Home- A Fierrochase AU

Apparently I have an unusual last name?

Magnus POV

What a classy person.

I'm glad the school has such a good welcoming committee, without it I might not know what to expect!

After Alex answered my rhetorical question, our conversation just...
Died.

People have always been jerks about my hair. They decide that just because I like having longer hair than most boys, means I must be a girl. They make fun of my hair, and that makes me understandably anti-social. So I guess I am little sensitive about being called a girl, and it totally doesn't help that he called Alex a fag. I guess I was a little stressed. I still shouldn't have done that. You never question the pecking order.

Growing up, my Mom always said that when you take your mind off the pain, you feel better. So, to take away the ache from my injuries, I always take note of my surroundings in excruciating detail. It's helped me mourn her and escape from all the "homes" they send me to, so I do just that.

The bus is loud in every sense of the word. The riot of voices cursing and kissing; the battles of perfume, Axe, B.O., and exhaust float on the scent of the air. The flying colors of Lulu Lemon clothing and bags, the sea of Nike, Under Armour, and Adidas. I'm not even going to imagine trying to think of the taste of fake leather and old food with a lovely topping of fall condensation. That's all five senses, and my head is still muddled and hurting, and thinking about the riotous bus only makes everything worse. Might as well as try to figure out escaping while at it.

The bus moves at an inconsistent speed, stopping and starting and speeding up and slowing down through the neighborhoods changing slowly from residential suburbs to more urban industrial areas like the trees changing colors. I take note of dark alleys, and abandoned looking houses and buildings, conveniently placed trees, anything. Anything that would help me run away, because I have the feeling Mrs. Bridgeton won't want me leaving, and that makes me want to leave faster. No need to break records for a house with an abusive alcoholic and a school full of asshats is there?

The only thing that's kept me, and may continue to keep me from leaving, is Alex. Something tells me that if I leave the 'home' I'll be leaving Alex (forever), too. I don't get why this is so important. I've made friends before, I just don't get attached so quickly. For the millionth time, this. is. really. fucking. weird.

Speak of the devil and she shall snap you out of your reveries.

"Finally! I came this close to slapping you, you know!" Alex held up two fingers with maybe a molecule's space between them "We're here! Get ready for some educating! Hopefully that big head of yours can hold stuff in."
"The same could be said for you." And with that I was off and running, avoiding a punch from Alex.

Needless to say, she caught up to me and punched me in the shoulder.

"ow. that hurt."
"No it didn't, you big baby."

Looking at the school it looked... forbidding. It was a tall brownstone like many buildings in Boston, and it's look of poorly maintained former grandeur was almost sad. The kids out front bustle and stagnate in groups blocking walkways and generally don't pay attention to each other. Alex started moving forward, pulling me, no, not by my hand, but my forearm.  I have no idea how Alex could see through the crowd judging by her shortness, but before I know it we're in a largely empty corner of the courtyard covered by a vast, mostly leafless, Oak tree.

"I HAVE FRESH BAIT!" Alex announces to an oddly familiar group of people. 

"Alex this is not the first time we've met him. So we are aware of our new torture victim." Mallory added with a glare pointed at Alex.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm joining something I shouldn't?" 

"Because you are" A girl I hadn't noticed before piped up with. She looked Middle-Eastern, Arab maybe, and had a forest green hijab, with a matching long sleeve t-shirt and jeans and was doing homework. How responsible of her. She smiled up at Alex as we approached before gesturing to me.

"Hey Alex! Who's the New Guy?"
"This is Magnus... Hey! What's your last name?"
"Chase."
"Wait, what? What kind of last name is Chase? Like the verb or the credit card company?" Alex looked utterly baffled.
"Neither! I have never met someone who has an issue with my last name. Of all the things about me people don't get, you choose my last name?"
"It's an unusual last name!"
"What's a normal last name?!"
"I don't know- Sam why are you laughing?"

I had forgotten the others were here until Alex said this, but we looked toward the others to see them holding back laughter, and as we looked at them, they busted out laughing. It took a few seconds but finally everyone stopped wheezing long enough to talk. 

"Samirah Al-Abbas, but I prefer to just go by Sam"
"Nice to meet you." It was a little awkward after that, because I have no idea how to make decent small talk, but luckily Samirah stepped in for me.
"Okay, moving on from Magnus' weird name, shouldn't he go to the main office to get his schedule or something?"
"Yes! Thank you Sam!"
"It is weird name, though. Now who is going to show Magnus to the office?"
"You should, Sam, you're the student ambassador!"
"Shut up, Alex. But good point. I guess I'll go."

"Well, we've got a gauntlet to go through, so if you want to make it to the office and to your next class, we need to leave, like, right now." She was suddenly very business like as she said this, so something tells me she's used to moving around clueless kids to all their classes.

"Good luck, Maggie!" Alex said, with a smile just a tad too malicious for my comfort. It made me want to book it out of there.

Well, too late now, I'm stuck in the trap called school, and I won't be leaving soon.

(A/N: hey sorry if this is a really different writing style, I have been copying and editing from my phone old stuff and my style has changed and because I can't be consistent for the life of me, each chapter may be different! (probably not but you never know). My dad says P!ATD is "Hipster crap". I think he has no taste in music. Not sure how well this fits with the chapter, but it kind of does, and is a bop regardless. Anyways, regards and apologies for the late and inconsistent updates, Chili Babies.)