Strawberry Blonde // Solangelo High School AU

Part 1

Nico Di Angelo POV

I balanced my chin on my hand, glancing out the window, watching the rain drip down the glass.

I sighed, turning away.

I hated being in moving vehicles. Cars, trucks, buses, anything. I got motion sick incredibly quickly and i just didn't like vehicles.

I glanced at my phone and checked the time. I had only half an hour before this awful bus ride would end.

Not like that would make much difference. This bus ride would probably be the best part of my life for the next few years.

I'm getting sent away to some boarding school. My parents said I was using my powers in the wrong way. Honestly, I think they just wanted to get rid of me. 

My parents never really seemed to like me. I was never good enough for them. I could raise and control the dead but that wasn't good enough.

So they decided to send me away. Like that was what I needed. I didn't like my old school. I didn't have any friends but at least not one messed with me. But at this new school, everyone was going to be like me. They would all have powers and people would probably try and mess with me. And people weren't my thing. At my old school, everyone learned pretty quickly to just leave me alone.

At this new school, no one would know that. People would try to talk to me and be friends with me. And I wouldn't be able to raise the dead on people who annoyed me. The headmasters at this new school would know I had powers and they wouldn't be able to chalk it up to the other kids being crazy.

I wish I was old enough to live alone. But I was only 15. I would have to wait another 3 years until I could be by myself.

My solution would probably just be to run away again. That's what I did. I skipped school. I ran away from home.

I always got brought back home and got sent to a new school. 

It was always the same. I got brought back. Then I got lectured and punished. But it didn't help. I just ran again.

The bus pulled to a stop. I glanced out the window seeing a large, brick building. 

Maple Leaf Boarding School.

I sighed and stood up, grabbing my bag. I walked down the aisle, stepping out the door.

I glanced around. It was a red brick building, about twice the side of a normal high school and it was surrounded by pine trees.

I watched as the bus drove away. That was my last escape. Now I was stuck in the middle of upper New York. I was surrounded by trees, in the middle of the forest.

I walked forward towards the school, swinging my bag onto my bag.

I stepped through the door of the school, the warmth of the school surprising me.

I took a deep breath and walked towards the man sitting at the front desk.

Great. I was going to have to talk to people.

"Hello!" The man called with way much enthusiasm.

"Hey um-" I started.

"Are you trying to check in?" He asked.

"Yeah," I nodded, glad i didn't have to say much.

"What is your name?"

"An, Nico Di Angelo,"

"Alright Nico, you will be staying in room 13, here is your key," the man handed me a key.

I smiled at the number. 13 was an unlucky number. I was all about spooky and unlucky things.

I took the key, surprised by its warmth.

I glanced at the name tag the name was wearing, reading the name Bob.

"Thank you Bob," 

"Of course!" Bob smiled but surprisingly it didn't seem fake, "After you're done getting comfortable, report to the Head Masters office."

I nodded again and started to walk away.

"Wait hold on," I turned back, " where are those thing?"

"Oh right of course, sorry about that Nico!"

I flinched slightly at the sound of my name again. Normally i didn't hear my name unless my parents were yelling at me. 

I didn't have friends, so kids didn't use my names. And my teachers only used it on the first few days of school. Teachers didn't call on me in class. I didn't volunteer to answer questions and teachers didn't just spontaneously pick me. I didn't give off good vibes, no one stayed around me. So my name wasn't a thing i heard in a positive context.

"Here you go," Bob said, snapping me back to reality.

I looked back at him to see him holding out a folded piece of paper towards me.

"It's a map," He nodded.

"Oh, thanks," I took the paper from him and walked away.

I opened the map, trying to figure out where i was supposed to go.

I looked at it for a minute, then slipped it into my pocket.

I walked over to where the stairs were and started to climb them, the carpet silencing the sound of my footsteps.

I climbed to the third floor, then started walking down the hall.

I counted the numbers until I got to the end of the hallway.

I stood in front of a door. It had a 13 painted over the left side of the door. This is where I was going to be staying for however long I was going to be here for.

I sighed and opened the door. I walked into the room to see four beds in one corner of the room.

Great. I didn't even get my own room.

I glanced around at the other sides of the room. There was a bookshelf that lined the wall. It only seemed to be halfway full.

Oddly enough, I liked books. It was my safe haven. When i was reading i didn't have to worry about my parents or school. All I had to worry about was some fictional characters and a false plot.

There was a couch in another corner of the room. 

I walked over to the one bed that didn't have anything under or on it and put my bag next to it.

I glanced out the window, at the trees that seemed to go on forever. 

I thought about my plan. It didn't seem like running away would really work. I was in the middle of the woods. Unless I planned on living in the woods, it wasn't going to happen.

I shook my head and turned away, heading back towards the door.

I was told to go to the Head Masters office after i put my stuff down.

Honestly, i really didn't want to. It would just be more social interaction that i would have to deal with.

I sighed and walked towards the office.

(word count: 1085)