𝔹𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔹𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕣𝕤

𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕖𝕥𝕖𝕖𝕟

And here we are. The first day. Yaaaayy....ugh. The morning goes like most mornings have been going in the Larkin household: wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast with everyone, and finish getting ready. I'm not taking the bus this time, which is good, because the bus is fucking awful. Everyone's always throwing shit at each other and breathing down your fucking neck. I'm so thankful that Jack has a car and can drive us. At least I won't have to deal with that anymore.

A few weeks ago, I was given a tour of the school. I have to admit, it's a pretty nice school. It's a lot bigger than my old school, and it obviously has a lot more funding. I remember looking at the different posters, plaques, and pictures that have been scattered across the walls. Posters for upcoming clubs, photos from theatre productions, photos of sports teams with some kind of statistic under it. For example, I remember seeing a picture of the boy's cross country team with the caption, "UNDEFEATED FOR 3 YEARS STRAIGHT!!" Pretty impressive, not gonna lie.

But I can't help the fact that I want to jump out of this car and run back home to Medda.  The three of us pile out of the car, grabbing our backpacks. Charlie turns to me.

"Toni! There are a few people that Jack and I want you to meet." Shit. Shit. Shit. "Don't worry! They're all so kind and we've been friends with them for as long as we can remember!" I'm not interested, thank you. I'd prefer to stay under the radar like I always have. "Come on! We have a few minutes before 1st period, so we should have time to introduce you to everyone!" The two of them start to head towards the door, and Jack waves at me to follow them. I guess there's no getting out of this one.

The halls are pretty empty right now. I guess most people haven't arrived yet, which is good. They lead me to the back of the library. At one of the tables, there's a big group of people hovered over something. I thought they were only introducing me to a few people! This is a whole ass clique! One of the boys, a tall kid with glasses who looks to be the same age as Jack, looks up from whatever is on the table and notices the three of us.

"HEY! Jack and Crutch! What took ya so long!" He wraps the two of them in an embrace. When he pulls back, he finally notices me. "And...who's this?" I shrink back.

Jack addresses the whole group, not just the one kid. "My yees and haws, this," he places a hand on my shoulder, "is Antonio. He's our new foster brother." I wave, refusing to make eye contact. A chorus of welcomes arises. "Crutchie, introduce everyone. I need to piss." And with that, he leaves. TMI much? And who the hell is Crutchie? is that Charlie's nickname? I'm so fucking confused. I move my gaze from the floor to Charlie, who gives me a reassuring smile. 

"Damn, who do I start with..." He studies the group for a moment before pointing at the kid with glasses. "That's Spencer, but we all call him Specs. Wanna guess why?" he chucked before pointing at a short, Filipino kid. "That's Romeo. He flirts with everyone, so don't be alarmed if he tries to flirt with you." Romeo sticks his tongue out at Charlie. In the next few minutes, he introduces the whole group. Smalls, Finch, Tommy Boy, Elmer, Davey, Buttons, and more. There are some pretty interesting nicknames. Lastly, he points to a redhead in the back.

"And that's Albert!" I feel my heart skip a beat and my face gets hot. Wait, no no no you just met the guy! You don't know if he's a dick or not, so stop the crushing! 

...Even if he's hot...

"I think that's everyone, where the hell is Spot?"

"His car is in the parking lot," Smalls pipes up. "He'll be here." No matter how hard I try, I can't take my eyes off of that damn redhead. He's fucking jacked, with freckles that are scattered across his whole body. His hair is fluffy and untamed. I don't even notice the door opening and someone new walking in until he takes a seat next to Albert, wrapping his arm around his shoulders and placing a small kiss on his cheek.

Fuck. Me.

Of course, he's taken. Why wouldn't he be? He's attractive as hell and seems to have an amazing personality. Who wouldn't want him? The person who kissed him must he the Spot that Charlie was talking about. He's a short Latino who's also fucking jacked. My face becomes even hotter.

I want to punch myself in the face.

Do I really have feelings for both of them? And they're both taken? What the hell is wrong with you, Antonio? The sound of the bell ringing cuts off my thoughts. The group groans and pulls out their schedules. 

"So, what do you have first?" I didn't even notice Charlie standing next to me.

"Uh," I look at my schedule, "Chemistry with Mrs. Destefano."

"Hey! Antonio! I have that class too!" One of the boys, Romeo, pipes up. Well, at least the class isn't full of strangers. I give him a fake smile. he runs up beside me and we walk to class together. Romeo doesn't shut up the whole time we're walking, but I'm not really listening. My mind keeps drifting back to Albert and Spot.

This year is gonna be rough.