The Only One I See

Eren

"Hey Loser!"

Eren didn't even have time to brace himself before he was forcibly slammed up against a row of tightly packed lockers. Mikasa flinched. Times like this were when Eren was glad that he was tall. If he wasn't, he might be pushed inside the locker instead of just up against it.

"I saw you trying to look off my paper in Algebra today. What? Is addition to hard for you?" He and his gang of goons laughed, all except one freckled brunette who looked very uncomfortable. Eren pressed himself further into the lockers, trying to make himself disappear. "You're such an idiot."

"Get the hell away from him," growled Mikasa. She was always quick to retort, even if it got her into trouble. The bully stayed silent, glaring at her but not making a move. Eren knew he wouldn't touch her; they were only there for him. He knew why, too. Without another word, Eren's books were ripped from his grasp. He watched helplessly as they fell to the floor.

"What? It's not like you'll ever use them. I'd be surprised if you could actually read."

"I wasn't cheating," Eren wispered, then instantly regretted it. He knew better than to try and defend himself. He took Eren's shoulders and slammed him back into the lockers again. This constant harassment didn't even hurt anymore. It was just plain tedious.

He lowered his voice to a whisper so that only Eren would hear, "What? Were you eyeing me up, then? Don't think I forgot. You're still just a little faggot."

"Jean," said the freckled jock from before. He was standing directly behind Eren's antagonizer. Jean looked mortified as he came to the realization that his friend had heard what he had said. Jean's friend almost looked as if he himself was hurt by the retort, "Lay off." Jeans face turned fifty different shades of pink, eventually settling on a sharp fire engine red.

"Macro," Jean's voice cracked before muttering a string of almost inaudibly apologies. He chased Marco all the way down the corridor, head sunken and sad. Mikasa quickly gathered his books and handed them over.

"Are you alright?" Mikasa asked.

"I'm fine," Eren answered, "What about you?"

"I'm okay," she said, then began turning pink. Eren knew what that meant and smiled slightly. Anytime Mikasa's face reddened, she was about to rant, "I can't believe it! We've only been here a week and we're already labeled," she huffed. Eren couldn't help but smirk. Mikasa had a tendency of making his problems her problems. Eren didn't worry about her nearly as much as she worried about him. He knew she could handle herself just fine. Before they began school here, Mikasa had sent in forms to join several different sports teams: softball, basketball, volleyball, track, and even golf. Mikasa was a female jock, and that's what she had been labeled as. Not a loser. The loser here was Eren. He was six feet of lame, lanky loser. Between his thick glasses, his dorky braces, and his mid-puberty voice, he was all-around... well, awkward. It was no wonder he was picked on by the meat walls that were also known as the football players.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Mikasa asked, tilting her head to the side a bit.

"Just thinking. Come on. It's lunch time."

...

Eren set down his tray, Mikasa by his side. They had made a few friends since they had been here, and they were nice enough to invite them to sit with them at lunch.

Armin was Eren's first friend, not just at this school but ever. The two had been friends since they were children. He had lived in the same neighborhood as Armin before his mom passed. After he was put in a foster home, he was moved and had not spoken to Armin until he saw him walking the halls on his first day of school. Luckily, his newest foster family lived in the district. Eren was happy to see his best friend again. Armin was the smartest freshman Eren knew. He was good under pressure and was always there for Eren when he needed him. God, had they missed each other.

"Hey! Give me some of that!" Connie yelled, grabbing at the bag of potato chips that Sasha had just opened. She held the bag close to her chest as Connie attempted to tackle her. Before long, they were in a full out tug-of-war match over the bag. Eren was pretty sure that Sasha had been pulling the bag with her teeth at one point. Armin pressed two fingers to him temple in annoyance. Eren laughed, almost spitting out his mouthful of food.

Connie and Sasha were... entertaining, to say the least. They were loud, obnoxious, hungry all the time, and absolutely, positively a riot. They always knew how to make their friends laugh. It's what made them so compatible. Eren secretly hoped that they would get together.

Last was Christa. She was quiet, sweet, and very thoughtful. Sasha thought of her as a god because once, after she ran the mile for gym class, Christa had brought her food and water. She was currently blushing like mad while looking across the cafeteria at a freckled girl in a brown ponytail. She didn't look like anything special, but the boy behind her did.

There was perfection clad in black skinny jeans and lip piercings. His black hair swooped over his face perfectly, casting a shadow over his already shadowy eyes. He was mysterious and beautiful and utterly enticing. Eren sat there staring.

And there he was... staring right back at him.