Awa'altu High: ATWOW highschool au!!

Lo'ak

Lo'ak watched Tsireya's cheeks dimple as she smiled at his sister, seeing her blue eyes squint. His stomach felt funny. He felt Neteyam pinch him. Lo'ak glanced at his brother, seeing him smirking lightly at him. Lo'ak rolled his eyes and went back to his thermos of soup. Chicken and rice, with carrots. His dad had made it for him. Lo'ak grinned to himself at the thought. "What's your next class?" Tsireya asked Neteyam, beaming a brilliant smile. It was hard to look at her for too long. Lo'ak felt it was like staring into the sun. "Lemme check." He pulled out his list, examining it. Lo'ak sniggered. He often told his brother that he acted like an old man, or at least someone older than their dad. Seeing Neteyam squint at his piece of paper cemented this idea in his mind. "I have statistics," he said, pulling a sour face. "Oh, lucky, I love math," Ao'nung commented, before quickly shutting his mouth and staring back down at his phone. Lo'ak exhaled sharply through his nose. "I do not," Neteyam replied, sighing. "What about you, Lo'ak?" His head shot towards her, eyes wide. "Um... I don't know. I think I threw away my schedule," he laughed, ignoring the frustrated grunt from Neteyam. "Oh, wanna come with me to the office for another one? I'm an intern at the front desk there 4th period. I can log in and look." She was smiling slightly, looking up at him with her cartoonish eyes. Neteyam elbowed him in the ribs. "Yes," he said, clearing his throat. "Yes, that would be great." She grinned. "Come on, then," she said, standing and grabbing her bag.

She crossed the table to stand beside Lo'ak, who was still sitting. "Oh, yeah, okay," he mumbled, screwing the lid onto his thermos getting to his feet. She was short, shorter than he thought based on her face. 'Just a few inches shorter than Kiri,' Lo'ak thought. He followed her through the halls, feeling the stares of his peers following them. Her skirt flowed around her ankles like water. Lo'ak adjusted his necklace discreetly, fixing the clasp that had spun to the front. "My mom tells me that when the clasp comes to the front, that means you are on the front of someone's mind," she said suddenly, her voice echoing around the quiet hallway. Lo'ak blinked, looking down at her. "Let me see," she said, eyes fixed on his sternum. Lo'ak fished the charm out from under his shirt, displaying it to her in his palm. She leaned closer, observing it with keen eyes. "Tuk made it for me," he explained. "Well, she found the rock outside. Kiri wrapped it with wire." She looked him in the eye for a moment before pulling her face away from his chest. "It's very beautiful," she said. "Want it?" Lo'ak asked, out of habit. "I- what?" she questioned, brow furrowing in confusion. "Nothing. Sorry. It's something my mom does... when people compliment her things," he said awkwardly. "Oh." Lo'ak laughed nervously. "Well, I think you should keep it," she said, smiling softly. "The office is through here." He entered the area he had been in earlier that day. Tsireya slipped behind the desk, sitting in one of the office chairs. She settled before the computer, typing rapidly. "Okay. Lo'ak Sully, right?" He nodded. "What's your middle name, Lo'ak?" He winced. "Tsu," he whispered. "Hmm?" She asked, leaning in. "Tsu. T-s-u," he spelled it out for her. "I have to ask. Where is your family from? These names are so cool," she said, smiling at her computer screen. The light made her eyes look almost purple. "My mother is Egyptian. She lived there all her life. That's actually where we moved from," he explained. Tsireya squinted at him. "But Sully doesn't sound very..." "My dad is American," he said, grinning to himself. "That's so cool, Lo'ak. I wondered where your accent was from. It's very unique." Lo'ak tilted his head. "I have an accent?" he asked sarcastically, smiling. She laughed, shaking her head gently.

"My dad is Maori," she said, smiling. "My mom is Hawaiian." Lo'ak nodded. "I could tell. Because of the, you know," Lo'ak gestured to her head. "The hair," he finished, lamely. She snorted. "The hair? I mean, yeah, I guess... genetics," she trailed off, hiding her laugh behind her hand. "Tsireya, what's my next class?" He reminded her, gently. "Oh! Okay. Lo'ak Tsu Sully has... chemistry!" Lo'ak's jaw dropped in dismay. "Shut up, really?" he asked, shaking his head. "Oh, I'm sorry, don't shut up," he corrected himself, eyes wide. She scoffed. "Oh! Lo'ak! I also have chemistry next period!," she said, glancing up at him from her computer screen. Lo'ak clapped his hands loudly, instantly feeling embarrassment flush his face. "Your fourth block is..." Tsireya shot him a nervous glance. "What? What is it?" he asked, trying to peer at the screen. "Pre-calc," she said, looking at him sympathetically. "Well, shit," Lo'ak groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I will help you study! We can go watch Ao'nung surf one day, and I'll bring my notes from last semester, and I'll tutor you!" she rambled, excitedly. "Neteyam can come, too. And Kiri, and Rotxo if he promises to not, you know," she mimicked holding a joint in between her thumb and forefinger. Lo'ak snorted. "I really could smell it bad this morning. He has got to crack a window on that car before school," he said, laughing.