An Average First Day

Things had been quiet for once at Star High. Any crazy incidents among the students had been erased by the distances of summer vacation, and any political matters regarding the institution had been neatly kept away from the newspapers and reports. Yes, summertime had been the perfect time for things to cool down.

Too bad it all came to an end on the first day back.

Rey sped her bike through the chattering crowd of students that flocked back to the school. She wasn't late, but she knew she had to hurry if she wanted a place to lock her bike up; she couldn't loose her sole means of transportation. Living on her own at sixteen had its advantages, or so she told herself, but it also had its problems. Riding her coral bike everywhere was one of them.

She rounded a corner and passed a news van; probably here to cover something about the ongoing legal problems at the school. Rey didn't keep up with current politics really, even though they affected her school, but knew it was something about the way the school would be run. The City Council and the local big business, Order Corps., had been fighting over jurisdiction of the school. In fact, the fight had become so big that even some of the teachers and students had taken sides. It was one big mess that Rey certainly did not want to be a part of, so she remained neutral.

With the bike locked up, the brunette started towards the main building. Rey loved the design. It reminded her of a large spaceship, even though it had been built ages ago. Although it could definitely use some repairs here and there, Rey felt as if she were entering some futuristic portal when she entered the halls.

Her imagination was cut off short by someone clapping an arm around her shoulder. Instinct taking over, she shoved them off and onto the linoleum floor.

"Gee, that was some shove! I always forget how strong you are, Rey."

Rey realized that the small figure on the floor was none other than Devi. Devi was…well…an acquaintance of hers. The girl liked to talk a lot, and had somehow managed to work her way into Rey's life ever since she started working at Unkar's Junkyard. Since her first day at work, the Junior had sought out Rey and befriended her.

A large boy stepped up, helping the tiny form of Devi up in an almost humorous scene. Rey recognized him as Strunk, Devi's friend and another acquaintance of hers. He didn't talk nearly as much as Devi, which was an obvious point for him, but he didn't think nearly as much either. Strunk also worked at the junkyard, as well as stripping cars with Devi; an occupation Rey didn't dare to put herself in.

"Thanks, Strunk. So Rey, how was your summer vacation?"

"Oh, I mainly worked at the junkyard."

"Cool, cool. Strunk and I went on a hiking trip. It was super cool. It makes me want to travel more, y'know? Ditch this school and just see the world. Too bad I don't have a car, or Strunk at…"

Rey sighed as Devi began to chatter about finding a car in order to go on a continuous road trip. She wouldn't get a moments peace for the rest of the school day, and from the looks of it, the rest of the year.

"This is an awful day already."

"Shut up, Kylo."

"I hate this school."

"Shut up, Kylo."

"And they spelled my name wrong on my Star Cups cup."

"If you continue this childish moping, I am moving seats." Hux glanced over at Kylo Ren, as the dark-haired Senior went by, who was grumbling at the paper coffee cup that read 'Kyle.'

The ginger boy turned back to 'Brave New World.' He only ever went by his last name of Hux, which had led Kylo and their friend Phasma to agree that his first name had to be embarrassing. However, he didn't care what they thought. He was a straight-A student and a member of the student council, with no tolerance for shenanigans, which made it a wonder how he ever managed to talk to Kylo.

A shuffling sound started itching his ears, distracting him from the book. He glanced over to see that Kylo had his Darth Vader playing cards out, mindlessly shuffling them. While he couldn't argue about Kylo's love of Darth Vader, since it was some interest in history, the card shuffling sounds made him want to slap him.

"Our class starts in two minutes," The female voice of Phasma informed them from behind.

"Enough time for a card trick," Kylo nodded. He turned to the young, dark haired boy beside him, holding them out. "Pick a card."

Dopheld Mitaka shook a bit as he chose one. He was the youngest in the class, technically only being a Sophomore, but was smart enough to stand his ground and be on the student council with Hux.

"Memorize your card," Kylo ordered. "Then give it back to me."

Hux rolled his eyes at the game. Kylo always tried to do these pointless tricks, and they never worked for him.

"One minute until class," Phasma informed. Hux preferred Phasma's company, as she wasn't into the dumb games Kylo was and was more focused. While several of her opinions did clash with his, she would never create a fuss over it. Not to mention that she was tall and muscular, as well as captain of the lacrosse team, making her someone you didn't want on your bad side.

Kylo shuffled the cards quickly, causing Hux to slam his book hard. With Kylo around, he could never finish more than a page.

"Is this your card?"

Hux didn't even need to see Kylo's face to know he was frowning at Mitaka's "no."

"Is this your card?"

"N-no."

"What about this one?"

Hux glanced up to see Mitaka shaking his head.

"AUGH!"

In one swift motion, Kylo hurled the cards at the door – just as Professor Ackbar was coming in.

"Ben Solo!"

Kylo, already in a bad mood, yelled back. "It's Kylo Ren!"

"Principal's office, now!"

Hux smirked to himself. Less than a minute into class and Kylo was already sent to the office. At least he could focus on the lesson now. Kylo's year was not off to a good start.

The first thing Poe Dameron did when he got to school was head for the billboard. He knew the sign-up sheet for the football team would be up already, since Coach Deso didn't want anyone bothering him about it on the first day. When he got there, his friends Muran and Iolo had already beaten him there.

"Poe!" The two boys called out.

Poe shot his signature grin, greeting the two as if he hadn't seen them all throughout the summer.

"Well, looks like you two beat me to the sign-up sheet. I guess I better start getting up earlier."

"Oh, no," Muran said quickly. "We saved the first spot for you. You are the captain, after all."

Poe laughed as he added his name to the sheet. "You two are a bunch of goofs. You know I still have to try out for a place."

Coach Deso tried to be fair by emptying the team every year. For the star players like Poe and his friends though, everyone knew it was just a formality.

"Aw man, I thought I would get here first!" A female voice carried to the trio.

Kare Kun, one of the few female players of the team, ran up to the group. She was only a Sophomore, like Iolo, but her age and pretty looks were misleading. She was tough and could play with the best of the boys.

"Sorry, Kare," Iolo said. "Early bird and all."

Poe laughed along with the others. It felt good to be back in school, laughing with the team. While he felt a bit saddened that it was his Senior year, he was determined to make it count.

"Alright, you chuckleheads, I'm off to class so I'm not late. See ya!"

The others bid him farewell, Kare and Iolo making a joke about his good student record. Laugh all they want, but Poe wouldn't get into detention. He rarely broke the rules, unless he felt they were misguided, and then was careful not to get caught.

Still…this conflict with the City Council and Order Corps. was concerning. Even their Principal and Vice-Principal were heavily divided, and it worried Poe. Order Corps. had made it clear what their intentions were in trying to grasp the school's jurisdiction, and it wasn't kosher to Poe. As the football captain, he knew he would be a target if he chose any one side like Phasma, the captain of the lacrosse team, had done. He didn't want to make any waves, but knew he couldn't stay on the sidelines for long.

Lost in his thoughts, Poe crashed into somebody. He felt like he should know who the boy was, but couldn't place the face.

"Hey, sorry about that, man. I wasn't paying attention."

"It's fine," the boy replied. His face changed when he looked at Poe. "You're the football captain, Poe Dameron, aren't you?"

Poe grinned. "Yeah, seems like everybody knows me that way. Are you trying out? You look like you could play a good game."

Poe got a quick head shake. "No…I'm on the lacrosse team."

"Oh. Well…I guess I'll see you…"

The stranger left without a goodbye. Small things like that made Poe worry even more. This legal conflict was afflicting the students, and he didn't like it one bit. It wouldn't be long before it blew up in his face. With a sigh, he headed into math class, hoping his best friend and neighbor, Beebee, was already there.

I do not own Star Wars, The Force Awakens, Before the Awakening, etc. Or, unfortunately, Poe Dameron.

An actual chapter! Yay! You may kind of be able to see where I'm going with this, but I'm hoping to add a few twists and turns along the way. As we continue our story, we may see some more familiar faces show up, particularly in the next chapter.

Shout-out to Phoenix Brooke, whose want of a quick update helped me finish this chapter up. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, or would like to hurry me in updating, please leave a review or PM me. Thanks!