanks. If you liked that, you should watch my Netflix comedy special. It's a riot," Honey drawled, opening his binder to the tab sectioned off for first period. Wow, Helena was sure thorough when she'd gotten his school supplies ready for him. What a doll.

"Hart, right? You must be Kevin's long lost son," The other boy joked, opening his own books as well. Honey let his lips widen into an actual smile.

"Oh, Kevin Hart only wishes he was talented enough to be related to me," Honey shot playfully, and the other boy held up his hands in a gesture of peace, grinning widely.

"Right, what was I thinking?"

The conversation pretty much ended there as Mr. Guinness started teaching, giving a lecture on some subject that Honey vaguely recalled learning the basics of the year before. He started writing his notes, wincing internally when he realized the class seemed to be at least halfway through the topic already, Honey barely able to follow along. Chemistry really wasn't his science of choice.

The end of class came much too quickly, Honey still silently struggling to figure out what language Mr. Guinness was speaking in. Honey gathered up his stuff and made his way out of the class, not even noticing the interested eyes following him until he disappeared from the doorway.

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Honey's other two morning classes were, thankfully, less of a problem than Chemistry had been. Neither of his teachers had embarrassed him by making him introduce himself, simply handing him a packet on what he'd missed and letting him pick where he wanted to sit. In third period, M.L saved him a seat, and they spent most of the period whispering about one thing or another, M.L lending him their notes.

When the bell for lunch, their seemed to be some unspoken agreement. M.L Followed Honey to his locker, leaning against the locker beside it while he grabbed his binder for the second half of the day (because fuck what teachers said, having a separate binder for each individual subject was a damn hassle) and his lunch, and then they stopped at M.L's locker before they led him to the cafeteria. M.L gestured him toward their regular table while they waited in the lunch line.

Honey took his seat, absently unpacking his lunch. It looked delicious- chicken salad on a croissant, a container of berries, and a plastic bag with a few homemade chocolate chip cookies. Definitely better than the bag of chips he would have gotten for himself. Starting in on his berries, Honey looked around.

The lunch room wasn't incredibly big, barely large enough to accommodate the few hundred students in attendance. It was loud in only the way a room full of obnoxious teenagers could be. People were talking and yelling, and a few different groups were playing music from their crappy phone speakers. Honey spotted Conrad, seemingly holding court at his table. He had his little blonde groupie tucked under his arm, and she laughed at everything he said. Honey rolled his eyes. Of course the douchebag was one of the "popular" kids.

Moving on, Honey kept skimming the crowd, spotting a few people he vaguely recognized from his first three classes. He noticed this could seemed to follow the same tired old trend of rigid cliques that some of his smaller previous schools had- jocks with jocks, theatre kids with theatre kids, burnouts with burnout, etc. Frankly, Honey found it boring, wondering idly if he should inform the student body that they weren't living in some angsty teen movie- they could make friends outside of their tiny socially circles. Meh, more effort than it was worth.

He wasn't truly interested until he spotted the hot kid from his first period. Oddly enough, he was already looking in Honey's direction when Honey looked over, although he quickly turned away when he got caught. His tablemates, however didn't seem to have the same inclination, as they all kept staring right at him. Honey shrugged internally, starting his own scrutiny. If they were going to stare, he may as well do it too.

There were three others besides Hot Dude- two girls and one boy. The first girl was tiny and doll-like, with wildly spiky black hair and delicate yet mischievous features. Her diminutive stature and playful aura reminded Honey of the tiny fairy figurines one of his old foster mothers used to collect, although this girl wasn't nearly as creepy. The second girl looked like she belonged on a runway, or in the femme fatale in some old school spy movie. Her perfectly curled hair was a shade of blonde that Honey didn't think existed outside of a bottle, but he somehow he could tell it was natural. He bet there wasn't a straight boy or gay girl who wasn't at least half in love with her. Hell, Honey was gay, and even he thought she was absolutely stunning. The guy, who for some reason had a small amused smirk on his face reminded Honey of an ancient Greek stature, all classic features and a strange blend of masculine handsomeness and feminine beauty. His copper hair curled softly back from his face, framing his feaures nicely. Not exactly Honey's type, but he could definitely see the appeal. They all had a strange similarity to them, although Honey highly doubted they were related. They were all porcelain pale, golden eyed, and, most noticeably, unnaturally beautiful.

Honey tore his eyes way from the strange group as M.L sat down in front of him with a dramatic sigh, their tray laden with unappealing cafeteria food. "God, it's like fighting through a mob just to get some cardboard pizza and soggy tater tots."

"It's a metaphor for life- maximum effort for minimum pay-off," Honey shrugged, earning a snort of laughter from his tablemate. Honey debated for a moment whether it would be rude to gossip about the group of potentials super models, then internally shrugged and said fuck it. It's not like they'd be able to hear him from so far away anyway.

"What's the deal with those pale kids over at the other table?" Honey asked, gesturing his chin vaguely in their direction.

"Honey, I don't know if you noticed, but we're in Charlotte- everyone is a weird pale kid. You're going to have to be a bit more specific." They pointed out, which, fair. He rolled his eyes before gesturing again, this time not even bothering to be subtle about it. If they were still watching him that was their problem, not his.

M.L followed along where he'd gestured, seeming uninterested until their eyes actually landed one the group, at which point they made a vague noise of understanding. For spit second, their expression morphed into one of distaste, before quickly going back to casual distate. Huh. "Oh, those are Dr. Cullen's foster kids, Emmett, Edward, Rosalie and Alice. They transferred in at the beginning of the year, just a few monhs ago. Why do you ask?"

Honey shrugged noncommittally, taking a bite out of his sandwich, chewing, and swallowing before answering (fuck you, he wasn't stalling, he was just hungry, that was all). "No real reason, I guess. I sat next to the big one in first period, and he was staring at me when I came in. Trying to figure out if I should be flattered or worried that I'm about to be hate-crimed."

M.L snorted, their aquiline nose wrinkling charmingly in laughter. "I think you're safe, love, that's Emmett. He may be a giant, but he's of the big friendly variety. Well," they tilt their head, seeming to reconsider their answer. "Friendly enough, anyway. The Cullens don't really talk to anyone outside of their little group, but Emmett isn't the bullying type."

Honey hummed, letting his eyes drift back over to the group. They had all finally turned away from him, seemingly locked in quiet conversation. The tiny brunette girl looked excited, practically bouncing in her seat as she talked. The blonde girl and redheaded boy didn't seem as enthusiastic, having looks of skepticism and disapproval on their respective faces. Emmett looked just as happy as his small foster sister, an expression on his face that reminded Honey of a hopeful puppy. Honey couldn't help but think the other boy looked kind of adorable.

M.L snapped their fingers in front of his face, effectively his attention back to them. They gave him a small apologetic smile, patting his hand gently. "Don't get your hopes up, Honey. The Cullens really don't socialize outside of one another."

Honey rolled his eyes, pulling his hand back in order to pop a handful of berries in his mouth. "Believe me, I don't have any hopes. Just because I think someone might be good jerk-off material doesn't mean I'm going to fall wildly, madly in love with them or anything. Besides, I'm pretty sure he's straight anyway."

With that, their conversation moved on, oblivious to the sudden fit of laughter taking over the Cullen table.

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Okay so, I'm actually really happy with this chapter! It's the longest one so far, and it's gotten most of what I want to get done, done. I might have one more scene from Honey's first day involving one of the Cullens in chapter 5, or I might skip straight to the end of the day and his first meeting with his new foster dad, idk. Tell me what you'd like to see! Like I said in the above author's note, I have no clue when I'm going to be able to get another chapter out, but I'll peck away at it whenever I have a spare moment. Until next time-

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