Chapter Text
David's Perspective
The empty hallways echoed as a bright girl showed a new boy around the school. Her voice was exciting, and she seemed so cheerful. A little too cheerful for the boy. Her happiness was infectious, though, and it made a weak smile spread across his face.
The boy was taller than her by only a few inches, and he had an anxious nature around him, but you could tell he meant well. The girl, on the other hand, seemed to be in her element. As if this was where she belonged.
“And here’s your locker! I’m pretty sure the Miss Evans gave you your code.” The girl smiled, standing beside a blue locker.
“Oh uh, yeah I have it here.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. He hesitantly stepped in front of the piece of metal, feeling nervous if he didn’t get this first try. Luckily, he worked and he sighed in relief.
“You said your name’s David, right?” The girl tilted her head and her red curls cascaded over her shoulder.
“That’s me.” David forced a smile, but he knew it didn’t look as well as hers. He winced and quickly turned back to his locker, wanting to disappear.
“Well, it’s very nice to meet you. I think you’ll fit in great here at Wisteria High.” She smiled brightly, “Mind if I see your schedule? I can take you to your first period right now.”
“B-but it already started.” David said, glancing at his watch to make sure he was right.
“Yeah, but you can still show up halfway through.” The girl shrugged, waving away his worries. “Follow me!”
David took a deep breath and shut his locker before following her. They entered a different building, the English one, and the girl led David to his class.
“You’re in luck, David, you’re in literature with me!” She said, stopping so she could walk next to him. “Don’t worry, Mrs. Hanlon is super sweet. We’re in the middle of reading Fahrenheit 451, but I’m sure you can catch up! If not, just ask her and she’ll help you. Or me!”
They stopped outside the door and the girl knocked. A boy opened it and let the two of them inside. Mrs. Hanlon smiled as she saw her two students.
“You must be David.” Mrs. Hanlon stood up to greet him. She nodded to the girl, who took her seat at the front. “Thank you, Katherine, for showing him around.”
“Of course!” Katherine smiled, fixing her red curls behind her head as the teacher told David to introduce himself.
David took a deep breath, his grip tightening around his backpack straps. “My name is David. I moved here from North Carolina to be closer to my mom’s family.” He said slowly before glancing up, finally meeting the stares from the other students.
He slowly continued, trying to calm himself down. “I um...I like reading and writing, and history is my favorite subject. And um...yeah, I think that’s really it.” He looked up at Mrs. Hanlon with a bit of a pleading expression to sit down.
She smiled and pat his back. “Thank you, David. You can sit next to Katherine since you two already know each other quite a bit.” She motioned to the desk next to the redhead, who was smiling brightly.
David sat down and Mrs. Hanlon gave him a copy of Fahrenheit 451. He nodded and whispered a thank you, trying to ignore everyone staring at him as he opened the book to page 80.