Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I do not own Silent Hill or any of the characters used. I own only the story itself.

This is a high school AU. None of the events of Silent Hill have occurred, and some facts about the characters and the setting have been changed to match this AU. If you have any questions regarding these changes, please feel free to PM me. No flames, please.

Warning: Eventual slash

The bell rang at 4:05 exactly, signaling the end of the school day. Murphy stretched as he got up, glad that it was finally over. Now he could nap at his house in peace. As the class quickly left the math room, ignoring the teacher's attempts to regulate order, Murphy put on his backpack and waited for Henry to do the same. James was waiting for them by the door and Murphy observed as the tall and muscular kid walked out. Murphy didn't know who the guy was and wasn't even aware that he was in that class, but whoever he was, he freaked James out.

Henry finished packing up and together they walked to the front of the school. "So, Henry, what's the deal with the dorks who were staring at us in that class?" Murphy asked him as the three of them reached the front doors. Instead of answering, though, Henry tensed up. He stayed like that until James lightly nudged him in the shoulder. Henry unfroze and began to walk again, only now he seemed a lot more on edge.

"Those guys aren't 'dorks' Murphy. Their names are Walter Sullivan and George Sewell. Both of them are the most popular guys in school-you don't want to mess with them. "Henry replied to the message to Murphy in a hushed tone, as if he was afraid that the two would jump out of the trashcans and get them.

Murphy "pfffted." "What are those two gonna do to me? Besides, I don't feel like getting into trouble. Don't worry, dude, I won't mess with them."

Henry seemed to become visibly happier, though it could have been Murphy's imagination. He'd have to ask James what his deal was with the two dorks- popular guys. He could sense something was up, but he didn't was intrude, seeing as how he'd just met the guy.

The boys parted ways at the parking lot; James' lived pretty close so he just needed to walk home, Henry rode his bike to school and Murphy's parents were there with the minivan.

"How was your day, dear?" Murphy's mom asked them as they drove on to their new home.

Murphy stared out the window of the car as he replied. "Pretty good, honestly. Made some new friends. Seems like it's going to be a pretty good year."

"That's wonderful, dear! In celebration, I'm making spaghetti for dinner tonight!"

Murphy smiled. His mom's cooking was the best. Looking back out the window, he found himself eagerly awaiting the next day. Something he normally never did when it came to school.

Must be the new friends he made.

Murphy had just finished up dinner and the light amount of homework that he had when he was called to take the trash out. Putting away his papers, he yawned and went downstairs to do his chore. He grabbed the bag of assorted grossness and walked out to where the trash can was, in front of the garage door. He had just put the bag into the can when he heard a small gasp. Turning around, he was face-to-face with Henry, also holding a trash bag. He looked pretty shocked to see him.

"Henry?! You're my new neighbor?" Murphy asked.

"That's my line, doofus. Wow. This is pretty exciting. Well, um… Welcome to the neighbor hood, I suppose." Henry mumbled, throwing away his garbage at the same time.

Murphy smiled. "Glad to be here. But didn't you know at school that I was going to be your neighbor? Why didn't you say anything?"

Henry looked away, grinning sheepishly. "I actually didn't know that we were getting new neighbors. I don't pay attention to a lot of the things that happen around the neighborhood."

Murphy laughed at that. "It's cool, man. Well, I better head on inside. See you tomorrow, Henry."

Henry smiled at him as he turned to his house, too. "Yeah."

Murphy walked back into his house and went to the sink to wash his hands- a household rule after handling the trash. Just as he finished up his dad walked in. "Hey, dad, guess what? One of my new friends is actually our new neighbor. Pretty cool, huh?" His dad nodded in agreement and went about reading the local paper. Man of very few words.

As Murphy lay in bed that evening, he wondered briefly about the new people he's encountered. With the exception of two, that is. Sighing, he turned around and grabbed his journal, quickly writing a two page entry about the day's events. Once done, he put the book on his nightstand and turned the lamp off, ready for sleep.

I'm so sorry, my dear readers! Life just got so hectic! I'm sorry this chapter is so short, but I needed a good way to wrap up the first day and to introduce Henry as his neighbor. I hope you all enjoyed this! It's certainly been a long time coming. I cannot give an accurate date for the next chapter, but I am working on it! Hopefully it'll be in the next week or so, because I have big plans for July!

Thanks again for any reviews, favorites, and follows! Thanks so much for reading!