The Dursley's adopted son

Chapter 21

This is for @bOoO_bItChEs, thanks for the motivation.

We were still doing wrestling. I got to sit out today, because Dudley wasn't there. I sat with Zach and Grover in the back of the gym watching our classmates practice new wrestling holds. It was rather boring. Zach fell asleep after about five minutes.       Grover kept looking at me, as though he wanted to start a conversation. Eventually I took pity on him.

"So Grover, you're not from here are you? You have an American accent."

He jumped a little bit at my voice, but nodded.

"I'm from New York. How about you?"

"I'm from here, I think"

"You think?"

I looked at him, and shrugged.

"I don't actually remember my childhood."

Grover cringed.

"That sucks man."

I couldn't help but laugh. I thought his bluntness was amusing.

"Yeah I guess it does. But whatever. It is what it is."

Grover sniffed, and held my gaze for longer than what would be considered politely. Eventually, he cleared his throat and turned away, asking,

"Did you hear about the new teacher?"

I nodded.

"Mr. Brunner. Yeah. What class is he teaching?"

"Social studies. I had it during first period."

"Ah. I have social studies fifth."

Groves nodded, and once again we fell into an awkward silence. Zach mumbled something in his sleep, but other than that, it was silent for the rest of class. I decided to follow Zach's example, and closed my eyes for a bit. I never managed to fall asleep, but it was better than trying to keep up an awkward conversation with Grover.

When I heard the bell ring, signaling the end of gym class, I darted out of the gymnasium. I knew that Piers was probably already in the cafeteria, I just hoped he saved me a seat. Since Dudley wasn't at school today, lunch would probably be uneventful. I would probably get some weird looks, after being the center of attention yesterday, but that is something I'm used to. Weird looks were actually the best possible outcome, in my opinion.

As I expected, when I entered the cafeteria, I saw Piers in the back. When he saw me, he waved me over. I smiled and walked over, taking a seat next to him. There were a few other kids at the table that I recognized from yesterday. Part of Dudley's gang, no doubt. Surprisingly, they didn't look like they were mad at me, they just looked mildly amused. I couldn't help but think that maybe they weren't actually bad kids, Marie just ripped into making bad decisions. I knew from firsthand experience what that could be like. I smiled in what I hoped was a welcoming way, before turning to Piers.

"You know how I was telling you about sharks earlier?"

Piers nodded, and some of the others around the table parked up to listen to me. I cleared my throat awkwardly and continued,

"So I was thinking, and I was like, sharks supposedly have really small brains, right? But every shark I've ever tal— I mean, uh, seen, seems to be very smart! And all the nature documentaries I've see—"

"You watch nature documentaries? What are you, some kind of nerd?"

The table erupted in laughter, and I just rolled my eyes. The kid who made the comment was across the table from me, smirking as though he actually roasted me. I met his eyes and said,

"That's a good one! Really creative, calling me a nerd. I've actually never heard that before!"

I thought the sarcasm in my tone was apparent, but the kid just straightened up and smiled proudly, before saying,

"Thank you! Dudley taught me that!"

Piers sniggered next to me, and I shot him a confused look, to which he responded with a shrug and even more laughter. I fought the urge to point out that it was sarcasm, instead saying,

"No problem dude, Big D will be proud."

That must have been the right thing to say, because the kid's smile grew, and he stuck his hand out towards me saying,

"I'm Malcolm, that's Gordon, that's Dennis, and you already know Piers."

I shook his hand and said,

"I'm Percy. Nice to formally meet you."

And one firm handshake later, I was officially a part of their friend group.

During our thirty minute lunch period, I was able to learn that insults were how they communicated. Most of the conversation revolved around calling each other names, followed by boisterous laughter. It took me a few minutes to adjust to the flow of conversation, but by the time lunch was over, it felt like I had been their friend for years.

The rest of the day flew by. Even Social Studies with Mr. Bruner was uneventful, with him barely acknowledging me despite the conversation we had had the night before. After the final bell rang, I darted into the hallway, hoping to catch Piers before his parents picked him up. However I was stopped by a hand on my arm, and looked back to see Grover looking at me apprehensively.

"Hey dude, what's up?"

Grover looked surprised that I was talking to him, even though he was the one who initiated. He sniffed,

"Uh, Percy, it was nice talking to you in gym earlier today. I'm glad I'm not the only American."

The way he spoke was stilted and awkward, as though he was reciting something from a poorly written script. I just smiled and patted his shoulder,

"Yeah dude, feel free to chit-chat whenever everyone's accent gets on your nerves, ya know what I mean?"

He nodded, but I was pretty sure he had no idea what I meant. Whatever. Everyone could be a little weird sometimes.

"Well then... if that's all..." I trailed off, hoping he would let go of my arm and let me leave.

"One more thing Percy," I raised my eyebrow as he spoke, and noticed he was looking anywhere but my face, which is what made it extra weird when he said,

"Your eyes are really unique, aren't they? That's what I was staring at during gym earlier. Sorry if it was weird." I couldn't help but laugh,

"Oh yeah, that was a little freaky, but it's chill, don't worry about it." Some of the tension in his body dissipated, and he smiled before meeting my gaze. He let go of my arm, and gently brushed imaginary dust of my shoulder, saying,

"Stay safe!" His smile widened, and he looked away. Unsettled, I nodded,

"Yeah dude, you too." He nodded once before turning and darting away. I watched him run, confused about practically everything about him, before deciding I had better ways to spend my time. Shrugging it off, I glanced around for Piers. Assuming I missed my short time window, I decided to just head home. I could talk to him tomorrow, and maybe Dudley would be back as well.

1155 words. How long has it been? Promise it's not abandoned aha...
ending was rushed, I realized I was over 1000 words and just wanted to get something posted. Thanks for everybody who's sticking with it, I really appreciate it :)