klancepride with cal

day 11- language

Keith hadn't really wanted an exchange student in the first place. He didn't think it made sense as neither he nor Krolia spoke any Spanish. But his mother had said that it would be a "bonding experience" for him. She'd been so excited about having another teenager in the house (for some bizarre reason) that Keith had given in.

As Keith and Krolia waited for the bus that would deliver the exchange students to the crowd of waiting families, Keith fidgeted nervously with the hem of his shirt. He and Krolia didn't know much about the student who'd be living with them for the next 10 days except that his name was Lance and he was the same age as Keith.

Because of the Kogane's sheer lack of Spanish fluency, they'd been paired with a student who was pretty fluent in English to avoid a significant language barrier. That, of course, had not stopped Krolia from signing herself up for Spanish lessons on Duolingo and putting sticky notes on just about everything in the house with their English translations.

"Manzana, apple"

"Cama, bed"

"Computadora, shitty laptop"

Keith was convinced she'd put a sticky note on him next- "cabrón, Keith".

The early summer night breeze was warm and dry on Keith's skin and he sighed dreamily at the endless summer that lay sprawling in front of him invitingly. The group heard the bus before they saw it. An old, rickety school bus, grumbling in protest, wobbled down the road, kicking up a cloud of dust behind it.

A few people clapped, little toddlers pointed at the vehicle excitedly, mothers smoothing down their hair and fathers straightening their ties. Krolia joined in the preening, taking off her reading glasses and plastering a brilliant grin on her face.

Keith himself found, to his extreme surprise, slight anxiety in his chest. 'What if?'s circled his head like vultures. What if Lance was a slob? Or super annoying? What if Lance was the kind of person who made you jealous for attention from your parents? Keith was a single child, he wasn't exactly thrilled at the prospect of sharing his mom with some stranger.

The bus drew in front of the group and squealed to a stop, squatting on the dusty road like some sort of giant, yellow beetle. It's engine sputtered, then went quiet and the doored creaked open. Krolia lifted the small, cardboard sign she'd written LANCE on and nudged Keith with her elbow until he attempted a smile too.

Students came flooding out of the bus, their faces springing into recognition as they found the signs that read their names, held by expectant families. Keith's anxious eyes searched each face that jumped from the bus, but none of the students approached Krolia and him.

The last student left the bus and found her family. Krolia's hopeful smile drooped like a wilting flower. She turned to Keith and handed him the sign. "I'm going to go ask the Principle if we messed up the schedule," she said softly. Keith bit his lip and nodded. Maybe Lance wasn't coming after all.

Krolia turned away and walked off to find the principle, but after a few moments, there was the sound of the bus' doors screeching open and one last student hopped off the bus, loaded down with bags. His eyes found the sign hanging limply from Keith's hands and his face lit up.

"Hi!" the boy greeted cheerfully as he approached Keith. "Sorry, I lost my wallet on the bus. It got jammed between the seat and the wall. The name's Lance." The boy promptly dropped all of his bags and held out a smooth palm to Keith.

Keith felt his words retreat from his tongue back to his throat. His heart stuttered as he reached out and shook Lance's hand. All of his concerns dissipated as he realized with a jolt that Lance was probably the prettiest boy he'd ever seen. Keith, you gay fuck, why'd your exchange student have to be so hot?

"Uh, hi," Keith said awkwardly. His eyes were glued to Lance's, posture awkward as he struggled to look casual. His eyes fell to the bags that formed a ring around Lance's feet. "Lemme get some of those for you," he muttered, stooping down to pick up a canvas bag and a backpack.

Lance smiled again and bent down too. "Sorry, yeah, I overpacked a bit. I just wanted to be prepared." As the two gathered Lance's things from the ground, Keith caught the smell of Lance's floral cologne and had to keep his eyes trained on the dirt to keep Lance from seeing his blushing cheeks.

It was going to be a weird 10 days, that was for sure.