The Commentary Club

Chapter 1

A/N: hello! This is just a fun short story i couldnt resist writing. Just a little side note: it should be obvious, but i just wanted to reiterate that this is a fictional story just for fun. An au one at that. I respect (and even adore!) their irl relationships and identities.

and now, onto the story!

..........

6:55 A.M.

"Ugh, I can't believe I have to be at this stupid place on a Saturday," Kurtis Conner complains as he stares out the car window in dread. "As if it's not bad enough that I have to be here during the weekday."

"Well, now, whose fault is that?" Kurtis' mother asks him. "You can't just skip class to go mess around doing God knows what with your friends."

"Mom, I told you, I was just hanging out with Dean and Jacob," he reassures her, anxiously running a hand through his curls. School is a rather toxic place and sometimes he just...needs to get away from it. But he hates the fact that he made his mom worry. "We went to the mall, that's it."

Mrs. Conner sighs, hoping to God he's telling the truth. Kurtis is a good boy and she doesn't want this to be a warning sign of future trouble. "Regardless, skipping class has consequences so hopefully this will make you understand that." She leans over to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Try to make the best of it and have a good day, honey."

Kurtis offers her a weak smile in return before opening the car door and walking up the front steps of the school.

..........

"Danny, this better not become a habit," Mr. Gonzalez warns his son.

"It won't, I promise," Danny insists. "This is the first and last time it'll happen."

"It shouldn't have happened at all."

Danny closes his eyes in an attempt to fight against a rising wave of guilt and self-loathing from knocking him down. "I know. I'm sorry," he apologizes for the one-hundredth time.

His father just shakes his head before nodding toward the school's entrance. "Go."

With a sigh, Danny gets out of the car and walks toward the building's fingerprint-covered glass doors.

..........

"Cody, you're a senior. You can't afford to be stupid and get in trouble like this," Mr. Kolodziejzyk lectures his son.

Cody grits his teeth. "Yeah, Mom already chewed me out, alright? Jeez."

"HEY!" he snaps, not appreciating the attitude. "You need to get your head out of your ass and take this seriously or else you're gonna blow your ride to Duke."

I should be so lucky, Cody thinks.

"No school's gonna want to give a scholarship to a kid with a history of behavioral discipline, especially not for something as immature as vandalism. Why would you risk throwing that away?"

Cody wants to give a smart retort about would it really be that bad if that were the case? If he lost the scholarship? But he decides against it and bites the comment back. Instead, he gets out of the car with a mere roll of his eyes.

..........

Noel Miller makes his way walking across the parking lot, taking his sweet time so as not to put a damper on his cool exterior. The last thing he needs is someone thinking he actually cares about getting to detention on time. So what if he's a little bit of a Mr. Struggle? At least he's not a square.