youth ❀ karlnap

what are you waiting for?

The day was finally here. Karl drew his backpack up over his shoulders for the last time that he would before he left his house for the first day of his new school, and he went to put his empty cereal bowl in the sink. Immediately after he raced around the first floor, searching for his mom again since she seemed to disappear at the most important times. He found her in the dining room, and quickly lurched to catch her in the tightest hug.

"Bye, momma, I need to go now!"

"Bye, stay safe," She hugged him for longer than usual, and kissed his head right before he pulled away. Karl just smiled though, skipping to the door. He was never one to reject affections, especially from his mother. No matter what her stance was on his beliefs, or how hostile she could get towards him when he stood up to her, he always forgave easily and treasured every moment they shared close together. Sometimes he wished he wasn't like that, but he had to admit that if he pushed her even more away than he already had then he would have no one in his life to confide to except for Quackity on Wednesday nights.

Or, now, for five days of the week?

To be honest, the fact that this was all really happening was not processing in Karl's head. It was like he had been waiting for it so long that now that it was finally here he couldn't believe it. He was excited, but couldn't help but feel like he was being tricked somehow. Like he was going to sit up at any moment in his bed and realize that the last couple of months have just been one very elaborate dream.

But as he closed the door behind him, the warm morning sun on his skin assured him that this was reality. He beamed with satisfaction, skipping onto the sidewalk and making his way towards the bus stop around the block. He wasn't used to this; usually his mom had to drive him to school every morning and drop him off. In the middle of his walk, he untangled his earbuds from his pocket and plugged them into his phone, putting on something sweet to listen to. Chill music, composed of soft instruments and lo-fi beats. He found himself stepping to the tempo of the music. He was at peace.

Karl finally arrived at the bus stop, and he stood there with round eyes, curiously looking at a couple of the new faces that accompanied him. Nothing really stood out about them, besides the fact that they were unfamiliar. He was sure he memorized every single person at that private school regardless of how much he talked to them.

He frowned, nervously running a hand through his hair. He finally got it cut again after begging incessantly for it around his birthday. He remembered saying that he would've been satisfied even if that was the only present he got all year. It wasn't, but it was possibly still the highlight.

Eventually more people came up to the bus stop, rubbing at their sleepy eyes and tapping mindlessly on their phones. Karl checked his phone as well, but of course there was nothing new there, because it was early in the morning and that wasn't exactly the time for anyone to post. The bus soon rolled up to the curb though, and everyone stepped inside. Karl went in last, making round eyes at every seat as he passed them. He found an empty one in the middle and shoved himself against the window, putting his backpack in his lap and staring outside. He hoped no one would sit next to him, at least for now. Although he was excited, obviously, he still didn't really feel like he could trust anyone until he was around Quackity. He was told to meet him at "one of the small tables in the hallway before the lunchroom," whatever that meant.

The bus stopped at the school, and Karl got up, waiting for most people behind him to weave their way past the seats before he threw himself into the mix. He managed to get out through the front doors, and he stretched for a moment, just disoriented from the drive. He followed the crowd into the building, and immediately had to look for a map. He stared at one mounted on the wall for a while, unable to decipher it when he wasn't actually walking across the floor plan at the same time. Eventually he decided to give up on trying to make a route in his head, and he just walked towards the lunchroom. He made circles around it, searching for whatever table Quackity mentioned the other day.