It Never Changes

Chapter 2

A/N:

The first few chapters are more of a set up of their relationships, and I'm not completely satisfied with the exploration of their characters so far, so there'll be a much larger focus on that for a while. I'm also aiming to have most of the story surrounding Jason, because his is a perspective rarely seen. Enjoy!

(Also, I'm going by British education systems, because I'm not American. Forgive me.)

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Jason decided he hated school. Why did he have to go there, anyway? His dad had enough money for him to do whatever he liked. 

It was cold and he had to walk. 

The sky was grey and overcast, and his bag was heavy. He'd refused a ride from either parent, because then he'd have to be at school an hour early and the only thing worse than being a teachers son was being a swot. It wasn't quite raining yet, but the clouds had that familiar swelling that hinted at a drizzle. The streets were quiet though. That was good- he didn't want to be singled out and picked on in the middle of the street. 

There were kids at the bus stop. They all stood at least ten feet apart. Some were older than him, towering above as he attempted to scurry past. It made him nervous. A kid about his age stood on the end of the spaced out queue and he looked as anxious as he felt. 

Of course, his parents had explained to Jason early on that school might be a little different. Marvin could only hope that his son gave less of a fuck than he did when it came to the student's hatred. As long as they didn't bully him, then he was fine. 

His hands gripped his backpack straps as the bus puffed down the road. He was cold, but his hands were sweaty. 

He climbed the steps and nearly froze.

People already had friends. They leaned over the tops of seats, laughing. The buzz of inside jokes was almost deafening as he forced himself to take a step forward. Everyone was so intimidating- especially the kids at the back. They watched him from their perches, threatening and inquisitive, and his eyes immediately fell to the ground. 

The last thing he wanted was trouble on the first day. 

 Thankfully, though, he found a spare seat. His shoes squeaked as he walked past tired children with earphones on. Trina had insisted he get proper 'school shoes', which he said was ridiculous, because 'no one's going to be looking at my feet, anyway'- but it made no difference, even if his dad had agreed with him. 

Even so, his outfit stood out. A striped green, long-sleeved t-shirt under a Spider-Man shirt and loose jeans. His hair was a mess, too; a curly forest of dark swirls. They all had proper bags as well, and his was covered in Rick and Morty art, which he had thought was awesome until he was surrounded by Hype galaxies and Adidas. He felt way too self-conscious and wondered if it was still too late to turn around and go home, close his eyes, and sleep until 1 like always.

He was starting to regret not taking the ride. 

But the bus started before he could make a move, frozen engine spluttering to life. The children went back to their conversations and Jason wished he was somewhere else.