So, yeah, here's chapter three. Nothing special really. Enjoy reliving your past (or imagining your future) first day of 6th grade/middle school/junior high!
Arthur Pendragon sat up in bed as soon as his alarm went off. It was the first day of 6th grade. He was excited because this year Merlin was going to his school, and they had to have at least some classes together.
He quickly got up and got dressed, barely restraining himself from running to the kitchen. His father was sitting at the table, which he didn't expect. Normally he'd be gone to work at this time. It was almost 7:30!
"Ah, Arthur. I trust you don't have that book in your backpack?" Uther asked, referring to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
"N-no, s-sir," Arthur replied.
"Good. Have a seat, son. I made bacon and eggs for your first day." Arthur was surprised. His father never did anything for him, especially cook. Ever since Arthur was old enough to, he'd been making his own food.
Arthur sat down in the chair closest to the door, ready for a quick exit so he could get to the bus stop before 8:00. He ate his food quickly, not uttering another word to his father.
When he was done, he grabbed his backpack and walked to the door. As he was twisting the doorknob, his father said, "Try not to talk too much. If you do talk, don't stutter. You won't make any friends if they can't understand you." Uther had always wanted his son to make more friends and be popular, but Arthur found that to be increasingly difficult as he got older.
Arthur nodded briskly and went out the door. The moment he heard it close behind him and felt the wind on his face, Arthur smiled. Just this simple freedom made him happy, and the smile stayed on his face until he reached the bus stop.
In all his excitement, Arthur had forgotten about Cenred and Cedric. Cenred was the biggest bully in the school, and Cedric was his suck-up companion.
The two were sitting on the bench, taking up the entire thing. That left Arthur with no place to sit, but he was used to it. He walked slowly, trying not to draw attention to himself.
"Hey, Pendragon!" Too late, Arthur thought. He remained silent, although he didn't try to hide anymore. "I said, 'Hey, Pendragon!'"
It was definitely too late now, and Arthur had to say something, or Cenred would keep yelling. "W-what d-d-do y-you w-want?"
"What do I want? Did you hear that Cedric? He asked what I want!" Cenred elbowed Cedric, who let out a chuckle at Arthur's expense. Cenred turned to Arthur again, finally answering, "I think you know what I want. Come on, kid, hand over the money."
Arthur should have seen this coming. It'd been the same for the past few years. Cenred and Cedric were two years older than him, so the past two years had been better. They were in the middle school while Arthur was in elementary, but this year they'd all be in the same school.
Arthur reached into his pocket and pulled out the $5 bill he was supposed to use to pay for his lunch. He held it out in his hand, and Cenred reached forward and took it, a smirk on his face.
Just in time, the bus appeared. If it had taken any longer, Cenred probably would have done more than just take his money.
When the doors opened, Arthur hung behind, not wanting to make Cenred or Cedric angry. As soon as he had a clear view of the seats, Arthur started loving for Merlin. When he spotted him, Merlin met his gaze and smiled. The spot next to him was empty, no doubt being saved for Arthur, but Cedric got there first.
Merlin shot Arthur an apologetic look, and the blonde started looking for another place to sit. There was one, but it was all the way in the back with the 8th graders and the high school kids, where Cedric should be sitting.
Suddenly, Merlin smirked and his eyes turned gold. Arthur looked around for what he might have done, and his eyes fell on Cedric. The boy was shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Finally, he exclaimed, "It's wet here!" and got up to go to the empty seat in the back. Arthur looked at the spot next to Merlin, which now had a small puddle of water in it. Merlin looked down, his eyes glowing gold again, and the puddle disappeared. Arthur smiled gratefully, taking a seat.
"Y-you d-didn't have t-to do th-that," Arthur told Merlin, but the other boy shook his head, a gleeful smirk plastered on his face.
"It was funny, wasn't it?" Arthur couldn't deny that it was funny. Cedric definitely deserved it. "Hey, let's compare our schedules! I want to see what classes I have with you!"
Arthur nodded, taking his backpack off and setting it on his lap. He opened the main pouch and pulled out his class schedule. It read:
Band - Ms. Cowan
Art - Mr. Adamson
Reading - Mrs. O'Ryan
Math - Ms. Duncan
Science - Mr. Wells
Comm. Arts - Mrs. Harrison
Social Studies - Mr. Matthews
Merlin smiled wide when he saw Arthur's schedule, pulling out his own. It read:
Robotics - Ms. Kovak
Art - Mr. Adamson
Reading - Mrs. O'Ryan
Social Studies - Mr. Matthews
Science - Mr. Wells
Comm. Arts - Mrs. Harrison
Math - Ms. Duncan
"We've got art, reading, science, and comm. arts together!" Merlin exclaimed. Arthur was happy that they had so many classes together, but he wasn't exactly happy about the classes he didn't share with Merlin.
"W-what is y-y-you l-locker n-number?" Arthur asked. He wanted to know if their lockers were close together. They'd be spending time at each other's lockers anyway, but it would be better if they were in the same vicinity.
"Mine's 172. What about you?"
"I-it's 171! W-we're r-right n-n-next to e-each other!" Arthur was very excited. From what he'd heard about middle school, there was a lot of bullying in the hallways. Merlin had protected him before, so he'd do it again!
Before he knew it, the bus pulled up to the school, and the two boys got off, walking towards the school. The main doors stood menacingly in front of Arthur, and he wasn't going to lie, he was scared. However, he knew that with Merlin by his side, He'd be okay.