INSIGHTFUL ⇛ Tim Drake [ currently on hiatus ]

3.

I swear, Gotham academy can never get more cliche than it currently is. As soon as I had walked into the hallways of the school, I had known that this place was just meant for a teenage drama movie. Like, honestly, everyone seems to be separated into their own social groups or cliques or whatever they're called - if that is not cliche then I don't know what is. When I had went to Gotham High, I had never noticed anything so socially different.

Of course, you have that 'popular' or 'cool' or whatever  they're called group of girls. I actually have no clue. Now, this may not always be the case as it is here at Gotham Academy - it wasn't at Gotham High, but this group is mostly made out of stuck up, snobby and sometimes (okay, most of the time) spoiled richer than rich girls with way too much makeup caked onto their faces for their own good. One thing to be careful of with these girls, is to never ever get on their bad side. Their threats aren't empty, if they say they'll ruin you, then trust me; they will. I remember last year, one of these girls found out that her boyfriend was sleeping around with a girl from G.H and within a week she had that girl in tears, right at the bottom of the social chain.

You also have the 'popular' or 'cool' or whatever they're called group of boys. Of course, I have no clue. Once again, this may not always be the case, but this group of boys will mostly include, stuck up, egotistical, asshole, players. No joke. From the tiny amount of interaction that I've had with these kinds of boys, I don't understand why they've got so many girls after their love or company. All I'd expect from these guys is a broken heart. Of course, these boys only hang out with girls from the group I mentioned earlier. But, having said that, these guys like to get their hand on anything with boobs and a butt. Meaning they'll sleep with any girl they think is hot, whether or not they are friend with the girls they usually hang out with. And it's not like they hang around those girls any longer than they find necessary.

And there's also the - I don't even know what to call them, punks? The kids who are always getting themselves into trouble or into fights and the kids with permanent frowns etched onto their faces. And guess what? All of these people hung out together.

There's the apparent nerds (that's what everyone else calls 'em) as well. With grades constantly higher than an A+ and their heads stuck into textbooks all day, they spend their spare time obsessing over science fiction movies based in the middle of space. These guys too; all hang out with each other.

Thankfully, there are people who seem fairly normal in grouping. Like, they don't fall into any of those other categories and if I really have to make friends here at Gotham Academy then I would like for it to be these people. They seem to be nice enough. But I would never be the one to approach a stranger first - I'm just way to awkward for that.

In all honesty, I don't fit in here. Even with those kids who look to be kind (if that's the right word) people. The students here are all way too rich for their own good and I'm way too not-rich to fit into a school like this. I just don't feel comfortable if I can't make new friends or relationships in Gotham Academy, because without either of those, an optimistic way of comprehending school won't last here.

I keep my eyes focused on the linoleum floor of the classroom, making my way over to a desk situated fairly close to the middle of the room all the while hoping that I don't trip and make a fool of myself. The students already send me mocking stares, their eyes all piercing right into me.

My uniform is too big. The shoulders of the white shirt hang farther than they should, the arms of the dark, the almost black navy blue blazer are at least an inch longer than my hand and my skirt falls lower and heavier than the rest of the girl's skirts do. The only things that seem to fit me are the footwear and my tie. There was a mistake when I had ordered it and it would have cost too much to replace with a more fitting set. Mom had offered to pay for the replacement, sheepishly admitting that she didn't want her daughter to feel even the slightest embarrassment. But I couldn't do that. We were financially stable, not rich but not poor. My  family and I have what we need and we have the money to shop for things we may want, but only in moderation and at a suitable price. Once again, we are not rich like majority of the families that send their children to Gotham Academy.

I take a seat on the plastic chair, placing my bag beside the foot of the desk and pulling out the stationary I may need for my first class at Gotham Academy. Science has never been my best subject. In fact, it's probably my worst; I don't even know how I wasn't failing this class back at High. My eyes flicker between the multiple stares and snickers sent my way, before I keep my gaze focused downward.

"Ignore them. They have their egos so far up their butts that they can't see anything other than themselves." I jump at the sudden speech directed to me, my head snapping in the direction of the source.

A blonde boy sits in the seat directly behind me, a friendly smile plastered on his face and  his green eyes cheekily shining from the sunlight that enters the room.

"Sam," He introduces himself and mockingly salutes me with two fingers as he leans forward onto his desk. I smile back at him, muttering a greeting that I'm almost certain he couldn't hear.

"Don't bother the poor girl, Sam." A masculine voice sounds from beside me, a slight hint of shyness evident in his voice. He had said it in a joking way but there was still a little bit of seriousness behind his words. Once my eyes catch a glimpse of this boy, it's almost as if they're glued to him and I can't revert my attention to anything but him,

His bright blue eyes contrast greatly to his neat yet still messy black hair which compliment his pink lips. Stray strands of his raven hair falls over his forehead, slightly starting to cover his sea colored eyes and I fight the urge to reach out and put them back in place. His jawline is as sharp as a knife and his cheekbones are angular but not too harshly. He smiles kindly at me, showing small dimples beside the corners of his mouth. The boys eyebrows are of the perfect thickness and follows the curving of his eyes, his eyelashes long and curved. His toned chest is visible through his uniform shirt along with his strong biceps that are lightly flexed due to him leaning forward onto his elbows.

He really is striking and I swear to god my heart is palpitating at an extremely unhealthy rate.

"Tim Drake," He sticks a firm hand in my direction for me to shake but I don't seem to register that and I just stare down at it, blinking slowly.

Of course! I mentally smack myself for not recognizing him earlier. Everyone in Gotham City knows who he is and you'd be lying if you said you don't. Tim's an adoptive son of Bruce Wayne and is set to inherit Wayne Enterprises once Bruce himself cannot. I've seen him numerous times in the newspaper or on the TV and have had to sit through my best friend babbling on and on about how hot she thinks he is. She had never taken it further than to say he was hot due to her having a boyfriend but she would always nudge me as it to remind me that I am still single and I could swoon as much as I wanted too, even though I've never been one to openly voice my thoughts about guys I've found attractive. I mean, she wasn't wrong and I never disagreed with her. He is hot.

Tim clears his throat, snapping me out of my thoughts. I blush madly, gently placing my hand in his as a form of greeting.

"Penelope Singh." I tell him and Sam my name, sending both of the boys a tiny smile.

"Who even shakes hands anymore, anyways?" Sam teases from behind us. Tim ignores him though, opening his mouth to speak.

"We're uh, we're partners for our next assignment." He bites his bottom lip, gesturing towards the whiteboard where the teacher had left the class a message for us to join with our partners before class starts. I nod my head.

"Lucky you, Tim's a literal genius."