A Series of One-Shots 🔷️

{4} "Everything Has Changed" (Rydoff)

"This is it: My senior year at City Honors Academy," Kristoff muttered as he bounced his leg while sitting on the bleachers of the football field.

He had been attempting to read his most favorite engineering book, but couldn't focus on the words without anxiety creeping in from the back of his mind. Seraphina and Varian told him they had been anxious on their first day as seniors, but as they grew comfortable with their classes, the anxiety slowly ebbed away and they were able to graduate with honors. Kristoff could only hope that he'd be able to graduate on time or at least attend college courses at San Fransokyo Institute of Technology. His intended major, if he were to attend college, was industrial engineering, but he had no idea for a future career as of yet. Chris said that Kristoff didn't need to decide just yet; he wasn't pressuring any of his kids to attend college and lock themselves in a study they'd be bored with in three years.

The thing was, Kristoff had no idea who he was apart from the Alchemy Twins' older brother. Everyone knew Seraphina and Varian as two of the youngest teenagers to graduate from City Honors Academy, after Hiro Hamada (who graduated at thirteen). Kristoff was going to be sixteen soon, and he had a legacy to fulfill when it came to his immediate family. He was proud of being the older brother to the Alchemy Twins - he just hated being compared to them or simply being known as just their brother. He wanted to make a name for himself, but he had to be patient because he knew he'd get there in the end.

"Senior year. Take a deep breath, one step at a time, and do the next right thing," Kristoff told himself, grabbing his bookbag. Standing up, he got down from the bleachers and read his book on the way to his first class of the day, which was Norwegian II. It had been a fairly new course in the school district, and the principal wanted to see who'd take the class back when Kristoff was a freshman. He, along with twenty-nine other students, had volunteered, but by the second semester, about more than half the students dropped it from their schedules.

Despite that setback, Norwegian I remained in the curriculum, and Norwegian II followed soon afterward. Kristoff stuck with the language, realizing that he enjoyed the class. Seraphina had taken Spanish during her time at City Honors Academy, and Varian took German; the Alchemy Twins became fluent in a year or two. Kristoff also became fluent in Norwegian, finding that it seemed natural to speak that language.

"Oh, damn it! Sorry!" a boy of about fifteen years exclaimed as he bumped into Kristoff accidentally.

Kristoff looked up from his book and blushed an apple red; this boy was damn cute! His chestnut brown hair appeared soft, and it curled up at the nape of his neck. His ocean blue eyes were clear and easy to read. This boy stood at 5'5, at least, and chose to wear a red flannel shirt that sat above his thighs; a pair of blue denim jeans, the cuffs rolled up by his ankles; and gray boots with a low heel.

"It's fine," said Kristoff, waving his left hand slightly. "Accidents happen, that's a part of life."

"I'm Ryder Nattura, a new student here. I was looking for the Norwegian II classroom," said Ryder.

"I was heading there myself. Do you wanna walk with me?" Kristoff offered, putting his book into his bag.

"Sure," answered Ryder, grinning.

The two began to walk together.

"What grade are you in?" Ryder asked Kristoff.

"I'm supposed to be a junior, but I skipped a grade because I could handle the workload of a senior. So, I'm a senior," said Kristoff. "You?"

"Sophomore. My twin sister is a sophomore as well," said Ryder.

"Who's your sister?" Kristoff inquired.