Manifestation of Manipulation - Vance Hopper x Male Reader

Freckles - 7

Last hour of the day has got to be the longest. Normally it wasn't but I somehow got stuck with last hour Gym. I didn't bring clothes to change into so the Gym teacher let me sit out and watch today.

Gym is both outside and inside, right now we're outside. Our Gym teacher asked me to simply pay attention if I wasn't going to participate, like I was going to do that. He hasn't yelled at me yet so I'm going to continue reading 'Stephen King The Shining'.

Though I'm not really reading it, I'm mostly zoning out and thinking about how long of a day it's been.
At least I only have one class with Bruce, and Gym is separated, 9th graders with the 10th's and 11th's with the 12th's.

Which means the hot-headed dog- sorry- Vance, is either in 9th or 10th, because he's in my hour but not my class. However everyone is sharing the football field, off playing random games. Must be a Friday special game day or something.

"Hey, Y/N is it?" Someone asks, their voice calm and smooth. Looking up I spot Griffin, I hadn't noticed he was in this hour. "Yeah, Griffin right?" I smile at the kid, he nods and fiddles with the hem of his shirt. He's definitely uncomfortable around me, I don't blame him he doesn't seem very outgoing.

"Listen little dude, I'm sorry about earlier. I'm not a morning person." I apologize for what was done and said between us in the hallway this morning. Griffin looks up at me and smiles softly. "It's not problem, really it's my fault anyways I should've been watching where I was going." He insists and apologizes too.

Shrugging I put my book away. "Nah you're all good, for real, it's my bad." "But-" "It's good." I interrupt him and give him a reassuring smile. That seems to do the trick, Griffin swallows hard and smiles again. "Alright, mind if I sit with you?" Of course he can sit with me, I'm not going to bullying a literal child.

"Not at all, can I ask you a couple of questions?" He nods as a response and scurry's up the dew wet bleachers. "Sweet." He takes a seat on a bleacher just in front of me. I slide down the bleacher and take a seat right next to him, which makes him seem uncomfortable. "You're good man, loosen up I don't bite." I tease him, he just nods and looks down at his shoes.

"Alright, we'll. What's Bruce's deal?" I ask, he gives me a funny look and shrugs. "What do you mean?" It sounds as if he ready to defend Bruce, definitely the leader of the click. "I don't mean it in a rude way. He's super enthusiastic is all. Says weird things, like about how you guys need all the friends you can get."

Griffin freezes and grips the hem of his white Gym shirt again. "Bruce has always been super happy, he's very contagious is all. He knows he is and he wants to be, he wants to make people smile." I nod along with him until he pauses and swallows again. "I get that, he's a nice dude for sure." "He is, and when he says we need all the friends we can get.. He's referring to how unpopular we are. We're the freaks." Griffin explains, his eyes meeting mine with an almost ashamed look.

"You guys are the school freaks? Really? I wouldn't have guessed. Normally the freaks are-" "Different? Weird?" Griffin interrupts, he's got a burning passion for this topic it seems. "Yeah, but you guys don't seem-" "Well we are. We are freaks." I can't tell if he's getting angry at me or just the world. "It's a damn shame, huh? To be labeled something you aren't for the way you look or act." I smile down at the freckled face boy. "Yeah... A damn shame."

"Griffin Stagg! Back to exercises!" The Gym teacher shouts across the field towards us. Griffin sighs and gives me a small wave before hurrying down the bleachers. I wave as he walks off, his head hung low as he makes his way towards a laughing group of kids.